8 + 5 = 13 Days in Disney World

[Amy]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. We planned on getting to the park a bit late that day as we wanted to really enjoy the pool to the fullest extent possible thinking it was our last day. Before heading to the park we pretty much did most of our packing so we could stay until the end of EMH and not have to worry too much about packing up for check out. It ended up being Alamo was gouging at the time it happened. A few days later they were charging just a couple of hundred dollars to drive back up. I spoke with a supervisor a few days later and they pretty much extended me out on the weekly rate that I had locked in for the first 8 days as a way to make it up to me. It was a nice gesture from them. I usually lose at Buzz as I seem to try and aim for the hard targets and usually get thrown off as our vehicle is constantly being shifted left and right.

Maybe you need to grab control of that center stick! Then you are in control of the space ship going left or right
That was good Alamo fixed the rate for you ~ certainly makes you more likely to use them in the future again...

[Len90]

Pretty much have it all typed up.

Day 9? 8/27/11

It was originally supposed to be a somber morning as we supposed to just leave Disney and head back home to reality. Due to the late night we slept in late. We really didn’t feel like going to the parks and were in need of supplies as we were only prepared for at most 10-11 days, not 13. After getting ready we headed down to the front desk to see if we could combine to one room or had maybe a villa at the BC. They were super helpful and came up with an amazing find. They had a room on the Beach side that was a mini suite/villa. The best thing was it was going for less than 2 rooms. We immediately headed back to our room and packed up and walked our suitcases through Stormalong bay over to the Beach Club. We checked in (they were expecting us) and got a pleasant little surprise when given our room keys… they were yellow and not blue. This room had access to the lounge on the 5th floor where you can get free soda, food, and adult beverages. We also had a mix up occur when adding on park days so instead of building our 8 day ticket up to 10 we ended up with 11 days for the park.

After all of that was settled we headed back to the Yacht to pick up the last remaining piece… our car. While waiting for the car my phone alerted me of a hurricane warning for us in NJ. I checked the web and was scared to see towns 15-20 minutes away from our house were being placed under mandatory evacuations. Throughout the day all we would hear in Florida about the Hurricane on the TV or on the radio revolved around Governor Christie press conferences.

We headed off to Denny’s for an all day breakfast, as it was 12:30 by the time were leaving the resort. Denny’s just off of Downtown Disney used to be pretty decent and we had eaten there in years past. However, after this trip I doubt we will ever go back. The food was just flat out terrible the place seemed like it could use a good refurbishment. Following breakfast it was off to get some stuff by doing a one stop shopping. Our store of choice: WalMart in Kissimmee (Calypso Cay shopping center). It really is interesting to see the subtle differences in corporate chains throughout different regions of the United States. WalMart over here had a whole Disney merchandise section along with dedicated sections for what would be considered seasonal by us. We brought our stuff back to the resort just as it started to rain.

We decided that this would have to become a mall day and we needed to get birthday cards for Mark. We went to the Florida Mall, which was pretty interesting. They had just opened a new Disney Store there, which was an IP concept. It was good to see Disney Store will be keeping a uniform look and that they can pull in a big crowd that close to WDW and the big WoD store. We also finally got to see the M&M world Orlando, which was pretty similar to the New York and Las Vegas locations. I honestly walked in there thinking I would buy a shirt, but their prices made Disney look like a bargain. After the Florida Mall it was off to the Mall at Millenia. This mall was way too trendy and upscale for me. The only store I really enjoyed there was the Apple Store since the associates were big into Disney with some of them being part time CMs.

We really were not in the mood for a big dinner and wanted to scale it back this day. It was a gloomy and rainy day, which somehow put us in the mood for Applebees. We were happy that there was a location near Disney just off of a hotel by the Vineland outlets. We did the 2 for $20 and headed back to the Beach Club. We were in time to catch Illuminations from the bridge between Boardwalk and Beach Club, which was conveniently right outside our room. We called it a night by doing some emergency laundry and taking a dip in the quiet pool. Irene was now bearing down on New Jersey and at around 11:15PM our power went out.

[Amy]

Score on the room having lounge access! That is great
Sounds like you made the best of a sort of yucky day. Thankfully you were safe in Florida while the hurricane started pounding NJ...

[NaCler]

Great job so far Len. It's interesting to see the contrast in styles of planned out days vs days on the fly. It sounds like things fell into place pretty well having to adjust to an unexpected extended stay. What is your thought on BC vs Yacht? Or is that coming later?

[Len90]

Great job so far Len. It's interesting to see the contrast in styles of planned out days vs days on the fly. It sounds like things fell into place pretty well having to adjust to an unexpected extended stay. What is your thought on BC vs Yacht? Or is that coming later?

I didn't really type up anything like that but I like the Beach side better. I found the cleanliness on the Beach side to be better which is a huge thing. It really worked out to only this one day being completely unplanned as we had to sort everything out and get straightened up on what we were going to do for the rest of the stay. It's funny how the Beach is better for going to EPCOT as it is closer for the walk but the Yacht is easier to get to the boat. If we go back to Disney I would probably book the Beach before the Yacht now.

[NaCler]

Interesting thoughts Len. I am actually opposite though. We stayed @ Yacht last year and Beach this year and I think I prefer the YC better. I loved that EPCOT was so close to our room at the BC but that was about all I liked better. I like that YC is closer to Stormalong Bay entrance. I like the lounge at the YC better (more homey feel, better selection of apps, friendlier staff). I think I like the classier boating style decor more than the laid back beachy theming. Yachtsman is much better than Cape May and I wasn't too impressed with Beaches N Cream as it's over priced and you can find better burgers on property (i.e. Sci-Fi Dine In)

Can't wait to read the rest of the trip and for the eventual pics!

[Len90]

It might be just that I have stayed at YC so much a change was really welcome for me. Report is all typed up with finals now in progress. For once I kept to a deadline I set out for myself. Here's day 10...


Day 10 8/28/11

Today would begin a new trend for the rest of the stay. On the fifth floor lounge they serve a small continental breakfast until 11AM. It was just enough to get the day going. We needed to make some ADRs so during breakfast we had the concierge make some arrangements for us. The restaurants we would go to were Mama Melrose this night, Tony’s the following night, and Prime Time on the last night. There was still one more day left for off property and that was going to become another Ming Court night. After breakfast it was straight to the pool where I continued to work on my goal of 50 jib trips.

The weather was nice in Orlando and just starting to get better back home. We called our neighbor to see how the storm went and our development survived but most neighbors had flooded basements, no power, and most of the roads that led to my area were closed due to downed trees, power lines, and power poles. We definitely were better off in Florida but there was a bit of concern for what was going on at our house.

The plan for this afternoon and evening was to head off to DHS, hang around for dinner, and end up at MK for some EMH. We headed out to the dock for a friendship only to find out they were parked, due to thunder and lightning near the property. The bus service was lackluster in place of the boats this time but the bus finally came after 25 minutes of waiting. We got to DHS and decided to fill in a missing void, TGMR. They attraction was empty and they were running only one Western scene. Everything else was a single, which meant another gangster trip for us. Our tour guide was great but the gangster was terrible. I honestly think I would have been able to do a better job than him. After that we headed back to Animation to see what surprise characters were around. The only differences this time were Mulan and Chip and Dale. After this we headed off towards Mama Melrose only to encounter some storm troopers patrolling the area around Star Tours. We got to the restaurant and they were slammed. The line to check in was 15 minutes long and it was a good 30-minute wait to be seated. The management were issuing guests a special pass to ride Star Tours just to let some of the time go without you sitting there impatiently. We ended up doing the attraction twice as the wait was minimal.

After dinner we stopped into the writer’s shop to catch one of the last remaining pieces of the park’s former name and headed off to Midway Mania where I set my new all time high of 200,500 and took the ride vehicle high. After that it was off to MK for their night EMH. It was really cool as we were able to catch Wishes while passing through the MK toll plaza on the bus to TTC.

We started off our adventure at MK with a trip down Splash Mountain and immediately ran onto BTMR. For those keeping track that means I did conquer all the mountains at MK this year We finished the night off at MK with the Haunted Mansion, Mad Tea Party (had a pink cup this time that didn’t really spin well), and another trip on the speedway. We left the park just after midnight and decided to take a bus back to Boardwalk so we could check out the resort before walking back to our room at the Beach Club to call it a night.

[Amy]

Smart thinking of them giving out Star Tours passes to those waiting at Mama Melroses. I might have to circle one of the more popular restaurants around a meal time and see if I can score any free passes next time
Good luck on the on-going finals Len. Can't wait to see all the pictures that go with your report!

[Len90]

Smart thinking of them giving out Star Tours passes to those waiting at Mama Melroses. I might have to circle one of the more popular restaurants around a meal time and see if I can score any free passes next time
Good luck on the on-going finals Len. Can't wait to see all the pictures that go with your report!

It was actually due to a computer crash just prior to our arrival. They were unable to seat anyone or do anything without the computer system running. Once that got going they had to deal with the backlog. It was smart thinking by the restaurant manager.

[Len90]

Day 11 (8/29/11)

The day started out with some scattered thunderstorms that chased us out of the pool a bit earlier than we had hoped. These extra park days were originally intended to pass some extra time and not to run from park to park. Dinner this evening was at Tony’s so we were really just going to go to MK and then spend some more time at DHS for EMH. However, the weather presented us with a golden opportunity, as we were now all showered and running early. We decided that we could cut to MK via EPCOT and maybe catch Daisy hanging around the entrance before she went in for the night. We got into the park just after the storm had cleared and were by Spaceship Earth for 3:30. We got to the spot where we had previously seen Daisy and she was not there. We decided to hang around for a couple of minutes as the sun was starting to come out and see if the characters would be reemerging. After about two minutes of waiting a backstage door opens and a photopass photographer pops out to announce Daisy will be out in 1 minute. We immediately lined up and FINALLY got to see Daisy. There was still some time so we decided to take care of our Visa pictures at Innoventions. It must have been our lucky day as we ended up with both Mickey and Minnie together. Usually you will get either Mickey or Minnie with either Pluto or Goofy. This was a combo I didn’t expect and was really excited for.

We got the pictures and headed over to get our free prints at the camera shop. To our disappointment the flash on the camera was misfiring and all the pictures came out dark. The CMs were really nice about it and let us print a picture with Daisy instead to make up for it. We then hoped the monorail over to MK where we somehow lucked out having a whole car to ourselves. It was the most enjoyable monorail ride I ever had!

We arrived at MK and they were still running character meet and greets in front of the train station so we stopped off to meet Pluto. We had a 6PM reservation at Tony’s which worked out perfectly with letting us see the 5:40 Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! emerge from behind Main Street. It’s really cool to see that well before emerging from backstage the performers are dancing. Dinner at Tony’s was excellent but the service was not. Our waiter seemed to ignore us and had a sarcastic tone towards our table. However the rest of the cast was excellent. I had noticed the hosts ripping up old menus that were “dirty” and throwing them away. I asked if I could have one as a keepsake, which they were more than happy to do. They even picked out the cleanest of the bunch that was only being discarded due to rounded edges.

The park was closing down pretty early this evening as peak season was over and they were decorating the Magic Kingdom for Halloween. It would be pretty cool that the park would transform from summer to autumn in just a couple of hours. We decided to take it pretty easy and just enjoy walking around with an attraction or two thrown in. Before leaving the park we stopped off to meet the princesses at Town Square. The line up this evening was Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella. Aurora tried to be nice but seemed a little nervous about trying to remain in character. Belle was really funny and a bit flirtatious. However, it was a different Belle from last year whom was extremely flirty (Future Guy would remember her). Finally there came Cinderella who to my surprise also had a good sense of humor. However, she wouldn’t let me have her castle. I even said I’d wait until she’s done using it, which didn’t work out.

After the princesses it was off to DHS for EMH. We did TSMM for one last time where I showed some signs of sleepiness only managing a 179,700 but was still vehicle high. We rode Star Tours a few more times as it had no wait. As we left we were treated to some of the custodial CM’s doing the water characters in the cement with their brooms. It really is amazing how artistic some of those CM’s are in order to draw such accurate looking characters. We hung around until the end of EMH knowing that there really wasn’t much doing tomorrow.

Funny side note about this day: While entering into EPCOT Mark suddenly realized that we had taken the travel insurance when we made the final payment. I quickly placed a call to the travel agent to inquire about the set-up for this. While waiting in line for Pluto I got a call back stating that we should be covered so long as the airline will comply by sending us something in writing that our airfare was cancelled by them due to weather and we rebooked on the first available flight. All of sudden this weather extension was looking pretty good to me.

[Amy]

That was very nice of the photopass people to let you have a print of Daisy instead since the Mickey/Minnie photo was dark. I hope you took a picture with your personal camera though so you didn't miss out on Mickey and Minnie!
I think it was on one of the tours that we were told the parade performers actually start backstage because of sight lines. I believe there is even a line on the cement and that is where CMs start performing because guests can see through the gates where the parade is coming from. All part of the excellent (mostly) show Disney puts on.
Too bad you had sub-par service at Tony's. It sounds like the food was good though.
Len! Trying to take a princess' castle?! No, no, no, that just isn't right. Did you at least offer to trade her something for it? Like Mark?
TSMM and Star Tours makes for an enjoyable EMH at DHS. You must have been a little off your game to score that low ~ or the vehicle was really spinning out of control
Those water drawings are pretty cool. And generally they look pretty awesome. I'm sure the CMs get lots of training, although I would think perhaps they have some creative abilities if they are placed in that role...
Insurance could cover your extra days?! That would be great I bet that made the extension that much more enjoyable for sure!!

[Len90]

Day 12 (8/30/11)

We really took it easy this day, as there was nothing planned. There was a lot of time allotted to the pool and for those wondering on this day I would hit my 50 trips down the jib for the vacation. It was a goal that really takes a toll on the body as the technique wears you down and walking all of those steps gets harder and harder with each trip you take.

We decided to take a day off property with dinner at Ming Court again and a trip to one of the outlet malls. Being that we always stay in the EPCOT resorts and rent a car we always drive by Reedy Creek Firehouse Station 1. I came up with the idea to stop off and see if they would be welcoming to guests. They were extremely friendly and really showed how there is a business and city side to the property. For those unaware there are actually 4 Reedy Creek firehouses, all located within Walt Disney World. Each firehouse has an engine company and 2 ambulances. At station 1 they have the ladder truck and all of the chiefs, as it is the headquarters. This firehouse is actually located right behind the world showcase for EPCOT. If there is ever an emergency they can easily respond into the park via a back road. They let us take pictures of the trucks and even showed us around the building.

After that it was off to Ming for an early dinner. The food was pretty good but we thought our first dinner there was better. We’d still definitely go back next time we are in Orlando. Following dinner was another trip to the Vineland Outlets where we took another look at the Disney outlet and purchased nothing. After that it was off to DTD where we explored the Marketplace and West Side for one last time. The WoD store was decorated for Halloween. It was interesting to see all of the 2011 and 40th anniversary merchandise was pushed out of the center area and spread among the store in order to make room in the center for Halloween. To me it was good that we shopped early in the trip, as I liked being able to find all my stuff in one location. At West Side we checked out Ridemakerz, which was still at the old Virgin Megastore. They actually were getting ready to pack up everything and move over to Team Mickey during the overnight hours. It was nice that we were able to get one last look of the old Virgin store. I really would have loved to go upstairs and get some pictures but the escalators were blocked off. Mark ended up building a car, which will probably be one of the last ever built at that location. After that it was back to the Beach Club. Tomorrow was going to be a very long day. We were tipped off that MK will be fully decorated for Halloween, dinner was scheduled to be at DHS, and we wanted to take a final run through EPCOT along with some pool time....

[Amy]

Yay ~ 50 trips down the job slide. Thank goodness for those extra days huh? If it wore you out as a spry 21 year old, I can only imagine what it might do to an older guest trying to do the same
We had stopped at Reedy Creek many, many moons ago. That was when I was considering working FIRE/EMS down there. They really were super nice and friendly. That was an expected part of our job at the fire station actually, taking anyone who stopped in on a tour and showing them the equipment. Of course at our station it was city tax-payers stopping in, not tourists! I traded patches with them too.
Didn't find anything to buy on your trip to the Disney Store outlet? Must have bought out everything on your first visit
Wow ~ I can't wait for day 13, that sounds like it's going to be a doozy!

[Amy]

Interesting thoughts Len. I am actually opposite though. We stayed @ Yacht last year and Beach this year and I think I prefer the YC better. I loved that EPCOT was so close to our room at the BC but that was about all I liked better. I like that YC is closer to Stormalong Bay entrance. I like the lounge at the YC better (more homey feel, better selection of apps, friendlier staff). I think I like the classier boating style decor more than the laid back beachy theming. Yachtsman is much better than Cape May and I wasn't too impressed with Beaches N Cream as it's over priced and you can find better burgers on property (i.e. Sci-Fi Dine In)

Can't wait to read the rest of the trip and for the eventual pics!

There is a really nice review of the Yachtsman on the disney food blog here... http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2011/12/1 ... teakhouse/

[Len90]

After this day there is just a a couple paragraphs on the return to Jersey which I'll put up tonight.

Day 13 (8/31/11)

We were up nice and early as it was a very long day ahead of us. We quickly ate a continental breakfast at the 5th floor lounge and were off to EPCOT. It was an AMAZING morning with sunny skies. We entered through the International Gateway and it had been a long time since we were there this early and only Future World was open. It was weird being able to take pictures of the UK pavilion with no other people in the way and having almost nobody else around while taking pictures of SSE with the Fountain of Nations in front of it. We headed over to Test Track and Mission Space which were both running pretty empty this early. I inquired about the refurbished test car but it was not running on the track this morning. We decided to do Mission space as a family so it was green team only. I would have liked to run back on and do orange but time was limited so that was left for next time.

By the time we had gotten done with Future World the World Showcase was open and character meet and greets would be running. We headed around the long way back (starting with Mexico). It was nearing the afternoon and the heat was starting up. However, the sky was perfect for picture taking. I made the best of it and got a great shot of monorail lime. We met Snow White in Germany and Aladdin and Jasmine in Morocco. Mom also did the pearl thing in Japan. Mark and I each picked out an oyster for her. Mark’s had a very large pearl while mine had a two for one special. We left EPCOT and headed back for our last dip in the pool.

I noticed while in EPCOT my phone had buzzed with the email to check in for our flight back. We quickly had the concierge print out our boarding passes and ran for the pool. I made sure that I explored every inch of the Stormalong Bay pool complex. We spent a couple of hours and then headed back to the room to change for dinner at Prime Time again.

We lucked out with Uncle Tim working again and they let us have him as our waiter. I decided to behave this time around though. The food was great again and we quickly left the park after dinner to make it over to MK for the Halloween decorations. We slowly walked around Main Street and took pictures of everything around. It was really amazing to see the park all decorated for the holiday. It really made me wonder how much better it must be for Christmas. We took a final ride on the Peoplemover and another spin on Buzz. Since fireworks were starting soon Buzz was a walk on so we each had our own car. I only managed 226,200. By the time we got out, the fireworks had started and I believe the park was closed. We decided that it was the perfect moment to leave, as we’d beat the crowds and have a seat on the bus. It was the worst way to leave a park for me. I always love to take one final look back at the castle and this time it was with a “shooting star” firework going across and Wishes music playing. It finally dawned on me that this was our last day and our vacation was coming to an end.

I left the park teary-eyed wishing to return real soon. The bus ride back to the resort was depressing as well for me. We returned to the resort and decided to wind down by taking one last walk around the Boardwalk before heading back to the room. We hung around and called it a night. Tomorrow morning we had an early flight and it was my first day of college.