First Timer's (kind of) Experience at the World.

[Heckah]

Just returned tonight, this will probably come in many different parts because I'm long winded and if you have any questions, just ask and I'll answer them in the next segment. I studied up on the DisBoards, and still made some mistakes so I'll let you know where I went wrong so you won't make the same mistakes.

The trip consisted of me, DW, DD6 and DD3. I consider myself a "first timer" because my last trip was 20 years ago. Also, my parents surprised me by telling me they were coming (thankfully, they gave me like 30 days notice so I could match FPs and dining reservations as best I could.

The day before we left we had my DDs 6th birthday party at my parents house. I should mention at this point that DD6 and DD3 did not know about the trip at the time, but I had been showing them videos of WDW, and ride videos and the Villians Mix and Mingle and telling them that maybe we would go next year. So at the party we had "Elsa" come to the house. She played games with them and sang songs, she was a HUGE hit with all of the kids. She stayed for presents and gave DD6 the magic bands. She knew what the magicbands were for and was shocked when I said "well you'll need them tomorrow"

We arrived at MCO around 1:30 on 10/27 and headed to magical express. It seemed like every other resort got to go twice while we stood at the beginning of the CBR line for what seemed like an eternity. Finally we boarded our bus and made our way to CBR. When we arrived, we walked out of the bus and retrieved our carry on luggage and headed towards the front door and saw a woman holding an IPad that read "Happy Birthday Kendall" and a welcome to our family. She was over the moon when she saw it. The woman took us to check in gave DD6 her birthday button and gave us our first visit buttons. We picked up our stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals and got a van from Bell Services to our room. We stayed in a Pirate Room in Trinidad South at CBR and I was thrilled to have a smoking area just outside our door. We quickly changed and waited for a bus to Epcot. Unfortunately, all of DD3's pull ups were in a checked bag that hadn't arrived at our room yet.

The bus came and we squeezed in and arrived at Epcot. After heading to the baby center to grab some pull-ups ($4.35 for 3, which was actually better than I thought it would be) we went to our first FP was for Turtle Talk with Crush. We arrived and went in to the fast pass lane, my parents got in without a problem, I got the green go ahead, my DW and kids didn't get in with the FP. The CM said the wait was minimal anyways so we went on in. I asked another CM what the problem might have been and she suggested that I have MDE open to show the CM if there were any further issues. After Turtle talk with Crush (which was actually really cute. It's interactive and someone in the back is talking for Crush and working the room, I figured it would just be some canned show, but it was really good).

We then headed for our next, and more useful FP+, Soarin'. Again, I got in OK, my parents got in OK and my wife and kids had an issue. I showed the CM my MDE with the FP listed and he overrode it to get us in. The wait wasn't terribly long in Stand by anyway, maybe 25 minutes posted. What an awesome ride!

Then after that, we had our dining reservation at Teppen Edo. This is when I realized my first rookie mistake. It was 6:30, our ADR was for 6:40. We asked just outside of Soarin' where Teppen Edo was and they pointed out to the Japanese building way off in the distance. It looked like a million miles away. Have you ever walked a million miles with two hungry and tired little girls and two hungry and a tired and hungry wife and a tired and hungry mother. It was the LONGEST walk of my life my friends. Seriously, consult a map when putting FPs and ADRs together. We arrived at Teppen Edo around 7:15 and the CM at the front told us we missed our ADR, but would get us in in 15 minutes. My wife and mom wandered over to watch the end of the Wilson Phillips concert (well, they actually ran. My DW said "wow, that band sounds just like Wilson Phillips" and I said, "well, that's because it is Wilson Phillips...)

We got in around 7:45. We ordered some sushi and it was excellent. The rest of the meal was mediocre. First off, they only had Japanese beers, which I really wasn't in the mood to try after a long day of travel and walking, and the food was just OK. The chef was great, the service was good, the food was just OK, outside of the Sushi. We walked outside around 8:45 and realized we had lucked into a spot for Illuminations. It was a great fireworks show, the kids were thrilled as was I, considering the only fireworks I get to see is when the local independent baseball team lights them off after certain games, and they just kind of blare "Carry on My Wayward Son" and the like and randomly set off fireworks. This is when I realized rookie mistake number 2. NEVER LEAVE Right after the fireworks. We got to the bus stop around 9:30 and didn't get back to CBR til close to 11:30.

Thats all for tonight. Tomorrow, we find out why my FP+ worked, but the rest of my family's didn't, and a review of MNSSHP.

Going to MDE to download pictures now.

 

[kbonner]

Sounds like a descent first day. Looking forward hearing about the rest of your trip.

 

[Heckah]

Day 2, Part 1 - The beginning of the Zombie Walk, and Near Catastrophe

Our first full day did not begin so well. It began with the Zombie Walk. The Zombie Walk is the name I gave to the 10 minute walk from Trinidad South to Old Port Royale to get some coffee. If you know anything about me, you do not talk to me, look at me, and just in general stay away from me until I have my coffee. That garbage coffee in the room just doesn't cut it, so I began my morning walking along the walking trail to Old Port Royale, with my laptop to get some work done while waiting for the rest of the fam to wake up. To be honest, it is a good walk along the lake at CBR, very scenic, past the pools and beaches at each "complex" and finally to Old Port Royale.

I got my refillable mug and got it activated and filled the thing with coffee, sucked it down in 3.8 seconds and filled it again. Opened up the laptop, responded to a few e-mails and logged into MDE to see if I could move the FP's later in the day. Our first one was at noon to one with A&E. With my two Frozen obsessed daughters, this was going to be one of the highlights of the trip. I logged in, looked for a later time (which I knew was very unlikely) and noticed that the FP was only for me. I swear, after hearing of FP's disappearing I checked the night before we left just to be 100% sure everything was still there and it was. At some point my family had their FPs kicked out of the system (which explains the problems at Epcot the day before). All of them, SDMT, ETWB, everything all gone. I also learned from the DisBoards that the standard response to disappearing FP's are "sorry nothing we can do." Thankfully for all involved, I had at least one cup of coffee in me, but I packed up my laptop and stormed to the conceirge desk ready for battle. The vacation was ruined and someone was going to pay.

It was my turn and I believe Jenine (I think that was her name, but blood was shooting out my eyes, so I couldn't see very clearly) was the poor CM who had to deal with what I anticipated being a live reenactment of that scene in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" with Steve Martin and the lady at the Car Rental place. I was calm, but angry as I told her the situation. She told me to hold on a second and picked up the phone. I was waiting for her to hang up the phone and tell me I was out of luck. She took the phone off her ear and said "Do you know where Cheshire, MA is?" Yes, Yes I do, what does that matter. "Well the woman I'm talking to from IT grew up there." She hung up the phone and printed out a piece of paper and gave it to me and said. "So we've set you up with 3 uninventoried fastpasses for each person today and IT will work on matching up the rest of the fastpasses for you, but anything we can't match we will give you uninventoried fastpasses for." Not knowing what that meant I questioned her further and she explained that these fastpasses are good "anywhere, anytime."

So I can go to A&E anytime I want today? "Yes" I can go on SDMT today even though our FP's are for later in the week? "Anywhere, Anytime today"

WOW, crises averted. I stayed up til midnight 60 days out and spent the next 60 days manipulating and changing, I would have been furious if it was all for not, but Jenine was awesome and really saved the day!

We had MNSSHP that night so now we could go to MK later in the day and not worry about it and be good to go til midnight.

I got back and excitedly told my DW and DD3 and DD6 we weren't going to the park until 2 or 3 so we could be good to go until midnight. We could spend our first full day in Disney at the hotel until 2 or 3.

So we got on the bus to MK at 11:30am.....

Coming up next. A&E, SDMT, the laughable thought that many trips to Six Flags would have me adequetely prepared for Disney and MNSSHP.