Did you say nose picker or nose peeker? Our April 2021 trip! Update 8/19** complete!

[Boopuff]

That is funny, everyone thinks Hammer is such a weird name haha, we love it, he is such a wonderful dog! Is your husband strong? I’m guessing maybe he is with a nickname like Hammer.

Yes Hammer is a nickname.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Day 1, Part 2, “A Wonderful Homecoming”

Hi Everyone

Before I move on to our evening in MK, I wanted to talk a little more about Gran Destino. First, there is one quick service open in the main building. You need to walk out of the towers to this area, you can do it via the outside or inside. It is not to far, however, if you are getting food to bring back, it may seem a little long.

The QS at CSR did not offer mobile ordering. The 3 Bridges lounge did offer this service. When you enter the QS, you let the CM know what you want and they go in the back and get it for you. Everything is served in to go containers. The menu is also very limited, only 5-6 different menu items. I thought my burger and waffle fries would suffer from the to go service. I was wrong, my burger was actually juicy and did not taste like the typical QS Disney burger and the waffle fries were actually hot and crispy.

This was our 1 and only meal here and it was solid!

Our room was very clean and had a very crisp and clean smell when we walked in. I did feel very confident the room was cleaned well. The remote is in a plastic bag. Andi sprayed all the touch points in the room with her spray sanitizer, she is serious about protecting us, lol

We wished Disney provided a liquid hand soap instead of just the face soap in bar form.
Another lobby picture


We decided to head out to MK around 5pm, the park was open until 9pm. We walked down to the bus area to get a MK bus. The bus stop is basically right out the main entrance and down a few steps. The one negative is the tower is the last bus stop. This could be a problem if the buses are already full when they arrive.

At this time, the bus arrived quickly and it was not full. We were assigned our seats by the bus driver and we were off to MK. We are so excited at this time, giddy perhaps!

We arrived, yay! The first check point is the temperature screening, (which I hear is being phased out now), this was always very quick. Next was the new and improved security. This was so much more efficient and we did not need to take anything out and walked right through the detectors. We used our magic bands for everything on this trip. They were testing facial recognition while we visited.

Oh be still my heart we arrived at the MK, the emotions that we had, priceless. I was very happy and honestly did not take many pictures. I was just to excited and in awe of being back to our happy place. We stared up and down Mainstreet and at the castle for quite some time. The long and stressful year melted away for me. I will say, Andi was very happy, except, she still remained more guarded about the crowds. Mainstreet did not seem super busy but it certainly wasn’t quiet either. We have been many times and I would say crowds were definitely average if not a little above that. You definitely will encounter bottle neck areas. The castle looked so fresh and bright.


We slowly walked down Mainstreet and decided to ride HM first. The wait was minimal, we waited about 10 minutes, so this was great. Ahh we loved being back on HM, the PhotoPass picture on the ride wasn’t working tonight. Boo!

We decided to ride Peter Pan next, I.Love.This.Ride, no ifs and/or buts!! The wait said 35 minutes, the line started in the Columbia Harbor House, it was weird to walk through the restaurant, it was so quiet and had an abandoned feel too it. The line moved steadily and we waited about 20 minutes total, Soon I was saying Hi to Nana and the sketchy mermaids, haha I always feel like I’m home once I ride Peter Pan.


We headed to Little Mermaid next and this was a walk on. The ride is always very enjoyable.


We walked to Storybook Circus and felt a little sadness seeing our favorite shop in this area closed. We love going in there to smell the candy and treats. We decided Dumbo would make us happy. This was also only about a 5-10 minute wait. Ahh more good feels being back at MK.



Cue the scary people in masks
At this point, we decided to head to Tomorrow Land. Andi wanted to be a galactic hero again. I wanted to be Ranger 1st class again, I never seem to get passed that one. This ride was also a walk on for the most part, I would say maybe 10 minutes total. If you must know, yes Andi was a galactic hero and I was a low life Ranger. Sad but true. We both love this ride.
`

Andi wasn’t feeling SM by herself so we took a nice leisurely walk to Frontier Land and took a ride on Big Thunder, we waited about 15 minutes. This is a fun ride. They were filling every row now. I was okay with this on an outdoor ride that lasts about 45 seconds.

We decided to ride Pirates, another favorite for us, ARGGG Matey!! The wait time was 20 minutes, we actually waited about 30 minutes. We did have a large family behind us and they did not keep their distance, it was a little annoying! They also had young children and they kept chanting the same thing over and over, this was a little irritating. When we got close to the loading zone, we were sent a different way, yay! Pirates is such fun ride, never get old!



After the ride we decided it was time to head back to the resort. We did all the above rides in just about 3 hours, not bad at all.
The bus ride back was just fine and we didn’t wait long at all. I had a message, on the phone, when we got back to the room. How exciting, there was a package at the front desk for us. I went down to get it and it was a box of goodies from our TA. How nice was that. It contained chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered Oreos.


She was so happy we were back at WDW. This was so sweet and unexpected. Thank you TA
Andi had one of the Oreos and I had a cookie, both were delicious and the perfect snack before bedtime, when on vacation.
We got comfy in our beds and watched some Disney+
The beds are super comfortable here and I was sleeping in no time at all.
Day 1 is already in the books,

Stay tuned for Day 2. “Mom does know best”

 

[Disneyhanna]

That walk from QS back to your room always feels soooo long with hot food. I totally agree on the liquid hand soap, I have definitely thought about bringing my own on trips before! But then I never have room in my luggage . I keep forgetting they have changed the bag check, that sounds so nice to not have to have someone rifling through every pocket and wallet! What an impressive amount of rides in a few hours, sounds like a very fun first night at the parks! How sweet of your TA, those oreos look so yummy...that's the best part about vacation, lots of treats before bed!

 

[VAtink]

The soap at the sinks in the resort has always bugged me, why do they only have face soap there? It's so weird!

What an awesome afternoon at MK! Love the shot you got of the castle.

 

[Steppesister]

Same to you, so glad you found this and joined in. It was so nice to visit with you for a little while on the trip!

Yes it was!!

Oh my gosh it was a downpour, I’m sorry you got soaked, we did get wet one day when it rained for about an hour, our feet were so wet.

I'm just glad I remembered plastic to cover the scooters with or we'd have been really sunk!!!

We loved the tower and with the AP discount our lake view room was not to bad. It was very nice for getting Lyfts and the bus stop was right there. We stayed in Cabanas one time and it was nice but a long walk to the main building.

Yes, it was quite a haul!!! So FAR, but close to the pool(s) and the bus stop. So there was that.

 

[eliseisawkward]

Better late than never, I’m here for story time!

Looks like travel and day 1 were a success. And what a sweet TA, to send you cookies.

 

[CruellaNY]

Ugh you know before every trip I say I'm going to pack a hand soap pump and before every trip I forget! I hate that they only have bars and when we moved to SSR in April there was only ONE bar and we had to split it between the sink and the shower! Luckily we were only there 1 night!

So not sure if your TA told you this but those OREOS/cookies are made by a furloughed CM She hasn't been called back yet but hopefully will soon! And also not sure if your TA told you this but Lizette-the one who made them- found out your TA was in Disney when you were and dropped some off to her and her DH! And she said the OREOS were DELICIOUS

 

[pkondz]

When you enter the QS, you let the CM know what you want and they go in the back and get it for you.

Huh.
That would take a bit of getting used to.
Then again... what about this last year+ hasn't had some of that?

I thought my burger and waffle fries would suffer from the to go service. I was wrong, my burger was actually juicy and did not taste like the typical QS Disney burger and the waffle fries were actually hot and crispy.

Nice! I wonder if that's a bit because of smaller order numbers?

Andi sprayed all the touch points in the room with her spray sanitizer, she is serious about protecting us, lol

Good girl.

Another lobby picture

I've never stayed at CSR, but it sure looks pretty!

The bus stop is basically right out the main entrance and down a few steps. The one negative is the tower is the last bus stop. This could be a problem if the buses are already full when they arrive.

We had that at OKW. But we found that the first bus stop was only a few steps away so we always went there in the mornings.

We are so excited at this time, giddy perhaps!

The first check point is the temperature screening, (which I hear is being phased out now),

Good. I do wonder if anyone ever got screened out as a result of that?

Next was the new and improved security. This was so much more efficient and we did not need to take anything out and walked right through the detectors.

I heard about that! But it's sure nice to hear that it's working well.

They were testing facial recognition while we visited.

I saw your selfie. I'd recognize you.

But... facial rec with masks... hmmm...

Oh be still my heart ❤ we arrived at the MK, the emotions that we had, priceless.

I was very happy and honestly did not take many pictures. I was just to excited and in awe of being back to our happy place.

I totally get this!!!

The long and stressful year melted away for me.

Awwww.

The castle looked so fresh and bright.

It really does!

We slowly walked down Mainstreet and decided to ride HM first.

Excellent first choice!

We decided to ride Peter Pan next, I.Love.This.Ride, no ifs and/or buts!!

You just hit 2 of my top 3.

The wait said 35 minutes, the line started in the Columbia Harbor House, it was weird to walk through the restaurant, it was so quiet and had an abandoned feel too it.

That must've been... very odd.

Soon I was saying Hi to Nana and the sketchy mermaids, haha

Soon I was saying Hi to Nana and the sketchy mermaids, haha I always feel like I’m home once I ride Peter Pan.

I find it funny that you mention the sketchy mermaids and then immediately say you feel at home!

We walked to Storybook Circus and felt a little sadness seeing our favorite shop in this area closed. We love going in there to smell the candy and treats.

Well... poop.

Cue the scary people in masks

If you must know, yes Andi was a galactic hero and I was a low life Ranger. Sad but true.

You'll get there some day!

We decided to ride Pirates, another favorite for us, ARGGG Matey!!

We did have a large family behind us and they did not keep their distance, it was a little annoying!

Not cool.
What's so hard to figure out about social distancing????

Great shot!

There it is!

How exciting, there was a package at the front desk for us. I went down to get it and it was a box of goodies from our TA.

Isn't that nice!

So not sure if your TA told you this but those OREOS/cookies are made by a furloughed CM She hasn't been called back yet but hopefully will soon! And also not sure if your TA told you this but Lizette-the one who made them- found out your TA was in Disney when you were and dropped some off to her and her DH! And she said the OREOS were DELICIOUS

I had a feeling I might know the TA in question.

 

[suse66]

We took a Lyft instead and we were off in literally 10 minutes. The cost was around $35.00 so not bad. I placed an Instacart order on the ride to the resort. I ordered some bananas, granola bars, iced coffee, creamer, cheese sticks, strawberries , Lays potato chips, and M&M’s. This was also very easy and the delivery was free! The time it was to arrive was around 3:00pm.

Good idea to do the Instacart order on the way to the resort!

We took some lobby pictures and went to get some food and caffeine at the quick service restaurant.

The lobby is so beautiful! Can't wait to see it in person one day.

We hit it at a really quiet time. I got the bacon cheeseburger and Andi had the spicy chicken sandwich. Both came with waffle fries. My burger and fries were really good, I was surprised. This was the first time both of us had a meal in a restaurant since February 2020. Crazy!

Your meal looks so good!

Time to check out our lake view room on the 10th floor, room 9040. Our view was very nice. We could see The Tree of Life and Everest. I will wrap up this post with some room pictures.

Love your room! Gran Destino has quite the upscale feel.

The QS at CSR did not offer mobile ordering. The 3 Bridges lounge did offer this service. When you enter the QS, you let the CM know what you want and they go in the back and get it for you. Everything is served in to go containers. The menu is also very limited, only 5-6 different menu items. I thought my burger and waffle fries would suffer from the to go service. I was wrong, my burger was actually juicy and did not taste like the typical QS Disney burger and the waffle fries were actually hot and crispy.

Mobile ordering is such a plus. I hope they bring back more menu options soon.

Our room was very clean and had a very crisp and clean smell when we walked in. I did feel very confident the room was cleaned well. The remote is in a plastic bag. Andi sprayed all the touch points in the room with her spray sanitizer, she is serious about protecting us, lol

The room is beautiful!

At this time, the bus arrived quickly and it was not full. We were assigned our seats by the bus driver and we were off to MK. We are so excited at this time, giddy perhaps!

I would be crying happy tears and laughing at myself.

Oh be still my heart ❤ we arrived at the MK, the emotions that we had, priceless. I was very happy and honestly did not take many pictures. I was just to excited and in awe of being back to our happy place. We stared up and down Mainstreet and at the castle for quite some time. The long and stressful year melted away for me. I will say, Andi was very happy, except, she still remained more guarded about the crowds. Mainstreet did not seem super busy but it certainly wasn’t quiet either. We have been many times and I would say crowds were definitely average if not a little above that. You definitely will encounter bottle neck areas. The castle looked so fresh and bright.

Completely agree! I know I will have ALL the feels. ♥

We decided to ride Peter Pan next, I.Love.This.Ride, no ifs and/or buts!! The wait said 35 minutes, the line started in the Columbia Harbor House, it was weird to walk through the restaurant, it was so quiet and had an abandoned feel too it. The line moved steadily and we waited about 20 minutes total, Soon I was saying Hi to Nana and the sketchy mermaids, haha I always feel like I’m home once I ride Peter Pan.

There is always that special ride that makes you feel you are home. For me, it's the People Mover all the way!

We walked to Storybook Circus and felt a little sadness seeing our favorite shop in this area closed. We love going in there to smell the candy and treats. We decided Dumbo would make us happy. This was also only about a 5-10 minute wait. Ahh more good feels being back at MK.

Sounds like the perfect evening!

At this point, we decided to head to Tomorrow Land. Andi wanted to be a galactic hero again. I wanted to be Ranger 1st class again, I never seem to get passed that one. This ride was also a walk on for the most part, I would say maybe 10 minutes total. If you must know, yes Andi was a galactic hero and I was a low life Ranger. Sad but true. We both love this ride.

Cute! Did Andi double mask the whole trip? I am double masking for grocery shopping now but don't know if I will do so after my second shot.

We decided to ride Pirates, another favorite for us, ARGGG Matey!! The wait time was 20 minutes, we actually waited about 30 minutes. We did have a large family behind us and they did not keep their distance, it was a little annoying! They also had young children and they kept chanting the same thing over and over, this was a little irritating. When we got close to the loading zone, we were sent a different way, yay! Pirates is such fun ride, never get old!

I love Pirates but boo to annoying people.

The bus ride back was just fine and we didn’t wait long at all. I had a message, on the phone, when we got back to the room. How exciting, there was a package at the front desk for us. I went down to get it and it was a box of goodies from our TA. How nice was that. It contained chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered Oreos.

How sweet is that?? I think you must have an amazing TA!

Yes it was!!

So nice that you lovelies got to see each other!

 

[Steppesister]

Good. I do wonder if anyone ever got screened out as a result of that?

I was actually wondering the EXACT same thing.

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a perfect reunion with the MK! I'm glad you were able to do a bunch of rides with minimal waits! I'm sure it felt amazing to be "home". I didn't realize the Storybook Circus gift shop is closed, how sad I love going in there as well!!

 

[ambula603]

Love hearing how warm and fuzzy and happy MK made you guys feel. It did the same to me when we finally got to see it!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I am sighing (in a good way) as I read your report and love that you are back in your happy place. Have to run as I'm meeting my sister for a walk for the first time since March 2020 and we are both so excited to see each other in person! So while it won't be Disneyworld I too will be in a happy place this morning, sigh

 

[Tracy161]

Oh, Caroline! Reading about your first trip down Main Street after being gone for so long was so magical!!! I cannot wait for the moment when I am able to do the same. Happy to live vicariously through your TR for now!

 

[WonderWoman28]

Excited to follow along, but more excited that you were able to finally head back home!

I'm not sure I ever finished up your last TR, I'll head over and finish now that I've been on a TR binge lately.

Can't wait to hear more

 

[disneyAndi14]

That walk from QS back to your room always feels soooo long with hot food. I totally agree on the liquid hand soap, I have definitely thought about bringing my own on trips before! But then I never have room in my luggage . I keep forgetting they have changed the bag check, that sounds so nice to not have to have someone rifling through every pocket and wallet! What an impressive amount of rides in a few hours, sounds like a very fun first night at the parks! How sweet of your TA, those oreos look so yummy...that's the best part about vacation, lots of treats before bed!

The walk around CSR and to the main building can be a hike. Security is so nice nowadays what a relief!
The lines look really long but overall move quickly. I had been watching videos and found out the last few hours at MK are usually less crowded.
The face soap for hand washing, really Disney, this also bugged us before the pandemic, even more now. I almost called the TR, face soap for hands, lol The Oreos were so delicious

 

[disneyAndi14]

The soap at the sinks in the resort has always bugged me, why do they only have face soap there? It's so weird!

What an awesome afternoon at MK! Love the shot you got of the castle.

The soap is so annoying. Universal had a liquid soap at he sink and also gave you a small hand sanitizer and 2 free bottles of water, I liked that.
MK was nice in the evening, that will be our strategy when we arrive next trip on the first day. I thought the castle looked very regal with the new paint job.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I'm just glad I remembered plastic to cover the scooters with or we'd have been really sunk!!!

In Florida, when it rains it comes down hard! I like how it usually only lasts an hour or so.

Yes, it was quite a haul!!! So FAR, but close to the pool(s) and the bus stop. So there was that.

I’m glad you went with the scooter this trip, it sounds like it was worth it for sure.

Better late than never, I’m here for story time!

Thanks for joining in.

Looks like travel and day 1 were a success. And what a sweet TA, to send you cookies.

For a pandemic and feeling some anxiety, it was a smooth day and filled with such happiness.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Ugh you know before every trip I say I'm going to pack a hand soap pump and before every trip I forget! I hate that they only have bars and when we moved to SSR in April there was only ONE bar and we had to split it between the sink and the shower! Luckily we were only there 1 night!

So not sure if your TA told you this but those OREOS/cookies are made by a furloughed CM She hasn't been called back yet but hopefully will soon! And also not sure if your TA told you this but Lizette-the one who made them- found out your TA was in Disney when you were and dropped some off to her and her DH! And she said the OREOS were DELICIOUS

Disney needs to upgrade the soap. Universal was better in that area. We at least had a couple bars of soap At Destino. I also was confused by the housekeeping they showed up everyday but didn’t do anything, why even come. I hid the soap and lotion so I would get more, lol
I had a feeling the treats came from a furloughed CM, that was so nice of my TA, she is wonderful and thinking of others! Those Oreos hit the spot. Andi loved them.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Huh.
That would take a bit of getting used to.
Then again... what about this last year+ hasn't had some of that?

It was a little sad looking in the QS area. I’m glad the food was good

Nice! I wonder if that's a bit because of smaller order numbers?

That is probably correct, I didn’t even then about that.

I've never stayed at CSR, but it sure looks pretty!

I really like staying there. More of an adult vibe there which is nice for us.

We had that at OKW. But we found that the first bus stop was only a few steps away so we always went there in the mornings.

We started getting off at the first stop and walking to the towers, not to bad of a walk

Good. I do wonder if anyone ever got screened out as a result of that?

I saw cooling tens set up for people but never being used when I looked.

I heard about that! But it's sure nice to hear that it's working well.

The new security is a bomb!

I saw your selfie. I'd recognize you.

But... facial rec with masks... hmmm...

You had to pull your mask down!

Excellent first choice!

Love HM

You just hit 2 of my top 3.

What is your 3rd favorite?

That must've been... very odd.

The restaurant looked sad and some areas very dusty weird!

I find it funny that you mention the sketchy mermaids and then immediately say you feel at home!

Haha! Those sketchy mermaids make the experience

What's so hard to figure out about social distancing????

That was the one thing on this trip that was a little irritating.

Great shot!

I loved this picture and never even noticed this ship the many times i have been on this ride.

I had a feeling I might know the TA in question.

She is the best, certainly didn’t have to do that