Eventer98
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2006
- Messages
- 2,696
Hey there! This is my first trip report AND my first Disney vacation in 21 years! I had intentions of taking notes while on vacation but alas, I was either too busy or too tired! To give you some background it was just my DFiancee Ray and I that went on this trip. He hadn't been in about 15 years so we were super excited to be back at Disney. I started planning this trip while he was on a fishing trip with his brother in April. He came home and I had so much planned already that he couldn't say no! He knows now not to leave me alone for too long! 
Anyway, to give you some background....Ray is in the Navy and as of April he was at the rank that would qualify us for the $76/night rate at Shades of Green. The hotel looked great from the pictures and website so I had no problems with that..besides how can you beat that price?? I also started booking ADR's in late April as well and was able to get everything I wanted. At first Ray found it frustrating to have to plan our day around ADR's but I assured him that we had no choice. Boy was I right! (more to come on that way down the road) Plus, I found out later we were going during free dining so I was glad to have them.
As time got closer Ray had an inkling that he was going to get promoted. If he did we would no longer be at that awesome SOG rate..I think it would have went up $30/night..that's a lot when we were staying 7 nights. I tried not to think about it (I worry A LOT!) and trudged on reading 3 tour books and watching that cheesy Disney DVD every week. Finally June came and we were all set to go. I had considered switching to a Disney hotel to get that free dining when it was offered but since I would have needed all the money upfront (we were planning on heading to Disney using our last Aug. paychecks) we couldn't afford it at the time. But then Ray did get promoted....the first thing I asked him when he told me was when would he get his new ID?? At SOG you need to show your military ID to prove your rank. I felt bad....here I am asking him stuff that pertains to Disney and forgot to congratulate him. Oops! He forgave me and we laugh about it now. BUT...he said he should have his new ID by early Aug. I went into a panic. SOG was going to be quite a bit more now and I knew Disney was running a new special on just their hotel rates. So on the internet I went and found out we could get ASSports for $64/night plus the Magical Express (SOG does not offer that) I thought that was a great deal..a cheaper hotel and free shuttle. I think Mears for two roundtrip was $65..but don't quote me on it. I talked to Ray and he was bummed about switching but understood.
The next month flew by and finally August 26th came. I was so excited I couldn't stand it anymore!
I think Ray was glad the day was finally here b/c he couldn't take anymore more conversations starting, "Let's talk about Disney." He was a good sport though..he would hash thru my countless notes just to appease me. Anyway, after arriving at Orlando airport I found it quite easy to make our way to the Magical Express counter. There was only about 4 families infront of us and after checking in we didn't have any wait time for a bus. It was a nice ride..they play a Disney DVD to keep you occupied and it worked!! We finally arrived at ASSp. and were greeted by a CM at the door...a very friendly guy who pointed us to the check-in and gave us park hours/schedules brochures. We did have about a 10 min. wait to check in. There were 4 CM's working but they all seemed very slow. I noticed some had the Earning My Ears ribbon by their name tags. Maybe it wasn't 10 min..maybe I was just too excited to stand still! 
When it was our turn a nice CM helped us but gave us a VERY unhelpful map of the hotel buildings. We were in the soccer one I think and I couldn't make sense of the map at all. I asked him to clarify for me where we were going and all he said was go past the shop, out the doors, make a left and then a right. Um yeah. We tried it. It didn't work. So I asked a CM pushing a luggage cart and she said she didn't know where it was (um don't you work here???) and to try going right. I was a little put off that she didn't go find the answer when she didn't have it. I have worked in customer service for years and was always taught that if I didn't know the answer find someone who can help the customer. So we wandered another 10 min. and finally found our bldg. Needless to say I was very disappointed. I know the value resorts are just that, value. But it was so small I started to cry. (you'll find out I am very emotional) There were two beds, a TV and a small desk. Plus, we were on the ground level and right away and I could hear children screaming and running around outside our door. I realized then that we had made a mistake. Ray, being the calm guy he is said we weren't going to be in the hotel that much and we could get thru it. I tried to take comfort in that. For about 5 min. Then I said we had to call SOG to see if we could get in there. It wasn't just the hotel room. It was the lack of friendliness that I felt from that CM. It was the long walk to get to our room (what if it was downpouring?) It was also that I found out, at the airport when Ray had to show his ID, that it still had his old rank on there. I asked him why he didn't tell me and he said that they aren't changing him over until Dec. and he didn't find out until two days ago. He didn't want to upset me. So knowing that I had to try to get into SOG. I called ASAP and they did have rooms left and I had to come over to check in. I was also concerned about losing the two nights deposit I had to put down on ASSp.
So back to check-in we went. I pride myself in my good customer service skills so I figured we wouldn't have a problem..it is Disney afterall. I did feel guilty but if I wasn't happy I didn't want to stay at ASSp. So I talked to an awesome CM supervisor named Ian. He was very understanding and even said that he worked over at SOG until recently and says it was amazing. I don't think he blamed us for wanting to leave. He said the rooms were huge with two double beds, a kitchen table, couch..etc. He also gave us $40 to take a cab over there to check-in. How great is that??? I didn't expect that at all. He was also going to have our luggage taken over there when it arrived from the airport. I have to write a letter to Disney about Ian. He really went out of his way.
So off to SOG we went. As soon as we drove up I knew it was the right place for us. We weren't going to be on the dining plan since I had already purchased our tickets from Undercover Tourist in June so we really weren't losing much at all. We just knew we had to get a Mears shuttle to the airport at the end of the week. Anyway, we checked in and the people were great! The room was amazing and just as big as Ian had described them. We couldn't wait for our luggage though..we had ADR's for Whispering Canyon at 9pm so we took another cab over there (they are very close to eachother..I think it cost us $4)
We checked in about 20 min early and were seated right away. You'll find as I ramble on that we were able to get seated asap and early for most of our ADRs. That's why I recommend them so much. WCC was a little smaller then I thought it would be but just as loud as I had expected. The waitress was nice and started bring our food right away. Ray drinks a ton of coke and as soon as he asked for a refill they brought out that jumbo size mason jar for him. I never got one though...not that I would have finished it anyway!
I did take tons of pictures on this trip but I have never been able to post them on here. If the rumor is true that you need a certain # of posts to do it then perhaps that's why. So you'll have to do without them. I didn't take food pics anyway though..I had intentions but just found myself to eager to dig in!
For dinner they brought out the best cornbread I have ever had! Ray doesn't even like c.bread and he ate some! The salad was great too..some sort of vinegrette dressing that tasted pretty darn good! I filled up on those two things I must say! Then our waitress brought out the chicken, ribs, pulled pork, beans (I didn't care for their baked beans), mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and slaw. All was delicious. Ray esp. liked the ribs and me the pulled pork. He said that the waitress offered dessert but I don't remember. He claims I said I was full. Hmm. I am never full for dessert. So unfortunately I don't have reports on that part. I didn't have to ask for ketchup like I thought I would. But I noticed that when they call out for ketchup all the kids from other tables were bringing it over to the table that needed it. Pretty cute. They had a few songs and stuff going on and of course the pony races. We didn't find it distracting at all and would definetly go back again. I couldn't get over how beautiful the Wilderness Lodge was...I wish I could afford to stay there. Alas, maybe someday.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went in the pool. Now in one of the travel guides it rates the SOG pool as one of the lowest but I thought it was fine. They had two of them and we were by the mickey shaped one. I didn't have any problems with it at all. Clean and warm is all I ask for!
And that's about the end of day one. I hope some of you will travel on with this rookie into the rest of the trip. I have plenty of dining/ride reviews to come. Thanks for reading!
Anyway, to give you some background....Ray is in the Navy and as of April he was at the rank that would qualify us for the $76/night rate at Shades of Green. The hotel looked great from the pictures and website so I had no problems with that..besides how can you beat that price?? I also started booking ADR's in late April as well and was able to get everything I wanted. At first Ray found it frustrating to have to plan our day around ADR's but I assured him that we had no choice. Boy was I right! (more to come on that way down the road) Plus, I found out later we were going during free dining so I was glad to have them.
As time got closer Ray had an inkling that he was going to get promoted. If he did we would no longer be at that awesome SOG rate..I think it would have went up $30/night..that's a lot when we were staying 7 nights. I tried not to think about it (I worry A LOT!) and trudged on reading 3 tour books and watching that cheesy Disney DVD every week. Finally June came and we were all set to go. I had considered switching to a Disney hotel to get that free dining when it was offered but since I would have needed all the money upfront (we were planning on heading to Disney using our last Aug. paychecks) we couldn't afford it at the time. But then Ray did get promoted....the first thing I asked him when he told me was when would he get his new ID?? At SOG you need to show your military ID to prove your rank. I felt bad....here I am asking him stuff that pertains to Disney and forgot to congratulate him. Oops! He forgave me and we laugh about it now. BUT...he said he should have his new ID by early Aug. I went into a panic. SOG was going to be quite a bit more now and I knew Disney was running a new special on just their hotel rates. So on the internet I went and found out we could get ASSports for $64/night plus the Magical Express (SOG does not offer that) I thought that was a great deal..a cheaper hotel and free shuttle. I think Mears for two roundtrip was $65..but don't quote me on it. I talked to Ray and he was bummed about switching but understood.
The next month flew by and finally August 26th came. I was so excited I couldn't stand it anymore!
I think Ray was glad the day was finally here b/c he couldn't take anymore more conversations starting, "Let's talk about Disney." He was a good sport though..he would hash thru my countless notes just to appease me. Anyway, after arriving at Orlando airport I found it quite easy to make our way to the Magical Express counter. There was only about 4 families infront of us and after checking in we didn't have any wait time for a bus. It was a nice ride..they play a Disney DVD to keep you occupied and it worked!! We finally arrived at ASSp. and were greeted by a CM at the door...a very friendly guy who pointed us to the check-in and gave us park hours/schedules brochures. We did have about a 10 min. wait to check in. There were 4 CM's working but they all seemed very slow. I noticed some had the Earning My Ears ribbon by their name tags. Maybe it wasn't 10 min..maybe I was just too excited to stand still! When it was our turn a nice CM helped us but gave us a VERY unhelpful map of the hotel buildings. We were in the soccer one I think and I couldn't make sense of the map at all. I asked him to clarify for me where we were going and all he said was go past the shop, out the doors, make a left and then a right. Um yeah. We tried it. It didn't work. So I asked a CM pushing a luggage cart and she said she didn't know where it was (um don't you work here???) and to try going right. I was a little put off that she didn't go find the answer when she didn't have it. I have worked in customer service for years and was always taught that if I didn't know the answer find someone who can help the customer. So we wandered another 10 min. and finally found our bldg. Needless to say I was very disappointed. I know the value resorts are just that, value. But it was so small I started to cry. (you'll find out I am very emotional) There were two beds, a TV and a small desk. Plus, we were on the ground level and right away and I could hear children screaming and running around outside our door. I realized then that we had made a mistake. Ray, being the calm guy he is said we weren't going to be in the hotel that much and we could get thru it. I tried to take comfort in that. For about 5 min. Then I said we had to call SOG to see if we could get in there. It wasn't just the hotel room. It was the lack of friendliness that I felt from that CM. It was the long walk to get to our room (what if it was downpouring?) It was also that I found out, at the airport when Ray had to show his ID, that it still had his old rank on there. I asked him why he didn't tell me and he said that they aren't changing him over until Dec. and he didn't find out until two days ago. He didn't want to upset me. So knowing that I had to try to get into SOG. I called ASAP and they did have rooms left and I had to come over to check in. I was also concerned about losing the two nights deposit I had to put down on ASSp. So back to check-in we went. I pride myself in my good customer service skills so I figured we wouldn't have a problem..it is Disney afterall. I did feel guilty but if I wasn't happy I didn't want to stay at ASSp. So I talked to an awesome CM supervisor named Ian. He was very understanding and even said that he worked over at SOG until recently and says it was amazing. I don't think he blamed us for wanting to leave. He said the rooms were huge with two double beds, a kitchen table, couch..etc. He also gave us $40 to take a cab over there to check-in. How great is that??? I didn't expect that at all. He was also going to have our luggage taken over there when it arrived from the airport. I have to write a letter to Disney about Ian. He really went out of his way.
So off to SOG we went. As soon as we drove up I knew it was the right place for us. We weren't going to be on the dining plan since I had already purchased our tickets from Undercover Tourist in June so we really weren't losing much at all. We just knew we had to get a Mears shuttle to the airport at the end of the week. Anyway, we checked in and the people were great! The room was amazing and just as big as Ian had described them. We couldn't wait for our luggage though..we had ADR's for Whispering Canyon at 9pm so we took another cab over there (they are very close to eachother..I think it cost us $4)
We checked in about 20 min early and were seated right away. You'll find as I ramble on that we were able to get seated asap and early for most of our ADRs. That's why I recommend them so much. WCC was a little smaller then I thought it would be but just as loud as I had expected. The waitress was nice and started bring our food right away. Ray drinks a ton of coke and as soon as he asked for a refill they brought out that jumbo size mason jar for him. I never got one though...not that I would have finished it anyway!
I did take tons of pictures on this trip but I have never been able to post them on here. If the rumor is true that you need a certain # of posts to do it then perhaps that's why. So you'll have to do without them. I didn't take food pics anyway though..I had intentions but just found myself to eager to dig in! For dinner they brought out the best cornbread I have ever had! Ray doesn't even like c.bread and he ate some! The salad was great too..some sort of vinegrette dressing that tasted pretty darn good! I filled up on those two things I must say! Then our waitress brought out the chicken, ribs, pulled pork, beans (I didn't care for their baked beans), mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and slaw. All was delicious. Ray esp. liked the ribs and me the pulled pork. He said that the waitress offered dessert but I don't remember. He claims I said I was full. Hmm. I am never full for dessert. So unfortunately I don't have reports on that part. I didn't have to ask for ketchup like I thought I would. But I noticed that when they call out for ketchup all the kids from other tables were bringing it over to the table that needed it. Pretty cute. They had a few songs and stuff going on and of course the pony races. We didn't find it distracting at all and would definetly go back again. I couldn't get over how beautiful the Wilderness Lodge was...I wish I could afford to stay there. Alas, maybe someday.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went in the pool. Now in one of the travel guides it rates the SOG pool as one of the lowest but I thought it was fine. They had two of them and we were by the mickey shaped one. I didn't have any problems with it at all. Clean and warm is all I ask for!
And that's about the end of day one. I hope some of you will travel on with this rookie into the rest of the trip. I have plenty of dining/ride reviews to come. Thanks for reading!
