Trip Report The World at large. And small.

We arrived on Saturday after a ten hour drive.
Check in was pretty smooth, except for having to take top floor adjoining rooms instead of the ground floor that we requested, and they didn't have the crib that we requested. It didn't arrive until 11:30 PM after a couple of calls to the Front Desk.
Dinner at the Coral Reef was excellent and our waitress, Donna, was very good at her job. She deserved the 20% tip.
The next day went off pretty well until we had an issue with the Stroller Cop at The Land.
It seems that if you have a toddler sleeping in the stroller you can have access to the area just inside of the attraction. As soon as the toddler stirs you are directed outside into the 95 degree heat.
We had another stroller issue at The Living Seas when our Babymobile was moved from the area next to the FULL stroller parking lot.
A 45 minute search didn't turn up the missing stroller.
As it turned out I observed that the Stroller Cop from The Land had taken command of the strollers at the Living Seas and ordered that a "new" area be opened up for stroller parking and "overflow" strollers were moved to that area. Thus resulting in dozens of parents searching for strollers that were not even close to where they had been left. After consulting with a CM and giving my opinion of the situation, and returning to the Living Seas to cool off, the stroller magically reappeared in almost the exact location where it was parked in the first place.
The rest of the day was good and, except for the mandatory afternoon Florida shower, went off smoothly.
We lucked out at the Rose and Crown and were seated on the patio for Dinner and had a great view of Illuminations.
We were some of the last to leave Epcot and were picked up by a charter bus that Disney had contracted. It was a lot more comfortable than the Disney busses.

 

[UncleMike101]

Monday was a good day at HS.
We hit most of the rides and attractions that we'd planned on.
FP+ worked as expected.
No glitches.
Normal afternoon monsoon drove us inside of a store but we managed to find a couple of items that the Granddaughter couldn't live without.
Had an ADR for the Brown Derby for the Fantasmic package.
It was our first visit to the Derby and the food, service and atmosphere were great.
I'm amazed at the number of people who thought they could just walk into a Signature restaurant on Disney property, on a Holiday, and get a table for a party of six, or more, people.
A few were mad because they were told that the place was booked full.
(Proof positive that a little research goes a long way toward having a nice vacation.)
The viewing area for the Fantasmic Dining Package people was in the middle of the amphitheater and gave an excellent view of the show.

 

[FlaggNL]

thanks for the share! Seems you have a great time

 

[UncleMike101]

thanks for the share! Seems you have a great time

Yup....
So far, so good.
It's out first trip with a toddler so we're adapting to Her Majesty's schedule.
Watching her is most of the fun.....

 

[mrdrift]

Nice trip report so far, will be watching for more and maybe some pictures !

 

[UncleMike101]

Just got back to the room from the MK.
Another good day.
Sort of....
The FP's went off without a hitch.
However.
We had some people in front of us entering The Little Mermaid ride who were thirty minutes early for their FP time according to their data, and they argued with the CM telling her that they were "Just certain" that they were on time although they had no proof of that.
Since the FP line was backing up, she let them in.
IMO they had pulled this stunt before.
Dinner at BOG was superb!!
We had the Salmon, the lamb, the pork, and the puff pastry shrimp & scallops.
Everyone declared their meal to be perfect.
An incident occurred during the MK fireworks that put a damper on the day.
We had to watch the fireworks from in front of the Main Street Train Station due to a longer than expected dinner which meant that Main street was bumper to bumper humanity when we arrived.
While the fireworks were going off a young blond woman driving a red rental ECV ran into a small boys foot. The boys foot became caught under the rear wheel and the woman driving it backed up and drove into his foot again.
The vehicle couldn't get over the boys foot again so the woman backed up and ran over his foot a third time then sped away. She was looking at the boy as though he was a squirrel in the road. The boy was trying to scream but nothing came out.
He was obviously in shock from the pain and couldn't get a sound out to let his mother know that he was hurt.
He fell to the pavement and I went up to his mother and told her what had happened.
I found a CM and told her to call for medical help since the boy was in severe pain and may have broken bones.
After a Supervisor arrived I told him what I had witnessed. He said that he was calling for EMT's.
I hope the woman driving the ECV can't sleep for the next several months because of her selfish, ignorant actions.

 

[UncleMike101]

Wednesday was a good day at Epcot.
Except for a shutdown of Test Track for "technical issues" five minutes before our FP+'s kicked in.
We just hung around for about twenty minutes and it reopened.
We had lunch at San Angel and it was good.
I recommend the Chicken Enchiladas.
They were too spicy for the Wife but I thought they were pretty mild.
The afternoon Monsoon arrived on schedule.
Frogg Togg ponchos saved the day.
Dinner at Le Cellier went off without a hitch and was great.
I had the Filet and asked to substitute the Fingerling potatoes for the Pea Rissoto since I've never had a liking for little green balls full of mush that tastes like a dirty diaper smells.
The Filet was easily one of the best I've ever had.
My Wife had the Broiled Flounder and said it was perfect.
I really need to ask the Disney people why at the Living Seas they insist on calling Porpoises, Dolphins.
The dictionary says Dolphins are "Large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas (especially around Hawaii) also known as Mahi-Mahi."
My SIL, to whom English is a second language, says it's because the English language is being destroyed by colloquialisms and people simply call something by whatever is easiest to pronounce.
He's likely right.

 

[mrdrift]

Sounds like a great day at Epcot, will be watching for more.

 

[G8rchamps]

[QUOTE="We were some of the last to leave Epcot and were picked up by a charter bus that Disney had contracted. It was a lot more comfortable than the Disney busses. [/QUOTE]

We left Epcot Sunday night and got a Disney Cruise Line Coach back to AS Music. SSSOOO comfortable and the driver put my stroller away for me instead of scoffing at me for having it. Enjoying your report, have a great trip!

 

[UncleMike101]

We dodged the weather bullet today.
The Weather Channel was calling for a 40-60% chance of rain anytime from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
We didn't see a drop of rain all day although the sky looked like it was about to dump on us all afternoon.
The CM's were even closing, and tying down, the outdoor food venues and the Captain on the Jungle Cruise told us that severe lightning was possible.
Like my German Grandma used to say, "Gott ist mit uns."
We had FP+ reservations for lunch at BOG and the procedure was very smooth and efficient.
I had the carved Roast Beef sandwich and although it could have used a little more horseradish sauce it was very good, and very large. My Wife had the carved Ham Sandwich and although the menu said it was on a baguette, it came on toasted whole grain bread, which suited her just fine since she has to steer clear of white bread for health reasons.
I'm still amazed by the people who think they can just walk up to a sit down dining place at WDW and get a table. Some were honked off because they were told that they had to get in line unless they had FP+ reservations.
Also I've seen at least one couple, or group, at every attraction that we've been to, try to get in through the FP+ lane without the FP+. Some are foreign born and I can understand their confusion but many are obviously Americans by their accents and some of their clothing.
The Talladega, and Budweiser T-shirts are a dead giveaway.
Also a Grateful Dead Tattoo pretty much says "American"
Dinner at Tony's was very good.
The Cannelloni were large and had close to a half pound of beef and sausage stuffing.
I could barely finish it, and I'm not a small guy.
We left the MK before the fireworks since our Granddaughter fell asleep during the Main Street Electrical Parade and we were dead dog tired ourselves.
Oh yeah....
The articulated busses are pretty nice.
They are comfy, and since they are new the A/C works great.

 

[FlaggNL]

Yup....
So far, so good.
It's out first trip with a toddler so we're adapting to Her Majesty's schedule.
Watching her is most of the fun.....

Lol I understand! Nothing is better than the smiles and fun of your kids although when you are in a Disneypark the child in you rises to the surface

 

[mrdrift]

You can never trust a weather man or woman. Rain or shine you can never really have a bad day a Disney, right?

 

[UncleMike101]

Today was our last full day in the World.
The start was jerky.
And I mean JERKY.....
Our bus driver from POP to AK was probably the worst bus driver I've ever seen.
She was one of those people who let up on the gas when the transmission shifts and then hits the gas after the shift.
That's fine on a stick shift vehicle but with an automatic transmission all it does is plaster the passengers, who were sitting, into the back of their seat, or onto the lap of the person to their left. Those of us sitting took turns being billiard cushions for the unfortunate people standing during the ordeal to keep them from landing in our laps.
Also she was a "Tap the gas pedal repeatedly" driver, which, with every tap of the pedal, made the bus lurch.
By the time we arrived at AK everyone on the bus was shaking like they'd just had an IV of coffee.
When we got to the Kilimanjaro Safari for our FP+ we found the FP+ line to be REALLY long.
It went out of the Safari area into the street and snaked back and forth a half dozen times before we got into the normal entrance.
A CM told me that some Giraffes had gotten out of their compound area and were on the trail taken by the Safari vehicles so the ride was shut down. By the time they were rounded up and put back where they belonged the FP+ had grown to hundreds of people. The CM's had just one person from each party do the Green Mickey Spin and waved the rest of the party through.
Also today was the first time that I'd gotten the "Blue Mickey Of Death" when my MB failed at the entrance to the AK. The CM had me try another Contact Point and it worked there.
Dinner at Boma was, once again, a great experience. My only let down was that the Sausage and Lentil soup wasn't served.
We ran out of time and didn't get to accomplish all of our goals for this trip.
I broke the news to my Family that we'd just have to return next year to finish our agenda.

 

[UncleMike101]

OK.....
I've had three days to recover.
Time to start thinking about our next trip to the World.
It likely won't be this year, unless I hit the Lottery, so I have ample time to make plans.
Better get started......

 

[KingdomofDreams]

Thanks for sharing! "Blue Mickey of Death" Lol

Sounds like there was some effort being made to keep on top of the bus situation. That's encouraging to hear.

 

[UncleMike101]

Thanks for sharing! "Blue Mickey of Death" Lol

Sounds like there was some effort being made to keep on top of the bus situation. That's encouraging to hear.

The articulated busses to and from the MK were a big help. Being able to take more people meant less frustration at the POP bus stop.

 

[LisaBelle]

Glad you had a great trip and are ready to plan the next one.

 

[Jennifer66]

I really need to ask the Disney people why at the Living Seas they insist on calling Porpoises, Dolphins.
The dictionary says Dolphins are "Large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas (especially around Hawaii) also known as Mahi-Mahi."
My SIL, to whom English is a second language, says it's because the English language is being destroyed by colloquialisms and people simply call something by whatever is easiest to pronounce.
He's likely right.

Great report. Here's a good site on difference between dolphins and porpoises http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/dolphin_porpoise.html
What you've defined is a dolphin fish, not the mammal they talk about at the Living Seas.

 

[DisSplash]

I enjoyed your report! Was this your granddaughter's first trip? I would be interested to hear what she enjoyed the most! Although, I am sure that bus ride was not one of them ... Seriously, I wonder if anyone reported her to Management. I wouldn't want anyone to lose their job, but certainly additional training sounds warranted.