working out for Disney

[Songbird76]

Good morning-

Checking in with a kettlebell w/o in the gym. It was very empty down there this AM. My husband felt awful when he woke up yesterday. He ended up finding a CPAP store, took an Uber and a new mask yesterday, so we both got much better sleep last night.

Glad you got some sleep. Where are you staying?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Good afternoon,

I didn't hit the gym on Tuesday. Exhaustion hit me and I gave in. I did at least walk yesterday as planned. I forgot water and it was still around 93 degrees at 6pm, so I didn't want to overdo it. Still, I put in a little over 3 miles...about the equivalent of a 5k. Today, we're all planning on hitting the gym, but I already put in a mini arm workout and stretching at home. Three sets of tricep presses, standing rows, and shoulder presses with some lower body stretching. No idea what we're doing tomorrow since we have softball all weekend and we have three hours of field work since we're also hosting our event and we didn't want to buy out of the fundraising. Raking, chalking and watering in the heat will probably need lots of energy.

 

[Songbird76]

Good afternoon,

I didn't hit the gym on Tuesday. Exhaustion hit me and I gave in. I did at least walk yesterday as planned. I forgot water and it was still around 93 degrees at 6pm, so I didn't want to overdo it. Still, I put in a little over 3 miles...about the equivalent of a 5k. Today, we're all planning on hitting the gym, but I already put in a mini arm workout and stretching at home. Three sets of tricep presses, standing rows, and shoulder presses with some lower body stretching. No idea what we're doing tomorrow since we have softball all weekend and we have three hours of field work since we're also hosting our event and we didn't want to buy out of the fundraising. Raking, chalking and watering in the heat will probably need lots of energy.

Yikes, that kind of heat is so unbearable!!! I forgot my water yesterday, too, but I just went to a grocery store in the neighborhood I was in and bought a bottle. I prefer to bring my own, because I put a little water in and freeze it, then when I'm going out, I fill it with water and it stays cold. I can't stand water if it's not cold. But for one day, it was more important to hydrate than have it be ice cold...it was at least refrigerated.

Good luck with the weekend events!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yikes, that kind of heat is so unbearable!!! I forgot my water yesterday, too, but I just went to a grocery store in the neighborhood I was in and bought a bottle. I prefer to bring my own, because I put a little water in and freeze it, then when I'm going out, I fill it with water and it stays cold. I can't stand water if it's not cold. But for one day, it was more important to hydrate than have it be ice cold...it was at least refrigerated.

Good luck with the weekend events!

We're kind of like Florida. It's some time before we cool off and even our cooling off is warm by northern standards. We've been upper 90s for highs pretty much all week. If we're lucky, we'll get some upper 80s to low 90s next week. My husband is like that with water too. Thankfully, I'm good with room temp or cool water. It gives me an advantage during travel, since I will gladly drink water straight from a non-cooled case, while he only will do it if he's really thirsty.

Thanks! While I'm not looking forward to field work, we'll have a coordinator and we'll be at the field Sam is playing on for her last two games of the day. Excited to see these kids play

 

[Sans Souci]

I'm sorry it was such a miserable experience. This has me nervous. I have a friend flying AA to Jamaica in December. She hasn't done a lot of travel, and normally flies Spirit because of prices. Her TA was only looking at United, Delta and SW because of her personal experiences, but the pricing was through the roof and my friend was scared about everything she's heard concerning SWs seating/boarding. I found her a fare sale with AA and saved her somewhere between $1100-1200. So, I'm hoping we don't regret having her spend more.

Honestly, I've been flown on AA more than any other airline in my life and since moved here, I have had so many issues. I think it's base-dependent, really. I think your friend will be ok. I honestly think they are short-handed here. I have been getting so many emails from them about FA opportunities.

Before your friend goes, find out where the AA CS desk is, so she can get there quickly if there is an issue. The gate agent never used the PA system to inform us what was going on, so the people closest to her could hear her shouting. They moved quickly to the CS desk, which is tucked into a tiny corner of one of the concourses. Also, tell her to stay near the gate agent desk, JIC. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, but some of the most miserable people I have encountered in my life have been at this airport--employees and pax. The city's reputation for being unfriendly is well-deserved. It will be likely be OK for her, since she's not traveling out of PHL.

I think your friend will be fine. My situation was a confluence of apathetic employees, bad luck and poor communication.

 

[Sans Souci]

Glad you got some sleep. Where are you staying?

We stayed at the Swan Reserve. It was a really good stay.

 

[Sans Souci]

We're kind of like Florida. It's some time before we cool off and even our cooling off is warm by northern standards. We've been upper 90s for highs pretty much all week. If we're lucky, we'll get some upper 80s to low 90s next week. My husband is like that with water too. Thankfully, I'm good with room temp or cool water. It gives me an advantage during travel, since I will gladly drink water straight from a non-cooled case, while he only will do it if he's really thirsty.

Thanks! While I'm not looking forward to field work, we'll have a coordinator and we'll be at the field Sam is playing on for her last two games of the day. Excited to see these kids play

I am OK with room temp water, too. Ice cold water gives me a painful brain freeze and hurts my teeth. I won't touch warm water, unless it's an act of desperation.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

So, I stopped working out on my vacation. I listened to my body and it seemed like it wanted to sleep in. Plus, I was sleeping more soundly than I do at home. But I came home Sat. night and got back into the saddle yesterday. Yesterday I did a kettlebell workout and today was a dumbbell workout.

I have mixed feelings about my WDW trip. My hotel was great. The CMs in the parks were great. We ate breakfast at Trattoria al Forno 4x because we enjoyed the food and the service. I know I didn't ride as many attractions on this trip as I have on previous trips. I guess that is my fault because I didn't pay for Genie+? I am not waiting 80+ min for certain rides. I am also not getting up at 7 on my vacation to book rides. My husband gets up at 5:30 AM when he works in Manhattan. We'd prefer to do the parks on our terms, since you know, we're actually paying for this holiday. JMO, but I thought MNSSHP was oversold. My husband ate a burger at Cosmic Ray's and all the chairs outside had mildew on them. (I took a photo.) I found it incredibly exhausting to avoid not walking into people not paying attention to their surroundings. We had a small altercation in Epcot. I was walking clockwise around the world showcase and this woman steps right into front of me to look at menu at Japan. She walked perpendicularly in front of me. Her boyfriend was behind her, but I didn't see him until it was too late and I almost walked into him. Anyway, I tripped trying not to walk into him. My husband was walking behind me because it was so crowded. Anyway, he must have thought I was alone, because he called me a "dumb b." Well, my husband saw it all and called him a "short, little bully." So, that was the end of Epcot for me that day. We went back to the SR, went to the pool and got some drinks. I don't know. It wasn't a totally bad vacation, but I felt it was awfully costly for what it was. I am honestly not trying to be negative. I had been looking forward to this trip, since we went to Food and Wine last year and had an absolute blast. My husband was talking about booking a room for a quick getaway in Feb., but I am not sure. It's kind of poignant for me, because I have been going to WDW since I was five and I have such fantastic memories attached to this place.

Here are some random photos.

 

[MinnieM123]

Hello-

So, I stopped working out on my vacation. I listened to my body and it seemed like it wanted to sleep in. Plus, I was sleeping more soundly than I do at home. But I came home Sat. night and got back into the saddle yesterday. Yesterday I did a kettlebell workout and today was a dumbbell workout.

I have mixed feelings about my WDW trip. My hotel was great. The CMs in the parks were great. We ate breakfast at Trattoria al Forno 4x because we enjoyed the food and the service. I know I didn't ride as many attractions on this trip as I have on previous trips. I guess that is my fault because I didn't pay for Genie+? I am not waiting 80+ min for certain rides. I am also not getting up at 7 on my vacation to book rides. My husband gets up at 5:30 AM when he works in Manhattan. We'd prefer to do the parks on our terms, since you know, we're actually paying for this holiday. JMO, but I thought MNSSHP was oversold. My husband ate a burger at Cosmic Ray's and all the chairs outside had mildew on them. (I took a photo.) I found it incredibly exhausting to avoid not walking into people not paying attention to their surroundings. We had a small altercation in Epcot. I was walking clockwise around the world showcase and this woman steps right into front of me to look at menu at Japan. She walked perpendicularly in front of me. Her boyfriend was behind her, but I didn't see him until it was too late and I almost walked into him. Anyway, I tripped trying not to walk into him. My husband was walking behind me because it was so crowded. Anyway, he must have thought I was alone, because he called me a "dumb b." Well, my husband saw it all and called him a "short, little bully." So, that was the end of Epcot for me that day. We went back to the SR, went to the pool and got some drinks. I don't know. It wasn't a totally bad vacation, but I felt it was awfully costly for what it was. I am honestly not trying to be negative. I had been looking forward to this trip, since we went to Food and Wine last year and had an absolute blast. My husband was talking about booking a room for a quick getaway in Feb., but I am not sure. It's kind of poignant for me, because I have been going to WDW since I was five and I have such fantastic memories attached to this place.

Here are some random photos.

Those are nice photos. Did you think their pool was large enough for the size of the property? (I've stayed at both Swan and Dolphin before, but haven't been back since the Swan Reserve was built.)

I hear what you're saying about you just want to relax in the parks, and not have to worry about scheduling too much, or to run out the door early in the morning to get on a popular ride, etc. The crowds sounded difficult to deal with, and that can sometimes put a damper on things. Overall, most people are nice; but with the heat and crowds, I can see how patience wanes with some of the park guests. Hopefully, you still did have some good experiences.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Hello-

So, I stopped working out on my vacation. I listened to my body and it seemed like it wanted to sleep in. Plus, I was sleeping more soundly than I do at home. But I came home Sat. night and got back into the saddle yesterday. Yesterday I did a kettlebell workout and today was a dumbbell workout.

I have mixed feelings about my WDW trip. My hotel was great. The CMs in the parks were great. We ate breakfast at Trattoria al Forno 4x because we enjoyed the food and the service. I know I didn't ride as many attractions on this trip as I have on previous trips. I guess that is my fault because I didn't pay for Genie+? I am not waiting 80+ min for certain rides. I am also not getting up at 7 on my vacation to book rides. My husband gets up at 5:30 AM when he works in Manhattan. We'd prefer to do the parks on our terms, since you know, we're actually paying for this holiday. JMO, but I thought MNSSHP was oversold. My husband ate a burger at Cosmic Ray's and all the chairs outside had mildew on them. (I took a photo.) I found it incredibly exhausting to avoid not walking into people not paying attention to their surroundings. We had a small altercation in Epcot. I was walking clockwise around the world showcase and this woman steps right into front of me to look at menu at Japan. She walked perpendicularly in front of me. Her boyfriend was behind her, but I didn't see him until it was too late and I almost walked into him. Anyway, I tripped trying not to walk into him. My husband was walking behind me because it was so crowded. Anyway, he must have thought I was alone, because he called me a "dumb b." Well, my husband saw it all and called him a "short, little bully." So, that was the end of Epcot for me that day. We went back to the SR, went to the pool and got some drinks. I don't know. It wasn't a totally bad vacation, but I felt it was awfully costly for what it was. I am honestly not trying to be negative. I had been looking forward to this trip, since we went to Food and Wine last year and had an absolute blast. My husband was talking about booking a room for a quick getaway in Feb., but I am not sure. It's kind of poignant for me, because I have been going to WDW since I was five and I have such fantastic memories attached to this place.

Here are some random photos.

That's interesting because I was there right before you were and I rode a ton. Granted, I was there more than two weeks and my brother does have DAS, but I feel like I still could have done a ton even without it, and that was with not going into the parks until late several days (I worked while I was down there).

I paid for one LL (Guardians). My brother's absolute favorite movies are the Guardians movies, so obviously, he's completely fixated on that ride with it being newly opened. We got spoiled one night because we walked in after 5 for dinner and the boarding groups were still open, so I grabbed them quickly. Well, another day that didn't happen when we were coming in earlier, and I could tell he was already struggling, so I bought the individual LL for us so that he would have a better day.

Cosmic Ray's is so disappointing because the food there has gone downhill. It used to be someplace we'd go for dinner in place of an ADR. MK definitely now has the worst food. DHS has better TS options, and with Galaxy's Edge and You Story Land, there's better QS options now too. AK has always had really good QS options. And of course there's Epcot. I don't think we ate at any of MK's QS places this trip outside of snacks; we ate all TS or we ate before we got there.

One thing I will tell you for the next time you go is that the posted wait times generally aren't accurate, so if something says 45 minutes or less, my rule of thumb is to just go ahead and try it. We got on TSM when it was posted at 30 minutes and it was actually a walk on. With Fantasmic returning, this will probably change, but DHS tends to be crowded until park hopping kicks in, and then it clears out. Smuggler's Run is a great example of this; it'll be crowded all day and then for the last 3 hours of the operating day, it goes down, and then in the evening it's a walk on. Also, apparently MK is super empty during the day on MNSSHP days.

I'm sorry to hear about that altercation. I had mixed experiences with people too. The people staying at my resort (BC) were for the most part absolutely lovely. In the parks...hit or miss.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Hello-

So, I stopped working out on my vacation. I listened to my body and it seemed like it wanted to sleep in. Plus, I was sleeping more soundly than I do at home. But I came home Sat. night and got back into the saddle yesterday. Yesterday I did a kettlebell workout and today was a dumbbell workout.

I have mixed feelings about my WDW trip. My hotel was great. The CMs in the parks were great. We ate breakfast at Trattoria al Forno 4x because we enjoyed the food and the service. I know I didn't ride as many attractions on this trip as I have on previous trips. I guess that is my fault because I didn't pay for Genie+? I am not waiting 80+ min for certain rides. I am also not getting up at 7 on my vacation to book rides. My husband gets up at 5:30 AM when he works in Manhattan. We'd prefer to do the parks on our terms, since you know, we're actually paying for this holiday. JMO, but I thought MNSSHP was oversold. My husband ate a burger at Cosmic Ray's and all the chairs outside had mildew on them. (I took a photo.) I found it incredibly exhausting to avoid not walking into people not paying attention to their surroundings. We had a small altercation in Epcot. I was walking clockwise around the world showcase and this woman steps right into front of me to look at menu at Japan. She walked perpendicularly in front of me. Her boyfriend was behind her, but I didn't see him until it was too late and I almost walked into him. Anyway, I tripped trying not to walk into him. My husband was walking behind me because it was so crowded. Anyway, he must have thought I was alone, because he called me a "dumb b." Well, my husband saw it all and called him a "short, little bully." So, that was the end of Epcot for me that day. We went back to the SR, went to the pool and got some drinks. I don't know. It wasn't a totally bad vacation, but I felt it was awfully costly for what it was. I am honestly not trying to be negative. I had been looking forward to this trip, since we went to Food and Wine last year and had an absolute blast. My husband was talking about booking a room for a quick getaway in Feb., but I am not sure. It's kind of poignant for me, because I have been going to WDW since I was five and I have such fantastic memories attached to this place.

Here are some random photos.

Trattoria's breakfast is a hidden gem, it is my favorite breakfast on property. I don't know if you got the breakfast potatoes or the french press coffee there but those two things are my favorites. Sorry you had that experience at Epcot, people can be jerks. The Swan Reserve looks nice, was it a hassle for transportation to the parks at all or walking to Epcot or the Studios?

 

[Songbird76]

Hello-

So, I stopped working out on my vacation. I listened to my body and it seemed like it wanted to sleep in. Plus, I was sleeping more soundly than I do at home. But I came home Sat. night and got back into the saddle yesterday. Yesterday I did a kettlebell workout and today was a dumbbell workout.

I have mixed feelings about my WDW trip. My hotel was great. The CMs in the parks were great. We ate breakfast at Trattoria al Forno 4x because we enjoyed the food and the service. I know I didn't ride as many attractions on this trip as I have on previous trips. I guess that is my fault because I didn't pay for Genie+? I am not waiting 80+ min for certain rides. I am also not getting up at 7 on my vacation to book rides. My husband gets up at 5:30 AM when he works in Manhattan. We'd prefer to do the parks on our terms, since you know, we're actually paying for this holiday. JMO, but I thought MNSSHP was oversold. My husband ate a burger at Cosmic Ray's and all the chairs outside had mildew on them. (I took a photo.) I found it incredibly exhausting to avoid not walking into people not paying attention to their surroundings. We had a small altercation in Epcot. I was walking clockwise around the world showcase and this woman steps right into front of me to look at menu at Japan. She walked perpendicularly in front of me. Her boyfriend was behind her, but I didn't see him until it was too late and I almost walked into him. Anyway, I tripped trying not to walk into him. My husband was walking behind me because it was so crowded. Anyway, he must have thought I was alone, because he called me a "dumb b." Well, my husband saw it all and called him a "short, little bully." So, that was the end of Epcot for me that day. We went back to the SR, went to the pool and got some drinks. I don't know. It wasn't a totally bad vacation, but I felt it was awfully costly for what it was. I am honestly not trying to be negative. I had been looking forward to this trip, since we went to Food and Wine last year and had an absolute blast. My husband was talking about booking a room for a quick getaway in Feb., but I am not sure. It's kind of poignant for me, because I have been going to WDW since I was five and I have such fantastic memories attached to this place.

Here are some random photos.

Ugh, that's a real pet peeve of mine...people who just step right in front of you and then get angry that you had the audacity to be in their way. I feel like it happens to women a lot more frequently...people just thinking they are more important than some woman walking there. It happens to my daughter a LOT! We have this running joke (not so funny) that she must be invisible again. And I think the crowds in Disney seem to bring out the worst in people....it's hot, it's crowded, people have been standing in lines and they've paid so much for their vacations. They forget that everyone else is in the same boat and they feel entitled to a better experience than everyone else. So it's like "I don't care if you were here first. I paid a lot for this vacation and you can just wait until I've got MY <insert whatever item here>"

I've also heard that from other people that the parties are oversold. There was someone before the pandemic even who had paid for the Halloween party and it was soooo packed that they didn't really get to do anything. It's weird because Disney Food Blog is always saying how the parties are such a good way to get on rides because there aren't as many people in the parks, but from the people who go to them, it doesn't sound like that's true. And I know someone went to a party last year and said that most of the food stations for ice cream or popcorn or something weren't even set up until halfway through the party, and when they DID get them set up, the lines were so long and they ran out of whatever food item it was almost immediately. So you paid this huge price for unlimited snacks and drinks or whatever, but didn't get any of it because they were out. I'm hoping that's just because of "revenge travel" and that next year it will settle a bit more.

 

[Songbird76]

That's interesting because I was there right before you were and I rode a ton. Granted, I was there more than two weeks and my brother does have DAS, but I feel like I still could have done a ton even without it, and that was with not going into the parks until late several days (I worked while I was down there).

I paid for one LL (Guardians). My brother's absolute favorite movies are the Guardians movies, so obviously, he's completely fixated on that ride with it being newly opened. We got spoiled one night because we walked in after 5 for dinner and the boarding groups were still open, so I grabbed them quickly. Well, another day that didn't happen when we were coming in earlier, and I could tell he was already struggling, so I bought the individual LL for us so that he would have a better day.

Cosmic Ray's is so disappointing because the food there has gone downhill. It used to be someplace we'd go for dinner in place of an ADR. MK definitely now has the worst food. DHS has better TS options, and with Galaxy's Edge and You Story Land, there's better QS options now too. AK has always had really good QS options. And of course there's Epcot. I don't think we ate at any of MK's QS places this trip outside of snacks; we ate all TS or we ate before we got there.

One thing I will tell you for the next time you go is that the posted wait times generally aren't accurate, so if something says 45 minutes or less, my rule of thumb is to just go ahead and try it. We got on TSM when it was posted at 30 minutes and it was actually a walk on. With Fantasmic returning, this will probably change, but DHS tends to be crowded until park hopping kicks in, and then it clears out. Smuggler's Run is a great example of this; it'll be crowded all day and then for the last 3 hours of the operating day, it goes down, and then in the evening it's a walk on. Also, apparently MK is super empty during the day on MNSSHP days.

I'm sorry to hear about that altercation. I had mixed experiences with people too. The people staying at my resort (BC) were for the most part absolutely lovely. In the parks...hit or miss.

Does DAS work the same way it did before Genie+? It sounded like maybe it had changed. Not that I need to worry about it for my next trip since A won't be with us, but it's good to know anyway.

Did you use the free Genie planner at all? I've been reading the Unofficial Guide and it says absolutely do NOT use that, because it actually doesn't help the guest, it helps Disney. Touringplans.com has customized touring plans and they said that when Genie was announced, it sounded like it was basically going to be like the touring plans thing. You'd put in your interests, whatever attractions you want to do, and any ADRs or breaks you want to take, and it will give you a customized plan to reduce the wait time. But then Genie came out and I had been hearing people saying that it was suggesting strange things that they hadn't said they were interested in, and it would skip things they WERE interested in....people couldn't figure out why genie was telling them to go to Country Bear Jamboree when they had said they wanted to go on Space Mountain and the wait time for that was listed at 10 minutes. So then I'm reading the UG and it says they tested it out. They sent several people to HS. Len Testa was supposed to follow Genie and the other people weren't. Len got there at 8:30 am for a 9:00 opening. Wait times for RRC, ToT, and TSMM were all under 5 minutes, and Genie suggested that he wait until 9:30 am to ride TSMM, then build a droid at 10:20, and eat lunch at Ronto Roasters at 11:10. So he was there at 8:30 with 5 minute waittimes for several headliners and Genie only suggested 1 ride in 3 hours, and instead told him to do something that would give Disney a lot more money. When he declined to build the droid, it suggested, for a middle aged man with no children, Walt Disney Presents, Disney Junior Play and dance, Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy, and A.S.S. On a day where he had over 12 hours in the park, by following Genie's "tips", Len only got to ride 3 of the top rides, and it suggested all of the lowest-rated attractions in the park, and he had plenty of time left over during some of the day, but it never suggested RoR, for example. So Genie is designed to send you to the less popular attractions so that those don't get overly crowded. NOT to help you decide what to do based on your interests and the waittimes.

And Touringplans also has the Lines app that gives estimated wait times which are apparently usually more accurate than Disney's posted wait times. I haven't used it, so I don't know. But I plan to go ahead and put my interests into Genie and see what it comes up with, AND do a customized itinerary from touringplans and see what works best.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Does DAS work the same way it did before Genie+? It sounded like maybe it had changed. Not that I need to worry about it for my next trip since A won't be with us, but it's good to know anyway.

DAS is actually much easier to use nowadays. Instead of having to go up to a CM, you just go to the MDE app and you can book a DAS time for yourself. Which is nice because then as soon as you've scanned both touch points, you can book an attraction, and it's much less running around the park trying to book rides.

Did you use the free Genie planner at all? I've been reading the Unofficial Guide and it says absolutely do NOT use that, because it actually doesn't help the guest, it helps Disney

Sometimes I did have to get into it because what used to be the "My Plans" section moved to the basic Genie section, so if I wanted to see a future DAS time or ADR time, then that's where I'd go. Sometimes for some reason, the big map with the wait times would also just not load at random, so I'd get in there because it would work fine in Genie. Or I'd use it to search for showtimes. But I wouldn't use it to plan out my day or anything. I don't think I'd use that feature in a park I wasn't familiar with, let alone WDW.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Honestly, I've been flown on AA more than any other airline in my life and since moved here, I have had so many issues. I think it's base-dependent, really. I think your friend will be ok. I honestly think they are short-handed here. I have been getting so many emails from them about FA opportunities.

Before your friend goes, find out where the AA CS desk is, so she can get there quickly if there is an issue. The gate agent never used the PA system to inform us what was going on, so the people closest to her could hear her shouting. They moved quickly to the CS desk, which is tucked into a tiny corner of one of the concourses. Also, tell her to stay near the gate agent desk, JIC. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, but some of the most miserable people I have encountered in my life have been at this airport--employees and pax. The city's reputation for being unfriendly is well-deserved. It will be likely be OK for her, since she's not traveling out of PHL.

I think your friend will be fine. My situation was a confluence of apathetic employees, bad luck and poor communication.

Location could be the answer. We are not an AA hub and they fly out of both IAH and Hobby in Houston. We're almost always routed through their hub in Dallas (DFW). I think our flight back from Paris was the only time we've ever flown through another hub, and in that case, it was Chicago-O'Hare.

I will tell her about scouting out the AA CS desk in each airport/terminal just in case it's needed. It will give her something to do with that nervous energy while waiting. I'm also worried about the size of DFW and her having to make a connection. American has flights go out of terminals A-E at DFW and I'm nearly positive she's going to have to travel between terminals for her flights. A routine commuter to and from Houston isn't likely to share a terminal with an international flight in and out of Jamaica. She also has mobility issues, so a connection plan is probably in order. The good news is there should be multiple CS desks she can use in DFW along the way if needed. I can't recall where any of them are, but I know they are there. She's got about 2 hours with her connection, and I suspect she will be using a walker or a cane (and be in a walking boot), so I'm also pushing her to request disability assistance. That should help tremendously.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Hello-

So, I stopped working out on my vacation. I listened to my body and it seemed like it wanted to sleep in. Plus, I was sleeping more soundly than I do at home. But I came home Sat. night and got back into the saddle yesterday. Yesterday I did a kettlebell workout and today was a dumbbell workout.

I have mixed feelings about my WDW trip. My hotel was great. The CMs in the parks were great. We ate breakfast at Trattoria al Forno 4x because we enjoyed the food and the service. I know I didn't ride as many attractions on this trip as I have on previous trips. I guess that is my fault because I didn't pay for Genie+? I am not waiting 80+ min for certain rides. I am also not getting up at 7 on my vacation to book rides. My husband gets up at 5:30 AM when he works in Manhattan. We'd prefer to do the parks on our terms, since you know, we're actually paying for this holiday. JMO, but I thought MNSSHP was oversold. My husband ate a burger at Cosmic Ray's and all the chairs outside had mildew on them. (I took a photo.) I found it incredibly exhausting to avoid not walking into people not paying attention to their surroundings. We had a small altercation in Epcot. I was walking clockwise around the world showcase and this woman steps right into front of me to look at menu at Japan. She walked perpendicularly in front of me. Her boyfriend was behind her, but I didn't see him until it was too late and I almost walked into him. Anyway, I tripped trying not to walk into him. My husband was walking behind me because it was so crowded. Anyway, he must have thought I was alone, because he called me a "dumb b." Well, my husband saw it all and called him a "short, little bully." So, that was the end of Epcot for me that day. We went back to the SR, went to the pool and got some drinks. I don't know. It wasn't a totally bad vacation, but I felt it was awfully costly for what it was. I am honestly not trying to be negative. I had been looking forward to this trip, since we went to Food and Wine last year and had an absolute blast. My husband was talking about booking a room for a quick getaway in Feb., but I am not sure. It's kind of poignant for me, because I have been going to WDW since I was five and I have such fantastic memories attached to this place.

Here are some random photos.

The pics are nice and it looks like a great view from your room. I'm sorry there were issues during the trip. The guy in Epcot would have really ticked me off. I try to be very forgiving as I know people's brains go into vacation mode and sometimes the people you're with don't use the best judgement on where to stop or walk. That being said, his ugly reply shows that nasty sense of entitlement we see creeping into so many parts of life. I've also been developing some theories about the crowds. Pre-pandemic, one of the Disney fan sites was doing a multi-year study on how Disney was artificially inflating line length to make attractions look more popular than they really are. Grossly inflated posted wait times were part of it, but they were manipulating queue switches, reduced staffing, shut down some load areas, reduced vehicles in use, slowed ride speeds for non-thrill rides and reduced vehicle capacity to run less efficiently than they were previously running. FP+ and the tier system helped this plan. On one hand, it better distributed crowds, but the parks felt more crowded since more people were pushed to these other rides just to get their 3-pass quota for the start. The only hole in that plan was that the buildings were still eating up a chunk of people and making the parks not look as crowded and as popular as they wanted them to appear. So, I'm wondering if they toyed with all of this some more to keep more people milling about the outside areas. They are still not operating at pre-pandemic capacity and are still using the park reservation system to increase the appearance of demand. For Epcot, F&W will of course just have more people in the WS, but as a whole and even for hard ticketed parties, I think there's a lot of manipulation going on. I'm sure some is people refusing the pay the upcharge for Genie+, but I wouldn't put it past them to find other ways to artificially inflate crowds for popularity perceptions.

I understand some of the feelings too. I've been going since I was a kid and have amazing memories. It took on a whole new life when we started bringing our children. Sam wasn't even a year old when I booked their first trip to WDW. Even though more recent trips have been disappointing, I approached each one with the same levels of excitement and enthusiasm as the first, hopeful that things would be better. I'm sure we'll return some day, but it's also kind of heartbreaking to think that a place that brought us so much joy over the years has changed enough that we have no real plans or desires to return. I don't think you're at that point, but there's no harm in being honest about changes you don't like, especially when it's been so great for you over the years.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Ugh, that's a real pet peeve of mine...people who just step right in front of you and then get angry that you had the audacity to be in their way. I feel like it happens to women a lot more frequently...people just thinking they are more important than some woman walking there.

It happens to me a ton too. Most of the time, it's taller guys who just genuinely didn't see me because I'm only five feet tall and they apologize. This is where it's helpful dragging my brother around with me...they see him standing next to me and they just don't mess with me when he's around. I don't know specifically why, whether they can tell he's got ASD and they back off, or if it's just having a guy who's ten inches taller than me right there. It never happens when I'm in Hersheypark with my brother's friend who's well over six feet tall.

For some reason, I don't get the people getting into altercations with me. They either apologize or they just act like it never happened. I think people are afraid of me for some reason, which I'll take if it keeps them out of my face.

 

[Sans Souci]

Those are nice photos. Did you think their pool was large enough for the size of the property? (I've stayed at both Swan and Dolphin before, but haven't been back since the Swan Reserve was built.)

I hear what you're saying about you just want to relax in the parks, and not have to worry about scheduling too much, or to run out the door early in the morning to get on a popular ride, etc. The crowds sounded difficult to deal with, and that can sometimes put a damper on things. Overall, most people are nice; but with the heat and crowds, I can see how patience wanes with some of the park guests. Hopefully, you still did have some good experiences.

Thank you. I did feel the pool was perfectly adequate. There is a little "shelf" on one side of the pool that is 8 inches deep, which is nice to recline in to cool off. Every time I went down to the pool, there would be 4-5 people in it. It seemed a little busy on Saturday, because I think people who checked in were waiting for their rooms to open up. When you stay there, you have access to the S/D amenities, too. So, if you didn't like the pool, you could go across the street to use the lap pools/water slide pool. You are closer to those pools than some guests staying at S/D. (You can use your room key as a charge card at the S/D as well.) I never went there, because I was happy with the pool at the Reserve. In the afternoons, the pool bar server came around with a small orange Italian ice for anyone who wanted one. I thought it was a nice touch on hot afternoons.

 

[Sans Souci]

That's interesting because I was there right before you were and I rode a ton. Granted, I was there more than two weeks and my brother does have DAS, but I feel like I still could have done a ton even without it, and that was with not going into the parks until late several days (I worked while I was down there).

I paid for one LL (Guardians). My brother's absolute favorite movies are the Guardians movies, so obviously, he's completely fixated on that ride with it being newly opened. We got spoiled one night because we walked in after 5 for dinner and the boarding groups were still open, so I grabbed them quickly. Well, another day that didn't happen when we were coming in earlier, and I could tell he was already struggling, so I bought the individual LL for us so that he would have a better day.

Cosmic Ray's is so disappointing because the food there has gone downhill. It used to be someplace we'd go for dinner in place of an ADR. MK definitely now has the worst food. DHS has better TS options, and with Galaxy's Edge and You Story Land, there's better QS options now too. AK has always had really good QS options. And of course there's Epcot. I don't think we ate at any of MK's QS places this trip outside of snacks; we ate all TS or we ate before we got there.

One thing I will tell you for the next time you go is that the posted wait times generally aren't accurate, so if something says 45 minutes or less, my rule of thumb is to just go ahead and try it. We got on TSM when it was posted at 30 minutes and it was actually a walk on. With Fantasmic returning, this will probably change, but DHS tends to be crowded until park hopping kicks in, and then it clears out. Smuggler's Run is a great example of this; it'll be crowded all day and then for the last 3 hours of the operating day, it goes down, and then in the evening it's a walk on. Also, apparently MK is super empty during the day on MNSSHP days.

I'm sorry to hear about that altercation. I had mixed experiences with people too. The people staying at my resort (BC) were for the most part absolutely lovely. In the parks...hit or miss.

Despite splitting a club sandwich the size of my head before going to MNSSHP, my husband wanted a burger as soon as we got in. That is how we ended up at Cosmic Ray's. He wanted to eat there because of the outdoor seating and called Columbia Harbor House a "covid pit." Again... He also got room service (again) when we came back from the party. I think he has a hollow leg.

Our past experiences with line accuracy mirrors yours. This time, some rides seemed to be on point, even a little longer than posted. I am hesitant to get in a line longer than 60 minutes. I am always drinking water and I don't feel comfortable getting out of line to use the restroom--even though I will visit the restroom before lining up.

It wasn't total wash out. I definitely had fun this trip. I think my next trip will be fewer park days and more low key stuff. I am finding I am getting over stimulated much more quickly in the parks and it's harder for me to find a quiet place to get calm.

 

[Sans Souci]

Trattoria's breakfast is a hidden gem, it is my favorite breakfast on property. I don't know if you got the breakfast potatoes or the french press coffee there but those two things are my favorites. Sorry you had that experience at Epcot, people can be jerks. The Swan Reserve looks nice, was it a hassle for transportation to the parks at all or walking to Epcot or the Studios?

I love Trattoria. We starting going there last year on a whim and now we make it point to eat breakfast there. We always get the press pot coffee and I tried the potatoes last week.

I personally don't think it's a hassle to get around, but it's just my husband and me. You can walk to the friendship dock at S/D for Epcot and HS or walk. For MK, you can take the bus, but you are dropped off at TTC. At DAK, you are dropped off just beyond the ride share area. For DS, you are dropped off at the Westside Bus loop, near Cirque du Soleil. There is no service to the waterparks (but you can go to DS and walk to the Disney bus loop and go from there), we took an Uber. I know people will walk to an adjacent resort and use the bus. I never waited longer than 20 min for a bus.