Live From WDW, It's Simon's Fantabulicious Trip Report!

[simonkodousek]

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the delay in getting this TR started; we've been having some internet issues in our room at the Wilderness Lodge, but they're all fixed now and I'm ready to dive right in.

First of all, I would like to give a shout out to Dreams Unlimited, and our travel agent, the delightful Mindy Weymouth. Without her, or DU, this trip would not have started out so smoothly, and I wouldn't have had the peace of mind of everything being planned by such a dependable, professional, and trustworthy company. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So, without further a due, I invite you to sit back, relax, and join me on this journey through the place where magic lives and dreams come true!




Oh, and make sure to keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the ride vehicle at all times.

 

[daneenm]

Where did I miss along that way that Mindy was a TA for Dreams?!?!? I need to pay closer attention!

Looking forward to the TR Simon! Puts me in the mood for our DL trip next week

 

[hideeh]

Welcome home! I hope you have an awesome trip; I am looking forward to following along!

 

[simonkodousek]

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 - The Airtran Debacle & The Wilderness Lodge

After getting about 2 hours of sleep, I woke up at 3 AM. I was going to Disney World! I was SOOOOO excited! It had felt like I had been trying for months to get a decent payout on a slot machine, and I had suddenly won the $10,000,000 jackpot!

I could not believe that in 6 hours I would be on a flight to Orlando; that in 12 hours I would be in the Magic Kingdom; and that in 18 hours, I would be laying in my bed at the Wilderness Lodge looking over the courtyard knowing that I was finally home.

Following a quick shower and a final check of my carry on, I was in the car on my way to the airport.

We checked our luggage and got our boarding passes at the Airtran desk. Thank goodness we weren't scattered around the plane like last time. I was sitting with my mom, and my brother was sitting with my dad.

Before I jump on to my soapbox, signal the lights to go to full intensity in a spectrum of reds, oranges, and yellows, and start a rant, I will say that every Airtran employee we encountered was friendly, the waiting areas, and the plane were clean, and everything Airtran did from the time we arrived at the airport in Milwaukee to the time we stepped off the plane in Orlando was run very smoothly. Now, just like you would at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, you better hold on tight, because here we go...

YOU COULD NOT PAY ME TO FLY WITH AIRTRAN AGAIN!!!!!

Why, you may ask? Well ladies and gentlemen, I have a one word answer to that question; comfort. I am not petite by any means (is that even possible for a guy? Oh wait... remember Beverly from Will & Grace? ) but I am not huge either. I'm actually pretty well proportioned for someone with my "build" so to speak. That said, the seats on the plane were small. Oh no, take the image of a small plane seat that's probably floating around in your head, and shrink it down another few notches, and that's what we had to sit in. These seats were tiny.

Even though Airtran is cheap, I highly recommend everyone who is "average" or above size-wise planning a trip to consider other airlines just for the sake of your own comfort. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

Okay... let's get back to the story... anyway, we arrived at OIA about 10 minutes early. It took us about 10 minutes to get from the plane down to the Magical Express waiting area. I have to say, Magical Express is something I highly recommend anyone taking advantage of, but only if you plan to stay on Disney property for your entire trip. We waited about 10 minutes for a bus, got on, and were on our way to the Wilderness Lodge with stops at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian first. The ride took about 30 minutes.

Check in at the resort was quick and easy. Our receptionist was Ava, who was one of the friendliest, and most accommodating Disney Cast Members we have ever encountered. She made us feel "at home" and provided a lot of "warm fuzzies." This was a fantastic start to a fantastic vacation.

Finally... after months of planning, I was finally back in Disney.

Well, I'm going to head down to Roaring Forks for dinner then maybe on to the pool later. I'll try to get a few pictures posted before I go to bed.

~Simon

Wilderness Lodge Photos

 

[LMO429]

love live trip reports! count me in

 

[exwdwcm]

enjoying it so far, can't wait for the next installment, especially since we are staying at WL for the first time in Dec.

 

[aspen37]

I can't wait to read more! Have a great vacation.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Where did I miss along that way that Mindy was a TA for Dreams?!?!? I need to pay closer attention!

Looking forward to the TR Simon! Puts me in the mood for our DL trip next week

Where do you think I've been all this time??? I've been planning Simon's trip!

 

[daneenm]

Where do you think I've been all this time??? I've been planning Simon's trip!

...and here I thought you were off gardening.

I must pay closer attention
I must pay closer attention
I must pay closer attention...

 

[krissy2803]

Where did I miss along that way that Mindy was a TA for Dreams?!?!? I need to pay closer attention!

Looking forward to the TR Simon! Puts me in the mood for our DL trip next week

I felt that same way when I booked my trip for December. I got the email from DU and her name was at the bottom of it.
I did an internal WHAT??! When did this happen??!!

 

[simonkodousek]

Where do you think I've been all this time??? I've been planning Simon's trip!

You know it Mindy! I'm such a high profile client that you simply cannot make time for anyone else.

 

[daneenm]

I felt that same way when I booked my trip for December. I got the email from DU and her name was at the bottom of it.
I did an internal WHAT??! When did this happen??!!

I feel much better that I am not the only one! Seriously, I feel like perhaps I have been napping at inopportune moments. I thought I was finally getting a handle on everyone. Obviously not!

 

[simonkodousek]

Monday, August 24th, 2009 - EPCOT

Today was one of our EPCOT days. My dad and brother went to the park around 8 AM, but my mom and I chose to stay at the Lodge and have a leisurely breakfast. We got to the park at 10:30 AM.

We met my dad and brother at the front of the park, and from there we went to ride Spaceship Earth, which had a 20 minute wait. This was my first time at this attraction it since the refurbishment two years ago, but to be honest, I couldn't tell much of a difference except for the interactive elements, which were pretty darn cool IMO.

After that my brother (Alex) and I went over to ride Test Track with the FP's he and my dad got that morning. Test Track has always been one of my favorite attractions, which I tend to ride over and over and over again. Anyway, we waited in the FP line for about 10 minutes, rode the ride, got new FP's, and set off for World Showcase to meet my parents in the China pavilion.

We were in the mood for something cold, so we both got strawberry slushes from the World of Tea stand. They were very good, although a little sweet for my taste.

While we waited for our parents to show up, I participated in the #1 attraction in all of WDW; people watching. Alex, however, decided to use this time to text message some of his friends, an activity I restrain myself from doing during vacation.

Our parents finally arrived. Luckily, they brought FP's for Soarin' with them. My dad decided to take Alex back to the resort for a bike ride over to Fort Wilderness and maybe a dip in the pool, while my mom and I opted to stay in EPCOT.

We slowly made our way around World Showcase stopping to look in at some of the shops along the way.

We had a lot of fun in the Germany pavilion. My mom's from Germany, and can speak the language fluently, and I'm in a German language class at school, so I can interpret and speak in a way that's understandable for others. My mom had a blast looking at the locations on the CM's name tags, and was thrilled when she found a CM working in the candy store named Kim who was from Dusseldorf, the city she grew up in. While she was chatting with Kim, I was looking at this...

There is so much more to the Germany pavilion than I ever really noticed before, such as a store specializing in Christmas decorations. This seemed really cool to me because I've spent the past 15 years surrounded by these odd German knick knacks and traditional decorations which no one else I know of has, but there is a store filled with them right in EPCOT. Taking the time to stop and appreciate the small things really has its benefits.

While I was in the Christmas store I almost fell over laughing when I saw the "Pickle Tree" and remembered Teresa's "Pickle" segment on the podcast.

After we finished exploring the Germany pavilion, I asked my mom if she wanted to head to the Captain's Grille for lunch, anticipating either an excellent meal, or a terrible experience with the manager, in which I would save Pete from doing the dirty work of murdering him in his restaurant.

We walked through the International Gateway and to the Yacht Club only to find that the Captain's Grille closes at 2, which I took as a sign. I then suggested that we try to find somewhere at the Boardwalk, so off we went. It looked like it was going to rain any moment, so we sped up and just walked in to the first restaurant we came across; the Big River Grille.

Never in a million years would I have expected to dine at the Big River Grille, but I'm so glad we did. We had such an excellent lunch that this is now one of our "must do" restaurants.

We both started with side salads with bleu cheese dressing. Honest to goodness, this was the best salad I have ever had in my entire life. The dressing was obviously home made, and the selection of greens, croutons, and sunflower seeds was top-notch.

Next, we ordered our entrees. I had the hazelnut crusted Mahi Mahi, which was basically a 6 or 8 oz. piece of fresh Mahi Mahi, coated in hazelnuts, and sautéed in some sort of light sauce. My mom had the Atlantic salmon, which was to die for. I normally hate salmon, as well as most fish, but this was SOOOO good. It was light, but also perfectly seasoned and grilled to perfection. Both of our meals came with grilled shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, and peas.

I had a Diet Coke, and my mom had the house chardonnay. I tried a little bit... O... M... G... it was AMAZING. It was smooth, not too sweet, and had just the perfect amount of "oomph!" to it. I highly recommend just getting a glass of this.

Tony was our server, and even though he spoke quietly and we had to ask him to repeat things multiple times, he was a fantastic server. If you try Big River Grille, definitely ask for him.

Just as we got our entrees, the heavens opened up in a torrential downpour. Luckily it was one of those typical "central Florida" things which only lasted for about 25 minutes.

After lunch we walked over to the Boardwalk General Store, where we picked up a WDW backpack, and two vintage Mickey coffee mugs.

We then headed for EPCOT and walked through the UK and Canada in order to get to Test Track and Soarin' in time for our FP's. First was Test Track, which (as always) was a lot of fun. On our way to The Land for Soarin', we decided to cool down and get some of our favorite ginger ale at Ice Station Cool. What I noticed while walking past the fountains was that people tend to congregate and "mob" Future World. I think a good number of people stay in this area because there is not enough for young kids to do in World Showcase. Maybe to offset this, Disney could offer some kind of incentive to go ahead in to WS. It seems like Kim Possible is really taking off as we saw a lot of people using it, but to be honest, Kim Possible has not been popular for almost 10 years. If something could be put in like a Suite Life On Deck "sail around the world" attraction, I think WS would really "take off" [pun not intended.] Just something to think about...

Anyway, it was about 5 minutes before our FP time was scheduled to begin, so we decided to ride The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Even though this is a "kids" ride, it is still one of my favorites in WDW. It's cool, calm, relaxing, the story is great, and honestly, who doesn't like Ellen DeGeneres?

After The Seas, we walked over to Soarin', and literally walked right on with our FP's. On our last trip, I remember getting off Soarin' and wondering why anyone would ever wait so long to get on. I still don't understand those who wait for 60 minutes or more, but I would definitely be willing to stand in a 30 minute line to ride. This time I actually knew where we were "flying" over; I loved flying over the Golden State highway in L.A., which is where I want to live some day. My mom loved it, and we definitely plan on returning.

Unfortunately, it looked like rain again, so we booked it over to the France pavilion to meet my dad and Alex for our 7:00 PM dinner reservations at Les Chefs. We arrived at 6:40, just as it started to pour. Suddenly, the awning in front of Les Chefs was packed to the brim with people looking for a refuge from the rain. We waited in line and checked in.

I noticed that the manager, Christophe, was very involved in the restaurant's operations, from check in, to making sure that dining guests were happy, to orders going to the right places at the right times, and finally, to a friendly smile and wave goodbye at the door. What I noticed most about him was the fact that he genuinely loved his job. The first person I thought of when I realized this was Bob.

Christophe seated us at a table in the middle of the restaurant, where we were soon joined by my dad and Alex. Our server was Julie from Paris, who was fantastic. You know those servers who are there when you need them or think of something, but don't come to your table every 30 seconds to check on how everything is and end up bugging the daylights out of you? Well, that was Julie.

My mom, dad, and I ordered the prix fixe 3-course meal, which included a soup or salad, entree, and dessert. If you choose to go this route, the selection is very limited, however, the selection you do have is varied enough so that you are not all stuck having the same thing. On that note, we all ordered the French Onion soup.

The soup was very good. It was just typical French Onion soup you'd get in any other restaurant, but it was cooked perfectly and served... cleaner... than in other restaurants.

I ordered the beef short ribs as my entree. The piece of meat was about 14 or 16 oz., but only about 45% was edible. The rest was very fatty, which I knew to expect. This is first pan-seared, then sauteed in cabernet and served with mushrooms, pearl onions, pasta, and brown dressing. The pasta was just average, and the pearl onions and mushrooms were pretty much nonexistent, but the beef was awesome. It was cooked in a way that the juices stayed inside but the meat was still well done. On a 1-10 scale, the entree was a 7.5.

For dessert, I had the creme brulee. This is not typical creme brulee in that it is served chilled rather than warm. I'm not talking ice-cream chilled, but chilled just enough so that it has a bit more flavor than if it was served warm.

Our total bill was $250 something with a bottle of wine, a cappuccino, a coffee, and a 20% tip. We used the DDP.

After dinner, we made our way around the World Showcase, stopping near the Japan pavilion to watch Illuminations. This was an excellent way to end an excellent day.

Up Next: Hollywood Studios

 

[Tonya2426]

The pictures are great!!! Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!!!!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Great start. I love trippies. I am in!

 

[mikelan6]

Great TR and photos, Simon! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Sorry to let you know that unless you fly First Class, the other airlines won't have all that much more leg room for you.

 

[safetymom]

Thanks for the great trip report. So what do you think about Roaring Forks?

 

[exwdwcm]

great report so far, love all the detail on the food and service.

yes, how was breakfast at roaring forks? we plan to do a few breakfasts/lunches there too.

thanks for sharing!

 

[simonkodousek]

Sorry to let you know that unless you fly First Class, the other airlines won't have all that much more leg room for you.

The leg room was fine. The seat itself was small; probably in the neighborhood of 12-14 inches wide. You've gotta be really close with your family and not afraid to get cozy with strangers to be comfortable on these seats.

 

[simonkodousek]

Thanks for the great trip report. So what do you think about Roaring Forks?

It seems like an afterthought and is definitely way too small for a resort of this size. The selection is pretty good, but service is unbearably slow during dinner. I'm not kidding; I stood in line for a good 30-45 minutes for a cheeseburger with fries and a soft drink last night. I think the food is just "ehh" and not anything to rave about.

IMO, they should expand the food court itself in to the laughably small seating area, push the patio back about 10 or 15 feet, and add a 1,500 foot, 2-story seating area, kind of like the Colombia Harbor House has.

My mom and I are trying Artist Point tonight, so I'll post a full review (hopefully with pix!)