1.25 Days in WDW - TR

[BlueGoose]

Hi all!

I’m not a regular poster on these forums, but catch up with them as often as I can as I absolutely love reading all your TRs and advice.

I felt that, as I’m always living my Disney-Life through you guys, I’d share my own recent experience too. I hope you all enjoy!


Background: I recently had to spend a week in the U.S. for work purposes and, fortunately, it coincided with my Mum’s trip to Florida. As it was a last minute decision to join her at the end of my working week, it meant that I had to take internal flights to and from FL and DC (my return flight was from Dulles) I was left with 1.25 days to spend there. It was a lot of effort, but definitely worth it.

Mum was there on a solo trip for ten days and my visit was bang in the middle. This was my 13th time visiting WDW, and I think Mum’s 20th. We’ve previously stayed in the following: Port Orleans Riverside, Old Key West, the Polynesian, and the Boardwalk. This was our first time staying at the Dolphin, and also in a non-disney hotel.

Day 1:

(Here's the obligatory photo of my airplane (at Washington National))

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After what felt like an extremely long internal flight from DC to MCO, followed by a Mears Shuttle, I finally arrived at the Dolphin at 12:30. Thankfully, my Mum was there ready to help me check in. As I was so hungry and my body clock was all over the place, we popped into Pikabu for a midnight feast of sorts. Having stayed on-site and never in a non-Disney owned resort there, I can definitely say that it was lacking the Disney magic. The staff were friendly enough, but the food selection was poor. Saying that, it was very late (1am by this point), but it doesn’t look like it would have much of a selection during normal hours. I had tacos and my Mum had a hotdog and fries. I was also surprised by how expensive this was in comparison to Disney CS meals.

The WDW Dolphin Resort:

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The hotel itself was lovely and apart from it not being ‘Disney-enough’ for me, could not fault it. The beds really are heavenly and the lobby, pool, and cabana area all felt very luxurious. You also can’t beat its location for HS!

 

[BlueGoose]

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...which was our first stop on the Saturday Morning. As I was joining my Mum at the Dolphin, I was also entitled to Early Entry. This was something we were worried about as the mydisneyexperience website would not allow me to link her reservation (she booked a package with BA and so the room listed 1 guest). Upon my arrival, we simply went up to the check-in desk, added my name to the room (showed my passport) and I was given a key. However, after all of this, nobody even checked as I tapped into the park entrance turnstile……

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First stop was Sunset Boulevard ready for the rope drop. I absolutely love this as its quite possibly my favourite part of WDW.



Anyhow….. we walked straight on to ToT, taking in as much as we could along the way. I just love how misty they make it there as it really adds to the theming. Just before we were about the board - ‘how many?’ ‘two please’ - my Mum wimps out and asks not to ride. She sniped me with that one so I ended up sitting with another two girls my age. Needless to say, the ride was as brilliant as I’d remembered it and I screamed like a little girl.

Up next was R’n’R. Again, this was brilliant and I practically walked on. My Mum didn’t even pretend that she was going to attempt this, so she was left in her usual smoking spot.

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Admittedly, after this I was starting to feel a bit sick so didn’t go on for second rides despite the short line times. We then headed to Starring Rolls Cafe for a cheeky Cinnamon Bun! Amazing! We followed this with some WDW tradition and rode the Great Movie Ride. I have a real Love/Hate relationship with this as I feel it’s extremely dated, but would be very sad to see it go. Perhaps they should add some of the newer ‘classics’?

Before leaving HS we had a browse around the Sunset Boulevard shops as they’re always so lovely. We felt that there wasn’t much point attempting TSM given the usual wait times and I don’t really like the other attractions there. It’s somewhere I love walking around, but, given the timescale, it was time to move on.

 

[BlueGoose]

Next…. Magic Kingdom.

Upon arrival, we made our way straight to Adventureland, taking in the sight, sounds, and smells of Main Street. The Hallowe’en decorations were all up, which was lovely to see. I always love going into the confectionary store and we wanted to see what the new Main Street Bakery / Starbucks mash up was like. The first ride stop was Pirates of the Caribbean as it was showing an 11 minute wait. Although we’re used to walking straight on, it was a busy Saturday and so we joined the back of the queue. It looked like it was going to be a much longer wait, but we were in before 15 minutes. This was followed by a walk through Frontierland and a quick photo stop outside Splash Mountain…..

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Lunch was at Columbia Harbour House and we decided to split two main meals: Lobster Roll with Chips, and the Deep Fried Shrimp with Fries. Both were lovely but I’m glad we had half of each as it mixed things up a little. Although I did like the lobster roll, which had large chunks of lobster in it, I prefered the shrimp. Oddly, I was shocked by how much this came to, as last time I visited we were on the QSDP. I know that if and when I return, I’ll be taking advantage of that offer again. My only qualm with CHH this time around was that the seating area was full. This was mainly due to the fact that a large section of upstairs had been roped off for what looked like a Keys to the Kingdom Tour group. However, they only required a fraction of the space reserved. I do think that CHH is another location that should operate like Pinocchio's Village Haus - there were far too many children sat at empty tables waiting for their families.

After CHH, we had a cheeky look in the Christmas Shop (avoiding the Haunted Mansion CM on the way) then walked over to Fantasyland to see the new stuff. Overall, I was very impressed by the new additions. We were able to ride the Journey of the Little Mermaid, which was great and uses the same boarding system as the HM (rolling walkway and DoomBuggy shaped clams as ride vehicles). The ride itself was great, but it was the theming of the queuing area that was most impressive. Be warned though, before you enter, it can be very hot with little shade.

Our next stop was Gaston’s Tavern, which had a lengthy queue. I had been interested in trying the LeFou’s Brew, but decided against it. The Beauty and the Beast themed shop next door was also lovely, as was the outside area with the water fountain. Gaston was also there signing autographs. We then took a look around the Dumbo Circus-themed area, which, although there were some new additions, felt just like Toontown did before the change. Needless to say, we picked up some sweet snacks from the large tent. (Mickey Rice Krispie and a Chocolate Dipped Strawberry, in case you’re wondering). I followed this by a quick stop at Cosmic Ray’s for a Chocolate Milk (why don’t they serve this at every snack stop?!) and met Mum by the Space Mountain smoking point. I love Tomorrowland as it’s feel is so distinct. I really can’t wait for there to be new additions as I feel like this is the next area ripe for renovation.

By this time our Jungle Cruise Fastpass was ready and we headed back over. It was the usual, great jokes and classic disney. After this, straight on to Splash Mountain for our next FP. Again, I love this ride as it has the great mix of traditional disney and those drops! We took a look in the exit gift shop, but there really wasn’t much Splash Merchandise. Then I decided that I was a little too tired to wait another hour for our SpaceM fastpass and that we should head back with a little Starbucks stop and Main Street shops browse on the way out. I was sad to be leaving MK, not knowing when I’ll return.

 

[BlueGoose]

After a relatively quick stop and change at the Dolphin, via the Boardwalk, we went on to EPCOT. As it was getting late, we made a quick dash to the shops at the front of the park looking for one of those Monorail / Por Favor t-shirt (the grey one), but were told that they are no longer in production and so settled on the new white one with ‘Please stand clear of my Vacation’ instead. We then hot-footed it over to Teppan Edo for our dinner reservation.

There was no queue at the Teppan Edo stand and we were given a buzzer. We spent a few minutes in the Japanese shop before it flashed red.

We were seated with a young family of 6, which did not seem appealing to begin with, given the interactive nature of the restaurant. However, the children were all very well behaved and the little girl who sat next to me was very chatty and sweet. They asked lots of questions about our trip and where we were from and, in all honesty, made the meal more fun.

The food itself was amazing. We opted for a shared starter of Vegetable Tempura, which was delivered not long after the drinks. Then our chef arrived. He was amazing with the show and was extremely entertaining. We both went for a main of Shrimp and Steak with Udon Noodles. I think that all dishes come with a side bowl of rice too, so you’re never without food. As it’s all cooked on the hot plate in front of you, the meal comes out in stages. Udon noodles first, followed by steak, then shrimp. The three sauces (especially the Yum Yum) were all ridiculously nice too.

As I was only there for one night, we decided to eat dessert in France. The newly refurbished bakery is lovely and the selection of food, both savoury and sweet, was amazing. I was boring and had a Tarte au Citron (Lemon Tart…) and Mum had some sort of fruit tart. Both looked and tasted great and we were able to sit outside in the French Courtyard/Alleyway to enjoy as most people were setting up camp for the Frozen fireworks.

After this, we strolled back to the Dolphin via the International Gateway and practically collapsed with exhaustion!

 

[BlueGoose]

Day 2: Breakfast

After a very busy day, we woke up super early so that I was able to pack and get going as soon as possible. We took the bus to MK and then hopped on the Monorail to the Poly.

Our plan was to get a cheap breakfast from Captain Cook’s and eat outside as the Polynesian is my favourite resort. This didn’t really seem that appealing when we arrived and we made the executive decision to try our luck in the GF. So, back on the monorail we went and made our way to the Grand Floridian Cafe. Fortunately, they were able to seat us straight away. This may have been because I’d originally made a reservation for that time there, but then cancelled a week or two before. Who knows?!

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Breakfast was amazing and consisted of Vanilla Laced French Toast with Bacon for me, washed down with my Chocolate milk, of course. Mum had the strawberry pancakes. Both were huge portions though so we weren’t able to finish them. I absolutely love the GF and if I won the lottery would definitely buy into the DVC with there as my home resort!

As I had a flight to catch, we made our way back to the Dolphin using the monorail and MK bus system and had plenty of time to spare. A little walk around the Boardwalk and Dolphin area kept us occupied and then it was time for me to leave.

One final tip is that, rather than endure a Mears Shuttle back to the airport, I took an Uber cab, using the app. It cost $42 in total, which was far more reasonable than the $75 quoted for a yellow cab.

Reflections:

Although the internal flights were exhausting, all of the hassle was worth spending just 1.25 days in WDW. In hindsight, I should have booked myself a few extra days and arranged my return flight from MCO to LHR, rather than back to DC, then LHR.

I should have also checked mydisneyplanner app as it turned out that Space Mountain had broken down anyway, and I’d been given the use of another fastpass! But I suppose I wouldn’t have had the time anyway!

I just hope that it isn’t too long before I’m able to return (I need to work on the DBF for this).

Thanks for reading!

 

[stephensmum]

Wow, you packed a lot in your short visit, thanks for sharing. Bet you can't wait to go back now. Is that a new ticker?

 

[BlueGoose]

Hi, thanks! I was a bit nervous about posting a TR (even if it was a short one!) as I've never done it before.

Unfortunately not - I need to update it!

 

[SilentK]

Thanks for posting, you packed so much in! I love the chocolate strawberries