Oh, has it Been Raining? No, this is Just Sweat. Sept/Oct 2022 Trip Report! (Updated 9/16!!)

[BroadwayHermione5]

Safe travels!

 

[Counting Stars]

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[VAtink]

Happy Saturday everyone! I just got home from the FARTs trip, and it was the best time ever! I've started the trip report for that one, you can find it here (Everything I Touch Turns to Broken. A Fantastic Festival of the Arts Trip - January 2023) if you'd like to follow along.

Now fingers crossed I can handle doing two trip reports at once! I've been making good time with this one, so I'm going to try to not slow down the pace too much! Keep an eye out for a new update soon!

 

[VAtink]

Have a magical time

Thank you! It was such a great trip!

 

[VAtink]

Safe travels!

Thank you!

 

[VAtink]

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Thank you! It was such an amazing trip!

 

[VAtink]

Day 6, Part 1: Hurricane Day 1: Well this isn’t too bad…​

Wednesday, September 28th, 2022

Not having anywhere to be this morning, you would have thought we would sleep in, but nope! I was anxious to get up and see how it looked outside. So at 7:30 I gave up trying to sleep in and went to check the weather.

Imagine my surprise when I pulled open the drapes and there was not much going on! It was drizzling just a tad, but there was zero wind and it was actually fairly pleasant out there! There were even people delivering fresh flowers to the resort at that point!



We ended up having a lazy morning drinking coffee and snacking on some of the fruit we had picked up.

Around 8:15 we started to get a bit stir crazy (why aren’t we in a park yet!?!) so decided to head downstairs to fill up our mugs and see if there were any updates on the storm and activities that would be at the resort.

The lobby was pretty dead at that time in the morning, guess everyone was sleeping in since no one had a park to go to that day! They did have signs posted in the lobby with the food boxes that we could purchase at the store and another sign with a big QR code for hurricane updates.



We swung by the stand in front of Ale and Compass to talk to the CMs there about what the food options would be that day, and they assured us that they would be open and serving food for lunch and dinner. They also said that they would be taking walk-ups, so if we wanted to get lunch there we should show up after 11:30.

Since there wasn’t anything going on in the lobby, we headed to the store to fill up our mugs and do a little shopping. I ended up getting a cute little YC dish and some new Disney sunglasses. I love the Disney sunglasses with the Mickey heads all over them! (You’ll see them soon in my FARTs trip report )

Once we wrapped up shopping we took our purchases upstairs and enjoyed some more coffee for a bit before heading back downstairs to see if there was anything going on yet.

This time there were characters in the lobby, and the lobby was packed!





(they were downstairs interacting with guests as well, but those pictures were too blurry so these are the best I got!)

It was really cute seeing all the characters, but it did make me wish the YC lobby was more the size of the AKL lobby, with all those people in there it suddenly felt super small!

We watched the activity in the lobby for a bit then decided to take a stroll around the resort and over to the BC.



On the way we saw the gym was open so went in. We decided that after we got back from exploring the BC we’d come down to workout, it felt just wrong spending a day at Disney not moving much! Also, on the way to the BC, I noticed that the lifeguards were having a meeting by the pool. I didn’t want to get my hopes up that the pool would open….but it did look promising…



The BC lobby didn’t have anything happening when we got there, not sure when the characters ended up showing up there. Since there wasn’t much going on at the BC we decided to head back to the room and change into workout clothes for the gym.

Well, as we’re walking by the pool on the way back to the YC we saw the lifeguards were at their stations and the pool was open!!!

So we changed plans and opted to go swimming instead. We ran upstairs and got into our bathing suits then made our way back downstairs. On the way back through the lobby to change, we grabbed some of the bags of Halloween candy the CMs were handing out! Kinda made up for missing our second Halloween party due to the hurricane. Kinda…



Next up: Hurricane Day 1: Pool Time!​

 

[Wood Nymph]

I love the Disney sunglasses with the Mickey heads all over them! (You’ll see them soon in my FARTs trip report )

I saw them in your other report and thought that I might like a pair like those. My current Disney sunglasses have a scratch on the lenses.

Well, as we’re walking by the pool on the way back to the YC we saw the lifeguards were at their stations and the pool was open!!!

That was lucky.

we grabbed some of the bags of Halloween candy the CMs were handing out! Kinda made up for missing our second Halloween party due to the hurricane. Kinda…

It was a nice surprise but of course, didn't make up for the cancelled party.

 

[VAtink]

I saw them in your other report and thought that I might like a pair like those. My current Disney sunglasses have a scratch on the lenses.

Oh, haha, I totally forgot I put a picture of them in the first post! I really like those, and had a few people on this past trip ask where I got them. (At the YC store in case you're interested!)

That was lucky.

Seriously, I'm so happy the pool was open those two days!

It was a nice surprise but of course, didn't make up for the cancelled party.

Yeah, I do wish when they reopened sales for the party on Tuesday night before the storm hit that we had bought tickets and went, it looked completely empty, and we would have gotten our two parties in. Oh well, lesson learned!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Disney is the place to be during a hurricane if you have to go through one! If I ever have to evacuate, that's where I'm heading -- with my dog!

 

[VAtink]

Disney is the place to be during a hurricane if you have to go through one! If I ever have to evacuate, that's where I'm heading -- with my dog!

A lot of people said that during the week, and there were a bunch of people at the YC who did evacuate there with their dogs. I for one loved seeing all the dogs around the resort that week, I seriously could have spent all day just playing with them all! Most of the owners kept them far away from other guests though, which I totally understand why, but at the same time I would have loved some quality time with some of those cute pups!

 

[VAtink]

Day 6, Part 2: Hurricane Day 1: Pool Time!​

Wednesday, September 28th, 2022

There was hardly anyone at the pool when we got down there, I think most people didn’t realize just yet it was even open.







So random aside. When I was a kid I had this Lego castle set that had a bunch of flags on it, and my mom used to tell me I had put the flags on wrong because they weren’t all facing the same direction, and real flags would always face the same direction. Well, every single time we’re at the YC/BC I point out these free spinning flags that NEVER all face the same way!



My mom gets so annoyed at this, but I’m not letting it go anytime soon!

Anyways, back to the report!

It was still drizzling at that point, but it was hardly anything. We ended up swimming for a while before heading up to the hot tub to relax a bit.

While in the hot tub we got to talking to a guy there and similar to us, he also typically comes the last week in September. He got to talking about how nuts the crowds had been this week, and we agreed with him, it was definitely something we’ve never seen before. He even said this year was the first time ever he wasn’t able to book at the BCV for this week.

We were wondering if maybe there was a fall break that week. There definitely seemed to be more school aged kids there than normal in September. Obvious there’s always lot of kids there, but typically we see a more even split of families with kids and adult only groups, or adults with babies, whereas this year it seemed it was 95% families with school aged kids and not as many adults only groups. So we figured either there were some fall breaks falling during this week, or tons of parents are pulling their kids from school to go during a “slow” time….which of course makes it a not-so-slow time anymore!

After a while we started to get overheated in the hot tub so hopped back in the pool. We ended up playing catch in there for a bit longer before going to sit out for a few minutes. It was still misting outside, so we weren’t going to dry off sitting out there, so at around 11 we headed up to the room to shower and change.



We discussed what we wanted to do for meals, and I figured since the pool was still open and the characters were out, that we should do lunch at Ale and Compass since it shouldn’t be that crowded at that point, and then save the sandwiches we bought the night beforehand for dinner since by then I suspected there wouldn’t be many activities happening and everyone would want to eat around the same time. Turns out this was 100% accurate. Man, I’m a good planner!

So after we showered and got ready we headed downstairs for lunch at Ale and Compass! We got there at 11:40, and what great timing, shortly after getting in line a CM came through and told the people in line behind us that they only had room for 4 more people on the walk-up list, so only us and the couple directly after us would be getting in for lunch! Everyone else was welcome to come back to try again at 2:15!

We checked in at Ale and Compass, and they told us it should be about a 10 minute wait, so we headed next door to the lounge to sit and wait. After about 15 minutes the lounge opened for service and a server came out, and since we were still waiting for our table we decided to order some drinks.



We would soon find out that there wasn’t much else to do at Disney during hurricanes as an adult other than drink! Seriously though, it would have been awesome if they put together some adult only activities like trivia night, or some crafts, or something. They did a great job coming up with activities for the kids, but by day two we were really starting to wish they would do some stuff for those of us there without kids!

Anyways, mom and I ordered drinks, I got the breeze one and mom got the pomegranate margarita. I also asked for the check right away in case we got notice our table was ready soon.

It was a bit of a wait before I got the text our table was ready, it came around 12:15. We still hadn’t gotten the check for our drinks, so I had mom go get the table while I finished paying.

After mom left I chatted with the couple next to me who were super nice. We chatted for a while because it took forever for the check to arrive, like 35 minutes from when I requested it to it actually coming out! Yikes!

So I was chatting with this couple and they started to complain about how there were way too many Instagram “influencers” in the park these days, and I mentioned I hadn’t seen a ton of that but I had seen a lot of vloggers. The couple didn’t really say much after that, but I didn’t think much of it…but I would soon!

Eventually our server came back and I finished paying, then headed over to A&C to find my mom. I was shocked when I got there to see a huge line extending out the door, especially since they had told us the walk-up list had been closed, but since mom was already in there somewhere I just walked by everyone and into the restaurant.

I found mom easily, she was seated at a four top table in the middle of the room, so I made my way over to her. My mom was very relieved to see me, after I hadn’t shown up in a few minutes she was worried that somehow she went to the wrong restaurant! In reality from when my mom got seated to when I arrived was just under 10 minutes, so not a horrible wait, and mom did explain to our server where I was and they were understanding since they knew how backed up the lounge was at that point.

Once settled in we placed our order. We decided to split the parker house rolls, then we each got the burger. I also ordered a glass of zinfandel.





The food came out quickly and it was sooooo good! The bacon spread for the rolls was my favorite, I could have just eaten a pot of that! The burgers were also delicious. It ended up being way too much food though, so we had a ton of fries and some of the rolls left which we got doggie bagged to save for the following day.

While eating the nice couple from the lounge came in and were seated next to us. A few minutes after they were seated, this woman comes up to them and asks for a picture with them. A bit confused I probably not so subtly listen into their conversation, and the woman is going on and on about how she loves their youtube channel and watches them all the time.

It was at that point it hit me….I may have mildly offended them! Now to jog your memory:

“So I was chatting with this couple and they started to complain about how there were way too many Instagram “influencers” in the park these days, and I mentioned I hadn’t seen a ton of that but I had seen a lot of vloggers. The couple didn’t really say much after that, but I didn’t think much of it…but I would soon!”

Ok, so I didn’t really say anything offensive per se. But I guess one could infer that since they were complaining about Instagram influencers and I mentioned I had seen a lot of vloggers, that I was complaining about the vloggers. It was not my intention at all of course, I was just making conversation! It did suddenly make sense why they stopped talking to me

Just another awkward moment for the trip!

Once we finished eating we packed up our doggie bags then headed up to the room to drop them off. We still had a ton of energy at that point, so decided to don our ponchos and take a stroll. At that point the storm wasn’t very bad, the rain had picked up slightly but it was still very light, and the wind was mostly calm.

Next up: Let’s go for a Walk! (Many many walks)​

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I think the Ale & Compass burger is the best on property. I adore it. They seem to perpetually have staffing problems in the lounge. I can't even imagine what it's like during a storm closure when drinking is the main activity! Great point about more activities for adults. That would be fun. I'm curious - who are the vloggers you saw? Weird that they would complain about instagram influencers ... I mean it's kinda the same thing?

 

[Wood Nymph]

We were wondering if maybe there was a fall break that week. There definitely seemed to be more school aged kids there than normal in September. Obvious there’s always lot of kids there, but typically we see a more even split of families with kids and adult only groups, or adults with babies, whereas this year it seemed it was 95% families with school aged kids and not as many adults only groups. So we figured either there were some fall breaks falling during this week, or tons of parents are pulling their kids from school to go during a “slow” time….which of course makes it a not-so-slow time anymore!

Our schools don't have any breaks in September so when we find a huge crowd at WDW during a time when all of our schools are in session, we have to wonder what holiday is going on that we don't know about.

The famous vloggers is a funny story. I know one set of Disney vloggers and have to wonder if it was them.

 

[VAtink]

I think the Ale & Compass burger is the best on property. I adore it. They seem to perpetually have staffing problems in the lounge. I can't even imagine what it's like during a storm closure when drinking is the main activity! Great point about more activities for adults. That would be fun. I'm curious - who are the vloggers you saw? Weird that they would complain about instagram influencers ... I mean it's kinda the same thing?

It was really good! Although my favorite burger on property is still the bison burger at Geyser Point. That thing is amazing!

I have no idea who the vloggers were but I wish I did! From my eavesdropping it sounded like they are not local but from PA, but that's all I really got. It is so odd they were complaining about instagram influences, they are really basically the same thing!

 

[VAtink]

Our schools don't have any breaks in September so when we find a huge crowd at WDW during a time when all of our schools are in session, we have to wonder what holiday is going on that we don't know about.

Right? I never heard of fall break until I started going to Disney, was not something we had in the northeast when I was a kid. We did however get February break, which I didn't even realize wasn't a standard thing until going to college and none of my friends there had heard of that!

The famous vloggers is a funny story. I know one set of Disney vloggers and have to wonder if it was them.

Haha, it was pretty funny. Are the vloggers you know from Pennsylvania? That's the most information I got out of eavesdropping on their conversation.

 

[VAtink]

Day 6, Part 3: Hurricane Day 1: Let’s go for a Walk! (Many many walks…)​

Wednesday September 28th, 2022

After lunch, we, like a ton of other people, decided to do a loop around the boardwalk.


Got the sandbags all set up!

This was a great idea until we got to pretty much the furthest point away from the YC and the skies opened up and the winds got crazy. HA!!!!!







It was like walking into a waterfall being blown onto us by a jet engine.

Ok, not that extreme, but the winds were super gusty and the rain was just coming down in buckets. The wind almost completely blew my poncho off of me!

Of course I was wearing my birkenstocks for this walk, and once the rain really started to come down they would not stay on my feet, so I gave up after a minute and decided to just walk from the BW back to the YC with bare feet.





Of course, right when we got back to the YC, the rain almost completely stopped!

We didn’t really feel like being inside yet at that point, so made our way to the pool, which we were surprised to see was still open, to sit at a table there.





About 5 minutes after arriving, they did end up closing the pool. We assumed that the hurricane was getting close enough at this point that we would be stuck inside from that point on, so we were glad we had taken the walk, even though we got absolutely drenched!

We made our way back inside and up to the room where we took showers then rested a bit out on the balcony. It wasn’t bad out there again, just a drizzle and the wind had died down as well.

I ended up catching up on TR notes, and posted some updates here on the forums about our hurricane experience so far.

A little before 5 we decided to go see if anything was going on downstairs, we were getting antsy again!

We decided to take the stairs this time, didn’t want to get stuck in an elevator if the power went out. The stairs by our room dumped us out right next to Crews Cup, so we were able to check out the pool when we exited the stairs. We were shocked to see that the pool was open again!

We were also surprised to see a huge crowd waiting outside of Yachtsman Steakhouse, we didn’t realize that would be open.

But nothing would surprise us more than the line to get into Ale and Compass for dinner that night! Oh my goodness, it was crazy long, stretched all throughout the lobby. I was so glad we did that for our lunch and had the sandwiches in the room for dinner so we wouldn’t have to wait in that line!

We squeezed through the crowds and over to the store to fill up our mugs, then decided to do one more loop around the Boardwalk.


I like to call this the Sideshow Bob plant, although I would love to know its real name. They make me so happy to see!

When we got over to the boardwalk I was excited to see the photo booth was still working, so of course we stopped in for some pictures!







This time we didn’t get stuck in a squall on our walk thankfully, and after our loop decided to make our way back upstairs to enjoy the sandwiches in our room while watching some movies and drinking some wine.

We had a special bonus surprise this night as well. So we’re big fans of Jellyrolls, and one of our favorite performers there is Scotty, and he was very active on Facebook throughout the pandemic with lockdown livestreams, but those ended just before Jellyrolls finally reopened. Well, this night he decided to do another lockdown livestream due to the hurricane! So I cast the livestream to our TV and we had a great night watching and requesting songs!



It was an enjoyable night, besides our new neighbors. Man were they obnoxiously loud. It sounded like they had multiple rooms on the floor since it sounded like members of the group were going from room to room chatting with people. When they were in the room next to us they were so loud, like drunk yelling. Very very annoying. Fortunately the loudest of the group didn’t seem to be actually staying in the room next to us, only visiting, since he left the room around 11 that night and I could hear him going into another room across the hall and he never came back.

I do wish that YC had better sound proofing between the rooms, it’s not good when you can hear normal conversations clearly through the walls, but especially bad when you’re next to people who don’t have indoor voices and it sounds like they are yelling in your room!

Speaking of noise. The worst of the hurricane ended up hitting overnight, I believe it was supposed to start the worst of the storm around 9. While it did get windy, it was never bad outside of our room. It was very similar to a nor ’eastern hitting us on the Cape with the winds, so while I expecting to hear a lot of howling from the wind and get rain pushed inside, none of that ever happened fortunately, and we ended up sleeping through the night.

Stats Day 6:

Steps: 12,322

Miles: 5.88

Next up: Hurricane Day 2​

 

[KPeterso]

I wish there had been more for the adults too. Not much was happening at Boardwalk either - and definitely nothing for adults. Some of the kid stuff was cute, but I could only handle it moderation. I must say I have never been so thankful to have a 1 bedroom villa as I was that trip as each of us had our own tv.

 

[VAtink]

I wish there had been more for the adults too. Not much was happening at Boardwalk either - and definitely nothing for adults. Some of the kid stuff was cute, but I could only handle it moderation. I must say I have never been so thankful to have a 1 bedroom villa as I was that trip as each of us had our own tv.

Yeah, the first day wasn't horrible since the pool was open, but we were so bored the second day. I can't imagine it would be that hard to come up with some adult activities, it's a shame they didn't!

That must have been nice having more than one room and multiple tvs. I ended up using the balcony as a second "room"....fortunately it was covered so I didn't get rained on out there!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

You still got a very respectable number of steps in! I'm making mental notes on some tips should I find myself evacuated to Disney in a future hurricane. Doing lunch at A&C was definitely a good call. Love that they have the new tvs now (finally!) that allow streaming and logging into various services. The soundproofing definitely leaves a lot to be desired ... particularly if you have an adjoining room. One visit, the parents next door apparently didn't think there was any problem with their kid constantly banging on the door and fiddling with the door handle. It was incredibly frustrating.