Trip Report I Vowed Never Again ~ Yet Here We Are! *COMPLETED*

Wait, what?

WDW-obsessed Tuvalu actually vowed never again ?!?!

Must. Read. More.


Clickbait! :joyfull:

But there is truth in my statement. I did vow not to visit the world whenever our spring break...always the first week in April....aligns with Easter. The first week of April typically brings heavy crowds since most southern school systems are out. I can handle heavy. But add in additional volume from schools that coordinate their break with Easter and “heavy” becomes INSANE. (Not quite the insanity of Christmas week....I am smart enough to avoid that, thanks to a one-day trip in 1994.)

But I’ve BEEN THERE ~
In 2009 (during the recession) when it took 40 minutes just to get through the Epcot parking booth....and the line for the boat ride in Mexico was out the front door of the pavilion....and Magic Kingdom was closed due to capacity.

In 2010 when the mid-morning standby wait for Test Track was 240 minutes (that’s 4 hours, people!) and the wait time for Nemo (Nemo!) was 150 minutes.

In 2015 when we watched the 6:45 am MK Welcome show in the dark because we wanted to ride a few attractions before the hordes descended.

Long lines to use the restrooms (always filthy because attendants couldn’t keep up); no available tables in quick-service locations, forcing guests to sit on the ground outside the restaurants; and a general atmosphere of cranky/angry guests who didn’t like dealing with the multitude any more than I did.

So I declared, DONE THAT!

Or so I thought.....

My darling daughter Em lives for spring break. As a student she vacationed (Disney or beach) every year but one ~ and there was nearly a mutiny! Now that she’s a teacher, going away for spring break has reached an even higher level of importance. 😉 With this year’s Easter/spring break overlap, we began researching other warm-weather destinations.

Guess what we discovered. Transportation, resort and dining costs were cheaper if we went to WDW! And having APs means our entertainment would be free. Em’s teacher budget would not be strained. The practical side of me could not argue....and the mom side of me could not disappoint my daughter.

We leave on Monday. We’re prepared. And we’re gonna be LIVE!

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A few Magic meet-ups are in the works. Hope to keep them a surprise (as long as @Zipitidoda doesn’t spill the beans! :cautious:)

Despite declining MagicBands for our upcoming stay, these arrived in yesterday’s mail ~

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Yeah, like we’re gonna wear the UGLY gray ones.....🙄

See Ya Real Soon!
 

AKemily

Well-Known Member
Home for the next 5 nights.

View attachment 274637

Why the grumpy face? Cause her mom is grumpy. Despite using online check in, no room has been assigned to us. Check in is at 3 pm. It is now 4:20 pm. And we have to go to the front desk.

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The CM at the far end checked us in. We waited over 10 minutes for her to punch keys, pick up the phone to call the back office, etc. Only to be told “your room is not quite ready.”

This seems to be a normal occurrence for us at FQ. Happened to us last April spring break. I took this pic while we waited.

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The CM used the opportunity as we waited to offer us the gift card for no mousekeeping. I wonder if the “direct to room” text is not working on purpose so you are forced to go to the front desk.

I’m on vacation. I want someone to make my bed and clean my room.

I declined the gift card.

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After all, some of us are battling -11 degrees Celsius (12F) weather today - in April! And we also aren't in WDW :bawling: Your room looks great! Looking forward to following along! Thanks for reporting live!:joyfull: I'm very interested to know how the spring break crowds are.
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
Home for the next 5 nights.

View attachment 274637

Why the grumpy face? Cause her mom is grumpy. Despite using online check in, no room has been assigned to us. Check in is at 3 pm. It is now 4:20 pm. And we have to go to the front desk.

View attachment 274638

The CM at the far end checked us in. We waited over 10 minutes for her to punch keys, pick up the phone to call the back office, etc. Only to be told “your room is not quite ready.”

This seems to be a normal occurrence for us at FQ. Happened to us last April spring break. I took this pic while we waited.

View attachment 274639

The CM used the opportunity as we waited to offer us the gift card for no mousekeeping. I wonder if the “direct to room” text is not working on purpose so you are forced to go to the front desk.

I’m on vacation. I want someone to make my bed and clean my room.

I declined the gift card.


Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but this is the third or fourth trip report where this was mentioned... The "i wonder if i didn't get my room text on purpose because they tried to push no housekeeping on me" thing.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Ok it’s super late but I want to finish up today.

The LIVE part of this report may end up as highlights, to be expanded upon once I am home and can add in Em’s fabulous photos. 😊

Em met me back at City Hall with an “enhanced” SD card. And by “enhanced” I mean the extra “convenience fee” Disney tacks on for buying something electronic in the Emporium rather than at Best Buy....which in her case was about $35.

A few minutes later I had my Tables in Wonderland card and we headed down Main Street!

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We hooked a left to Adventureland made it in time for FP #2, Pirates. My Shirley status granted us row 1 in the boat, perfect for viewing the new “We want the rum” scene. 🙄 Our photo hasn’t turned up in my account yet, so I’ll have to add it later along with the pics Em took.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Em and I made our way from Frontierland back to Main Street, walking strategically through the crowds. Our brief time in the MK had come to an end as dinner awaited us!

We decided it would be quicker to walk to the Contemporary than take the monorail. It would have been the right decision had it not started raining about half way to the resort. We picked up our pace considerably and while we weren’t exactly drowned rats when we entered the lobby, we looked like we had just gotten off Kali River Rapids.

Not the best way to arrive at California Grill!

We stopped to check out the Easter eggs before riding the escalator to the check in desk.
@blgauger, these are for you:
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Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
We checked in and were whisked up to the 15th floor.

A wine wall!
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It was still raining but the sun was trying to come out.
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After a few minutes my phone buzzed indicating our table was ready. We had requested Ryan, who works in the Monterey Room, and were led in that direction.

But the hostess stopped at a table before we got there.

“Is Ryan serving this table?” I asked.

“No. He’s in the Monterey Room.”

“And I requested him.”

“Oh,” she said. “You’d better go wait in the lounge until he can take you.”

Alrighty. We found a table and ordered drinks. Em had a Malbec.
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And based on the server’s recommendation, I had a Tropical Lifesaver.
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Though it may look like Gatorade, it was far from it! It is coconut-based and I thought it was delicious!

As we sipped our drinks, I recognized someone at the bar. I got up to say hello to @Big Hair. Coincidentally, he and his party were enjoying dinner in the Monterey Room. Once Em and I were paged again, we ended up sitting a few tables apart from him.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I have so much to say about our California Grill experience. While Ryan was great as usual and we had a lovely table, the new chef has made some changes that left us disappointed. I will go into more detail later but a quick summary~

This is now the bread service.
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A sad, mini-loaf of sourdough. WHERE IS MY BELOVED LAVENDER FOCACCIA??!!!

The bigger heartbreak?
NO MORE BLT FLATBREAD!!!

Risotto has not returned to accompany the oak-grilled filet. 😭

Em and I did enjoy our meals, but not nearly as much as we have in the past.

Thankfully the rain had stopped in time for Happily Ever After.
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We went back inside for dessert and then bade Ryan goodbye.

Upon our return to FQ, we discovered a gift in our room.
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A sunglasses pouch and cleaner, with a Welcome Back note from the new General Manager.

That’s all for tonight....dawn comes early and I gotta get some sleep!
 
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Gabe1

Ivory Tower Squabble EST 2011. WINDMILL SURVIVOR
At the gate!

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And lunch (what else would we eat?!)(@CinderellaBelle)

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Some girl was climbing all over Mickey (where are her parents? 🙄) so we had to settle for this shot.

Now in line for DME bus. Where are we headed?


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C’mon move that bus!!
Home for the next 5 nights.

View attachment 274637

Why the grumpy face? Cause her mom is grumpy. Despite using online check in, no room has been assigned to us. Check in is at 3 pm. It is now 4:20 pm. And we have to go to the front desk.

View attachment 274638

The CM at the far end checked us in. We waited over 10 minutes for her to punch keys, pick up the phone to call the back office, etc. Only to be told “your room is not quite ready.”

This seems to be a normal occurrence for us at FQ. Happened to us last April spring break. I took this pic while we waited.

View attachment 274639

The CM used the opportunity as we waited to offer us the gift card for no mousekeeping. I wonder if the “direct to room” text is not working on purpose so you are forced to go to the front desk.

I’m on vacation. I want someone to make my bed and clean my room.

I declined the gift card.

Dear Lord. Are we noticing a pattern. Poly, WL, FQ Rooms ready on time NO! What the heck. We too got bounced to somewhere else because it was late and no room at the zoo where we requested.

But what I noted more was the look on @TrolleyFollower91 face. Tired and wanting a room. :( Not like Disney says, we gave it too ya 1.5 hours late, so late check out for you right?
 
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Longers

Well-Known Member
Grabbed a bottle of water in the Pirate shop which we drank on the way to FP #3.

View attachment 274708This was the end of the FP line! Twenty minutes to get to the load area. But it was worth it since Shirley received her favorite last car.

Ok, @Longers, this is ride #1 of 2018!
View attachment 274707

Ok your off and running - just for the record as you had to leave my TR for a trip of your own - I’m up to 19th March and 4 BTMRR rides so far!

I don’t think I’ll be winning this challenge anyway in all honesty but it’s fun to try.

Full count to be revealed when you get back and catch up on my TR

In the meantime have fun - glad to be following along.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Luckily crowds are much lighter in DLP. And would you believe that yesterday when I went into a restroom in Fantasyland (which was a "normal" public restroom) my thought was @Tuvalu would be so disappointed in this restroom :joyfull:
I am looking forward to the restrooms in Epcot.....will there be flowers? 😉

Ok your off and running - just for the record as you had to leave my TR for a trip of your own - I’m up to 19th March and 4 BTMRR rides so far!

I don’t think I’ll be winning this challenge anyway in all honesty but it’s fun to try.

Full count to be revealed when you get back and catch up on my TR

In the meantime have fun - glad to be following along.
I think at the end of this year you’ll win the BTMRR trophy......did you notice the standby time in my photo yesterday was 90 minutes? I love the ride, but c’mon.....😁

The renovated rooms look great to me. I like the wooden floors and they maintain the spirit of the previous rooms.
Agree that the “spirit” remains but miss some of the former touches.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Tuesday, April 3

Good morning everyone! The new mattresses in our room are very comfy and the pillows are wonderful! Em observed that a good pillow is actually the most important part of the bed, and she’s right. (In fact she’s enjoying both right now!)

The shower pressure could use a boost though....

Will be off to breakfast in a bit. Not sure if dine in or take out.
 

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