Pre-Spring Break @ WDW Trip Report

[bowies]

This is the week we went last year and the weather was so lovely then that we thought “hey, let’s do that again!” Well this time it’s hottttt and there are a ton of events happening. So far though my advance planning is getting us through. We’ve also been blessed with a lot of Disney Magic so far. Some not so great things too but that’s mostly attributable to our kids acting like ripe assholes when excited and/or tired.

We arrived yesterday evening (Saturday) after a gloriously smooth flight and walked right up to McD’s to get food for the kids. Then we walked right on to the bus to AoA. Kids ate dinner on the way - we were the first drop off. Our room was ready when we got there but I wasn’t crazy about the location - first floor by front door. A phone call to guest services made it so we could switch into a better room on Sunday. Placed our Amazon Prime order and that’s where things went off the rails. The driver had never delivered to AoA before and it took forever to find her in the parking lot. She didn’t know to go to bell services either. It was a cluster. On the bright side, my H saw our bags en route to our room and was able to pop our food on the cart.

Today was our Epcot day. Again, walked right on to the bus around 7:30 am. To our surprise, the park decided to do an unannounced EMH today so the Tier 1 attractions were all open at 8 am (except Test Track, it was down all day). I think it was due to the marathon running through - there was a celebratory mood. DS and I walked on to Soarin. It’s my favorite ride. DS, however, freaked when I put him in the seat. He wasn’t prepared for it being dark and he was still tired. He clung to me throughout and managed to untie my dress. Afterwards he declared it awesome. We walked on to literally every ride we did today (and we did most). Only thing that we waited for was meeting Elsa and Anna and that was 20 minutes. We had no idea what was happening because the park felt packed all day. We spent a decent amount of time in the World Showcase while the kids napped. Also met a good number of characters, which DS was surprisingly into. DD was terrified. She turned a corner and ran into Minnie (who she lovvvvvves) but ran away screaming. I think we’re just in the thick of stranger danger. We got back to the hotel around 6:15 and went straight to our new room, which is perfect. One other bummer from the day was that I lost my new pair of sunglasses after DS got clingy again. They were cheap but I liked them damnit.

[bowies]

Oh, and one hilarious story. We did Turtle Talk and DS decided he was brave enough to sit up front. Well, he also was brave enough to ask a question, which surprised the hell out of us (while DD was on the floor by us having a meltdown). But the girl after him...OMG. She asked how baby turtles were born. You could have heard a pin drop in that theater and then everyone burst into laughter. The Crush actor is clearly amazing at his role and handled it very well. Her poor parents probably had an awkward conversation after though!

[bowies]

This trip report is pretty unorthodox this time around but I need a place to share two great moments from the day.

First was watching an elderly gentleman in a Vietnam veteran hat be approached by a green army woman in Toy Story Land and they had a moment together with back slaps and hugs. Some passersby saw it too and took pictures to send to him.

Second was when the character switch out happened at TSL - Woody, Jessie, and Buzz all exited within a minute of each other and when Jessie and Buzz walked back out they were holding hands and stealing kisses. We were first in line to meet Buzz so had a great view. I was too slow on getting my camera out so no pictures but it was kinda great seeing the characters act a little loose.

In addition to all of that, we seem to have entered Thunderdome with a huge Minnie fan and exited with a huge Elsa fan.

[bowies]

So far this vacation feels a lot less overwhelming than last year. Still not a relaxing one though! One quibble with our experience this time around: I am not thrilled with the PhotoPass. Pictures are cropped strangely, missing altogether, we have three copies of the same photo, or we’re in possession of a bunch of strangers’ pictures. Also a lot of videos instead of pictures. I’m very frustrated with it.

The app has also been a total dumpster fire in terms of functionality. FPs have been down, I can’t make plans for our entire family in the app because their profiles are missing at times, and bus times are unavailable. Hot tip: Keep the website bookmarked on your phone. I figured something was going on since we received an e-notice this morning from the VP that they deployed extra cast members into the parks today to assist guests. If you are going to be here next week, heads up.

The conventional wisdom of low crowds in rain did not pan out this morning. It was packed and people were being extra rude. I’ll also say that England is not sending its best.

Lest I end on a sour note, we had an amazing lunch at Skipper Canteen. The food was great and it was so nice to catch our breath in an uncrowded restaurant.

[cincodemayo]

I’ve heard other complaints about PhotoPass recently. We just went at the end of January and we,too, had so many “magical” video things. I understand some like it, but I don’t really need them.

I hope you get better photos and have a super rest of your trip!!

[curbsideprophet]

I love Skipper’s Canteen. The food is great! They were very accommodating last time we were there. DD(age 6 at the time for reference) had fallen asleep in the stroller and I thought someone would just have to wait outside with her for a bit. They said we could bring the stroller inside and found us a table with plenty of room for the stroller.

[nsl]

I confess that our Skipper's Canteen reservation is possibly the one I'm looking forward to the most.

[bowies]

Update while I drink a beer: This evening we got a huge cache of photos into our PhotoPass. The tech was just majorly screwed up today. I worked around it by using the website (which was acting normally) but I did see a bunch of cast members with tablets in the vicinity of ride entrances. I fear what next week is going to bring for the parks. Thanks to the weather MK was operating at one-third of normal attendance numbers but it sure didn’t feel like it.

I completely lost my shit on DS today while we were caught in a rainstorm. I apologized after I cooled down but damn I felt like a monster and a cliché of every overextended Disney parent. It kind of provided a reset though since I hauled his butt out of the park and all the way to the bus stop. Suddenly I meant business and his behavior improved markedly. Maybe I don’t regret it as much as I think.

Tomorrow is an off day and boy do we need it.

[bowies]

Some final thoughts as we leave tomorrow:

I think we are done with Disney for a while. It was a less than magical experience this time around and it wasn’t anybody’s fault - at least that was controllable. Other guests were just unmitigated assholes and it affected our enjoyment of the experience. Our kids were too if I’m being honest. I can’t imagine what cast members see in a day. Right now I’m camped out by a pool for the second time this entire week and can’t go in because some other family refused to put their toddler in a swim diaper and he pooped in the pool. It’s the only pool with available chairs too because somehow Disney has a policy for literally everything except leaving your shit on pool chaises all day while you go to the parks. Sitting on the ground at 3 pm because Becky needs a seat by the splash pad at 8 pm isn’t very magical.

If we re-engage on Disney in the future we will elect to go up a tier or two. Our kids will also need to be done with teething too.

[cincodemayo]

I always say I’m done with Disney for awhile when I leave, too. Some things really irk me there. But then we come back and I see pictures and remember food and my kids talk about it...and I want to go back again.

I hope your trip was overall an enjoyable experience!!!

[bowies]

Apr 13, 2019 20:21:32 GMT -5 cincodemayo said:

I always say I’m done with Disney for awhile when I leave, too. Some things really irk me there. But then we come back and I see pictures and remember food and my kids talk about it...and I want to go back again.

I hope your trip was overall an enjoyable experience!!!

It was, I’m being crabbier about it this year since I have a frame of reference now. I think it was also eye opening to see the difference in a Deluxe resort and a Value. We probably should have remained blissfully unaware lol.

[ribollita]

Apr 12, 2019 16:13:57 GMT -5 bowies said:

Some final thoughts as we leave tomorrow:

I think we are done with Disney for a while. It was a less than magical experience this time around and it wasn’t anybody’s fault - at least that was controllable. Other guests were just unmitigated assholes and it affected our enjoyment of the experience. Our kids were too if I’m being honest. I can’t imagine what cast members see in a day. Right now I’m camped out by a pool for the second time this entire week and can’t go in because some other family refused to put their toddler in a swim diaper and he pooped in the pool. It’s the only pool with available chairs too because somehow Disney has a policy for literally everything except leaving your shit on pool chaises all day while you go to the parks. Sitting on the ground at 3 pm because Becky needs a seat by the splash pad at 8 pm isn’t very magical.

If we re-engage on Disney in the future we will elect to go up a tier or two. Our kids will also need to be done with teething too.

I felt like that last trip, too. It’s just so expensive and getting less and less worth it. This year we went to Disneyland and LOVED it! So much easier, cheaper, and better. No one wants to go back to WDW...

[jeaniebueller]

Apr 9, 2019 14:22:01 GMT -5 bowies said:

So far this vacation feels a lot less overwhelming than last year. Still not a relaxing one though! One quibble with our experience this time around: I am not thrilled with the PhotoPass. Pictures are cropped strangely, missing altogether, we have three copies of the same photo, or we’re in possession of a bunch of strangers’ pictures. Also a lot of videos instead of pictures. I’m very frustrated with it.

The app has also been a total dumpster fire in terms of functionality. FPs have been down, I can’t make plans for our entire family in the app because their profiles are missing at times, and bus times are unavailable. Hot tip: Keep the website bookmarked on your phone. I figured something was going on since we received an e-notice this morning from the VP that they deployed extra cast members into the parks today to assist guests. If you are going to be here next week, heads up.

The conventional wisdom of low crowds in rain did not pan out this morning. It was packed and people were being extra rude. I’ll also say that England is not sending its best.

Lest I end on a sour note, we had an amazing lunch at Skipper Canteen. The food was great and it was so nice to catch our breath in an uncrowded restaurant.

Our photopass pics were also a mess. I never think that they are worth it, especially since they are unedited but my MIL paid for it, so. Some of the angles our pics were taken in were not good. Also, I wonder if you would have a better time off property. We stayed off property and our resort was amazing and the pool was great (never too crowded). When we went to Ft Wilderness, where my ILs stayed, I felt like the pool was a zoo and I couldn't wait to get out of there. Not relaxing in the slightest. However when we stayed at All Star Movies a few years back, the pools were nearly empty each time we went swimming, so who knows.

[court26]

Apr 12, 2019 16:13:57 GMT -5 bowies said:

Some final thoughts as we leave tomorrow:

I think we are done with Disney for a while. It was a less than magical experience this time around and it wasn’t anybody’s fault - at least that was controllable. Other guests were just unmitigated assholes and it affected our enjoyment of the experience. Our kids were too if I’m being honest. I can’t imagine what cast members see in a day. Right now I’m camped out by a pool for the second time this entire week and can’t go in because some other family refused to put their toddler in a swim diaper and he pooped in the pool. It’s the only pool with available chairs too because somehow Disney has a policy for literally everything except leaving your shit on pool chaises all day while you go to the parks. Sitting on the ground at 3 pm because Becky needs a seat by the splash pad at 8 pm isn’t very magical.

If we re-engage on Disney in the future we will elect to go up a tier or two. Our kids will also need to be done with teething too.

We are not big Disney people, but booked a “last minute” (60 ish days out) trip over spring break. We are there now. We were last here 4 years ago and stayed deluxe and we are value this time, so I get what you mean! Plus I have 2 friends staying deluxe while we are here. So jealous, but so not in the budget. I am always struck at parks (all of them- we have done others in the last 4 years) how adults can get away with behaving badly! I am talking to you lady who coated me with spray sunscreen because your precious wouldn’t move off the bench right next to me! Who does that? Drives me crazy! I can be very outspoken, but I am trying to keep my thoughts to myself to avoid confrontation on vacation. I had no idea people could claim seats at pools all day. That is always one of my biggest complaints other places! Ugh! The only thing working for us is that we are here a longer time and I am not feeling the pressure we felt the last 2 times to get it all in. Oh, and so far we have actually found them less accommodating for food allergies than last 2 times which is very disappointing with our DS. The food at our value resort is gross!