Trip Report If you don't have a bag "entah" through the "centah"

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away a family visited a planet called "Walt Disney World" and all was right in the galaxy.

That's right folks I have only been home for 4 days and it seems like a lifetime ago that I was floating through my days in a magical bubble where I didn't have a care in the world. A place where I woke up at 7 am because I wanted to and only thought about food and FP+ reservations. A place where money wasn't accepted and a magical mickey head paid for all of your wants and desires. A place where the air didn't hurt your face and a Frosé was an acceptable substitute for your morning coffee. I don't know what it is but whenever I am in Disney I often feel like I am my best self. I am not riddled with anxiety and everything just seems perfect while I am there.

As expected we had a magical time filled with some unexpected moments, family squabbles, magical memories, happy tears, exquisite meals, loads of laughter, delicious drinks, and we even managed to make lifelong friends.

If you didn't read my pre-trip report you can follow along here https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/who-needs-christmas-presents-lets-go-to-disney.929947/
or I will give you a quick run down on our cast of characters.

Myself (Alisa) and my Handsome prince Charming, Jerome. We landed in the world on December 7th and after many days of vacation creep didn't leave until December 16th.

Notice how I am dressed like it is the arctic and Jerome has on shorts and a T-Shirt. I will get into that later in the report.

My parents and my little sister, Jilly. They were in the world from Dec 7th - December 13th.

and my in-laws. They were in the world from Dec 8th - December 13th.

with cameo appearances by @Ariel1986 and her husband.

The majority of this trip was spent at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter. Me and Jerome transferred to the Dolphin on December 14th.

With that let's put this Trip Report into hyperdrive..........

 

[DryerLintFan]

I'm in

 

[riverside]

Can't wait to hear all about it!!

 

[LeighM]

Following along

 

[dclfan]

Day One: December 7, 2017
Travel Day

Prior to booking our flights we debated a lot about what airport we should fly out of. If we flew out of our local airports (Logan International or Manchester) we would have to pay to park our car which would cost us nearly $300 for our 2 week trip. About a month before we left our mind was easily made up when we found direct flight out of LaGuardia in NYC for $148 RT. My parent's live about 10 minutes from LGA so not only would we be able to park out car at their house but we would also be saving about $150 bucks a person RT. Jerome is an AA Advantage member for American Airlines which also saved us our checked bag fee. Even though we were flying out of NYC my parents were flying Jet Blue so we were on different flights.

Jerome and I were so excited to get to Disney that we tried falling asleep at around 8:00 PM the night before our flight. He of course falls asleep the second he tells himself it's time to sleep so that left me wide awake counting the minutes until I could wake up and go home.
I finally dozed off around 11:00 and then at 2:00 A.M. we both found ourselves wide awake an hour before our alarm was set to go off. We decided to just go with it and started the process of getting dressed. Of course since we were going to Disney we were both dressed and ready to go in about 45 minutes flat which absolutely NEVER happens at home. We did our traditional "magic bands" ceremony and then we were off to the airport. We arrived and quickly checked our bags with the Priority bag check with American. We had arrived so early that the security line was not open yet for our 6:00 AM flight. We got a cup of coffee and jumped in the line. Soon enough the line was open and they had the security dog out which eliminated the need to empty our bags or take off our shoes. We were though security in no time.

We took a few selfies while waiting to board. I will spare you most of them as they are horrendous and soon we were boarding. Now let me start by saying my fiancé is the most easygoing person on the planet. I'm always a bundle of nerves and he is Mr. calm, cool, and collected. That is sooo not the case while flying. Like I mentioned earlier he is an Advantage member so when they call for priority boarding he is always the first to board. Well I guess American changed some things and now he is group 4 instead of group 1. Well when we scanned our boarding pass the lady started yelling at J that he was not in group 1. A few heated words are exchanged as he explains that he travels every month for work and usually he boards first and she tells him "no sir, you must not have flown since March because you are not allowed on the plane" and then sends us to the back of the line. I know he has flown since March so I'm not really sure what was going on but the whole ordeal is embarrassing and she ends up exchanging other words with him when we finally did board. Not a very magical experience. Either way that is behind us and now we're off to Disney World. The flight wasn't the best as it took us 3 hours to get from NYC or Orlando which is very long and I had a wonky tv so that made the flight seem even longer.

Eventually at around 9:00 am we found ourselves in the glorious Orlando International Airport. We quickly walked to the monorail and once on the other side Jerome went for some coffee's and I went downstairs to get reunited with our luggage. In no time at all we were outside and waiting for our UBER but not without getting "disneyfied" for the ride to Port Orleans French Quarter.

Our ride was pretty uneventful and soon we were gliding under the WDW arches.

I can't explain the feeling when your finally back on property. It's like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and you are exactly where you are supposed to be. I get teary eyed every time. This was Jerome's first time staying at Port Orleans French Quarter and my first time staying there in nearly 10 years so I was very excited to check out the hotel. Soon enough we were pulling through the security gate and the guard said "welcome home". I nearly cried on the spot from pure joy. Since our room wasn't ready we checked our luggage with bell services and went on the hunt for breakfast at the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory.


Up Next: Breakfast Time and Jerome's Surprise Activity.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Following along!

 

[VDisneyFan18]

Here for this!

 

[Ariel1986]

Can’t believe I didn’t notice you’d started this! Definitly in!

That's right folks I have only been home for 4 days and it seems like a lifetime ago that I was floating through my days in a magical bubble where I didn't have a care in the world. A place where I woke up at 7 am because I wanted to and only thought about food and FP+ reservations. A place where money wasn't accepted and a magical mickey head paid for all of your wants and desires. A place where the air didn't hurt your face and a Frosé was an acceptable substitute for your morning coffee. I don't know what it is but whenever I am in Disney I often feel like I am my best self. I am not riddled with anxiety and everything just seems perfect while I am there.

I love this description. It’s so true! Major Disney World feels

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Count me in! And so glad that we ran into you guys, even if it was for a brief moment!

 

[dclfan]

Merry Belated Christmas to all of my WDW Magic friends.....

Day One: Continued

So with all of our bags stowed safely with Bell Services we made our way over to the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. This was the first time I had been inside the food court since the re-model and I was VERY impressed. I used to hate all of those oversized masks hanging from the ceiling. I think the renovation was classy while still keeping some of that New Orleans charm. Also the selection was some of the best and most unique of any Disney World food court. Jerome and I are major foodies and New Orleans is one of our favorite cities to eat in.We normally aren't breakfast people but ate breakfast every morning we are in the real New Orleans. That being said we were psyched to see some New Orleans staples on the menu here at the French Quarter.

I went with the Pain Perdu: Baguette French Toast with Cinnamon Sugar, syrup, and a side of Bacon. YUM

Jerome had the Breakfast Po'Boy: Scrambled Eggs, Andouille Sausage, cheese, onions, peppers and red pepper aioli.

Now prepare yourself for this picture because we nearly fell over when they handed us the tray.

This sandwich was a monster.

We also needed to see how Disney Beignets compared to the real thing so we had an order of 3 Beignets with Carmel dipping sauce.

I really liked them but Jerome did not. He said they weren't as good as the real thing. BTW if you ever are in New Orleans the best beignets are NOT Cafe Du Monde but a place called Criollo Restaurant.

All in all our breakfast was amazing and a great first meal in the world. I wish I went back and had the beignets again but it was one and done for our trip. After breakfast I had a little surprise in store for Jerome so we set out for Riverside and much needed walk after all of the food we just overloaded in our system. On our way we said Hello to all of the gators in the pool area.

Sadly we never got to swim on our trip because of a cold front that rolled in on our 2nd day.

The walk to Riverside was lovely as we just soaked in the smells and sounds of finally being back "home". Everyone we passed nodded hello. I really felt like everyone was feeling the Disney Magic that morning. Our destination at Riverside was the 'ol fishing hole. Jerome is a huge fan of fishing and Riverside was one of the few resorts on property who let you check out rods to go fishing. I kept this a surprise the whole time and as we rounded the corner and he spotted the people fishing I knew he was excited.

 

[Dafid Duck]

My wife and I just returned from the French Quarter on the 20th. I hope you had a magical trip. I'm following along.

 

[dclfan]

There was a sweet older man checking in the fisherman. He was telling everyone how he was the only person who was on the original recreation team at the resort when it opened at "Dixie Landings". It was funny because on the walk over I was telling Jerome how it used to be called Dixie Landings when I was growing up. I believe it was $6 per pole per 1/2 hour of fishing. They give you a rod that looks like a long piece of bamboo (NO REEL) with a hook on the end and a dish of what I can only assume was cut up hot dogs. You were handed a towel to wash up and a yellow slip with your enter time. You could fish as long as you wanted.

All in all we fished for about an hour. Well, Jerome fished for an hour I got bored about 10 minutes in and started to film instagram videos haha. I would be more then happy to share my videos if anyone could tell me how to upload them here. I also toyed with the idea of getting a cocktail at the Muddy Rivers Pool Bar but decided to save it for later at Disney Springs. While we were fishing we received our room ready text so decided we should gather our bags and head that way. Would we get a good room?!?

 

[Tiggerish]

Like I mentioned earlier he is an Advantage member so when they call for priority boarding he is always the first to board. Well I guess American changed some things and now he is group 4 instead of group 1. Well when we scanned our boarding pass the lady started yelling at J that he was not in group 1. A few heated words are exchanged as he explains that he travels every month for work and usually he boards first and she tells him "no sir, you must not have flown since March because you are not allowed on the plane" and then sends us to the back of the line. I know he has flown since March so I'm not really sure what was going on but the whole ordeal is embarrassing and she ends up exchanging other words with him when we finally did board. Not a very magical experience

American Airlines recently made a change to their boarding procedures, so that now you board according to how much you paid for your ticket, meaning the smart, bargain-hunting people who got good deals on their airfare get kicked to the back of the line and the people who paid full coach fare get on first. The travel industry news that I read predicted this will cause a huge uproar among their travelers because it's comes across as very classist, and I can see from your experience that those predictions are already coming true. You're right, it's totally unmagical.

Just wanted to let you know what was going on with that. Looking forward to the rest of your report!!

 

[dclfan]

I'm in

Thanks for following.

Can't wait to hear all about it!!

Thanks for following along. Hope I can keep this report entertaining

Following along

Thanks for following.

Following along!

Thanks for following

Here for this!

Thanks for following

Can’t believe I didn’t notice you’d started this! Definitly in!


I love this description. It’s so true! Major Disney World feels

haha no worries. Your here now and that is all that matters <3. We're still a few days away from your first appearance in the report.

Count me in! And so glad that we ran into you guys, even if it was for a brief moment!

yay! Thanks for following along. I was so excited to run into you and the family as well. I look forward to reading about the rest of your adventures.

My wife and I just returned from the French Quarter on the 20th. I hope you had a magical trip. I'm following along.

It was such a wonderful trip. We have been staying at Coronado Springs the past couple of years but now I am hooked on the French Quarter. We really enjoyed the quaintness of the resort and the fact that the resort only had one bus stop. It was nice to not have to make a bunch of stops at the end of the night when your tired after a long day in the parks. Our room was also located in building 4 so it was super convenient to the food court and bus stop so we were probably spoiled. Hope you had a wonderful trip. Did you and your wife enjoy the French Quarter? Our trips probably overlapped a bit.

American Airlines recently made a change to their boarding procedures, so that now you board according to how much you paid for your ticket, meaning the smart, bargain-hunting people who got good deals on their airfare get kicked to the back of the line and the people who paid full coach fare get on first. The travel industry news that I read predicted this will cause a huge uproar among their travelers because it's comes across as very classist, and I can see from your experience that those predictions are already coming true. You're right, it's totally unmagical.

Just wanted to let you know what was going on with that. Looking forward to the rest of your report!!

That sounds about right actually. We got a crazy good deal and only paid $140 for our RT flights so we were probably considered back of the line folks. Thanks for filling me in, I had no idea that there was a change in procedures. If it was just me I probably would have never even noticed but since I was traveling with one of AA's frequent fliers it came across as kind of odd. Also thanks for following along. I'm excited to fill everyone in on the rest of the trip.

 

[krause]

Following along! We are staying at POR at the beginning of February so I like seeing the pictures of the resort and the food. Did you actually catch any fish???

 

[Bullseye1967]

Late as usual, but I'm in! I've been waiting for this TR to pop up.

 

[Doc Disney]

Woohoo can't wait to hear more

 

[dclfan]

Following along! We are staying at POR at the beginning of February so I like seeing the pictures of the resort and the food. Did you actually catch any fish???

No, we actually didn't catch any fish . That was kind of disappointing but it was still a fun experience. You are going to love Riverside.

Late as usual, but I'm in! I've been waiting for this TR to pop up.

Yay!! Thanks for following along. Hope I can keep you entertained.

Woohoo can't wait to hear more

Thanks for following . I feel the pressure to live up to your epic trip reports.

 

[dclfan]

Day One Continued:

After about an hour of fishing we still didn't catch anything but we still had a great time down at the Riverside. It was a great way to spend the morning and by the time we were heading back to the French Quarter the fog and gloom of the morning was starting to melt away. On our walk back I pulled up a map of the french Quarter to see where I room was located and it turns out we had a "premo" location. We were in building 4 which was the building directly to the left when you walked out back from the food court. We were on level 3 but that didn't matter much to us. All that mattered was proximity to food and buses and it was excellent. Our room number was 4239 (at least that's what we think, memory is a little foggy) and a text a few minutes later showed that my parents room was directly next to us. I actually remembered to take a few room photos before our stuff exploded all over the place. Jerome even managed to pose for you in one of them.

Loved this photo.

cute story. When I was over at my in-laws house they had all the mardi-gras beads from the hotel wrapped around their tree. I think I succeeded in converting them to Disney people.

I'm a sucker for details and the marble shelf and double mirrors really stole my heart. It was so easy to get dressed in the morning when we both had our own zone.

Subway Tiles?!? Yes, please

After our quick room photo shoot we relaxed for a little bit while watching the "must-do's" and I changed into shorts since it was shaping up to be a warm day. We decided to take the boat down to Disney Springs for some shopping. Just as we walked up the boat was pulling in so it was perfect timing. The boat ride was lovely and super convenient. It dropped us off right in the old Marketplace. I don't have a ton of photos but I think we hit the Star Wars store first before fueling up on some Starbucks. I know starbucks in the park was kind of a sore subject but it was a lifesaver on this trip. I don't know if I we would have been able to keep going some days without our caffeine fix. By the end of the trip we were even ordering extra shots of espresso.

Anyway back to the Springs. After coffee we went to the D-Tech store and Jerome made a custom Star Wars magic band with a stormtrooper logo. While we waited for the band to be ready we stopped in a few more stores including World of Disney and Uniqlo. I fell in love with this Satin Bomber Jacket that said Mickey Mouse World Tour on the back and had all of the locations of Disney Parks around the world but of course it was sold out in every color in my size.

While we were in the Springs my parents texted that they had landed in MCO and were making their way to the French Quarter. Their flight had been super delayed so instead of them getting to the hotel at 1:00 it was now pushing 3:00. We decided to just meet up with them at Polynesian at 4:30 for drinks before our 5:45 reservation at O'hanas. This ended up being the right plan because they proceeded to get SUPER lost getting to the hotel. My parents had been to Disney for 25+ times but this was the first time they had gone from the airport to Disney without me in the rental car. Well according to my dad he didn't get lost but according to my mom and sister he had no idea where he was going without me. This was the first of many issues they would have with the rental car this trip. My sister has a smart phone so I'm not sure why they weren't using GPS but I digress. I'm glad we didn't plan to meet them any earlier then 4:30.

Up Next: Would my parents make it to the Polynesian....

 

[dclfan]

Day One Continued:

So when we last left off my parents were floating around somewhere in Orlando and Jerome and I were finishing up in Disney Springs. Once his magic band was ready it was around 3:15 and we decide to jump on a bus to Grand Floridian to check out the famous Gingerbread house (which Jerome has never seen) and some of the holiday decorations before meeting up with my parents at Polynesian. But first a mini Disney Springs photo shoot.

On our way to the bus stop we crossed paths with none other then @Matty30 and his beautiful family. I was so excited to actually see WDWmagic friends in real life that I just awkwardly pointed at them without really saying anything. Thankfully they soon recognized me and we chatted for a little while about my parents arrival and their morning at the GF. Sadly even know our trips overlapped pretty much our entire stay this was our only meeting. It was still nice to meet other people who believe in the magic just as much as you do. Soon they were off to explore Disney Springs and we continued our way to the buses where we waited.

and waited.....

and waited some more until finally a Polynesian/ Grand Floridian bus showed up. At this point we only had about 15 minutes until we were supposed to meet my parents so we gave up on our idea to head to Grand Floridian and instead went straight to Polynesian. The bus ride was quick although slightly unpleasant since we were packed in there like sardines. A funny thing actually happened while were on the bus. There were 2 families standing next to us both with little princesses who had clearly come from the bippity boppity boutique. Well they became best friends on the 10 minute bus ride and when we arrived at the Polynesian they both skipped off the bus hand in hand. Only problem was one of the little princesses was not staying at the Poly and her family was still on the bus heading to Grand Floridian . All we heard while walking away was the mother yelling "who is this little girl" and her daughter saying "it's my new friend". Hopefully that all got sorted out.

Don't you just love the smell when you first walk up to the Polynesian?!? It's so tropical and inviting. I paused for a moment just to soak it all in. This was when I had my "OMG I am really back home" moment. As we walked through the lobby we were wondering if my parents made it yet but soon enough my mother was flying towards me out of the BouTIKI so all worry was gone. Apparently they had quite a stressful day of travel so drinks were in order immediately. I wanted to show them Trader Sam's since they had not been to WDW since it has opened but when we arrived it was already a 45 minute wait . Oh well, I guess we would just have to settle for the Tambooo Lounge. Can you say first world problems? lol

Thankfully we found 5 window seats all together and soon we were placing our orders. My mother and I had a glass of Pinot Grigio, sister had some kind of citron vodka fancy thing, and my dad and Jerome decided to try the Smoked Turkey which soon became "trouble" as Jerome put it and the drink of the trip. Almost unbelievably I have no photos of the smoked turkey so please enjoy this photo from the internet.

While at Tammboo my parents told us all about their traveling woes. First they had a delayed flight, then the normal 21/2 flight took 3 hours, an hour line at the rental car pickup, and finally getting lost on the way to WDW. I was glad to hear my family missed me when traveling although my Dad is still the only one who has yet to admit it was me who normally directed him to the hotel and therefore why he was lost. Instead he insisted he was "re-routed" and the Port Orleans hotels do not have sufficient signage like the rest of the resorts on property. haha OH DAD lol

Anyway after two more rounds it was time to check in for one of my favorite meals at O'hana.