disneydaydreamer33
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2015
Following along! Great pictures so far
Welcome back! Hope you enjoy!Following along. Looking forward to reading more. Read your March TR. Glad you are writing another .
Thank you! I should have another post tonightFollowing along! Great pictures so far
This just made me miss Disney even MORE, we were scheduled to be there August 8th but somethings just didn't work out. Can't wait to hear about your trip!July 18, 2020: DAY 1 - ARRIVAL
We had a pretty early wake up call for this trip--I think I woke up around 6:30a. It's so easy to wake up for a vacation...if only it was that easy day to day! We ended up leaving our house around 8:30a to go drop off our dogs at the pet sitter.
With the pups on vacation, it was officially time for our vacation to start! Disney World is about 1.5 hours from our house near St. Petersburg, so we were just a short drive away.
Heading over the Howard Frankland:
Almost every time we go to WDW, we stop at the rest stop on I-4 in Polk County. We could have easily made it without stopping, but it's been such a tradition that we would feel sad skipping it...even though it's just a typical rest stop. They did renovate the bathrooms though!
What's great about the rest stop is that once you stop, you're less than half an hour from Disney! Soon enough, we were crossing under that magical gate. For a brief moment, all felt right with the world.
By this point it was a little after 10:30a. We initially planned to drop off our bags at the hotel, go to Riviera for lunch, and go swimming before our room was ready. However, literally at the moment we turned the corner into Boardwalk, I got notified our room was ready!
I was pretty happy our room was ready--on the online check in, we put our arrival at 10a. We did the same in March and our room was ready around 1p, so I was pleased it was ready close to the notated time. It made it a lot easier, we could unpack and head to lunch rather than worrying about bell services.
Really wanted to get a good arrival pic but a Magical Express bus was blocking the view:
When we pulled into the hotel, one of the bell services guys came out to bring a luggage cart. It was actually locked and we had a lot of difficulty trying to move the cart before we realized it was locked. I was hoping they'd help us to our room, because we had a lot of bags and maneuvering the cart down the narrow halls was tricky. In all honesty, I didn't find the bell services staff to be particularly friendly at any point of our stay. It was a clear contrast from the front desk staff who were SO friendly, outgoing, and professional!
The walk down the long hallway was quite difficult...we had to battle other guests, housekeepers, and the lazy wheel on the cart!
Now, for our room! We were in room 4107, which is a standard view studio. We requested a view of the Village Green and a high floor, and we got the high floor fulfilled. Some people told me on these boards that people paying with cash usually get a pool or garden view even if they're booked in a standard view, but oh well.
The view could have been better, but I'm happy a tree was blocking the view of the entryway. You could also see the Skyliner through the trees!
All in all, we really liked our room. Some may balk at the thought of five people in a studio, but we found it to be pretty comfortable. We also were decently comfortable in our Port Orleans room, so YMMV! I actually liked that there was a sofa bed, because it felt like there was more usable space during the day. The bedroom area as a whole could have been a little larger, because the entryway, bathroom and kitchenette area felt very spacious. The balcony was also a decent size, and let a lot of light into the room. We found Port Orleans to be a little dark, so I really loved the bright, whimsical look of the room. A little sad they removed the bed runner and decorative pillows because of the extra cleaning...Tom Bricker is probably fuming!
Some little touches I loved in the room:
One of the best feelings in the world is entering your Disney resort room and hearing the sounds of this channel:
Up next: lunch at Primo Piatto, and a rainy afternoon!
Luckily, we weren't tooooo far down the hallway. It was nothing compared to parking at the wrong side of Kidani when we were going to Sanaa for dinner--those hallways are SO long!Loving your report so far and looking forward to more. The Boardwalk area is so pretty. But those long hallways can be a killer at the end of a busy day. And those "nanny" chairs in the lobby are the stuff nightmares are made of. Great that the skyliner makes resort hopping so convenient. I've heard great things about the QS at Riviera. I've not been able to try it yet but it's definitely on my wish list.That sandwich looks fantastic (I desperately miss the croque monsieur they used to serve at lunch in Chefs de France) and french fries are essentially my love language, haha.
Hope you're back in WDW soon and that I can bring some of the magic to you!This just made me miss Disney even MORE, we were scheduled to be there August 8th but somethings just didn't work out. Can't wait to hear about your trip!
Awesome! I'll have to try the MCC oils. And I agree, I would like to stay at Riviera eventually, but resorts like WL, GF and Poly are higher on my list.I agree with your thoughts on the Riviera. It is a beautiful hotel and the smell is AMAZING. We recently ordered some candles from Magic Candle company and their scents are spot-on. While it is a beautiful hotel to visit, we kind of feel like we are not "really" at Disney. I admit I sort of like more DISNEY in your face, we get that from POP and AoA but I would never turn down and opportunity to stay there, however, I would pick other resorts easily over that ex: AK, CBR, etc.
Right??? Another one of my favorites is the WDW Today/music channel when getting ready in the morning <3Watching Stacey and quiet moments on the balcony are some of my favorite moments of a Disney vacation!
Thanks for joining! I'm personally not bothered by clowns, but my mom is! Oddly, I feel like the clown isn't as big or imposing as it looks in pictures--it's pretty easy to avoid. The pool slide is super fun, but I gotta say, I think I would have preferred a more "natural" pool theme (Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian look nice!)Thanks for sharing your trip report! I can't wait to read more about your adventures. I have thought about staying at Boardwalk, but the clown at that pool is scary! What is it about clowns????