A week at WBC and a Week at Orange Lake

[BigredNole]

Our trip is not complete, but the WBC leg has been done.

Party: DW, DD, and myself
Where: Wyndham Bonnet Creek 1BR Dlx for Week 1; Orange Lake Resort West Village 2BR for Week 2
What: Disney in the mornings, resort in the afternoons, and whatever in the evenings
When: June 17 - June 30

Day 0 and Day 1:
We started our drive down on June 16th. Made it into Jacksonville for the night. I was skeptical because it was more of a motel, but only deal I could get cheap enough. All nicer hotels between Daytona and Jacksonville wanted more than $100 per night. Days Inn worked out perfectly for us near the airport. We got in, dropped off our stuff, and headed out to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Completely forgot about Happy Hour. Server told us we just made it, so I ordered 2 beers . Dinner was great, spent about 90 minutes there just relaxing from the drive. Went back to the room, crashed. Woke up a little earlier than planned and made it to WBC by 8:30AM.

Our room was not ready and we asked what we could do if we wanted to go grocery shopping. They have refrigeration and freezer facilities, told us by all means to go shopping, and we did. Off to Wally World at about 9AM. We gather all of our stuff (and over spent like crazy). Dropped it off with Bell Services and still no room yet. We head to Disney Springs because we need activate our APs anyway. Boy has this place changed. It is slam packed with a giant shopping mecca. For those that like it, great. For people like me, it is a complete waste. Regardless, it is what it is. It is nice, but not my thing. We get our APs activated, walk to the pin station to see the new Hidden Mickey sets, look at the pins, and then explore the Disney stores only. We start to head back towards our parking garage area, stop at Blaze for lunch, and our room is ready at 12:15. Blaze was excellent. With AP discount, it is extremely reasonable. We had 3 pizzas and it was $25.

Off to WBC for the 3rd time. We get our requested Tower 5, but parking lot view. We were in room 992. It was over the tree line so we could see parts of Disney Springs. We do not use the balcony for sight seeing anyway. The room location and Tower are perfect. We have everything so close, except Tower 3 where many activities are happening throughout the week. We could not have been more pleased with what we had available to our room location.

4PM rolls around and off to DHS. I was expecting insane crowds and it is not even close to my fears. We head to use our Star Tours FP. No line. We walk on Standby 2x and then use our FP for 3 rides. Now our RnRC FPs are good. We walk over, get right on. Convince DD to try Single Rider line. She had always been afraid and she is only 11. We assure her it is easy. We go right on, she sees what it is, and we are full go. Now it starts raining and huge thunderstorm. ToT is our next FP. They did not close it, so we went and went and went and went. Because of the rain, people were not riding. They ride kept going so we looped on it 4x.

It's about 8PM, time to start eyeing where to watch Star Wars Galactic Spectacular. Come up to the best CM we have run into...all CMs have been very friendly, but this is the only one that has stood out. At the moment, I cannot recall his name, but I have it written down. He is the crowd control CM. He tells me where the best place to be is at. Front row on the corner of where the walkways are when the show starts. Unobstructed view, no one to push their way into it, and since I am pretty big it is easy to see where the edge is. For the hour, he kept everyone entertained. He had jokes, Disney facts, a bunch of trivia questions. It made the hour wait go by so much faster. Definitely a CM that loves his job. The show was excellent. I want to see it again, but may not be able to squeeze it in. Rain kept us from the Castle show and RoL dinner package shows. We still have to get to those.

After a quick exit, we were back at WBC before 10PM and crashed before 10:30.

Next up Day 2!!!

 

[BigredNole]

Day 2
Today was a MK day. We got there early thinking the old way was the best way. This is definitely not the case any more. We enjoyed the stage show, but once you have seen it once, you don't need to waste your time to see it again. Line up at the front of the herds to get to your big rope drop rides. DD got to go on Space Mtn for the first time. She loved it. I can only handle it once. It is just too jerky for my back and neck. I need rollercoasters that are more smooth like EE and RnRC. I expected crowds to be so much worse because it is that time of season. For our touring plans, they are completely manageable. We hit all of the big rides and use our FPs until about 1PM and then back to the resort for rest, pool, and activities.

We had every intent to go back to MK that night. About 4:15 I head to the grills at WBC to make dinner. After cleaning the grills, getting it heated to the right temp, and cooking BBQ chicken, I get to the room to find DD and DW asleep. It's about 5:30 now, so I leave them to go to the Tower 3 pool. They had activities and other things going on. While I sat there, DW calls asking where I was. DW and DD eventually meet up with me there and we enjoyed the pool side games until about 9PM. We then head back to the room, relax watching TV and then off to bed.

It was a great day. Wish I had gotten back to MK for the fireworks show. Alas, that did not happen this day. We will see if I can work it in later in the trip.

 

[BigredNole]

Day 3 - Epcot
With our touring plans over 13 full days, we split Epcot in half: Right-side, Left-side. This first run was for the Right-side (mostly). We had 9:45 FP for Soarin so we were doing rope drop for TT. We get off TT at about 9:10, make it over to Soaring at 9:15, ride standby which was only about 15 minutes from entrance to exit. Then we used our FP to go a second time. Then it was off to Figment, Nemo, and the Pixar shorts. I think the Pixar shorts were funny, but I had seen them all in the Disney DVD releases.

We finish the front of the park with lunch at the Electric Umbrella before it was too busy. We make it to Canada, finally doing the 360 show that we had never seen. It was a good show and glad we did it. As we get out, a huge line of thunderstorms were on the radar. We make it into the Rose and Crown bar, have a beer and it looks like it is skating away. We meander around England, looking at the stores, pin trading, and start our walk to France. We make it to the little shop near International Gateway as the line hits. Looking at the radar, it was not going to end any time soon. We decided to poncho it and get to France. We start our Perry mission only to find that the elusive penny is not going to happen. Rain gets worse and I try mission after mission after mission to get that penny to no avail. Off to Morocco and Japan for the rest of the rain soaked afternoon. The rain finally stops and we make our way through the front again. Then the rain lets loose again. We take our rain-soaked selves through to our car and back to WBC.

Back at the resort, we enjoyed the pool in the rain, did what activities we could, watched a magic show, and made pizza in the room. Too much rain to head back to Epcot for fireworks. We played some pool at the community center, checkers, video games. Then it was off to bed time.

So far, rain has not been a major issue this trip. The only thing that it impacted was the drummers in Japan. Since we have another day planned, hopefully they will be out then. Another fun day with no issues.

 

[BigredNole]

Day 4 - DHS again
We needed a short day since we had reservations for a dinner show. Off to DHS for a busy morning. We did all of the common attractions. RnRC, RnRC again Single Rider, ToT 3x, and then Star Tours and TSMM. I can't remember her name, I think it is Daisy Day. My daughter saw her sitting on a bench, sat next to her, and her partner was in the vehicle coming up to her. She would not speak to him and they both had to go through my daughter to tell the other what the other had said. It went on for about 5 minutes and was hilarious. I am glad I had my camera to video this whole interaction. DHS (and other parks too) have the best street performers. They are the best attractions at the parks in my opinion.

We did all of our must-dos by noon and it was off to WBC. Because my DD's cellphone has all my Google accounts on it, one surprise was spoiled. We kept this dinner show well hidden. Around 4PM, we make our drive to Fort Wilderness for Mickey's Backyard BBQ. I had high hopes for this show and wound up underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, the show was fun. However, it should only be half the price. We will not be attending this show again. There are far better options for $160 for 3. The food tasted good, but average at best. Almost any offsite buffet would be better and dare I say Golden Corral is actually better.

As the night came to an end, we explored a little around the Trading Post area, the horses, and made our way back to WBC. We get back for the Polynesian Luau show there. Obviously, it is not the caliber of the Polynesian Luau. For a free show at a resort, this was actually a very good show on a small stage. The two beautiful ladies doing their dances, interacting and having volunteers come up to learn, and the fire guy were all great. We hop in the pool for a bit after and then off to bed.

All in all, another great day. Not too much running around and enough down time to keep sane.

 

[ChiefM]

It sounds like you are having a great time and the rain is not affecting your fun!!

 

[MickeyReeds]

Our trip is not complete, but the WBC leg has been done.

Party: DW, DD, and myself
Where: Wyndham Bonnet Creek 1BR Dlx for Week 1; Orange Lake Resort West Village 2BR for Week 2
What: Disney in the mornings, resort in the afternoons, and whatever in the evenings
When: June 17 - June 30

Day 0 and Day 1:
We started our drive down on June 16th. Made it into Jacksonville for the night. I was skeptical because it was more of a motel, but only deal I could get cheap enough. All nicer hotels between Daytona and Jacksonville wanted more than $100 per night. Days Inn worked out perfectly for us near the airport. We got in, dropped off our stuff, and headed out to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Completely forgot about Happy Hour. Server told us we just made it, so I ordered 2 beers . Dinner was great, spent about 90 minutes there just relaxing from the drive. Went back to the room, crashed. Woke up a little earlier than planned and made it to WBC by 8:30AM.

Our room was not ready and we asked what we could do if we wanted to go grocery shopping. They have refrigeration and freezer facilities, told us by all means to go shopping, and we did. Off to Wally World at about 9AM. We gather all of our stuff (and over spent like crazy). Dropped it off with Bell Services and still no room yet. We head to Disney Springs because we need activate our APs anyway. Boy has this place changed. It is slam packed with a giant shopping mecca. For those that like it, great. For people like me, it is a complete waste. Regardless, it is what it is. It is nice, but not my thing. We get our APs activated, walk to the pin station to see the new Hidden Mickey sets, look at the pins, and then explore the Disney stores only. We start to head back towards our parking garage area, stop at Blaze for lunch, and our room is ready at 12:15. Blaze was excellent. With AP discount, it is extremely reasonable. We had 3 pizzas and it was $25.

Off to WBC for the 3rd time. We get our requested Tower 5, but parking lot view. We were in room 992. It was over the tree line so we could see parts of Disney Springs. We do not use the balcony for sight seeing anyway. The room location and Tower are perfect. We have everything so close, except Tower 3 where many activities are happening throughout the week. We could not have been more pleased with what we had available to our room location.

4PM rolls around and off to DHS. I was expecting insane crowds and it is not even close to my fears. We head to use our Star Tours FP. No line. We walk on Standby 2x and then use our FP for 3 rides. Now our RnRC FPs are good. We walk over, get right on. Convince DD to try Single Rider line. She had always been afraid and she is only 11. We assure her it is easy. We go right on, she sees what it is, and we are full go. Now it starts raining and huge thunderstorm. ToT is our next FP. They did not close it, so we went and went and went and went. Because of the rain, people were not riding. They ride kept going so we looped on it 4x.

It's about 8PM, time to start eyeing where to watch Star Wars Galactic Spectacular. Come up to the best CM we have run into...all CMs have been very friendly, but this is the only one that has stood out. At the moment, I cannot recall his name, but I have it written down. He is the crowd control CM. He tells me where the best place to be is at. Front row on the corner of where the walkways are when the show starts. Unobstructed view, no one to push their way into it, and since I am pretty big it is easy to see where the edge is. For the hour, he kept everyone entertained. He had jokes, Disney facts, a bunch of trivia questions. It made the hour wait go by so much faster. Definitely a CM that loves his job. The show was excellent. I want to see it again, but may not be able to squeeze it in. Rain kept us from the Castle show and RoL dinner package shows. We still have to get to those.

After a quick exit, we were back at WBC before 10PM and crashed before 10:30.

Next up Day 2!!!

I bet you were entertained by "Jeff" at HS before the Star Wars show. We just loved listening to him before the show over spring break! He made the time go by so fast and my kids still talk about him. He was a retired teacher/principal I believe. I wrote to guest services to tell them just how awesome he was! Sounds like a great day!

 

[BigredNole]

I bet you were entertained by "Jeff" at HS before the Star Wars show. We just loved listening to him before the show over spring break! He made the time go by so fast and my kids still talk about him. He was a retired teacher/principal I believe. I wrote to guest services to tell them just how awesome he was! Sounds like a great day!

That's him, Jeff. I couldn't remember his name. He was great. Yes, teacher/***'t Principal I think. All CMs have been great, but he is the only one so far that has stood out above the rest.

 

[BigredNole]

Day 5 - AK
Yes, today was Pandora day. We left WBC at 6:30AM for an 8AM opening. We were about the 5th car in the lot and front row at the Security Check. They started checking bags at 7AM. We sent DD through the No Bag line, she got first at the AP turnstile. DW got through quickly and got up with her and then I got through about 5 minutes later. About 7:15AM, they let you in and all the way to the bridge. At about 7:30, they moved you forward to the fork. At about 7:40, they took us back to FoP. We were one of the first groups in. I have to admit that I was highly skeptical of this ride being a Star Tours and Soarin mashup. Well, that is still the case, but it is on crack. It is 100x better. Would I wait an hour for it? No. When we got through just before 8AM, the Standby line was 265 minutes. That is the longest it has been on our trip. We walk on Na'vi River, get done, and our FP for FoP is about 10 more minutes away. We go to Wind Traders and I make the HUGE mistake of not buying a Banshee. Fast forward to yesterday, there are no more Banshees hatched. So, if you want a $50 Banshee and they are hatched, get it while you can!!!

After exploring Pandora, we went off to the rest of the park. EE, Dinosaur, KS, KRR, and other things all done. We left at about 2PM, head back to WBC after Tusker House RoL dinner package lunch. We had EVERY intention of going back. At about 7PM the biggest storm we have seen rolls in. Lightning everywhere, resort activities canceled, pouring down rain. We could not get back to AK, so we lost our dinner package tickets. No Pandora at night, no Tree of Life Awakening, and no RoL show....boo!!!

It was still a great day. The thunderstorm was unfortunate.

 

[BigredNole]

Day 6 - Typhoon Lagoon
Today was suppose to be a surprise. However, DD has my account on her phone so my calendar is hers. She saw the surf lessons on the calendar a few days before leaving. No big deal though. Up at 5:30AM, off to TL at 6:15AM (because they say you must be there early for waiver and check-in). Well, the staff were the ones slower than dirt and late. No big deal. In we go at 7AM and back with the instructors a few minutes later. They specifically stated no pictures while walking in because there is maintenance, industrial equipment, and a bunch of other stuff most people never see out. I have to agree that it is the case, but the no pictures was very loose. Just no pictures of this stuff that Disney would prefer not being public.

Continuing on...we get to the surf lesson location. We are greeted by Jen, Chip, and Thomas. I cannot give these 3 any greater props for what they did. They were engaging, very alert to what would make the best time for each person, and fairly quick to get them into the water. There was one minor issue with the waves being too small. Unfortunately, it would take 20-30 minutes to reset the system for bigger waves. There were 2 waves in each set. One about 4 feet and the other about 2 feet. The 2 foot wave was for beginners but it was too small to get those that have never surfed going fast enough to get up on the board. The 4 foot was too big for beginners to get use to the speed and board. Fortunately for DD, she picked up on it after her first set of waves (each set you get 2 turns: one on the near side, paddle up middle to other, and takes second wave). For some others, they were never able to really get up. Most of that is from lack of coordination and personal ability. From there, she was on the 4' wave. She did much better. She got 4 additional sets to ride (8 total waves). On more than half, she was able to stand up, ride it all the way to the flag, and back out. The others, she fell off early because she tried to get up too fast. Again, I cannot say how much of a blast this was for her. She completely enjoyed it and would do it again in a heartbeat. It was definitely a highlight for the trip.

As the lessons ended, we were told we could put our stuff where ever we wanted. Makes for a perfect way to get good space. We are walked out to a queue area but their band check is not working and want us all to exit then come back in. Most of the group just merged into the group that had already entered and just went on our way. DW does not do waterslides, so she just heads to layout and read. DD and I hit all of the slides and complete them all by 11:30AM. It was a blast, but a bear on the feet. Barefoot on concrete, stairs does a number. Flip flops are impractical. Still, it was a great time. We ended with some fun in the wave pool and a trip on the lazy river. DD was exhausted from the surf lessons and all the playing.

Back at WBC, we just enjoyed the afternoon, relaxed, and enjoyed the resort activities. It was really a do nothing afternoon and night. We had plans to go to Disney Springs but DD was just too tired which is what we did expect.

 

[BigredNole]

Day 7 - DHS and move day to Orange Lake Resort
We were doing a quick morning trip to DHS since it was moving day. We pack up and clean up at WBC, load up the car, clean the room, and get all that done. Yes, we had one more night at WBC but I overlapped the 2 reservations to allow us some leeway. The activities at WBC were not things we were interested in and the activities at OLR appeared interesting.

We get to DHS and plan our rope drop strategy. We hit RnRC, then single-rider RnRC. Off to ToT with a short wait. We ride it 2 more times before lines got big. Off to Star Tours, pin trading, and some pressed pennies. We get what we wanted done and want to get to OLR early to miss the rush and explore.

Off to OLR at about 11AM. We grab some lunch on the way. As expected our room was not ready. No big deal since we planned for that. We check-in without VIP check-in since it was not open. The person we rented from is an Elite owner which passes benefits to their guests. We were first in check-in line anyway so no big deal. Then the Parking Pass line. We get to a guy that I know is just doing his job but the quick no was not acknowledged initially. After the 3rd, he got the picture. We were given our parking pass and we went to the Water's Edge pool area. One pool is what I would call a quiet pool and the other is more of a crazy pool. These are both no frills pools. It is a pool and that is it. There are 2 18-hole putt putt courses here. Lots of fun for families and kids. Activities galore at this location as well. Arcade, water craft rentals, fitness room, ping pong, Swampy's kids center, Breezes restaurant and bar.

We enjoy the resort the entire day. Taking part in activities, seeing everything that is going on, and just relaxing. So much to do that we did not even think about heading to a park that night. About 2 hours later, our room is ready. I leave DW and DD at the pool area to continue having fun. I unload the car and get it into the room. We are in the Tennis Village section. The rooms were all recently renovated in 2017. They are absolutely gorgeous. We are in a 2BR unit in the 5700 building. We overlook the big lake, a short par 3 hole is right outside our screened balcony. Nothing but positive about the room and resort so far. This theme plays out for most of the trip. The only negative on the room is that the master bath does not have a jacuzzi tub. I can understand that the maintenance, upkeep, and the who knows what can go wrong is simply not worth it.

All of the staff at OLR are incredible. Always willing to assist and answer questions. They go out of their way to make sure you are happy (almost to annoying at times). The Fun Team staff are completely engaging with the kids. Encouraging them to participate and have fun. Sunset Celebration is huge for the kids. My DD always wants to see what we can do with the schedule to do it. She has met other kids each night to play with. It is just so much fun for her.

 

[BigredNole]

wDay 8 - Unknown Plans and monkey wrenches
My college roommates were coming in for the day to enjoy seeing each others families. So, we planned no parks or activities. Well, they had 2 of 3 cars go down that morning, didn't get out until 5 hours later, then got into traffic delays. They didn't get to us until about 8PM and they had to get out by 10PM. It was a bummer because we could have done a lot more than sit around waiting.

With that being said, it was still a great day. There were a ton of activities going on at OLR. We participated in most of them, met other vacationers, and talked for a long while to a retired Naval Vet, graduated the Naval Academy, and tremendous stories shared. He was one of the first buyers at OLR and is on the Board of Directors for the resort. He asked what we liked, what we were enjoying, and just looking for honest feedback. I think we talked for about 2 hours that morning. We took a trip to River Island, but after an hour it was not as fun as we had thought it would be. We stayed back at West Village the rest of the trip.

As the day went on, enjoying drinks, we decide to eat at Breezes. It can be dangerous because all of the food looks and smells so good. People around you order and make you hungrier. DW eats some delicious spicy chicken wings while my DD ordered some big giant hamburger. The people sitting next to us at the bar ordered the Jamaican Jerk Wings and I had to have them as well. There were unreal at how delicious they were. All the meals were great. They ran about $10 with the 10% owner discount we received. I am talking delicious and better than some nice restaurants around where I would have dropped $60 for dinner.

Roommates finally show up, we have some drinks, talk, and get back together for the 2 hours they were there. Great day with tons of stuff to do. Not much else to say about it, but it was a relaxing day.

 

[BigredNole]

Day 9 - MK
First time heading to MK from OLR. We knew it would take a while with the drive and parking. Turns out from door to entrance it is 45-50 minutes the whole time at OLR. It takes about 30 minutes from the TTC to the entrance of MK. That is from leaving the car, walking the lot, getting to the ferry/monorail, waiting, and then getting off. At the end of the day, it is about an extra 15 minutes, but there is no real rush with the gates open so early.

We do all our must do's this day that we didn't do the Sunday before. Crowds are obviously higher now but not crazy. We hit up all the big rides, rope drop helps, and get what we want in. The heat can be brutal and we stick to our plans. We leave about 1PM and enjoy the resort activities. The evening is relaxing because the next morning is AK with a 7AM opening. We engage in the resort activities. DW and I win a cornhole tournament which gives us a resort cup filled with an adult beverage of choice. DD does the Sunset Celebration activities. We are off to bed at about 9PM. Kinda crazy for a vacation night, but 5AM comes early for an 11yo.

 

[BigredNole]

Day 10 - AK Pandora early morning and a grandma almost gets laid out
Up early. DD and I leave at 5:45AM for EMH Pandora. We are first in line at Security check, first through the entrance, and at the front walking behind the CMs. Now, we are walking directly behind them, almost stepping on their feet as we are walked. A very rude family starts pushing DD who is next to me and starts trying to push me. I move DD in front of me, position myself so no one can push her and this grandma starts trying to have her family push me out of the way. I say it very loudly that the next person that pushes me is getting pushed back. I am 6', have a heavy backpack on, and about 240. Grandma pushes me one too many times and got a good whack from the pack. She didn't learn. She is pushing directly behind me. There are the shorter walls around and I know she can't see them around me. I walk straight at them and turn away at the last second. She sees a little hole as I step aside a little and she tries to push her way through and then sees the wall she is fast approaching. She immediately tries to push me out of the way to avoid it and SMACK!!! right into it she goes. It was a good hit to the wall. Then she starts trying to run where the ropes and poles are to try to push me yet again. I told her not to try it. She goes for it and she bounces off me and straight into one of those rope poles almost going down face first and I start to laugh. CMs are giggling too. Her son comes up to me and I looked right in his face and asked him if heard me say not to push me again. Of course he backs down, goes back to his mom, and by the time they finally get together, about 500 people pass them. As we are about in the indoor queue section, we see them waiting down at the bottom where the Standby/FP sign is a good 750-1000 feet. I give a nice wave because they are looking right at us. We were about 10 from the front.

Now, this all may sound cruel or mean. You have to be there to experience it. After about the 10th push, that was enough. Standing right behind me would have had you on the first ride of the day in the first group. Just go gently and cordially and all would have been fine. But hey, you wanted to be first. Everyone else that was around us were getting pushed by this same family too and the one dad even thanked me because they did knock down his daughter.

We head out of Pandora and hit up multiple rides on all other attractions. We finish they day off on KS which was a blast. It is about lunch time and we head offsite to eat somewhere on our way back to OLR. DD sees a Cici's pizza. Reluctantly I agree to go. It actually was not bad. The pasta and sauce were good. They made custom pizza for us. It was also the price of 1 garbage pizza from Pizzafari.

The day at OLR is a blast. as usual. Tons of activities going on, lots for kids to do, and DD meets up with a girl she met the other day to play with. Just a relaxing afternoon and evening with adult beverages, entertainment, and meeting others at the resort.

 

[MickeyReeds]

I can't believe how rude and selfish some people can be.

 

[BigredNole]

That is about it. Day 11-13 were about the same. Just park running and back to the resort. Nothing really exciting that has not been said.

All in all it was a great trip. Even with the 3 events, it did not impact our trip in the slightest. We just learned where to go, who to avoid, and enjoy the trip. If we had it all to do over again, I would definitely change how we did it. Never being for that many days, we just figured our typical plans would be the best. After talking with another family and thinking about it, their strategy would have been much better. They were there for 14 days also. They planned opening-to-close at the parks one day, then the next day completely off at the resort and early to bed. Not a bad idea to go all out and a complete day of rest.

I love staying offsite for the room size, price difference, and amenities these resorts offer. However, I doubt we will ever stay at Orange Lake Resort again. Nothing against the resort itself. It is just more geared to the stay-at-resort crowds. The distance away makes it a bit of a pain too. It is not that much farther than WBC, but far enough to make staying at WBC an easier decision.