Previously:
The Cast
Our story continues:
Part 1 - Convergence and Separation: July 3rd, 2018
With the exception of the CavFam who drove up from Tampa, the rest of us met in the MCO terminal to catch out DME to Kidani Village. Gotta love when you walk right onto the bus and it pulls out, am I right?!?
While we had done online check-in, we wanted to take in the lobby, and maybe spy some animals on the Savanna. I know the lobby of Kidani is dwarfed by Jambo, but we loved the intimacy of the lobby - highly detailed, of course, but warm. It felt new, foreign, and familiar at the same time. On the savanna there were plenty of Zebras and Giraffes out and about - even some Wildebeest as we were heading back inside. Can I say - and this won’t be the last time I do - the Savanna is absolutely enchanting. This was our first time at one of the Animal Kingdom Resorts, and we wished we had spent more time hanging out at the resort. Surely we’re not the only ones who’ve felt this way???
After soaking up some of the ambiance (let’s be honest, I may or may not have slipped into the market for a Mickey Crispy Rice Snack
), we hopped on the bus to Epcot! Being arrival day, we wanted something a little easier in terms of pacing, and given that TSL had just opened in Hollywood Studios, we thought Epcot would be the perfect fit!
My sister's oversized Minnie Ears were amazing...she even had a pair for Jeremiah!!!
DW and I had to pick up our AP cards and that delayed things, but we met Mark, a CM from Iowa (where I grew up) so talking about all things Iowa - there’s more to talk about than hogs and corn!!! - was fun!
Given it was already almost 12:00 and most of us had been up since at least 4:00 am local, our first stop was LUNCH!
I’m fast-forwarding through it because it was only at Electric Umbrella (which was better than I remember) BUT! We met a really awesome CM named Michelle from Auckland, New Zealand! It was great because we are Māori (Nagpuhi) on my dad’s side, and meeting someone from New Zealand right off the bat was neat.
After lunch, I snuck my first favorite photo of the trip
Can life be any better??? I’m so thankful I was able to get this shot - it is such a sweet memory. But also,
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker!
From there, we headed to Living with the Land!!! It was everyone’s first time riding it (we walked right on), and we really enjoyed it! Funnily enough, Jude was afraid of the alligators, or at least he said he was!!!
We headed back outside and waited out the rain for about 45 minutes!
And then, second favorite photo so far:
All the grandkids with Marlin and Dory!!!
I wish I would have written down the CM's name of the photographer who took this photo, because he was amazing. So engaging, funny, and friendly! With a picture like this, we were ready to go home...except we weren't...and we didn't! We FP+ Nemo & Friends, and then headed over to Figment! On the way, I realized our online check-in still wasn't going through, so I called the reservation line. The CM assured me things were fine, and that she processed our check in. Not wanting to miss a moment, I ended the call, ok that no room had been assigned because check-in wasn't until 4:00 and it was only about 2:00.
Again, we walked right on, but can I just say, while I love Figment, I would have loved a Flubber ride featuring Robin Williams just as much. MAN, I wish they would have made that ride!
I digress...next came:
WORLD SHOWCASE!!!
For most of us, anyway. The Cav Family headed to some more teenager-y things (Test Track!), while the toddler-toting crew shopped and ate our way around the Showcase!
What are your Showcase favorites???
We love Les Halles - we always make a bee-line there. Jude found a new favorite snack, and Christa was on a carb-induced cloud nine as well:
But we also love Germany (Karamell Kuche!!!), America (Voices of Liberty!!!), and Mexico!
We ended our day with dinner at Spice Road Table and stayed there for the fireworks. We thought this would be a great way to see Illuminations without the hassle of crowds, and having just enjoyed a nice meal.
...dun dun DUUUUUUUUNNNNN...
After a really long, wonderful day, I had forgotten about our room situation! While the other rooms in our party had been assigned (two of three), we still didn't have an assignment. It was now 8:55 pm, Illuminations was beginning, and I was stuck on the phone trying to explain to the current CM what the previous one had said. She wondered why I was given incorrect information (I had been told they couldn't check me in) when all that was missing from my check-in was a telephone number. She called over to Kidani at 9:15 and processed the check in with management. We were given a room number, and the manager told us our things would be sent to the room right away, and be there when we arrived - I mentioned we were leaving the park and on our way there. Since we'd also rented a crib, I'd asked if she could make sure that was there as well, as we would be coming with a 10 month old who would be ready for bed. She obliged, and we were thankful we'd averted a crisis!
We took a taxi so we wouldn't have to wait for a bus, and arrived at 10:10. Headed to our room to find (Jiminy) cricket(s).
Not the literal ones, but the figurative ones when you're expecting something and there isn't anything.
No luggage. No crib. Just a really comfortable room waiting to be slept in.
I checked with the rest of the group, and our parent's luggage hadn't arrived, along with the other rented crib. As I was checking in on the parents, their bags arrived. Speaking to the Bell Services CM, he didn't seem to know where our luggage was. I'd asked to follow him down and check, as it was 10:15 and we wanted to get the kids to bed. Just then the crib arrived, but it wasn't the one we rented, it was one provided by the resort.
Happy to have been brought something, but frustrated because it wasn't what we paid for, I asked if I could accompany the Bell Services CM back to downstairs, to which he declined, saying he would return immediately with our things, as he knew where it was. It was 10:30 and the kids were bouncing off the walls.
When he hadn't returned at 10:45, I went downstairs and asked to personally find our things. I found them and promptly took them upstairs. At 11:00 we tucked the kids into bed and I headed back downstairs to talk to a manager.
Not quite furious, but definitely frustrated. I've worked in retail and the service industry, so I completely understand things can go wrong. I --calmly-- walked downstairs and asked to speak to the manager I'd spoken to on the phone. She'd left, so I spoke to a new manager (for the life of me I can't remember his name either, and I didn't write it down!!!), and calmly rehashed our day. I told him I wasn't angry. I'm a rational person who can understand that things go wrong, sometimes in the worst possible way, and that no person had done anything necessarily wrong or bad. I was frustrated that set expectations weren't met and that there might have been ways to shorten the luggage waiting time (I should have followed the Bell Services CM to begin with). I wasn't trying to complain, to get anyone fired, or to cause a scene, just to let them know we were a little frustrated and disappointed with how the things were handled when we'd been told our things would be ready when arrived.
He was the epitome of what you'd expect a manager to be. He listened, asked clarifying questions, didn't patronize, and honestly tried to empathize. He sincerely apologized, and asked if there was something he could do for us. I told him that wasn't necessary at all - I completely understood, I just needed someone to hear what had happened. He thanked me for telling him, and gave us his card in case we needed anything.
At that point, I headed upstairs and collapsed on the bed. Tomorrow was a new day!
Next up: Magic Kingdom! Or Guests, Carpets, and the hunt for a Turkey Leg!!!
Duh!
quite a task you have undertaken!
Even with some bumps in the road, your first day sounds like fun. Hope day #2 goes well!
We headed down to the buses early to get to our 9:00 reservation, and I saw the manager from the night before - I really wish I could remember his name!! - I walked over to thank him again for listening to what was wrong and not trying to talk me out of the frustration. He thanked me for telling him, and asked where we were off to. I told him about our reservations (or, rather Carmen, the giddy 36 year old did) at BOG, and he said, “To make up for last night, let me take care of your meal.”
