Trip Report So I guess Disney thinks Canadians do not celebrate Christmas?? A Max Trip Report- COMPLETED

A big hello to all my Disney friends:

As the title suggest this is a trip report regarding our recent Christmas adventure at Walt Disney World

Why the title you ask? I will keep you guessing on that one for a few days at least

Details leading up to the departure can be found here:

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...-max-the-girls-and-the-boys-do-disney.951075/

This is my 6th trip report on these boards so hopefully you have read at least one before

The reason I say that is that my style might not suit all - I can probably sum it up as

1) Shoot from the hip
2) Do not pull punches
3) Definitely not PC
4) Not always PG
5) As much Seinfeld references as @Tuvalu can handle
6) Not too heavy or too light on the Pixie dust -keep it real and call it as I see it

Quick introduction will come from:

Day 1 - Travel Day towards the US but not quite beyond the comfort of home:
Friday Dec 21, 2018

The original plan was to drive from our home in Waterloo Ont Canada to Buffalo NY on Sat Dec 22.
With a 10:35 am fight a same day drive could have worked.

We switched it up to a drive on the day before and booked a hotel in Niagara Falls Canada

(our B&B in Buffalo backed out on us - @Doc Disney can try to explain how she let us down!!!)

So here we are at the Embassy Suites on Friday enjoying our homemade Mickey cookies

Me (Max, Andrew, Clarence) and Tricia

1546644042766.png

My younger daughter Cassie and Shane (BF)
1546644075148.png

and my older daughter Stephanie and her fiancé Jordan
1546644098857.png

and this is all of us at the Falls ( selfies are harder with six people!!!)
1546644121013.png


This report will chronicle Disney trip 28 for me and lucky(?) 13 to WDW.
It is also 13 to WDW for Tricia
The girls celebrate 10 trips to the world
Trip 2 for Shane (though his memory of the first is limited)

And - 1ST TIME FOR JORDAN!!!!!!

More Day 1 to follow and then off to Buffalo the next day!!!

Welcome aboard, ashore and wherever we are!!!

Max
 
Last edited:

NessNewt

Well-Known Member
Day 4 cont’d
After our safari and walk we went to the Festival of the Lion King
We wanted the boys to see one show and this one won out over Nemo
No pics of the performance but look who is back!!
View attachment 345442View attachment 345443View attachment 345444
We walked back out to the TOL and took a few pics and did the photo pass thing ( I will add a post tonight)
View attachment 345445View attachment 345446View attachment 345447
The plan was to head back to the hotel and chill
But why follow a plan when you can do this
View attachment 345448
Libations all around ( everyone was of age on this trip - shane just turned 21 in mid December)
View attachment 345449View attachment 345450
My stomach was not feeling so well at this point so I tried to lie back and relax ( while still enjoying a cocktail of course)
View attachment 345451

Max

@krisri18 introduced me to the Nomad Lounge back in May and I'm obsessed with it. It may be at the top of my list of places to hit up on my next trip. It's such a perfect spot to comfortably sit and sip and snack.
 

amjt660

Premium Member
Original Poster
🎤if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it🎶
We had come up with a few ideas but this one is by far the best!!

When you passed by on the safari did it say “See you later” or “After ‘while”?
Nice one!!!

That is an awesome picture! It's a different view than from what most people(including myself) take it from. Having no people in it and the greenery & water in the picture make it simply stunning!! I would definitely hang that in my house!! I love it!!
Thanks for the compliment - I guess I framed it nice - even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in awhile!!

Did anyone respond to you with an email address? I have emailed customer service before.
One way to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile is to look at their snouts. Crocodile snouts are narrow.:)
I do not know the email address so if you have PM me please
Thanks for the tip on croc vs gator - although @Back!Elbow!Shoulders! technique might work too!!

@krisri18 introduced me to the Nomad Lounge back in May and I'm obsessed with it. It may be at the top of my list of places to hit up on my next trip. It's such a perfect spot to comfortably sit and sip and snack.

yes it is all smiles and joy at that place - you are not allowed to be angry at the "Nomad" lounge you know

Max
 

MiniMax

Active Member

MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Day 4 cont’d
After our safari and walk we went to the Festival of the Lion King
We wanted the boys to see one show and this one won out over Nemo
No pics of the performance but look who is back!!
View attachment 345442View attachment 345443View attachment 345444
We walked back out to the TOL and took a few pics and did the photo pass thing ( I will add a post tonight)
View attachment 345445View attachment 345446View attachment 345447
The plan was to head back to the hotel and chill
But why follow a plan when you can do this
View attachment 345448
Libations all around ( everyone was of age on this trip - shane just turned 21 in mid December)
View attachment 345449View attachment 345450
My stomach was not feeling so well at this point so I tried to lie back and relax ( while still enjoying a cocktail of course)
View attachment 345451

Max
Ok, I'm not sure how I've missed this Nomad Lounge in the many times we have walked by there. I had to go onto MDE AK map, to see where this is. It looks fabulous! This will be a surprise treat for my crew next time we visit AK. Do you recommend any particular food or drinks from here? Ty in advance.
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
We had come up with a few ideas but this one is by far the best!!


Nice one!!!


Thanks for the compliment - I guess I framed it nice - even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in awhile!!


I do not know the email address so if you have PM me please
Thanks for the tip on croc vs gator - although @Back!Elbow!Shoulders! technique might work too!!



yes it is all smiles and joy at that place - you are not allowed to be angry at the "Nomad" lounge you know

Max
Oh Max, you are a punny fellow!
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
Ok, I'm not sure how I've missed this Nomad Lounge in the many times we have walked by there. I had to go onto MDE AK map, to see where this is. It looks fabulous! This will be a surprise treat for my crew next time we visit AK. Do you recommend any particular food or drinks from here? Ty in advance.
Churros!!!! You must get the churros! The rest of the food menu changes now and then, I've seen 5 or 6 different incarnations of it in the past couple years. There's been some variation of ribs on there everytime, and they are always delicious! If you like sweet drinks, Jenn's Tattoo is a favorite of my family.
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Ok, I'm not sure how I've missed this Nomad Lounge in the many times we have walked by there. I had to go onto MDE AK map, to see where this is. It looks fabulous! This will be a surprise treat for my crew next time we visit AK. Do you recommend any particular food or drinks from here? Ty in advance.

The bread service and the ribs are our favorites.
 

amjt660

Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 4 cont’d
After Nomad we heading over to Dinoland to use our last extra FP
4C6ABE18-283B-474A-A22E-F0B9BD1F4F28.jpeg

The ride was down for most of the day so the standby line was long (around 60 min)

Shane remembered watching this movie was he was younger so he was excited to ride this one
D9DFE0ED-599F-45B2-92E0-BCE49AD2EA3D.jpeg
CA753559-52C1-43C5-A51E-5F465294F4E1.jpeg

Shots from inside
080F5D34-AD16-4863-9EE5-176E90655746.jpeg

He's back!!
F6CA57AF-64DF-4F7B-99D4-EFF6E3064757.jpeg

And the ride photo ??
AK_DINOSAURRIDE_20181224_415033118210.jpg

Classic!!

Left the park and drove back to Dolphin
D744C7E3-AE66-4019-830B-1BFB1E1609DD.jpeg

A few shots in the Dolphin lobby
5F5B1D1F-0DE5-41F8-B5CC-C4DF7D64D314.jpeg
086B05D7-502D-48FC-B6EB-741E75CEC8BF.jpeg

Quick turnaround and walk to Epcot for early (3pm) dinner
250699F3-61A8-4CBF-9A30-D7083E89C872.jpeg


No other pics from the dinner or details
I was starting to feel really bad - my stomach ache was getting painful

So on the walk back towards the boardwalk area we decided to split up

I went to the hotel and crashed for a couple of hours and the rest went back to DAK for ROL and EE

Now I call out to @stephmax975 , @MiniMax and our newest member @TMax

I need one(or all of you) to fill in the missing time until later that night
(Later in the evening I bussed back to DAK on my own - I was not going to miss FOP!!!)

Max
 
Last edited:

amjt660

Premium Member
Original Poster
I think I’ll just leave this cropped version here for now.
"How I looked when Mickey turned blue at the DAK gate"

Ok, I'm not sure how I've missed this Nomad Lounge in the many times we have walked by there. I had to go onto MDE AK map, to see where this is. It looks fabulous! This will be a surprise treat for my crew next time we visit AK. Do you recommend any particular food or drinks from here? Ty in advance.
The couches are comfy!!!
We did the bread services and some sort of veggie app - @stephmax975 - please help!!

Oh Max, you are a punny fellow!
When I say one of these at home I usually get :

"Don't laugh - it only encourages him" from Tricia

Churros!!!! You must get the churros! The rest of the food menu changes now and then, I've seen 5 or 6 different incarnations of it in the past couple years. There's been some variation of ribs on there everytime, and they are always delicious! If you like sweet drinks, Jenn's Tattoo is a favorite of my family.
Will have to try the churros next time

The bread service and the ribs are our favorites.
and apparently also try the ribs too!

“Look! It’s X, AJ and Dre!”
So I guess I had a Magic Meet up on this trip after all????

Max
 

susan lees

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone,
It's taken me a while to write this but Disney daughter here to chime in. This was difficult to write but I had some additional context to add.
First, I want to thank all of you for all of your messages of support! It's reassuring to read comments that confirm that the frustration and disappointment that we were all feeling wasn't an over reaction.
My dad and my mom were the ones that were actually interacting with the CMs so the rest of us were able to hear the conversation but weren't involved in the conversation.
The thing that was the most disappointing (and hard to watch part) about the experience was how my dad had to fight for every inch that he got.
First, they tried to get him to buy all new tickets in addition to the tickets that we already had.
Then, they wanted him to pay the increased rates that were changed in October (when the original tickets were bought before that).
Then, they were giving us fast passes but initially refused to give us one for the Navi River Journey although the 50 minutes of park time that we have lost would have partly been for that ride.
Now, I've had some amazing experiences with cast members at Walt Disney World. On our last trip, I unfortunately had a panic attack while we were leaving Fantasmic mainly due to the large crowds. We had to stop walking and a Cast Member noticed the situation. They asked if I needed anything and went and got me a bottle of water. They also checked on me to make sure that I was okay before we left the area and the park. We never got that Cast Member's name but we were all so thankful and I am still so thankful for the kindness that they showed myself and my family.
Unfortunately, the stress of the situation with the tickets at AK combined with the poor customer service (the way that my dad was treated) caused a similar reaction for me. It's difficult to watch that sort of customer blaming when I knew that a lot of time had been spent with my dad and sister on the phone with Disney in preparation for the trip. That Navi River fastpass? We only got that fastpass when my mom went and told them what their customer service was doing to all of us.
Mainly the experience really goes to show you that there are so many CMs that genuinely care about the experiences of their guests and others could learn from the Disney Magic that they show guests.
Very well said. We are from Scotland and last November experienced a really bizarre situation trying to pick our kids up from all star sports (we were staying at POFQ). The CM at the barriers asked why we were coming to the resort and then more of less tried to refuse us entry! Thinking maybe an accent thing we tried again and she still was reticent to let us in. I eventually asked for a manager and miraculously were granted entry! She was not pleasant and it put me on edge every time we had to drive there. Luckily has been the only bad customer service we have experienced on our WDW trips and did not leave us out of pocket. I was really shocked at the service you guys got.
 

amjt660

Premium Member
Original Poster
I like how they all have Max in their usernames...and MAX doesn't!!!

Loving your report. Not loving how you were treated by Disney customer service. I do hope you end up getting more money back.
Yes it is interesting - I did not even consider putting Max in my name because usually I end up with something like Max1832775 as a name because the version I want is already taken.

I created my account a few years back and decided to use something unique that only I knew what it meant
In a TR last year I included this picture so that you folks knew where it came from

upload_2017-4-23_15-48-0-png.200972


Max
 

amjt660

Premium Member
Original Poster
Very well said. We are from Scotland and last November experienced a really bizarre situation trying to pick our kids up from all star sports (we were staying at POFQ). The CM at the barriers asked why we were coming to the resort and then more of less tried to refuse us entry! Thinking maybe an accent thing we tried again and she still was reticent to let us in. I eventually asked for a manager and miraculously were granted entry! She was not pleasant and it put me on edge every time we had to drive there. Luckily has been the only bad customer service we have experienced on our WDW trips and did not leave us out of pocket. I was really shocked at the service you guys got.
Thank you for the kind words - sounds like you might have run into a Power Trip CM on that day

Max
 

MiniMax

Active Member
You called @amjt660 ? It's minimax to the rescue! So I've never done this before so go easy on me, my pictures aren't amazing but I did my best as my dad would say 🙂

Let's see, so Max went back to the room as he wasn't feeling well and the rest of the squad walked over to the Beach Club to hop on a bus to Animal Kingdom (we were leaving Epcot from the International Gateway so walking back to the Dolphin didn't really make sense).

We hopped on a bus and made it back to AK by 5:30. Tree picture on the way in.

346998


Selfie while we waited for people getting through bag check.
346997


We headed straight to Rivers of Light when we entered, our showing was at 6:15 if I recall (pre-show starting at 6). We decided to get a FastPass for the show, it was our first time seeing it. On our last trip we just missed it due to the delayed opening and didn't want to miss it again! Quick picture of the tree as we came in.

347000


The FP seating was on the far right side of the viewing area. It was pretty full when we got there but we ended up finding a spot pretty close to the front. Few pictures before the show that I took.
347001
347002
347003


Another fun Jordan picture, sorry it's not as good as the earlier pumba one but still a classic.
347004


The sun was just setting as you can see so we were a little worried about not being able to experience the show to the fullest but more on that later!

Minimax
 
Last edited:

fractal

Well-Known Member
Yes it is interesting - I did not even consider putting Max in my name because usually I end up with something like Max1832775 as a name because the version I want is already taken.

I created my account a few years back and decided to use something unique that only I knew what it meant
In a TR last year I included this picture so that you folks knew where it came from

upload_2017-4-23_15-48-0-png.200972


Max

That's pretty funny!
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom