A too short/long weekend trip report *Updated June 11/22

[Misscc1374]

Part 1

My 22 year old daughter and I did a 3 day trip last weekend and I thought I’d share since I love reading other reports.

It had been 9 years since our last trip to Disney. In the depths of the pandemic, when we were home on the couch day after day, we decided we’d do Disney when we could travel again. It felt like now was the time and the dates aligned nicely. I got a super cheap flight out of my southwestern Ontario city on a Canadian discount airline. Perfect! Booked the hotel, bought tickets, all ready to go- then Flair cancelled our flights 15 days out. Since our travel days were over the Canadian Victoria Day weekend, flights were astronomical (like, 1200 each on Air Canada). After a very stressful few days, I was able to book Frontier out of Buffalo and Southwest back. It cost about 75% more than my original flights and was way less convenient. However, we did get to stop at Target in Buffalo, so there is that I have officially been burned by Flair, like many others, and while I say I’ll never book them again, I know they’ll tempt me with their dirt cheap flights.

We left Saturday morning and had an uneventful drive to Buffalo. A bit of shopping later, we arrived at the airport and started getting texts that our flight was delayed. It ended up leaving about 75 minutes later than scheduled- we were supposed to leave at 5:35 pm and ended up leaving around 6:50. The flight was fine until we got close to Orlando, where there was an intense rainstorm. The pilot tried to land twice but had to continue to circle due to “wind shear”. We circled for about 1 hour and then finally, on the third try, we landed. There was an outburst of relieved clapping- it was very stressful and we were all happy to be on the ground. So, we finally landed at 10:30 ish. Rocky start!

It was still pouring when we stepped outside at the airport. My plan had been to take an uber- I had been watching the rates and rides from MCO had been in the $35-40 range all week. However, given the storm, it was now over $85 US for an uber to our resort! This was a last-minute budget trip, so that wasn’t going to work. I hopped on the Mears website on my phone, booked a shuttle for two for $35, and within minutes we were on a small shuttle van (it was late and there were not a lot of people, so that was great!). The driver was nice and we were on our way. The drive was quick and even though we couldn’t believe it, we were dropped off first. I felt our luck changing after a very anxiety-inducing few hours.

We stayed at the All Stars Sports Resort. I know it doesn’t get a lot of love here, and for good reason. It needs work. However, I work in the travel industry and had a special rate. This hotel was my only value option. I expected far, far worse though- the reviews out there are not good. The whole resort was very clean, staff friendly and theming over the top. I am the opposite of a sporty person, so the theme didn’t really speak to me, but once there I thought it was all very cute, especially the surfboard building. We were at the very far end of the resort, closer to the All Stars Music lobby than the Sports lobby- Building 8, Homerun Hotel. We passed the Football buildings everyday and they look to be almost done with a complete renovation, so I expect Homerun Hotel will be next. Once the rooms are renovated, I think this will be a nice option again.

Our room was very quiet. It was like a time capsule though- everything looked original to the mid-nineties. Outlets were not handy for phones, beds were small, the room was quite tiny (though adequate for 2 adults) and the safe had a key. A key! I haven’t seen that in decades. The bathroom taps were old and loose. It is definitely time for a revamp. There were no USB outlets, the bathroom is teeny and the room had an odd odour that kind of smelled like paint but also mildew. BUT! It was clean and the beds were comfortable. The bedding was nice and there was a newer flat screen tv (that we didn’t even turn on!). We were really there to do the parks, so we didn’t spend much time in the room. However, unless it’s an insane deal or you are guaranteed a renovated room, this might be a wait until they are done the renos situation.

The whole hotel was very quiet. There did not appear to be any teams or groups staying. We used the main pool and the quiet pool and enjoyed both, though there is a shortage of umbrellas (it was very hot). The cafeteria was fine, several options for breakfast and lunch. I found the food and drink prices reasonable- across the whole world, actually. Food is expensive everywhere right now and I didn’t feel especially gouged anywhere at WDW (except for alcohol- cocktails at the bar at the resort, and everywhere, are in the $15 plus range, which is closer to $20 CDN with a tip, which is nuts!). There were several healthy options and a little ice cream section.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the resort. Outside of the fact that the room needs a reno, the rest of the resort has the magic, in my opinion. I have previously stayed at the Port Orleans and the Boardwalk, so I do have a sense of the other categories.

More to come....

 

[Misscc1374]

Part 2

We fell right into bed- it was well after midnight by now. That 6 am alarm came too soon, but we wanted to rope drop epcot. We got coffee and muffins at the cafeteria (about $15) and ate them while we waited for the bus- about 8 minutes. We didn’t know if we’d be allowed to bring our coffee on board, but the driver didn’t seem to mind. We had almost the whole bus to ourselves and didn’t make any other stops. I originally planned to try to get around the World Showcase entrance to rope drop Remy, but decided at 7 am to just buy ILLs for it. I got 11:30 am, which was perfect. We did not buy Genie+ for today and I’m glad we didn’t- it wasn’t necessary.

We entered the front gates at Epcot. We have a nostalgic love affair with Soarin, so we rope-dropped it. We were in the first ride of the day, B2, and it was an incredible reintroduction to WDW after almost a decade. That grass/savannah smell went straight to the pleasure centre of the brain.

After Soarin, buzzing on endorphins, we quickly walked to Test Track and were on within minutes. It was super fun but what happened to the freezing cold and desert heat section? We then scooted over to Mission Space, which was also lots of fun and a new experience for my daughter, who was too scared to ride it last time. When we got off Mission Space it was still only 8:45. Though we have been to Epcot a few times before, we have never really “done” the world, so we planned to take our time. We got delicious iced coffees from the Joffreys stand by Mexico and leisurely strolled an almost empty pathway. This was a highlight- the sun was shining but it wasn’t too hot yet, I was in Disney, it wasn’t too crowded and I had ridden three rides in under an hour. Ahhhh.

We had a reservation at Le Creperie for 12 pm, which aligned nicely with our ILL for Remy. We strolled, checking out each pavilion, passing by France since we were coming back to it. It was starting to get hot, so we went to the Canada 365 film, where I got to sit for a minute in the waiting area and enjoy some AC. When we got out we doubled back to France. It was about 10:40 and we wandered the shops a bit, waiting for the ILL time. We were still quite early, at least 30 minutes, and my daughter suggested we try to tap in. The cast member gave us a slight nod and overrode the blue light, and it turned green and we were in. The ride is cute and fun, but quick. I enjoyed it but not 75 minutes in line worth.

We got off around 11:05 and were hungry. Our reservation wasn’t for a while. We decided to go see if we could check in early, and after about 3 minutes, they sat us. I found the cast members very flexible on things like this- early for LL, early for reservations. We really appreciated it.

Le Creperie was good! We split the prix fixe, which was soup or salad, one savoury crepe, one sweet crepe and one cider. We added a second cider and the server made sure to put the pricier cider with the prix fixe to save a few dollars. I found cast members doing stuff like that all over, which I thought was so nice. (Our Joffreys server gave us the AP prices so we didn’t have to scramble for change for our $10.35 bill, for example.) They brought an extra plate for the salad and the crepes were very authentic and delicious. My daughter had ham and cheese and I had salted caramel banana. The ciders hit the spot too. A lovely space and competent service, our bill was in the $50 range. We felt refreshed and decided to brave the frozen lineup.

When we arrived around noon, the sign said 75 minutes. We did have to wait, but we waited less than 45. I really felt for the parents holding sweaty, tired babies and toddlers in that line. The indoor holding room was warm with the hundreds of people in there, even the AC couldn't keep up. We were happy about the quick-moving line and both teared up at the “let it go” moment- core memory made there. I liked this ride way more than I expected to.

After Frozen, we were hot, sweaty, and tired. We headed for the front and hit spaceship earth. It was about 10 minutes wait but shady and breezy. That ball is truly awe-inspiring when you are standing under it! The ride brought back memories of our visit during the 25th anniversary when my companion this time was but a twinkle in my eye : ). It hasn’t changed much, and I’m good with that. After the ride, we dragged our hot selves to the bus and headed to the hotel for a swim. I can tell you in words how that pool feels after a half-day in 33-degree heat at the parks, but it won’t do it justice. Incredible. We went to the quiet ball diamond pool and there were only a few other adults there. We hung out for a few hours and then had a quiet hour or two in our room relaxing. We planned to go back to Epcot and stay till close, have a bit of dinner and see some fireworks.

More to come- I'm wordy haha!

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

Wordy in the best way. . Great report…looking forward to more!

 

[Misscc1374]

Part 3

**I wish I took more pictures so I could share them here. I just wasn't in photo-taking mode. We mostly took photos of how sweaty our faces were because it was hilarious and you don't want to see those. On one hand, I'm glad I was in the moment, but now that I'm home I'm kicking myself for not taking more.

On with Epcot.....

I opted to not do park hopper this trip for a few reasons. It was a budget trip for sure, and the park hopper added a few hundred bucks, But 2 pm is my valley time and the idea of ramping my energy back up to do a second park at that time is not for me. We chose our two favourite parks, Epcot and MK, and we were happy with that. I FOMOd Hollywood studios a bit, but I’ll come back again in the next few years. I need that mid-afternoon break to recharge and dip in the pool.

We headed back to epcot around 5:30 pm. We decided to bus to Hollywood Studios and Skyliner to Epcot. This was a good call- a really neat birds-eye view. The transfer at Caribbean beach was smooth and I was interested to get a look at Riviera. Sometimes being at Disney seems a bit like a fever dream- that hotel doesn’t look real to me- there is something odd about it. I’d still stay there in a heartbeat though! We really enjoyed the breeze and the ride. Highly recommend. We got to Epcot past six and went to Mexico to ride the Gran Fiesta. I know people love it but wowzers…it needs an update. Is that Acapulco in its early 80’s heyday in the video clip? Yikes.

We then wandered the world a little, looking at all the food booths. Nothing was really speaking to us- we had shared a sandwich, chips and beer by the pool earlier (about $22 from the cafeteria) and we weren’t ravenous. It was much, much busier, almost uncomfortably so- hard to navigate tighter pathways. Soon people were moving into fireworks position, but we weren’t really interested in watching. We continued to stroll, feet very sore. We finally grabbed a few pretzels and a veggies and dip tray from a stand and sat on a ledge outside of Soarin, people watching. Epcot closed at nine this night and it was about 8:20 so we decided to ride Soarin one more time. Our wait was a little longer than in the morning, about 25 minutes. Worth it a second time!

When we got out my daughter had funnel cake on the brain. We asked a few booths and they said they were available in America, the furthest away point from where we were. It was about 8:50 and we tried to run to get there before close at 9 but didn’t make it- didn't even make it halfway, to be honest! I didn’t know it could be so hot and sweaty at night. We gave up and headed to the bus, which felt like a very long walk. My stamina is not what it used to be and man, Disney is physically exhausting! We waited about 20 minutes for the bus, about 5th in line. The fireworks wrapped up and the line grew and grew behind us. The bus ride back to the resort seemed very long. Even with a break, rope drop to fireworks is a long and physical day.

We got ice cream cones in the cafeteria as a sad replacement for funnel cake and headed to our room. We were exhausted! We laid out our stuff for rope drop at MK and went to bed.

Earlier in the day, I had tested out purchasing Genie+ and realized that nothing happened when I touched the Purchase Now button. I had seen this issue once or twice on these boards and both times, the person reporting the issue had to go to the front desk. I couldn’t even imagine trying to put my feet into shoes again at this point, so I set my alarm for 5:30 am to go to the front desk (when I tell you I came home from my “vacation” more tired than when I left, I know you get it). I really didn’t want to miss out on using Genie+ at MK so it was worth it to me.

MK day report coming!

 

[erinch]

Following!

 

[moonshadow]

Following too!!!

 

[dmbcanada]

Sucks that Flair cancelled on you, think they are going to announce today that Flair will cease flying in Canada. They did major changes to our vacation without notice so we cancelled and got our money back and booked another airline.

 

[Misscc1374]

The alarm rang at 5:30; thank goodness I’m a morning person. I left my daughter sleeping and headed to the front desk to resolve my Genie+ issue. That went fine- the woman at the front desk manually added it and I paid with my visa. There was no resolution on why the button in the app didn’t work, just that it happens “occasionally”. I’d probably have stronger feelings if I was not on the property- if my whole plan was to stack LL from the airport or something. Make sure the button works before you need it!

The cafeteria was still closed so I headed back to the room and made a coffee with the in-room coffee maker. It wasn't awful! I had my little list of priorities for Genie+ and patiently waited for it to be 7. I wanted peter pan first at 7 and then Jungle cruise for my pick at 9 (we have a lot of nostalgia, what can I say). A digression about Genie+: One of my issues with Genie+, which I absolutely loved and we used the heck out of that day, is that you can’t look for a time in the future- I knew we’d take an afternoon break but I couldn’t stack as effectively because the park wasn’t crazy busy even though it seemed to be. So for a long period of time, there were a lot of choices between 3-5 when I know we would be in the pool at our resort. That meant I had to watch diligently when we were at the pool. You would think it would be possible to pick a time block when it worked for you, but that is not the system.

I roused my daughter and then hopped on Genie+ and refreshed just as the clock turned 7. My heart! Why was I so anxious lol! I scooped a Peter Pan for 9:40 am, which was perfect for us. Then, anticlimactically, that was it. Nothing else to do for 2 hours. And all this leftover adrenaline! We got ready, moving quite a bit slower than yesterday, and grabbed coffee in the cafeteria. We also filled our water bottle with ice and water from the dispensers. I accidentally got sparkling water on this morning and that is not as easy to chug when you are hot so don’t make that mistake haha!

The MK bus lineup was much, much longer than the Epcot line the day before. It was hot and in full sun. How about a little shade here, Disney? The less you pay to stay the less….shade you get? That seems a little cruel. We didn’t make it on the first bus but were first in line for the second, which came within about 10 minutes. We got off and headed to the front, where there was already a mega crowd. We were there for early hours which started at 8:30- park hours were 9 am to 11 pm today- and we arrived around 8:15. We had decided we wanted to go straight to Space Mountain. The gates were already open and you could make your way to whatever land you wanted to rope drop. We ooohed and awed at Main Street, taking it in while we hustled to Tomorrowland. If it’s been a while since you have been to Disney, it really does feel special to return. Main Street looked the same as I remembered but my child was an adult this time, so we could focus on the more adult details like the buildings, the looks of joy on people’s faces, etc. Going with kids is super fun, but going with your adult child is bliss in a different way.

We got to Tomorrowland and had to tap in to prove we were eligible for early entry. We speed walked to Space Mountain and were like “Wow, what is that big line for?” before getting halfway to the ride and realizing it WAS for space mountain. The line backed up to the bridge to Tomorrowland- super long. We hoped that this just meant that they hadn’t opened the indoor line yet. We stood for five or six minutes, my anxiety bubbling realizing we were missing early entry perks standing in a damn line, but I made peace with it. We soon started moving and basically slow-walked in the line until we reached the building. We did end up waiting in line for approximately 35 minutes, but we were still fresh and we were at the MK, and Space Mountain is top 3 for us, so I’m glad we waited. However, I don’t think they even opened the ride until 9, so it is possibly a waste for early entry (unless of course, that was just the case that day- who knows).

Space Mountain is rougher than I remember, but more likely I am just older. It was very exhilarating and one of my absolute faves, but I did find it a bit scary (again, old). After SM, we had to hit out Peter Pan LL. We were a bit early but were able to tap in. The line was 75 minutes and it is a genuine high to bypass it. The ride seemed really quick to us but nostalgic. I booked our haunted mansion LL while we were in the very short line. We had about an hour until that LL so we waited about 10 minutes for It’s a Small World. Cute, yes, but lonnnngggg. A must-do? No. A classic though.

An opinion on staff- I have seen some chatter about the staff seeming different. I’d agree. But- I like the change. I was never one for the fake, weird subservience of cast members in the past- It actually turned me off of Disney for a while. I like the Gen Z take. Smiling, enthusiastic, but real. I saw cast members bringing a bit of themselves to the costume with tattoos, hair colour, doc martens, etc. I loved it. I also felt like they were way more honest if you got to chatting. We talked to quite a few younger cast members and they seemed quite open to talking about their jobs- but were also quick to say that they loved working at Disney. Our Uber driver to the airport really chatted us up- turns out she is also a Disney photographer. She raved about the company and how lucky she and others felt to be back to something like normal. It seemed- fresh or something. I liked it. Now, those faded, ugly windbreakers they make the All Star Sports folks wear- that’s another story! Lol.

Back to MK. After IASW, we still had funnel cake on the brain, so we went to Sleepy Hollow. The wait was about 20 minutes. It is fascinating to me that each food stand only makes three or four things. It makes sense from a speed perspective. All the tables were full, so we found a shady spot on the ground in the little alleyway. We gobbled that funnel cake! There was also some kind of sparkly, blue drink my daughter got- we thought it was meh. The sparkles were a bit disconcerting. Refreshed, it was time for our HM LL. Well, early again but the cast member loomed over us in a very spooky way and said “I’ll allow it” in a creepy HM voice. We giggled. Again, we bypassed the line and got as close as the double doors. We were in the stretching room within about 5. There were no limits on people at all- crowd in as much as possible type thing. I thought they might still be observing some distancing but no. HM was as awesome as ever, but man we stopped a lot- 5 times? Kind of takes you out of the moment a little. I had booked a LL for Pirates while in the HM line. After HM, we walked slowly towards Pirates. Our LL time was about 40 minutes out and we asked if we could go early, it’s the only time anyone said no. However, the standby line said 30 so we decided to just wait. We were through the line in about 20. While in line, I canceled the Pirates LL and booked Big Thunder. We loved Pirates, that smell- chlorine and fake smoke, literal perfume! We really loved it. We finished up and headed right to our big thunder LL. My daughter had never ridden this and it was so much fun! It’s a good one.

By this time, it was 12:15 and we had done 6 rides, including 4 must-dos, and had a funnel cake. Not too shabby of a morning! We had a lunch reservation for the Plaza at 12:30 so we headed that way. We checked in and were told to wait for a text. The parade was happening, so we were going to stroll over to watch but the text came in about a minute, so we didn’t. I’d never been to this restaurant before. I had salad and my daughter had the club. It was fine, nothing special, but nice to sit to eat and get out of the heat. I haven’t really mentioned the heat, but it was oppressive. It makes everything feel harder. We were sweaty and had very sore feet, so we decided at lunch that it was time to head to the hotel to get out of the hottest part of the day. Our bill was around $40 with two iced teas. I thought you couldn’t get booze at the MK- maybe that’s Disneyland in California?- but they had beer and wine available. We finished up and walked through the stores all the way to the gate, stopping to admire the large Pride merch collection (yay Disney!). We had also never heard of the Loungefly bags but EVERYONE had them. We tried to play “Let’s count the Loungefly bags in line” and gave up after a few minutes because we were already in the teens. So we had a little look and then decided to ride the monorail for a loop. Ok, I decided, and it was quickly obvious that this was a misstep. It took forever, the view of the resorts was fine but not very exciting and we were tired. Ah well, we did it. So about 40 minutes later, we were on a bus to our hotel, where we swam and snoozed for a few hours.

Next, we head back to MK!

 

[Misscc1374]

We swam, sunned and rested by the pool for a few hours, then in the dark air conditioning of the room. Around 5:30 we felt ready to reemerge. Judge ye, if you must, but we were hankering McDonalds because we had been passing it repeatedly for a few days (it’s at the entrance to the all star resort area). Yes, I know, all that good Disney food, but sometimes only a big mac will do. We had a dilemma, however. It’s a bit of a walk. We just could not face the walk in the heat, so I am ashamed to say we took a 3 minute uber. WORTH IT. Especially worth it to see that very strange McDonalds, with no kitchen or cashiers visible. Is this how all new McD’s look in the US? It was very new for us. You use kiosks to order, grab a plastic number card for your table and someone brings you your tray. That’s the only interaction with staff, otherwise they aren’t visible. It was very futuristic in a “do I want the future to be like this” way.

Full of our absolute garbage but delicious meal, we had another dilemma- uber back to get the bus from the resort, or just uber to the TTC. We Ubered to the TTC for about $17. I do like arriving by monorail. I had been stacking LL all afternoon and had a jungle cruise and pirates lined up, along with another that is fading from memory. We had a Dole Whip that was stunningly delicious in Adventureland and then rode Jungle Cruise. It was fun but our group was flat as a board. There was a private VIP group of about 12 that walked on even ahead of LL folks and, let me tell you, money must not buy happiness, cause they didn’t crack a smile the whole time. We were also at the back and man, that motor is deafening. I was struggling to hear over the roar of it, which was disappointing. But, cute as always (ignore the dozens of water bottles floating here and there).

We wrapped up and headed to pirates, but it was down, so we got a bonus LL for anything (except about 4 rides) so that was cool. We had a second dole whip, this time a float, and sat people-watching by the Flying Carpet ride. The sun had passed it’s peak so it was pleasant to just sit and look around. My daughter insisted on Swiss Family Treehouse, which was empty, and I can’t remember enjoying it because I was feeling faint from wheezing haha. Not a hot weather activity. I think the Disneyland version is better, because I definitely have fond memories that don’t align with seeing this again. At this point, I seem to recall we could grab a LL for almost any ride a few minutes out so we were just walking onto rides- buzz lightyear, SM again, Barnstormer (the chorus of “That’s it?” from everyone on that ride made it worth it!). We were having trouble using our anything LL because we didn’t really need it- we were going to try to time Big Thunder with the fireworks because I bet that is cool- but we couldn’t fathom dragging ourselves to that end of town again. It was starting to get dark and I needed a minute, so went to Philharmagic, which, darn it, is just excellent. Why did I enjoy that so much? We also watched some people a few rows up empty a whole can of Lysol onto the seats before sitting down so that was interesting. Whatever you need to feel safe, I guess.

We came out of Philharmagic and were about 25 minutes from the fireworks. We didn’t really care to watch them officially, but of course would appreciate them overhead from wherever we were. We decided to hop in the Snow White Mine Train line, It said 55 minutes but we breezed through in about 25. Neat line up, fast moving and really fun ride. We loved it, glad I didn’t have to pay for an ILL, but super fun. We still had out anything LL so we wasted it on Pooh, then ran over to the teacups while the fireworks were exploding overhead- a very Disney magic moment. We decided to boot it out to beat the crowd but the fireworks wrapped up just as we hit the bridge from Tomorrowland to the castle. Another Disney magic moment- they opened a huge gate off to the side of the Plaza restaurant and funneled people through a laneway adjacent to Main Street that I had no idea existed. SUPER COOL! Thank goodness we didn’t have to fight through Main street- I wasn’t up for it.

Bus, home, crash, aching feet, legs literally vibrating, totally satiated. Last day tomorrow, no park tickets. No obligations.