Me: 28, 5 years since I'd been 'home'
Shell: 26, fiancé
What happened? Well, its called Magical Express I didnt see anything magical about it, Shell called it Magical Disaster. Okay, so it was the first day of operation still, here is our experience.
When I booked the rooms, two months ago, I gave them my flight info, they signed me up for magical express. A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from Disney. I called back, they were looking for my flight info um, ok, I gave it to them again. Three days before I left, I called Magical express directly, of course, they didnt have my info, and no chance I was getting any luggage tags. I was supposed to find a Disney person at the airport, theyll take care of you Okay, no big deal.
So we land, its fairly warm and humid, itd been raining before I turn to shell and say Im home yes, Ive been trying to talk her into moving for years, no I havent made much progress onto the monorail thingy . Into the airport, where we dont see a single cast member um, ok. Lets go get our luggage. We walk to go get our luggage. No cast members here either. I seem to remember someone saying the desk was on 1a..well, we were on 1b we get the luggage, I decide to go find the desk. I leave Shell with the luggage, and eventually find someone in the middle of the airport from Disney. He says we need to take our luggage and go to 1a ok, I walk bag, we grab our three bags, lug them up and through the whole airport, right past that Disney guy (no offer to help) we get to the magical express desk to find a line a slow moving line it was obvious they were having issues.
I was glad we grabbed our luggage, as the cms were asking people to pick out what there luggage looked like out of what looked like a fast food menu for the deaf, with pictures of all sorts of luggage . Plus, when the luggage was going around and around don the bag check thingy, I saw quite a few magical express tags on bags, werent they supposed to grab them before they got to the bag check place????
Anyways, on to our adventure, my turn I give them the sheet for our first two nights reservation . Tell them we never got our tags, and that we already have our bags . Everything looks okay, they give us the vouchers, then says on Saturday morning well be taking the shuttle back ..huh??? did shell shorten the vacation without telling me? Sneaky devil . But no, they just couldnt link the split stay I finally went back, grabbed my other reservation ten minutes later, they found it they had the right returning flight number, but was STILL off by a day (leaving Sunday instead of Monday) jees .Its almost 8:30 by now we get sent to a bus
I liked the busses, very comfy, nice decorated, even the movie was neat. It was dark and raining so I didnt get to see much of orlando on the ride, but theyve added quite a bit in five years . So we were the 51st stop, or so Shell seemed to think I remember stopping at key west, Saratoga springs, fort wilderness, and riverside before French quarter, finally, were there!
We check in we only had two requests...non smoking, and something not too far away from the busses. I asked about a king bed but they wanted to charge more, they said there would be two queen size beds (Ive since learned that Disney-speak for queen size bed in moderate hotels is more like smaller than a full size bed). So what do we get . Building 7, third floor. Ok, I know its not that big a resort. Building 7 is off to the left, right next to riverside. Its kind of a diagonal shaped building, longer than you would think. We walk and walk . With our luggage, bell services nowhere to be found, its mighty humid too find building 7..find the elevator third floor ok I later counted it as 5 different turns/hallways to get to our room. Looking at a map later, I find out we are actually, technically, the furthest room away from the main building as possible. Go Disney, thanks a bunch! Im not bitter though, Im home! Even if this home overlooks riversides parking lot well be moving in two days to Wilderness lodge we get the room, everythings ok, minus the dwarf sized queen beds ok, so we need to eat, its 9:55 Shells tired, not up for going anywhere (ie downtown Disney) so food court it is. We trek back to the food court, nice looking place, we walk in, all the stations had food, nice looking stuff, they were still serving people when we walked in, but the lcd screens were blank, turns out they go to a limited menu after 10pm, it was 9:58 . We were next in line, they served the people in front of us, ignored Shell and I, and started taking away the food .how magical
so we go to the limited menu window
pizza
meatball sub
or spaghetti and meatballs
. Shell orders the sub, I get the spaghetti and meatballs
. 10 minutes later, we are still waiting, not sure for what
Shells sub looks good, I see a tiny plate of noodles, covered by one tiny meatball being handed to me
I say um, it says spaghetti and meatballs plural, not ONE ball I get a blank stare
and then order the sub, food was ok, we used the Disney Dining Experience card (err, letter) for the first time, saved twenty percent
woohoo! Back to the room to crash, of course I could barely sleep, as I was home, and tomorrow would be the first day back at the parks!
____________________________
Shell & I Trip Report 5/5/05-5/9/05
Pre Trip Report - "A Vacation, finally?????"
Day 1 Part 1 - Are we there yet?
Day 1 Part 2 - Magical Disaster?
Day 2 - "Get up! Get up!
Shell: 26, fiancé
What happened? Well, its called Magical Express I didnt see anything magical about it, Shell called it Magical Disaster. Okay, so it was the first day of operation still, here is our experience.
When I booked the rooms, two months ago, I gave them my flight info, they signed me up for magical express. A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from Disney. I called back, they were looking for my flight info um, ok, I gave it to them again. Three days before I left, I called Magical express directly, of course, they didnt have my info, and no chance I was getting any luggage tags. I was supposed to find a Disney person at the airport, theyll take care of you Okay, no big deal.
So we land, its fairly warm and humid, itd been raining before I turn to shell and say Im home yes, Ive been trying to talk her into moving for years, no I havent made much progress onto the monorail thingy . Into the airport, where we dont see a single cast member um, ok. Lets go get our luggage. We walk to go get our luggage. No cast members here either. I seem to remember someone saying the desk was on 1a..well, we were on 1b we get the luggage, I decide to go find the desk. I leave Shell with the luggage, and eventually find someone in the middle of the airport from Disney. He says we need to take our luggage and go to 1a ok, I walk bag, we grab our three bags, lug them up and through the whole airport, right past that Disney guy (no offer to help) we get to the magical express desk to find a line a slow moving line it was obvious they were having issues.
I was glad we grabbed our luggage, as the cms were asking people to pick out what there luggage looked like out of what looked like a fast food menu for the deaf, with pictures of all sorts of luggage . Plus, when the luggage was going around and around don the bag check thingy, I saw quite a few magical express tags on bags, werent they supposed to grab them before they got to the bag check place????
Anyways, on to our adventure, my turn I give them the sheet for our first two nights reservation . Tell them we never got our tags, and that we already have our bags . Everything looks okay, they give us the vouchers, then says on Saturday morning well be taking the shuttle back ..huh??? did shell shorten the vacation without telling me? Sneaky devil . But no, they just couldnt link the split stay I finally went back, grabbed my other reservation ten minutes later, they found it they had the right returning flight number, but was STILL off by a day (leaving Sunday instead of Monday) jees .Its almost 8:30 by now we get sent to a bus
I liked the busses, very comfy, nice decorated, even the movie was neat. It was dark and raining so I didnt get to see much of orlando on the ride, but theyve added quite a bit in five years . So we were the 51st stop, or so Shell seemed to think I remember stopping at key west, Saratoga springs, fort wilderness, and riverside before French quarter, finally, were there!
We check in we only had two requests...non smoking, and something not too far away from the busses. I asked about a king bed but they wanted to charge more, they said there would be two queen size beds (Ive since learned that Disney-speak for queen size bed in moderate hotels is more like smaller than a full size bed). So what do we get . Building 7, third floor. Ok, I know its not that big a resort. Building 7 is off to the left, right next to riverside. Its kind of a diagonal shaped building, longer than you would think. We walk and walk . With our luggage, bell services nowhere to be found, its mighty humid too find building 7..find the elevator third floor ok I later counted it as 5 different turns/hallways to get to our room. Looking at a map later, I find out we are actually, technically, the furthest room away from the main building as possible. Go Disney, thanks a bunch! Im not bitter though, Im home! Even if this home overlooks riversides parking lot well be moving in two days to Wilderness lodge we get the room, everythings ok, minus the dwarf sized queen beds ok, so we need to eat, its 9:55 Shells tired, not up for going anywhere (ie downtown Disney) so food court it is. We trek back to the food court, nice looking place, we walk in, all the stations had food, nice looking stuff, they were still serving people when we walked in, but the lcd screens were blank, turns out they go to a limited menu after 10pm, it was 9:58 . We were next in line, they served the people in front of us, ignored Shell and I, and started taking away the food .how magical
so we go to the limited menu window
pizza
meatball sub
or spaghetti and meatballs
. Shell orders the sub, I get the spaghetti and meatballs
. 10 minutes later, we are still waiting, not sure for what
Shells sub looks good, I see a tiny plate of noodles, covered by one tiny meatball being handed to me
I say um, it says spaghetti and meatballs plural, not ONE ball I get a blank stare
and then order the sub, food was ok, we used the Disney Dining Experience card (err, letter) for the first time, saved twenty percent
woohoo! Back to the room to crash, of course I could barely sleep, as I was home, and tomorrow would be the first day back at the parks!____________________________
Shell & I Trip Report 5/5/05-5/9/05
Pre Trip Report - "A Vacation, finally?????"
Day 1 Part 1 - Are we there yet?
Day 1 Part 2 - Magical Disaster?
Day 2 - "Get up! Get up!
