just back: The not quite a whole trip report, trip report.

[NOLAdisneymom]

Hello again everyone! We are just back from The World. Last year I did a full TR with photos and etc., and I intended to do another one this year. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I wasn’t able to take notes, nor stick to my carefully thought out day by day touring plan.. So this TR will be shorter than my last, just the beginning of our trip in detail, and then some general observations. Hope y’all enjoy!

Who: Myself, my DH, Chris and my DS, Jarrott

When: November 12th to 19th

Where: Pop Century for one night, then six nights at Port Orleans Riverside!

Why: My son was unable to join us on last year’s trip, so we really wanted to take him this year. Plus he would be celebrating his birthday in a week, and so we made this a birthday celebration trip! Normally we skip a year between trips, but I need a do-over, so we are already planning October 2012!

Ok here goes..
We left our house at about 9:30pm on Friday the 11th, , gassed up and hit the road. It was 46 degrees in New Orleans. We drove to Lake City, Fl, where we pulled over at a rest area and took a 45 minute nap. When we pulled into the rest area, it had dropped to 25 degrees! Thank goodness that was as cold as it got, the closer we got to Orlando, the warmer it was.

We got to The World at about 7am, and checked into Pop Century. Our free dining at POR didn’t start until the next day. So. I do not like POP. Not one little bit. I don’t like the loud icons, I don’t like the never ending concrete and garish buildings. That being said, I can see how some people may love it, especially if they have small children. We ended up in the 70s building, facing the construction of the new resort. I do think it is the furthest room from EVERYTHING. I will say that the CMs here were super friendly. Also, we didn’t eat in the food court, but some of the food looked really good.

Our room was ready, and we dumped our stuff, got back in the car and headed to DTD, for our ressie at Rainforest Café. We had previously only been to the one at AK, and LOVED it. I know I’m complaining again but we will never be back to this RFC. The service was horrible and the food was COLD when we got it. I didn’t say anything at the time, we were riding our Disney high and I didn’t want to start off the trip complaining about the food. After we left there, we went shopping, and just wandered around. We went back to POP afterwards and just hung out at the pool till bedtime, anxious for our move to Port Orleans in the morning!

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

We were up early, packed the car, checked out of POP and drove over to POR, our home for the next few days!

Let me say – POR is my new Disney home. It’s beautiful, its green, its peaceful, its shiny and clean, it’s everything I could have asked for and more.


I went to check in, not having done online check in, and the CM told me my room was ready. I asked if it was a re-furb room and she said it was not. I asked her very very sweetly if she could try to get one for us, and that we were willing to wait as long as it took for one to come available. She went in back, and worked some magic, and next thing we knew, we had a refurbed room! It wasn’t ready, however, but that was fine with me. We went off to explore our new “home”! I love everything about this resort. It seems like it’s brand new, even though I know its old. When they called about our room being ready, I was beside myself with excitement to see the room!

It was nothing short of magnificent. It was as though we were the first to stay in it, it was that pristine. The carpet, drapes, bedding all coordinated, soft muted colors, the bathroom was sparkling clean.. I could go on and on. I was on cloud nine. I have to say the new queen beds are VERY comfy too. I have NO complaints. Our location was also wonderful. We faced a courtyard, that lead to a path, that was about 10 yards from the bridge to the pool and food court, etc. So far this trip was AWESOME!

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

We went to rope drop at HS, and hit Star Tours first, at the request of my DS. We spent the whole day there, and went back to our room that night BEAT. We did have lunch at SciFi, burgers and shakes, which was as good as always!


The next day was Monday, our first Magic Kingdom trip of the day. This is where it gets interesting.

We spent the day at MK, doing all of our favorite rides, until about 5pm, when we headed over to the Poly for our Ohana ressie. Dinner was SO good, way better than last year. I think getting an earlier reservation is better than a late one, due to everything being so much fresher.

Is that a word? Fresher?

Anywho, afterwards, we went back out to the monorail and back to MK. About this time, I started feeling weird. We get back to MK and head for Pirates when I have to make a run for a garbage can. Without sharing all the gory details, I WAS SICK. I thought I would either pass out or die right there.


We headed for a bus back to the resort, boarded, and I was sick again. We got back off the bus, and went to first aid at MK.

After talking with Cathy, a super sweet RN and CM, she said I was probably dehydrated, and since I had been dieting previous to the trip, all that rich food was too much for me, AND there was a stomach bug going around.

Now I’m going to get to the point of this story: Disney Service. There was no way I could get back on a bus. No taxis were allowed at MK. I was stuck. Cathy went up front and called Guest Services and had a chat with them. Next thing I knew, I was being wheel-chaired out the back door, into the backstage area. There was another wonderful CM, Molly, ready with a van to drive us back to POR. I hope she’s out there reading this, bc she is the most generous helpful person I’ve met in a long time. She loaded us into the van, me in the back and DS and DH in the middle. They chatted about her job, and other things on the way to the resort. Every few minutes she would ask how I was feeling, if I needed anything etc, all the while pointing out interesting backstage things to us. Her and DS got into a discussion about Hidden Mickeys for a bit, and she was very patient with him, answering all his questions, etc. He has kind of a Hidden Mickey addiction. Anyway, she asked us what our plans were for the next day, if we were coming back to MK. I told her we’d like to, since this day had gotten cut short. She then told us that she was inviting us to Mickey’s Christmas Party as her guests, and there would be tickets in Will Call for us to pick up the next morning.

I was stunned. I have always wanted to attend MVMCP, but didn’t want to spend the extra. We were so grateful, I think she got tired of hearing us say thank you!

So we made it back to POR, said our goodbyes and some more thank you’s and she left. The next day, DH went to will call to pick up the tickets, and Molly had left a Hidden Mickey book for my DS, along with a postcard signed by Mickey, with the party tickets. It was Disney magic like I’ve never seen.

The next night my DS and DH enjoyed the party very much.

The next few days, I didn’t really take notes, as I never really got back up to feeling great.

I don’t have any more day by day notes to use. The rest of my TR will be things that really stood out during the trip.

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Things we loved:

Other DISsers: I was blessed to meet Chicago Mo, who is warm and wonderful. I wish I had been able to spend more time with her.

I also met up with 3boys4me, who I’ve made friends with while planning. I had the pleasure of hanging out with her and her family for a little while on our last day.

There are some wonderful people on the DIS, and you know who you are! I will say I didn’t see many LGMH’s, even though I wore mine each day.

Port Orleans Riverside – I’ve already gone into great detail about this one, so I’ll leave it at that. I’m definitely booking this for next year.

Driving – normally we make use of the buses, but this year, because I didn’t want to be at the mercy of the buses, we drove to the parks. I really really enjoyed this. The parking lots were well marked, as were the roads, never crowded, we only used the tram twice, that’s how close to the gates we were at HS, AK and Epcot. I might make this our new practice. It was nice not having to wait for a bus and squeeze on with 60 other people. It is really good for park hopping.

Le Cellier – I have finally experienced the miracle known as the Mushroom Filet at LC. Seriously, this may have been one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever put in my mouth. Not to mention the pretzel bread dipped in the Cheese Soup.. Oh boy. I wish I had some right now. We went for lunch, one TS credit each, and it was definitely enough, portion wise. I had an excellent chocolate cake for dessert, which my DH happily polished off for me. DS had the chocolate moose, which he also loved. DH ordered the cobbler, which he was unhappy with. I will absolutely be going back here next year!

Drinking around the world – My DH did this, got beers from four different countries. He really loved the Italian and the Canadian, and hated the dark German one. I have no idea what the names were. Next year, he wants to start on the other side and work his way around.

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Rock’n Roller Coaster – I have to admit it. I’m a ride chicken. I don’t do TOT, tried that once, it was enough. I stay far away from EE, that drop scared the beejesus out of me, and RNRC was on my never do list. For some weird reason, I rode it this trip. TWICE. OMG. It was super intense, especially the upside down parts. I never need to do it again, but I am glad I tried it. It’s my DH’s favorite ride and it made him happy that I went on it with him. Even though I screamed in his ear the whole time.

Early November – I love this time of year. It was mostly beautiful weather, sunshine, warm, some days overcast. The crowds were a bit more than I thought they’d be, but with Fastpass, we never waited for anything longer than 30 minutes. I found that Fantasyland was the most crowded of any area of any park.

Cast Members – we only met ONE CM who wasn’t happy and helpful. He was in Goofy’s Candy Co, at DTD and he should have been working Haunted Mansion or ToT. Other than that one, everyone we met was cheerful and went out of their way to help us. I think another nod to Molly and Cathy is in order here, Thanks, you guys, from the bottom of my heart.

Honorable mentions: My DS had on his birthday button, and many CM’s wished him Happy Birthday by name. He felt super special each time. At SciFi, the server CM even put a candle in his hot fudge sundae and sang to DS at the table.

We got to see the Fantasyland expansion over the walls, I think it will be STUNNING when it’s done.. Can’t wait to see it next year!

Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD is the BEST place for counter service breakfast in Disney, in my opinion. Try the Smoked Bacon Pizza. You wont be sorry.

There’s only one thing I think Disney may want to work on. It’s so small it hardly deserves a mention, but .... kids in the hot tubs at the resort. I feel, don’t flame me, that there should be an age restriction on the hot tubs. Every night at POR the hot tub was FILLED with kids. There was never any room for a single adult. It would have been nice to be able to soak after a long park day.

That’s pretty much it, unless I think of something else that stands out. Hope you enjoyed my abbreviated TR and feel free to ask any questions!

 

[annmarieda]

I am here!!!

 

[annmarieda]

Ok, so I was expecting a short TR...but I thought I had to go back to catch up...

I am sorry you were not thrilled with Pop. I have mixed feelings about it.

for getting a refurb'd room!!! I am so anxious to stay there again.

I am sorry you got sick, but so glad to hear that Disney gave you some magic to make up for it!!!

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Ok, so I was expecting a short TR...but I thought I had to go back to catch up...

I am sorry you were not thrilled with Pop. I have mixed feelings about it.

for getting a refurb'd room!!! I am so anxious to stay there again.

I am sorry you got sick, but so glad to hear that Disney gave you some magic to make up for it!!!

Nope, that's the whole thing! As you can see, my plans for a long TR got somewhat waylaid.

 

[Abby's Dad]

Welcome back Ang! It was horrible that you got sick, but OTOH, you wouldn't have met Cathy and Molly if you hadn't of gotten sick, and seeing that magic firsthand had to be particularly nice, especially under the circumstances.

I have avoided RFC, and have seen reviews that weren't great. I do tend to ignore reviews, other than from people I know and trust (Hi Ang!), but have been to several RFCs outside of WDW, and the food was not as special as the decor, and tended to be not very warm.

Glad you were able to get one of the refurbed rooms at POR, and that you enjoyed your stay there. I think both of the Port Orleans resorts have a feeling like you are far away from the hustle and hub-bub, without actually being away. They are very relaxing places, and I love the river and the water taxis. We will probably stay at POFQ next October, unless we get either a good AP discount or a good PIN code - if we get a good one, then I might like to try one of the deluxes with CL.

And I would love to muster the courage to try RnRC - just for the sound system. But I don't know, the speed, the inversions - probably not.

Sounds like once you got past the sickness it was a great time!

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Welcome back Ang! It was horrible that you got sick, but OTOH, you wouldn't have met Cathy and Molly if you hadn't of gotten sick, and seeing that magic firsthand had to be particularly nice, especially under the circumstances.

I have avoided RFC, and have seen reviews that weren't great. I do tend to ignore reviews, other than from people I know and trust (Hi Ang!), but have been to several RFCs outside of WDW, and the food was not as special as the decor, and tended to be not very warm.

Glad you were able to get one of the refurbed rooms at POR, and that you enjoyed your stay there. I think both of the Port Orleans resorts have a feeling like you are far away from the hustle and hub-bub, without actually being away. They are very relaxing places, and I love the river and the water taxis. We will probably stay at POFQ next October, unless we get either a good AP discount or a good PIN code - if we get a good one, then I might like to try one of the deluxes with CL.

And I would love to muster the courage to try RnRC - just for the sound system. But I don't know, the speed, the inversions - probably not.

Sounds like once you got past the sickness it was a great time!

The whole reason we do RFC - Lava Nachos.. Chris is obsessed with them!

RNRC. Sigh. The inversions is what kept me from getting on it in the first place. I'm terrified of going upside down. Chris told me you cant tell, bc it's in the dark. He lied.

 

[bizeemom4]

Hi. Checking in on your trip report. I hope that our October trips overlap somewhat. It would be nice to say Hi!

 

[Chicago Mo]

I really really wish we could have sat for a drink!!!! or Met up again somewhere..
as you saw i was rushed around a lot!!
i believe it was something to do with Ohana's like you i LOVED IT. but wasn't feeling up to par the next day.

Not that i am complaining... but i want MORE out of your trip report! where are pictures?!?!?

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Hi. Checking in on your trip report. I hope that our October trips overlap somewhat. It would be nice to say Hi!

I'm planning that one now!

I really really wish we could have sat for a drink!!!! or Met up again somewhere..
as you saw i was rushed around a lot!!
i believe it was something to do with Ohana's like you i LOVED IT. but wasn't feeling up to par the next day.

Not that i am complaining... but i want MORE out of your trip report! where are pictures?!?!?

LOL, I just don't have any notes! I have NO idea where we went and what we did, it was kind of a blur... Do you facebook? I'll be putting my pics up there this weekend.. PM me for my info..

 

[teamperry]

Hi Angela!

I loved reading your "not quite a trip report" trip report! We are staying at POR in 9 days. I was just wondering what building you were in and what room number if you remember. I plan on asking for a reburbed room and really hope to get one! We are a family of 5 and have stayed at POR before, so it would be nice to have the murphy bed versus the trundle.

I'm sorry you were sick while at DW. We are eating at 'Ohanas as well, so I hope we don't have that same problem. The tickets to MVMCP would be nice, though. It's too bad you didn't get to go and enjoy it. You'll just have to plan another trip in November or December so you can experience it too.

Thanks for all of the great information! I'm trying to learn everything I can so we have the perfect trip!

Stacey

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Hi Angela!

I loved reading your "not quite a trip report" trip report! We are staying at POR in 9 days. I was just wondering what building you were in and what room number if you remember. I plan on asking for a reburbed room and really hope to get one! We are a family of 5 and have stayed at POR before, so it would be nice to have the murphy bed versus the trundle.

I'm sorry you were sick while at DW. We are eating at 'Ohanas as well, so I hope we don't have that same problem. The tickets to MVMCP would be nice, though. It's too bad you didn't get to go and enjoy it. You'll just have to plan another trip in November or December so you can experience it too.

Thanks for all of the great information! I'm trying to learn everything I can so we have the perfect trip!




Stacey

We were in Magnolia Terrace, room 8567.. It was PERFECT. Ground floor, facing the courtyard, just wonderful location. Now, I've read that with a family of five, it will be alot harder to get a re-furb room, bc only one building in Alligator Bayou has been re-furbed so far.

I don't think it was Ohana - I'd been dieting before the trip, and I think that I wasnt used to all that rich food anymore. The boys all ate exactly what I did, and they were perfectly fine. I can tell you that the food TASTED delicious.

Planning my Oct 2012 trip already! You can PM me if you have specific questions!

 

[Abby's Dad]

......MVMCP would be nice, though. It's too bad you didn't get to go and enjoy it. You'll just have to plan another trip in November or December so you can experience it too.

Told you so! Come on over!