They finally let us out of the basement and we went to Florida: Our trip from New York to Clearwater Beach, St. Pete and Walt Disney World

[toodycat]

Soarin'/The Mystery of the Missing Frozen LL

After we had appreciated the topiaries and butterfly garden, we used Genie+ for "Soarin." Ioooooove "Soarin" and so does Jake. On one previous trip, we went on "Soarin" six times. As usual, I thought it was an incredible experience, though I do miss smelling the orange groves. However, after we finished "Soarin," we noticed that our Genie+ LL for "Frozen Ever After" was gone. We asked one of the CMs at "Soarin" and he said he'd never heard of that happening, which worried us. We went over to a Customer Experience stand. Mike is generally a very kind, easygoing person. However, I reminded him to be extra nice because no one wants to be the 61-year old man who goes viral when his Frozen LL disappears. The young woman who helped us could not have been sweeter and she knew what we wanted immediately. "Frozen" was disappearing when guests swiped into another attraction! She gave us all new reservations for Frozen that were good until the park closed. We used the cast member compliment feature to show our appreciation for her good service.

 

[SimplySelf]

Wow, thanks for all your reporting! Sounds like it was a great trip overall. We’re planning a trip to Disney for this fall so seeing everyone‘s feedback is so helpful!

 

[toodycat]

After "Soarin," we used our Genie + went to Frozen Ever After. I know it's been there forever, but this was the first time we'd experienced this attraction. I have had a soft spot for the Norway Pavilion since my very first trip to Epcot. This attraction only levels it up. Here's a photo of the topiary:

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[toodycat]

Remy's Ratatouille Adventure: We were really excited for this attraction and just so pleased that we had been able to get the ILL. The area in France surrounding the attraction is charming and extensively themed. The attraction itself is a marvel---another trackless ride, but all from a rat's eye POV. We were very impressed with the entire experience.

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[toodycat]

And here we are..

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[toodycat]

France/A few thoughts on Outdoor Kitchens: After RRA, we spent some time hanging out in France. The topiaries and general landscaping are lovely. We also sampled the caramelized beignets with vanilla cream and caramel sea salt from the Outdoor Kitchen. The kiosks serving food at Flower and Garden are nice, but about a third of what's available at Food & Wine. I appreciate that it isn't a food festival, but you might not want to eat your way around the world. You can, however, definitely drink.

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[toodycat]

Shopping in Japan/Tokyo Dining:
After our time in France, we went to shop at MITSU-KOSHI, which my computer keeps changing to Mitsubishi for some reason. Shopping there is always a high point for Jacob and he was able to pick up some anime collectibles. After that, we had a 6:50 dining reservation at Tokyo Dining. This was such a disappointment! Okay, we knew from the start that it wouldn't be Morimoto Asia, but no one was expecting gas station sushi either. There was nothing magical about this experience. The elevator to get to the restaurant is beat up and dirty. It has all the charm of the New York City subway system. The hostess who checked us in was not particularly friendly, although the Japanese hostesses who seat you are. They spent a lot of time asking about our allergies. Mine are salmon and sesame seeds. The menu is lackluster. There is nothing offered that you couldn't get an any Japanese restaurant. Michael had the tempura entree and it was so small that in any other restaurant, it would have been an app. I had a shrimp tempura roll and a garden salad. Jake had miso soup and the volcano roll, which was probably the best thing we ordered. I also ordered the chicken karaage for everyone to share. It came out after all the other food had been served and it was covered with sesame seeds! Truly, what is the point of inquiring so thoroughly about allergies if you don't pay attention to the responses? We had to send it back and wait for a new one. There is just no reason to eat here.

 

[toodycat]

Fireworks: After the Tokyo Dining debacle, we stood outside the restaurant to watch "Harmonious." It is just a spectacular show. I am not the only one who thought so, judging by the other spectators in the crowd who were cheering and dancing throughout the show. Everything about the message is happy and heart-warming. We have some photos, but I'm not sure the videos will upload.

https://flic.kr/p/2noMaFc

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[toodycat]

After "Harmonious," we left Epcot, pausing to enjoy the topiaries in the British Pavilion and the view of the monorail at night.

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[toodycat]

Slightly frantic morning/Flight cancellation: The next morning, we were planning to check out, go back to Magic Kingdom for the attractions we hadn't experienced on Friday, and then drive to Tampa, have a late lunch at a Native American restaurant, and then take the 7:59 p.m. flight back to JFK. We reserved our last Genie+ for Peter Pan at 7 a.m. After breakfast, we finished up packing and were getting ready to put our stuff in the car when I decided to check my email for really no good reason and saw that Delta had cancelled our flight and put us on a flight from Tampa the following day. The replacement flight left at 4:30 pm. stopped in Atlanta and got to JFK at midnight! Ugh! We had an appointment for a real estate closing Monday at 8 p.m. in New York, so that new itinerary did not work for us. We called Delta and were able to get on a 10 a.m. flight from Orlando to LaGuardia. (That would mean a taxi from LaGuardia to JFK to pick up the car, but we've done it before and it's not that big a deal.) Now we needed to change our rental car return date and location and extend our stay by one more night. We had a really good deal on our rental car, but that was because it was getting returned to its airport of origin. Adding one more day to the reservation and returning the car in Orlando rather than Tampa increased the price by almost $700. Since the alternative was wasting valuable Disney time to drive the car back to Tampa and because we had travel insurance, we agreed to that crazy price. The next step was lodging. While it would have been ideal to stay at AKL another night, we were using rented points, so there was no easy way to extend our stay in the villa. We asked the front desk the price for two rooms---not savannah--for one night. It was over $1300. Even with trip insurance, that seemed like a poor choice since we would have to move all our stuff from the DVC unit to another room and would only need about 14 hours in the new rooms, 8 of them asleep. Again, I didn't want to move offsite because then we would have to drive all our bags to the new resort, check in and return to Magic Kingdom. So we booked two rooms at Port Orleans Riverside and had AKL valet services send our bags there. Once the valet took our luggage, we took the bus to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[toodycat]

Back at Magic Kingdom: We arrived at Magic Kingdom around noon. This was later than we had hoped for, but all that re-arranging of our travel plans had taken some time. Worse, MK was scheduled to close at 4:30 for a cast member appreciation event, so our time was really limited. Happily, as we entered the park, a parade was coming! Also, Mike and Jake were a little hungry, so we split a 50th anniversary cinnamon roll.

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[toodycat]

Magic Kingdom Catch Up: We caught up with the attractions we had missed on Friday and the good old family favorites: Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear, Mickey's Philharmagic, and Small World. We booked Genie+ for the Monster Inc Laugh Floor, were seated and then the attraction closed. Say what you want about "It's a Small World," but it's been my favorite since I first saw it when I was 2 at the World's Fair! Peter Pan had technical problems and we were suspended in midair for a bit, which is a funny feeling. On the way out, we saw a few more of the golden statues around the parks.

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[toodycat]

Onward to POR: After our day at Magic Kingdom, Jake and I took the bus to Port Orleans Riverside and Michael took the bus to AKL to pick up the car and then meet us. I was really excited about POR because we had never stayed there and I had heard nothing but good things. I knew it was the smallest of the moderates, so I was surprised when the bus entered the resort and then took another 10 minutes to get to the bus stop for the main lobby. Clearly, this resort was bigger than I anticipated. We arrived at 3:45---check in is at 3---and were told that while our room in Magnolia Terrace was ready, Jake's was not. However, the CM gave us two key cards. He said we would get a text letting us know when Jake's room was ready and what his room number was. We asked that he be near us because we were only staying one night and leaving early in the morning. Also, everyone's belongings were mixed up in different suitcases. It would be very difficult for him to have to take the bus from one part of the resort to another because he didn't have socks or something. The CM assured us that Jake would be assigned a room near ours. Mike arrived, we picked up the luggage from the luggage closet and drove to our room. The landscaping at POR is very impressive, the buggy rides are cute and the building facades are pretty. I am not a fan of outdoor corridors, which can be security risks, but I was aware of the outdoor corridors when I booked POR, so not a surprise.

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[toodycat]

POR letdown: Our room was nothing dazzling. The "Princess and the Frog" theming is cute, but I didn't love that the only thing separating the sinks from the sleeping area is a Tiana curtain. There are two queen beds, but only one nightstand. The second bed is so close to the wall that it is not really possible for an adult to get out of bed in the middle of the night without doing some elaborate slithering. The absence of a second nightstand means one person in a queen bed has no surface to place water, medication or a book when they go to sleep. Also, the room has no closet, just a pole in the bathroom area. I realize I came from the AKL where I could see zebras out my window, but for $275/night, I still expect a nightstand, a bathroom door and a proper closet

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[toodycat]

The Search for Jake's Room: Everyone was really hot and tired, so I went to the pool---there' a pool for each area, plus a theme pool--while Mike and Jake cooled off in the room.

https://flic.kr/p/2noGPv9

By the time, I was finished swimming it was 5 and I had not received a text about Jake's room. Mike and Jake wondered if maybe it was the room next to ours, but it had a "closed for housekeeping" sign on it, so presumably it wasn't ready. I called the POR phone number and was connected to the Guest Services call center. The representative said she would check with her "team" about the status of the room. They didn't know, so she checked with another "team." The second team didn't know. She suggested that Jake just try swiping his key card at random rooms in our area to see if one of the rooms was his. That didn't seem like a great strategy, particularly in a "Stand Your Ground" state. The call center cast member said there was no way for her to contact the POR front desk. We would have to go there in person. This is where I felt very disappointed and frustrated. A resort of this size should not require you to walk or take the bus to the front desk whenever you have a question or a problem. You should be able to call the front desk from your room. That is not asking a lot.

We had to drive over to the main building and ask about Jake's room. The CM didn't know why he hadn't been assigned a room. Then, he looked it up and saw that Jake had been assigned a room---far from ours. The CM made a few phone calls and said that the room next to ours was Jake's room after all. We never received a text and had to take the housekeeping sign off the room ourselves. The room reeked of disinfectant, so something unpleasant had probably been cleaned up. The bottom line is that in a resort where check-in is at 3 p.m., Jake's room was not assigned until after 6 p.m. and we would not have found that out if we hadn't gone to the front desk. This is very poor customer service.

 

[toodycat]

Dinner at Boatwright's

We had an 8:10 p.m. dinner reservation at Boatwright's that Mike had fortuitously managed to make after we discovered the flight cancellation. This worked out well because rain was predicted for the evening, so eating at the resort was the most convenient and driest option. We lucked out in that it didn't rain on our walk to Boatwright's. We had to wait almost a half hour to be seated, but once we were at our table, the meal was enjoyable. The cornbread is tasty and comes with Mickey butter. Our waitress, Kerri, was a doll. The shrimp and grits and gumbo dishes were very good. I would eat at Boatwright's again.

https://flic.kr/p/2noGEs4

 

[toodycat]

Flood: The rain was over by the time we finished eating. The evening was pretty in a misty kind of way.

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We set off walking back to Magnolia Terrace. However, the path back to our rooms was completely flooded. I mean, up to your ankles flooded! People were taking off their shoes to walk through the deep water. Here's a picture of it:

https://flic.kr/p/2noQwA9

This speaks to a major drainage maintenance issue at Port Orleans Riverside. It rains all the time in Florida. Is this always what happens?

 

[toodycat]

End of trip/final thoughts/park reservations and Genie+

The next morning we mobile ordered Bounty Platters from the food court and ate them in our room. Whoever put them together literally threw the food in, so waffles were on top of eggs. We left POR and drove to MCO. Our flight was on time, but full. Many people on the plane were coughing a lot. We kept our masks on. I don't know if they were people who had had COVID and still had the cough, people who were just getting COVID or people with allergies or bronchitis, but the whole flight had kind of a germy vibe.
We landed at LGA, took a cab to JFK, picked up a pizza on the way home and resumed our non-Disney lives.

Overall, I had a great time, though Mike and I agreed that we are not as young as we used to be. Our next Disney vacation will be planned to alternate theme park days and resort days, so we don't wear ourselves out. Also, our next Disney vacation will be after my foot surgery is over, so I'll be able to walk around more comfortably. Although I didn't like needing a wheelchair this time, it really was a lifesaver and I'm glad it was an option.

We were very, very impressed with every new attraction we saw. From Rise of the Resistance to Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, the Imagineers continue do outdo themselves. I can't wait to see "Guardians of the Galaxy" next time.

I was thrilled to attend the Epcot Flower and Garden Show. My schedule has never allowed that before. I definitely hope to return!

I don't like having to reserve theme parks in advance. We had park hoppers, but never actually hopped. I especially didn't like the rule that you have to have a theme park reservation for the park you will be dining in. We love the dining options at Epcot, but it's impossible to make a dinner reservation there on a day you don't plan on having Epcot as your primary theme park. Disney needs to fix this.

As for Genie+ and ILL, they are an added expense, but not cost-prohibitive for our little group of three. Being able to make reservations for attractions actually did work our for us. I had some trepidation, but there was never a time when we didn't get a LL or ILL for an attraction that we wanted at a time that was convenient. However, the parks were not overly crowded, so I don't know if we would have had the same positive experience if we were visiting over a holiday weekend. Also, we added Genie+ in advance for the duration of our vacation. I understand that you're not allowed to do that anymore. Why not? Our biggest complaint about Genie+ is having to get up at 7 a.m. to reserve your LL and ILL. Setting an alarm for 6:45 a.m. every morning really sucks the relaxation out of a vacation. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a deal breaker, but there has to be a better way.

A lot of people have been posting that they are fed up with Disney World and won't be back because of the added expenses and changes in the park experience. While I don't love paying extra, reserving parks and getting up at 7 are more objectionable to us, but not annoying enough to say we won't be back. Yesterday, I showed my photos to my mother and as I was looking at the trip as a whole, I knew we'd be returning to see whatever WDW has in store for us next.

 

[toodycat]

One small addendum: Although I had trip insurance, it only covered $300 because we weren’t delayed a full 24 hours! Next time my flight is cancelled, I will be sure to stay longer!