WDWKOOK
NOW WITH LESS TAG!
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2009
The theme of my TR was "A Trip of Firsts." Let's take a look back at my list of FIRSTS from POST 1 and see whether my expectations were met and whether I would travel this way again.
1. My first solo trip - anywhere.
This can be a scary proposition because it's hard to know exactly how you'll feel when you're all by yourself doing things that in my case, I've only done alongside a spouse and child. I found it empowering and I would definitely do it again. I didn't find anything negative about it, it was just a different feeling and instead of mostly human interaction, my trip at times involved more iPhone/iPad interaction.
Sometimes being alone was a challenge that I felt proud about overcoming. There wasn't anyone to instantly bounce an idea or thought or observation off of so it was up to me to make all the decisions and wait to update DH, DD and my TR later with my experiences.
2. My first LIVE trip report.
This was the perfect project for someone traveling alone. This gave me an added focus and was a great substitute for when I would normally be interacting with family. I had never wanted to do a LIVE TR in the past because it's a big distraction from focusing on those who you're with on vacation, but doing it when traveling solo worked out perfectly and gave my vacation another purpose and focus.
3. My first 3-resort split stay.
The purpose of this wasn't to see how many splits I could do, but to knock those splits off my bucket list. I accomplished the latter, even though there were some bumps along the split road. I wouldn't do another 3-way split again and I wouldn't have done it with family, but I have no regrets about doing it alone. The logistics of it worked out well for me. I knew I didn't want to take the easy way out of taking a cab over to the next resort, so I planned how I would get there on my own and had my bags transferred by Bell Services.
I arrived at CR via DME. There was no one out front with an iPad so I proceeded to the check-in line and checked in at the front desk. I hadn't received any room notification, but the 14th floor CM informed me that my room was in fact ready.
CR to BC/YC was the easiest transfer. I simply walked right over to the MK bus stop and hopped on a bus that dropped me off at BC. I chose to go to the front desk because I wanted to inquire about CL availability. I again received no room alert, but my room was ready.
Going from the YC to GF was more involved. The most direct route would have been an early ADR bus to GF, but I was told there is only one early ADR bus per morning now and it arrived about an hour earlier.
I then went to PLAN B. I took the MK bus which also stops at BC. The bus was already full at YC and at BC, it was standing room only. Not a great way to start off another split, but I had visions of a Mimosa in my head that got me through the squashing experience. (Spoiler alert: There were in fact no Mimosas.) After arriving at the MK bus stop, I proceeded to the boat dock where I had just missed the GF boat so I took the monorail instead.
Since I arrived at the GF via monorail on the 2nd floor, I went to the stairs to get to the 1st floor check-in and as a result, didn't come in through the front doors to the 1st floor. I went from the stairs to the front desk and so I wasn't greeted (again). In keeping with tradition, I didn't receive a room alert, but my room wasn't ready this time.
4. My first time staying on the Tower Club level at Disney's Contemporary Resort from 9/5 - 9/8.
*Room/lounge photos can be found within this thread for CR, BC, YC and GF.
Having stayed at CR many times, and loving the Tower views so much, I had always envisioned the 14th floor's Tower Club level as being the ultimate CL experience. I was highly anticipating finally staying there and pictured an intimate lounge setting with few guests and a quiet and calm floor. Unfortunately, none of those expectations were met. I was escorted up to the 14th floor and shown the lounge and taken to my room. This was more than I would experience at RPC, but was the most basic level of CL check-in.
The room's cleanliness and features met all my expectation, however, the only request I made via the IPO and via the WDTC was to not have a connecting door. This room had TWO connecting doors. Everything was quiet in the afternoon so I thought it would work out fine. I returned after 5:00 in order to sample the appetizers and relax. The lounge only has four small tables with a small love seat and chair in the middle. One side of the table is a bench seat that sinks down very low and isn't ideal for a taller person. I instead sat in the chair on the other side of the table which meant I was staring at the wall instead of the amazing 14th floor view.
The food was just plain awful. The worst I've had at any CL which really surprised me. There were three hot dishes, two of which were inedible and one of which I passed on because it didn't sound good. It looked like lobster bisque, but I was told it was a "pepper soup." I had to ask what many of the items were because not one single thing was labeled. The macaroni and cheese was obvious as were the potstickers. The macaroni and cheese was a giant glob of cooled goo that hardly came off the spoon. I took one bite and that was enough. How can you ruin macaroni and cheese and potstickers? The potstickers, true to their name, were in fact all stuck together, tough and gooey.
There's an iPad near the end of the service line that's supposed to show the menu, but it was turned off. The dishes should be labeled, as other CLs do, but, I was told to "just ask someone if you have questions." The CM told me she was unaware that other CLs label their food. When I did ask about something on the cheese plate, the CM said she wasn't sure and she'd have to go and find out.
Monday evening, The lounge became more and more crowded and loud and all of a sudden, about 25 people got off the elevators, stopped for a few moments at the lounge and proceeded down past my room to a suite. It was even louder now and since the hot food was inedible and the lounge was so noisy, I headed to my room. My theory that the two connecting doors might not be a problem was totally wrong. I could hear everything from them and it was very loud, like a party. I sought refuge on the huge balcony where I discovered that the guests next door were also out on their balcony and were just as loud. I decided then and there that this just wasn't going to get any better and made a phone call to DH who encouraged me to go down to the front desk and ask to be moved. As I was talking to DH outside, a guest from next door actually peered around the divider and stared at me! In order to do this, she would have needed to lean over the railing! That's a scary proposition 14 floors up, (actually 13
).
Downstairs, I asked to speak with a manager. The CM wanted to know why and he seemed reluctant to get a manager for me. I politely insisted that I wanted a manager and I finally got one. The GSM acted very surprised about the bad food, noise and crowd, but agreed to move me. I declined his Atrium Club offer and his One Bedroom GW Suite offer and asked instead for a non-CL Tower room. As a party of one, I didn't feel right accepting a One Bedroom Suite and I really didn't want CL access. Within half an hour, I had left Tower Club and was in my wonderful Tower Bay Lake View room, without a connecting door and away form Chef Mickey's. I later found out that after I moved from the Tower Club, a guest reported on the CL thread that the party continued all night and there were many people in one suite who were wandering around and at one point an electronic piano was brought into the lounge! Another poster reported that these were Night of Joy participants whose venue was canceled and so they moved them to the Tower Club. I'm not sure about all the details, but I am certain I moved just in time.
While Tower Club, and a past Atrium Club stay, didn't meet my expectations, the Tower Bay Lake View room continues to always meet expectations and is still overall, my preferred room and location. In fact, it provided the same amenities as the CL room: Large tubes of H2O SPA toiletries, a large bottle of water replenished everyday, cream for in-room coffee and toiletry kits. None of the other rooms had these amenities, not even the RPC room.
5. My first time staying at Disney's Beach Club Resort from 9/8 - 9/11 - the last Deluxe Resort at which I’ve not stayed.
Technically, I didn't actually fulfill this bucket list entry, and I never will, so off the list it goes, and I'm fine with that. It took about 30 minutes to check-in at a very off hour, around 10:00. No one was at the front desk except me. I asked about CL availability, and this took some time for the CM to inquire about. He said there were no CL rooms, so I even asked about CL access. He left again and asked about this and said that it would "mess up their counts" if they did that. I had offered to pay, but it was not going to happen. It wasn't that I needed CL, but I was very curious about the newly renovated lounge and how it compared with the YC's Regatta Club and I could have checked it off the list.
I had made a request for a specific room number, and had earlier verified the request was in my reservation, yet the CM said that he didn't see the request at all and that I wasn't in that room. He did offer a choice of 3 rooms, however, I told him I didn't want to be on the ground floor and two of the rooms were. The other room wasn't on the ground floor so I accepted it.
I booked a Garden/Woods View, but what I received seemed like a Standard View or perhaps a Standard View would have actually been better. The room was very dark due to the door facing some trees which didn't allow much light in. The balcony was standing-only and it felt like I was in a tomb.
The room itself was nicely renovated, but it had a very musty/moldy odor. That, combined with the dark and gloomy atmosphere, convinced me to immediately walk over to YC and see if there was any chance I could get a room there. Since the BC CM had already shown me what was available, I knew that the ground floor was the only other option there.
Thanks to Luis, a wonderful YC GSM, I was able to change in the afternoon to a room at YC and I have no regrets about making this change. The location was wonderful since the stairs leading to an exterior door were right next to my room and I had no connecting door and was on the top floor. It was also an upgraded partial Lagoon View.
Balcony 3rd floor/left and exterior door:
6. My first time staying on the Royal Palm Club Level at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa from 9/11 - 9/14.
The Royal Palm Club is touted as being the ultimate in service, comfort and amenities. Everyone probably has this on their bucket list at some point and I was very excited to try it out. This is the most expensive non-DVC room category at WDW, so you might expect the service and amenities to be commensurate with that. I set fairly high expectations for what I thought would be a club level with high standards. Well, it wasn't and I felt taken. I know this is WDW so I always lower my expectations a bit when it comes to their resorts. They obviously have a lot going for them, location and theming being at the top, but the service, room quality and amenities often fall short when compared with other similarly priced resorts and club levels and RPC was no exception.
The check-in was unceremonious and even rude. I was pretty much the only guest at the front desk at that time, but the CM seemed bothered and put out by the process. I even had to ask to be taken up to the RPC so that I could have breakfast. The lobby CM who took me up didn't give me a tour or say anything to me about CL. She just made some small talk, asked if I had a lounge times sheet and dropped me off on the 4th floor in front of the elevator and left. I found out later from a CL CM that this is not supposed to be the norm for RPC.
To add to the disappointment, the two female lounge CMs on this particular morning were unfriendly and also seemed unhappy serving guests. There were no "good mornings," welcomes nor smiles. To be honest, it took a lot for me to not to go right back downstairs and ask for a non-CL room. The premium I was paying was not even closely matching the service I had thus far received nor expected.
I finished breakfast and headed over to the MK. When I returned, my room still wasn't ready around 2:30, but the concierge CM on the 3rd floor, the only bright spot thus far, inquired and said that the housekeeper was still cleaning it and it would be ready soon. Around 3:15, the room was finally ready and I received my luggage about an hour later.
The room was a Deluxe Room and the closest room to the lounge and children's area. It has a larger area in the middle where there is a queen sleeper and table, a foyer and a large garden tub. The room wasn't as clean as the room we had last year, which surprised me since this was RPC. I managed to step, with socks on, into some gummies that were smashed into the carpet. The housekeeper also forgot to flush the toilet and the lid was left up with what appeared to be debris one might find on the bathroom floor that you would normally vacuum or mop. Perhaps she shook her duster into it, I'm not sure, but it shouldn't have been there to greet me.
The view was amazing and the room was very roomy. However, it felt very hot compared with CR and YC and the thermostat reading was 76. I turned it down to 70, but even hours later, it stayed at 75-76. I thought it just needed more time to cool down, but in fact the sensor wasn't detecting anyone in the room at pretty much anytime and I couldn't override it and get it down to a comfortable temperature. I was uncomfortable all night and awoke to it being 76 degrees. On my way to the gym, I went down to the 3rd floor concierge, who was again very cordial, and told him about the problem. He asked what temperature I wanted it and when I later came back to the room, it was in fact at a constant 70 for the rest of my stay. Success! I also mentioned to him that the French door to the balcony wouldn't lock on the bottom so the door was always slightly ajar and would blow back and forth with the wind gusts. This issue was never fixed.
I had requested a Deluxe Room located on floors 4 or 5 facing south toward the pool and Poly. These are the Deluxe Queens that are furthest from the lounge. Once again, I didn't receive my request and was placed as close to the lounge as anyone could get, without sleeping on the sofa near the TV, which I actually observed a toddler doing one afternoon with his family all lounging nearby, but I digress.
The first night was terribly noisy until almost 11:00. There were groups laughing and talking loudly in the lounge all evening. I suspect they were drinking and didn't give a hoot about their behavior. I noticed some double doors leading to the hallway so I called the concierge and asked if they could be closed. The CM said they probably couldn't, but a short while later, someone did close them and that made all the difference. However, shortly after the lounge closed, they were re-opened and the noise carried on for about an hour. Luckily, after that night, I didn't hear much from the lounge.
The Deluxe room is also right next to a closet where they store alcohol. If you're in the room, you can hear them chatting and moving boxes around as they hit the wall. Most of the noise that comes into the room is very noticeable in the bathroom area and foyer which are closest to the door. Beyond that area, in the living room area where the beds are, the noise is less noticeable, except from the room next door.
The food in general was tasty, nicely presented and replenished so that I never noticed any empty dishes, unlike Tower Club. They did an excellent job of clearing tables and there were never any messes that remained on tables for long.
The hot appetizers weren't anything special, though the pork belly was a nice treat. It would have been nice to have a soup, chowder or stew like WL, but I only experienced cold soups that were already served in tiny dishes. I certainly didn't experience any items that set RPC apart from other CLs. Nothing was extraordinary in terms of food offerings or variety, but the views are amazing and being able to hear the live band and piano in the evening makes the RPC lounge unique.
The only CM who stood apart from all the rest this visit to GF, was the gentleman who works on the 3rd floor at the concierge desk. He was always cordial, polite and efficient. He never said "no," and he provided a higher level of service one would expect at this price point.
7. My first time having NO ADRs.
It was such a relief having the ADR burden lifted from my shoulders. I didn't have to worry about being anywhere at a specific time that wasn't self-imposed. I didn't have to worry about canceling an ADR in time or not being able to change my mind at the last minute. It also had the advantage of not having to decide where I wanted to eat and at what time months in advance. I had no problem getting a table wherever I wanted. Granted, it's always easier getting a table for two, I ate late afternoon and early evening and I was there slightly off-season, but I never waited more than 10 minutes for a table without an ADR.
I ate at the following Table Service restaurants without an ADR:
Beaches & Cream, Sci Fi Drive-In, Skipper's Canteen, Tokyo Dining (x2), Kona Café and San Angel Inn.
I also ate at Columbia Harbor House (x2), the YC lounge: Crew's Cup, Katsura Grill, Captain Cook's, Contempo Café and Pecos Bill. Skipper's was the only new-to-me dining, the others I've been to many times. I would recommend everyone try Skipper's once. The CMs put on a fun show, very much like on the Jungle Cruise. However, the food is nothing to rave about. It's worth trying it once for the atmosphere, CM interaction and novelty, but I can't recommend it for the food. My pork was quite fatty, the sides uninspired, oh, and there's no alcohol served.
8. My first off-season/September visit.
I noticed a big difference in the parks after the first couple of days, around 9/6. Wait times were much lower than when I usually go when school is out. This allowed me to frequently alternate a FP with a walk-on. And, even though this was still hurricane season, it somehow managed not to rain once during the day when I was outdoors for the entire 9 days. I think this timeframe was a nice sweet spot, arriving on Labor Day and departing the first day of Food and Wine. I also think that there is a nice sweet spot in January that I've not been able to try. January would also have the advantage of no rain, hurricanes/tropical storms nor much heat/humidity. However, it's cold and flu season so that would be the only disadvantage to me and the threat of wintry weather at home which could impact departing to and returning from MCO.
In conclusion, I would definitely do a solo trip again, but I would limit it to one or two resorts and I would shave a couple of days off. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have and thank you all for accompanying me on this journey!
1. My first solo trip - anywhere.
This can be a scary proposition because it's hard to know exactly how you'll feel when you're all by yourself doing things that in my case, I've only done alongside a spouse and child. I found it empowering and I would definitely do it again. I didn't find anything negative about it, it was just a different feeling and instead of mostly human interaction, my trip at times involved more iPhone/iPad interaction.
Sometimes being alone was a challenge that I felt proud about overcoming. There wasn't anyone to instantly bounce an idea or thought or observation off of so it was up to me to make all the decisions and wait to update DH, DD and my TR later with my experiences.
2. My first LIVE trip report.
This was the perfect project for someone traveling alone. This gave me an added focus and was a great substitute for when I would normally be interacting with family. I had never wanted to do a LIVE TR in the past because it's a big distraction from focusing on those who you're with on vacation, but doing it when traveling solo worked out perfectly and gave my vacation another purpose and focus.
3. My first 3-resort split stay.
The purpose of this wasn't to see how many splits I could do, but to knock those splits off my bucket list. I accomplished the latter, even though there were some bumps along the split road. I wouldn't do another 3-way split again and I wouldn't have done it with family, but I have no regrets about doing it alone. The logistics of it worked out well for me. I knew I didn't want to take the easy way out of taking a cab over to the next resort, so I planned how I would get there on my own and had my bags transferred by Bell Services.
I arrived at CR via DME. There was no one out front with an iPad so I proceeded to the check-in line and checked in at the front desk. I hadn't received any room notification, but the 14th floor CM informed me that my room was in fact ready.
CR to BC/YC was the easiest transfer. I simply walked right over to the MK bus stop and hopped on a bus that dropped me off at BC. I chose to go to the front desk because I wanted to inquire about CL availability. I again received no room alert, but my room was ready.
Going from the YC to GF was more involved. The most direct route would have been an early ADR bus to GF, but I was told there is only one early ADR bus per morning now and it arrived about an hour earlier.
I then went to PLAN B. I took the MK bus which also stops at BC. The bus was already full at YC and at BC, it was standing room only. Not a great way to start off another split, but I had visions of a Mimosa in my head that got me through the squashing experience. (Spoiler alert: There were in fact no Mimosas.) After arriving at the MK bus stop, I proceeded to the boat dock where I had just missed the GF boat so I took the monorail instead.
Since I arrived at the GF via monorail on the 2nd floor, I went to the stairs to get to the 1st floor check-in and as a result, didn't come in through the front doors to the 1st floor. I went from the stairs to the front desk and so I wasn't greeted (again). In keeping with tradition, I didn't receive a room alert, but my room wasn't ready this time.
4. My first time staying on the Tower Club level at Disney's Contemporary Resort from 9/5 - 9/8.
*Room/lounge photos can be found within this thread for CR, BC, YC and GF.
Having stayed at CR many times, and loving the Tower views so much, I had always envisioned the 14th floor's Tower Club level as being the ultimate CL experience. I was highly anticipating finally staying there and pictured an intimate lounge setting with few guests and a quiet and calm floor. Unfortunately, none of those expectations were met. I was escorted up to the 14th floor and shown the lounge and taken to my room. This was more than I would experience at RPC, but was the most basic level of CL check-in.
The room's cleanliness and features met all my expectation, however, the only request I made via the IPO and via the WDTC was to not have a connecting door. This room had TWO connecting doors. Everything was quiet in the afternoon so I thought it would work out fine. I returned after 5:00 in order to sample the appetizers and relax. The lounge only has four small tables with a small love seat and chair in the middle. One side of the table is a bench seat that sinks down very low and isn't ideal for a taller person. I instead sat in the chair on the other side of the table which meant I was staring at the wall instead of the amazing 14th floor view.
The food was just plain awful. The worst I've had at any CL which really surprised me. There were three hot dishes, two of which were inedible and one of which I passed on because it didn't sound good. It looked like lobster bisque, but I was told it was a "pepper soup." I had to ask what many of the items were because not one single thing was labeled. The macaroni and cheese was obvious as were the potstickers. The macaroni and cheese was a giant glob of cooled goo that hardly came off the spoon. I took one bite and that was enough. How can you ruin macaroni and cheese and potstickers? The potstickers, true to their name, were in fact all stuck together, tough and gooey.
There's an iPad near the end of the service line that's supposed to show the menu, but it was turned off. The dishes should be labeled, as other CLs do, but, I was told to "just ask someone if you have questions." The CM told me she was unaware that other CLs label their food. When I did ask about something on the cheese plate, the CM said she wasn't sure and she'd have to go and find out.
Monday evening, The lounge became more and more crowded and loud and all of a sudden, about 25 people got off the elevators, stopped for a few moments at the lounge and proceeded down past my room to a suite. It was even louder now and since the hot food was inedible and the lounge was so noisy, I headed to my room. My theory that the two connecting doors might not be a problem was totally wrong. I could hear everything from them and it was very loud, like a party. I sought refuge on the huge balcony where I discovered that the guests next door were also out on their balcony and were just as loud. I decided then and there that this just wasn't going to get any better and made a phone call to DH who encouraged me to go down to the front desk and ask to be moved. As I was talking to DH outside, a guest from next door actually peered around the divider and stared at me! In order to do this, she would have needed to lean over the railing! That's a scary proposition 14 floors up, (actually 13
). Downstairs, I asked to speak with a manager. The CM wanted to know why and he seemed reluctant to get a manager for me. I politely insisted that I wanted a manager and I finally got one. The GSM acted very surprised about the bad food, noise and crowd, but agreed to move me. I declined his Atrium Club offer and his One Bedroom GW Suite offer and asked instead for a non-CL Tower room. As a party of one, I didn't feel right accepting a One Bedroom Suite and I really didn't want CL access. Within half an hour, I had left Tower Club and was in my wonderful Tower Bay Lake View room, without a connecting door and away form Chef Mickey's. I later found out that after I moved from the Tower Club, a guest reported on the CL thread that the party continued all night and there were many people in one suite who were wandering around and at one point an electronic piano was brought into the lounge! Another poster reported that these were Night of Joy participants whose venue was canceled and so they moved them to the Tower Club. I'm not sure about all the details, but I am certain I moved just in time.
While Tower Club, and a past Atrium Club stay, didn't meet my expectations, the Tower Bay Lake View room continues to always meet expectations and is still overall, my preferred room and location. In fact, it provided the same amenities as the CL room: Large tubes of H2O SPA toiletries, a large bottle of water replenished everyday, cream for in-room coffee and toiletry kits. None of the other rooms had these amenities, not even the RPC room.
5. My first time staying at Disney's Beach Club Resort from 9/8 - 9/11 - the last Deluxe Resort at which I’ve not stayed.
Technically, I didn't actually fulfill this bucket list entry, and I never will, so off the list it goes, and I'm fine with that. It took about 30 minutes to check-in at a very off hour, around 10:00. No one was at the front desk except me. I asked about CL availability, and this took some time for the CM to inquire about. He said there were no CL rooms, so I even asked about CL access. He left again and asked about this and said that it would "mess up their counts" if they did that. I had offered to pay, but it was not going to happen. It wasn't that I needed CL, but I was very curious about the newly renovated lounge and how it compared with the YC's Regatta Club and I could have checked it off the list.
I had made a request for a specific room number, and had earlier verified the request was in my reservation, yet the CM said that he didn't see the request at all and that I wasn't in that room. He did offer a choice of 3 rooms, however, I told him I didn't want to be on the ground floor and two of the rooms were. The other room wasn't on the ground floor so I accepted it.
I booked a Garden/Woods View, but what I received seemed like a Standard View or perhaps a Standard View would have actually been better. The room was very dark due to the door facing some trees which didn't allow much light in. The balcony was standing-only and it felt like I was in a tomb.
The room itself was nicely renovated, but it had a very musty/moldy odor. That, combined with the dark and gloomy atmosphere, convinced me to immediately walk over to YC and see if there was any chance I could get a room there. Since the BC CM had already shown me what was available, I knew that the ground floor was the only other option there.
Thanks to Luis, a wonderful YC GSM, I was able to change in the afternoon to a room at YC and I have no regrets about making this change. The location was wonderful since the stairs leading to an exterior door were right next to my room and I had no connecting door and was on the top floor. It was also an upgraded partial Lagoon View.
Balcony 3rd floor/left and exterior door:
6. My first time staying on the Royal Palm Club Level at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa from 9/11 - 9/14.
The Royal Palm Club is touted as being the ultimate in service, comfort and amenities. Everyone probably has this on their bucket list at some point and I was very excited to try it out. This is the most expensive non-DVC room category at WDW, so you might expect the service and amenities to be commensurate with that. I set fairly high expectations for what I thought would be a club level with high standards. Well, it wasn't and I felt taken. I know this is WDW so I always lower my expectations a bit when it comes to their resorts. They obviously have a lot going for them, location and theming being at the top, but the service, room quality and amenities often fall short when compared with other similarly priced resorts and club levels and RPC was no exception.
The check-in was unceremonious and even rude. I was pretty much the only guest at the front desk at that time, but the CM seemed bothered and put out by the process. I even had to ask to be taken up to the RPC so that I could have breakfast. The lobby CM who took me up didn't give me a tour or say anything to me about CL. She just made some small talk, asked if I had a lounge times sheet and dropped me off on the 4th floor in front of the elevator and left. I found out later from a CL CM that this is not supposed to be the norm for RPC.
To add to the disappointment, the two female lounge CMs on this particular morning were unfriendly and also seemed unhappy serving guests. There were no "good mornings," welcomes nor smiles. To be honest, it took a lot for me to not to go right back downstairs and ask for a non-CL room. The premium I was paying was not even closely matching the service I had thus far received nor expected.
I finished breakfast and headed over to the MK. When I returned, my room still wasn't ready around 2:30, but the concierge CM on the 3rd floor, the only bright spot thus far, inquired and said that the housekeeper was still cleaning it and it would be ready soon. Around 3:15, the room was finally ready and I received my luggage about an hour later.
The room was a Deluxe Room and the closest room to the lounge and children's area. It has a larger area in the middle where there is a queen sleeper and table, a foyer and a large garden tub. The room wasn't as clean as the room we had last year, which surprised me since this was RPC. I managed to step, with socks on, into some gummies that were smashed into the carpet. The housekeeper also forgot to flush the toilet and the lid was left up with what appeared to be debris one might find on the bathroom floor that you would normally vacuum or mop. Perhaps she shook her duster into it, I'm not sure, but it shouldn't have been there to greet me.
The view was amazing and the room was very roomy. However, it felt very hot compared with CR and YC and the thermostat reading was 76. I turned it down to 70, but even hours later, it stayed at 75-76. I thought it just needed more time to cool down, but in fact the sensor wasn't detecting anyone in the room at pretty much anytime and I couldn't override it and get it down to a comfortable temperature. I was uncomfortable all night and awoke to it being 76 degrees. On my way to the gym, I went down to the 3rd floor concierge, who was again very cordial, and told him about the problem. He asked what temperature I wanted it and when I later came back to the room, it was in fact at a constant 70 for the rest of my stay. Success! I also mentioned to him that the French door to the balcony wouldn't lock on the bottom so the door was always slightly ajar and would blow back and forth with the wind gusts. This issue was never fixed.
I had requested a Deluxe Room located on floors 4 or 5 facing south toward the pool and Poly. These are the Deluxe Queens that are furthest from the lounge. Once again, I didn't receive my request and was placed as close to the lounge as anyone could get, without sleeping on the sofa near the TV, which I actually observed a toddler doing one afternoon with his family all lounging nearby, but I digress.
The first night was terribly noisy until almost 11:00. There were groups laughing and talking loudly in the lounge all evening. I suspect they were drinking and didn't give a hoot about their behavior. I noticed some double doors leading to the hallway so I called the concierge and asked if they could be closed. The CM said they probably couldn't, but a short while later, someone did close them and that made all the difference. However, shortly after the lounge closed, they were re-opened and the noise carried on for about an hour. Luckily, after that night, I didn't hear much from the lounge.
The Deluxe room is also right next to a closet where they store alcohol. If you're in the room, you can hear them chatting and moving boxes around as they hit the wall. Most of the noise that comes into the room is very noticeable in the bathroom area and foyer which are closest to the door. Beyond that area, in the living room area where the beds are, the noise is less noticeable, except from the room next door.
The food in general was tasty, nicely presented and replenished so that I never noticed any empty dishes, unlike Tower Club. They did an excellent job of clearing tables and there were never any messes that remained on tables for long.
The hot appetizers weren't anything special, though the pork belly was a nice treat. It would have been nice to have a soup, chowder or stew like WL, but I only experienced cold soups that were already served in tiny dishes. I certainly didn't experience any items that set RPC apart from other CLs. Nothing was extraordinary in terms of food offerings or variety, but the views are amazing and being able to hear the live band and piano in the evening makes the RPC lounge unique.
The only CM who stood apart from all the rest this visit to GF, was the gentleman who works on the 3rd floor at the concierge desk. He was always cordial, polite and efficient. He never said "no," and he provided a higher level of service one would expect at this price point.
7. My first time having NO ADRs.
It was such a relief having the ADR burden lifted from my shoulders. I didn't have to worry about being anywhere at a specific time that wasn't self-imposed. I didn't have to worry about canceling an ADR in time or not being able to change my mind at the last minute. It also had the advantage of not having to decide where I wanted to eat and at what time months in advance. I had no problem getting a table wherever I wanted. Granted, it's always easier getting a table for two, I ate late afternoon and early evening and I was there slightly off-season, but I never waited more than 10 minutes for a table without an ADR.
I ate at the following Table Service restaurants without an ADR:
Beaches & Cream, Sci Fi Drive-In, Skipper's Canteen, Tokyo Dining (x2), Kona Café and San Angel Inn.
I also ate at Columbia Harbor House (x2), the YC lounge: Crew's Cup, Katsura Grill, Captain Cook's, Contempo Café and Pecos Bill. Skipper's was the only new-to-me dining, the others I've been to many times. I would recommend everyone try Skipper's once. The CMs put on a fun show, very much like on the Jungle Cruise. However, the food is nothing to rave about. It's worth trying it once for the atmosphere, CM interaction and novelty, but I can't recommend it for the food. My pork was quite fatty, the sides uninspired, oh, and there's no alcohol served.
8. My first off-season/September visit.
I noticed a big difference in the parks after the first couple of days, around 9/6. Wait times were much lower than when I usually go when school is out. This allowed me to frequently alternate a FP with a walk-on. And, even though this was still hurricane season, it somehow managed not to rain once during the day when I was outdoors for the entire 9 days. I think this timeframe was a nice sweet spot, arriving on Labor Day and departing the first day of Food and Wine. I also think that there is a nice sweet spot in January that I've not been able to try. January would also have the advantage of no rain, hurricanes/tropical storms nor much heat/humidity. However, it's cold and flu season so that would be the only disadvantage to me and the threat of wintry weather at home which could impact departing to and returning from MCO.
In conclusion, I would definitely do a solo trip again, but I would limit it to one or two resorts and I would shave a couple of days off. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have and thank you all for accompanying me on this journey!
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I think if nothing else, your experience would have me swearing off CL... I am sorry you didn't get to experience BC CL, I think the openness of the lounge and the welcome cocktail would've been refreshing after your Tower Club experience. And boo for that RPC check in, our breakfast experience in the morning may have had the same CMs you've encountered. Sugarloaf restored my faith in the Grand however, because when we went back we had the best of the best CMs (DH swears it was all staged because of the CL Manager at that time..who cares? it was AWESOME). Mimosas at the Grand are make your own I think. The CMs will bring you a glass of champagne any time, and you add the OJ. Loved having champagne in the CL!! I am still booked at BC CL for next month, and we really don't need CL but it was all that was available with a great rate so I'm definitely looking forward to it. I also am not requesting anything, since I've given my requests to IPO already and I received an immediate phone call to discuss my requests. We shall see!!!
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