Trip Report "Lets Begin By Taking a Smallish Nap or Two" - A May 2024 Trip Report *COMPLETED*

We got back from our vacation May 18th and I'm still trying to mentally process this trip I debated whether to even do a trip report but decided to do a quick one since it's not like I'll ever be able to forget it LOL. For those of you who don't know, this trip had been postponed many times because of my elderly dog Pippy. We weren't sure whether we would be able to take the May trip but I had to make the difficult decision to euthanize a couple weeks before we were scheduled to leave. He was my soul mate dog and I still feel his absence every day. His loss is incredibly painful and something that I still can't talk about without ugly crying. The change of scenery at Disney helped a little but it didn't last long. If any of you have followed my previous trip reports, you wouldn't be surprised to know that drama usually follows us to WDW and this trip was no exception - but not how I could've predicted. It wasn't family this time!!!!!

When: May 10-18, 2024
Why: originally longest anniversary, then changed to my bday, then our wedding anniversary, then my husband's bday, then a just because
Where: Coronado Springs Resort
Who: Me (L) and the husband (R)

Despite all my careful planning, we couldn't have predicted the unusually hot May weather (one local news station called it "historic") and what was to follow. We hated the effects of Genie+ on the parks. This trip, even my normally oblivious husband noticed the negative changes and commented on it. We still love WDW but it's not the same as it used to be and that breaks my Disney loving heart. This trip was full of firsts, full of surprises, full of tears, and definitely full of memories We didn't have a theme song this trip but a quote I saw on a pin when trading summed up this trip pretty dang well LOL - "Let's begin by taking a smallish nap or two" ~ Winnie the Pooh

 

[Swissmiss]

Thanks for sharing! (And again, sorry we couldn’t work in a meet up)

 

[LeighM]

Thanks for sharing! (And again, sorry we couldn’t work in a meet up)

Were you going to do a trip report? I would love to hear all about your trip!

 

[Swissmiss]

Were you going to do a trip report? I would love to hear all about your trip!

No; I spend too much time behind a computer screen during the day to want to write one in the evenings

 

[Tuvalu]

I hope you and R get a “do over” on your next WDW vacation - assuming you want to go back!

Your Photopass pictures are lovely and do not convey all the angst you went through that week.

 

[erstwo]

I hope you and R get a “do over” on your next WDW vacation - assuming you want to go back!

Your Photopass pictures are lovely and do not convey all the angst you went through that week.

I have to agree! I look like a giant sweaty mess when I’m at WDW when it’s hot.
You two look fabulous in every picture.

Thank you for taking the time to write the report!

 

[LeighM]

I hope you and R get a “do over” on your next WDW vacation - assuming you want to go back!

Your Photopass pictures are lovely and do not convey all the angst you went through that week.

Thanks. I almost didn't write a trip report for this one because it really was a lot. But my (bad) experiences already helped one person when my friend went a few weeks after me. They had more insight into First Aid and, if their son had gotten worse, she had less stress over calling an ambulance knowing that Reedy Creek doesn't charge. So some good came out of it. And I'm glad that I realized I have something lurking beneath the surface while I was still on the mainland US because we have been talking about cruising and that happening to me in a foreign country would've been very scary. But what's even scarier than that is that this wasn't actually my worst WDW trip LOL.

I have to agree! I look like a giant sweaty mess when I’m at WDW when it’s hot.
You two look fabulous in every picture.

Thank you for taking the time to write the report!

And thank you both for the compliments. My stoicism came from my Grandma and Mom LOL. Never let them see you cry kind of mentally. It has its pros and cons

 

[LeighM]

No; I spend too much time behind a computer screen during the day to want to write one in the evenings

Booooo LOL. Where did you stay at Universal? We've been thinking about a resort only stay at Cabana Bay but the idea of staying somewhere not Disney makes us sad. R was like "but that means I won't get Polite Pig." I hope they never close because he would probably refuse to ever go back

 

[Swissmiss]

Booooo LOL. Where did you stay at Universal? We've been thinking about a resort only stay at Cabana Bay but the idea of staying somewhere not Disney makes us sad. R was like "but that means I won't get Polite Pig." I hope they never close because he would probably refuse to ever go back

We were at the Royal Pacific so that we’d have the Express Pass for the parks. It was certainly worth it for us to be able to skip lines because of the heat.

 

[MinnieM123]

@LeighM , thank you for your TR. It's always interesting to read about the various observations of other forum members, while they visit WDW. (Your medical incident was unfortunate; but I give you credit for maintaining for composure, and for redirecting your energy toward making the rest of your vacation as pleasant as possible.)

I am glad you had some fun experiences in the parks, and I really enjoyed your photos. Thank you!

 

[pkkurz]

Booooo LOL. Where did you stay at Universal? We've been thinking about a resort only stay at Cabana Bay but the idea of staying somewhere not Disney makes us sad. R was like "but that means I won't get Polite Pig." I hope they never close because he would probably refuse to ever go back

You do know that they have a sister restaurant “Ravenous Pig” in Winter Park for times when you leave the Disney bubble?

 

[LeighM]

You do know that they have a sister restaurant “Ravenous Pig” in Winter Park for times when you leave the Disney bubble?

Yeah but it's harder to get to when you don't have a vehicle and don't want to do a taxi.

 

[LeighM]

We were at the Royal Pacific so that we’d have the Express Pass for the parks. It was certainly worth it for us to be able to skip lines because of the heat.

We were talking about a Universal trip last night after I saw the newest previews for Epic Universe. While I really want to do an Informer Meetup to reduce wait times with lesser crowds, I don't know if our first visit should be more typical and if we should wait until 2025 when the newest park opens. I really want to stay at Cabana Bay as the retro vibe really appeals to me but all of the perks of their deluxe resort are hard to pass over LOL. Royal Pacific is the one I was looking into. How are the food options there?

 

[LeighM]

@LeighM , thank you for your TR. It's always interesting to read about the various observations of other forum members, while they visit WDW. (Your medical incident was unfortunate; but I give you credit for maintaining for composure, and for redirecting your energy toward making the rest of your vacation as pleasant as possible.)

I am glad you had some fun experiences in the parks, and I really enjoyed your photos. Thank you!

I found my husband's opinions of WDW to be very interesting this trip. He's not the kind of Disney fan that I am but he highly enjoys it while he's there. This is the first time he's actually noticed the changes that made, which in the past has gone right over his head LOL. I was a business major and I loved doing case studies on the company. So I have an appreciation for Disney as fan of the on screen entertainment and the theme parks as well as understanding their need to make changes and stay current. I'm not one that's easily influenced by nostalgia and emotion. In the past, I've never felt the effects of their changes while within their parks because the changes were either subtle or didn't effect the theme park or resort experience. But I can no longer say that because my husband actually picked up on a lot of things besides Genie+ increasing the wait times. I just don't know if it's all due to the changes in management led by a change in management, if it's the guests themselves that have changed due to covid with the society shifts, etc. I don't know but it really had my business student brain trying to make sense of it all. I'm still planning on visiting Disney (obviously since we have a bounce back trip for December LOL) but if I don't go back every year like we used to do, then I'll be fine with it.

 

[Swissmiss]

Food options could be a bit better, but since we only stayed a couple of nights it was fine. There is a small grab and go/counter service that has salad and sandwiches and the like, as well as the pool bar which has either table service or to go. It never looks like any of the restaurants are full (and I think you can get to go at all of them as well.)

 

[Wicked Sisters]

Loved your trip report. We found last September that we need more breaks from the sun now we are older. Hope you are doing ok health wise now. It was good to know about the hospital there just in case we have a medical problem next year, with us both having heart conditions. Just have to mention that you take brilliant photos. Hope you both a fantastic trip in December.

 

[Bullseye1967]

Yeah but it's harder to get to when you don't have a vehicle and don't want to do a taxi.

They have this new thing called Uber.

We were talking about a Universal trip last night after I saw the newest previews for Epic Universe. While I really want to do an Informer Meetup to reduce wait times with lesser crowds, I don't know if our first visit should be more typical and if we should wait until 2025 when the newest park opens. I really want to stay at Cabana Bay as the retro vibe really appeals to me but all of the perks of their deluxe resort are hard to pass over LOL. Royal Pacific is the one I was looking into. How are the food options there?

USO will be an absolute zoo after EU opens. If you want to see it, save your trip for 26 or 27.

Also TYSM for such a great TR!!!!!

 

[Tiki Traveler]

Thank you for sharing your trip w/us. So sorry you had to go through so much. Am glad you are now on the road to recovery w/your own doctor. I thought both your Photopass pictures and the pictures you took yourself were great. Thanks again!

 

[erstwo]

We were talking about a Universal trip last night after I saw the newest previews for Epic Universe. While I really want to do an Informer Meetup to reduce wait times with lesser crowds, I don't know if our first visit should be more typical and if we should wait until 2025 when the newest park opens. I really want to stay at Cabana Bay as the retro vibe really appeals to me but all of the perks of their deluxe resort are hard to pass over LOL. Royal Pacific is the one I was looking into. How are the food options there?

The thing people on this forum tried to explain to me - that my Disney brain couldn’t comprehend until we had our Universal trip- is that City walk is less than 15 minutes from the deluxe hotels.
We stayed at Royal Pacific and we could leave our hotel room and be seated at any of the City Walk Restaurants in 15 minutes. It was mind blowing.

So while Royal Pacific does have a couple restaurants (we only ate at one and it was great) - you aren’t limited to the options at the hotel! Just hop on a boat (which are always running ) and head to City walk. (And you don’t always have to have a reservation- even for a party of 6! )

 

[Swissmiss]

The thing people on this forum tried to explain to me - that my Disney brain couldn’t comprehend until we had our Universal trip- is that City walk is less than 15 minutes from the deluxe hotels.
We stayed at Royal Pacific and we could leave our hotel room and be seated at any of the City Walk Restaurants in 15 minutes. It was mind blowing.

So while Royal Pacific does have a couple restaurants (we only ate at one and it was great) - you aren’t limited to the options at the hotel! Just hop on a boat (which are always running ) and head to City walk. (And you don’t always have to have a reservation- even for a party of 6! )

Absolutely this. Our first visit was August a couple of years ago and we had no issue getting a table last minute at Margaritaville (granted, it was only my daughter and myself). Even in the parks the lines for getting food were tolerable as well.

 

[LeighM]

They have this new thing called Uber.

Really?!!! I've never heard of this Uber thing before LOL. Is it like Lyft? We have no interest in getting into a car with a stranger. Blame my backwardness on a serial woman killer in my hometown who was a cab driver but it's not something we're interested in. But thank you for letting me know about it....