BobbyBond2
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2021
Just got back from a 10 day (9 night) WDW/USO/IoA trip. First and foremost, this is my first trip report, so hopefully, it is helpful for anyone that decides to read along! Just for background, I'm a single dad with 2 kids (DS - 7 and DD - 10), DVC members, and AP holders for both Disney and Universal for 2021. We had park reservations for EP, HS, MK, AK, then 2 nights at Universal, MK, HS, and EP to close the trip out.
Usually, we do not stay for this long, but this trip was originally planned as part of our DVC stay in August 2020. Obviously, with the pandemic, things changed. We ended up making this a longer trip to use points up. We stayed at BWV (Deluxe Studio) and USO Portifino (Standard Room) for one night during this trip. For this particular trip report, I'll stick to Disney-related experiences to keep with the topic.
We arrived at MCO Monday late morning on Southwest, opted not to use DME, and booked through Tiffany Towncar for roundtrip service to BWV. I have to admit, this was so much nicer, quicker and less stressful than using DME, but obviously for a price. Tiffany Towncar's communication was excellent, prompt, and pleasant. In all fairness to DME, the last time I used DME, they picked up luggage and delivered it to the room. Since our room wasn't quite ready, we dropped off our bags with Bell Services and went to Epcot since it was an easy walk from BWV.
I was pretty worried about wait times and crowds, but to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. Before the late afternoon thunderstorm hit, we were able to hit all the major attractions, waiting at most 40 minutes for Test Track. Our room (2054) became ready right as the thunderstorm hit, so we made it back to BWV. Our Deluxe Studio had a nice view of the pool with an enclosed balcony, easily accessible from the lobby and other amenities. We spent the evening at BWV swimming and enjoyed pizza from Pizza Window. The pizza was good, especially for the price. Wait time was about 35 minutes, and the pager worked from our room. Overall, I enjoyed staying at BWV. The location, pool, and amenities were great.
This trip was our first time seeing SWGE since our last visit (it was still under construction) by far amazing to experience. Both DS & DD built droids at the depot and enjoyed the park's ambiance, especially when their droids started interacting with others
. We were able to get boarding groups for RoTR on both visits, but we were only successful during the 1PM windows, not early AM.
Most of the reports from this point on will be observations during our WDW stay.
Masks - Most people and children did not have a mask on. I am fully vaccinated and felt comfortable enough to forgo the mask. My children had masks, but this ended rather quickly with the heat and humidity, especially when other kids their age weren't wearing any. I found it quite entertaining that masks were "required" on busses, yet guests were crammed into preshows and attractions.
Transportation - The first few days, bus wait times at BWV were unavailable on the App. The LCD monitor at the bus stop wasn't working as well. Eventually, the wait times began to show on the App. I noticed that Disney Transport had upgraded their systems, and one noticeable problem was that the bus "Label" never changed in some cases and guests had to ask the driver where they were going. It usually said, "Refilling my pixie dust." When using Friendship Boats to get to HS, keep in mind if you plan on staying at BW/BWV, you can cut down on your travel and wait by walking to or from Swan & Dolphin since the boats will stop at Y&B and Swan.
I will admit that I was very disappointed in how Disney Transport handled shutting down the boats during inclement weather. We had boarded a boat back to BW from HS; as soon as we departed, we turned back and were asked to leave since lightning was present in the area. We were then directed to a bus stop. We waited almost 40 minutes in a torrential downpour, with no bus ever arriving. At this point, we decided to stay at HS instead of the walk back. I did run into another guest who was also waiting later in the evening, and they stated the buses never came.
Wait Times - This, by far, was the most extensive observation. The wait times posted by Disney were extremely "off." For example, BTMRR had a posted wait time of 60 minutes, yet the line was moving very well. I'm a big user of touringplans and their app when traveling to WDW, and their app indicated a 26 minute wait time when in actuality, we were on the train in less than 15 minutes. This same instance was held for most rides through WDW except FoP, Smugglers Run, TT, 7DMT, and SDD. I can't believe I'm saying this, but without the FP+, the lines moved more fluidly and quicker; I almost would like to see FP+ go away if this is the end result. Of course, park capacity is limited, so this was probably a big reason why it seemed this way.
App Issues - If WDW is going to rely heavily on the MDE application, they need to get some of the kinks worked out. I'm an iPhone user and found I needed to force quit the application quite often so it could "figure out" where I was to provide me the correct information. More often than not, the application would hang. I'm a Network/Software Engineer, so I'd like to believe it's not a "user" issue
. I also think Mobile Ordering needs some attention, so orders aren't "lost."
Food - We were able to get ADRs for Be Our Guest (Dinner), Liberty Tree Tavern, Tusker House, and Hollywood & Vine. Be our Guest was very delicious, and the family-style meals at other locations were tasty as well. The only issue we had with quick service was at "Lunching Pad" when our mobile order was placed, and we asked to "prep." As the cast member stated, they never received it. They quickly corrected the issue. At the Boardwalk "Cafe," the wait times for QS food seemed quite long.
Other than that, we had a great time at WDW. The weather was beautiful, and it was great to see things coming back alive. I felt safe, comfortable, and not overly crowded. Universal is a whole other can of worms that I'll post elsewhere. We'll be going back in August and staying at a friend's condo in Kissimmee, and we'll be hitting up MK and HS if all goes well!
Have a Disney Day!
Usually, we do not stay for this long, but this trip was originally planned as part of our DVC stay in August 2020. Obviously, with the pandemic, things changed. We ended up making this a longer trip to use points up. We stayed at BWV (Deluxe Studio) and USO Portifino (Standard Room) for one night during this trip. For this particular trip report, I'll stick to Disney-related experiences to keep with the topic.
We arrived at MCO Monday late morning on Southwest, opted not to use DME, and booked through Tiffany Towncar for roundtrip service to BWV. I have to admit, this was so much nicer, quicker and less stressful than using DME, but obviously for a price. Tiffany Towncar's communication was excellent, prompt, and pleasant. In all fairness to DME, the last time I used DME, they picked up luggage and delivered it to the room. Since our room wasn't quite ready, we dropped off our bags with Bell Services and went to Epcot since it was an easy walk from BWV.
I was pretty worried about wait times and crowds, but to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. Before the late afternoon thunderstorm hit, we were able to hit all the major attractions, waiting at most 40 minutes for Test Track. Our room (2054) became ready right as the thunderstorm hit, so we made it back to BWV. Our Deluxe Studio had a nice view of the pool with an enclosed balcony, easily accessible from the lobby and other amenities. We spent the evening at BWV swimming and enjoyed pizza from Pizza Window. The pizza was good, especially for the price. Wait time was about 35 minutes, and the pager worked from our room. Overall, I enjoyed staying at BWV. The location, pool, and amenities were great.
This trip was our first time seeing SWGE since our last visit (it was still under construction) by far amazing to experience. Both DS & DD built droids at the depot and enjoyed the park's ambiance, especially when their droids started interacting with others
. We were able to get boarding groups for RoTR on both visits, but we were only successful during the 1PM windows, not early AM. Most of the reports from this point on will be observations during our WDW stay.
Masks - Most people and children did not have a mask on. I am fully vaccinated and felt comfortable enough to forgo the mask. My children had masks, but this ended rather quickly with the heat and humidity, especially when other kids their age weren't wearing any. I found it quite entertaining that masks were "required" on busses, yet guests were crammed into preshows and attractions.
Transportation - The first few days, bus wait times at BWV were unavailable on the App. The LCD monitor at the bus stop wasn't working as well. Eventually, the wait times began to show on the App. I noticed that Disney Transport had upgraded their systems, and one noticeable problem was that the bus "Label" never changed in some cases and guests had to ask the driver where they were going. It usually said, "Refilling my pixie dust." When using Friendship Boats to get to HS, keep in mind if you plan on staying at BW/BWV, you can cut down on your travel and wait by walking to or from Swan & Dolphin since the boats will stop at Y&B and Swan.
I will admit that I was very disappointed in how Disney Transport handled shutting down the boats during inclement weather. We had boarded a boat back to BW from HS; as soon as we departed, we turned back and were asked to leave since lightning was present in the area. We were then directed to a bus stop. We waited almost 40 minutes in a torrential downpour, with no bus ever arriving. At this point, we decided to stay at HS instead of the walk back. I did run into another guest who was also waiting later in the evening, and they stated the buses never came.
Wait Times - This, by far, was the most extensive observation. The wait times posted by Disney were extremely "off." For example, BTMRR had a posted wait time of 60 minutes, yet the line was moving very well. I'm a big user of touringplans and their app when traveling to WDW, and their app indicated a 26 minute wait time when in actuality, we were on the train in less than 15 minutes. This same instance was held for most rides through WDW except FoP, Smugglers Run, TT, 7DMT, and SDD. I can't believe I'm saying this, but without the FP+, the lines moved more fluidly and quicker; I almost would like to see FP+ go away if this is the end result. Of course, park capacity is limited, so this was probably a big reason why it seemed this way.
App Issues - If WDW is going to rely heavily on the MDE application, they need to get some of the kinks worked out. I'm an iPhone user and found I needed to force quit the application quite often so it could "figure out" where I was to provide me the correct information. More often than not, the application would hang. I'm a Network/Software Engineer, so I'd like to believe it's not a "user" issue
. I also think Mobile Ordering needs some attention, so orders aren't "lost."Food - We were able to get ADRs for Be Our Guest (Dinner), Liberty Tree Tavern, Tusker House, and Hollywood & Vine. Be our Guest was very delicious, and the family-style meals at other locations were tasty as well. The only issue we had with quick service was at "Lunching Pad" when our mobile order was placed, and we asked to "prep." As the cast member stated, they never received it. They quickly corrected the issue. At the Boardwalk "Cafe," the wait times for QS food seemed quite long.
Other than that, we had a great time at WDW. The weather was beautiful, and it was great to see things coming back alive. I felt safe, comfortable, and not overly crowded. Universal is a whole other can of worms that I'll post elsewhere. We'll be going back in August and staying at a friend's condo in Kissimmee, and we'll be hitting up MK and HS if all goes well!
Have a Disney Day!
