OurBigTrip
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 27, 2013
Wheels hit the ground at MCO at exactly 9:00 AM, and after a short stop in the terminal to hand out Magic Bands, we were off to DME!
So easy with the MBs...I scanned mine, verified with the attendant that I was not riding the bus, sent the family off, and headed to Thrifty to pick up the mini van for the week.
My rental tip: Book far in advance, then keep looking for deals. I first reserved a mini van in December for 11 days ($800), then kept looking as time went on. Ended up re-booking in March for $613, and it never went lower. When I checked right before we left home, the same rental was nearly $2000.
When I arrived at Kidani Village, I was greeted by name at the door - "Welcome home Mrs. X". Nice touch!
I had done on-line check-in, so I went to that line, verified my cell phone number for text notification when the room was ready, verified that our room would be a dedicated 2BR, then sat back and waited for the DME bus to arrive with the rest of the family.
They arrived about 20 minutes later, we dropped our carry-on luggage with bell services, and we were off to the Magic Kingdom!
We used FP+ to start off with Buzz Lightyear, which is where we encountered the first of only two "unmagical" CMs of the entire trip. After we exited the ride vehicle, the CM at the exit area was yelling "Come on people, get a move on, if you want to talk, do it outside." Now, I realize the need to move people along, but John from Jacksonville, FL could use a little re-training in the "how to interact with guests" arena. He could have made the same point with kinder phrasing and a more guest-friendly attitude.
Favorite part of this experience: Not having to stop and find our pictures - the MBs and Memory Maker worked like magic!
Next, we used our second FP+ for Tomorrowland Speedway, then a leisurely bite to eat at Cosmic Ray's.
We used our final FP+ at Space Mountain - so happy to be back on the ride, since it was closed during our last trip.
then used our second FP+ for Tomorrowland Speedway. Grabbed some lunch as Comic Rays, then headed to our last FP+ for Space Mountain. Everyone was happy to ride, as it was closed on our last trip.
By this time, we were ready to head back to Kidani Village, as we had a friend arriving on a later flight. Upon our arrival, I inquired again about our room, as it was after 3:00 PM, and I was told that it had been ready since noon. We never received the text...not a big deal, as we were still riding at MK, but for someone that might have been anxious for their room, it would have been annoying.
Our room was perfect, and all of my requests were met - dedicated 2BR, close to the lobby (3rd floor, room 7704), and a view of the Sunset Savanah. Our bags were in the room via DME, and we called down to bell services to have our carry-on luggage and grocery delivery brought up. We ordered from We Go Shop, and I couldn't be happier - the shopper called me as I was driving from the airport to verify some substitutions, I was able to choose the store (Publix), and the fresh fruit was wonderful.
As with every trip, we had an early dinner at Chef Mickey's for arrival night, then back to the resort for an evening by the pool and in the hot tub.
So easy with the MBs...I scanned mine, verified with the attendant that I was not riding the bus, sent the family off, and headed to Thrifty to pick up the mini van for the week.
My rental tip: Book far in advance, then keep looking for deals. I first reserved a mini van in December for 11 days ($800), then kept looking as time went on. Ended up re-booking in March for $613, and it never went lower. When I checked right before we left home, the same rental was nearly $2000.
When I arrived at Kidani Village, I was greeted by name at the door - "Welcome home Mrs. X". Nice touch!
I had done on-line check-in, so I went to that line, verified my cell phone number for text notification when the room was ready, verified that our room would be a dedicated 2BR, then sat back and waited for the DME bus to arrive with the rest of the family.
They arrived about 20 minutes later, we dropped our carry-on luggage with bell services, and we were off to the Magic Kingdom!
We used FP+ to start off with Buzz Lightyear, which is where we encountered the first of only two "unmagical" CMs of the entire trip. After we exited the ride vehicle, the CM at the exit area was yelling "Come on people, get a move on, if you want to talk, do it outside." Now, I realize the need to move people along, but John from Jacksonville, FL could use a little re-training in the "how to interact with guests" arena. He could have made the same point with kinder phrasing and a more guest-friendly attitude.
Favorite part of this experience: Not having to stop and find our pictures - the MBs and Memory Maker worked like magic!
Next, we used our second FP+ for Tomorrowland Speedway, then a leisurely bite to eat at Cosmic Ray's.
We used our final FP+ at Space Mountain - so happy to be back on the ride, since it was closed during our last trip.
then used our second FP+ for Tomorrowland Speedway. Grabbed some lunch as Comic Rays, then headed to our last FP+ for Space Mountain. Everyone was happy to ride, as it was closed on our last trip.
By this time, we were ready to head back to Kidani Village, as we had a friend arriving on a later flight. Upon our arrival, I inquired again about our room, as it was after 3:00 PM, and I was told that it had been ready since noon. We never received the text...not a big deal, as we were still riding at MK, but for someone that might have been anxious for their room, it would have been annoying.
Our room was perfect, and all of my requests were met - dedicated 2BR, close to the lobby (3rd floor, room 7704), and a view of the Sunset Savanah. Our bags were in the room via DME, and we called down to bell services to have our carry-on luggage and grocery delivery brought up. We ordered from We Go Shop, and I couldn't be happier - the shopper called me as I was driving from the airport to verify some substitutions, I was able to choose the store (Publix), and the fresh fruit was wonderful.
As with every trip, we had an early dinner at Chef Mickey's for arrival night, then back to the resort for an evening by the pool and in the hot tub.
