Trip Report The “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket…or Two….or Three” Christmas Experience.**Completed**

So here we are again for another fun filled journey that is sure to include some poor spelling, beer, poor grammar, great food, beer, plenty of animals, a fourth wheel, park visits, beer, and judgement for said poor spelling and grammar. For those ignorant to the primer for this journey you may read all the funivities HERE. The Cliff’s Notes version is we’ve got five nights in the bubble at one of the most beautiful resorts on property and are accompanied by two teens that can watch each other so lets get this ball rolling!!!


Sunday December 17th


So yesterday after a viewing of The Last Jedi we made our way to the half way point, Tifton, for a night’s stay. Not being a complete barbarian, insensitive to his three female traveling companions, I offered to get up this morning at 04:45 to get breakfast for the tres muchachas while they get ready because, you know, ladies be taking forever to get ready in the AM. Hats off to the trio as they were downstairs by 05:30 and we were on our way to the bubble. A very uneventful three and a half hours and we hit the Super Target on 192 to pick up some cold staples before making our way home!
IMG_1168.JPG

IMG_1169.JPG



After dropping our gear off with bell services I needed to head to the front desk to make sure the 4th wheel’s band and charging privileges would work, OH BOY, what an ordeal!!! What should have been simple ended up taking an hour with an overly confident CM, Jeff. At one point he had lost the 5-day hopper pass associated to her band and had to call IT to get it back! He instructed me that he had set 4thWheel’s limit at $400, corrected her band, and that all our bands were ready to use. A bonus of it taking so long was our room became available while we waited and it wasn’t even 11:00!!! During my interaction with Jeff I specifically asked that he verify that all bands would work. I even made mention that “I guarantee at least one of these bands will not open our door”. He thought all the issues he was having with charging and losing the ticket had me worried, I assured him it was experience that had me worried. So, with Jeff’s assurance we made for room 5130! Guess what? 3 of the 4 bands WOULD NOT open our door! So I told the ladies to head inside, call bell services, and I would take care of the bands. I made my way back down to see Jeff who was probably tired of seeing me by now and politely let him know. Jeff said one thing that really bothered me and that was “You have too many magic bands and that is why you can’t get into your room”. He followed that up with “You do know you can decline the bands, you don’t have to get one each time”. He then proceeded to count all the bands I had on my MDE account. I didn’t care for being blamed for Disney’s lack of foresight or design so I asked Jeff if Disney had a rule on the number of bands a guest may have associated with an MDE account to which he answered “no”. So then I pointed out that I was playing by the rules and the number of bands should have no bearing. So another 10 minutes and he assured me the bands where set and then asked where we were headed this evening. I told him HS and he gave us our first golden ticket of the day to ride RnR.
IMG_1207_edit.jpg



So back up I went and thankfully the bands worked! Bell services had arrived and the teens were itching to get to MK so the DW and I said go! That’s when the 4th wheel informed us that her ticket was no longer showing up on her MDE account!!! Back to see Jeff! Another 15 minutes with Jeff and the ticket was back with further reassurances that it would work. This lead to our second golden ticket of the hour! Jeff gave the girls a golden ticket for 7DMT and they made their way to MK but not before being forced into taking one of the only picture we would get of them this trip
IMG_1173.JPG



Still to come: Room 5130, Sanaa, our third Golden Ticket, and I promise a lot fewer issues going forward.
 
I didn't. I've looked at the company's website (Spireside) and it doesn't look like they make them anymore. :(

Long time lurker here.. I couldn't help but creep and let you know. I follow Spireside on instagram (as they have the BEST Disney candles), and they are still an active company. The link from their instagram to their website still appears to work as well. Spireside.com Hope that helps you out some!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
I didn't. I've looked at the company's website (Spireside) and it doesn't look like they make them anymore. :(

I've been wondering about this. We have the Beach Club and Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge from there. I am wondering if they got a cease and desist from using Disney names? So maybe they have the same scents but they've been renamed. I've been meaning to email them and see if that's the case. If not, I'm sad too, because I LOVED their Wilderness Lodge scent.
 

imahistorygeek

Well-Known Member
I've been wondering about this. We have the Beach Club and Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge from there. I am wondering if they got a cease and desist from using Disney names? So maybe they have the same scents but they've been renamed. I've been meaning to email them and see if that's the case. If not, I'm sad too, because I LOVED their Wilderness Lodge scent.
That's a possibility. If I remember, I'll send an email.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sunday December 17th cont.

All cleaned up, we decided to take the bus to HS. We waited all of 5 minutes and our ride arrived. A few bumps and turns later and we had arrived! First order of business was to get a new TiW card. This was my first time visiting GS at HS, took me a minute to find it, all tucked away. Unfortunately it was very busy, we were at least 5-6 guests back. Fortunately, a CM came out and started asking folks in line what they needed and the folks in front of us must have needed some complex stuff because when she reached us she said she could take care of us! She took our gift card and license and went behind the scenes for about 3 minutes before returning. New TiW card in hand it was time to address the second order of business, finding “The” ornament. DW had been window shopping the Disney Shop App leading up to the trip and found an ornament only available at the parks. The ornament in question is a miniature version of this lady:
IMG_1451.JPG



The ornament had a draw string that you would pull to make the arms and legs move. According to the app we should be able to find it in Once Upon a Time but we decided to look in Celebrity 5 & 10 since they usually have a ton or ornaments. We struck out at 5 & 10 and made for OUaT which was also a bust. The CM working there didn’t seem familiar with it at all. Hope was not lost as the app also indicated it was at AK so we would try there tomorrow. On to some fun!
IMG_1209.JPG


IMG_1210.JPG


IMG_1212.JPG


Today would be a red letter day for the DW as she bested me in TSMM. We both had a particularly off game but mine was worse…sigh. I would seek redemption later on in this trip. After some facetime with the new construction we were ready for some grub. Baseline Tap House has been on our radar since they opened and that is where we were gunning for. The place was hopping and lacked seating so we walked towards It’s a Wonderful Shop, since they sell a many ornaments too. No luck there either. Anyway, on the way back to BTP we noticed this
IMG_1213.JPG



Hooray, the fountain is back! We also lucked out at BTP and found a table as we walked back up! We decided to share a flight, the pretzel, and the meat & cheese board. The pretzel dips were fantastic and the meat and cheeses were excellent.
IMG_1226.JPG


IMG_1215.JPG


IMG_1216.JPG


IMG_1217.JPG


Beer_small.jpg


The beers we had were, left to right, with my Untappd notes:
Golden Road Brewing 329 Lager: 3.5/5 For a lager, real good. I’d repeat it. (which I did a few days later ;-))
Golden Road Brewing Hefeweizen: 3.5/5 Another solid middle of the road brew. No banana but clove for sure.
Green Flash Passion Fruit Kicker: 2/5 It comes off as a fruit/sour hybrid and neither are my cup of tea.
Sierra Nevada Sidecar Orange Pale Ale: 2/5 Nothing to write home about.

Overall, an excellent experience and we would be back. While we were enjoying the experience we got a text from the teens that they were ready to meet us for our RnR golden ticket. We finished up and made our way towards the teens for a super stretch.


Up next: RnR fun, cashing in another golden ticket, and a not so dreadful drop.
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sunday December 17th cont.

On the way to seeing the teens for our RnR golden ticket we stopped at 5&10 to cash in our “merchandise” golden ticket. Each Christmas trip we pick up a mickey ear glass ornament and this trip would be no exception. We chose 5&10 so we could also pick up our AP magnets. While looking for the ornament the DW noticed a sale on some Tervis mugs, $9 regularly $18. I was surprised to see Tervis on sale but then I saw why…Jingle Bell Jingle Bam! :bored: Well, we were looking to replace our faux Tervis DVC mugs that have started to leak so this was sort of a win. The CM checking us out was earning his ears this evening and we blew his mind when we presented him with the golden ticket. It turned into a small ordeal but got sorted out. We ended up getting the glass ornament gratis and had to assist the CM in filling out the paper to have the loot sent to our room.
IMG_1227.JPG

IMG_1228.JPG

IMG_1229.JPG



We met up with the teens and on the boulevard and made for RnR.
IMG_1231.JPG


The DD asked me to hold her phone for her because she didn’t want it dropped during the ride so naturally I had fun with that (Those that remember the frozen doll incident knew this was coming)
PhotoPass_Visiting_STUDIO_8144884013.jpeg


As we exited RnR ToT caught my eye and I had to snap this pic:
IMG_1232.JPG


We parted with the teens here and decided to head for ToT to use up a FP. Below you will see a rare picture of the DW not looking like she was going to die on ToT!
IMG_1233.JPG

IMG_1670.JPG


Up next: Closing out HS for the night, a FoP morning, and our quest for “The” ornament.
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Green Flash Passion Fruit Kicker: 2/5 It comes off as a fruit/sour hybrid and neither are my cup of tea.
Green Flash is one of my favorite breweries and Im happy to see Disney offers it. They are mad scientists! Too bad you did not like it, but Im glad you posted since sour and flemmish ales are my favorite. Ill definitely check out BTH. Paging @blgauger , she was there last night and may have gotten turnt up a bit :cool::hungover:
 

Jae99

Well-Known Member
Sunday December 17th cont.

All cleaned up, we decided to take the bus to HS. We waited all of 5 minutes and our ride arrived. A few bumps and turns later and we had arrived! First order of business was to get a new TiW card. This was my first time visiting GS at HS, took me a minute to find it, all tucked away. Unfortunately it was very busy, we were at least 5-6 guests back. Fortunately, a CM came out and started asking folks in line what they needed and the folks in front of us must have needed some complex stuff because when she reached us she said she could take care of us! She took our gift card and license and went behind the scenes for about 3 minutes before returning. New TiW card in hand it was time to address the second order of business, finding “The” ornament. DW had been window shopping the Disney Shop App leading up to the trip and found an ornament only available at the parks. The ornament in question is a miniature version of this lady:
View attachment 254413


The ornament had a draw string that you would pull to make the arms and legs move. According to the app we should be able to find it in Once Upon a Time but we decided to look in Celebrity 5 & 10 since they usually have a ton or ornaments. We struck out at 5 & 10 and made for OUaT which was also a bust. The CM working there didn’t seem familiar with it at all. Hope was not lost as the app also indicated it was at AK so we would try there tomorrow. On to some fun!
View attachment 254404

View attachment 254405

View attachment 254407

Today would be a red letter day for the DW as she bested me in TSMM. We both had a particularly off game but mine was worse…sigh. I would seek redemption later on in this trip. After some facetime with the new construction we were ready for some grub. Baseline Tap House has been on our radar since they opened and that is where we were gunning for. The place was hopping and lacked seating so we walked towards It’s a Wonderful Shop, since they sell a many ornaments too. No luck there either. Anyway, on the way back to BTP we noticed this
View attachment 254408


Hooray, the fountain is back! We also lucked out at BTP and found a table as we walked back up! We decided to share a flight, the pretzel, and the meat & cheese board. The pretzel dips were fantastic and the meat and cheeses were excellent.
View attachment 254412

View attachment 254409

View attachment 254410

View attachment 254411

View attachment 254402

The beers we had were, left to right, with my Untappd notes:
Golden Road Brewing 329 Lager: 3.5/5 For a lager, real good. I’d repeat it. (which I did a few days later ;-))
Golden Road Brewing Hefeweizen: 3.5/5 Another solid middle of the road brew. No banana but clove for sure.
Green Flash Passion Fruit Kicker: 2/5 It comes off as a fruit/sour hybrid and neither are my cup of tea.
Sierra Nevada Sidecar Orange Pale Ale: 2/5 Nothing to write home about.

Overall, an excellent experience and we would be back. While we were enjoying the experience we got a text from the teens that they were ready to meet us for our RnR golden ticket. We finished up and made our way towards the teens for a super stretch.


Up next: RnR fun, cashing in another golden ticket, and a not so dreadful drop.
Baseline is a great little addition to HS. I think the pretzel is one of the best on Disney property.
 

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

Back
Top Bottom