Trip Commando Anonymous – A 7 Step Plan w/Pics (The End)

[Minnie]

At this point my mom new one of two things was going to happen. We were either going to end up linched by the Wal-Mart employees and tossed into a Florida jail cell until they could ship us back to Iowa or that it was time to find a Thrifty and get rid of this junker.

I’m beyond boiling at this point so I walk out the door and over to the service area. I figure the idiot at the front counter could kiss my Mickey (well this is a family website after all come on people). As I walked toward the guy that had checked the wrong blasted tire I believe he saw the thunderstorms approaching not from sky but from the steam coming out my ears. He quickly said he’d bring the car right in and check the tire. Hallalluha. Not so fast. Ready for this one? After all that he found nothing wrong with the tire!!! What the heck!!!

We ended up calling Thrifty back and explaining the situation. The smart mouth on the other end said “there’s nothing we need to do you said there’s nothing wrong.” Okay now this is the wrong song to try singing to a trip commando that’s wasted half an afternoon with a darn rental car tire. After a ton of back and forth hastle she agrees to exchange the car and tells me of the closest location.

I thought cool let’s get this over with as we planned on driving to the coast in the morning and didn’t want to take the junker. However something sounded fishy when I was told the closest location was in a hotel but okay we got directions and made it in before closing.

Here is where Thrifty stings us again.

Thrifty – ((laughs)) “I don’t know why they sent you here we can’t do anything.”
Me – (not laughing) “What do you mean.”
Thrifty – “We are out of cars and don’t do that here. You need to go to the location over by the airport.”
Me – (steam rolling) “They told me to come here.”
Thrifty – “Don’t know why nothing I can do for you.”

This is the normal Thrifty treatment. A laugh, a shrug, a could careless attitude, and of course whatever else never ever apologize.

I reach the car and mom takes one look at my face and I believe nearly drove off. We ended up having a good laugh over the situation as we were on vacation and one does not cry on vacation! Since we’d received the A-ok by the smarties at Wal-Mart we decided to keep the car and head back to our safety net known as WDW.

Too bad we didn’t learn right then that leaving WDW during our vacation was a very bad idea…..

Up next SAB, a bazillion Brazillions at Fantasmic, and the oh so fun homework.

 

[heaven2dc]

Am so glad you had a good attitude regarding the Walmart/Thrifty dilemma - I would have been livid but like you said, you're on vacation so can't let THEM ruin it for you!

Now I'm sitting patiently wondering what happens next (well not so patient but .... )

 

[Minnie]

Am so glad you had a good attitude regarding the Walmart/Thrifty dilemma - I would have been livid but like you said, you're on vacation so can't let THEM ruin it for you!

Now I'm sitting patiently wondering what happens next (well not so patient but .... )

Oh thank you for posting you made my day

I have the next little section ready and will post it next though I have to make some changes to the remainder so that will be up a later on.

 

[Minnie]

Gentle reader I last left you upon our escape from those nasties at Thrifty. We returned to WDW and the great “free” valet staff at the BC. We unloaded all our goodies and trooped through the lobby up to our room. We made use of the great little fridge for our must haves and then we changed for another trip down the lazy river at SAB.

This was great fun though we had our first encounter with the “towel guard”. This is kind of funny really as if you didn’t need towels you could easily enter SAB without your room key and those that think each person needs a key – well we didn’t have that issue. The “towel guard” kinda looked at us funny when we gave them all to him. He said “aren’t you all together?” which was interesting as I’d always heard about how closely the “gate” at SAB is guarded.

Now gentle reader this is the time where I again have to beg your forgiveness I spoke out of turn earlier and realized my error when shopping with my mom this weekend. This was not the night of Fantasmic rather our “luck” continues at the MK so I’ll next take you there…..

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Minnie, so glad you posted again.Funny story, although not funny to you,I know.

Glad you are keeping it up, I think I somehow missed the 2 installments before today

 

[riopooh]

So far - so great. Come back soon - I can't wait to read more!!

 

[Minnie]

First a big Thank You to those of you that have posted on my trip report!

Gentle reader now as promised I’ll take you to the MK – well through my words I hope at least. If nothing else turn on Disney radio and wait for an MK song – that should help

Okay dokie we headed for the busses and yep just missed the MK bus. Now there is a plus and a major minus at the BC for their bus service. For the MK they only share a bus with the YC not the other big 3 in the area (they save that fun and joy for the poor souls heading to DTD). However since they do not share there is only 1 bus for the MK – yes I did say 1 bus for two huge resorts! It takes about 15 minutes to get to the MK so since we missed the bus it was over 30 minutes until it came back to pick us up. My son passed the time by watching the ducks (if I had a buck for every time I said that this trip I could afford to live at the GF and monorail to the MK) and mom and I people watched and considered taking a bus to anywhere else but the MK.

We eventually made our way into the MK to find that it was almost parade time. Have you gentle reader ever entered the MK right before a parade and tried to get anywhere at all? If so then you no the fun we would be having during the next few moments. We wanted to try a walk up at a restaurant but a sign was out that mom noticed that said – all restaurants booked for the night – please eat the crap out of the carts – well not really but you get the idea.

We ended up making it up main street sidewalk due to a tour group that the CMs let through. This allowed us to grab a tasty ((blech)) meal at Caseys Corner for my son during the parade. My hope was that the crowds would be at the parade and we could give Pirates of the Caribbean a try to see the changes. On the way I grabbed a Dole Whip Float ((yummy)) for supper (only in WDW) and then walked over to POC. This is where the pixie dust shower came and went…..

I’ll try to post more about our MK evening later on. To include – POC how did this happen, a visit to the Sick Zone for son, and a major newbie error.

 

[GeorgiaAristocat]

Minnie -
I found your trip report and have enjoyed catching up.

I am waiting for the appearance of the Traveling Plutopants . . . impatiently!

Keep up the good work!

 

[LilyWDW]

I really enjoy the writing style of your report!

Can not wait for the next part!

 

[Minnie]

Minnie -
I found your trip report and have enjoyed catching up.

I am waiting for the appearance of the Traveling Plutopants . . . impatiently!

Keep up the good work!

Thanks for reading and posting

Plutopants will make his appearance in Day 3 which should be up tonight or tomorrow dending on the blasted homework

 

[Minnie]

Thank you for your kind words Lily. Here's the end of Day 2.

Gentle reader I last left you while I was floating along in a Dole Whip Float dream….

The pixie dust would soon shower our day with Disney magic as the line to the POC was not. Seriously there was a CM moving chains around and no one else there. We spent very little time in line and we were soon boarding our boat. I enjoyed searching out the changes made to the ride and wished I’d thought to have my camera out to take pictures. But alas gentle reader I did not and as the coming days will show I was never afforded the opportunity again

**Question time – Anyone know how we managed to board the boats on the left hand side instead of the right???? Due to this the wait was very short instead of the cavernous wait on the right side. I don’t understand it but the pixie dust shower felt awesome**

After the ride we entered the – dump shop and the crowds were back. We had a hard time moving around the shop but it did provide great cover to allow me to head over the cashier and send some pirate items back to the resort for my son’s birthday that is coming up later this month (I will have a teenager soon – )

We heard cannon shots so we wondered to see that Wishes was close to ending. This is one of my faves at MK so I was enjoying this only to feel a poke in my back. I turned around with a dirty look at the ready to see my mom pointing at my son. He was holding his stomach and looking at the ground. Uhh oh what now???? We headed towards the front but he was in such pain from cramps that we stopped at the first aid counter. They asked about his water intake **big time newbie mistake** my poor guy was dehydrated and feeling the effects. I went into the baby care section and bought a bottle of Pepto to help ease the cramps and we had him drink water all the way out of the park.

Here is where the lovely BC bus service bit us again. It was 12 o’clock on an EMH night at MK and yep only 1 bus was running. I was so ticked by this! My baby (he’s still my baby no matter if he is 12) was sick and after the $$$ we’d spent on the room this was beyond ridiculous. Thankfully we made the next bus but those poor people still in line would be waiting for a long time to come.

Thankfully the cramps had started to fade and my son spent a restful night on the daybed at the BC and was back to himself in the morning. From then on water would be in our hands continually and I closely monitored my son’s intake and the problem was solved.

I spent the remainder of the night working on homework. Yep that nasty old homework just won’t go away. Too bad the MBA department doesn’t understand the value of a Disney vacation

Oh well so much for EMH night at the MK. There was another one coming up on the last night our stay and I was determined to enjoy that one. Well I thought I was anyways…..

Next up: Step 3 – Does Plutopants no something we don’t????? And we left Disney for this???????

 

[scrap4u]

Still enjoying your trip report. But please don't leave us hanging!

 

[Minnie]

Still enjoying your trip report. But please don't leave us hanging!

Sorry truly for leaving the trip report when I do I'm trying to fit this in between life that keeps getting in the way. When I need a sanity break I stop in here and write until I get called away. Thanks for reading and posting

 

[Minnie]

Gentle reader day three is now beginning without that annoying Stitch as we had decided to do a Kona Café breakfast, head out to Kennedy Space Center, and go the beach. We would eventually be in major need of the pixie dust that only occurs from coming back to WDW before this day was over….

On that ominous note we woke up later than our ADR but decided to try to get into Kona’s anyway. We called for the car and when we arrived the valet had lowered the top on the convertible as the day looked new and gorgeous. I just “knew” that this day was going to be the tops… If I had only known……..

Anyway we tipped the valet and headed over to the Poly. We made a couple wrong turns but eventually found our way. After seeing the parking situation we were thrilled to have the DDE and the “free valet” service. After receiving an “Aloha” we wondered into the Poly. I love the look and feel of this resort but have put on my flame suit for this comment – why of why is this deluxe not under one roof??? That is a major selling point to go for a deluxe versus the outdoor corridors of a moderate in my opinion

Anyways we wondered upstairs and looked in horror at the line Then woosh realized that the line was for OHanas not Kona which was nearly empty I have already reviewed this restaurant in my dining review http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1172341
but I will say that it was a wonderful breakfast though it seems in a poor location as it is greatly overshadowed by the character meal next door

Gentle reader I must again tender my apologies. My time has once again run short on writing this report

When I return: Kennedy Space Center - hmmm it sure wasn't Disney, mom there is an ocean near Florida right?, finally there's the pixie dust.

 

[musicmama]

What a great report so far! I've already learned that I'm really really glad I cancelled my Thrifty res for later this month. We dealt with them several years ago and was only doing so again for the (or so I thought) $$ to be saved. Once my National rate went down, it was a no-brainer to dump Thrifty.

Sorry about your bus issues - I've learned through your report that we were not the only ones with bus issues. Last Christmas we gave up on the bus after the 2nd day and drove park-to-park for the rest of our stay.

So a Dole Whip is good? Never had one, was always a little "afraid" of them. Guess it'll go on the list.

I've learned 3 things so far that will come in handy. Thanks!!

 

[Minnie]

What a great report so far! I've already learned that I'm really really glad I cancelled my Thrifty res for later this month. We dealt with them several years ago and was only doing so again for the (or so I thought) $$ to be saved. Once my National rate went down, it was a no-brainer to dump Thrifty.

Sorry about your bus issues - I've learned through your report that we were not the only ones with bus issues. Last Christmas we gave up on the bus after the 2nd day and drove park-to-park for the rest of our stay.

So a Dole Whip is good? Never had one, was always a little "afraid" of them. Guess it'll go on the list.

I've learned 3 things so far that will come in handy. Thanks!!

Thanks for reading and posting!

Thrifty was nothing but a headache. From now on we'll pay the extra for a rental car on site at the airport.

We've had good and bad bus service at nearly every resort. It really seems hit or miss. It's just when you pay those kind of dollars you expect better service. We are planning a return trip to WDW in Oct and may try the ME so we hope the bus service is better during lower crowd times.

 

[Minnie]

Gentle reader as sad as I am to say this I now have to take you off Disney property and out into the rest of the world We left the Poly with directions to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in hand. Followed them precisely and ended up in KSC with only a slight bobble.

As we were getting closer to KSC the clouds were looking ominous so we pulled off on an access road to put up the convertible top. This was a wise maneuver because just as we entered the low bridge heading to KSC the storm blew in. Normally I love to watch a storm brew but not on this particular bridge. Thankfully we made it across and the sun came back out once we arrived at KSC.

Here is where we made a rather large error in judgment. I picked the premium access pass and for the three of us it was over $100 for the entry. This is a major rip off as we would come to see. We took in a robot show and even Stich’s Great Escape is done better than this. Mom and I looked at each other and knew it was going to be one of those days

Then gentle reader we made the next mistake. We took off on the bus trip which was worse by the way than the wait at the BC for MK. It had 4 stops and took forever. I will say that my son was thrilled and enjoyed every minute so to say that the day was a waste would be wrong. This trip after all was to celebrate his achievement and he loved KSC so it wasn’t all a waste. We arrived back finally and took in a couple other exhibits decided to pass on the over priced hockey puck they were selling as pizza and left KSC.

Did you notice gentle reader that I described several hours of an afternoon at KSC in smaller space than I described the wonders of Test Track??? Take that as a large hint – skip KSC!

We next headed out to the ocean as my son had only experienced the Gulf Coast and my mom and I hadn’t seen the ocean since I was my son’s age. I was surprised that you don’t actually see the ocean as you drive along but have to find a beach area to see it. On the way we were able to see a massive cruise ship (I’ll add a picture if I can find it later) that was in port. Someday I might just try a Disney cruise – did I say that – this commando no a cruise ship – god help the cruise line

We eventually made our way to a public area on Cocoa Beach were we had come when I was a child. It was absolutely beautiful with very few people in the area. (I will add a couple pictures later). It was missing the all important life guards so we were careful as to how deep we ventured out. I can’t explain the feeling of utter peace that came over me as I stood with the water lapping gently over my sandals listening to the sounds of the waves crashing in. This was the life and the one and only reason I’ll leave WDW on my trip again. Definitely worth the trip

We eventually decided that it was time to make our way back to WDW. The trip back was uneventful as WDW is especially good at getting you “home”

 

[UtahMama]

Heh-heh...You guys dont wear underpants in Disney World???
(That's just what our family refers to commando.)

Your Trip Report is AWESOME! It's worthy of the Hall of Fame of Trip Reports (even if you dont wear underpants)!

 

[Minnie]

Heh-heh...You guys dont wear underpants in Disney World???
(That's just what our family refers to commando.)

Your Trip Report is AWESOME! It's worthy of the Hall of Fame of Trip Reports (even if you dont wear underpants)!

Umm my mom was with me and son on this trip so yep those darn underpants had to stay on

 

[Minnie]

Gentle reader I last left you as we drove back under the magic arches (come on no I don’t mean Mc Donald’s sheesh).Those sweet valet guys parked our car which my this point included about a pound of sand and we trooped back through the lobby with all our beach gear in tow. Now while I love the all under one roof indoor corridors of the deluxes that trooping through the lobby being sandy and sticky was just about over the top. To bad there isn’t a side door

At this point it was time for showers and some relaxation. Of course son already was asking about going to the pool – but that idea got quickly vetoed. Mom decided a nap was in order, son watched the Disney toons, and I – can you guess – yes worked on homework

Although we had really planned on a day away from the parks after the rip off at KSC we knew that some Disney magic was in order. I as the commando over planner extraordinaire got out my trust spreadsheet and found that it was a perfect evening to head to MGM for the late Fantasmic!

I gave Disney dining a call and was easily granted reservations at our favorite eatery in MGM – Mama Melrose. We hot footed it quickly down to the boat docks and hopped on the boat to MGM. Of all the things that I didn’t care for at the BC the transportation options to not one but two parks was the best!

We entered MGM and made our way quickly towards Mama Melrose. There really wasn’t time for much else that evening. I’ve already wrote a review about Mama’s so head on over to the restaurant board if you’re interested in how Picky Eaters do Italian

After this we were walking towards Fantasmic when my son spotted the 3D Muppets show and asked to watch it. Though this commando was a touch worried about seating as the last Fantasmic we had to stand, I gave in and we went into the theatre. This was a wonderful and odd showing as we nearly had the theatre to ourselves. Probably about 10 other people in the whole place. We were able to sit in the middle – not scoot all the way down to the other side people – move it – as there was no one in there. We enjoyed this “private showing” and felt the pixie dust raining down – well maybe that was the water from Gonzo’s flower but it felt pretty awesome all the same

After this it was definitely time to head for Fantasmic so we funneled our way that direction with the rest of the crowds. As this was the 2nd showing we easily found a spot about mid way down in the center section. At first we thought we’d scored a great location but alas it was not to be. Minutes before show time a bazillion Brazillons descended on our location and their behavior was simply atrocious. But was better than behavior we saw later in the week which is really saying something

Anyways finally the show started and I once again remembered why we came to Disney. Life can get so hectic and I tend to loose sight of the important things as they get barried in the clutter of everyday life. The simple joy on my son’s face during the water shows and watching Mickey defeat the evil brought back the joy and cemented the reason we come. It also made all of us very certain that we would not be leaving WDW for the rest of our short week. If nothing else I am thankful that we learned this lesson early in the trip

As this was the late show it closed the park so we headed with the masses towards the exit. I did shoot some cool pics of my son and the hat but alas will not be able to share them as we have a no picture policy on the net. Even though we were packed like sardines we were thrilled to have made the first boat back and enjoyed the quiet walk back to our room. Location, location, location.....

As it was quite late and the day had been very long I quickly sent my son to bed while mom read and I did – say it all together now – homework. Tomorrow is another day after all and we are back in the welcoming arms of Disney where I will gladly pour out my dollars any day of the week compared to KSC.

Day 4 up next – Magic Kingdom meltdowns