Trip Report The We Canceled Everything, It's Over Trip Report!

I've been a member of this forum for about a year now but prefer to read from afar rather than being vocal on here. I've probably literally read every trip report (i'm a pro at procrastination). ] After reading so many great trip reports I thought I'd give it a go!

Originally this trip was supposed to happen from January 3rd - January 12th, but due to unforeseen snow storms and illnesses among family members we canceled everything eight hours before our flight was set to leave. Needless to say we were heartbroken and quickly rescheduled everything for January 6th! After losing all of our dinner reservations we kicked it into high gear and began picking up the pieces. So here is the story of our last minute vacation!

WHEN - January 6th - January 12th

WHERE - Disney's Wilderness Lodge (our first time, we usually stay at the Polynesian)

WHO -
Me (Anastasia) - lover of all things Disney, especially Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast
Brother (Artie) - a go with the flow vacation goer
Dad - sick for half of the trip, has an obsession with the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion Ride
Mom - the organizer/vacation planner, from maps to color coated charts she is the ultimate vacation planner

my family - the cast of this trip


Our trip began at 5:30am as we said goodbye to our furry friend and headed to the AC airport for our 7:30am flight!

airport breakfast


ready to fly!


As always security and the flight was no hassle! Before I knew it I was seeing palm trees! We decided not to take the Magical Express and took a car service instead. After DECADES of traveling (well maybe only 30 minutes) we finally arrived "home". I love how they say "welcome home" it's such a great feeling!

 

[party like it's 99]

Day 7 - continued

The first fast pass plus for the day was for talking mickey! I was looking forward for this the entire trip! I don't know how I had gone nearly seven days without seeing the big cheese! Before I knew it, it was nearly our turn!







I must say, it was a little awkward. Maybe because I grew up with fur characters not talking, but it was a little freaky (for lack of a better word). I'd definitely give it another go though.



We then made our way over towards Pirates of the Caribbean for our last go around. After this is when the real drama started. You see, on the last day of every trip some drama always goes down. I don't know if it's because we're all over tired, we're all upset to go home, I'm not quite sure. But since we had an early dinner reservation we thought it would be a good opportunity to use up our counter service credits and grab some lunch. We thought it would be good idea to go to the burger place next to the taco place (do you know what I'm talking about?). Well we walk in there and my dad says "I'm not eating, there's nothing for me to eat here." Mind you, he ate a muffin and ice cream sandwich the night before, so this random spurt of healthy living was very strange. So we asked him where he would like to go, and he didn't give an answer...lovely. I suggested Be Our Guest because he liked it there. We start walking there and decide we don't want to wait in line. My dad then says "I don't care where we're going, I'm not eating". LIES! If this was true, we would have already been eating at the other place. We then decide to go to Cosmic Rays (ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE PARK!) and eat. It was a very tense moment on our family vacation.

Next we owed my dad a ride on the train. Let me just say, I hate the train. I wish I could appreciate the history of trains, but I don't. On our whole lunch ordeal my dad also got mad because we were supposed to pick up the train near Splash Mountain and ride it all the way around. But lest you worry, we caught it in toontown after lunch and went 75% around the park.

When we were done, we headed to our next fast pass plus for Big Thunder Mountain. We then made our way towards Fantasy Land where my brother and mom abandoned me and left me and my dad to ride on It's a Small World. While in line, I called my brother to beg him to wait in a certain special line for me. After an hour we emerged and met up with my mom and brother for my last must hit adventure.





I asked this lovely man to take a selfie with me (which I'll be sure to post separately, because it's on my ipod)


We decided we had just enough time to go on one more ride before dinner. We headed over to ride Buzz. The ride broke down for a couple of minutes which allowed Artie and my dad to reach a lifelong goal of theirs...


While me and my mom took selfies in the dark!


Up Next - Traditions Continue!

 

[party like it's 99]

But first my Peter Pan continuation! Let me just say I could've watched this guy all day. He was meant to play Peter Pan! Just the way he interacted with children was so wonderful and beautiful to watch!

 

[party like it's 99]

Last Day - continued

Every trip since I was five years old, we have been going to The Crystal Palace for our last Disney meal and this trip was no exception. Once we got off our last ride on buzz lightyear we were off to our destination. We were seated in no time and were actually seated right next to the table we ate at a few days earlier. As always the food was delicious and it's always good to end the trip with a character meal.










The only issue we had was the waiter picked up my moms unwrapped straw and put it in her new drink. If you knew my mom you'd know how big of a deal this is! He was super nice other than that, a little slow, but nice overall.





When we said goodbye to The Crystal Palace my brother and dad wanted a last ride on Pirates of the Caribbean while I wanted to experience The Laugh Floor for the first time! My brother saw this show before but I was sick during that lovely experience, so off we went! The show was so fun! I wasn't expecting it to be so entertaining and I love how it's set up to be different each time.





Before we left we headed over to the ice cream shop on Mainstreet to use up some snack credits while my mom went to the candy shop to do the same. Before long it was time to say goodbye to arguably the best place ever.



Up next, a mad dash

 

[party like it's 99]

Ps here's my latest Instagram transformation Tuesday

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Ps here's my latest Instagram transformation Tuesday

Ahh you're the same sweet child!

 

[party like it's 99]

After taking the bus back to The Wilderness Lodge I realized I never truly explored the inside of the Lodge! What was I thinking?! With our car service set to pick us up in roughly ten minutes I began my exploration!





I love this little guy!


going up!


Mooses are hands down my favorite animal and this fireplace stole my little ole heart


On the balcony facing the pool






This place is so beautiful. The attention to detail is something I can't even fathom, from the carvings to the light fixtures to everything in between. My only regret is not allowing myself more time to explore and appreciate it.

And I love these bison!



Before I knew it it was time to leave. It's been almost two months and I'm more than ready to go back right now.



Just a few final thoughts:

Magic Bands/My Disney Experience - No. Just no. I understand they are still working out the bugs but it is just too much of a hassle. My mom and I are the only ones who have wifi accessible devices, making us the people in charge of everything that has to do with the my disney experience app. Let me just say, this app does not work! There were multiple times where my fast pass selections would not show up on the app until three tries of closing in and out and clicking on it. I also think it's ridiculous that you can only choose three when, if timed correctly, you can get multiple ones with the paper kind. I also think it's ridiculous that you can't park hop with them. It just doesn't make sense. I also noticed the number of people glued to their wifi device has gone up dramatically. I found myself constantly on it trying to move fast passes around instead of focusing on family time. Overall I am not happy with this change, it's more of a hassle then a benefit.

The Wilderness Lodge - Although it was difficult not to compare it to the Polynesian it definitely surpassed my expectations. Everyone there was wonderful and the scenery was breathtaking. If I ever stayed there again I would want to take time and explore a little more. My favorite parts were the hot tub and the smore's cupcakes! yum!

Crowds - The crowd level's were very low, except the first day. However, the amount of tour groups were too excessive. They're just rude. There's nothing else to say.

Overall the trip was good and as I said I can't wait to go back! My one friend who works at Disney began practicing dance for the new Festival of Fantasy parade, so that along with the new mine train roller coaster are reason enough to return! Writing this trip report was also quite the experience. I loved reliving the memories and reflecting upon the trip. Thanks for following along, until next time I'll just live through everyone else's reports! TTFN - ta ta for now!

 

[officialtom]

That Peter Pan fella is just perfect!

Thanks for the report!!

 

[3Caballeros]

After taking the bus back to The Wilderness Lodge I realized I never truly explored the inside of the Lodge! What was I thinking?! With our car service set to pick us up in roughly ten minutes I began my exploration!





I love this little guy!


going up!


Mooses are hands down my favorite animal and this fireplace stole my little ole heart


On the balcony facing the pool






This place is so beautiful. The attention to detail is something I can't even fathom, from the carvings to the light fixtures to everything in between. My only regret is not allowing myself more time to explore and appreciate it.

And I love these bison!



Before I knew it it was time to leave. It's been almost two months and I'm more than ready to go back right now.



Just a few final thoughts:

Magic Bands/My Disney Experience - No. Just no. I understand they are still working out the bugs but it is just too much of a hassle. My mom and I are the only ones who have wifi accessible devices, making us the people in charge of everything that has to do with the my disney experience app. Let me just say, this app does not work! There were multiple times where my fast pass selections would not show up on the app until three tries of closing in and out and clicking on it. I also think it's ridiculous that you can only choose three when, if timed correctly, you can get multiple ones with the paper kind. I also think it's ridiculous that you can't park hop with them. It just doesn't make sense. I also noticed the number of people glued to their wifi device has gone up dramatically. I found myself constantly on it trying to move fast passes around instead of focusing on family time. Overall I am not happy with this change, it's more of a hassle then a benefit.

The Wilderness Lodge - Although it was difficult not to compare it to the Polynesian it definitely surpassed my expectations. Everyone there was wonderful and the scenery was breathtaking. If I ever stayed there again I would want to take time and explore a little more. My favorite parts were the hot tub and the smore's cupcakes! yum!

Crowds - The crowd level's were very low, except the first day. However, the amount of tour groups were too excessive. They're just rude. There's nothing else to say.

Overall the trip was good and as I said I can't wait to go back! My one friend who works at Disney began practicing dance for the new Festival of Fantasy parade, so that along with the new mine train roller coaster are reason enough to return! Writing this trip report was also quite the experience. I loved reliving the memories and reflecting upon the trip. Thanks for following along, until next time I'll just live through everyone else's reports! TTFN - ta ta for now!

Thank you for a fabulous trip report!!!

 

[lbrad]

GREAT TR!!!
Looks like a lot of fun

 

[popcenturylover]

Great report!!! Looks as though you & your family had lots of fun!!!

 

[Lyear]

I enjoyed reading your report. Glad you were able to have such a great time with such a quick turnaround on your planning beforehand. I can definitely relate to your quest to see as much of your resort as possible in the final 10 minutes.

 

[party like it's 99]

That Peter Pan fella is just perfect!

Thanks for the report!!

I know he's always so fun and unpredictable! Thanks for reading along

 

[party like it's 99]

Thank you for a fabulous trip report!!!

Thank you for following along to the end

 

[party like it's 99]

GREAT TR!!!
Looks like a lot of fun

Thanks it was a blast, but then again, are there any other kinds of Disney vacations?

 

[party like it's 99]

Great report!!! Looks as though you & your family had lots of fun!!!

We really did, thank you for following along in the fun

 

[party like it's 99]

I enjoyed reading your report. Glad you were able to have such a great time with such a quick turnaround on your planning beforehand. I can definitely relate to your quest to see as much of your resort as possible in the final 10 minutes.

Trust me, even I was impressed with my moms ability to make this vacation fabulous! I really need to learn to set time aside and explore, but I always get caught up in the fun of the parks. Thanks for reading along till the end

 

[bow0303]

I honestly did not think I would like this at all, I hate bananas and am not a fan of bread pudding my OH MY! I don't know what sort of drugs they put in here but I couldn't get enough of it!


We LOVE O'hana. Its a must ADR for us each time we visit. I too never cared for bread pudding but have to have it from there.

Enjoying your report also.

 

[party like it's 99]

I honestly did not think I would like this at all, I hate bananas and am not a fan of bread pudding my OH MY! I don't know what sort of drugs they put in here but I couldn't get enough of it!


We LOVE O'hana. Its a must ADR for us each time we visit. I too never cared for bread pudding but have to have it from there.

Enjoying your report also.

We are without a doubt going back to ohana in the future, and same, something about this bread pudding is just divine. We tried explaining it to my dad, since he couldn't have any, and he just didn't get it (giving us another excuse to go back so he can try it). Thanks for reading along.

 

[tlev]

Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed your report!

 

[party like it's 99]

Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed your report!

Thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed