Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[afwdwfan]

Just be glad there wasn't a video camera stopping you from shutting the door.

Who would be dumb enough to do something like that?

I wish I witnessed this.

I'm sure you do.

Great joke!

Not bad... better than some I've heard!

Adorable!

Thanks!

Cute!

That family in front of you was out of their mind. I can't believe what they were doing.

It was odd. But they were definitely entertaining. The line was short to begin with, but it goes even faster with entertainment like that.

I still haven't done this in all the times we've been in WDW.

Do you hate America?

You are right.... such a nice area for bathrooms.

Buhhhhhwaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!

pretty much.

....aaaannnnndddddd, I don't see a problem here.

I didn't think you would.

They do a great job with it.

Ok, maybe you don't hate America.

What a fantastic last afternoon at MK, and you certainly had a few memorable moments.

Not a bad way to end the trip at all!

The A&E family story is so funny! Kind of a preshow to the meet & greet. I can just picture the battle of the wills between that mother and daughter. Hopefully the pictures they got will become treasured family lore. Eventually.

Oh, it was definitely a good preshow! It always makes the line go faster when you have that kind of entertainment.

The pictures of your daughter and Anna and Elsa are precious. Your daughter is just glowing with delight! The ones later, with your son with a big smile on his face, are also fantastic.

They both enjoy the movie, so I think this M&G was a huge hit.

The scooter mishap must have been something to see!!! I can understand how it would be difficult to hold it together.

It was pretty classic. I just happened to look right in time to see the whole thing happen.

I'm glad everyone enjoyed Philharmagic.

Me too! I think it is a great show and I always love seeing it.

Nice time enjoying (enduring) some classics: HOP, CoP, Small World, Country Bears. What- no Tiki Bird Torture? Oh yeah, you did that earlier in the trip.

Hey, it's the nostalgia factor. Those things have been there ever since I was little. I might not necessarily do all of them on every trip, but I always try to do at least 1 or 2 of them.

Mmmmm. Disney fudge!!! Do you know what happens if two teenagers consume a pound of fudge overnight on a class trip? Well, a phone call after midnight to report a vomiting incident to the chaperone (who is so sleepy I- I mean she- hangs up on him).. Just in case you were wondering. I hope you paced yourself eating the treat.

Yeah, if you puke because you ate a whole pound of fudge, I don't think sympathy comes into play.

OMG! The A&E story!!!!! I don’t even know what to say. I mean, my child does a lot of costume changes on Disney vacations. But, um, not IN LINE! And the pictures they must have gotten! Hilarious! For the record, all costume changes in our family are decided on by the person who has to actually make the change!

I don't doubt that last part in the slightest!

What an adorable meet DD had with Anna. So cute! I can see how, appearing separately, Anna would be the more fun one. I actually wish they would have kept them together at MK. When they can interact with each other, I think they are better - at least it makes it a bit easier for Elsa who has to BE ELSA, you know?

Yeah, it really does seem like that would make more sense. Oh well.

Wow!!!!

I know. She loves salad and won't eat ice cream. How many 2 year olds are there out there like that????

How great for DD to meet A&E twice. I am baffled that a PP photographer didn’t take a single posed photo with Elsa. That is just WEIRD.

It was definitely odd. But at least the candid shots they got were good!

Hi Andy,
I have been following along reading from my phone, but just haven't had time to comment. Your first meet with Anna and Elsa was very cute, and how hilarious with the antics of the little kid, but really? The parents just stripped down their little girl in public? I mean what kind of message are they teaching her that early on?

Yeah, it just seemed wrong. I mean, I don't know what age is considered too old for public indecency like that, but she just seemed to be past that stage. Not that I was personally offended by it, but it just seemed like something that I as a parent wouldn't want to do with our kids.

That woman with the scooter, I'm totally not surprised, if you saw my post on Alicia's TR I steer clear of folks who rent from Disney, they are total rookies and have no idea what they are doing.

They should come with a big orange flag so that you can see them coming!

I'm amazed with Fran using the scooter in our house with her fractures. We will need some paint touch ups, but for the most part she is doing pretty good with the moulding and corners.

I'm glad she's getting around ok. But I can totally see how they could be a handful in tight quarters.

I was looking forward to the country bears since we don't have them at DL anymore. I guess on my rebooked trip...

(((sigh)))

Whenever that is, we won't know for a while.

I'm so sorry. I hope that Fran recovers quickly and you can get some fun stuff lined up on the agenda.

 

[afwdwfan]

See Ya Real Soon!

We exited the Magic Kingdom and headed for the monorail. On our past couple of trips, we’d started a new tradition of having our first meal on arrival at Chef Mickey’s. This time, it didn’t quite work into our plans the way we would have liked, so we switched things up and decided to have a goodbye dinner with our friends.

We got on a resort monorail and quickly arrived at the Contemporary. We checked in and got our picture taken and sat down to wait. We didn’t sit there for more than a couple of minutes before our buzzer went off. They led us back past the buffet and up the stairs. We were seated right by one of the windows facing MK. Well… facing the MK bus stations, but if you look to the right you can see the MK. Every time we’ve been to Chef Mickey’s this is where they have seated us. And I’m not complaining.

Our server that evening was fantastic. He brought our drinks and told us that we had plenty of time before the characters would arrive so we should go get our plates. I loaded up on a little bit of everything, and a lot of the corn bread. Seriously, Disney corn bread is the best.

I think we were at the table long enough to finish our first plates when the characters started coming by.

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After they stopped by, we went to reload plates for another round and then grab some dessert. We really weren’t in a hurry for this meal… for some reason.

I guess delaying the inevitable.

The kids were having a good time, and we were all enjoying the food. We lingered long enough that the characters started coming by again!

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This was the last picture we got in there. We were getting ready to leave so I told the kids to say thank you to Mickey for all the fun we’d had and tell him goodbye and that we’d see him in Disneyland.

I’m not sure they said anything but DD blew him a kiss.

Mickey then got down on his knee and pointed to his nose.

Well, do you remember when we visited Mickey in Town Square and he told the kids to point to their nose, and his nose, and they kind of played around a little bit getting each others’ noses? I’m not sure if DD thought this was a continuation of that game or what, but when Mickey just wanted a kiss on the nose, he got more than he bargained for.

DD just stood there and looked at him for a few seconds. I think she was trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then she reached out and smacked him right on the nose. He was a little bit taken aback, but we had to remind him that they were pointing out each others’ noses and playing around at Town Square a few nights ago. He quickly forgave her and hugs were exchanged.

We headed out of Chef Mickeys and went to check out the Christmas decorations. You get nothing but crappy cell phone pictures from here on…

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We decided that since we needed to get on the monorail anyway, we might as well just ride it all the way around. We decided to bypass the Polynesian since all the construction was going on… Although I think it turned out that the lobby had actually re-opened that day, I believe. I kind of wish we had stopped now, but no big deal.

We did get off at the Grand Floridian though. It is a resort that just has a vibe that doesn’t feel like home to me. It is a beautiful resort and I love how they deck the place out for Christmas.

But it just isn’t high on the list of resorts where I’d like to stay.

We headed in and wanted to go downstairs to see the Christmas tree and the gingerbread house. The elevator had a long wait, so I went and found a place somewhat out of the way to park the stroller.



RIght outside the lounge.



Bet that caught the attention of a few of those high class stuffy types.



We headed down the stairs and took a look at everything. The kids loved the gingerbread house, as did MiL and FiL.

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I love how I always take a picture of it, but it is always pretty much identical one year to the next.

I guess I didn’t even take a picture of the Christmas tree this time, but it was nice to stop by and check it all out. We headed back upstairs, and thankfully our stroller that was likely parked in a no parking zone hadn’t been towed.

We went outside and got on the monorail for the trip back to the TTC. When we stopped at MK, a girl probably in her early teens got on with a golden retriever companion dog. The monorail was crowded and we had the kids in the stroller. The only open area for the girl to sit down and then for the dog to lay was going to be right in front of the stroller.

I started to get a little worried. Not because I was worried about the dog, but because I was worried about DD. We have dogs, my parents have dogs, and my sister has a really big and playful dog. DS loves them all. But DD doesn’t. My sister is in school to be a vet tech, and her dog lives with her when she’s at school, but she always brings him home with her. Whenever we go to my mom and dad’s and DD sees my sister’s car, she refuses to walk into the house because she knows the dog will likely be in there. She knows as well as he does where he’s allowed to be in the house and where he can’t be. And she uses that knowledge to her benefit to make sure she goes nowhere near him. And if he gets too close, she panics and screams and cries.

I saw this golden retriever walk right over to our stroller and lay down right in front of DD. I had prepared for the worst, but she didn’t even flinch. I was impressed. Maybe the companion animal training it had received gave her a different vibe from my sister’s high strung dog, but DD usually just wants nothing to do with any dog ever.

We made it back to the TTC and got off of the monorail. We headed to the parking lot and got in the car. We had a hotel reservation that evening for the Holiday Inn Express at Daytona Beach Shores. FiL had never seen the ocean, so DW wanted to at least give him a chance to see it while we were in Florida.

His take was “It looks like Lake Michigan but bigger waves.”

Not sure it had the impression she’d hoped, but she tried.

Anyway, I booked the Holiday Inn Express, just because we were going to be getting there late in the evening and leaving early in the morning. With a chain like that you know what you’re going to get, and part of what you’re going to get is some awesome cinnamon rolls for breakfast. But this particular hotel was beachfront, the rate was great… although I’m sure being off season helped, and all the rooms had an ocean view. It was really a very nice hotel and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back and stay a little longer if we were looking to add a couple of beach days in Daytona.

We went to bed as soon as we got to the hotel. We were planning to hit the road at about 8 or 9 in the morning, but DW wanted to go out to the beach before we left.

We woke up and DD didn’t want to go to the beach. I really didn’t care one way or the other. We had a beachfront balcony, so I could see and hear from there and that was about good enough for me.

DW, MiL, FiL and DS headed down to the beach.

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After they came back to the room, we had to give DS a bath. As you can see, he was having a good time running around on the beach and getting his feet wet in the shallow water. But he started getting a little adventurous. He got out a little too far and a wave was coming. He turned and started to run away from it, and tripped and fell. He was soaked head to toe and covered in sand.

We finally got on the road and headed for home. It was a pretty decent drive. We’d decided to change things up for a little bit different experience coming home. Instead of our usual route home going through Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville and Louisville, we decided to head up I-95 and through the Carolinas then cut across I-24 to Knoxville and north from there. It was only supposed to be a few minutes longer time-wise. But I don’t know if that accounted for the traffic situation on I-95 or not. I’m not sure we ever got up to the speed limit all the way through South Carolina. I’m in no hurry to go that route again anytime soon!

We made it home safely late Saturday night and just went straight to bed. We didn’t even haul our crap into the house, because we’d have all day Sunday after we got home from church.

I’d ordinarily stop right here and then do a summary post, but I’m kind of excited about getting to our Disneyland trip. I think my summary post at the end will be more of a comparison of our likes/dislikes among the 2 parks.

But for our Disney World trip, things turned out very well. For MiL and FiL having never been, I think they both really enjoyed it and managed to have a good time. I’ve not heard any complaints and I’ve heard FiL telling people about a few of the things we did or saw there. So quite frankly, I feel like the trip was a huge success.

The one thing that I felt down about on this trip is that I was just exhausted. Partly because I just don’t think I recovered from the all night drive quite as quickly as I have in years past. But it really just felt like we were moving in quicksand all week long. It was hard to get anywhere, and it seemed like we were constantly running against a clock. I don’t know how much of it was due to the fact that I was trying to corral 6 people and get us from place to place, and how much of it was due to the fact that we had to plan so many details in the way of ADR’s and FP+. We just never ended up having as much downtime as we had planned earlier in the process. And I know part if this is due to the short hours you find in December. I mean, if you take a couple of hours for a break, and figure an hour for lunch and dinner, you’ve ate up most of the day.

I have to say that I do like the MDE App and the fact that it is simple to modify an ADR or FP+. But I still hate the fact that I really need to know 6 months in advance where I want to eat or what I want to ride. And our time in Disneyland really only emphasized this fact to me. I loved how it was more laid back as far as planning goes. I could get ADR’s day of for most places if I had wanted to. We didn’t, but I knew I had those options.

I mean it is great that I can change my FP+ time, but only if it a lesser ride. What are the odds I’m going to be able to modify a TSMM, 7DMT, A&E, Soarin’ or in my experience RnRC FP+ day of? Not too likely, I’d say, which really frustrates me. I mean, it’s great that I can get FP+ for a ride like the Speedway 15 minutes from now when it has a 20 minute standby wait, but if you need to change a headliner because you’re running late, you’re pretty much screwed.

It is essentially the same frustration I’ve had with the ADR system for a long time. I just don’t like having to make an ADR 6 months out. Then as park hours are released and things change I always end up canceling ADR’s because I can’t change it to a time that will work with our schedule after they come out with modified park hours or something.

I’ve given up on even trying to book CP for an early morning breakfast before MK opens. Every time I do, they just change the park hours and screw up my plans. And then by that time, of course, you can’t change your ADR to another day or time because it is all booked up. I just really get very frustrated with this part of the trip planning process. And as much as I do like planning our trips, I want to have more flexibility to do what we want, when we want.

And I know some would argue that FP+ gives you that flexibility. But I’m just not buying it. It does help from the standpoint of not having to worry about running around and grabbing FP’s first thing in the morning and it allows you some opportunity to park hop and still hit headliners in the afternoon if you use the FP+ for that second park. But as for last second planning or last minute changes, it really has you captive if you’ve got those headliner FP+ and need to keep them.

I definitely like FP+ more than I expected to. It does have its positive qualities. But I’m still not just over the moon excited about the whole system. Maybe if they did something about the tiers, it might help. Or offer an extra FP+ or 2 to on property guests. But then again, that would only limit what little flexibility there is that much more.

It just really felt like this trip, more so than those of the past, we were constantly having to watch the time and keep track of where we were and where we needed to be. If anything, this trip had less opportunity to just go off schedule and do whatever we wanted to at the spur of the moment than in the past. Our last 2 days were clearly pretty flexible, but that’s only because we did keep such a rigid schedule early in the week to allow some flexibility later.



Just my 2 cents. Your mileage may vary.




And hopefully next week, I’ll transition us from Disney World to our West Coast trip!





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[SarahDisney]

We were seated right by one of the windows facing MK. Well… facing the MK bus stations, but if you look to the right you can see the MK. Every time we’ve been to Chef Mickey’s this is where they have seated us. And I’m not complaining.

Sounds like a nice view (well, mostly ... assuming you spend more of your time looking at MK and not the buses)

I love all the pictures of the kids & characters!

Well, do you remember when we visited Mickey in Town Square and he told the kids to point to their nose, and his nose, and they kind of played around a little bit getting each others’ noses? I’m not sure if DD thought this was a continuation of that game or what, but when Mickey just wanted a kiss on the nose, he got more than he bargained for.

DD just stood there and looked at him for a few seconds. I think she was trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then she reached out and smacked him right on the nose. He was a little bit taken aback, but we had to remind him that they were pointing out each others’ noses and playing around at Town Square a few nights ago. He quickly forgave her and hugs were exchanged.

Ha ha poor Mickey ... at least you got it straightened out at the end.
Really, between all the parks and character meals at which he appears, Mickey sees a lot of kids every day. You can't expect him to remember everything he does with every kid!

Devil eyes ...
My cell phone does the same thing. I have no idea why. Red eye I understand. Creepy white eyes I don't.

I saw this golden retriever walk right over to our stroller and lay down right in front of DD. I had prepared for the worst, but she didn’t even flinch. I was impressed. Maybe the companion animal training it had received gave her a different vibe from my sister’s high strung dog, but DD usually just wants nothing to do with any dog ever.

Yay DD! At her age I would have been crying and screaming (a few years older than her I would have been crying and screaming too).

His take was “It looks like Lake Michigan but bigger waves.”

So ... now I know that I don't need to see Lake Michigan ... because it looks like the ocean but with smaller waves.

But for our Disney World trip, things turned out very well. For MiL and FiL having never been, I think they both really enjoyed it and managed to have a good time. I’ve not heard any complaints and I’ve heard FiL telling people about a few of the things we did or saw there. So quite frankly, I feel like the trip was a huge success.

Definitely sounds like a success!

I definitely like FP+ more than I expected to. It does have its positive qualities. But I’m still not just over the moon excited about the whole system. Maybe if they did something about the tiers, it might help. Or offer an extra FP+ or 2 to on property guests. But then again, that would only limit what little flexibility there is that much more.

I never made much use of the old system (I wasn't one for running around ... if it was easy or made a lot of sense to me, I grabbed a FP, but I think the most I ever had in one day under the old system was 2 or 3, and I don't think I used them anywhere other than MK), so I love the new system just because I use it more. But it definitely does need some work. I would like to see the ability to always be able to move your window a certain amount (even though that doesn't make sense in terms of capacity, it makes a lot of sense in terms of placating people who are running late). And I really want them to allow you to make your 4th (and 5th ... and if you're me, 11th) FP+ on the app ... I don't mind running to the kiosk, but if I just got off Dumbo and want to make a FP+ for Barnstormer (I really don't like lines, even if they're short), I don't want to have to run back to Philharmagic for the kiosk.
I think everyone has something that they want done to the system ... the key is now for Disney to figure out what works best for the company and the guests and figure out a way to implement it.

I'm looking forward to reading about Disneyland (call me crazy, but I prefer the West Coast parks)!

 

[natebenma]

What a great wrap-up dinner at CM. The kids were definitely into meeting the characters. Fantastic pictures!

I love that Mickey (and a guest) are photobombing the first picture with Goofy.

However, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't change your DD's outfit in between each character she met so she matched them. Isn't that the way it's done these days?

OK, that is HILARIOUS about your daughter bonking Mickey in the nose. I'm glad he was understanding about it.

Nice job delaying your departure from Disney with a monorail resort tour to see the beautiful decorations.

I'm with you about the GF. I have no desire to stay there, even if I was not contractually obligated to stay at the Beach Club. I haven't even stepped foot in the GF.

Although I will admit that the villas look pretty amazing.

Wow, what a gorgeous sunrise at the beach. I am shocked that your FiL had never seen the ocean before. I think it was definitely worth a stay there before heading home.

Looking forward to your Disneyland trip!!!

:

 

[shan23877]

That A&E mom deserved her horrible pictures! Changing the grade school aged kid in line??? I"m with Roni, the changes are dictated by the changer in our family LOL. The pics that you got of DD the A&E are priceless. Good job daddy! And DS survived another princess meet!

Loving the ECV lady story. i guess i'm bad too? Funny story-during our 2011 trip we were walking up to the entrance of DHS. I was very animatedly talking to DH (I think telling him what our priorities for the day needed to be ) when BAM! I had walked right into one of the concrete poles they place to keep full sized vehicles out. I think I drew more attention to myself my laughing hysterically, but several groups stopped to see if I was okay.

LOVE the final dinner at Chef Mickey! Yay!! OMG dying thinking about DD slapping Mickey across the nose HAHAHAHA!

"looks like Lake Michigan with bigger waves". He's not wrong.

AMAZING photos of DS on the beach! I hope you guys framed a few of those!

Can't wait to hear about the DL trip!

 

[JDUB]

Great trip! I also enjoyed not running around the parks first thing in the morning for FP runner. I could see how party of 6 could slow you down and make you feel drained. I know they always ask the planner what is next and I get tired after the first 2 hours being asked 25X "what's next".
Can't wait to hear about your DL trip. Thanks for sharing as always.

 

[jedijill]

Great wrap up! Can't wait to hear about DL!

Jill in CO

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I know it isn't your tradition but seemed like it turned out well to have Chef Mickey's your last night as a nice send off- and to cap it off with some monorail resort hopping is even better.

I feel the same way as you about the Grand Floridian - looks really nice but not my cup of tea. Though, I have read a few TR from people who felt that way before staying there and finding that they felt much more comfortable there than they thought the would. Still think there are other places I'd rather stay first though.

Looks like a really nice time (if brief) at the beach - even if the Atlantic is just Lake Michigan with more waves

Glad overall you consider the trip a success - definitely feels like you captured a number of really nice memories. I think it is easy to schedule so much on a WDW trip that it can feel like you are just running from appointment to appointment like it is a bunch of errands - in some ways it helps if you schedule downtime and force yourself to take some time. I think we have actually benefited on our last trip by having an infant as it kinda forced us to do that.

For us, the "pros" of FP+ still outweigh the "cons" Just knowing that we have a guaranteed slot to ride on TSMM or meet A&E with minimal wait is worth the extra planning effort. I recall one past trip when it was still FP- in effect and I ran ahead to get paper FPs for TSMM and was just in a mob of people racing to get in line to get a pass to tell them when they would be able to get in another line and I overheard one father tell another father "This isn't a vacation, it's a trip to Disney" .... being able to avoid scenes like that is worth it to me.

One thing that is really annoying is that they want you to plan all this way out ahead of time when they don't even had the park hours or other details finalized. I know that even as of now a lot of the details for Star Wars Weekends aren't out yet, yet people's FP+ window is already open. But some of the SWW stuff is eligible for FP+ ... but not yet because they don't know when it will be. So people are setting up placeholder FP+ just with the aim to switch them to the SWW stuff when it is out. That just seems a little nuts to have to do. If Disney is going to "make" people plan this far in advance then everything they would need to know to make those plans should be out.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Chef Mickey's sounds like a wonderful way to wrap up your vacation! I LOVE that your daughter bonked Mickey on the nose!

I think the GF is a beautiful resort, but I like other resorts better, too. It's my sister's favorite resort, though, so we may have to make it part of the itinerary sometime...

I'm unsure whether or not I will like Fastpass+. I'm guessing it will be a mixed bag of pros and cons.

Thank you for the wonderful report, Andy! I look forward to Part II... Disneyland!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

They led us back past the buffet and up the stairs. We were seated right by one of the windows facing MK. Well… facing the MK bus stations, but if you look to the right you can see the MK. Every time we’ve been to Chef Mickey’s this is where they have seated us. And I’m not complaining.

SOunds like a nice view.

Our server that evening was fantastic. He brought our drinks and told us that we had plenty of time before the characters would arrive so we should go get our plates.

Its interesting that you have such a great review of Chef Mickeys. I just read the other day another trip report with about the exact opposite experience. It just seems that restaurant is so hit or miss. Not sure if it will ever be high on my to try list.

I guess delaying the inevitable.

Quite understandable.

I’m not sure they said anything but DD blew him a kiss.

Aww

DD just stood there and looked at him for a few seconds. I think she was trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then she reached out and smacked him right on the nose. He was a little bit taken aback, but we had to remind him that they were pointing out each others’ noses and playing around at Town Square a few nights ago. He quickly forgave her and hugs were exchanged.

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THis is the first picture i have seen of this display that shows the scale of it. I get now why everyone is so impressed by it. Other pictures make it seem much smaller than this.

We did get off at the Grand Floridian though. It is a resort that just has a vibe that doesn’t feel like home to me. It is a beautiful resort and I love how they deck the place out for Christmas.

But it just isn’t high on the list of resorts where I’d like to stay.

So many people feel this way. I guess I'll see how I feel about the joint when we go in there for dinner on our trip. I have a feeling we are going to feel the same way.

I started to get a little worried. Not because I was worried about the dog, but because I was worried about DD. We have dogs, my parents have dogs, and my sister has a really big and playful dog. DS loves them all. But DD doesn’t. My sister is in school to be a vet tech, and her dog lives with her when she’s at school, but she always brings him home with her. Whenever we go to my mom and dad’s and DD sees my sister’s car, she refuses to walk into the house because she knows the dog will likely be in there. She knows as well as he does where he’s allowed to be in the house and where he can’t be. And she uses that knowledge to her benefit to make sure she goes nowhere near him. And if he gets too close, she panics and screams and cries.

Oh yikes. Well if she were to freak at least it would only be a few stops.

I saw this golden retriever walk right over to our stroller and lay down right in front of DD. I had prepared for the worst, but she didn’t even flinch. I was impressed. Maybe the companion animal training it had received gave her a different vibe from my sister’s high strung dog, but DD usually just wants nothing to do with any dog ever.

You got to love when you brace yourself for the freak out and it doesn't come.

His take was “It looks like Lake Michigan but bigger waves.”

Well okay then. No lake could ever compare to the ocean for me though.

Just beautiful!

I’m not sure we ever got up to the speed limit all the way through South Carolina. I’m in no hurry to go that route again anytime soon!

Oh yuck. THat would be just horrendous!

But for our Disney World trip, things turned out very well. For MiL and FiL having never been, I think they both really enjoyed it and managed to have a good time. I’ve not heard any complaints and I’ve heard FiL telling people about a few of the things we did or saw there. So quite frankly, I feel like the trip was a huge success.

Always a good sign.

It just really felt like this trip, more so than those of the past, we were constantly having to watch the time and keep track of where we were and where we needed to be. If anything, this trip had less opportunity to just go off schedule and do whatever we wanted to at the spur of the moment than in the past. Our last 2 days were clearly pretty flexible, but that’s only because we did keep such a rigid schedule early in the week to allow some flexibility later.

Sounds like my plan to schedual heavy in the mornings and be flexible at night is a good one then.

 

[pkondz]

This time, it didn’t quite work into our plans the way we would have liked, so we switched things up and decided to have a goodbye dinner with our friends.

Sounds like it worked out just fine. Perhaps a new tradition has been born?

We were seated right by one of the windows facing MK. Well… facing the MK bus stations, but if you look to the right you can see the MK.

I've only been there once. I didn't know about that area.
Sounds like a pretty sweet set up.

We really weren’t in a hurry for this meal… for some reason.

I guess delaying the inevitable.

Yeah. Totally get that.
Draw out Disney time as long as you can!

The kids were having a good time, and we were all enjoying the food. We lingered long enough that the characters started coming by again!

Ah, yes. There's Goofy, and Mickey and Deja vu.

DD just stood there and looked at him for a few seconds. I think she was trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then she reached out and smacked him right on the nose.

OMG that's hysterical!

You get nothing but crappy cell phone pictures from here on…

Pictures is pictures. I'm not complaining.

We decided that since we needed to get on the monorail anyway, we might as well just ride it all the way around.

Again... extend that Disney time as long as you can.

We did get off at the Grand Floridian though. It is a resort that just has a vibe that doesn’t feel like home to me. It is a beautiful resort and I love how they deck the place out for Christmas.

But it just isn’t high on the list of resorts where I’d like to stay.

It's a little out of my price league, too.
But it doesn't scream Disney, ya know? Other than its proximity to MK.

I went and found a place somewhat out of the way to park the stroller.



RIght outside the lounge.



Bet that caught the attention of a few of those high class stuffy types.

If only you had a smelly diaper in there somewhere then it would've been complete.

I saw this golden retriever walk right over to our stroller and lay down right in front of DD. I had prepared for the worst, but she didn’t even flinch.

I have two theories here.
1. She was so tired by then that she just didn't care.
2. She instinctively knew that the dog was there for a special reason and accepted it for that.

I like to think it's #2.


Which would account for the smelly diaper.

His take was “It looks like Lake Michigan but bigger waves.”

Classic 'Dad' response.
"Look Dad! I did this just for you, Dad. Because I love you so much!"
"Uh, huh. Meh."

We had a beachfront balcony, so I could see and hear from there and that was about good enough for me.

Nice.

​

A lot of great shots... but that one's my fave.

If you want to see a cropping suggestion let me know.
If you don't, that's cool too.

He got out a little too far and a wave was coming. He turned and started to run away from it, and tripped and fell. He was soaked head to toe and covered in sand.

Of course he did! If only you'd caught it on video.

I’m not sure we ever got up to the speed limit all the way through South Carolina. I’m in no hurry to go that route again anytime soon!

Ugh.
I don't know which is worse.
Traffic jam on the way down, when you're dying to get there.
Or on the way back, when you're dead tired and just want to get home.

I’d ordinarily stop right here and then do a summary post, but I’m kind of excited about getting to our Disneyland trip. I think my summary post at the end will be more of a comparison of our likes/dislikes among the 2 parks.

I'm gonna guess there's going to be more likes than dislikes.

I’ve heard FiL telling people about a few of the things we did or saw there. So quite frankly, I feel like the trip was a huge success.

If he's telling others, that means he liked it enough to want to tell others.

I don’t know how much of it was due to the fact that I was trying to corral 6 people and get us from place to place

That'll do it. It's tiring being the tour director.

but if you need to change a headliner because you’re running late, you’re pretty much screwed.

True. But couldn't you compare that to running out of fastpasses in the old system?

It is essentially the same frustration I’ve had with the ADR system for a long time. I just don’t like having to make an ADR 6 months out. Then as park hours are released and things change I always end up canceling ADR’s because I can’t change it to a time that will work with our schedule after they come out with modified park hours or something.

I hear that.
I originally had an ADR at a decent time for 50s Prime Time but had to change it... only a few days later.
And it was already booked up solid for that day.

But as for last second planning or last minute changes, it really has you captive if you’ve got those headliner FP+ and need to keep them.

True. But... see previous comment.

And hopefully next week, I’ll transition us from Disney World to our West Coast trip!

Looking forward to it Andy!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

I enjoyed reading your entire TR! Lots of fun - all of the pictures were great as well. I look forward to hearing about Disneyland!

 

[afwdwfan]

Sounds like a nice view (well, mostly ... assuming you spend more of your time looking at MK and not the buses)

I love all the pictures of the kids & characters!

It is a nice view. Especially seeing everything light up as it gets dark. Even the bus stops.

Ha ha poor Mickey ... at least you got it straightened out at the end.
Really, between all the parks and character meals at which he appears, Mickey sees a lot of kids every day. You can't expect him to remember everything he does with every kid!

I know. So much to keep track of! He's really a busy mouse!

Devil eyes ...
My cell phone does the same thing. I have no idea why. Red eye I understand. Creepy white eyes I don't.

Yay DD! At her age I would have been crying and screaming (a few years older than her I would have been crying and screaming too).

So ... now I know that I don't need to see Lake Michigan ... because it looks like the ocean but with smaller waves.

There you go! Just saved you a trip!

Definitely sounds like a success!

I'd say it most definitely was!

I never made much use of the old system (I wasn't one for running around ... if it was easy or made a lot of sense to me, I grabbed a FP, but I think the most I ever had in one day under the old system was 2 or 3, and I don't think I used them anywhere other than MK), so I love the new system just because I use it more. But it definitely does need some work. I would like to see the ability to always be able to move your window a certain amount (even though that doesn't make sense in terms of capacity, it makes a lot of sense in terms of placating people who are running late). And I really want them to allow you to make your 4th (and 5th ... and if you're me, 11th) FP+ on the app ... I don't mind running to the kiosk, but if I just got off Dumbo and want to make a FP+ for Barnstormer (I really don't like lines, even if they're short), I don't want to have to run back to Philharmagic for the kiosk.
I think everyone has something that they want done to the system ... the key is now for Disney to figure out what works best for the company and the guests and figure out a way to implement it.

That's a great point. I think they've got a decent foundation to build on, but it definitely needs some work. Even despite giving you flexibility, they really still handcuff you to a certain extent. But I think being able to add those extra FP's later from your phone would be a huge upgrade to the system!

I'm looking forward to reading about Disneyland (call me crazy, but I prefer the West Coast parks)!

Hmmm... I don't know if I prefer them... but I definitely like them. I wouldn't hesitate to go back if it weren't such an ordeal and an expense to get out there.

What a great wrap-up dinner at CM. The kids were definitely into meeting the characters. Fantastic pictures!

They had a great time there. And the food wasn't half bad either.

I love that Mickey (and a guest) are photobombing the first picture with Goofy.

I didn't even notice that until I posted it!

However, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't change your DD's outfit in between each character she met so she matched them. Isn't that the way it's done these days?

I know, sorry. We'll pack way more clothes next time!

OK, that is HILARIOUS about your daughter bonking Mickey in the nose. I'm glad he was understanding about it.

I'm not sure he knew what to think about it at first. She got him good!

Nice job delaying your departure from Disney with a monorail resort tour to see the beautiful decorations.

We always enjoy doing that, especially during the Christmas season. I'm glad we had the opportunity.

I'm with you about the GF. I have no desire to stay there, even if I was not contractually obligated to stay at the Beach Club. I haven't even stepped foot in the GF.

Beach Club... I'm telling you, that one is at the top of my list. I really want to stay there sometime.... on like a week and a half trip... Thinking 2 days at Universal, 6 or 7 WDW park days. And some down time for Stormalong Bay with some Beaches and Cream thrown in for good measure. My dream trip.

Although I will admit that the villas look pretty amazing.

They definitely do!

Wow, what a gorgeous sunrise at the beach. I am shocked that your FiL had never seen the ocean before. I think it was definitely worth a stay there before heading home.

It was. I think he was glad we stopped, even though his initial comment seemed less than enthusiastic.

Looking forward to your Disneyland trip!!!

Thanks! I hope to get started on it soon!

That A&E mom deserved her horrible pictures! Changing the grade school aged kid in line??? I"m with Roni, the changes are dictated by the changer in our family LOL. The pics that you got of DD the A&E are priceless. Good job daddy! And DS survived another princess meet!

I'm guessing you're probably completely the opposite of this mom... just trying to limit the costume changes???

Our kids really enjoyed A&E. They both love the movie, so I think DS was way more willing to see these princesses than the others.

Loving the ECV lady story. i guess i'm bad too? Funny story-during our 2011 trip we were walking up to the entrance of DHS. I was very animatedly talking to DH (I think telling him what our priorities for the day needed to be ) when BAM! I had walked right into one of the concrete poles they place to keep full sized vehicles out. I think I drew more attention to myself my laughing hysterically, but several groups stopped to see if I was okay.

I'm glad you laughed hysterically at yourself. It makes me feel better because I can laugh with you instead of at you.

It reminds me though of another story. When I was in college, we had those same concrete poles of which you speak in the middle of a huge sidewalk in the middle of campus. I saw a girl riding a bike whipping in and out of pedestrian traffic and she smoked one of them.

Way funnier than the ECV.

And she almost hit me first, so I didn't even feel any remorse about laughing at that one.

LOVE the final dinner at Chef Mickey! Yay!! OMG dying thinking about DD slapping Mickey across the nose HAHAHAHA!

It was pretty classic. I don't think anybody saw it coming!

"looks like Lake Michigan with bigger waves". He's not wrong.

No, pretty accurate, really!

AMAZING photos of DS on the beach! I hope you guys framed a few of those!

Can't wait to hear about the DL trip!

Thanks, I hope to get to it soon!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Just be glad there wasn't a video camera stopping you from shutting the door.

Who would be dumb enough to do something like that?

Don't be ridiculous. Nobody's that stupid.

We really weren’t in a hurry for this meal… for some reason.

Sounds like DDP to me.

DD just stood there and looked at him for a few seconds. I think she was trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then she reached out and smacked him right on the nose. He was a little bit taken aback, but we had to remind him that they were pointing out each others’ noses and playing around at Town Square a few nights ago. He quickly forgave her and hugs were exchanged.

We decided that since we needed to get on the monorail anyway, we might as well just ride it all the way around. We decided to bypass the Polynesian since all the construction was going on… Although I think it turned out that the lobby had actually re-opened that day, I believe.

D'oh! Still, I like the idea of treating DDP with an extended monorail ride.

It is a resort that just has a vibe that doesn’t feel like home to me.

You mean you don't live in a marble mansion in a gated community either?

The elevator had a long wait, so I went and found a place somewhat out of the way to park the stroller.

RIght outside the lounge.

Bet that caught the attention of a few of those high class stuffy types.

Heh. That'll teach 'em.

I love how I always take a picture of it, but it is always pretty much identical one year to the next.

Well...it'll be good for archival purposes.

FiL had never seen the ocean, so DW wanted to at least give him a chance to see it while we were in Florida.

His take was “It looks like Lake Michigan but bigger waves.”

I guess you can skip that Arizona trip for the Big Hole In The Ground, then.

With a chain like that you know what you’re going to get, and part of what you’re going to get is some awesome cinnamon rolls for breakfast. But this particular hotel was beachfront, the rate was great… although I’m sure being off season helped, and all the rooms had an ocean view. It was really a very nice hotel and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back and stay a little longer if we were looking to add a couple of beach days in Daytona.

Sounds like a winner to me. I generally don't care where I stay as long as the rooms are clean and they have a breakfast available, but I have to admit...if the prices are comparable, I'll generally lean towards HIE just for the cinnamon rolls.

As you can see, he was having a good time running around on the beach and getting his feet wet in the shallow water.

Those are some absolutely fantastic photos!

I’m not sure we ever got up to the speed limit all the way through South Carolina. I’m in no hurry to go that route again anytime soon!

It was probably the DOT's fault.

I think my summary post at the end will be more of a comparison of our likes/dislikes among the 2 parks.

I'm guessing we saw eye-to-eye on a lot of these.

The one thing that I felt down about on this trip is that I was just exhausted.

We have a word for that, too. It's called "vacation".

But I still hate the fact that I really need to know 6 months in advance where I want to eat or what I want to ride. And our time in Disneyland really only emphasized this fact to me. I loved how it was more laid back as far as planning goes. I could get ADR’s day of for most places if I had wanted to. We didn’t, but I knew I had those options.

And as much as I do like planning our trips, I want to have more flexibility to do what we want, when we want.

I definitely like FP+ more than I expected to. It does have its positive qualities. But I’m still not just over the moon excited about the whole system. Maybe if they did something about the tiers, it might help. Or offer an extra FP+ or 2 to on property guests. But then again, that would only limit what little flexibility there is that much more.

So...you like flexibility and options?

Just kidding, I know what you mean. I still haven't experienced FP+, so I don't know what it's like. I do know that the old FP system would sometimes get annoying because the return time would be later than I wanted, or they'd run out of FP's. I'd love to not have to plan dining reservations so far out but with the crowds I've accepted it as a necessary evil. I'm sure there are pluses and minuses with it like everything else.

 

[glennbo123]

Great beach photos!!

Thanks for the report Andy. I enjoyed following along.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The one thing that I felt down about on this trip is that I was just exhausted. Partly because I just don’t think I recovered from the all night drive quite as quickly as I have in years past. But it really just felt like we were moving in quicksand all week long. It was hard to get anywhere, and it seemed like we were constantly running against a clock. I don’t know how much of it was due to the fact that I was trying to corral 6 people and get us from place to place, and how much of it was due to the fact that we had to plan so many details in the way of ADR’s and FP+. We just never ended up having as much downtime as we had planned earlier in the process. And I know part if this is due to the short hours you find in December. I mean, if you take a couple of hours for a break, and figure an hour for lunch and dinner, you’ve ate up most of the day.

Hi Andy,

I just started your trip report and am really enjoying it so far. I can relate to what you said here. We have traveled with extended family before and it is like herding turtles. For some reason everything seems to take longer when there are more opinions in the decision making process.

When we went to Disney with our daughter, son-in-law and two children age 3 and 5 at the time, in Feb of 2013, our daughter felt like there was never enough down time. We had all done the dining plan for the first time ever, and too much time was spent getting to our ADR's. As a result of that trip, she decided to never travel with family again - well, actually, she invited DH and I but not the other extended family. And we would only be together for three days of their trip. The rest of the time they wanted to be on their own schedule. So this last January that is what we did. And it worked out well. I still think our daughter would be happiest if no other family member came with them, but the limited time together worked out pretty good. If the youngest one wasn't still having melt downs, it would have been better.

By the way, we have found that the new fp system actually helped with these multi-family trips because it took away some of the "what should we do next" and added the option of breaking into groups to meet again for the next fp.

 

[6travel]

Enjoyed your trip report!

 

[afwdwfan]

Great trip! I also enjoyed not running around the parks first thing in the morning for FP runner. I could see how party of 6 could slow you down and make you feel drained. I know they always ask the planner what is next and I get tired after the first 2 hours being asked 25X "what's next".
Can't wait to hear about your DL trip. Thanks for sharing as always.

Thanks! Not running for FP is a huge advantage. I didn't get a whole lot of what's next, it was just more along the lines of trying to keep the herd moving in the right direction when we had an FP+ or ADR coming up. It was just kind of stressful and therefore exhausting.

Great wrap up! Can't wait to hear about DL!

Thanks. I can't wait to get to it!

I know it isn't your tradition but seemed like it turned out well to have Chef Mickey's your last night as a nice send off- and to cap it off with some monorail resort hopping is even better.

It turned out very well. We usually start there, but it was nice to end there this time around.

I feel the same way as you about the Grand Floridian - looks really nice but not my cup of tea. Though, I have read a few TR from people who felt that way before staying there and finding that they felt much more comfortable there than they thought the would. Still think there are other places I'd rather stay first though.

Yeah, I'm sure it is really a great place to stay and I'd enjoy staying there, just like any Disney resort. But there are definitely others that are higher on the list of places I need to stay.

Looks like a really nice time (if brief) at the beach - even if the Atlantic is just Lake Michigan with more waves

I think DW would have liked some more beach time, but that was enough for me.

Glad overall you consider the trip a success - definitely feels like you captured a number of really nice memories. I think it is easy to schedule so much on a WDW trip that it can feel like you are just running from appointment to appointment like it is a bunch of errands - in some ways it helps if you schedule downtime and force yourself to take some time. I think we have actually benefited on our last trip by having an infant as it kinda forced us to do that.

You're right. I'm not a downtime sort of person. I prefer it to just be organic... If I feel like going to the pool, go. If I want to sit and people watch for an hour in the middle of the park, do it. I just always feel too compelled to schedule and cram in all the activities that can only be done in the parks to the point that the downtime just doesn't materialize. At least not in this trip. Disneyland was a bit of a different story.

For us, the "pros" of FP+ still outweigh the "cons" Just knowing that we have a guaranteed slot to ride on TSMM or meet A&E with minimal wait is worth the extra planning effort. I recall one past trip when it was still FP- in effect and I ran ahead to get paper FPs for TSMM and was just in a mob of people racing to get in line to get a pass to tell them when they would be able to get in another line and I overheard one father tell another father "This isn't a vacation, it's a trip to Disney" .... being able to avoid scenes like that is worth it to me.

I agree. I do think the positives of this new system are a nice upgrade. It's just the frustration of the massive amount of planning necessary and the need to stick with it to a T.

One thing that is really annoying is that they want you to plan all this way out ahead of time when they don't even had the park hours or other details finalized. I know that even as of now a lot of the details for Star Wars Weekends aren't out yet, yet people's FP+ window is already open. But some of the SWW stuff is eligible for FP+ ... but not yet because they don't know when it will be. So people are setting up placeholder FP+ just with the aim to switch them to the SWW stuff when it is out. That just seems a little nuts to have to do. If Disney is going to "make" people plan this far in advance then everything they would need to know to make those plans should be out.

Yep... this. You're preaching to the choir.

 

[afwdwfan]

Chef Mickey's sounds like a wonderful way to wrap up your vacation! I LOVE that your daughter bonked Mickey on the nose!

I'm not sure that Mickey loved it, but it was funny.

think the GF is a beautiful resort, but I like other resorts better, too. It's my sister's favorite resort, though, so we may have to make it part of the itinerary sometime...

It is beautiful, for sure. Just not my cup of tea.

I'm unsure whether or not I will like Fastpass+. I'm guessing it will be a mixed bag of pros and cons.

That's definitely a reasonable expectation. I'd definitely say that's how I feel about it having experienced it.

Thank you for the wonderful report, Andy! I look forward to Part II... Disneyland!

Thanks!

SOunds like a nice view.

It is. Maybe not the front and center type of view you might have from Ohana, but not bad at all.

Its interesting that you have such a great review of Chef Mickeys. I just read the other day another trip report with about the exact opposite experience. It just seems that restaurant is so hit or miss. Not sure if it will ever be high on my to try list.

You know, I don't know that I'd say it was just phenomenal. I mean it is a buffet. Some food just doesn't do as well served in a buffet as it would served to order and you're paying for the ambiance and characters more than the food. But I clearly had some complaints about other meals/restaurants on this trip and there was really nothing to nitpick or complain about this time. The food was good. Maybe not 5 star gourmet, but there were plenty of options and it all tasted fine. We had some crappy service on this trip, but our server at Chef Mickey's was hands down the best we had all week.

THis is the first picture i have seen of this display that shows the scale of it. I get now why everyone is so impressed by it. Other pictures make it seem much smaller than this.

It wasn't huge, but it was big enough to be a pretty impressive display. They always do a gingerbread display where that is... I think it used to just be a big Christmas tree. It still isn't quite as impressive as the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian.

So many people feel this way. I guess I'll see how I feel about the joint when we go in there for dinner on our trip. I have a feeling we are going to feel the same way.

It's not bad. It really is a beautiful resort. But it just doesn't feel as warm and welcoming to me as any of the other deluxe MK area resorts.

Oh yikes. Well if she were to freak at least it would only be a few stops.

Good point.

You got to love when you brace yourself for the freak out and it doesn't come.

It was definitely a relief.

Well okay then. No lake could ever compare to the ocean for me though.

I'm not even a big beach person. But I totally agree.

Just beautiful!

Thanks... DW took it, but thanks.

Oh yuck. THat would be just horrendous!

It was. I mean it wasn't like we were crawling along, but it was just bumper to bumper going maybe 50 - 55 mph. Occasionally hitting 60 or so.

Always a good sign.

Sounds like my plan to schedual heavy in the mornings and be flexible at night is a good one then.

Definitely! I always prefer to plan that way. So much easier to get things done in the morning anyway.

 

[Leshaface]

so we switched things up and decided to have a goodbye dinner with our friends.

Actually, a great way to end a trip! Well for you and your family. With the way TH ended, don't think DS would be thrilled by my choice

The kids were having a good time, and we were all enjoying the food. We lingered long enough that the characters started coming by again!

You got some great shots with the characters. Even better that they came by again! I don't remember if we've ever stayed long enough at a Character meal to see if they came by around again. But always wondered if the characters remembered you and would skip tables to go to new tables.

I’m not sure if DD thought this was a continuation of that game or what, but when Mickey just wanted a kiss on the nose, he got more than he bargained for.

DD just stood there and looked at him for a few seconds. I think she was trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then she reached out and smacked him right on the nose. He was a little bit taken aback, but we had to remind him that they were pointing out each others’ noses and playing around at Town Square a few nights ago. He quickly forgave her and hugs were exchanged.

This is cute. The only cute thing i've seen of Frozen. Wow so much hatred coming out of my mouth!

We decided to bypass the Polynesian since all the construction was going on… Although I think it turned out that the lobby had actually re-opened that day, I believe. I kind of wish we had stopped now, but no big deal.

Don't think you missed much. It was nice (I think I took pics of it), but the waterfall really made the Poly, IMO.

Bet that caught the attention of a few of those high class stuffy types.

I saw this golden retriever walk right over to our stroller and lay down right in front of DD. I had prepared for the worst, but she didn’t even flinch. I was impressed. Maybe the companion animal training it had received gave her a different vibe from my sister’s high strung dog, but DD usually just wants nothing to do with any dog ever.

Yay glad she was fine with the dog down by her stroller.

His take was “It looks like Lake Michigan but bigger waves.”

Beautiful!

This is such a cool picture. Very artistic!

Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville and Louisville,

I know the drive probably is boring, but the way you lay it out like this, this sounds like it would be a very cool road trip.

I’d ordinarily stop right here and then do a summary post, but I’m kind of excited about getting to our Disneyland trip. I think my summary post at the end will be more of a comparison of our likes/dislikes among the 2 parks.

It is essentially the same frustration I’ve had with the ADR system for a long time. I just don’t like having to make an ADR 6 months out. Then as park hours are released and things change I always end up canceling ADR’s because I can’t change it to a time that will work with our schedule after they come out with modified park hours or something.

I'm cool with making ADR's 6 months out. Mainly due to the fact that DH is looking at menus as early as 11 months out. But i'm so with you on FP+. I hate that you can't choose more FP's until all 3 are gone. And we found out this trip (I probably should have researched better ) that if we skip or miss a FP and don't delete it, the system still sees it as an unused FP so we could never add a third FP. I wish they could make it so that it automatically deletes if you do forget to delete it yourself.

And hopefully next week, I’ll transition us from Disney World to our West Coast trip!

Yaaaas! Excited about this