A Magical Anniversary in the WILDERNESS *Pixie Dust Everywhere* Completed 11/19 New TR Link

[Cloe Colton]

Jambo! Welcome back to another trip report. This is my second trip report and after doing my first one I found I really enjoyed this way of documenting and reliving my trip! If you want to check out my first one here is the link: Spring Break 2018 Lets Go Get Some Pics for Insta!

This trip was planned to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, I explain how this trip came to be in my PTR here: 2018 The Year of Getting the Most out of my AP!




Introductions! My name is Cloe and I am a lifelong Disney fan and live for all things Disney. My DH, Dan, on the other hand didn’t start going to Disney until he came with my family about six years ago. He enjoys going and we always have a good time together. For the most part, he’ll vacation just about anywhere but he knows what he signed up for with me and just enjoys the Disney ride! We are high school sweethearts and have been together ten years, so really it feels like a tenth anniversary more than a first anniversary! Ha!

Cloe



Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom

Favorite Ride: Flight of Passage

Favorite Restaurant: Jiko

Favorite Character: Cinderella/Rapunzel

Dan



Favorite Park: Animal Kingdom

Favorite Ride: People Mover

Favorite Restaurant: California Grill

Favorite Character: Mickey Mouse

This trip was so full of magic and pixie dust and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
​

 

[Nakkira]

On Board!

 

[Cloe Colton]

On Board!

Welcome!

 

[amazingact21]

Hi! I'm jumping in and following along!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 1: Travel Day

I swear the week before our trip went by at a turtle’s pace. We were leaving on a Thursday night and Monday through Wednesday at work felt like they took a month to go by! But I suppose that’s what happens when you are so excited to go to Disney World!

On Thursday I worked half of my day from the office and worked the afternoon from home. I would have preferred to work from home the whole day but I was told I would have a training that morning that would need to take place in office (I didn’t but oh well!). At noon sharp I booked it out of the office and went straight home. Thankfully, the second part of my work day flew by and at 2:30 I was logging off. I used some time off to log out early which I soon came to regret!

Our flight was leaving at 6:50PM, so the plan was for Dan to get home by 3PM and we would leave for the airport at 4PM giving us plenty of time to get there in rush hour traffic (we don’t get a lot of traffic in our area but enough that we need a half hour buffer to get to the airport!) My Mom would be driving us to the airport and then picking up our dog to bring to her house on her way home. Even though we would be getting in to Orlando late with our flight, I still figured we could enjoy what night we did have left and maybe grab some food from the Contempo Café since I had rented points to stay at Bay Lake Tower for our first night.

Well, at 2:51PM I received a text that our flight was delayed until 8:05PM. Bummer. No worries though! Only an hour delay, and we should miss rush hour traffic with the delay so I texted my Mom that we would wait until 5:30PM to head to the airport (Definitely could have worked the rest of my day and saved two hours PTO!). And even with the hour delay we figured we would still have some time to grab some food and hang out at the resort that night.

So, after reading the text and getting everyone sorted I finished making the bed because I was determined that we would have a clean house to come home to and I was SO happy I did that. Joy took some time to sit with the pillows and look cute!



We took our extra time and decided to go grab some food from Burger King and stop by TJ Maxx since we were hoping to grab another luggage tag anyway.

At 4:18PM while we were in TJ Maxx I received a text that our flight was delayed until 9:25PM! Now we were annoyed. Almost a three-hour delay surely meant all of our fun night plans were ruined and staying in Bay Lake Tower was basically $60 wasted since we could have just stayed at Pop like I’d originally planned (still wouldn’t have been free but cheaper). We were so bummed, and the hard part about a delayed flight is there’s nothing that can be done. I even checked to see if any other flights were available and this was the last remaining flight out of Buffalo to Orlando. I tweeted Southwest and they responded it was maintenance issue that was causing the delay which really didn’t get my hopes up. So we took a deep breath and PRAYED that the flight didn’t get altogether cancelled. We really despise early morning flights due to the lack of sleep and the nausea we feel when we take them. We would still gladly take a delayed flight than flying out early the next day and REALLY losing out on the money spent for the room!

So we took our purchases from TJ Maxx and headed home to cuddle our pug, Joy before we left for the airport in a million hours. (Dramatic I know but I just wanted to get to Disney!) We told my Mom that we would leave around 7PM to head to the airport.

Well at like 6PM I was feeding Joy since I thought we had another hour before leaving. I had a major panic moment when I opened the app and it was telling me that I HAD to check in at the counter since it was too close to the original boarding time. I’ve had flights delayed in the past but I’ve always already been in the airport when they happened. So I started googling when the counters close for flights and most answers I found said that even if a flight is delayed and you check in after the original boarding time your seats are technically allowed to be sold or you can be denied boarding. Can someone please tell me if this is true? Because I definitely didn't put the theory to the test!

I called my Mom in a panic and told her to come pick us up ASAP because we needed to get to the airport like now. Of course since she thought she had until 7PM she was out getting food for her and my Dad for dinner. So she hurried and was home pretty quick. We quickly threw our luggage in the car and raced out of the house. I opted to drive to the airport and just have my Mom drive the car home. I was way too anxious to be in the passenger seat and have no control over how we were driving.

We got to the airport at 6:48 and our original boarding time was 6:50. We did take a minute to grab a photo at the curb though! (I figured at that point one minute couldn't hurt!)
​

They let us check in no problem so I have no idea what would have happened had we shown up later. I’m sure during a midday flight when there are later flights it’s probably fine to check in whenever but we were the last flight going out and I don’t know if they would have had a skeleton crew to help us. Either way, we made it and we were just happy to have our luggage checked! They also knew that our flight was in the air and on its way so that was a relief to hear too because I was convinced that my Mom would be heading back to the airport to get us.

Once those fears subsided, we realized how annoyed we were that we still had two hours to kill before our flight that should have been taking off right then. I politely asked the woman checking our bags in if we would receive any sort of compensation for the delay (I previously had a SW flight get delayed three hours and they gave everyone on the flight $100 vouchers) so I figured it was worth asking. She didn’t really respond but started typing on her computer so we just stayed put until she said something else. It didn’t feel like she was blowing us off so we both just stayed quiet. After a few minutes she printed out two vouchers for us, each worth $200! We were both blown away. We thanked her profusely (although we deserved something for all the hassle) and were like well I guess we can take another trip now! (December weekend trip currently being planned! )



Flights - $89 (I used SW points for my flight)

Bay Lake Tower - $228

Total for night 1 - $317

Less our $400 flight vouchers – ($83)

So our flights were cheap to begin with, I had grabbed them when they were $89 and I actually used SW points I’d accumulated from previous flights to pay for my flight. Plus, I got a great last minute renters deal on the night at Bay Lake Tower so that was pretty cheap to begin with. So overall, we were in the green $83! Even though we weren’t even out of Buffalo yet we were already feeling the pixie dust!

We decided once we made it through security that we would grab a second dinner (it’s the start of vacation that’s allowed right? Lol) at the Anchor Bar in the terminal.



Dan had a couple of beers and we split a quesadilla and onion rings, everything hit the spot! I am such a sucker for bar food.




It was all really good and definitely perked us up! To be honest, sitting in the bar area instead of hanging at the gate made the time go by much faster.




Before we knew it, it was time to board the plane!




I paid for early bird check in for the two of us going there and back. Which I was happy I did because I would have missed the 24 hour mark the night before because I was definitely not paying attention to the time! Plus, most people flying out of Buffalo and into Orlando are families heading to Disney or Universal so they all get the family boarding after the A group. So unless you manage to check in to get an A spot you are kind of sunk for getting seats together. It actually ended up not being a full flight and we probably would have been fine but it was worth the money spent to me! (I guess we actually were only $23 in the green if I include the EB boarding haha). However, my main reason for getting EB boarding though was knowing we would be out at sea 24 hours ahead of our flight home and there would be no way of checking us in. I know you can choose just one way if you want but this vacation was already so far in the hole of spending money I just got both ways!




We found a seat pretty close to the front and waited for everyone else to board.



And it was time to take off! You would think this might be the end of day one but there is so much more to come!​

 

[Cloe Colton]

Hi! I'm jumping in and following along!

Welcome!!

 

[scrappydew]

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[emilyhuff]

OMG JOY. What a cutie. like so cute. I have such an unrealistic obsession with pugs but I know I'll never be a dog person!

So sorry you had a delay! Glad the flight ended up going out though!

So excited to read more about your trip!

 

[Bama Mom]

Following along.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Following along! That was a great deal for BLT - too bad you weren't able to enjoy it more!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Looking forward to reading more!

Following along.

Thanks for following along! Our first day ended up being pretty long so I had to cut it short! haha

OMG JOY. What a cutie. like so cute. I have such an unrealistic obsession with pugs but I know I'll never be a dog person!

So sorry you had a delay! Glad the flight ended up going out though!

So excited to read more about your trip!

Thank you! She has us wrapped around her little paw! haha shes also the sweetest little pup ever that I wish everyone could meet her! But photos will have to do! We had a couple more hiccups even after the delay but you'll see it all works out!! Thanks for joining!

Following along! That was a great deal for BLT - too bad you weren't able to enjoy it more!

Right?? It actually all works out in the end!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 1 Pt 2

And back to our story!




Our flight was smooth and uneventful (thankfully!) and the views were pretty great! We landed around 12:10AM. Quite the difference from the 9:50PM we had expected! But we were there and safe and that’s all that mattered!



It didn’t take too long for our luggage to come out. I always get so nervous that one of our luggage won’t have made it. Do I ever prep for this and pack what I need in my carry-on? Nope! I just take the chance and stand in knots haha

We saw an advertisement for Toy Story land while we were waiting and I was so excited!



We left the airport after getting our rental car at 12:50AM and didn’t make it to Bay Lake Tower until 2:00AM! Now we had accepted the fact that we were getting in late but we expected a nice 30-minute drive and we got one that took over an hour. Why, do you ask? Well, we were stuck in dead stand still traffic on the main road into the MK resorts area. We aren’t sure if there was some sort of construction going on for the new resorts bypass or if there was an accident but it was rough and there was nowhere to go but sit and wait. We sat in the traffic for 30 minutes just not moving at all. I wanted to cry because at this point we were just exhausted from working all day and our delayed flight that we just wanted to get to our hotel, shower and go to sleep and pretend tomorrow was the start of our vacation.

Eventually we started moving, almost got side swiped by a good ole Disney bus and then we FINALLY made it to Bay Lake Tower.




As we were walking in there was a sign that said Bay Lake Tower would be without water from 11:45PM to 6AM.



Not the best picture, but a screen grab from a video I was taking as we walked in. Again, we both were just like are you serious? No showers? We can’t even wash our face if we want. Forget about flushing the toilet! We took a deep breath and just tried to be happy that we were in Disney, at Bay Lake Tower and we could see Space Mountain from our window. Which was REALLY cool to see.



As we were unpacking our things we would need for the night I came across a letter on the table that was from the General Manager of the resort that offered up her email and said if there was anything we needed to comment on, good or bad to email her there. (I think this is standard practice in all of the hotels now but I thought it was just there because of the no water situation!) Honestly, I may have been delirious at this point but I figured you know what, why not send an email. It’s the beginning of our trip so even if they take a few days to respond maybe we can get a free fastpass for our inconvenience.

After I sent the email we were watching some weird Snoop Dogg game show to try and relax a minute before going to sleep and then the room phone rang. I answered and it was the night manager calling to see if there was anything he could do to help make us more comfortable. Including moving us to the Contemporary Tower because they still had water. I knew it would be a hassle to move but they were going to bring a bellman to help so I said sure, why not right?

While walking over he did offer us three anytime fastpasses that would only be good for the next day for our inconvenience, which we were excited about! We already had a FOP fp for the next day (FOP was excluded from the list) but who can’t use more fps?? So as we were walking over they had rooms we could pick from on floors 5, 7 and 10. I of course picked the 10th floor because who wouldn’t? lol

Well the manager opened the door to the room and someone had already been moved there and was sleeping. Whoops! The manager was really embarrassed that had happened and DID NOT want it to happen again (he said he would compensate them for the intrusion). So he called the front desk and was telling her to triple check that no one had recently entered whatever room they were going to give us. Because of that he told us he was going to refund us the cost of the room for Bay Lake Tower since this was all such an inconvenience. We waited by the elevators for a bit before he suggested we go and wait in the lobby. We waited maybe another ten minutes and then they finally found us a room and to our utter surprise they were giving us a club level room! I had to internalize my excitement, I was afraid if I acted too excited they would take it away! Even though it was only one night I was so excited. I no longer cared that it was 3 in the morning or that we had been delayed so long or gotten stuck in traffic. This was magical pixie dust! I’m usually not this lucky when it comes to anything Disney and it really turned around the sour taste we had in our mouths.




I was out of my skin excited!



Look the monorail was sleeping!


(Boomerang - click to watch)

It was a great end to an otherwise crappy travel day! And the PERFECT start to our magical anniversary trip!
​

 

[Lesley Wake]

Well the manager opened the door to the room and someone had already been moved there and was sleeping. Whoops! The manager was really embarrassed that had happened and DID NOT want it to happen again (he said he would compensate them for the intrusion). So he called the front desk and was telling her to triple check that no one had recently entered whatever room they were going to give us. Because of that he told us he was going to refund us the cost of the room for Bay Lake Tower since this was all such an inconvenience.

Wow! That is just a string of craziness! How did they refund the money if you rented points?

We waited maybe another ten minutes and then they finally found us a room and to our utter surprise they were giving us a club level room! I had to internalize my excitement, I was afraid if I acted too excited they would take it away! Even though it was only one night I was so excited. I no longer cared that it was 3 in the morning or that we had been delayed so long or gotten stuck in traffic. This was magical pixie dust! I’m usually not this lucky when it comes to anything Disney and it really turned around the sour taste we had in our mouths.

Nice!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Wow! That is just a string of craziness! How did they refund the money if you rented points?

I was wondering that too because I was like how are they going to know what I paid especially when I got such a good deal but they refunded what I assume was the rack rate for that night or maybe the lowest discounted price? They refunded us $560 though! So it more than paid for what we rented the points and basically paid the tax on the rest of our trip so we were very happy and thankful!!!

 

[amazingact21]

Wow, that was kind of a whirlwind of an arrival day! You had to deal with a lot of setbacks, but they all seemed to work out in your favor in the end. How great that you got an airline voucher and a room change. That was a long time for a resort to be without water! All those sweaty, stinky bodies coming back from a day in the parks and not able to shower until the next morning? Yuck.

 

[emilyhuff]

WOW! I hope you enjoyed the benefits of club level the next morning! That is SO awesome! I feel bad for the manager though, his job can't be easy!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Wow, that was kind of a whirlwind of an arrival day! You had to deal with a lot of setbacks, but they all seemed to work out in your favor in the end. How great that you got an airline voucher and a room change. That was a long time for a resort to be without water! All those sweaty, stinky bodies coming back from a day in the parks and not able to shower until the next morning? Yuck.

Yeah in the moment it felt like I really hope the whole trip isn't like this but I'll take them all again in a heartbeat for how it all worked out!!

I was also really surprised by the water outage too. Especially in a DVC hotel, if I were paying that kind of money I'd be really frustrated about it. Although I'm imagining the sign was probably up the whole day prior and hopefully warned everyone to get back in time for a shower? At least I hope! lol

WOW! I hope you enjoyed the benefits of club level the next morning! That is SO awesome! I feel bad for the manager though, his job can't be easy!

We definitely did! And yeah I was definitely feeling bad for him too! We were very calm during the whole thing but I imagine there might be people who were over the top. I was actually happy he was with us though because he told us he almost just sent the bellman to move us by himself and idk if he would have had a clue what to do in that situation!

 

[bluejasmine]

Oh wow rocky start but what an amazing ending to your arrival night!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Oh wow rocky start but what an amazing ending to your arrival night!

Yes it was an amazing end!! I was trying so hard the whole time to just remain positive, Im going to Disney/in Disney but man that no water thing hit me like a ton of bricks lol

 

[Cloe Colton]

Hope everyone is having a magical weekend!

I meant to include this in the introduction but if anyone wants to follow myself or our pug Joy on instagram here are our handles!

cloe_girl1 and joybabythepug




If not, here's a cute dose of doggy cuteness