"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

[Raeven]

Haha "Did you want to be in that picture of your entree?" "...Um...."

When I'm taking pictures of my food my greatest sadness is always that I'm not in the picture with the food of course.

Haha wow! You've held onto those tickets a long time! Yeah, I'm not really waterpark people either. We used to have the Disney AP that included waterparks, but when we renewed we didn't get it again because we only went a couple of times and didn't have much desire to go back. I think if we do any waterpark-ing on upcoming trips, it would be just to check out Volcano Bay for the first time.

Yeah We really tried to do everything that trip, but I got sick and we ended up sacrificing a few things and that was one of them. Ever since we just haven't had time or wanted to use them. I'd love to see Volcano Bay, but I think we're waiting till later in the year. I think all the slides are a bit too high thrill for me, so I know I won't be doing much but looking around there but I still want to see it.

That's an idea!! I'm not sure, but I think I might be more likely to do RPR than Poly. It'll have to go on the "some trip someday" list...

The RPR looks better from what I've heard. I'm curious about both though, I'm sure someday we'll have done one or both of them

 

[natebenma]

It has been years since we have eaten at Coral Reef, but we found it a mixed bag also. With so many fabulous places to eat at Disney, and EPCOT specifically, it has not made the cut recently.

YAY for Soarin' and Spaceship earth!

Good to hear you are going with the flow and cutting out when you get tired or when the mood strikes.

Beautiful sunset picture from your room!

I'm impressed with your snack run to Disney Springs.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Cute shirts!
We have just had appetizers at Coral Reef once because we got there and Andi didn’t like anything on the menu! She didn’t want seafood while watching the fish, go figure! Teenagers! Our apps were good. Sorry it has gone down hill, Disney trend for sure!
Glad you got the middle section on Soarin!

 

[MeghanEmily]

The pictures from the aviary are great! My husband and I stayed at a resort in Jamaica that had an aviary on property and every day we would go in and feed the funny, colorful, tropical birds. So much fun and there were always people freaking out about the birds landing on them, so that was added entertainment.

We thought it was so neat! You're absolutely right about people getting nervous with birds landing on them! As someone who has no issue with birds, it was pretty entertaining for us!

Jamaica must have been lovely! I've heard of a lot of people who've really liked their trips there.

LOL at the little girls loud announcement about the effects of water.

I wouldn't want to be hanging out too near to her in the pool or anything, but it still struck us pretty funny!

I'm so glad you enjoyed the snorkeling. That is one of my favorite activities in the whole world. There really were a lot of fish there!

It was marvellous! A little unnerving at first because you have to remind yourself that you can still breathe! But I can see why you love it so much. It was amazing! I could have stayed there a long time.

Hooray on your August plans! How nice that you will be going back to the GF to celebrate your anniversary. Universal APs are ridiculously affordable (at least compared to Disney passes). We got them for a trip we took in Feb 2015 when we were at Universal for 5 days and that was the cheapest way to do it. Then we returned in August of that year, because: Annual Passes!

We're very excited to treat ourselves! One of the few upsides of the heat in August is that it will force us to take more breaks and encourage us to enjoy the resort more.

It's amazing the price difference in APs at WDW vs. USO. I get that WDW has more parks, but our Universal APs were quite literally half the price. Knowing that we'd be going on at least 2-3 separate occasions, for at least 1-2 days each time, it was a no-brainer! And I like that it includes the same early entry that hotel guests get.

You got some great pictures on the safari. I love the rhino taking a mud bath.

It was a good safari! We'd never seen a rhino having such a great time on a safari before!

Kona is my favorite breakfast place at Disney. YUM!

I had never been there, and it was on my list for the longest time. We really liked it, me especially!

It has been years since we have eaten at Coral Reef, but we found it a mixed bag also. With so many fabulous places to eat at Disney, and EPCOT specifically, it has not made the cut recently.

Definitely. There are SO many choices at Epcot. It's already hard to chose between our favourite places, so this one doesn't seem to make the list anymore. Our first visit was so excellent, and we had the perfect table against the aquarium wall, so that experience influenced us to want to go back the next few times. But it never lived up to that experience or anywhere close. Now Nathan's developed quite a love for Le Cellier (me too!), as well as Teppan Edo, so they tend to win out. Nathan also likes Rose and Crown, after we had a great late dinner there watching Illuminations once. I also want to try out La Hacienda sometime soon!

I'm impressed with your snack run to Disney Springs.

Snacks are very important!

Beautiful sunset picture from your room!

Thank you! It was a beautiful view—even more so in person. I was glad to be able to get a picture with my little point-and-shoot camera that reflected it pretty nicely.

 

[MeghanEmily]

When I was a kid, going to school, my sister and I would walk the 5 minutes or so to the bus stop. I remember one day we waited and the school bus never came (although at least two cars stopped offering to give us a ride... simpler times.)
We eventually went back home and called our mom. "Thank goodness you came home!" She said. "It's so cold that they cancelled all the busses!"

The story, however does not have a happy ending.
My mother was a teacher.... So... Instead of a snow day, she made us take money out of her jewelry box and take a cab!

This story is so Canadian it hurts!!

In New Brunswick I remember having at least two days when school was cancelled due strictly to the cold. Around here it has to be -40 or below, without counting the wind chill, and then they'll cancel. When I moved to Nova Scotia, I remember laughing at everyone who thought it was soooo unbearably cold when it hit -20ish, because it tends to be milder here on the coast. But now I've been here for a few years and I'm starting to get babied with the temperatures.

When I'm taking pictures of my food my greatest sadness is always that I'm not in the picture with the food of course.

Naturally!

The RPR looks better from what I've heard. I'm curious about both though, I'm sure someday we'll have done one or both of them

That's kind of what I thought, too.

Cute shirts!
We have just had appetizers at Coral Reef once because we got there and Andi didn’t like anything on the menu! She didn’t want seafood while watching the fish, go figure! Teenagers! Our apps were good. Sorry it has gone down hill, Disney trend for sure!
Glad you got the middle section on Soarin!

Thanks!

I kind of feel a little uncomfortable eating fish in front of the fish...like, "Sorry, buddy...did you know this guy?"

 

[missangelalexis]

I would like to try Kona one day, whether it be for breakfast or dinner!

I'm glad the DVC tour worked out for you and that it was nice and short! A gift card and bonus FPs are a nice perk, and it's especially nice that you didn't have to be transported anywhere!

Yay for a free dole whip!

Glad you finally made it to TL- the curse is broken!

Ugh that really stinks about the CMs at the Poly It's not right that they would say one thing and then go back and pretend they didn't!

Your room does look nice though! And a nice view of the GF across the way!

I'm sorry dinner at Coral Reef wasn't as good this time around. I always here hit or miss reviews about it, but it's still on my list to try one day. (I mean it was featured in Full House and Boy Meets World, I NEED to go!)

The dress you bought is so cute!

WOW what a beautiful sunset pic from your balcony!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

The back and forth with the Poly CM's sounds like a headache, especially on your honeymoon! They shouldn't promise things they can't actually provide!

I'm a bit nervous to try FOP especially after reading about your motion sickness but I will try it anyways!

Your time at Typhoon Lagoon has me reconsidering putting it on the list, initially I was planning to skip it in June but now I might add it back. I didn't know there was a new family slide but I have been out of the Dis world for a bit.

 

[MeghanEmily]

I would like to try Kona one day, whether it be for breakfast or dinner!

I'm glad the DVC tour worked out for you and that it was nice and short! A gift card and bonus FPs are a nice perk, and it's especially nice that you didn't have to be transported anywhere!

Yay for a free dole whip!

Glad you finally made it to TL- the curse is broken!

Ugh that really stinks about the CMs at the Poly It's not right that they would say one thing and then go back and pretend they didn't!

Your room does look nice though! And a nice view of the GF across the way!

I'm sorry dinner at Coral Reef wasn't as good this time around. I always here hit or miss reviews about it, but it's still on my list to try one day. (I mean it was featured in Full House and Boy Meets World, I NEED to go!)

The dress you bought is so cute!

WOW what a beautiful sunset pic from your balcony!

Kona was great! We actually went back for dinner later, and that was good too. Other than my vegetables...but I'll get there.

It was really weird about the Poly CMs! Seems like those rare kind of experiences are just bound to happen at Disney somewhere eventually, but it still caught us off-guard. Our room was fine when we switched, and even before we switched really, we weren't trying to be difficult or anything. But the way they promised something, then went back on it and got all rude...I wasn't pleased about that. Oh well!

Coral Reef I think is definitely worth visiting at least once for the atmosphere alone! It WAS on Boy Meets World, I have forgotten about that!! And also on Full House, which is where I remember seeing it for the first time. Those reasons alone make it a hotspot! haha

The back and forth with the Poly CM's sounds like a headache, especially on your honeymoon! They shouldn't promise things they can't actually provide!

I'm a bit nervous to try FOP especially after reading about your motion sickness but I will try it anyways!

Your time at Typhoon Lagoon has me reconsidering putting it on the list, initially I was planning to skip it in June but now I might add it back. I didn't know there was a new family slide but I have been out of the Dis world for a bit.

It was really strange! I don't know why they did that! But we ended up with a nice room in the end despite it all, so not a huge deal I guess. Just weird!

If you're at all curious I think you should totally try FOP at least once! I would have been upset if I didn't try it. It's an amazing ride. And a lot of people who have problems with motion sickness go on it and are totally fine because of how well-synched and smooth it is. Try your best not to go into it too nervous because anxiety can actually trigger motion sickness or make it worse, so you might not have any trouble if you just go in with confidence!

Yeah, the new family ride, Miss Adventure Falls, was fun, and it's pretty popular. I hadn't been there in years and years, and it was cool to try some new things. I'm sad they don't have the shark reef anymore though.

 

[pkondz]

This story is so Canadian it hurts!!

In New Brunswick I remember having at least two days when school was cancelled due strictly to the cold. Around here it has to be -40 or below, without counting the wind chill, and then they'll cancel.

Really! They don't close schools for cold here. They will cancel school buses and have indoor recess, but that's it.

When I moved to Nova Scotia, I remember laughing at everyone who thought it was soooo unbearably cold when it hit -20ish, because it tends to be milder here on the coast. But now I've been here for a few years and I'm starting to get babied with the temperatures.

It's what you get used to.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Exactly two weeks from tonight I'll be arriving at MCO to meet N for a week of vacation! As of this afternoon, I called Disney one last time (hopefully!), and I think I've finalized the last of the reservations and activity schedule for our trip. I decided that meant that now is as good a time as any to share some February plans. We're trying to keep things pretty chill for this trip, with a bit of unstructured downtime. I want to be able to choose in the moment what we feel like doing/riding. I've left some pockets of time we can use for afternoon breaks/rests so, hopefully, I can avoid feeling as yucky and rundown as I did on our last trip. Unfortunately, I also will need to allot a little time for studying since I have a midterm the week I return which is worth 50% of my final grade in that class. Thankfully, that's the only major test I have when I first get back...the only downside is that it means that over the next two weeks leading up to the trip, I have a giant group presentation, a lab, and 3 midterms to get through first. Looking forward to this trip is becoming my saving grace! You can judge for yourselves, but I think it looks like there's potential for it to be a pretty excellent time...

Some noteworthy things..

We're arriving at the tail end of the Festival of Arts at Epcot. This doesn't interest me as much as Flower & Garden (my FAVE time at Epcot!) or Food & Wine, (which I desperately want to try someday.) We weren't even planning to be at Epcot on this trip until after the festival would be over. But I'd like to check it out and see what's going on there, so we may make time for it at the tail end of our Universal day. I've made FP there for that night just in case.

We're trying two new signature restaurants this trip: Jiko, and Citricos. I'm soo excited for Jiko, as it's somewhere we've been meaning to go for a while, and it never fit in our plans. We also love AKL (shocker!) and will finally be able to say we've tried every restaurant there. It also happens to fall exactly on our 6-month wedding anniversary, so it'll be a special occasion dinner. Citricos is also high on my list due to some excellent reviews I've read...particularly from @ariane37! We'll make sure to ask if Rony is serving when we go, Ariane!

I was very disappointed that we're missing the last Disney After Hours event in the MK by, like, a day. I would have loved to have checked it out.

Spoiler alert: our meal at Skipper Canteen on our December trip wasn't as amazing as our past experiences there had been. But I left it in our itinerary for this trip anyway to give it another chance.

Also new for me...solo time!! N needs to head out for his next work event after the Skipper Canteen lunch on the 22nd, so I will get to call the shots and do whatever I please the rest of that day. We have split up for an hour or so at a time before at WDW to ride different rides, but I've never really done any solo time beyond that. I know the parks like I know my own home at this point, and I love to duck and weave, and call the shots. So I'm not sure how I'll feel about this. I know I'll miss having someone to share the memories of that day with, but I'm also looking forward to giving it a try... I think I'll probably end up back at MK in the evening, (but who knows!??) but right after lunch I've decided to make use of my solo status to try something brand new...

Horseback riding at Fort Wilderness! Tri-Circle-D ranch offers 45-minute trail riding experiences several times a day, and it's costing me just under $50 with my 10% annual passholder discount. My aunt and uncle have had horses for years, and I'm a big fan. I took lessons for a couple of summers when I was a kid, and I used to occasionally ride my uncle's horses, but it's probably been almost 10 years since I've sat in a saddle. I'm suspecting I'd fall somewhere between beginner and intermediate...which are precisely the skill-levels they recommend for this activity!

I may or may not have also made a last-minute Disney-themed Etsy purchase this morning, but I won't post a picture here in case N decides to catch up on reading this report while he's away. I'd prefer to surprise him.

I'm also hoping we'll get to squeeze in a quick "Hello" with Caroline and her daughter, Andi (@disneyAndi14) on the 20th when our plans to be at the MK look like they might overlap for a couple hours. I'm sad to be missing both Ariane, and also Ariella and her family (@StarWarsMomofGirls!) on their trips, which are taking place at this very moment. I would have loved to have met up with both of them! But in a way, I'm also quite glad not to have too many meetings or hard plans scheduled for this trip, because N left for work last week, and this vacation will be my first time seeing him in about 3 weeks. It can be difficult being in a marriage where you spend periods of up to a month at a time apart, and we're both looking forward to having the quality time alone together in our favourite place!

Finally, I've also started a little list of things to try to eat/do/buy on this trip. This includes getting N to try schoolbread and kaki gori in Epcot, as well as the "tipsy ducks in love" drink that @fallonkendra's husband, Luke, was so crazy about! N also wants to try plum wine because he's continuing to develop an interest in Japanese culture, and last time he tried sake, so it's next on the list. I also want him to try the carrot cake cookie at Sweet Spells, and the make-your-own treat at Goofy's in DS. (I live vicariously through him with food these days!) I want to try to eat something at Satuli Canteen for the first time. I'm thinking maybe we'll split something to hold us over before our late Jiko meal, since 8:30pm will feel like 9:30pm to me, and I'm used to eating by, like, 6. I want to finally get the Tangled lantern PP photo in MK, and I also want to take a cheesey "holding Spaceship Earth in my hands" photo like @xlsm and her mom did on their trip! I'm also making it a priority for us to see as many night shows as possible, because, as you'll eventually read if you follow me to my eventual Marathon Weekend TR...that's something that did NOT happen last trip. And in terms of buying new souvenirs...I already have a LOT of Disney stuff. I don't need another t-shirt or hoodie. I have started building quite the collection of tsum tsums by picking up at least one on every trip, and I'll still plan to do this. But I've decided that I also want one of those cool plush stuffed animals from Mitsukoshi — @xlsm and @StarWarsMomofGirls! will know what I'm talking about!

If you have any suggestions that we should add to the growing list, comment with them below!!

I haven't decided about a TR for this February trip, but I'm thinking I'll aim for something in the middle...like an abbreviated TR-lite with a few highlight photos from each day, a couple sentences about what we did, and possibly going more in-depth with anything particularly unusual or interesting that happened. If there's anything on our itinerary that interests you that you might be interested in reading about, let me know in the comments so I'll be sure to include it and not skip over it! I may start a new thread for this, or just post it as a couple updates on this one. Who knows!? ​

 

[disneyAndi14]

Your plans sound really nice, I hope you get a more laid back trip and I hope we can say Hi

We are doing US and I have FP at MK if we feel up to it when we get back.

We are going to try to check out Festival of the Arts at least once before it ends to.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Hoop de Doo and Beaches and Cream were the things that jumped at me from your itinerary! Both are things that I really want to try on our next trip. So glad you're going to have some couple time and some alone time on this trip!!! Sounds delightful.

 

[missangelalexis]

Your plans sound great! It will be a nice reward after all the work you're putting in for school!

I like your idea for sharing your February trip It doesn't always have to be something long and drawn out, showcasing just the highlights is good too!

 

[pooh'smate]

I hope you do like the horse trail riding. I am really interested in it because my dd LOVES horses and we go on trail rides here but would like to know what the one at Disney is like.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Your plans look great! Jiko sounds amazing, I plan on trying it on my next trip as well!

I hope you are able to get the lantern photo! I have seen so many photos of it and it is so pretty!

 

[pkondz]

Exactly two weeks from tonight I'll be arriving at MCO to meet N for a week of vacation!

WOOT!

We're trying to keep things pretty chill for this trip,

Um... considering the weather they had there recently... you might want to pick a different word than "chill".

hopefully, I can avoid feeling as yucky and rundown as I did on our last trip.

Unfortunately, I also will need to allot a little time for studying since I have a midterm the week I return which is worth 50% of my final grade in that class.

Uh... yuck. I do not envy you, that.

We're trying two new signature restaurants this trip: Jiko, and Citricos.

I want to try both of those!

Also new for me...solo time!! N needs to head out for his next work event after the Skipper Canteen lunch on the 22nd, so I will get to call the shots and do whatever I please the rest of that day.

Oooh... striking out on your own!

I know I'll miss having someone to share the memories of that day with, but I'm also looking forward to giving it a try...

Yes. There is that. But... there is also "Guess what I did!"
I think you'll enjoy the solo life.

Horseback riding at Fort Wilderness! Tri-Circle-D ranch offers 45-minute trail riding experiences several times a day,

I had no idea they did that!

as well as the "tipsy ducks in love" drink that @fallonkendra's husband, Luke, was so crazy about!

I also want him to try the carrot cake cookie at Sweet Spells,

That thing is riiiiiiiich!

the make-your-own treat at Goofy's

Something I've wanted to do for a loooooong time. (since about 2007)

I want to finally get the Tangled lantern PP photo in MK,

I've seen it. It's a cool shot.

 

[amazingact21]

I became really happy at first, reading about how the Poly was going above and beyond to help you guys out, but I guess that all went out the window! I can understand your frustration over what went down. It was wrong of that CM to make promises or imply extra touches that he had no intentions of delivering on. Did he think you guys would forget? Or was he just hoping you would get your new room via text and not go back to the desk to try and talk to him?
At least you guys were able to enjoy the Dole Whips that are available at the resort (and one for free!) and have a quick walk to your Kona breakfast.
I'm with N on the Tonga Toast, though. Too sweet for my taste...

I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of bringing an allergy-friendly meal out...with cupcakes. That's a case where someone's heart is in the right place but perhaps not their head.

Sorry Flights of Passage did not go well for you. At least it was after your safari ride so you got to see some giraffes and rhinos!

Loved your shirts that you wore to Epcot. I feel like I need to get Alex the work one. Maybe there's one that says "I deploy so we can splurge on deluxes."

I'll have to keep my eye out for that famous snail in April!

 

[theskyisawake]

We will be down for a quick trip for my birthday February 17-19th! If I bump into you I’ll say hi!

 

[Steppesister]

The front desk CM also told N to come back the following evening, after he'd had a chance to document the situation, and they'd see what else they could do for us, implying that he'd have some kind of pixie dust up his sleeve. I had no idea what this might look like. Maybe a small token, or a FP, or help with an ADR, etc., etc., but we planned to check back in the next day like he said. ...I wish N had gotten his name...anyway!

Well, this is certainly intriguing foreshadowing...

Apparently he pulled out a bunch of drugs from under his counter and sold N some individually-wrapped motion sickness pills. Who knew that Disney CMs were dealing under the counter!? Unfortunately, when N got back to me with the drugs, they were exactly what I already had in my bag. Oh well.

The Disney pushers! LOL!

And it took Foreeevvverr! We waited there nearly a half hour before the food finally came.

That's cray-cray talk!

they gave us a plate of free cupcakes! ...too bad we obviously had an allergy meal and I couldn't eat them.

Really? WoW!

. Well, N was pretty blown away. He thinks it's the best simulator he's ever been on, and an amazing ride

I was pretty blown away too. I think it's my new fave at WDW.

I was really too sick to function for anything else at that point, so we made our way out of the park, slowly, and back to the hotel.

Aw, man. I'm so sorry it was bad enough to make you call it a night. Such a bummer!

 

[Steppesister]

It was a very short meeting—probably 30-45 minutes.

Not bad!!

My understanding is that this is a very different experience from most DVC tours, since most people have to be transported to the DVC headquarters, and they look at multiple model rooms there from whichever resorts are for sale, sharing their tour with other people sometimes, and being given free ice cream at the end. That processes can take a very long time.

Yeah, this is more in line with what I've heard is typical.

Somehow the conversation turned to our recent marriage, and CM at the cash asked us about our wedding. She was so enamoured when we told her we'd gotten married at Epcot, and she wanted to see pictures on my phone, etc. We chatted for a while with her and the other CM there, and when we went to take our dole whip and pay, they told us it was on the house. So much Disney pixie dust magic!!

Nice!!!

Summer...please hurry back soon!

YES. Yes, yes!!!!!

Either way, we were waiting like this, so close, yet so far, for a very long time.

UGH!!! You're so close!!!

kinda peeved that the CM had promised him a lagoon view and made us think that's what we would be getting, only to have us in a different longhouse without the view. The new CM told us that our new room had a Luau view, and that we must have just misheard. So N showed the new CM on the map which longhouse and which side the old CM had pointed out to him, and the new CM told N that there weren't even any rooms of that type available there and that the last guy had made a mistake! I'm not sure how he had made a mistake, since he had located a room in their computer system for us and had shown it to N on the map?? Anyway! New CM was also quite rude to N and didn't seem at all interested in apologizing for the confusion, let alone doing anything about the situation, or talking to the old CM about it when he got in, etc. N was pretty ticked off about the whole situation, and I didn't love it either, but I was just grateful that they were able to move us to a room that matched both of our original requests.

This whole situation is awful. Like you say, it would have been so much better if they'd just been up front and honest with you in the first place.