Hot Times in the World: A June 2011 Trip Report!

We’ve been home for a week, I’m back at work, and reality is truly setting in. Time to escape it with a trip report!

The cast includes myself (Shannon, 27) and my husband Will (26) spending 8 days in WDW for our second anniversary!

Since this was an anniversary trip and all, here we are a little over 2 years ago on our wedding day…

…and 2 days later on our honeymoon!

We’ve been together since February 2005, and we met in math class during my junior and his sophomore year in college. NERDS.

This was our fourth trip to WDW together after the aforementioned honeymoon in May 2009 (Boardwalk Inn), a quick Thanksgiving trip with the in-laws in November 2009 (Boardwalk Inn – no trip report! For shame.), and another quick trip in February for the 2011 Princess Half Marathon (Port Orleans – Riverside).

For this trip we decided to rent DVC points for the first time as a way to save some cash. Will suggested we do a split stay (great idea since I couldn’t decide on one resort anyway) and we put our requests in with excellent results. For the first 3 nights we scored a savanna-view studio villa at Kidani. For the remainder of our trip we’d be traveling back to the Atlantic coast, staying in a “preferred/boardwalk-view” studio at the Boardwalk Villas. Woot!

Pretty early on in the planning process we ultimately decided that we also wanted to fit in a one-day trip to Universal, primarily to spend a morning frolicking in HP-land. Of the two of us, I am the giant Harry Potter fan (admittedly, more a fan of the books than the movies), and being the fabulous husband that he is, Will tags along with me to the movies and enjoys them, though I don’t think he fully grasps the awesomeness of HP since he refuses to read the books.

Other than that, we made our ADRs, put down some cash for a tour, changed said ADRs a million times, and had some major face palm moments along the way

Above all else, I was most excited to get to spend some quality time with Will. It seems like we were both (separately) super busy for the entirety of spring, and I was more than ready to put real life aside and have another adventure together in WDW!

Onward!

 

[Ariel484]

Day 8: Monday, June 20

Ugh, is there anything worse than waking up and realizing it’s the last day of your trip? Boo!

Anyhoo, we slept in until about 9 (!!) and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast in our room from the Boardwalk Bakery. It was quite lovely.

Before checking out, I took some last-minute pictures in the room of some Hidden Mickeys...

Okay, maybe this one is not-so-hidden:

Eventually we accepted the fact that we had to say goodbye to our awesome room. We did the whole airline check-in thing, stored our carry-ons with Bell Services, and headed out to the boardwalk.

Rather than go to a park, we decided to do some resort exploring as a relaxing way to spend our last morning. Our plan was to take the boat to Hollywood Studios and catch a bus from there.

We’d actually just missed the boat at the Boardwalk stop, so we ran/power walked to the Swan and Dolphin stop, which was not fun since it was the usual 90+ degrees out and I had all those bug bites on my feet. Blech!

Anyhoo, we cruised to Hollywood Studios and got on a bus to the Wilderness Lodge. Will had stayed at the Lodge a few times growing up, and I’d never been there before, so he wanted to make sure I saw it at some point during this trip. Just driving up I knew I was going to love it.

Our first stop was to the gift shop to get some anti-itch ointment for my bites. And then it was time to explore! We’re pretty sure we’re going to stay at the Wilderness Lodge on our next longer trip, and if we do we’ll mostly likely rent points, so we headed to the Villas side.

Love this light!

And this sign!

 

[Ariel484]

We headed back to the main area of the resort and out back near the dock area.

Come on, guys. Be safe.

Boat spotting…yay!

And back in the lobby…that is one tall fireplace!

At some point we found Roaring Forks and had lunch there…we both picked the turkey and dill havarti sandwich with homemade potato chips. The sandwiches were good, but those chips stole the show. Currently I’m trying (unsuccessfully) to replicate them at home. Any tips??!

 

[Ariel484]

After lunch we explored a bit more and ultimately decided that we definitely want to make the Wilderness Lodge our home during our next longer trip! :sohappy:

But sadly our relaxing morning, and the trip itself, was coming to a close.

Coming to take us away…

A parasailor in the distance!

After the parasailor, I got one last picture of a cute little boat…

…and saw one last monorail…

…before hopping on a bus back to the Boardwalk.

Magical Express picked us up at about 2:50, and let’s face it…no one wants to hear about that. Trip over.

 

[Ariel484]

Final Thoughts

This was sort of an odd trip for us…the heat really forced us to slow down, so we weren’t in our usual park commando mode. Really, I feel like we didn’t get a lot of park time at all…and it was nice! I think I could get used to going to Disney without feeling like I need to run around the parks at breakneck speed. We didn’t get on a couple of rides we normally don’t miss (Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Splash, Big Thunder, etc.) and didn’t get to see any afternoon parades, which was a little disappointing. But that just gives us something to work on for next time, right?! Overall, the trip was fabulous – everything I hoped it would be and more.

Animal Kingdom Lodge: We love this resort. The lobby area and the area near Victoria Falls/Boma/Jiko is fantastic, the pools were fun, and it was nice having quick service right inside the hotel, which we don’t get at the Boardwalk. Obviously we loved our view, but we’re undecided as to whether we’d pay for it again. Our big concern in staying here was the transportation, which wasn’t too bad, except for going to Downtown Disney, which seemed to take forever. Having said that, we didn’t actually take AKL transportation to the Magic Kingdom, so I’m not sure we got the full scope of what it’s like to be 100% bus-dependent at AKL.

Boardwalk Villas: Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Boardwalk? It is definitely our home at Disney, and we will surely be back, though I’m not sure how we can top this stay…I bet the chances of us getting another boardwalk-view room are pretty slim.

Doing a split stay: We’d definitely do this again…we loved experiencing 2 completely different resorts. We planned ahead by not fully unpacking at Animal Kingdom Lodge and taking a small bag with the essentials with us during the morning of the resort switch. This, combined with how well the luggage transfer went, made for a very smooth transition.

Food: Overall, the food was pretty great. Our favorite meals were, I think, Jiko, Citricos and ‘Ohana (breakfast and dinner). Biggest disappointments were Kona Café and California Grill. I definitely like having Tables in Wonderland vs. having the Dining Plan, but my nerdy math skills tell me that unless we do multiple trips in a year again (which is unlikely), we won't be AP holders and Tables in Wonderland won't be the better deal for us

 

[Ariel484]

Segway Tour: Such a blast, and worth every penny. We hope to do it again!

Universal Islands of Adventure: I’m glad we went, but it’s not for us. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area is great though. If you’re thinking of going there, and can go at a cooler/less crowded time, you’ll probably enjoy it much more than we did.

Special Treats: Due to our anniversary buttons and my noting on every reservation that we were celebrating, we got TONS of little extras during our meals…free desserts, complimentary champagne, an amuse bouche, great tables, you name it. We got nothing like this on our honeymoon. I’m sure we didn’t get complimentary desserts back then due to our being on the Dining Plan (thus dessert was already included in our meals), but that doesn’t explain the great tables, amuse bouches or champagne we got this time around. Hmm…maybe Disney thinks anniversaries are more worthy of celebration than honeymoons? :shrug: :veryconfu I know it’s more likely that we just got really, really lucky this time around, but this mystery has endured even after we've been home for a couple of weeks.

Disney in June: Did I mention how hot it was the entire time? No? Well, it was HOT. I naively thought it wouldn’t be so bad, and Will sort of humored me, but he definitely had a more realistic idea of what we were in for, and it was rough. Since Will is a teacher we don’t have a lot of options for when we can go to WDW, I think after this trip summer is going to be off the table for awhile.

On that note…

Future Trips

We’re booked to return to Disney in January, but this will be a short one…4 days and 3 nights at the Beach Club Villas (again, renting points) for marathon weekend. It’ll be our first time at BCV, and we’re pretty excited! :sohappy: Everything’s all set except for flights and ADRs, which I’ll be making bright and early on Sunday morning! Oh, and I just started training this week, so hopefully I'll be ready by January 8. :sohappy:

Beyond that, things are a bit up in the air right now. Like I said, we don’t have many options as to when we can visit WDW (I’d LOVE to go in September/October, but I can’t see that happening until after we’re retired!), so right now I’m eyeballing Will’s winter break in 2012 for our next long trip. We'll probably rent points at the Wilderness Lodge Villas, and I’m hoping it’ll work out so that I can tack the 2013 WDW Half Marathon onto the end of the trip. Fingers crossed!

I think that’s all the blabbing I’ve got in me…thanks for reading along everyone! :wave:

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

If someone had made a comment like that to me, I'd have turned and snapped her picture a couple of times.

HA! Good one.

Segway Tour: Everything’s all set except for flights and ADRs, which I’ll be making bright and early on Sunday morning!
I think that’s all the blabbing I’ve got in me…thanks for reading along everyone! :wave:

I think I'd feel the same way about Cali Grill. We're not foodies and don't care to dine in stuffy places.

Thanks for taking us with you!! What are you planning for ADRs?

 

[foreverbelle]

Well I am sad to see it come to an end! But you have dif. pumped me up for next week when I head down to the world!

I love WL! It is always a fabulous stay and we always look forward to staying there...ah I wanna go back!

We will be experiencing the switch between two resorts once again next week I am hoping ours will go just as smoothly.

Overall a wonderful report and I will look forward to another one in January!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

So sad this TR is done

Summer is def HOT at the world.. I went in August before 9th grade and there were so many crowds, we got on 3 rides all day. We waited 2 hours for Splash Mtn... ugh!!!

WL is a beautiful resort. You guys will have a blast staying there in the future! :wave:

 

[TakeMeThere81]

First, before I forget, will you PM me some more info about renting DVC points?? This concept is completely new to me, and if it is a good value, DH might consider it!

If someone had made a comment like that to me, I'd have turned and snapped her picture a couple of times.

:ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL:

Ugh, is there anything worse than waking up and realizing it’s the last day of your trip? Boo!

No, there is nothing worse!! Except maybe getting to the end of someone's awesome trip report!!

Love this Boardwalk picture!!

And back in the lobby…that is one tall fireplace!

Your photo-taking skills are just awesome!!

At some point we found Roaring Forks and had lunch there…we both picked the turkey and dill havarti sandwich with homemade potato chips. The sandwiches were good, but those chips stole the show. Currently I’m trying (unsuccessfully) to replicate them at home. Any tips??!

Ok this seals the deal, with what Holly said about the QS breakfast and this info regarding lunch, we're definitely going to have to make a stop to Roaring Fork for a meal next time!

Fantastic Trip Report Shannon!:sohappy: Sorry if by now I seem like your TR stalker! :lookaroun

 

[HollyBelle]

It's over, so soon?! Noooooooooooooo. So sad.

Thanks for such a fabulous report, Shannon. I think we're more and more alike with each passing report. I, too, would've gotten upset over the uppity lady at Cali Grill. Your "suck it" comment had me laughing out loud. :lol: Sometimes I get a little too concerned about what other people think of me... so I was glad to see that you did your best not to let her ruin your evening with Will. Interesting that was your least enjoyable signature meal. I felt slightly out of place the first time we dined there, but I chalked it up to being one of the first "fancy pants" meals we'd ever had. Now, looking back, I wonder if the environment and clientele played into that feeling as well. We've been back once since then, and it was much better, but it's still not at the top of our signature list.

Isn't taking a more relaxed pace, just wonderful?! We've adopted this style over the last couple years and it makes for such an enjoyable trip.

Congrats to you and Will on your second anniversary! I'm so glad you chose to celebrate it in a big way... all anniversaries should be exactly that.

Training for the full marathon this time around?! That is awesome. Are you running solo this time or will your brother be joining you again? You're going to have so much fun. Brett and I just started our training for the Wine and Dine... we are 100% going to train full out for this one. You can quote me on that later. :lookaroun Seriously. :animwink: I really do mean it!

 

[riogirl]

You guys seem like such an adorable couple!

I enjoyed your trip report very much...we leave in 6 weeks and your report made me even more excited!

 

[Ariel484]

HA! Good one.

I think I'd feel the same way about Cali Grill. We're not foodies and don't care to dine in stuffy places.

Thanks for taking us with you!! What are you planning for ADRs?

I think that's what surprised us so much...I was expecting California Grill to be upscale, but laid back at the same time, if that makes any sense. When I think "California," I think laid back. :shrug:

Current plans are for a Via Napoli dinner, an 'Ohana dinner and a Cape May Cafe breakfast...only 3 ADRs??!!!!?

Well I am sad to see it come to an end! But you have dif. pumped me up for next week when I head down to the world!

I love WL! It is always a fabulous stay and we always look forward to staying there...ah I wanna go back!

We will be experiencing the switch between two resorts once again next week I am hoping ours will go just as smoothly.

Overall a wonderful report and I will look forward to another one in January!

Ah, I mis-read your report (or just didn't remember correctly)...SSR and BLT? I think I thought you were staying at Wilderness Lodge this time because I remember reading that you own points there, is that right? The resort switch wasn't too bad at all, we just set it up with Bell Services and they took care of the rest. If you bring a small bag with the essentials (swim suit, etc.) you should be good to go. I can't wait to hear about your trip!

So sad this TR is done

Summer is def HOT at the world.. I went in August before 9th grade and there were so many crowds, we got on 3 rides all day. We waited 2 hours for Splash Mtn... ugh!!!

WL is a beautiful resort. You guys will have a blast staying there in the future!

Ugh, a 2-hour wait?! Yikes. The first time I went to WDW was in August (1995) and there's a picture of me, my brother and my cousins just looking completely miserable in the heat. I feel your pain. Thanks for reading!

First, before I forget, will you PM me some more info about renting DVC points?? This concept is completely new to me, and if it is a good value, DH might consider it!

Yep! I'll sent you the link.

Ok this seals the deal, with what Holly said about the QS breakfast and this info regarding lunch, we're definitely going to have to make a stop to Roaring Fork for a meal next time!

Fantastic Trip Report Shannon! Sorry if by now I seem like your TR stalker!

Yes, the waffles, right? Those sounded AMAZING. Maybe Roaring Forks would be a good place to go during a Magic Kingdom afternoon?

I prefer to think of it as admiration rather than stalking! :lol: Thanks for reading and commenting!

It's over, so soon?! Noooooooooooooo. So sad.

Thanks for such a fabulous report, Shannon. I think we're more and more alike with each passing report. I, too, would've gotten upset over the uppity lady at Cali Grill. Your "suck it" comment had me laughing out loud. Sometimes I get a little too concerned about what other people think of me... so I was glad to see that you did your best not to let her ruin your evening with Will. Interesting that was your least enjoyable signature meal. I felt slightly out of place the first time we dined there, but I chalked it up to being one of the first "fancy pants" meals we'd ever had. Now, looking back, I wonder if the environment and clientele played into that feeling as well. We've been back once since then, and it was much better, but it's still not at the top of our signature list.

Yeah, I think you and I think the same way on a lot of things I just don't have thick enough skin to let something like that totally slide by. And I am still not completely sure what went wrong during that meal. We felt completely fine at Jiko and Citricos, why would California Grill be any different? :shrug: And I think I do remember reading that you guys had a good meal there a few reports back. Ah well.

Isn't taking a more relaxed pace, just wonderful?! We've adopted this style over the last couple years and it makes for such an enjoyable trip.

YES! At this point we know we're going to go back so what's the point in killing ourselves trying to get on every single ride?!

Congrats to you and Will on your second anniversary! I'm so glad you chose to celebrate it in a big way... all anniversaries should be exactly that.

Thanks! It was a nice present for us to give one another.

Training for the full marathon this time around?! That is awesome. Are you running solo this time or will your brother be joining you again? You're going to have so much fun. Brett and I just started our training for the Wine and Dine... we are 100% going to train full out for this one. You can quote me on that later. Seriously. I really do mean it!

Yes! It's been on my mind since I first read your marathon trip report. And Princess Craiggy will be joining me once again! He told me he feels that he needs redemption after the Princess :lol: And I did see on the running board (where I lurk often but rarely post anymore) that you and Brett signed up for the Wine & Dine...that is awesome! How is the training going? I completely have faith that you will train full out... You can do it!!! Can't wait for that report.

You guys seem like such an adorable couple!

I enjoyed your trip report very much...we leave in 6 weeks and your report made me even more excited!

Thank you! I hope you have a great time on your trip!!!! Don't forget to drink tons of water...we should have done a better job of that!

 

[DisneyBergh]

She then looked at her husband and said, kind of loudly, “Should I take a picture of the butter?” before looking back at me with a little smirk on her face, chuckling.

I think I would have taken a picture of the butter!

Thanks for the great TR. Can't wait for our first trip together (and mine altogether). Though its two months earlier we will be celebrating our anniversary there too (though we have 12 years in!) Your TR makes it tough to wait the remaining 100 days!

 

[Ariel484]

I think I would have taken a picture of the butter!

Thanks for the great TR. Can't wait for our first trip together (and mine altogether). Though its two months earlier we will be celebrating our anniversary there too (though we have 12 years in!) Your TR makes it tough to wait the remaining 100 days!

LOL at taking a picture of her butter! :lol:

Congratulations on your anniversary...I hope you have a great time and get lots of treats like we did! Don't worry, those days will fly by.

 

[wdweric2.0]

Great Trip Report! Thanks for sharing! We haven't been to the world in 2 years and you made me very jealous!

 

[erstwo]

Okay, I am pretty much reading backwards and I'm not sure if I've commented or not (I read the first day and then I think I either was gone or started my own TR?) but I can't believe that woman at the Cali Grill!

Crazy stuff. I do have to say though, that I sometimes feel like the only person who would ever photograph my food - even though I know there are other TR crazy people like me out there! :lol: That woman just doesn't know what she's missing!

 

[diddy_mouse]

I'm sorry to hear about your underwhelming experience at the Contemporary. Even though I haven't stayed, there my husband and I had a great time at Chef Mickey's for dinner back in '07. Sure it was standard buffet fare but the characters were great! If you go for dinner, try to snag the first dinner seating. I think we had a 5 or 5:30pm ADR at the time. Another think we liked about the Contemporary was the fact that you have the option to walk to the MK, if the monorail is jam-packed-full. will say that I agree with you about the mood at the California Grill. I had a booked an ADR there on our honeymoon in '05 and was less than impressed with the other diners. As far as the food, I enjoyed every bit of my meal but my husband begged to differ. Needless to say we've haven't been back (yet.)

P.S. That woman...*scoff* Doesn't she know taking pictures of the food keeps the flavor for years to come?

All in all, great anniversary trip report!! Despite the heat it looks like you and your husband had a fantastic time! I really liked your pictures of the boardwalk area, especially of the boat landings. I'm a huge signage nerd. Your shots around the Wilderness Lodge make me miss that corner of The World so much! Oh and hey....MAJOR props on marathon training! I remember reading your half-marathon report and I know you can do the full! You go girl! :sohappy:

 

[Ariel484]

Great Trip Report! Thanks for sharing! We haven't been to the world in 2 years and you made me very jealous!

Thank you! Oops, didn't mean to make you jealous! I hope that you get to return to WDW soon.

Okay, I am pretty much reading backwards and I'm not sure if I've commented or not (I read the first day and then I think I either was gone or started my own TR?) but I can't believe that woman at the Cali Grill!

Crazy stuff. I do have to say though, that I sometimes feel like the only person who would ever photograph my food - even though I know there are other TR crazy people like me out there! :lol: That woman just doesn't know what she's missing!

I honestly never through to photograph my food until joining this message board...but I really like being able to look back and remember what I had. Meals are such a big part of our trips that it really does make sense for me to record everything! I did see other people doing the same at other restaurants, so we aren't the only ones!

I'm sorry to hear about your underwhelming experience at the Contemporary. Even though I haven't stayed, there my husband and I had a great time at Chef Mickey's for dinner back in '07. Sure it was standard buffet fare but the characters were great! If you go for dinner, try to snag the first dinner seating. I think we had a 5 or 5:30pm ADR at the time. Another think we liked about the Contemporary was the fact that you have the option to walk to the MK, if the monorail is jam-packed-full. will say that I agree with you about the mood at the California Grill. I had a booked an ADR there on our honeymoon in '05 and was less than impressed with the other diners. As far as the food, I enjoyed every bit of my meal but my husband begged to differ. Needless to say we've haven't been back (yet.)

Another vote for Chef Mickey's, eh? I'll have to start looking into that one! I'll add it to my list for our (hopefully) December 2012 trip. Thanks for the recommendation. You're right about the walking path to the MK from the Contemporary...I couldn't believe how close it was. I'm glad we're not the only ones that found the mood at California Grill weird. Will and I were talking about it today and still can't figure out what happened!

P.S. That woman...*scoff* Doesn't she know taking pictures of the food keeps the flavor for years to come?

I know, right?! I'm so glad I have pictures of all of our food! I am beginning to wonder if she was a local, so maybe she just didn't understand the tourist mindset? Hmm...

All in all, great anniversary trip report!! Despite the heat it looks like you and your husband had a fantastic time! I really liked your pictures of the boardwalk area, especially of the boat landings. I'm a huge signage nerd. Your shots around the Wilderness Lodge make me miss that corner of The World so much! Oh and hey....MAJOR props on marathon training! I remember reading your half-marathon report and I know you can do the full! You go girl! :sohappy:

Thank you! We absolutely had a great time. Thanks for the compliments on the pictures...I've been trying hard to get better with those!

Thanks for the marathon encouragement too! I struggled through a whopping 4 miles yesterday and thought "Well, that's over 10% of the way to completing a marathon...hooray?" :lol: I think I have a ways to go! :lol: :lookaroun

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

Great report! So sad to see it's all over!

Again, have to say I love all your pictures (especially of the boardwalk) and I'm sorry that your little bit at the Contemporary was dissappointing I stayed there once where BLT now stands and from what I remember it was great! But I'm going to disagree with a few people here because I am not that big of a fan of Chef Mickey's it just doesn't do much for me, the food's okay (I've been for both Breakfast and Dinner) but the characters are good as always.

 

[Ariel484]

Great report! So sad to see it's all over!

Again, have to say I love all your pictures (especially of the boardwalk) and I'm sorry that your little bit at the Contemporary was dissappointing I stayed there once where BLT now stands and from what I remember it was great! But I'm going to disagree with a few people here because I am not that big of a fan of Chef Mickey's it just doesn't do much for me, the food's okay (I've been for both Breakfast and Dinner) but the characters are good as always.

Thank you, thank you! :sohappy: I'm actually more interested in trying out The Wave compared to Chef Mickey's (though I do love my characters) so I'm sure we will be back at the Comtemporary at some point. Thanks for reading!!