Trip Report Hurricanes, Foot Pains and “What The Crocs Just Happened?” Anniversary Tale – A Sept/Irma 2017 TR (COMPLETED)


So here we are again… Another amazing trip is over.

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My original title for the is report was:

The Best-Laid Plans Of The Mouse & Men… because so many of our carefully thought out schedules & plans were completely turned upside down by Irma and other “forces” along the way.

However, Ross and Julia who do not share my love for Robert Burns or John Steinbeck vetoed that and came up with their own title.

Before I begin our tale, I want to express and offer our thoughts and prayers to all who suffered in Hurricane Irma as well as Harvey & Maria. There are times when I joke about the fact that we were in Florida during the hurricane, but in no way do I not realize the devastation that was caused to so many.

That being said... Let the Trip Report begin! Who’s in?
 
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Ayden

Ayden

Active Member
What a bummer: no Minnie van! But I'm guessing you girls had a great time playing golf! I'm exited to read about Fantasia gardens, we would like to play golf there on our next trip in April.
 
Disneyfreak Jen

Disneyfreak Jen

Well-Known Member
Loving your report so far, I always enjoy your reports! The girls are getting so big!! Funny, everything you've said so far about incoming Irma...the beautiful day before...the hustle and bustle of preparations....brought me back to last fall when I was at OKW for Hurricane Matthew. Looking forward to reading more
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster
Vivian_apfm said:
What a bummer: no Minnie van! But I'm guessing you girls had a great time playing golf! I'm exited to read about Fantasia gardens, we would like to play golf there on our next trip in April.
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Golf was so much fun! I would definitely recommend it. At first I was afraid that Fantasia Gardens was really out of the way, but it's definitely easy to get to.
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster
Disneyfreak Jen said:
Loving your report so far, I always enjoy your reports! The girls are getting so big!! Funny, everything you've said so far about incoming Irma...the beautiful day before...the hustle and bustle of preparations....brought me back to last fall when I was at OKW for Hurricane Matthew. Looking forward to reading more
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Thank you! It's hard to accept how big my girls are getting!

I read a few TR's after Mathew and it sounded so different from how WDW handled Irma. A couple of CM's said they (WDW) learned a lot from Mathew - I think that's why everything was so well organized. Thanks for following along!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster
Saturday September 9th Continued...

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We chose to play the “The Gardens” because they said that was the more “fun” side. Our original plan was to play both sides but I knew we would probably not return this trip. There was a 10 minute wait so we all used the restrooms and then sat and waited for our turn.

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We had a blast!

Hope actually plays the game now – so that was pretty cool.

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Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster

It was around 3PM when we were done, and since it was announced that boat service would cease operation at 3PM today in preparation for Irma, we walked over to the Boardwalk area.

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I figured we could get a bus from one of the Epcot resorts. It was so empty! I am assuming that The Boardwalk usually has a lot more going on. There was no one around – it was a little eerie.

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Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster

We stopped along the way because we reached another new experience for us - Ample Hills Creamery!

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We decided to get a flight and share it, so we each picked out 2 scoops. For some reason, I didn’t think the dining plan was accepted here – even though after we ordered, I saw the symbol on the menu. :rolleyes:

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It wasn’t too hard to find a place to sit and eat. Julia and I agreed…it was delish and hoped we could return with Ross! The only downside was that it was so hot and humid out, that it was melting really fast!

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As we enjoyed our treat we watched a couple of people walk by walking their dogs! Not something we were used to seeing in WDW.

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slipperalwaysfits

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
Sad about the Minnie Vans but at least you have something to look forward to next year! Glad the waffles got fixed! :p We love Fantasia Gardens, it's great for an off day! :D:D Especially being so close to Boardwalk!

That ice cream looks amazing! We can't wait to try Ample Hills!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster

When we were done, I let the girls sit for a few minutes while I went into the Boardwalk Bakery. I wanted to get some food to bring back to the room and they seemed to have a nice selection. So many people had said not to wait to get your food back at the resort that I didn’t want to take a chance. I purchased 2 salads and a turkey club and along with that I picked 3 cinnamon buns.

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We walked over to the Beach Club – I would LOVE to stay here one day. It is so beautiful and the pool area looks awesome!

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We relaxed a little in the lobby area and took advantage of the AC.

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Then we headed to the buses. We took a bus to DS and then another right to POR. We wanted to swim and we had a ADR for Boatwrights at 6:00PM.

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Earlier in the day, it was officially announced that all parks and DS would close Sunday and Monday with the intentions of re-opening on Tuesday. The times that the hurricane would come through Central Florida kept changing – but now it seemed stable enough to make the calls. I was anxious to get unpacked, get our room ready and settle in.
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster
slipperalwaysfits said:
Sad about the Minnie Vans but at least you have something to look forward to next year! Glad the waffles got fixed! :p We love Fantasia Gardens, it's great for an off day! :D:D Especially being so close to Boardwalk!

That ice cream looks amazing! We can't wait to try Ample Hills!
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Yes - I was really happy with Fantasia Gardens and I hope to return on our next trip. I don't know why I always thought is was so out of the way? Ample Hills was so good! I would definitely go back!!
 
djpoore94

djpoore94

Well-Known Member
Figment Forever said:
I forgot to mention.... the GF pizzas are made in the back area. They have a separate dedicated pizza oven for them. They also ask you if you want the employee who prepares it to use a new pair of gloves before they add your ingredients.
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Thanks for the info! DH has a sensitivity and not full blown Celiac so cross contamination is not a big deal for him, but it's good that they are sensitive to the issue and actually take precautions!
 

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