Trip Report Kicking off NFL season at WDW trip report!

wdisney9000 · Sep 9, 2013

Heres some pics from day one starting with the drunk guy passed out on the pavement and the foggy roads we drove through.

LizC · Sep 9, 2013

I had a similar check in situation at Beach Club about 2 years ago, took f o r e v e r... I just wanted to drop my bags and get to a park, lol. Glad you didn't let anyone dampen your spirits though.

Enjoy the Boardwalk! I have always wanted to stay there, and I will be getting my chance in 5 short months.

Can't wait to read the rest. Enjoy your trip!

DiSnEyF@n · Sep 17, 2013

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!!!

wdisney9000 · Sep 17, 2013

Here are some more photos from day one. I waited until we returned home to finish my trip report because I did not bring my lap top and it was getting frustrating doing it from my cell.

Drinks at YC

EPCOT, Via Napoli

Fountain View

View from our balcony at BW

wdisney9000 · Sep 17, 2013

Day two:

Woke up around 9 am which is early for us at Disney. We usually sleep in until 10 or so but we wanted to get an early start to beat some of the heat and get to back to the resort for an afternoon break during the peak of the heat. We never plan our days ahead so we just choose what park we want to visit when we wake up and usually base it off which park has EMH for night time. HS was open late so we decided on MK to start the day. A short walk to the bus stop and we were on our way. We played around with the MDE app on the bus ride and we both agreed it was pretty convenient for wait times and such but were not pleased that it wouldnt allow us to make a dining res at Via Napoli the day before but when we walked up they had tables. We decided we would try it again later for diner to see if we had better luck.

Pulled up to MK and we could see the front entrance was VERY crowded and thought the park was gonna be busy...so we thought. The bag check line wasnt too bad but the entrance was filled with people. As we waited in line we noticed how many people could not master the rather simple process of swiping their band/card at the RFID entrance. The technology seemed to be working fine. It was the people using it that caused the jam. They were either swiping and not putting their finger on the scanner or doing it in reverse. One man decided he was gonna swipe his entire families bands himself but didnt realize that they would need to scan their finger as well. The CM standing there just watched him take all the bands but didnt tell him about the finger scan. After he scanned the first one and the mickey head turned blue (which means the swipe failed) the CM decided to tell him they would need to scan their finger. The main issue we noticed was that people were not using both scanners on each side. There are two scanners in each entrance area. People were using the first one and the person behind them would wait until they were done instead using the second one. The CM's were not doing much to usher people through to the available scanner. We did discover an advantage to this mayhem. After a few minutes of watching, we realized we could just walk around everyone and use the second scanners in line since no one else was. We used this method for the rest of the trip and it saved time at each park. We were surprised at how many CM's were NOT being proactive and helping people but rather waiting until there was a problem then helping. The techs with Ipads standing behind the entrance who we assumed were there to help in an event of computer malfunction were just chatting away and paying little attention to the entrance. There were about ten of them. Nonetheless, we were in and ready to hit Main Street USA!

After taking a moment to look down MAin Street towards the castle and enjoy the view we made a b-line for Starbucks! We do not go to Starbucks at home very often but had a great experience at Fountain View the day before and I wanted to try some fancy coffee and check out the new set up for the bakery. Again, we were pleasantly surprised. As we approached the bakery we could smell the aroma of coffee beans and such and it was like a new scent to experience on Main Street. I liked it. I went with the ice caramel latte ( i think thats what its called lol) with the whip cream on top. It was soooooo good. My wife went for simple coffee with a shot of espresso. (pikes place i think). They have some granite ledges lining the windows of the bakery so we had our coffee's and muffin there while we people watched out the window. I watched all the crazy looking coffee being ordered and was deciding on what I wanted to try for our next stop at Starbucks. I kept seeing the ice coffees and they looked good. I kept seeing a particular one that looked good so I asked a lady what she ordered when I saw it and she was nice enough to tell me it was a an iced caramel macchiato. I couldnt wait to get one but I didnt want to load up on coffee so I decided to wait till later to order one.

We finished at starbucks and headed to Frontierland to start at BTMRR. Lines were not bad at all. I convinced my wife to ride Splash even though she does not like getting wet. She was a trooper. After we got soaked I was waiting to hear it from my wife,.."This is why I dont ride Splash!", but she was laughing right along with me and the others in our raft who all got soaked. Note to self: get her to ride Spalsh early in the trip while she is still riding the high of just arriving. If it had been day three or four of our trip I would have got an ear full from her. In a loving way, of course. Lol. We made the rounds and hit POTC and then HM. We skipped Peter Pan and headed over to Tomorrowland to ride Space and Buzz. Lines were still fairly short but the temperature was rising quickly so we lingered in a few shops to catch some a.c. and check out new merchandise. We quickly mastered the art of cooling off in the shops long enough to make it to the next attraction without wasting too much time. This was our first summer trip in a few years so we were learning to deal with the heat all over again.lol. We joked about why we only visit in the fall and winter and how we had forgot how hot it gets but with some extra water in the back pack and ducking into air conditioned areas we were making the best of it. After Space and Buzz we decided to catch the monorail to EPCOT and walk back to Boardwalk Inn for lunch. We stopped at the confectionary to check out some treats but decided to wait till after lunch.

Arrived at EPCOT via monorail to walk back to the room. We prefer this over the buss even though it takes longer and it was hot out. It gives us time to enjoy the monorail ride and stroll around the shops and have a drink on the walk back. This was our third trip so far this year and we really enjoy taking it slow and spending time together just breathing everything in. We are truly blessed to be able to visit often since we live fairly close and have AP's so we have found that while riding attractions is always a blast, we can spend an entire day without riding anything and be content to just immerse ourselves in the environment.

We took a few pics wearing funny hats and I grabbed a beer near Canada and we headed to the BW. After getting back to the room I set out to get some lunch. I went to Leaping Horse Libations after looking at their menu and wanted to get the roast beef sandwich. When I got there I noticed they were pre-packaged sandwiches and opted out. The CM suggested I try the BW Bakery. They had a few more selections so I went with the mozzeralla sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce. The CM heated it up for me which was very nice of her. Got back to the room and my wife was starving and tore right into the sandwich before I could get a picture. I managed to snap one in between bites though. We took a short afternoon break and she took a nap while I had a beer and watched Beverly Hills 90210. Dont ask why, I think it was the heat affecting my brain. After Brandon, Brenda, Dylan and the gang had solved their issues for the episode I woke up my wife and we got ready to head to HS for the evening. I will continue day two later this evening.

wdisney9000 · Sep 17, 2013

Starbucks at MK

Love the views from Splash Mtn

Buzz and Space Mtn

Confectionary treats

Hats

wdisney9000 · Sep 17, 2013

Lunch. I highly recommend this sandwich. Get it heated up.

DiSnEyF@n · Sep 18, 2013

Still loving your laid back TR... I love that you talked about how you can go there and not do any rides and just enjoy your surroundings.... That's what Disney does... That's how it's so great there.. You can do nothing and it can still be an amazing day!!! Looking forward to hearing more

wdisney9000 · Sep 18, 2013

Day 2 contd:

After lunch and an afternoon break we headed out to HS. We chose to walk rather than take the Friendship boats since it was cooling off a bit. I enjoy timing our walk against the Friendship Boats and occasionally if the timing is right we make it to the Studios faster on foot. I figure you have to be at the overpass bridge before the boat leaves The Swan or else it will beat you there. The timing was off for this attempt as the friendship boat sailed pass us when we were halfway there. Oh well, I had an adult beverage and the weather was cooling off so all was well. We had used the MDE app while at the room and were able to get a reservation for Sci Fi Diner around 8 pm and we had plenty of time to spare. The walk to HS is so relaxing and we take our time looking for turtles or watching the ducks plunge under water with their butt sticking up in the air. It makes me laugh every time I see it. Heres me with my brew on the walk.

Got to the studios and saw the same thing we saw at MK with the turnstyles. People were only using only one of the two mickey heads to scan their bands so we just walked around them and walked right in. It probly only shaved about 30 seconds of wait time off but I'll take it. Headed to Rock N Roller coaster since its Chenins favorite ride at HS and we sat in the front for the first time. The take off is definitely more fun when your in the front. We knew we would ride again before the night was done so we decided we would try and sit in the back car and compare the two. ToT had a 10 minute wait so I rode solo since she wont ride it because I tricked her into it a few years back by telling her that the drop you see standing outside wasnt as high as it looks. She was screaming for her life when the doors opened and she saw how high we were. It took about 20 minutes to calm her down after we got off and that pretty much killed any chance of getting her to ride it ever again. She now enjoys waiting in the unload area and seeing the look of "terror" on others faces as they get off. Ive learned to enjoy it by myself now and have screaming and yelling as loud as I can and getting everyone else in the car hyped up. This time I rode and it was the biggest bunch of scared grown men I have ever seen. Lol. On either side of me were two guys who both asked if I was gonna use the handle bar on the side of my seat to hold on to. I tried to convince them it was more fun putting your arms up but they were not hearing it. They both were GRIPPING the bar before the ride even started! I have the pic to prove it. I am the only one with my hands up!

You can see the two dudes on the side of me holding on for dear life. The guy in front to my left is double gripping the the bar on his left side. LMAO. Everyone was clapping and cheering when it was over though. I love the energy that ride gives you!

It was around 7:30 so we headed towards Sci Fi for diner. We asked to sit in the front of the car because we always get the back and the waitress said it was reserved. I saw several empty cars and asked if we could just have one of those. She looked at me like I had just kicked a baby in the head and said "I cant do that". I would understand if it was busy but there was only one family waiting to be seated when we entered and I saw about 3 empty tables. I politely said we could just wait a little longer until one was available and she said she wasnt sure that was possible. I told her I would just go to the front and ask for help. Luckily a manager/supervisor overheard us and came right over and gave us a front seat table. The supervisor was very friendly. He was the type of CM that you dont see anymore. We were not complaining or making a fuss. We see people doing that type of stuff and we would never act like that. He simply overheard a problem and came over and fixed it. I thanked him for his help and he said "it sounds like you guys have been here before and we want to make sure you have a good experience and come back" It was nice to see a supervisor CM who still cares about guests. We had a great diner and always love watching the old movie previews.

more to come later, I have to go get dog food before traffic gets bonkers

wdisney9000 · Sep 18, 2013

LizC said:
I had a similar check in situation at Beach Club about 2 years ago, took f o r e v e r... I just wanted to drop my bags and get to a park, lol. Glad you didn't let anyone dampen your spirits though.

Enjoy the Boardwalk! I have always wanted to stay there, and I will be getting my chance in 5 short months. Can't wait to read the rest. Enjoy your trip!

Yeah, check in is always smooth or a total nightmare, no in between. We were renting DVC pts from a friend and I mentioned how AKL fixed the same problem rather quickly when we visited in May. He said in a very snotty manner, "I can see if Animal Kingdom Lodge has open rooms and you can transfer there and they can fix the issue" I simply said WOW and waited for him to finish. I made a quick call to Disney when we got in our room to let them know. They gave me the mangers name, "Rita", and asked me to go downstairs and speak with her. "Rita" never came out, instead her "assistant" spoke with me and said Rita was checking the call log from when we made our reservation. Why on earth was that necessary unless they thought I was lying or why else would they check the call log? I have had that happen 3 times at Disney when there is a problem with check in. Especially when we stay club level. I think because I am young and have tattoos I get profiled. Who knows. But after the assistant was giving me the company spiel for ten minutes about customer service and how she had looked my name up and saw how we visit frequently I asked if Rita was ever coming out because I didnt feel the need to waste more time on the issue and THEY had asked ME to come down to speak with her. She said she was still checking the call log. I thanked for her time and said I wanted to start my vacation so I was going to leave and if it truly mattered to Rita she would have come out by now. The assistant was very nice. My wife is writing an email to TWDC just to see what they have to say on the matter. It will definitely have Ritas name along with Micheal the supervisor who was rude.

LizC · Sep 18, 2013

wdisney9000 said:
Yeah, check in is always smooth or a total nightmare, no in between. We were renting DVC pts from a friend and I mentioned how AKL fixed the same problem rather quickly when we visited in May. He said in a very snotty manner, "I can see if Animal Kingdom Lodge has open rooms and you can transfer there and they can fix the issue" I simply said WOW and waited for him to finish. I made a quick call to Disney when we got in our room to let them know. They gave me the mangers name, "Rita", and asked me to go downstairs and speak with her. "Rita" never came out, instead her "assistant" spoke with me and said Rita was checking the call log from when we made our reservation. Why on earth was that necessary unless they thought I was lying or why else would they check the call log? I have had that happen 3 times at Disney when there is a problem with check in. Especially when we stay club level. I think because I am young and have tattoos I get profiled. Who knows. But after the assistant was giving me the company spiel for ten minutes about customer service and how she had looked my name up and saw how we visit frequently I asked if Rita was ever coming out because I didnt feel the need to waste more time on the issue and THEY had asked ME to come down to speak with her. She said she was still checking the call log. I thanked for her time and said I wanted to start my vacation so I was going to leave and if it truly mattered to Rita she would have come out by now. The assistant was very nice. My wife is writing an email to TWDC just to see what they have to say on the matter. It will definitely have Ritas name along with Micheal the supervisor who was rude.

Wow!

If that was me I think I would have said "Yes, please transfer me to Animal Kingdom Lodge". I mean its not like you said, "When I stayed at Universal..." Although, even then being rude is NOT ok. I give you credit for handling that as well as you did. I am mad right now for you, lol

You did the right thing though, glad you didn't let it ruin your trip.

WWWD · Sep 18, 2013

wdisney9000 said:
Yeah, check in is always smooth or a total nightmare, no in between. We were renting DVC pts from a friend and I mentioned how AKL fixed the same problem rather quickly when we visited in May. He said in a very snotty manner, "I can see if Animal Kingdom Lodge has open rooms and you can transfer there and they can fix the issue" I simply said WOW and waited for him to finish. I made a quick call to Disney when we got in our room to let them know. They gave me the mangers name, "Rita", and asked me to go downstairs and speak with her. "Rita" never came out, instead her "assistant" spoke with me and said Rita was checking the call log from when we made our reservation. Why on earth was that necessary unless they thought I was lying or why else would they check the call log? I have had that happen 3 times at Disney when there is a problem with check in. Especially when we stay club level. I think because I am young and have tattoos I get profiled. Who knows. But after the assistant was giving me the company spiel for ten minutes about customer service and how she had looked my name up and saw how we visit frequently I asked if Rita was ever coming out because I didnt feel the need to waste more time on the issue and THEY had asked ME to come down to speak with her. She said she was still checking the call log. I thanked for her time and said I wanted to start my vacation so I was going to leave and if it truly mattered to Rita she would have come out by now. The assistant was very nice. My wife is writing an email to TWDC just to see what they have to say on the matter. It will definitely have Ritas name along with Micheal the supervisor who was rude.

Send the highest person you can find on the chain a certified, signature required letter. They will be mad that they had to sign for a letter and after they read it, that anger will transfer to Rita and Michael real quick. S**t rolls down hill.

Nothing makes me more angry than getting treated like crap especially when you spend that kind of money.

wdisney9000 · Sep 18, 2013

Day 2 contd...

Finished up a great meal at Sci Fi. We had the spinach dip and my Wife got the smoke turkey sandwich and I had the salmon BLT but subbed chicken for the salmon. They were both great but she liked my sandwich more than hers. lol. I had the Racer 5 IPA for a drink and Chenin had the Patron margarita which tasted like it had no tequila at all. After our meal we walked around the Streets of America for awhile because the park was pretty empty and its always fun to have that area to yourself. When there is nobody there those streets really do feel like your in a city. We did all the usual stuff like take a picture with the umbrella and read all the window signs.

Next we headed over to Star Tours!!! We both could ride that all day so we try and save it for day two and let a little excitement build up. Since the park was empty we walked right on but took a few moments for some goofy pictures with our 3-D glasses. We almost had the entire star speeder to ourselves and right as the pre-ride video ended a few people walked up. No big deal. We finally got the opening sequence that WAS NOT Darth Vader. We get Vader every time it feels like.

Had to stop and pay tribute to @WDW1974. His threads make my morning coffee so much more enjoyable.

We strolled over to TSMM for one last ride before we headed out. My wife has been getting better each trip and is starting to keep up with my score. I think she has been googling tips and tricks. I saw her doing it for candy crush so I have to assume she did it for this also. lol. I love this pic below because she was trying to copy the eyes from the cartoon things behind us. She does the weirdest things to make me laugh. She is truly my heart and soul.

We still had some time before the park closed but decided to head home to our room since we were getting up early and heading to EPCOT after breakfast. I was already thinking about which iced coffee I was gonna get from Starbucks at Fountain View!

wdisney9000 · Sep 18, 2013

LizC said:
Wow! If that was me I think I would have said "Yes, please transfer me to Animal Kingdom Lodge". I mean its not like you said, "When I stayed at Universal..." Although, even then being rude is NOT ok. I give you credit for handling that as well as you did. I am mad right now for you, lol

You did the right thing though, glad you didn't let it ruin your trip.

Thanks, I agree with you and normally would have just asked to get transferred but we stayed at AKL in May and we were really looking forward to BW. I knew getting into it with him would not serve me any purpose other than to frustrate myself after a 7 hour car ride. Plus we were pretty early for check in so I figured he could maybe screw with me and make us wait for a room. Patience really is a virtue. Hopefully writing a letter will do more good. He is lucky my wife had stepped outside to call her mom. It would have gone down much differently if he had said that to her. lol

wdisney9000 · Sep 18, 2013

WWWD said:
Send the highest person you can find on the chain a certified, signature required letter. They will be mad that they had to sign for a letter and after they read it, that anger will transfer to Rita and Michael real quick. S**t rolls down hill.

Nothing makes me more angry than getting treated like crap especially when you spend that kind of money.

Love that idea. Just showed my wife your post and she said thats EXACTLY what she is gonna do. Thanks for the help. She is all fired up now and will probly be up at the crack of dawn writing that letter. Lmao!!

LizC · Sep 18, 2013

wdisney9000 said:
Thanks, I agree with you and normally would have just asked to get transferred but we stayed at AKL in May and we were really looking forward to BW. I knew getting into it with him would not serve me any purpose other than to frustrate myself after a 7 hour car ride. Plus we were pretty early for check in so I figured he could maybe screw with me and make us wait for a room. Patience really is a virtue. Hopefully writing a letter will do more good. He is lucky my wife had stepped outside to call her mom. It would have gone down much differently if he had said that to her. lol

Ha! You sound like my husband. He would have reacted like you, and I would have lost it. We are staying at BW for 8 nights in a 2 bedroom villa and if they are rude like that I hope I can manage to control myself like you did.

Let us know if anything ever comes of you contacting Disney further.

wdisney9000 · Sep 18, 2013

LizC said:
Ha! You sound like my husband. He would have reacted like you, and I would have lost it. We are staying at BW for 8 nights in a 2 bedroom villa and if they are rude like that I hope I can manage to control myself like you did.

Let us know if anything ever comes of you contacting Disney further.

Yeah, she is the one that handles those issues. I just keep calm and go about my day. haha. A 2 bedroom villa sounds awesome. Despite the rude supervisor we really enjoyed the resort. The Boardwalk at night made it awesome by itself, but all the shops and places to eat (love being close to ESPN Zone for late night food and drinks) give it a little extra magic. We are pretty loyal to YC but AKL and BW are really close behind. Have you guys stayed at BW before?

LizC · Sep 18, 2013

wdisney9000 said:
Yeah, she is the one that handles those issues. I just keep calm and go about my day. haha. A 2 bedroom villa sounds awesome. Despite the rude supervisor we really enjoyed the resort. The Boardwalk at night made it awesome by itself, but all the shops and places to eat (love being close to ESPN Zone for late night food and drinks) give it a little extra magic. We are pretty loyal to YC but AKL and BW are really close behind. Have you guys stayed at BW before?

2 bedroom is awesome, but gets less awesome when you throw in our twins and my parents. lol

No, we have never stayed there before and we are so excited! We have stayed in that area at the Swan/Dolphin and I have stayed once at the BC. We love ESPN Zone and will actually be in WDW for the Super Bowl, but are planning to watch the game elsewhere as it will probably be way to crowded for us. My husband and I are staying at AKL for the first time in Oct without the kids, not really ideal for the F&W Festival, but we got a good deal.

wdisney9000 · Sep 19, 2013

Day 3:

Started out early and headed to EPCOT and straight to Fountain View for some coffee. I had developed an addiction for the iced coffee so I had to get to the iced caramel latte. My wife stuck with her basic coffee. We took or coffee and muffins over to The Land to eat in the food court so we could hop on Soarin before lines got long. Pretty basic morning. Rode Soarin and then hit The Seas with Nemo and next we went to Spaceship Earth. Isnt making a funny face for the picture and video a blast. It never gets old. It was getting hot out early and we were in the mood to ride a few attractions that day so we thought it would be best to ride some stuff first and then slow down and enjoy World Showcase in the afternoon. After SE we hit Mission: Space and there was no line at all. Awesome. Test Track was only at 25 minutes wait when we got over there so another win for us! We met a father and daughter visiting from the UK while in line and had a real good time chatting with them. His daughter was 7 and was so excited to be going to MNSSHP. They asked if we had been and we told them yes, but we didnt want to spoil any of the fun for them so we tried not to give away any details. We just told them it was going to be a blast and they would not regret it. We love making "friends in line". You know, when your waiting in line and meet a person or a family and have a nice conversation while you wait. Just another cool thing that can happen at Disney. We have met so many interesting people over the years.

Heres a few pics from the morning

Trip Report Kicking off NFL season at WDW trip report!

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