Trip Report Teaching our niece about #DDTRW!

To all that come to this happy trip report, welcome!

I will explain what #DDTRW is a bit later when it becomes a relevant part of the report. but first, a Quick back story: We, (my wife and I) have been to WDW dozens of times since we have been together. We have visited on joint trips with my family, her family and even both sides of the family at the same time. We have most often visited with just each other. But this trip was something we have been trying to do for several years now and it finally worked out! We have wanted to bring one of our nieces or nephews on a trip with just us. We love having them spend the night or an entire day with us when we are at home but we have never experienced WDW with them sans parents.

My sister and brother were always a bit nervous about sending one of their kids with us when they were younger and I cant blame them since we do not have kids and have not been through all the scenarios that could arise with a young one in tow. But now they are all over the age of 10. We originally asked my sister since her kids have AP's but she kept stalling on getting back to us, (she is still a bit overbearing with her kids). A week or so later I was speaking with my brother and he informed that they may be skipping their annual Disney trip due to his work and also having some major house projects done. We asked if we could take his daughter "C", who will be referred to as "C-Minor" in this TR since my wife is also C. He agreed without hesitation!

My parents had a trip planned and were bringing all the grand kids with them and I figured since she would be visiting again with us shortly after, that the best thing to do would be to get her Annual Pass rather than have my brother spend money on two separate park tickets. C and I decided we would pay for her AP since my brother had a lot to pay for with his house projects. Plus, this would allow us to bring her on future trips if all went with this trip! C-Minor was absolutely over the moon when she learned she would be returning to WDW just a few weeks after her recent trip. And soon after, the trip was upon us!!!

We headed out of Atlanta just before 6 am and were hoping to avoid traffic. As usual, I was up at 4 am and ready to leave at 5, but it somehow took C an extra hour to get ready

C-Minor just woke up, hopped in the car and promptly fell back asleep for the first few hours of the trip.

We did not encounter any Atlanta traffic and made excellent time on the road. We stopped in Gainseville (Fla.) to grab a quick bite at Maple Street Biscuit Company. C and her mom fell in love with this place on their last trip when they tried it. It was seriously good and highly recommend it. We ordered our food to go and hooped back into the car (with lots of napkins so we didnt make a mess).

We got back on the road and made a quick stop for my "go-go juice" at the Publix in Apopka.

Soon after we were under the arches!

A few minutes after that we were home!

Welcome to Jambo House at AKL!!

Up next, checking in to our room and heading to our first park!

Thanks for following along and sorry for the text heavy intro. Lots more pics to come!! Have a great day!

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 3 contd....

We made our way to 7DMT and once again it was @Longers status for the girls!

After Snow White we went over to Tomorrowland. First up was getting C Minor her slushy at Joffreys and C got an iced black coffee. It was getting very hot out so we decided to cool off a bit on People Mover. The CM did not notice our drinks (mostly because I put them in the back pack as we loaded).

Always a great view of the castle from People Mover.

It was even more hot once we got off the Wedway so into CoP for some a/c and a show!

You better hurry if you are gonna catch that trolley to the drugstore soda fountain and meet the boys for a cold sarsaparilla.

After CoP it was time for another Mountain, of the space variety.

Minor and I were obviously suffering from the heat and could not even take any phone calls. C seemed to be ok though.

On our way out I got some backstage pics of the Tron coaster progress! Dont get excited, lol.

It was now blazing hot and the only thing we wanted to do was hit the pool so we hopped on the us back to AKL.

Up next.... pool break then over to Epcot.

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 3 contd...

We got back to the hotel and changed to hit the pool. Even though I was not a fan of the Bimini IPA I was trying to finish them off so I grabbed one for the walk down to the pool.

We had a great afternoon at the pool and then got some packing done since we would be checking out of AKL in the morning to head over to BWV for the next 4 days! After packing up and getting a little rest we headed to Epcot because my sister they were gonna head there too. We arrived and made our way to Soarin

Next we headed to TT to use our FP we got from the night before when the ride closed due to lightning. First we had to stop for some beers in Norway. Minor was not amused with the delay.

I had the Einstock White ale and C got the Aass, and yes it is pronounced like it looks, lol. Its a good beer tho. We walked back to TT with our brews.

I was able to design my own car since there wasnt too many people in the design studio. Minor and C designed their own too.

Minor took a few calls while we rode.

I got a call from my sister that they had gone to MK instead. We had plenty of time until MK closed so we hopped on the monorail to meet them.

They allowed the monorail to get so packed that it was borderline dangerous. I dont mind a full car but people were squeezing in and the door could barely shut. It was a very cramped and smelly ride to MK.

Once we got there, we met my sister and the boys at BTM. There was hardly anybody over on that side of the park. We rode BTM 3 times in a row to finish out the night. My nephew P asked to ride with his auntie C. She was flattered.

We had a great time and definitely made a lot of noise. BTM at night is so much fun.

We all walked to the front of the park and my sister and the boys hopped on a boat back to WL as we waited for a bus.

Next up...checking into BWV and another first time restaurant for Minor!

 

[Gurt]

such a great trip so far apart from the family drama. What a lovely kid minor is absolute credit to your family.

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 4


We all slept great, even me. I had no stomach issues and I was finally allowed coffee! It was magical!

Oh sweet, hot been water, how I missed you!!! I was even allowed some cream cheese on my bagel. Disney truly is the place of magic!

We were checking out of AKL and heading over to Boardwalk Villas for the next 4 days. We had a great stay at AKL with an awesome room but we were looking forward to being "home" on the Boardwalk. Plus, Minor had never stayed there and had not looked at any videos or even pictures of the pool and she was super pumped to check it out. I called for a bell hop to pick up the luggage and the plan was to have it transferred over to BWV to save a little time at arrival. The bell hop who came up was the same guy who dropped off our luggage. He was very nice and we got to talking and learned he had just visited Georgia. He also told us that he was one of the staff that was working at Boardwalk when it first opened. He informed us that having luggage transferred was not the best idea. After sharing the procedure of how they do it and also a few nightmare stories of misplaced luggage, we were convinced to just load up the car and take it with us. We got one last pic on our lovely balcony before heading out.

He walked us down tot he car and shared a few fun CM stories with us. We loaded the car, tipped the bel hop and headed out.

We were at BWV within ten minutes. I checked inside at front desk to see if room was ready and it was not. It was still pretty early, appx 1030 am. Since the room wasnt ready, we hopped on the Boardwalk and went to Epcot! We had already spent a lot of time at Epcot the first three days but we didnt care. We love Epcot and could happily go there everyday.

It was a beautiful day. I had two pretty ladies with me and we were at Boardwalk! I was one happy camper! And of course, Minor had another Glow t shirt, lol. C was copying my white v neck, So I had to mix it up and go with some color for my outfit.

We wasted not time and proceeded to repeat our normal Epcot routine. First up was Soarin.

I wanted to ride Nemo but the girls vetoed my idea and we continued over to TT...shocker.

I was getting a bit of an attitude for them not allowing Nemo and Minor popped me with a solid right cross to the jaw. I got the whole thing on camera!

Even though I was assaulted, I decided not to call Disney security.

We had a lunch ADR in WS that was approaching so we headed that way.

Since I did not snitch on Minor for her brutal attack, the girls allowed me to ride Frozen but said it was mostly to kill time until our ADR. I was excited but you can see the look on their face which said otherwise.

C faked a smile and Minor was seriously on her phone looking at Snapchat. She did not do that for the camera. I was cracking up when the picture came through. I was too busy belting out Let it Go to notice what she was doing, lol.

We stopped in the remodeled church and we all agreed it is much better now instead of the Frozen stuff.

We joked with Minor about the resemblance with this statue.

Next up...ADR time!

 

[Tuvalu]

Yeah, never let Bell Services transfer your luggage if you have your own car.

 

[sheriffwoody]

Good call on not transferring luggage! We have always either driven it with us or the one time we moved from Yacht Club to Boardwalk, we just walked around the boardwalk with it When we go from WL to the Grand, I think we'll get a Lyft instead of trying to get on the monorail with our luggage (can you imagine the security guard's reactions?! They would probably turn us away anyway).

I am really loving this report with C-minor. She seems like a great kid to have along!

 

[wdisney9000]

Yeah, never let Bell Services transfer your luggage if you have your own car.

Good call on not transferring luggage! We have always either driven it with us or the one time we moved from Yacht Club to Boardwalk, we just walked around the boardwalk with it When we go from WL to the Grand, I think we'll get a Lyft instead of trying to get on the monorail with our luggage (can you imagine the security guard's reactions?! They would probably turn us away anyway).

We have had them transfer luggage a few times over the years and the only thing we remember is that it took forever. But the bell hop said it was basically a matter of time until something went wrong so now we will heed your words of advice(and the bell hops).

I am really loving this report with C-minor. She seems like a great kid to have along!

She really is fun. Not spoiled, doesnt complain, always smiling, and very appreciative. We were looking forward to her reaction of the BW because she was very excited about it. Mostly because my brother (her dad) always stays at Pop or my parents stay at AKL and SSR. and on a side note, We are so happy for you and the wonderful blessing of your "one additional passenger, extra small"!!!!

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 4 contd...


We had an ADR to catch and it was another first time experience for C Minor. We were surprised when we asked her if she had ever eaten there and she said no. Where am I talking about? Via Napoli!!

Before we left Norway, C wanted to show Minor the "hidden sword" in the waterfall.

I had never seen it until C showed me a few months ago.

Soon we were at Italy and we were HUNGRY!

C can speak Italian, not 100% fluently but she understands pretty much anything said and can hold a conversation for the most part. Our waiter, Marcello came over to take our drink orders and him and C shared a little back and forth in Italian and Minor was absolutely mesmerized by it. She asked C how she knew Italian and said she wanted to learn too! From this moment on, the two of them were constantly practicing Italian for the rest of our trip. I snapped a pic of the two of them discussing it and sent to my brother because he asked us to let him know if she liked Via Napoli or not.

He immediately responded to tell me that the position Minor was in (hands crossed over knees) is whats he does when she is 100% interested and paying attention. Auntie C for the win!

We ordered the arancini (risotto balls) for an appetizer and C and I got the Moretti Blonde for our beers. Minor is somewhat of a picky eater but willing to try new stuff. She definitely liked the risotto!

The girls continued with their Italian lesson but paused long enough for me to get a picture.

Marcello our waiter returned and checked in on the lesson and offered a bit of help. He was not only a great server but also very fun spirited and had a lot of fun interacting with the girls. He was making sure that Minor was getting the correct accent on her words. She was LOVING it!

Soon our main order arrived. What else to order for a first timer at Via Nap other than pizza!

Minor had mentioned that she is not a fan of thin crust pizza, but we assured her this was not like Dominoes or Pizza Hut. She ordered some spaghetti and meatballs just in case she didnt like the pizza. While she tried her pasta and was not looking, C reminded me that I am number 1.

Minor loved her pasta and she tried a slice of the C's half of the pizza (cheese) and really liked it as well. Via Nap was earning highest marks with her!

We had absolutely no room for dessert after all the beer and pizza. Minor wanted to tell Marcello "thank you and have a nice day" in Italian so C prepped her and they practiced for a few minutes until he came back with the bill. Minor was nervous but in the cutest way possible and then she told him, "grazie buona giornata". Marcello let out a big "prego!" in response. He told Minor how great her accent had improved since we arrived and Minor was blushing. Marcello was absolutely wonderful and made her first experience one that she will never forget. The girls wanted a picture with him and of course he obliged.

On our way out, C made sure to let the manager know how great our experience was thanks to Marcello!

After a great experience and wonderful meal, I got the message that our room was ready so we headed back to BW. The girls were in full blown Italian lessons the whole way there. Shortly after we we there!

Up next... Minors reaction to BWV and of course some pool time!

 

[sheriffwoody]

Can C give me Italian lessons?! Seriously though, I tried to learn before I went last year, and once I got past the basics I was completely lost. I think you can only learn so much from an app before you need someone to explain things in more depth.

Glad you guys had such a good server at Via Napoli! I feel like the service is the thing most people have issue with, so it's good to see that there are some good servers there.

She really is fun. Not spoiled, doesnt complain, always smiling, and very appreciative. We were looking forward to her reaction of the BW because she was very excited about it. Mostly because my brother (her dad) always stays at Pop or my parents stay at AKL and SSR. and on a side note, We are so happy for you and the wonderful blessing of your "one additional passenger, extra small"!!!!

Ahh the best kind of kid! She's lucky to have a cool aunt and uncle too. This trip is probably something she'll treasure forever! And thank you! We're excited, nervous...all the things

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 4 contd...


I forgot to mention that we topped at Ample Hills on our way back. That walk from WS to the BW allowed for room for a snack, lol.

Ample Hills is ALWAYS good!

We had requested to be on the right wing side of the lobby when I booked the room. With DVC, you get a personal CM you can call. Our CM is Russell and he is awesome. Since joining DVC, he and I have spoke many times. He actually lives in Orlando and he and his fiance love WDW so he is always helpful and understand that those little magical touches make a big difference. He put in the request for us and we got it! We have stayed on both sides of the DVC wing and to us, the right is our favorite.

As we entered the lobby, Minor was was in love. She noticed all the castle paintings and the carousel and roller coaster model. She was in sensory overload. We got to our room and let her go in first. She walked in and after passing the foyer, she turned around and said, "this place is sooooo fancy!" C and I were cracking up. Then Minor opened the door to the balcony and saw the pool. She had made a point not to look at pics or videos so she could be surprised. Upon seeing the clown slide she was oddly not terrified and said she couldnt wait to try it.

We put Stacy on the tv and showed C the murphy bed. Of course, she loved it and requested it be her bed.

I had dropped off the luggage tag with the bell hop desk in lobby on our way up. The phone rang and it was the bell service with questions about our luggage, i.e how many pieces, what does it look like, etc. I knew that couldnt be good. I told him the info about how many items was on the ticket I gave them. He said they only had 4 pieces but the ticket said 8. I informed him that the mathematics of that equation meant that they were 4 bags short. He explained how they sometimes split up larger amounts of luggage when they store them. I asked how that could be possibly be an efficient system. He gave some weird explanation which I didnt hear because C had overheard the conversation and was already on her way out the door and told me to let him know she was on the way. I know very well when C is in "beast mode" and she definitely was. I informed the CM that my wife was on the way down and he could deal with her. All that Italian food and lingo had her jazzed up! I joked with the CM about the Queen of Hearts and if he was familiar with the phrase "off with their heads". He started apologizing and I told him to save the energy for dealing with my wife. C does not yell or get angry but she has a style of being passive aggressive with a slight touch of humiliating you that will make you want to curl up into a ball in the corner. Even Minor noticed the change in her demeanor. I hung up the phone and Minor asked if everything was ok. I assured her that auntie C would either find the luggage or she would have Disney buy us all new wardrobes.

Ten minutes passed and C called and said she was on the way with the luggage. As they entered the room, the bell hop (not the one from the phone) and her were chatting and she informed me that he was friends with the bell hop form AKL earlier and they had both been on the crew when BW first opened. I think having a nice conversation with him helped bring C back down to happy mode, lol. We began unpacking while Minor got ready for the pool and watched some Disney chanel

Minor and I headed down to the pool while C finished unpacking and de-contaminated the room with a thorough cleaning.

As we walked down the hallway, I asked Minor how she liked the hotel so far. Before I even finished the sentence, she said, "this is already my favorite hotel of any hotel ive ever stayed in!" She said she loved everything from the room colors and design to the carpet in the hallways and that the hotel smelled "fancy". She know our family saying of #DDTRW (Doing Disney The Right Way) and she said THIS is what DDTRW really means!! Hence the title of this TR. I was all smiles.

So was Minor especially after trying out the pool.

I was happy that Leaping Libations also had Stiltsville!

Soon, C joined us and we had a blast checking out the slide, It was actually pretty fun.

We enjoyed the pool for an hour or so and I had spoken to my sister an they had just got to HS. As we were getting ready to leave, she called me to let me know that HS was shutting down. I said she was crazy and they would never shut the entire park down. This was the day they had the major electrical issues (or whatever it was) and the park actually did shut down. A man siting close to me overheard my conversation and when I hung he asked if it was true. I said yes, and he turned to tell his family. Another person overheard him and soon it was a chain reaction and the entire pool was buzzing about it. I sat back with my beer and watched the chaos I had created, lol. It really wasnt chaos, Im just adding some dramatic flare.

Up next....where to go since HS is shut down?

 

[riverside]

I can really see the family resemblance with you & Minor!!

Great trip report!!

 

[LadyBelle]

Still the creepiest slide at a Disney resort.

Love seeing the TR through Minor’s eyes.

 

[Songbird76]

I will gladly own my new nickname. C and Minor kept it alive and well throughout the trip so I am used to it now.

And our family (like most others is chalk full of drama on any given day. I just never happened in regards to a Disney trip. And please know that I love my sister very much and after day two all was well. But yes, there is more drama coming, lol

I'm late to the party, but loving reading anyway. Is your sister older than you? I find that my brother, being older, is used to getting his way because he is the one my mother considered as the "responsible" one. He is used to calling the shots and doesn't like it when I am independent. Perhaps your sister just isn't used to you being the one doing the planning while she tags along? I love my brother very much, too, but sometimes he treats me like a child. Family dynamics, huh? I'm glad it sounds like you worked it out with your sister, though...it could have been very tense if you hadn't!!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

WOW!!!!!!!!! I'm way late to the party but it sounds like you are having an AMAZING time!!! I wish I had nieces and nephews I could take to WDW but alas, like @PacNWTigger, I'm an only and my one sis-in-law doesn't plan on having kids.

You guys have done so many amazing things on this trip! I'm so glad C-Minor loves it! Her look on Dinosaur is priceless and I'm so glad she enjoys TT. I'm glad she has such a great relationship and is fun to be with! Very cool of you to show her new things to her at Disney like Sci-Fi and Via Napoli. I am sure the trip and especially Via Napoli will be very special memories for her.

LOVE THE FAMILY SAYING DDTRW!!!!!!! That's how we feel when we do it, too! You guys are lucky you live close and and can go often. We're here in CO and we're lucky we get to go as often as we do, but we still feel like it's a cram session, even though we KNOW we'll be back and we absolutely can't do it all!

The boys seem funny! Good for C for taking them ALL on Soarin'! Congrats! Also, way to go into "Beast Mode" and get all the luggage back. It's such a hard skill to be firm but kind (I have trouble with it sometimes

 

[Zipadeelady]

Such a great review on Via Napoli, I'm almost tempted to go back. Nah, I think I'll stick with my Totino's at II Mulino .

 

[fractal]

Awesome updates! Love the Via Napoli story! You and C will make great parents someday.

The on ride photos continue to entertain immensely! That's a heck of a right cross by C minor.

You have DDTRW down pat!

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 4 contd...


After our plans of HS were dashed we went back to the room to clean up and take a vote. C had started some laundry while we were at the pool so Minor would have a fresh and clean batch of her Glow shirts. I folded the clothes as the girls finished off some hand stand contests in the pool.

The original plan was to meet my sister at HS and we would all meet at AK in the morning as well. They (my sisters group) decided to go to MK and call it a night early so they could get enough sleep to be up in time for morning AK. The girls and I decided to stay close to the hotel and go to Epcot...again.

By the time we had showered, got dressed and made it to Epcot, there was about and hour and a half left until closing. We made our way to FW and Minor decided on TT...again. It was slow enough that I got to design my own car again! I went for ridiculous...

and Minor had a more sensible design...

It was us and a group of three girls in the backseat for our ride. They were very nice and the competition between our car vs theirs got intense (in a friendly way).

Their car was victorious in the end but just by a slight margin. Minor was not happy with the results before the speed test and she let her frustration out on me. Once again, I captured it on camera...

Minor was not amused at the final score, lol.

After TT it was close to park closing time so we headed towards International Gateway. Minor was excited to see the Boardwalk at night so we took some time to let her explore and watch the performers who were out.

Minor and I were hungry so we let her choose where to get some food. She said ESPN Zone looked like a place her dad would love so she wanted to go there so she could tell him all about it. We assumed this was part of her plan to convince her dad to start staying a BW, haha. We got a table but placed our orders to go. We still tipped the waiter the proper amount since we took up one of his tables and it was another CM (waiter) that made it a fun first time experience for Minor.

We took our food back to the room and enjoyed some Disney channel with our food.

Minor had some chicken tenders and I got a cheeseburger. Both were good.

After dinner we cleaned up a bit and hit the sack so we could get a good nights rest to be up early for AK.

She loved her set up for bed time.

Up next....AK morning with my nephews and we pulled off a feat that had never been done before at WDW (At least we think).

 

[wdisney9000]

I can really see the family resemblance with you & Minor!!

Great trip report!!

Thanks! My brother and I dont like much alike but Minor has my good looks, haha

Still the creepiest slide at a Disney resort.

Love seeing the TR through Minor’s eyes.

Creepy, but fun. It was a lot of fun to experience everything with Minor.

I'm late to the party, but loving reading anyway. Is your sister older than you? I find that my brother, being older, is used to getting his way because he is the one my mother considered as the "responsible" one. He is used to calling the shots and doesn't like it when I am independent. Perhaps your sister just isn't used to you being the one doing the planning while she tags along? I love my brother very much, too, but sometimes he treats me like a child. Family dynamics, huh? I'm glad it sounds like you worked it out with your sister, though...it could have been very tense if you hadn't!!

Welcome aboard! And ya, she is the oldest and wen we were younger she was the angel tat could do no wrong in my parents eyes. She actually was a good child who never got into trouble. My brother and I on the other hand gave my parents quite the challenge. My mom had to retrieve he and I from Disney security on more than one occasion for goofing around in the parks. The always took us down in the utillidoors at MK to "hold us" until they found my mom. She was furious at the time, but now loves us for allowing her to get to see the utillidoors without having to pay for a tour, lol.

Such a great review on Via Napoli, I'm almost tempted to go back. Nah, I think I'll stick with my Totino's at II Mulino .

You can keep your microwave pizza! Haha, jk. C and I cant wait to go back to II Mulino, we just know Minor would not have enjoyed it as much. She may join us on our Dec trip, so perhaps we will talk her into it.

Awesome updates! Love the Via Napoli story! You and C will make great parents someday.

The on ride photos continue to entertain immensely! That's a heck of a right cross by C minor.

You have DDTRW down pat!

We had a few on ride photos that they pixelated us out when Minor punched or choked me, lol. Ill try and find one if its not deleted. Your Instagram posts from Hershey Park yesterday looked like you guys/gals had a blast!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I'm stealing that hashtag for my trip !

 

[wdisney9000]

I'm stealing that hashtag for my trip !

You may use it, but in return I require a ride photo with you making a call on a resort room phone! hahaha