a1tinkfans
Spreading Some Pixie Dust Today!
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2006
- Messages
- 12,078
We planned on a "quick" several day POR trip, followed by a few days elsewhere, looking at vacation homes further south. Our plans changed once we arrived "home" at Disney 
Our Quick trip turned into a week as we added days (and obviously cost due to poor Disney planning
) and then headed onto our other things....
I had planned on using our NE tix we had since 2008, the ones I used magic marker on to indicate which days were left, regarding parks and water etc...Apparently I was wrong...my dh tix was completely used
...so I had to buy the Xtra tix for him...Went to guest services after he was denied entry (he was none too happy with me, believe me...) anyhoo, they went over each date he used it....they did not coincide with mine or my ds, THEN I realized that I must have purchased NEW tix for the ds and I in past and DH just used his non expires as he does not like to hop as much, I must have bought hoppers and saved our NE...OH well, got him the Xtra days and into
Epcot we went....with the TONS, repeat TONS of young tour groups and their flags, chanting and DRAMA...they went "right" we went "left" and we literally saw them maybe once the entire day and night there. SO for those that panic when they hear about groups or visiting in July, please dont sweat it, it really was not a big deal....we just avoided them, (and since we did Not have those hoppers we stayed in the same park as them on more than one occasion).
My observation about POR, Lovely as ever, Bldg 14AB section, our fav, GREAT amazing Mousekeeper..towel animals Galore (unexpected treat!) each and every day..and Yes, I tipped her and thanked her with a little post it that basically said thanks for taking care of us and our room while we enjoy our day...each day...did that cause her to leave animals, who knows, I would have and always tip regardless....
The main pool has turned into a LOUD noisy area of screaming kids and did not feel like the Ol Man Island of years past...IMHO, the "entertainment" is babysitting to me ....for the most part, kids whose parents are sunning or otherwise busy...while the kids are "entertained."...our vacations have always been "about family" but to each his and her own...Its mid day not dinner hour...but I digress....so we used the QUIET pool, and for the most part is was quieter....except when once again, parents seemed to just drop off kids and/or Ignore them while they literally screamed on and on...I dont get it....I mean I guess thats how they behave at home?
I think they should have been at the main pool.... So the Quiet pool was Less noisy overall, but not really quiet...and it was like that the whole week..and thanks to the kind person/s that left their water toys/noodles for others to share...
lots of moms and dads used them to float...
the food court was well staffed and no issues breakfast lunch or dinner when we visited. Food was hot, fresh and quite YUMMY, portion size was good as well..We bought a mug and we also asked for a cup for ice which was given freely. I generally ship water from staples, they were sold out
and since I thought it was just a few days....I forgot about it, then we added so many Xtra days...it turned into a issue. The dh will NOT drink fla water at all, he even hates to brush his teeth with it so I bought waterS at the General store (16.99 a case of the small bottles and 3.79 for a larger bottle of dasani) Lets just say my WATER BILL was as much as my quarterly water bill at home 
The little changes I noticed were... no more Disney printed napkins, just plain brown generic ones, no more huge box of tea bags out, lots more people just leaving their trash (what up with that?) for the staff to clean, more people hanging their bathing suits and towels over resort railings instead of using the bathroom cord they provide, the POR room has little to No storage for clothing...., there are three small drawers and no more large drawers...so we hung most things up on the plastic hangers that I had brought from home, The renovated room was nice, but lacking in storage IMHO....I did not have an overall WOW to the room upgrades, but it was neat and clean and compact..
Our day at MK had broken down Splash Mountain, Broken down People Mover (multiple times), broken down Buzz Lightyear THAT was frustrating....BUT, Buzz was up again later in the day, and we got thru it...and just as we Exited and viewed our picture on the screen, ...buzzers started going off 
and a metal wall came down on those people that did not yet get up to the picture area, we left...no idea what happened...
As far as People Mover, we tried three separate times and all three times after waiting on line, it would be moving then close down, so we never got on...and I actually like that "ride"....
Splash Mountain was our next debacle that happened to "work out" for us....we used fastpass...rode the ride and as we were about 4 logs back from the exit we just all stopped...and waited and waited...I guess about 4-6 minutes....the mom and small child ahead of us just looked back at us with these HUGE saucer OMG eyes, but I figured we were so close to the exit it'd all be okay...Then the LIGHTS all turned on, the MUSIC all shut off and the CM's walked over and said to just sit and wait for them to get us out of our "logs"....meanwhile the elderly man behind me was alone and I knew there might be an issue with mobility...We were about 1-1 1/2 ' from the edge to walk on...they had nothing to pull the log closer but the CM's (who were all friendly and appeared to be doing what they could) Put there hands out to help us out of the logs...The elderly man tripped and fell (that was scary) but he appeared to be okay...The GAP was just too large and the logs move obviously, but our log was emptied when they got to us, I guess the total time we waited was about another 6-8 minutes....it did feel like forever...then we all walked single file along a wall, out a door (and by the way there was a HUGE puddle in the area, so everyone was trying to walk on the edge of the railing area and the elderly man tripped again...but again he was okay), we then we were behind the attraction and exited out...They gave us each 1 fastpass to use for any ride that day...
We visited TL, LOVED it, met this young couple while we waited on line, who later told us they were cm's, a lifeguard and gift store staff...they were so cute...had met in Feb when they started and "fell in love" 
(those lines are long, you can get whole life histories 
)anyway, they said that LEAPyear visit everything was breaking down and the tea cups were smoking as the park could apparently not handle the influx pf people ad 24 hour ride usage (they too had been at MK and had missed rides) so we shared some laughs and went on our way after the ride...Again, LOVE TL, tho more and more people use that lazy river as a "walking and swimming" river rather than tube usage..that was plain weird and honestly dangerous IMHO...OH, and to the CM at the register to get your locker key...who told us the Snowman Jokes and had us howling....THANK YOU for your kindness (and the Free locker rental you gave us..another pleasant surprise)
DTD and the boatride were great, the parks were busy but not overly busy, we used that app that said which rides and which parks were heavy ( IMHO, it seemed like all they did was tell you not to visit the park that had EMH) we did and saw everything we wanted (except for broken down things) and enjoyed the parks etc...
Buses: we waited maybe 15 minutes 1 time at POR, south depot...otherwise it was more like 10 minutes or literally walked right on. We never had scooter, or cutting issues. One time we literally ran to a bus to leave a park and were at the turnstyle and he left with an almost empty bus so we had to wait, but even then it was a short wait again...
AK: I have to say we did AK really slowly this time...I have a ds that reads every sign, loves animals and we walked and read and went on the Safari ride (forgive me, my mind is blank as to the ride name) ...we saw just about every animal and LOVED it...they have changed it up, no more searching for the poachers...and I was happy with the new ride experience...do it when you arrive.....
We ate at LeCellier, Ohana, Trails End and the rest was where ever we were at the time...mostly quick serve (as once again, we planned for a shorter trip)...but we did just fine...tho the limited menu for quick serves gets old fast...we are the kind of family that enjoys good food for dinner....
As far as LeCellier, it was okay-good this time, not great as in the past, the service was "off" IMHO, but the filet mignon and the other steaks were very good...the risotto was FABULOUS ...good choc mousse dessert, but have to say it felt not as soft/moussey, KWIM??
I have to say I was sick this time in disney a whole night....
and I think it may have just been a combination of heat, tired, that dang water I was drinking before I started on the bottled...and that was no fun...the dh got sick this time too...the ds, thankfully did not...it was weird...we were just "off" but still had a good time...its DISNEY after all....
Oh, two last things, POR, our key cards were a NIGHTMARE....they stopped working, we were told it was the battery in the door, they fixed it, they still did not work, then it was some mechanism in the door, they came again, it still did not work, then it was another mechanism, then another (NOT kidding folks) then they replaced our keys not once but twice...our keys would not work and the "runner" the mechanic, and everyone else's would...it was so annoying...back and forth to front desk on three separate times...to be told itd work, then it would not...LOCKED out of our room....(thankfully it was a close building) but not really acceptable ...
They offered me fastpassses (for a day?) for the inconvenience ..I was leaving the next day anyway and had left a park early to relax at the resort...eat etc...could not even get in our room, and it went on and on for Hours..(like 4) ..I turned down the fastpasses and said that I could not use them and that I did not expect to have this issue at Disney as it was not motel 8.....they then offered 50% off the room for the night....(then the guy comes back and tells me the Newest and latest set of room keys still did not work) I was so exhausted by then...just wanted to get in the room to lay down after not feeling so great anyway...I think they looked at my face and I prob looked like Id cry (tho I wouldnt have obviously) cause I was just so worn out and they Comped the room for the night...and they did get it resolved.another set of keys ..I think it was an IT problem at the desk rather than the door...who knows..it was just crazy..
The bus back to MCO was so long, the driver was having full indepth conversations with the couple up front, he drove so slow, it was crazy...I was picked up three hours before the flight (typical as in the past) we arrived at the terminal 1 hour 15 minutes before my flight...Literally he took forever and the stops were nuts...
Never had this scenario before...and it was not good IMHO...MCO was busy, a pre board sleeve can take a bit of time...so that driver made it quite hectic for us...
Each and every leg of our multiple flights over the days...the dh was searched....understandable given all the metal he has in him....and the son and I also got pulled twice...I have no angst about it personally (we were full scanned each time rather than pat down...the dh was not so lucky
) as Id rather feel safe ...so to the TA's across the eastern seaboard...hats off to you and thanks for keeping vigilant!
Despite Break Downs, Lock Outs, Lots in Xtra Costs, Getting Ill, and a crazy SLOW ride back to MCO to start our next leg ...its all good and we did have a good time!
well, theres lots more to talk about, I did not realize I rambled so long..
...but if you have any questions or anything, just post here and Id be happy to reply....
Have a Great day today and Share a SMILE with someone too!
Our Quick trip turned into a week as we added days (and obviously cost due to poor Disney planning
) and then headed onto our other things....I had planned on using our NE tix we had since 2008, the ones I used magic marker on to indicate which days were left, regarding parks and water etc...Apparently I was wrong...my dh tix was completely used
...so I had to buy the Xtra tix for him...Went to guest services after he was denied entry (he was none too happy with me, believe me...) anyhoo, they went over each date he used it....they did not coincide with mine or my ds, THEN I realized that I must have purchased NEW tix for the ds and I in past and DH just used his non expires as he does not like to hop as much, I must have bought hoppers and saved our NE...OH well, got him the Xtra days and into Epcot we went....with the TONS, repeat TONS of young tour groups and their flags, chanting and DRAMA...they went "right" we went "left" and we literally saw them maybe once the entire day and night there. SO for those that panic when they hear about groups or visiting in July, please dont sweat it, it really was not a big deal....we just avoided them, (and since we did Not have those hoppers we stayed in the same park as them on more than one occasion).
My observation about POR, Lovely as ever, Bldg 14AB section, our fav, GREAT amazing Mousekeeper..towel animals Galore (unexpected treat!) each and every day..and Yes, I tipped her and thanked her with a little post it that basically said thanks for taking care of us and our room while we enjoy our day...each day...did that cause her to leave animals, who knows, I would have and always tip regardless....
The main pool has turned into a LOUD noisy area of screaming kids and did not feel like the Ol Man Island of years past...IMHO, the "entertainment" is babysitting to me ....for the most part, kids whose parents are sunning or otherwise busy...while the kids are "entertained."...our vacations have always been "about family" but to each his and her own...Its mid day not dinner hour...but I digress....so we used the QUIET pool, and for the most part is was quieter....except when once again, parents seemed to just drop off kids and/or Ignore them while they literally screamed on and on...I dont get it....I mean I guess thats how they behave at home?
I think they should have been at the main pool.... So the Quiet pool was Less noisy overall, but not really quiet...and it was like that the whole week..and thanks to the kind person/s that left their water toys/noodles for others to share... lots of moms and dads used them to float...the food court was well staffed and no issues breakfast lunch or dinner when we visited. Food was hot, fresh and quite YUMMY, portion size was good as well..We bought a mug and we also asked for a cup for ice which was given freely. I generally ship water from staples, they were sold out
and since I thought it was just a few days....I forgot about it, then we added so many Xtra days...it turned into a issue. The dh will NOT drink fla water at all, he even hates to brush his teeth with it so I bought waterS at the General store (16.99 a case of the small bottles and 3.79 for a larger bottle of dasani) Lets just say my WATER BILL was as much as my quarterly water bill at home The little changes I noticed were... no more Disney printed napkins, just plain brown generic ones, no more huge box of tea bags out, lots more people just leaving their trash (what up with that?) for the staff to clean, more people hanging their bathing suits and towels over resort railings
instead of using the bathroom cord they provide, the POR room has little to No storage for clothing...., there are three small drawers and no more large drawers...so we hung most things up on the plastic hangers that I had brought from home, The renovated room was nice, but lacking in storage IMHO....I did not have an overall WOW to the room upgrades, but it was neat and clean and compact..Our day at MK had broken down Splash Mountain, Broken down People Mover (multiple times), broken down Buzz Lightyear
THAT was frustrating....BUT, Buzz was up again later in the day, and we got thru it...and just as we Exited and viewed our picture on the screen, ...buzzers started going off and a metal wall came down on those people that did not yet get up to the picture area, we left...no idea what happened...As far as People Mover, we tried three separate times and all three times after waiting on line, it would be moving then close down, so we never got on...and I actually like that "ride"....
Splash Mountain was our next debacle that happened to "work out" for us....we used fastpass...rode the ride and as we were about 4 logs back from the exit we just all stopped...and waited and waited...I guess about 4-6 minutes....the mom and small child ahead of us just looked back at us with these HUGE saucer OMG eyes, but I figured we were so close to the exit it'd all be okay...Then the LIGHTS all turned on, the MUSIC all shut off and the CM's walked over and said to just sit and wait for them to get us out of our "logs"....meanwhile the elderly man behind me was alone and I knew there might be an issue with mobility...We were about 1-1 1/2 ' from the edge to walk on...they had nothing to pull the log closer but the CM's (who were all friendly and appeared to be doing what they could) Put there hands out to help us out of the logs...The elderly man tripped and fell (that was scary) but he appeared to be okay...The GAP was just too large and the logs move obviously, but our log was emptied when they got to us, I guess the total time we waited was about another 6-8 minutes....it did feel like forever...then we all walked single file along a wall, out a door (and by the way there was a HUGE puddle in the area, so everyone was trying to walk on the edge of the railing area and the elderly man tripped again...but again he was okay), we then we were behind the attraction and exited out...They gave us each 1 fastpass to use for any ride that day...
We visited TL, LOVED it
, met this young couple while we waited on line, who later told us they were cm's, a lifeguard and gift store staff...they were so cute...had met in Feb when they started and "fell in love" (those lines are long, you can get whole life histories )anyway, they said that LEAPyear visit everything was breaking down and the tea cups were smoking as the park could apparently not handle the influx pf people ad 24 hour ride usage (they too had been at MK and had missed rides) so we shared some laughs and went on our way after the ride...Again, LOVE TL, tho more and more people use that lazy river as a "walking and swimming" river rather than tube usage..that was plain weird and honestly dangerous IMHO...OH, and to the CM at the register to get your locker key...who told us the Snowman Jokes and had us howling....THANK YOU for your kindness (and the Free locker rental you gave us..another pleasant surprise)DTD and the boatride were great, the parks were busy but not overly busy, we used that app that said which rides and which parks were heavy ( IMHO, it seemed like all they did was tell you not to visit the park that had EMH
) we did and saw everything we wanted (except for broken down things) and enjoyed the parks etc... Buses: we waited maybe 15 minutes 1 time at POR, south depot...otherwise it was more like 10 minutes or literally walked right on. We never had scooter, or cutting issues. One time we literally ran to a bus to leave a park and were at the turnstyle and he left with an almost empty bus
so we had to wait, but even then it was a short wait again...AK: I have to say we did AK really slowly this time...I have a ds that reads every sign, loves animals and we walked and read and went on the Safari ride (forgive me, my mind is blank as to the ride name) ...we saw just about every animal and LOVED it...they have changed it up, no more searching for the poachers...and I was happy with the new ride experience...do it when you arrive.....
We ate at LeCellier, Ohana, Trails End and the rest was where ever we were at the time...mostly quick serve (as once again, we planned for a shorter trip)...but we did just fine...tho the limited menu for quick serves gets old fast...we are the kind of family that enjoys good food for dinner....
As far as LeCellier, it was okay-good this time, not great as in the past, the service was "off" IMHO, but the filet mignon and the other steaks were very good...the risotto was FABULOUS ...good choc mousse dessert, but have to say it felt not as soft/moussey, KWIM??
I have to say I was sick this time in disney a whole night....
and I think it may have just been a combination of heat, tired, that dang water I was drinking before I started on the bottled...and that was no fun...the dh got sick this time too...the ds, thankfully did not...it was weird...we were just "off" but still had a good time...its DISNEY after all....Oh, two last things, POR, our key cards were a NIGHTMARE....they stopped working, we were told it was the battery in the door, they fixed it, they still did not work, then it was some mechanism in the door, they came again, it still did not work, then it was another mechanism, then another (NOT kidding folks) then they replaced our keys not once but twice...our keys would not work and the "runner" the mechanic, and everyone else's would...it was so annoying...back and forth to front desk on three separate times...to be told itd work, then it would not...LOCKED out of our room....(thankfully it was a close building) but not really acceptable ...
They offered me fastpassses (for a day?) for the inconvenience ..I was leaving the next day anyway and had left a park early to relax at the resort...eat etc...could not even get in our room, and it went on and on for Hours..(like 4) ..I turned down the fastpasses and said that I could not use them and that I did not expect to have this issue at Disney as it was not motel 8.....they then offered 50% off the room for the night....(then the guy comes back and tells me the Newest and latest set of room keys still did not work) I was so exhausted by then...just wanted to get in the room to lay down after not feeling so great anyway...I think they looked at my face and I prob looked like Id cry (tho I wouldnt have obviously) cause I was just so worn out and they Comped the room for the night...and they did get it resolved.another set of keys ..I think it was an IT problem at the desk rather than the door...who knows..it was just crazy..
The bus back to MCO was so long, the driver was having full indepth conversations with the couple up front, he drove so slow, it was crazy...I was picked up three hours before the flight (typical as in the past) we arrived at the terminal 1 hour 15 minutes before my flight...Literally he took forever and the stops were nuts...
Never had this scenario before...and it was not good IMHO...MCO was busy, a pre board sleeve can take a bit of time...so that driver made it quite hectic for us... Each and every leg of our multiple flights over the days...the dh was searched....understandable given all the metal he has in him....and the son and I also got pulled twice...I have no angst about it personally (we were full scanned each time rather than pat down...the dh was not so lucky
) as Id rather feel safe ...so to the TA's across the eastern seaboard...hats off to you and thanks for keeping vigilant!Despite Break Downs, Lock Outs, Lots in Xtra Costs, Getting Ill, and a crazy SLOW ride back to MCO to start our next leg ...its all good and we did have a good time!
well, theres lots more to talk about, I did not realize I rambled so long..
...but if you have any questions or anything, just post here and Id be happy to reply....Have a Great day today and Share a SMILE with someone too!
I do hope you get to experience it for yourself.
IMO nothing wrong with parents having a few minutes of me time during vacay. But def. don't agree with them letting their kids run amuck around the quiet pool. 
