Just back 2/10, with a toddler . . . thoughts!

Mrs. Bradbury

It will ALWAYS be the PeopleMover!
Joined
May 11, 2009
Hello!

My 26-year-old daughter and I were in WDW from 2/3 – 2/10 at POR-Riverside in a Princess room. I have visited WDW more times than I can count since 1972 at various times of the year and have stayed at various levels of hotel all over property.

We had a late addition to our party, my 2 year old grandson (my older son’s son; my daughter has no children). You never know how kids are going to travel, and I can say with glee that my grandson was FABULOUS all week. His 2 year old tantrums are quiet – usually he just squats down and refuses to communicate or move – and they pass through like a Florida afternoon thundershower.

We flew Southwest – no problems. I do wish the TSA folks were aware that there is no consistency in going through security from airport to airport or even the same airport from trip to trip. They acted like we were idiots, when it’s been decades since I’ve flown with someone small enough for a stroller. Maybe they purposely make you feel rattled because it gives them the upper hand? Beats me. At one airport we had to put his security blanket through the scanner; it wasn’t enough for it to be shaken out flat. He was a trooper about it in the end but he had big ol’ tears in his eyes about Boom Boom being taken away by strangers and disappearing for minutes.

Resort: Beautiful. Peaceful. Nice counter service options. We didn’t use the sit-down restaurant onsite because the menu options did not interest us. The bus situation was OK. I think we prefer the one main bus stop like at the Values. Housekeeping was pretty bad, a first for us on Disney property. One day they left a roll of toilet paper with literally 4-5 squares of toilet paper left in the TP holder, and NO SPARE ROLL. We left a note every single day to please leave 4 coffee pods. Some days it worked and some days it did not. The carpet definitely showed wear and had stains.

Weather was beautiful to WARM. Only rained one day.

Crowds were INSANE. We chose this week because it’s supposed to be the slowest week of the year, and cool weather. Not this year! We went a week later last year (2/12 – 2/17/17) and it was WONDERFUL until the President’s day crowds starting building, so we bumped it up a week. We’ll have to sit down and consider our options for another trip. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed seeing WDW through her nephew’s eyes.

Tip: We had 2 breakfasts at the monorail resorts. For the one at the Contemporary, we took the bus to the MK and had to go through security with the mass of humanity as though we were going to the MK – it was a huge time suck, and we had to go back through security again (the Contemporary’s, this time) to get back on the monorail to go to the MK. The 2nd time we were going to the Poly and took an Uber directly to the resort, no security until we were leaving to get on the monorail to go to the MK and better still, no line. SO MUCH BETTER. Worth $8 to sail through security. I’m not sure what the prevailing wisdom is with the security moved back. Couldn’t they have security at the TTC or something to cut down on the volume at MK?

The other thing I noticed was there seemed to be a lack of unique things to buy. Seriously! Stores all sold mostly the same things. There used to be a much better selection, particularly from park to park. Almost everybody was wearing custom shirts, brought from home I imagine; I wonder if it’s having an impact on Disney merchandising.

Overall we had a grand time with lots and lots of priceless memories. :goodvibes
 
Thanks for the report!

We flew Southwest – no problems. I do wish the TSA folks were aware that there is no consistency in going through security from airport to airport or even the same airport from trip to trip. They acted like we were idiots, when it’s been decades since I’ve flown with someone small enough for a stroller. Maybe they purposely make you feel rattled because it gives them the upper hand? Beats me. At one airport we had to put his security blanket through the scanner; it wasn’t enough for it to be shaken out flat. He was a trooper about it in the end but he had big ol’ tears in his eyes about Boom Boom being taken away by strangers and disappearing for minutes.

Good point. I realize TSA is not in the business of customer service, but attitude goes a long way. We flew out of Tampa and did not have pre-check. They were filtering all those who had pre-check to a different line, as usual. Once we got through the boarding pass/ID check and got in line for the metal detector, all the lines were operating as if they were pre-check. No one had to remove liquids or shoes or belts, etc. People who were preparing to remove their shoes, etc. were getting yelled at to not do it. And then some would proceed through the metal detector, set it off, and then be sent back to the conveyor belt to remove shoes and belts. It was a confusing fiasco and everyone was frustrated. Sometimes in airports there are signs or they have an agent repeating instructions over and over, which is helpful too. Anything would have helped Tampa!

I’m not sure what the prevailing wisdom is with the security moved back.

I had the same thoughts on the bag check/security being moved up at MK. We were there last week and did not visit any parks, but wanted to stop by Trader Sam's at the Poly for a drink. We took the MK bus from Saratoga Springs and when we arrived, we had to go through bag check to get to the monorail. Later, we took a bus to DHS to get on the Friendship Boat and didn't have to go through bag check there. No biggie at the end of the day, but did make me wonder why.
 
Crowd calendars have become useless. I tell people to pick a week that works best for them and go. With the crowds MK sees these days, the layout between the TTC an MK gates has become problematic. I stay exclusively offsite and MK is the only park that's a marginal pain(In the morning anyway.) In fact, when its foggy and the ferry cant run and they bring in the buses, it runs much smoother in my opinion. I would love to see a major overhaul of how to get to the gate from the parking lot. It really does need it.

As far as the merchandise, you're absolutely right. Its the same stuff. Some things are unique like the banshee from Pandora and you can find unique items in the World Showcase but pens and coffee cups are everywhere.
 


that's so interesting that you had terrible mousekeeping..

we were at SSR in august for 3 weeks.....(we also had 2 toddlers with us...ages 3 and 2)..

anyway, mousekeeping was a disaster....i was SHOCKED at how bad it was.....

and over the course of the 3 weeks we were there....actually 24 days, they didn't get any better....

some days it was even worse than terrible...

and i say that as someone who has visited WDW every year since 1974, and stayed at most of the resorts (value, moderate, deluxe)...

my explanation to myself was that it was a DVC resort, but you had the same experience at POR, so now i'm even more shocked...

.
 
We were at POR the same time. We skipped Boatright's as well and our housekeeping was pretty bad. We had issues with coffee specifically and also tried notes with no success

We found the parks very busy as well. The best day for us was probably 2/8 at MK. We stayed from Rope Drop until around 4pm and never felt like it was too crowded. Epcot felt really crowed both days we visited
 


Housekeeping was pretty bad, a first for us on Disney property. One day they left a roll of toilet paper with literally 4-5 squares of toilet paper left in the TP holder, and NO SPARE ROLL. We left a note every single day to please leave 4 coffee pods. Some days it worked and some days it did not. The carpet definitely showed wear and had stains.

We had a sub-par housekeeping experience last August as well. Coffee was not replaced, drink rings left from the previous guest on the table, not vacuumed as evidenced by the piece of shiny star confetti that was sitting in the middle of the carpet (and remained for the duration of our stay). I think they're just doing the bare minimum, likely due to the number of rooms they need to get through.
 
Good report. I feel your pain on TSA. Unless I am forced by my employer (don't laugh the US govt) I refuse to fly because of TSA. I know this sounds terrible but you can't pay barely above minimum wage and then give power to people and not expect issues. I noticed you comment about everything being the same. If we want anything unique I go to the resorts which still have some originality. Two trips ago I wore a shirt to FQ and the manager came out to look at it (FQ shirt) and actually said its a shame we can't get stuff like that I could sell a ton of them.
 
Re bag check at MK: they did move it to the TTC, for people parking there or walking over from Poly to catch monorail or ferry. What you encountered was bag check for resort buses - only! People arriving at MK via resort launch are checked when they get off, separately from bus passengers. And yes, I agree that the security check for the buses is terribly slow, but it’s much better than when everyone arriving via all modes of transportation went through the same security check!
 
Thanks for the report!



Good point. I realize TSA is not in the business of customer service, but attitude goes a long way. We flew out of Tampa and did not have pre-check. They were filtering all those who had pre-check to a different line, as usual. Once we got through the boarding pass/ID check and got in line for the metal detector, all the lines were operating as if they were pre-check. No one had to remove liquids or shoes or belts, etc. People who were preparing to remove their shoes, etc. were getting yelled at to not do it. And then some would proceed through the metal detector, set it off, and then be sent back to the conveyor belt to remove shoes and belts. It was a confusing fiasco and everyone was frustrated. Sometimes in airports there are signs or they have an agent repeating instructions over and over, which is helpful too. Anything would have helped Tampa!



I had the same thoughts on the bag check/security being moved up at MK. We were there last week and did not visit any parks, but wanted to stop by Trader Sam's at the Poly for a drink. We took the MK bus from Saratoga Springs and when we arrived, we had to go through bag check to get to the monorail. Later, we took a bus to DHS to get on the Friendship Boat and didn't have to go through bag check there. No biggie at the end of the day, but did make me wonder why.

Good report. I feel your pain on TSA. Unless I am forced by my employer (don't laugh the US govt) I refuse to fly because of TSA. I know this sounds terrible but you can't pay barely above minimum wage and then give power to people and not expect issues. I noticed you comment about everything being the same. If we want anything unique I go to the resorts which still have some originality. Two trips ago I wore a shirt to FQ and the manager came out to look at it (FQ shirt) and actually said its a shame we can't get stuff like that I could sell a ton of them.

Security is supposed to be confusing - to throw people off and have them get caught if they are trying to be devious and destructive. They mix it up so you don't know what to expect. They are supposed to be intimidating too - to set the tone that they mean business. I'm glad they do. Travelers/tourists need to be patient, appropriate, and prepared.
 
Thanks for your trip report!

Glad to be able to do one, LOL!

Thanks for the report!



Good point. I realize TSA is not in the business of customer service, but attitude goes a long way. We flew out of Tampa and did not have pre-check. They were filtering all those who had pre-check to a different line, as usual. Once we got through the boarding pass/ID check and got in line for the metal detector, all the lines were operating as if they were pre-check. No one had to remove liquids or shoes or belts, etc. People who were preparing to remove their shoes, etc. were getting yelled at to not do it. And then some would proceed through the metal detector, set it off, and then be sent back to the conveyor belt to remove shoes and belts. It was a confusing fiasco and everyone was frustrated. Sometimes in airports there are signs or they have an agent repeating instructions over and over, which is helpful too. Anything would have helped Tampa!



I had the same thoughts on the bag check/security being moved up at MK. We were there last week and did not visit any parks, but wanted to stop by Trader Sam's at the Poly for a drink. We took the MK bus from Saratoga Springs and when we arrived, we had to go through bag check to get to the monorail. Later, we took a bus to DHS to get on the Friendship Boat and didn't have to go through bag check there. No biggie at the end of the day, but did make me wonder why.

They did the same thing at one of the airports we were at, but I can't remember if it was in Atlanta or Orlando. They brought in dogs kind of late in the line and were yelling at people who had already taken their shoes off and gotten their electronics out to go separately.

Crowd calendars have become useless. I tell people to pick a week that works best for them and go. With the crowds MK sees these days, the layout between the TTC an MK gates has become problematic. I stay exclusively offsite and MK is the only park that's a marginal pain(In the morning anyway.) In fact, when its foggy and the ferry cant run and they bring in the buses, it runs much smoother in my opinion. I would love to see a major overhaul of how to get to the gate from the parking lot. It really does need it.

As far as the merchandise, you're absolutely right. Its the same stuff. Some things are unique like the banshee from Pandora and you can find unique items in the World Showcase but pens and coffee cups are everywhere.

I just read a theory that Disney is using all the data they collect to make planning impossible by adjusting staffing, etc. Building in waits for attractions that never used to have any, like the Peoplemover, doesn't sound like an improvement to me!

A nice report! I’m glad your grand baby was such a joy. :)

He is ready to go back to "Dinsey Wireld" at any moment. He had a ball!

that's so interesting that you had terrible mousekeeping..

we were at SSR in august for 3 weeks.....(we also had 2 toddlers with us...ages 3 and 2)..

anyway, mousekeeping was a disaster....i was SHOCKED at how bad it was.....

and over the course of the 3 weeks we were there....actually 24 days, they didn't get any better....

some days it was even worse than terrible...

and i say that as someone who has visited WDW every year since 1974, and stayed at most of the resorts (value, moderate, deluxe)...

my explanation to myself was that it was a DVC resort, but you had the same experience at POR, so now i'm even more shocked...

.

That's terrible that you experienced SUCH bad mousekeeping. It was really frustrating for us for a week, much less 24 days.

We were at POR the same time. We skipped Boatright's as well and our housekeeping was pretty bad. We had issues with coffee specifically and also tried notes with no success

We found the parks very busy as well. The best day for us was probably 2/8 at MK. We stayed from Rope Drop until around 4pm and never felt like it was too crowded. Epcot felt really crowed both days we visited

I can't say that any park felt "good" any of the days we were there. In planning we went with the conventional wisdom of choosing the park that had EMH the previous day. Didn't work this trip!

We had a sub-par housekeeping experience last August as well. Coffee was not replaced, drink rings left from the previous guest on the table, not vacuumed as evidenced by the piece of shiny star confetti that was sitting in the middle of the carpet (and remained for the duration of our stay). I think they're just doing the bare minimum, likely due to the number of rooms they need to get through.

Yuck! Not vacuuming the whole week is not OK with me, for the price of rooms. There was a noticeable difference in attention to detail a couple of days in. Not sure if they just gave up, although we were pretty organized, or if someone else took over.

Good report. I feel your pain on TSA. Unless I am forced by my employer (don't laugh the US govt) I refuse to fly because of TSA. I know this sounds terrible but you can't pay barely above minimum wage and then give power to people and not expect issues. I noticed you comment about everything being the same. If we want anything unique I go to the resorts which still have some originality. Two trips ago I wore a shirt to FQ and the manager came out to look at it (FQ shirt) and actually said its a shame we can't get stuff like that I could sell a ton of them.

It's really hard to see the changes that have come over the years. I don't like the streamlining that's been done, from the same cups and napkins all over property to lack of unique souvenirs. When we went to the Poly for breakfast, my daughter kept saying, "But WHY did they take out the waterfall????" and I have to agree - I've heard the theories, BUT STILL.

Re bag check at MK: they did move it to the TTC, for people parking there or walking over from Poly to catch monorail or ferry. What you encountered was bag check for resort buses - only! People arriving at MK via resort launch are checked when they get off, separately from bus passengers. And yes, I agree that the security check for the buses is terribly slow, but it’s much better than when everyone arriving via all modes of transportation went through the same security check!

OH MY. I didn't realize the TTC had a bag check too! That's nuts. So many people! I wonder if they could do bag check prior to boarding the buses at each resort . . . I really hope they can come up with a solution for folks riding a bus to the MK just to go to one of the monorail resorts to eat. We'll Uber directly to the resorts until they do.

Security is supposed to be confusing - to throw people off and have them get caught if they are trying to be devious and destructive. They mix it up so you don't know what to expect. They are supposed to be intimidating too - to set the tone that they mean business. I'm glad they do. Travelers/tourists need to be patient, appropriate, and prepared.

I agree with what you say, but you can't be prepared when you never know what security is going to want. Being aware of the TSA guidelines did not prepare us.

:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

I did have one more thing to add to my report - we have always used the meal plan since they have offered it, but this time we didn't, and we didn't miss it. AT ALL. We still ate a sit-down meal almost every day. And we spent about half of what the meal plan would have been. I'm pretty sure, unless there is an overall GREAT deal, we will do room only and purchase tickets from an authorized reseller. Room only certainly gives you more flexibility if you have to cancel, that's for sure.
 

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