CareBlairs Commando Cure Feb 11-19, 2005

[CareBlair]

CareBlairs Commando Cure Feb 11-19, 2005
Yes, you read that right…it’s taken me nearly a year to write this report!

Cast of Characters
Me-obsessive trip report reader, planner, recovering commando; fourth trip to WDW (’74 ’89 ‘94)
Grumpy-DH, an affectionate curmudgeon; second time to WDW
Widget-DD (6), fun-loving Daddy’s girl & pressed penny fanatic; second visit to WDW

Initially I’d decided not to write a trip report for this visit, because I was afraid it would be too negative. But after posting our Hong Kong Disneyland trip report, planning a late November 2006 trip and reading some more fantastic recent reports (ZZUB…you rock, dude!), I’m finally in the mood.

This Feb 2005 trip was supposed to be our “commando cure” trip from the May 2004 trip, but it turned out to be the trip that kicked our butts. Instead of a blow-by-blow, I just want to gripe a bit (no flaming, please!), recap some highlights and offer a few helpful hints & timely suggestions— or “What I Have Finally Learned About Visiting WDW After Two Trips”—for those of you getting ready to head out to the World next month.

I’ll start with the highlights first so you won’t think I’m a total pill…don’t get me wrong, there was a lot we enjoyed over the nine days. Our goal was to repeat the great time we’d had in 2004 and do all the things on our “See/Do Next Time” list.

Highlights…
-My husband was selected as the Veteran of the Day for the Magic Kingdom flag retreat ceremony…we both cried!
-Devine at Animal Kingdom…we could have watched her forever!
-Lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table…we were treated and felt just like royalty!
-4 for a Dollar’s opening act before Beauty & the Beast Live on Stage…don’t miss them!
-Voices of Liberty at the American Adventure…lump in my throat & tears in my eyes
-DD Widget loved having her face painted at MGM, the Family Magic Tour at MK with Peter Pan & Wendy & the Pirates Adventure cruise

We’re going back on Thanksgiving Friday for nine days to…
-Be cured once and for all of chronic commando-ness
-Soak up the Christmas ambiance at Magic Kingdom & experience Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
-Warm our hearts with the true Spirit of Christmas at the Candlelight Processional
-Get a table at Rose & Crown and finally see all of IllumiNations—third time’s the charm!
-Have dinner at ‘Ohana at the Poly and watch Wishes from the beach or enjoy a Wishes fireworks cruise
-Ride Expedition Everest…OK, not me, I’m a ride weenie
-To enjoy more street performers like Gi-Tar-Dan (AK), Mulch, Sweat & Shears and Utility Works (MGM), the Dapper Dans and the Notorious Banjo Brothers & Bob (MK)
-More turkey legs and Dole Whips!

We thought attendance in mid-Feb, avoiding President’s Day weekend, would be light. We were wrong…we didn’t know about the cheerleaders!

We missed a hard-won & coveted fireworks cruise our first night because we spent over two hours trying to get from Ft. Wilderness to the dock at the Contemporary via the slow & over-crowded busses. Yes, I know…a better way would have been via the launch to TTC then the monorail to the Contemporary, but we needed to go back to POFQ for jackets. In the end, we skipped trying to get back to our room and just kept trying to get to the Contemporary.

We didn’t make it, missed the boat and were bitterly disappointed. The transportation manager at the Magic Kingdom admitted to us that they were unprepared for the unexpectedly high attendance due to the cheerleading event. Lesson learned: always go from resort-to-resort via a park if possible and avoid Downtown Disney as a transfer station at all costs, especially on a weekend night!

When we checked in to POFQ earlier that day at 2 p.m. we were assigned a room that met only one of our requests, for a non-smoking room (we’d requested garden-view, king, non-smoking, ground floor in Bldg 2, 3,4 or 5). I realize room assignments are not guaranteed, but to check in at 2 p.m. and get only one of the requests? The desk clerk said the hotel was fully booked and there were no more king rooms. During value season?

We accepted an alternately assigned non-smoking, ground floor room (1108), which ended up being on the backside of a building furthest from the main building, facing the parking lot. I know someone has to get these lovely rooms, but I just didn’t want it to be me! The travel agent has advised me that POFQ does not like to assign more than two people to a king room, which I think is a silly policy. As an AP holder and returning WDW guest, I guess I expected a little more consideration. But I suppose the other 795 AP-holding, returning WDW guests checking in to POFQ that day did too! Oh, well…..

But to add insult to injury, there were cobwebs in the room, burnt light bulbs and a lot of dust on the tables. After speaking to the registration desk, leaving a letter for the head of housekeeping and making a call or two, the light bulbs were finally changed after three days, but the cob webs were never swept away (we finally did that ourselves). Upon returning to my room one afternoon from doing laundry, my key card would not work. Luckily I had my cell phone with me with the direct number to POFQ preprogrammed. I called the front desk and they asked me to come to the front to reprogram my cardkey. I explained I had a suitcase of laundry with me which I preferred not to have to lug from the backside of Bldg 1 all the way to the front desk and back. So in the end, a CM brought me replacement keys while I waited outside the room. Upon entering the room, I discovered someone had dropped off a cot, which we had not requested. It took them over 24 hours to remove the cot. Lesson learned: do not hold very high expectations for your room location or condition and you won’t be disappointed. But do politely speak up when you are not receiving that for which you are paying.

Some other disappointments were:
-the audio feed was not playing on Kilimanjaro Safari—where was the Ranger? And what’s happening to Big & Little Red?
-Buzz was down for most of EMH and Space Mountain went down that night, too
-DD Widget smashed her finger in the spring-loaded lockers at Animal Kingdom
-Widget got sand kicked in her face by another guest’s child while waiting for the parade at MGM; a tense run to First Aid while praying that she will listen to me and not rub her sand-impacted eyes. We made it, thanks to Grumpy carrying her as swiftly as he could thru the parade crowds to the First Aid station. But the rest of the day was a downer.
-Widget ended up with a low-grade fever later in the day of the here’s-sand-in-yer-eyes incident, which was also the day we had tickets for Hoop Dee Do Revue. None of us could enjoy the evening at all; in retrospect, should have tried to reschedule to see HDD another night, but I didn’t know that was possible at the time

After re-reading my reports on these last two trips, I realized the classic planning & touring mistakes we made had a lot to do with our disappointments. We have realized that we prefer to stay at a resort that does not rely totally on the buses for transportation (Wilderness Lodge, here we come!). We have realized that we will take mandatory afternoon breaks. We will not go commando from open to close every day. And we will definitely schedule a down day in the middle of the trip. TourGuideMike is my new best friend—he is my Sensei, I am his Little Grasshopper.

Thanks for listening to me whine…I knew you DISers would be understanding…86,000 of the best friends a girl ever had!

 

[dutton]

I actually really liked your trip repor! I can totally relate to the hotel issue--last Oct our church group went to WDW and stayed at ASMovies;We has stayed at the sports, so i was ok with that although we usually stayed at Shades of Green. Well, you are right when they are packed it's like they lose all the disney magic!! Our room was the last of ten rooms and the previous visitors had been there a week and refused maid service and smoked!! Our mousekeeper did an excellent job of trying to clean it, but by the time we arrived back that night even the wallpaper wreaked of smoke! I should of requested a room change, but my parents were at SOG and we were to stay w/them the rest of our trip. Did you not use TGMike's advice during your Feb stay? My group overruled most of his suggestions and we ended up paying for it! We are taking a trip in Dec the week before Christmas (dec 17-22) and I am praying that his advice will be right on the money b/c I will adhere to all his suggestions this time! I used his plans for our dec trip in 2004 but that was the week after Thanksgiving and it was much slower. Well, I am glad that you still love it enough to return again--better luck next trip!

 

[CareBlair]

dutton, to answer your question about using TourGuideMike...

I'd subscribed to TGM for our May 2004 trip. I thought he gave excellent advice and we followed it, for the most part, for that trip.

By this trip, evening EMH were being offered. And I discovered the Unofficial Guide's suggestions on touringplans.com. So, we tried taking advantage of evening EMH and still get to parks in the morning by opening. This really doesn't work for us.

I haven't quite figured out how to get to the parks by opening with a child who needs 10-12 hours of sleep per night when we are not arriving back at the hotel until past 11 p.m. (or much later if attending evening EMH). Most of the time we were arriving at the parks at 10 a.m. or later.

We tried taking breaks in the afternoon, but I guess we were waiting too late. By the time we'd get back to the hotel, rest and try to get back to a park, we felt rushed.

The resort room location was a constant thorn in my side, especially after a long day. Our last two trips have been scheduled during traditionally lower attendance periods, but that hasn't always been the reality when we get there. The daily attendance chart on TouringPlans.com is a real eye opener. I'm pleased as punch for Disney, but it puts a real damper on the fun factor for guests.

I remember walking all the way around WS at Epcot on a Thursday night, over an hour before IllumiNations, looking for a place to watch the show. It was wall-to-wall guests, not one place along the rail was open and all the benches were taken. A public announcement was made that the show would start in one hour and that there were still lots of good places available around WS from which to watch the show. I exclaimed out loud in frustration, "Where? Tell me where there is still one opening!"

The character flaw I struggle with is overcoming disappointment when my plans don't go as carefully laid. I need to learn to let it roll like water on a duck's back! It's a theme park, for the love of TourGuideMike, and we are on vacation! That high expectation for a wonderful WDW experience is fed by all these great trip reports!

So, still trying to formulate a plan for late Nov/early Dec, and not obsess about it, but it's tough...

 

[fizz13]

Thankyou for sharing your views and experiences.I didn't find your report too negative, just accurate and constructive for the future. Here's hoping that your future trips are filled with pixiedust. BTW, I love TGM ,

Claire xx

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your report ~ Thanx for sharing.