Mickey Power!!! - July 2019 - Once Upon a Time When DHS Opened After Sunrise - 2/27

[afwdwfan]

Yeah, I've experienced that. "Wow, Dad! That was fun! Can we go again?"... "That wasn't as much fun as the first time."

Huh! I remember when Soarin' was the hottest ticket in town and FPs were gone for the day early.

I think the addition of another worthy top tier FP (Frozen) and the addition of the third theater really helped with this one in a major way.

Except DW is right. You must have done something wrong, obviously.

I only admit I'm wrong when I'm proven wrong!

I actually prefer ice cream over water, myself.

Can't argue that one...

You're kidding!

I wish

Wow! Really! I didn't know they'd do that. Then again, I've never heard of anyone cracking open a beer on a bus either.

For some reason, I doubt they have a standard operating procedure for this. Probably the bus driver making it up on the fly.

oohhh… yeah. I remember the "missed nap" days.

It can be really hit or miss with him. Sometimes it is a meltdown, sometimes, no big deal.

It is. I like it... but only if I sit in the dead center. Otherwise it's awful.

True.

Of course not!

Unless there's a line...

Glad to hear they like it so much.

Yum. I'm going with her.

Only reason I don't go... she shares. So I grabbed a beer to go with my caramel corn.

I am the same way.

I am the same way.

ahem

No one opened a beer?

If they did, they were more stealthy.

Wow, your wife must have been ready to pull her hair out on that bus ride! At least she could get her own drinks once she finally made it to Epcot

Thankfully there wasn't any rush to get anywhere yet.

You went somewhere completely different than I had expected when I clicked on the link.

I kind of want to know where you thought it was going?

You were having some great luck with the App and rides that day.

That's the thing, park didn't seem crowded. Lines just seemed stupid.

You are totally right on this. I had a set of metal bottles that would "sweat" on the outside when I filled them with ice water. I now use a brand called Kleen Kanteen which are fully insulated and keeps my water cold even when it sits in a hot car in So Cal sun.

You're just hitting all the big ones!

You know it!

This should never happen.

I would think not.

This is absolutely rude. The bus driver should have told her, "I'm leaving, the rest of your party can get the next bus." But its Disney so he can't. Then if he'd disconnected her the rest of the part would have arrived just as he was cutting her loose. Can't win either way.

These are the people that make ECV riders hated by able bodied passengers.

Exactly... when DW relayed the story, it just seemed to me that they'd really thought this through and had every intent of manipulating the situation. DW said she waited until the ECV was loaded and she was on the bus before telling the bus driver he needed to wait. Put him in a difficult situation.

See now this is just dumb. You pour it into a plastic bottle with a screw top in the room, so no one hears you open it.

Not that we'd ever try anything like that...

Someday we'll have to try these. Do they have refried beans on them? Disney is trying to get healthy at all their restaurants and seem to be using black beans, (which I hate) instead of pinto beans.

Honestly, I don't remember beans. If so that wasn't a big component of the mix.

Three times is a charm!

I didnt know there was a Guardians of the Galaxy show. The way you keep mentioning all the things you plan to do with your parents when they get there sounds like foreshadowing.

It's a stage show at the American Gardens Theater that they've run the past 2 summers. Basically a filler with a cover band playing Guardians music with Star Lord acting as kind of the host of the show.

Yes that Grey Goose slushy is definitely one of the best things in WS.

Good job Dad! Nice to acknowledge good behavior to reinforce it.

Heck, it's nice to have nice behavior to acknowledge! I'm always happy to do that.

 

[afwdwfan]

What a perfect Epcot day and kudos to your kids for making you proud!

It was a great day at EPCOT and they really stepped up to the challenge!

While it was fun to read about your wife’s bus journey I’m sure the reality was less than amusing for her! I’m betting she needed that first margarita so much!!

I don't know... She was frustrated, but also seemed to be highly entertained by the show.

Poor B, feeling stuck sucks.

Look at that pure joy, she is having a blast!

She loves that part of that ride. Picture is in the perfect place.

OMG what a wild ride

The biggest strike against Disney Transportation: Other people.

Good for them, as an adult that’s hard. Good job with the positive reinforcement, hopefully that helped keep good attitudes throughout the trip.

They really were pretty good most of the trip. By the time we got to the end of WS, they were whining a little bit that they wanted to ride something, hence the return to Soarin, but I don't blame them at all for that. I'd have been the same way at that age.

Wow, other than the bus debacle, sounds like a great Epcot day! Well behaved kids and a nice assortment of rides, wandering, and snacks/drinks. I miss Epcot!

It really was a good and productive day. I love EPCOT... a little bit bittersweet too as I'm not sure what to expect from the upcoming changes.

 

[franandaj]

I kind of want to know where you thought it was going?

Nowhere exciting. I just thought you may have been hit by a serious deluge on the way to the bus....

Not that we'd ever try anything like that...

Back before 9-11, I used to bring "Mtn. Dew" on planes. Green bottle, hides a multitude of non-clear beverages. I am a big fan of Dasani water bottles at Disney now. My friends call it "special water". In fact that is such a common phrase among us that my phone suggested "water" as the #1 choice after I typed the word "special".

 

[afwdwfan]

Parking Lot Road Rage



It was our third day, a Tuesday morning. We were planning to go to Animal Kingdom. If you didn’t read the PTR, I’ll share here. AK isn’t our favorite park. Yes, it’s well themed and it is a Disney park, so I’d rather be there than most other places. But when stacked against some of the other places in Disney World, it just isn’t our favorite. DW always complains about the amount of walking in that park to get from place to place and I can’t blame her, but I think that’s one factor. For some reason, whenever we’re in that park, we just all collectively tend to let negativity sink in a bit.



We were able to get FP for FoP, but it was late in the day. Our hope was that we could get to AK, do the things we wanted to do, get some lunch and head back to the resort by early afternoon for some pool time. In order for this to work, we’d need to get to AK early, brave the rush to FoP and then change that FP to Na’vi River Journey or try to do it standby while we’re there. Easy peasy.



So back to the real world. Some of us were up and ready in time. The other one was ready at about 8:20.



I hadn’t totally sworn off the bus system yet and had considered riding the bus to AK, but this late start changed that plan. We decided to drive instead. We got in the car and were off.



As we approached the AK parking lot entrance I started to second guess my decision. Holy cow, that was a lot of traffic to get into the park. Had we been able to drive in and park like normal, we should have still had time to get into the park at least by 9 even if too late for the FoP rush.



But today, that would not be the case.



We crept into the parking booths and through the parking lot. Finally, I was being directed into a parking spot by the CMs. I was already anxious and a bit frustrated because we were running so late so I wasn’t in the best mood.



I was pulling into my spot next to a Toyota Sienna minivan and apparently their time was more valuable than mine.



The CM is directing me to pull forward into my space. My front bumper is about even with the sliding door on the passenger side of the van, when all of a sudden, the front seat passenger door flies open and a lady springs out like she was shot out of an ejector seat. I had to lock up my brakes just to keep from running over her.



At first, I didn't think much of it. People get in a hurry and they don’t think.



She turned to look at me and I expected maybe a sheepish smile and a wave... you know, sorry, my bad.



Instead, she stood right in front of me and gave me the death stare. She looked at me as if I had committed some horrendous act by trying to pull into the parking spot beside her as the CM directed me to do.



My blood began to boil.



I looked at the CM in front of my car who was still standing there waving at me to pull forward. I pointed at this lady standing in front of me leaving me unable to do as he asked.



He just shrugged and moved on to the next car.



For the rush she was in to get out, she then took her sweet time standing there with the door open getting her bag out and situated. Meanwhile, it looked like the clowns arrived at the circus as about 12 people come pouring out the sliding door behind her. I’m still trying to get into my parking space while they’re basically standing all around our car getting their crap together.



I was fuming.



They finally got on their way and I was able to pull the rest of the way into the spot and open my door. I was getting the stroller set up and putting R in when someone walked up to me and asked if I knew the people in that van.



I laughed, I thought maybe he saw what happened and was commenting on it.



But no... he was concerned because the van was still running.



They were in such a hurry that they didn’t care about inconveniencing anyone else. And they didn’t even take the time to turn the engine off.



I’m sure I looked like a jerk here. This guy was all concerned and worried.



As soon as he told me that, I started laughing.



I told him they were in such a hurry to get to the park that they couldn’t even wait until I pulled into my space to get out and I hoped they were running on fumes.



He got a license plate number and said he was going to inform security. I was pretty much like, ok, whatever. I didn’t care.



I assumed it was one of the systems where you can start the van with the key in your pocket and I figured that once they got far enough away it would shut off anyway.



After that fun, we headed up to the parking tram for a fun ride to AK. The CM on the PA system was actually trying to be engaging and entertaining. I almost wondered if she had been a JC Skipper at some point in time, but after the parking lot experience it was nice to kind of relieve some of the tension and smile a little bit.



Security was pretty chaotic, and took quite a while. It didn’t seem like they were being extra thorough that morning or anything, but there were just a lot of people trying to get through. Eventually we made it through without too much excitement.



After all that I looked at my watch when we got past the tapstiles. It was 9:40. The traffic, parking lot situation and security all combined to make us 45+ minutes later than I expected to be even with our late start leaving CBR.



The CM holding the sign for the end of the line to FoP was somewhere between Asia and DInoland. I knew that wasn’t an option. Instead, we decided we’d just go to Na’vi River Journey (AKA It’s a Small Moon) and we’d be in AK until later in the afternoon to use that FP.



The posted wait was 45 minutes. Well... it’s now or never. Thankfully, the July heat hadn’t really kicked into gear yet and the fans kept the air moving in the line so it really didn’t feel too bad. I used the Time your wait feature on the Touringplans Lines app and we ended up waiting 38 minutes. The kids were already getting irritable after a good day at EPCOT. B kept trying to hang on DW and me and it was getting kind of frustrating.



We rode the ride, it was fine. I don’t know. I’ve never been a big fan of the Avatar film and this land, as impressive as the theming may be, just doesn’t do that much for me. This is something that I’d probably be ok waiting 15, maybe 20 minutes for. It’s definitely not something I’d want to wait 40-ish minutes for, but it is one of the few things we can all ride and R seemed to like the boat rides, so it was worth doing.



We stopped after we got off to get a quick picture in Pandora. B was still in a bit of a mood and refused to join us, so we got one without her.

Next up it was time for our FP on Kilimanjaro Safari. Due to our much later than expected start in AK, we were already approaching the end of our window and had to hurry. Thankfully, this was one of the first FP queues we’d seen on the trip that actually lived up to the “Fast” part of the name. We pretty much walked right up to the CM handing out row assignments. The last truck had just been filled and she asked the kids where they wanted to sit. So we got a front row seat.



Our safari was good. We had our hands full with R trying to look at everything so we didn’t get any pictures, but you’ve all seen the giraffes, elephants and animatronic sleeping lions anyway. Actually, this was a nice safari because, although they were sleeping, the lions were out where you could really get a good look at them.



By the time we returned to civilization, it was time for our next FP at Expedition Everest. In the rush that morning, DW hadn’t had anything to eat or drink and wasn’t feeling the best so she decided she wanted to get a snack before riding. We stopped by Starbucks (not my choice).



She got some drink that I probably can’t pronounce and a pastry of some sort that would be massively overpriced making for a pretty decent snack credit use.



I know you all like food pictures and highly detailed snack reviews. Since I’ve completely failed in that regard thus far, allow me to tell you about the greatest discovery I made.



I’d been sipping on water from my bottle all morning and needed to top it off. I asked DW to get me an ice water while she was in there. She came back with a few of them. Unlike the other Disney counter service places that now give you a small cup, Starbucks gave her their big cups full of ice water. This was our find of the week and Starbucks became the place we’d look for when we needed ice water.*

*only if the line wasn’t stupid long, which it usually was.



Having procured snacks for our trek to the Himalayas, it was time to go see a Yeti. We went to get Rider Switch so that I could ride with the kids then DW could take them again. It was kind of awkward to do that here. We approached the FP line, fighting through the crowd, and getting as close as we could with the stroller. The CM at FP then told us we needed to see the DAS CM. I asked where that was and he pointed clear across the walkway near the Rivers of Light seating area. So we had to go back and fight across a crowded walkway to get that taken care of. It was a little frustrating, but not too big a deal. It just would have been easier if we’d known to go there to start with.



The kids and I enjoyed our ride as B was actually smiling and having fun...

We then switched off. I took R and DW went to ride. I’m not sure what it was, but he was being a total momma’s boy and as soon as she left, he had a complete meltdown. It was getting hot and he likes popsicles. There was an ice cream cart nearby so I took him over to get an Olaf’s Lemonade Strawberry Bar.



He was still cranky and throwing a fit. The CM at the register was getting ready to check me out when another CM named Tony walked up and told her to stop. He grabbed a bar out of the cooler and walked around to the stroller. He kneeled down to R and started talking to him. He told him that he had a gift for him from Mickey and handed him the bar. R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly



I can’t get him to do that.



For the frustration that had been building, this was a welcome blessing of Disney magic. I couldn’t thank him enough. We went back towards the exit to wait while R enjoyed his snack. When they returned, we walked back past Tony to thank him again.



It was lunch time and we wanted some Flame Tree. The kids wanted fries and B was in a mood that we knew that she wasn’t going to eat something else. With the heat and everything else, we knew we had to get something she’d eat or the afternoon would be a disaster. I knew Flametree had fries on the menu as a snack, but mobile ordering wouldn’t let me switch them as a side option. We decided to head over and ask about it, because DW mentioned she'd rather have fries than the listed sides too and all that fries talk was starting to make me crave them too.



We asked the CM out front handing out menus if we could substitute fries for the sides listed with the meals on the menu. She told us we could do that, so we got in what was a fairly long line. I didn’t time it, but we were there a while. When we finally got to the register, I ordered the first meal and asked to substitute fries for the sides. The CM at the register informed me that they can’t do that. I told him the CM in front told me we could. He was adamant that it wasn’t an option. I was questioning the logic and why we couldn’t do that since they have fries anyway. He told me if I wanted fries I could order the meals and they would be served with the sides listed and then I could use snack credits to add some fries.



Logisitically, that would work. We’d also throw a lot of food away. We probably had plenty of snack credits to do that, and just get a couple of orders of fries for everyone to share but I wasn’t thinking about it that rationally at the time.



And it was kind of becoming a matter of principle. I’d asked out front, I’d waited in the line, and then was told the answer I got out front was wrong and I was out of luck.



This wasn't one of my finest moments.



I was mad. Again, it wasn’t the smoothest morning. The accumulation of small frustrations was getting to me. Flametree is one of my favorite QS places and I was craving some BBQ. But I didn’t want to say the words that were starting to pop into my head so I just turned around and walked away from the register.



DW and I then had a little bit of a dust up trying to decide where to eat. She was standing next to me at the register and she wasn’t upset about leaving Flametree because she was as frustrated about that whole situation as I was. But we couldn’t decide where to go. Since it was relatively close and had fries, we decided to just go to Restaurantosaurus. She pushed the stroller while I walked beside her and mobile ordered.



Maybe after some fries and getting off our feet in the AC, everyone would be in a better mood.

 

[irene_dsc]

They were in such a hurry that they didn’t care about inconveniencing anyone else. And they didn’t even take the time to turn the engine off.

Karma. Definitely karma. I don't blame you at all for laughing.

I’d been sipping on water from my bottle all morning and needed to top it off. I asked DW to get me an ice water while she was in there. She came back with a few of them. Unlike the other Disney counter service places that now give you a small cup, Starbucks gave her their big cups full of ice water. This was our find of the week and Starbucks became the place we’d look for when we needed ice water.*

That's awesome. I usually travel with a water bottle, and like getting it refilled with nice cold water from restaurants when I can, but that is over and above.

He told him that he had a gift for him from Mickey and handed him the bar. R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly

Aww....

Maybe after some fries and getting off our feet in the AC, everyone would be in a better mood.

Um. I hope so? You are making me nervous...

 

[missangelalexis]

Wow, an unbelievably frustrating start to the day! I would have laughed too that she left the car running.

And then the issue at Flame Tree...ugh. Just not the best day so far. I hope it got better!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I looked at the CM in front of my car who was still standing there waving at me to pull forward. I pointed at this lady standing in front of me leaving me unable to do as he asked.

How incredibly irritating! I'm sure it was more frustrating and less funny since you were already running behind and anxious, but good grief.

They were in such a hurry that they didn’t care about inconveniencing anyone else. And they didn’t even take the time to turn the engine off.

I know I shouldn't think that is funny... but that is HYSTERICAL. What karma!

The CM on the PA system was actually trying to be engaging and entertaining. I almost wondered if she had been a JC Skipper at some point in time, but after the parking lot experience it was nice to kind of relieve some of the tension and smile a little bit.

It's so nice to come across a person like that when you're irritated - it really helps melt the frustration and gets you laughing instead of grimacing.

The traffic, parking lot situation and security all combined to make us 45+ minutes later than I expected to be even with our late start leaving CBR.

What a mess! It's so frustrating when your plans don't go the way you expect (and even worse when even your revised plans don't work out either).

Unlike the other Disney counter service places that now give you a small cup, Starbucks gave her their big cups full of ice water. This was our find of the week and Starbucks became the place we’d look for when we needed ice water.*

Good to know! Thanks for the tip!

R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly

I can’t get him to do that.

For the frustration that had been building, this was a welcome blessing of Disney magic. I couldn’t thank him enough. We went back towards the exit to wait while R enjoyed his snack. When they returned, we walked back past Tony to thank him again.

That is wonderful! Thank goodness you had one shining happy moment that morning. You really needed that pixie dust!

It's amazing how a stranger can make an upset child suddenly calm. I still remember a visit to Costco where I saw a 4-5 year old little boy crying and whining in the cart while his mom shopped. An employee that was walking by handed the little boy a broken down (small) box he was carrying and said, "Hey there! Would you like to hold my box for me?" You'd think he'd been handed a plate of cookies or a new toy. He immediately stopped crying, held the box like it was gold, and gave a big smile to the employee. Special employees anywhere are awesome!

(This happened at least a few years ago, but made such an impact on me that I still remember it. It also pretty much made me a lifetime Costco member.)

I was mad. Again, it wasn’t the smoothest morning. The accumulation of small frustrations was getting to me. Flametree is one of my favorite QS places and I was craving some BBQ. But I didn’t want to say the words that were starting to pop into my head so I just turned around and walked away from the register.

What a frustrating morning with your running behind schedule, the lady with the car, the long line at Na'vi River Journey, the frustration with obtaining rider swap for EE... no wonder you'd finally had enough! It's even more frustrating when you're given incorrect information that would've changed your plans to stand in line in the first place. I hope your lunch ends up working out (and that Restaurantosaurus had plenty of fries!).

 

[amazingact21]

Yikes, rough morning at Animal Kingdom. People are so self absorbed nowadays. How in the world do you just stand in front of a car and not move? Better yet, why in the world didn't that CM just go, "Step aside, please."
Although, them leaving the car running is a funny bit of karma. Like when a driver is being a total jerk on the road and five miles down the interstate you see them pulled over by a cop.
I know it's Disney and people's attention are focused elsewhere, but you still have to use situational awareness.

Aw, nice to hear of a sweet CM Disney magic moment. Definitely the thing you needed that day!

Hope the fries helped turn the day around for you all.

 

[suse66]

As we approached the AK parking lot entrance I started to second guess my decision. Holy cow, that was a lot of traffic to get into the park. Had we been able to drive in and park like normal, we should have still had time to get into the park at least by 9 even if too late for the FoP rush.

Yikes! Not a great way to start the day.....

The CM is directing me to pull forward into my space. My front bumper is about even with the sliding door on the passenger side of the van, when all of a sudden, the front seat passenger door flies open and a lady springs out like she was shot out of an ejector seat. I had to lock up my brakes just to keep from running over her.

Again....what in the world is wrong with some people??????

They were in such a hurry that they didn’t care about inconveniencing anyone else. And they didn’t even take the time to turn the engine off.



I’m sure I looked like a jerk here. This guy was all concerned and worried.



As soon as he told me that, I started laughing.



I told him they were in such a hurry to get to the park that they couldn’t even wait until I pulled into my space to get out and I hoped they were running on fumes.

I'm with you...I would have laughed too. Serves them right.

The posted wait was 45 minutes. Well... it’s now or never. Thankfully, the July heat hadn’t really kicked into gear yet and the fans kept the air moving in the line so it really didn’t feel too bad. I used the Time your wait feature on the Touringplans Lines app and we ended up waiting 38 minutes. The kids were already getting irritable after a good day at EPCOT. B kept trying to hang on DW and me and it was getting kind of frustrating.

Oh no!

Our safari was good. We had our hands full with R trying to look at everything so we didn’t get any pictures, but you’ve all seen the giraffes, elephants and animatronic sleeping lions anyway. Actually, this was a nice safari because, although they were sleeping, the lions were out where you could really get a good look at them.

Glad the safari was good!

I’d been sipping on water from my bottle all morning and needed to top it off. I asked DW to get me an ice water while she was in there. She came back with a few of them. Unlike the other Disney counter service places that now give you a small cup, Starbucks gave her their big cups full of ice water. This was our find of the week and Starbucks became the place we’d look for when we needed ice water.*

Mine too!

He was still cranky and throwing a fit. The CM at the register was getting ready to check me out when another CM named Tony walked up and told her to stop. He grabbed a bar out of the cooler and walked around to the stroller. He kneeled down to R and started talking to him. He told him that he had a gift for him from Mickey and handed him the bar. R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly



I can’t get him to do that.



For the frustration that had been building, this was a welcome blessing of Disney magic. I couldn’t thank him enough. We went back towards the exit to wait while R enjoyed his snack. When they returned, we walked back past Tony to thank him again.

Perfect! Love that Disney magic!

I was mad. Again, it wasn’t the smoothest morning. The accumulation of small frustrations was getting to me. Flametree is one of my favorite QS places and I was craving some BBQ. But I didn’t want to say the words that were starting to pop into my head so I just turned around and walked away from the register.

That is awful..... hope you found food and the day got better!

 

[rdkeim]

Ugh a morning of ups and downs. I would have been frustrated at the fries situation too. Not sure what the big deal was about swapping the other sides for fries. Hope things cool off and you get back on track!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Sounds like such a rough day so far (with the exception of that magical moment from Tony). My family always struggles at AK as well! The last time we were there we joined a 25 minute queue for safari only for it to take 85 minutes! Needless to say my husband who isn’t fond of AK at the best of times was well and truly done by the time we were off the jeep
I like a lot of the rides/shows but feel hard pushed getting there as we always seem to have a frustrating time with other people when we are there. Hoping some hot tasty fries turn your day around

 

[khertz]

I'm all caught up! I can't believe how big your kiddos have gotten!!!

I think most of us can relate to a day that is just frustrating all around and the heat certainly doesn't help. I'm sorry your day at AK didn't start out the best (and seriously what's up with that B in the parking lot?!?!) but hopefully it got better??

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Parking Lot Road Rage

You know where I experience road rage the most? Trying to navigate a shopping cart through Costco.

AK isn’t our favorite park. Yes, it’s well themed and it is a Disney park, so I’d rather be there than most other places. But when stacked against some of the other places in Disney World, it just isn’t our favorite.

That's fair. AK has really grown on me. It seems like my favorite park changes every time. It used to be Epcot. That was my least favorite on the last trip.

For some reason, whenever we’re in that park, we just all collectively tend to let negativity sink in a bit.

Turn that frown upside-down, mister!

So back to the real world. Some of us were up and ready in time. The other one was ready at about 8:20.

As we approached the AK parking lot entrance I started to second guess my decision. Holy cow, that was a lot of traffic to get into the park.

We had the same experience. Crawled along with a very long line of cars to the farthest parking lot in the complex.

The CM is directing me to pull forward into my space. My front bumper is about even with the sliding door on the passenger side of the van, when all of a sudden, the front seat passenger door flies open and a lady springs out like she was shot out of an ejector seat. I had to lock up my brakes just to keep from running over her.

At first, I didn't think much of it. People get in a hurry and they don’t think.

She turned to look at me and I expected maybe a sheepish smile and a wave... you know, sorry, my bad.

Instead, she stood right in front of me and gave me the death stare. She looked at me as if I had committed some horrendous act by trying to pull into the parking spot beside her as the CM directed me to do.

I love entitled people. How dare you attempt to visit the same theme park they were attempting to visit!

For the rush she was in to get out, she then took her sweet time standing there with the door open getting her bag out and situated. Meanwhile, it looked like the clowns arrived at the circus as about 12 people come pouring out the sliding door behind her. I’m still trying to get into my parking space while they’re basically standing all around our car getting their crap together.

People suck.

But no... he was concerned because the van was still running.

They were in such a hurry that they didn’t care about inconveniencing anyone else. And they didn’t even take the time to turn the engine off.

I’m sure I looked like a jerk here. This guy was all concerned and worried.

As soon as he told me that, I started laughing.

Heh. Karma. I'd have laughed too.

The traffic, parking lot situation and security all combined to make us 45+ minutes later than I expected to be even with our late start leaving CBR.

Brutal.

The posted wait was 45 minutes. Well... it’s now or never.

Yeah...it's not worth that.

We rode the ride, it was fine. I don’t know. I’ve never been a big fan of the Avatar film and this land, as impressive as the theming may be, just doesn’t do that much for me. This is something that I’d probably be ok waiting 15, maybe 20 minutes for.

Sounds about right. I think the theming is great and FoP is amazing. But the movie wasn't all that.

I’d been sipping on water from my bottle all morning and needed to top it off. I asked DW to get me an ice water while she was in there. She came back with a few of them. Unlike the other Disney counter service places that now give you a small cup, Starbucks gave her their big cups full of ice water.

Good to know!

We approached the FP line, fighting through the crowd, and getting as close as we could with the stroller. The CM at FP then told us we needed to see the DAS CM.

That's weird. Why would they set it up that way?

What are you looking at? The employee exit?

The CM at the register was getting ready to check me out when another CM named Tony walked up and told her to stop. He grabbed a bar out of the cooler and walked around to the stroller. He kneeled down to R and started talking to him. He told him that he had a gift for him from Mickey and handed him the bar. R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly

Awesome CM to save the day!

We asked the CM out front handing out menus if we could substitute fries for the sides listed with the meals on the menu. She told us we could do that, so we got in what was a fairly long line. I didn’t time it, but we were there a while. When we finally got to the register, I ordered the first meal and asked to substitute fries for the sides. The CM at the register informed me that they can’t do that.

Oh, come on, people. Get your act together!

And it was kind of becoming a matter of principle. I’d asked out front, I’d waited in the line, and then was told the answer I got out front was wrong and I was out of luck.

This wasn't one of my finest moments.

That's pretty poor, though. Hard to make this work with contradictory information going around.

Maybe after some fries and getting off our feet in the AC, everyone would be in a better mood.

Let's hope so!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

The CM is directing me to pull forward into my space. My front bumper is about even with the sliding door on the passenger side of the van, when all of a sudden, the front seat passenger door flies open and a lady springs out like she was shot out of an ejector seat. I had to lock up my brakes just to keep from running over her.

My blood began to boil.

Mine would too.

I’m sure I looked like a jerk here. This guy was all concerned and worried.



As soon as he told me that, I started laughing.

I get it. I would do the exact same!

After all that I looked at my watch when we got past the tapstiles. It was 9:40. The traffic, parking lot situation and security all combined to make us 45+ minutes later than I expected to be even with our late start leaving CBR.

Wow!

Unlike the other Disney counter service places that now give you a small cup, Starbucks gave her their big cups full of ice water.

This is what I wanted at Starbucks in AK in June. The employee acted like I was the worst person on earth for asking and wouldn't give it to me.

The CM at FP then told us we needed to see the DAS CM. I asked where that was and he pointed clear across the walkway near the Rivers of Light seating area.

Strange.

He told him that he had a gift for him from Mickey and handed him the bar. R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly

That's Disney magic! Just what you needed on this day.

Logisitically, that would work. We’d also throw a lot of food away. We probably had plenty of snack credits to do that, and just get a couple of orders of fries for everyone to share but I wasn’t thinking about it that rationally at the time.

I would, again, have reacted the same way. Especially since you specifically asked and waited in line when you could've mobile ordered otherwise.

 

[MeghanEmily]

After we reunited, I got the lowdown on the bus situation. Apparently there was a relatively large family. They sent momma out to wait for the bus. She was ECV number 1. She boarded and then made a bit fuss to the bus driver about waiting for her husband (ECV 2). But it wasn't just him. There was a group of about 6 that came out with him. One of them apparently got a little too thirsty and couldn't wait until they got to EPCOT. He cracked a cold one open on the bus. The bus driver heard/saw the beer being opened and immediately pulled over to the side of the road and made him get out and dump the beer out along the side of the road.

Oh my goodness!! That's wild! People are nuts. Especially at Disney World.

Unpopular opinion, but I’ve never been a huge fan of it. The transitions from scene to scene even in the original made it hard for me to really buy into the feeling of flying and the new version with it’s over use of CGI and curved landmarks is just bad. It was always a ride that we do, but it just hasn’t ever really been my favorite.

This is a fair assessment, totally. I like Soarin' a lot, but I think the scene transitions are laughable, and I find it incredibly frustrating that you can only have a reasonably satisfying non-curved experience from the middle section (and even that's a little iffy.)

We walked out of the Land and headed to the exit as the fireworks were going off for Illuminations. I high fived L and B and told them they did a good job that day. We managed to spend all day in EPCOT from Rope Drop to closing time! They did a lot of walking that day, and frankly, they were very well behaved.

Awesome! Good for them! Getting through a Disney day and behaving well can be a challenge for a lot of adults.

DW always complains about the amount of walking in that park to get from place to place and I can’t blame her

I mean, she's not wrong. I'm a big fan of AK, but the walking is pretty crazy and definitely inefficient at times.

They were in such a hurry that they didn’t care about inconveniencing anyone else. And they didn’t even take the time to turn the engine off.



I’m sure I looked like a jerk here. This guy was all concerned and worried.



As soon as he told me that, I started laughing.

Oh my gosh!!

The CM on the PA system was actually trying to be engaging and entertaining. I almost wondered if she had been a JC Skipper at some point in time

I think some of the CMs who work the tram, the ones who really give it their all, are seriously hidden Disney gems! Some of my favourite quotes from our last couple of trips have been from CMs on the tram. If it weren't such brutal work, especially out on the asphalt in the summer, and dealing with disgruntled people who want to get into/out of the parks, I would totally want to do this job.

The CM at the register was getting ready to check me out when another CM named Tony walked up and told her to stop. He grabbed a bar out of the cooler and walked around to the stroller. He kneeled down to R and started talking to him. He told him that he had a gift for him from Mickey and handed him the bar. R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly



I can’t get him to do that.

Wow! That's so awesome! All it takes is that extra bit of time and pixie dust to really turn a moment around. And Tony is obviously a toddler whisperer.

And it was kind of becoming a matter of principle. I’d asked out front, I’d waited in the line, and then was told the answer I got out front was wrong and I was out of luck.

I would be FUMING. I don't blame you at all for your reaction. I hope the day started to turn around for you soon.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Hey Andy, I'm short on time for much commenting, but I just had to write a quick "I've been there" after reading your last update. I hate getting frustrated at Disney, but it happens. I hope the rest of the day went better.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Parking Lot Road Rage

That is NOT a good name for this. Yikes!

They were in such a hurry that they didn’t care about inconveniencing anyone else. And they didn’t even take the time to turn the engine off.

This is hilarious!

e’d just go to Na’vi River Journey (AKA It’s a Small Moon)

I love the name.

B kept trying to hang on DW and me and it was getting kind of frustrating.

Ugh, Gwen does this and it is so annoying!

She got some drink that I probably can’t pronounce and a pastry of some sort that would be massively overpriced making for a pretty decent snack credit use.

Ha! I hate the sizing names. I just say medium.

.*

*only if the line wasn’t stupid long, which it usually was.

I barely never see a stupid long line.

He grabbed a bar out of the cooler and walked around to the stroller. He kneeled down to R and started talking to him. He told him that he had a gift for him from Mickey and handed him the bar. R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly



I can’t get him to do that.



For the frustration that had been building, this was a welcome blessing of Disney magic. I couldn’t thank him enough

Amazing!

Maybe after some fries and getting off our feet in the AC, everyone would be in a better mood.

I hope so!!!

 

[cindianne320]

What a frustrating morning! I'm glad the CM had a little pixie dust in store. I'd be mad about the fries, too!

I have to ask- what does DAS Cast Member mean?

 

[Steppesister]

Hey Andy, trying desperately to get caught back up and picking up here with abbreviated quoting. Forgive me. But I loved this chapter about my favorite park! I wish it had been a bit less.... frustrating at times for you.

It was our third day, a Tuesday morning. We were planning to go to Animal Kingdom. If you didn’t read the PTR, I’ll share here. AK isn’t our favorite park. Yes, it’s well themed and it is a Disney park, so I’d rather be there than most other places. But when stacked against some of the other places in Disney World, it just isn’t our favorite. DW always complains about the amount of walking in that park to get from place to place and I can’t blame her, but I think that’s one factor. For some reason, whenever we’re in that park, we just all collectively tend to let negativity sink in a bit.

Such a shame. But you know me.... LOL!

Instead, she stood right in front of me and gave me the death stare. She looked at me as if I had committed some horrendous act by trying to pull into the parking spot beside her as the CM directed me to do.

Just. Wow.

The last truck had just been filled and she asked the kids where they wanted to sit. So we got a front row seat.

Nice!! Love this!

*only if the line wasn’t stupid long, which it usually was.

This.

R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly



I can’t get him to do that.

You could always get a job as a CM.

I was mad. Again, it wasn’t the smoothest morning. The accumulation of small frustrations was getting to me. Flametree is one of my favorite QS places and I was craving some BBQ. But I didn’t want to say the words that were starting to pop into my head so I just turned around and walked away from the register.

Yeah, in that case probably best to just walk away.

 

[pkondz]

I think the addition of another worthy top tier FP (Frozen) and the addition of the third theater really helped with this one in a major way.

And also... the novelty wore off. I remember reading that Soarin' was the best ride in all of Disney. And perhaps it was for a while.
But newer things come along and the same crowd that was lined up for Soarin', then lined up for Frozen... then 7DMT... then SDD.... FoP… SWGE... you get the idea.

I only admit I'm wrong when I'm proven wrong!

Attaboy.

For some reason, I doubt they have a standard operating procedure for this. Probably the bus driver making it up on the fly.

Probably. I've never heard of that!

DW always complains about the amount of walking in that park to get from place to place

It's a big park...
MK 43 ha
DHS 55 ha
Epcot 121 ha
AK 235 ha

In order for this to work, we’d need to get to AK early, brave the rush to FoP and then change that FP to Na’vi River Journey or try to do it standby while we’re there. Easy peasy.

Oh sure... what could possibly go wrong????

Some of us were up and ready in time. The other one was ready at about 8:20.

I was already anxious and a bit frustrated because we were running so late so I wasn’t in the best mood.

Yeah, I can see that. Were you stamping your foot and pointedly looking at your watch/phone?

I had to lock up my brakes just to keep from running over her.

Some people are oblivious.

Instead, she stood right in front of me and gave me the death stare.

"Ma'am, would you mind looking indignant off to the side?"

I looked at the CM in front of my car who was still standing there waving at me to pull forward. I pointed at this lady standing in front of me leaving me unable to do as he asked.
He just shrugged and moved on to the next car.

I'm not really surprised. There are lots of cars coming in. If he stays at one due to a relatively minor issue (maybe not to you, but in the grand scheme of things), then all the vehicles behind you will begin to pile up.

I was fuming.

So would I. "Move your asthma!"

I was getting the stroller set up and putting R in when someone walked up to me and asked if I knew the people in that van.

"Oh, I know them. Or at least that type. Inconsiderate morons..."

But no... he was concerned because the van was still running.

Perfect!!!

As soon as he told me that, I started laughing.

I would've too! I mean... it's just so perfect!

I assumed it was one of the systems where you can start the van with the key in your pocket and I figured that once they got far enough away it would shut off anyway.

Oh, I hope not. I hope they came back, very, very late and extremely tired... and had to call for some gas... and then ran out before they got to a gas station.

After that fun, we headed up to the parking tram for a fun ride to AK. The CM on the PA system was actually trying to be engaging and entertaining. I almost wondered if she had been a JC Skipper at some point in time, but after the parking lot experience it was nice to kind of relieve some of the tension and smile a little bit.

I can almost feel your shoulders going down...

The CM holding the sign for the end of the line to FoP was somewhere between Asia and DInoland.

I'm not entirely sure if you're kidding or not.

Instead, we decided we’d just go to Na’vi River Journey (AKA It’s a Small Moon) and we’d be in AK until later in the afternoon to use that FP.

The posted wait was 45 minutes.

Right now (see above comment re Soarin'...) that's about as good as it gets for that ride.

The last truck had just been filled and she asked the kids where they wanted to sit. So we got a front row seat.

Nice!

but you’ve all seen the giraffes, elephants and animatronic sleeping lions anyway.

Many, many times.

We stopped by Starbucks (not my choice).

Dude! Kusafiri was right there!

Starbucks gave her their big cups full of ice water. This was our find of the week and Starbucks became the place we’d look for when we needed ice water.*

*only if the line wasn’t stupid long, which it usually was.

Good tip!
I rarely drink "just" water, but if I do...

He was still cranky and throwing a fit. The CM at the register was getting ready to check me out when another CM named Tony walked up and told her to stop. He grabbed a bar out of the cooler and walked around to the stroller. He kneeled down to R and started talking to him. He told him that he had a gift for him from Mickey and handed him the bar. R went from whining and crying to smiling almost instantly

Disney magic! You got some! You sure needed it this day.

It was lunch time and we wanted some Flame Tree. The kids wanted fries and B was in a mood that we knew that she wasn’t going to eat something else. With the heat and everything else, we knew we had to get something she’d eat or the afternoon would be a disaster. I knew Flametree had fries on the menu as a snack, but mobile ordering wouldn’t let me switch them as a side option. We decided to head over and ask about it, because DW mentioned she'd rather have fries than the listed sides too and all that fries talk was starting to make me crave them too.

Sheesh... it's 4:45am and now I'm craving fries!

We asked the CM out front handing out menus if we could substitute fries for the sides listed with the meals on the menu. She told us we could do that, so we got in what was a fairly long line. I didn’t time it, but we were there a while. When we finally got to the register, I ordered the first meal and asked to substitute fries for the sides. The CM at the register informed me that they can’t do that.

D'oh!

This is a theory of mine. Since CMs are prevented from saying "I don't know", I think some just say what they think is right, because it's easier to give out potentially incorrect (but hopefully correct) information than to physically go and find out the right answer.

I’d asked out front, I’d waited in the line, and then was told the answer I got out front was wrong and I was out of luck.

uh, oh...

I was mad. Again, it wasn’t the smoothest morning.

Maybe after some fries and getting off our feet in the AC, everyone would be in a better mood.

Gawd, I hope so. It's been a pretty rough one so far.