lvcourtneyy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2012
Joining in! You guys really hit the ground running your first day!
Yeah, we wanted to make the most of having a bonus 12 hours in Disney. We also didn't know how soon we'd be too tired to do anything else, so we wanted to get off to a good start...Joining in! You guys really hit the ground running your first day!
Yes hello! As we saw groups of cheerleader we wondered if we'd run into you. It seemed crowded to us, but we too had a great time. I'm not sure we had much overlap, as we were in Epcot on 2/7, HS and Disney Springs on 2/8, MK on 2/9 (but we left mid-day), AK on 2/10, then MK and AK on 2/11. It's just such a big place and there's always so much going on. We're sorry we missed you, but are glad to hear you had a great trip too.Joining in. I was the one from your other TR that commented about being down there with our middle school cheerleaders. It for sure was more busy than the previous two years, but we had a blast. Maybe I will see us in the background of some of your pictures - ha. We were at AK 2/7, MK the afternoon of 2/9, MK morning of 2/10, then mid day at HS, then night at Epcot and then HS on 2/11 before our flight out that night. Wish I would have run into you guys.
That's so neat! We love it when people enjoy reading about our trips. It is crazy how fast the kids grow. We enjoyed getting to stay in the cabin, but really feel the dedicated 2 bedroom is a sweet spot for us. The 2019 room was probably our favorite so far, but that might have changed if we had gotten the alternate layout this time. Oh well, it is all good.I am a new follower and just read your ENTIRE Sept 2018 TR (picked that one to read about the cabins) and now I am here! It feels weird to see your kids "grow" in the that short of time, haha!
I am loving your writing style and feeling like I am right there with you guys! Plan to read your other TR, as well!
Congratulations on your upcoming trip. If you can get any sleep on the plane it should be fine. Even if not, at least you'll be at Disney longer.We're taking a red-eye from LAX to MCO in November. It's an adult only trip - I'm not sure if I'd be brave enough to attempt it with the kids. Getting the extra day to do stuff in WDW is so tempting though! I'm hoping that we can get our room early to nap. I've done red-eyes to Disney before and the first time we were able to get our room at 6:00am and the second time was more like 3:00.
I agree that not having to take the elevator is a huge benefit to that room location!
That really was fast. We were on a boat in Disney Springs that broke. The engine wouldn't start and we drifted into the shore by SSR. It took 45 minutes to get rescued. They ended up sending a speedy boat with a friendly captain who was from our area back home. He got us back to POR quickly.As we arrived at the dock a few minutes later, there was already a Disney Transportation maintenance boat waiting at the dock with a mechanic to fix the door. I think I have my new dream Disney job.
I am really surprised that they don't sell both versions of stainless steel mugs. They would probably sell more of them if they had them at all of the resorts.On our way up to the lobby we stopped at Roaring Fork and got our mugs. They had the Stainless Star Wars ones, but not the Skyliner ones.
We usually buy one mug and bring one old mug. We mostly drink water and tea.We packed an old mug for Marsh so he’d have his very own to fill with water.
We love shopping at the Mercantile. It has some nice clothes. I noticed there were new designs now.While all the calm people sat, I went and checked out the Mercantile. It is a neat store, and I was glad to see some new DVC member shirts.
WL is the best place for explorations.The kids were a little rowdy, so I took Marshall on a mission to look at our potential rooms. I knew where the eight possible rooms were, so we went to see which were obviously occupied.
Our MBs wouldn't open the resort room door when we were at the BC in October. The phone didn't unlock the door either, we tried. It took them 1/2 hour to reprogram our bands. I checked the phone app several times during our trip and it never worked for that room.I told her that we had just come from the front desk and that our magic bands weren't working to open the door. I didn't even think at the time about using my phone to unlock the door but we really needed the magic bands to work anyway.
We were only able to have the MBs that we were wearing programmed. The other bands were with the luggage, so we were stuck wearing the same bands the entire trip.She hung out while a cast member at the front desk reprogrammed all of our magic bands, which apparently all have to be done at the same time and Paul was still "at work" so his didn't get programmed with ours.
That was really sweet of her to do that.While all of that reprogramming was going on Ashley, the housekeeping manager, left for a moment and came back with a plush Mickey and a plush Minnie for each of the kids. It was really a nice surprise for the kids.
That was too bad that you got first floor and a handicap accessible room. With the strange configuration of the resort, the first floor isn't that easy to get to. The lobby is on the second floor so you either had to take the elevator by the middle of the wing or walk outside to the first floor entrance.Yeah, I knew we had a 7 out of 8 chance of getting an alternate studio lockoff, but we did have that 1 in 8 chance of getting the room we got. I had hoped that our high floor room request would prevent it, but requests can’t always be met.
Honestly we were pretty bummed that our gamble didn't play out the way we wanted.
We made the decision to move on and not try to switch rooms for the second portion of our stay. We also agreed not to book the tub lockoff again.
I didn't mind the ground floor as much as everyone else did and the proximity to everything was a really nice upside.
It was a great location for being centrally located. We could walk right out the stairway door at the end of the hallway and head to the buses without ever riding an elevator.
We were given a handicap accessible room once when our flight was cancelled and we had to add two days to our trip. The way that the door stayed open when you went through it was a little annoying for us because we had to wait for it to close. But the button system for your door looks like it was a great feature.Another cool feature of the room was the power opening hallway door. There was a red button that opened it automatically from the inside, and a card reader on the wall that made it pop open from the outside. Then it would close on its own after about 30 seconds.
We had lunch there last month. My husband loves the meat loaf sandwich and I like the chicken salad sandwich.We decided on dinner at WPE because it's been several trips since we've been.
WPE used to be one of our very favorite spots, so it was good to go back. I got my favorite, the meatloaf sandwich.
That was nice that you didn't have to very far to find the place that would fix your band. It is a beautiful watch.At Luxury of Time they said they could not work on a watch they didn’t sell, so I went to check at the Disney Jewelry store across the way. There they were able to do it as long as I had the receipt, which I did. They were very nice and took the time to get it perfect.
You guys had a really long day. I bet it didn't take long to fall asleep that night.We were more then spent by the time we got back to our room and it didn't take us long to settle in and get to bed.
Wow, that's an adventure! We always get a strange kick out of being on a ride or something when it breaks, but after 45 minutes it would get old. At least he was quick once he got to you.That really was fast. We were on a boat in Disney Springs that broke. The engine wouldn't start and we drifted into the shore by SSR. It took 45 minutes to get rescued. They ended up sending a speedy boat with a friendly captain who was from our area back home. He got us back to POR quickly.
I think I had read that the Skyliner mug is only at the Skyliner resorts, but it turns out that Beach Club had it, so I guess it was close enough. I do like having the handle to hang the mugs from the stroller, which the stainless ones didn't have.I am really surprised that they don't sell both versions of stainless steel mugs. They would probably sell more of them if they had them at all of the resorts.
We usually buy one mug and bring one old mug. We mostly drink water and tea.
I just love that resort. The Mercantile is really good sized compared to many other resorts, especially Riviera. I also love exploring all the different sitting areas and view spots. It is just so beautifully designed.We love shopping at the Mercantile. It has some nice clothes. I noticed there were new designs now.
WL is the best place for explorations.
The lock off wasn't a big problem, and we knew we'd have that this time, but we do prefer the dedicated room for the much larger bathroom and closet in the second bedroom, and having two real beds instead of the pull out couch. That's just how we use it, and we don't need the separate access door to the hallway so we'd rather have the extra storage in the room.Did having a lock off work for you or would you rather go back to the dedicated 2 br?
Well, I feel better knowing that the problem with Magic Bands isn't limited to WL. I guess that's just a common downside when the technology doesn't work right. I did get two bands re-programmed, so I had a little bit of a choice.Our MBs wouldn't open the resort room door when we were at the BC in October. The phone didn't unlock the door either, we tried. It took them 1/2 hour to reprogram our bands. I checked the phone app several times during our trip and it never worked for that room.
We were only able to have the MBs that we were wearing programmed. The other bands were with the luggage, so we were stuck wearing the same bands the entire trip.
She was one of those amazing Cast Members, and happened to come along at the right time. She really went out of her way to help fix a problem that she had nothing to do with. We'd hear more from her later in the trip, and made sure to write a letter to her manager.That was really sweet of her to do that.
Yeah, we knew that room was a possibility but hoped to avoid it. The location was better than you'd first think though, because with the different exits from the hallway on the ground floor we could quickly get anywhere we needed to go, we just didn't go through the lobby. If we wanted to go to the lobby we could go around by the bus stop path, or take the elevator up one floor and go down that hallway. It kind of felt more like a BRV room though, since that's the way we usually walked to/from the buses.That was too bad that you got first floor and a handicap accessible room. With the strange configuration of the resort, the first floor isn't that easy to get to. The lobby is on the second floor so you either had to take the elevator by the middle of the wing or walk outside to the first floor entrance.
We were given a handicap accessible room once when our flight was cancelled and we had to add two days to our trip. The way that the door stayed open when you went through it was a little annoying for us because we had to wait for it to close. But the button system for your door looks like it was a great feature.
It is a great restaurant, and an old favorite, but wasn't quite as good of a value not being on the dining plan. Later we had other quick serve meals that we enjoyed more for less $.We had lunch there last month. My husband loves the meat loaf sandwich and I like the chicken salad sandwich.
Yeah, I should have thought to throw in a tool to do the band, but they took care of it at Ever After Jewelry, the Disney owned shop over by Luxury of Time.That was nice that you didn't have to very far to find the place that would fix your band. It is a beautiful watch.
No, we were definitely tired, but it got us onto Florida time pretty easily. We are having a harder time getting Marshall back on CA time, as he is still falling asleep early and getting up before 5 AM...You guys had a really long day. I bet it didn't take long to fall asleep that night.
Yes, it had the big tub, you just couldn't get there directly from the Master. You had to leave the master to go out in the hallway then turn to get into the bathroom.Did the master bathroom of the 1 br have a nice soaker tub?
That's neat that you had the room right across the hall. We prefer a location with a better view, but it had some benefits. I don't think you can find a more centrally located room for getting to the boats and the buses.We had studio room 1139 at copper creek last year and we loved it! It felt close to everything especially compared to the Polynesian.
Also, so glad your red eye worked out for your family. I got no sleep on ours and decided that flight probably won’t work for us again
Yeah, by that point we were really ready to sleep, but it was a good call to go get some dinner first, and we do love Disney Springs.You guys are troopers for pushing through to the end of the day- the kids especially! But it definitely sounds like it was the right decision to normalize your sleep for the rest of the trip.
Yeah, we had a good chance, but we lost the gamble. We still would say there isn't a bad room at WL, and I'd rather stay there than most anywhere else. We had a discussion with everyone that night about not letting it ruin the trip, and being open to the advantages of the room location.It stinks that you didn't get the room you were hoping for but it sounds like it still had its advantages.
We have had a lot more problems with the MBs at the BC than at the WL. I think it is because we have stayed at the BC so many times. We had IT delete most of our MBs so that we only have a few bands in an effort to reduce the problems. Since then the two times we have had a glitch is once at the BC in Oct when they moved us to a different room at check in and at the WL when we added the CL access and the CL gate wouldn't open.I feel better knowing that the problem with Magic Bands isn't limited to WL. I guess that's just a common downside when the technology doesn't work right. I did get two bands re-programmed, so I had a little bit of a choice.
Yeah, it was a very good day considering everything, and we are still very impressed at how everyone did on little sleep. The best part is we had lots of wonderful days to come.A long first day but sounds like a good one. Glad you did so well with the red eye! All I can compare it to is a flight we had to Europe. I could not sleep so was not a fan of the overnight flight. Sorry you didn't get the type of room you were hoping for. Good call to decide it wasn't going to put a damper on your trip. We've had a similar experience but usually once you settle in, it starts to feel like home. Hope day #2 was a good day!
Ahh yeah, so things can go wrong with MBs at any resort, and the symptoms and solutions are pretty similar. I did find that the exterior doors at WL wouldn't open for me after hours until the bands were reprogrammed. That would be partivularly frustrating with te CL gate after paying the extra for that access. At least they do tend to do what they can to make it work.We have had a lot more problems with the MBs at the BC than at the WL. I think it is because we have stayed at the BC so many times. We had IT delete most of our MBs so that we only have a few bands in an effort to reduce the problems. Since then the two times we have had a glitch is once at the BC in Oct when they moved us to a different room at check in and at the WL when we added the CL access and the CL gate wouldn't open.
Aww, that’s neat. See, we actually really were there. (Melissa’s not that good at Photoshop). Did it look like the children were behaving?Hello! I am following along!
We were there almost the same time as you guys. And I actually walked past you guys one day! You were going one way and we were going the other, and it was way too busy to stop and try and say hello!
Can't wait to hear all about your trip!
We had thought ahead and packed carefully, bringing extra MDE tags for the carry ons that we didn't need to take with us. We checked two bags at the gate, with the Yellow tags on, and still didn't have to worry about going to bag claim when we got to Orlando.
Naw, we are just getting started. We haven't even unpacked the good camera on the trip yet, there's lots more to come, and we're glad that you're here for it.I'm joining in a little late.
It was a last minute idea for us, since we had the extra tags with us and really didn't want to have to deal with going to baggage claim. It worked out great.This is a great trick to reduce checked luggage fees while still being Disney transfer your bags. I did this on our August carry-on-only trip.
It was neat, because after a little bit of sleep on the plane and some breakfast we were re-energized, so that was our window of opportunity to hit the park. By afternoon we were tired and the lobby chairs were more appealing.Wow, what a long first day. I'm not sure I could head right into the parks like that after a red eye.
Yeah, we knew there was a chance we'd get that room, but didn't have any idea how much being handicapped accessible affected the floorplan. That was our biggest negative about the room, and why we'd avoid it in the future.Bummer about not getting the room you want but at least you were centrally located.
I'm glad that you got to experience an alternate studio. You really can't beat the location and view, and that was why we tried for it. Sounds like it should be a nice trip coming up. The walk in shower will guarantee you a non-ground floor room, which should help with views. We are going to book the walk in shower next time, but they are all good.Look like a very fun and busy first day! We were lucky on our anniversary trip and got the alternate layout studio (6115). They are fabulous rooms! I have CCV booked as part of a split stay with my oldest son this July but was only able to book "walk in shower" with my DVC points. I am glad you ended up liking the ground floor location. It certainly sounds very close to everything.