Trip Report I'm the Wizard and you look lost like Dorothy

This was my wifes third trip to WDW in less than 4 months. Her mother and her have visited twice this year (and planning a 3rd trip in May!) This was my first trip since August of 2017. Needless to say, my wifes Disney kung fu is much stronger than mine at the moment and it definitely showed throughout our trip as I made a few directional and beer cart mistakes, but C,(aka Bruce Lee) was there to guide me along the way, hence the title of this report. Just to clarify, I was Dorothy. By the end of the second day I was referring to her as "plaid vest", lol.

Our journey begins on a Friday afternoon as we prepped to leave. I dropped the dogs off and made a few stops for supplies (beer) and C went to get a Disney gift card.
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Precious cargo!

We were all packed and planned to head out around 3 am which would put us in O-town by 10 am. I was up and ready by 2:45 but in true lady like fashion, C was taking her sweet time double and triple checking her bags. We finally hit the road an hour behind schedule, but it was no big deal.
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It was smooth sailing all the way down with good weather. We have a tradition of listening to paranormal podcasts on the drive. For this trip we listened to an update on one of the most intriguing mysteries to us, which is the "Missing 411" series with David Paulides. He investigates the completely bizarre circumstances surrounding people going missing in national parks. Definitely worth checking out if your into that kinda thing.

Around 11 am we left reality behind and entered the bubble!
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Within 2 miles of being on property I had my first "Dorothy" moment. C (the Wizard) told me to stay to the left when the lane split and it would lead us to the Epcot resorts. I went right and assured her it was the correct way. A few minutes later we ended up here:

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This was my first mistake of the trip, nor shall it be the last........

We passed through the entrance and got back on course an soon after we arrived at BWV and we were home!!


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We had not received any message for the room being ready but I went to front desk just to make sure. I had a fun exchange with the CM's at the desk when I told them It would be perfectly fine for them to upgrade us to the Steeplechase Suite (largest suite at BW), they chuckled and I (jokingly) told them I was gonna get George Kalogridis (President of WDW) on the phone. She replied with "I'll just call Bob Iger and over ride him". They were very sweet and we had a good laugh. Our room wasnt ready but they also said I did not have a card on file for magic band charging. I found it odd because I had just updated my info and checked before we left. Oh well, I had them update it but this would be the first of several magic band charging issues.

We had made FP's at Epcot so we cold stay close to the room when it was ready.
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Soon we were in Epcot! The weather was great and we headed to pick up our AP F&G magnets.

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With our magnets secured, it was time to get the party started!

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We headed to The Land for some food and brews. The new turkey sandwich is good, but we still prefer the previous version. It was a great lunch and Jai Alai IPA was by far the best choice of beer that Sunshine Seasons offers.

Day one was off to a great start! Thanks for following along and ill get part 2 up soon.
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
It's about time. I can't believe it took so long for you to get started on this trip report. :rolleyes:

:) I'm ready to read!!
Ill get back to it in the morning. I had my group training class this afternoon and then had the next group of trainees to get ready to begin. Wifey wants more Disney trips so I had to get back on the grind! But who am I kidding, I want more trips too, haha! Ill have plenty of time in the morning to crank out some good TR action!
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 1 contd...


After Sunshine Seasons we headed to Norway Pavilion for some Einstock Whit Ale and Ausse Pilsner.

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The beer was great. The higher price and the smaller pour was not. I used to really appreciate that you got nearly 20 oz pour of Einstock fo $8.50 , now its $9 and I dont even think its a full 16 oz. Another thing I noticed is that there was only 1 CM working the cart. She had to take orders, ring up the bill and pour the drinks. It made for quite along line. Over the course of our trip I noticed that each time we passed the cart it was only 1 person working it, so it was not a one time thing.

We enjoyed our beers on the way to our Spaceship Earth FP.

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One of my favorite hidden mickeys and its difficult (at least for me) to get a decent picture of it. Can you see it?

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After Spaceship Earth we were thirsty so where else to go but WS!!! First up was another Weinstock and of course a reminder from my wife that Im #1

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And then a quick stop in Germany to get a Hefeweizen (not the Grapefruit one)
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We made our way back to Test Track for our FP. C wanted to design the car so I let her have at it. She went for power over everything. I prefer making the most ridiculous car possible but hers came out pretty good.
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When we exited TT our room was ready so we headed over to BW.

to be contd...
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 1 contd...


After being up since 2 am and driving to Fla, then spending a few hours in the park, I was ready for some rest and a Golden Monkey!
Our room as on the fourth floor. We were in the DVC wing of Boardwalk and had a studio room with a standard view. This would be our room for the first three days and then we had a studio room with a pool/garden view for 3 days. C is a germ-a-phobe so whenever we first get into our room she proceeds to wipe the room down with sanitizer. It used to bug me but after having a few experiences of her showing me a filthy paper towel after wiping down the counters, I have learned to appreciate her desire to make our room cleaner than a hospital nursery. Luckily, Mousekeeping had done a decent job and the room was fairly clean. C gave the all clear to unpack so I did my usual unpacking ritual which consists of placing my suitcase on on the luggage stand. I just pull out my outfit each morning directly from the suitcase which is basically white t shirts on one side and shorts and pants on other side.

This was our first stay in the refurbed BWV rooms and we really like the new rooms.

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I love the laminate wood floors in the entry way and kitchenette area.

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The room itself is a clean and simple design. It would be nice if there was slightly more of a "Disney" touch to it, but its not a big deal.

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For the bed runner people. And you can see my wife did her usual "tv remote in a sandwich bag" to prevent contamination, lol. As soon as I took the picture she ordered me to remove the bed runner as it definitely fell into the category of "contaminated".

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We had a very nice view from the patio. This looking to the right and to the left was the main entrance of the resort.

We settled in for a little rest, turned on Stacey and the Must Do's and I grabbed a fresh Golden Monkey. I sent a picture to my semi-live TR and @lostpro9het opened a door to a parallel universe that would remain open for a few days.
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Up next, a stop at Poly and evening at MK
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 1 contd...


After some relaxation and a trip through the Golden Monkey Matrix with @lostpro9het it was time to head to Poly for some food before we went to MK. We debated walking to Monorail at Epcot and take it to TTC but ended up deciding on a bus to MK then hop on monorail so we could save some energy, plus C has been having some issues with her knee so we figured it would be easier for her.

On our way to the bus we noticed a group of 4 female teenagers basically having a selfie photo shoot near the garden area of the bus stop. I can understand taking a few pics before deciding on a good one but these girls were way over the top. They were standing on the ledge of the posts and twisting their arms in the most painful looking positions to get a certain angle for the pictures. Then they began taking the "intentional candid" photos of themselves as they pretended to stare off in the distance like they were on the cover of a Christian rock band album cover. We watched for several minutes as they easily must have used 2 gigabits of memory on their phones with the all the pictures they took. It was good people watching for us, lol.

Finally the bus arrived and after a transfer at MK, we were at Poly! We made a b-line for Captain Cooks to grab some Pulled Pork nachos for me and C wanted the Pan Asian noodles (no shrimp or chicken)

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I have ranted before about how much I LOVE the nachos at Captain Cooks and they did not disappoint! C liked her noodles as but snagged a few of my nachos as well. I went with the Old Elephant Foot IPA from Tampa Bay Brewing Company and was a great choice. It was also the only beer that I would drink from the selection at Cptn Cooks which was basically Bud Light and Corona aside from the Elephant Foot

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The patio at Captain Cooks is such a great place to enjoy a meal. The atmosphere is peaceful even with the pool right behind it and the views of MK in the distance are awesome. This would be our first of several visits to the Poly during this trip!

Up next, an evening at MK!
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Day 1 contd...


After being up since 2 am and driving to Fla, then spending a few hours in the park, I was ready for some rest and a Golden Monkey!
Our room as on the fourth floor. We were in the DVC wing of Boardwalk and had a studio room with a standard view. This would be our room for the first three days and then we had a studio room with a pool/garden view for 3 days. C is a germ-a-phobe so whenever we first get into our room she proceeds to wipe the room down with sanitizer. It used to bug me but after having a few experiences of her showing me a filthy paper towel after wiping down the counters, I have learned to appreciate her desire to make our room cleaner than a hospital nursery. Luckily, Mousekeeping had done a decent job and the room was fairly clean. C gave the all clear to unpack so I did my usual unpacking ritual which consists of placing my suitcase on on the luggage stand. I just pull out my outfit each morning directly from the suitcase which is basically white t shirts on one side and shorts and pants on other side.

This was our first stay in the refurbed BWV rooms and we really like the new rooms.

View attachment 281163

I love the laminate wood floors in the entry way and kitchenette area.

View attachment 281164View attachment 281165

The room itself is a clean and simple design. It would be nice if there was slightly more of a "Disney" touch to it, but its not a big deal.

View attachment 281167

For the bed runner people. And you can see my wife did her usual "tv remote in a sandwich bag" to prevent contamination, lol. As soon as I took the picture she ordered me to remove the bed runner as it definitely fell into the category of "contaminated".

View attachment 281166

We had a very nice view from the patio. This looking to the right and to the left was the main entrance of the resort.

We settled in for a little rest, turned on Stacey and the Must Do's and I grabbed a fresh Golden Monkey. I sent a picture to my semi-live TR and @lostpro9het opened a door to a parallel universe that would remain open for a few days.
View attachment 281169


Up next, a stop at Poly and evening at MK

Just noticed your own "easter eggs" :D
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Looking forward to more reports. Got a question. When you left to make that roadtrip to Disney, how much beer was left by the time you got there?
I am proud to say all of it was still there:cool: We did have about three beers left when we checked out though. They were promptly consumed upon our return home in an effort to drown the Disney blues. They were not effective though, lol
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
Day 1 contd...

On our way to the bus we noticed a group of 4 female teenagers basically having a selfie photo shoot near the garden area of the bus stop. I can understand taking a few pics before deciding on a good one but these girls were way over the top. They were standing on the ledge of the posts and twisting their arms in the most painful looking positions to get a certain angle for the pictures. Then they began taking the "intentional candid" photos of themselves as they pretended to stare off in the distance like they were on the cover of a Christian rock band album cover. We watched for several minutes as they easily must have used 2 gigabits of memory on their phones with the all the pictures they took. It was good people watching for us, lol.
This!!! We saw something similar in AK. 2 teenage girls having an impromptu photo shoot in the shrubbery next to a stairwell to Rivers of Light theater. They were taking turns grabbing at the handrail and sticking their tushes out. @NessNewt and I could not figure out why this was necessary or even a good location for a photo. Lol
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 1 contd...

Please excuse the lack of photos for the first part of this. I used my Sony (GoPro style camera) for the pics and we can not find it since we got back. We double and triple checked the room before we left but its not in any of our bags. Ill be calling BW today to check. Ill be brief with the descriptions since there is no photos for the first part.


We arrived at MK and it was great weather and low crowd levels. We were on monorail Gold for the ride from Poly to MK and we could both not help but notice how bad it was not only for the interior but the ride itself. Very clunky and loud. As it came to a stop, one of the panels on the door was shaking so rapidly I was waiting for it to fall off. It was great news to hear this morning that they will be getting all new monorails for WDW! The Mark IV's have had a great run and will always be iconic to me, but its time to upgrade!

We had made FP for BTMR using our floating FP. We decided to head towards HM first and work our way around to Big Thunder. HM had a wait time of 15 min but we walked right on. As we exited and were walking down the covered path, there was a CM standing there with the door open that leads back into the queue area (the area after you exit the stretching room). She told us it was pouring outside and we could cut through and ride again if we wanted. Of course we did! It was pretty coo to get to walk through that hallway. It was not anything special but we had never been through there so it was fun for us.

After our second ride the rain had let up. We headed to POTC. Another walk on! It was my first time riding with the new red head scene. While I think they did a great job in terms of aesthetic, it definitely seems a bit silly and takes away from the overall story line (IMO). We enjoyed our ride and when we exited we decided to ride again since it was still a walk on.
We used the @Longers technique and chose the back row and dabbed on them haters (ya, I know its not BTMR, but hey, cut a guy some slack,lol). The lady in second sitting next to the two boys looks so sad.
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We got to BTMR and even though we used our FP, it was another walk on. We decided to make it a complete six pack and ride twice since we did the same for HM and POTC. We issued the "6 pack challenge" to our family after completion. You must ride three rides, each one twice during EMH to complete the challenge!!! Feel free to give it a try.

We had not ridden BTMR in the dark in a long time but I must say that we fell COMPLETELY in love with the ride all over again. We have always enjoyed it but somehow this trip it really latched onto us.

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Finally a picture!! On our way back towards Fantasyland we saw Peter Pan had a very short line so we jumped in .

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The ride stopped for about a minute or so directly over the city scene and it was great to look around at all the small details.

After Pan we took some photos in FL

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We walked over to Big Top Treats for a snack. C went with a chocolate chip cookie and I got my fav, the marshmallows on a mickey straw!

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I had never tried this one with the sugar coated mickey design. I would not get it again as the granules of sugar were a bit overwhelming. Still good, nut the m&m is my favorite.

We enjoyed our treats and walked around enjoying the mostly empty park on our way out. We could have rode a few attractions but we took advantage of being able to soak in the atmosphere sans strollers and people everywhere. It was definitely the right choice.

We hopped on a bus and headed home for the day. Great first day! good weather and good crowds!

Up next....Breakfast at Boma and noticing the psychological issues with some Disney Marathoners.
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 2


We had a Boma ADR for breakfast at 8:50. I was up around 6:30 am and C was still sound asleep. I had some coffee on the patio and watched a truck load of strollers get unpacked.
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I took my second cup of coffee and strolled around the resort while it was still quiet. I've always enjoyed morning walks around our resort. It's a great way to get a Disney day started.
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I strolled over to the Boardwalk and caught some marathon action.
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It was great seeing all the support the runners had from people on the sides lines.

Soon after I went back to the room and C was up and getting ready. We decided to get an Uber over to AKL to save time and left extra early as we wanted time to walk around the resort. That wound up being a good idea because we hit major traffic due to the Marathon and made it to AK with only about 20 minutes to spare.

As we waited outside for the Uber to pull up I watched a lady approach a CM and ask where the bus stops were. The bust stops are a very short walk from the resort entrance (appx 50 yards). The CM pointed to the path and told the lady it was directly around the corner. The woman scoffed and said "we have to walk there"? C and I were confused as to why she was upset about it and joked that she must have expected to be teleported to the bus stop. The woman then said "we had to walk all the way from our room and now we have to walk over there". It seriously is not far to the bus stops. Then the woman asks about the boats for transportation and I could not hear her but C said the woman was upset because they had walked to the boats expecting boat service to MK and we're frustrated about having to walk back to the front of resort. Either way, she have the CM an attitude that was completely uncalled for. I wanted to tell her that the young CM had nothing to do with the transportation set up and design and it was pointless to take her feelings out on her.

Our Uber pulled up and we're hopped in. It was smooth sailing until we hit the overpass. Traffic came to halt.
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The marathoners had taken over the roads.

It didn't bother us and we were having a great conversation with our driver who had recently moved to Orlando with his family.

What was tragic were the completely rude drivers who were trying to use the turning lane to creep ahead and then switch back into the right lane. It made the traffic much more worse than it needed to be. Then a bus (not Disney bus) tried to sneak in and jump in front of an actual.Disney bus and nearly hit it. Kudos to the Disney bus driver who was not allowing the other bus to get over and to be quite frank, there simply wasn't enough room anyway for the bus to make it so the Disney bus driver did the right thing. Nonetheless the other bus kept trying and eventually forced the Disney to nearly jump the curb. It was insane. I started filming in the event there was an accident. It was seriously stupid what the bus driver did. Not only did the driver put his own passengers at risk, but also the Disney bus passengers.
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These are just a few pics i snapped but it doesn't don't justice.

Eventually we got to AKL. It took appx 40 minutes to get there from BW.

Up next... breakfast!!!!
 

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wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Loving the 6 pack challenge - adding that to my list for November!
Extra points if you complete all 6 in the back row!
WTH is wrong with people?
It really was crazy. I was shocked that a company driver whose license plate and vehicle number were easily identifiable and he get reported would try a stunt like that. People are crazy
Following!
Thanks for following along. I hope you like pictures of beer, lol!!!
Following along. Next time I'm there, I'll have to try those nachos :)
They are great! Its a good mix of fried wanton chips and kettle chips. The toppings just make it perfect!
 

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