tundra1
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2019
Hi Everyone, 
We have been back from our Disney Adventure for a week, and I am still going through all my pictures, but we had the best time ever! I learned a lot about navigating Disney along the way, and my entire family had a truly magical time! If any of you have not seen the saga we went through to get there, please read my pre-trip report here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/yes-we-are-still-going.3804486.
As the numbers of positive cases climbed in the ER where I work, I was so worried one of us would come down with Covid-19 prior to our trip. I told my kids they had to avoid crowds and everyone was taking vitamins, and we all remained healthy!
Our trip started out a bit rough.
Back in October, I had gone to the United Airlines website to check on how full our plane was, and discovered that our original flight was cancelled and merged with a flight leaving a half hour later. Our arrival time was pushed back by 20 minutes, but worst of all, the excellent seats I had paid extra to reserve were now gone, and instead of sitting one adult with one child per row at the back of a DC-10, we were either going to sit 3 in a row, or we were going to have to sit next to someone outside our family. Either way, I was scrambling. The day before our trip, I got an email that our plane was being swapped out for one that was longer, and our seats were again moved. We were split up pretty significantly, and Charlie, the 2 year old, was placed by himself, on an aisle. 
I'm sorry, but the poor people who would have sat next to him did not deserve that!
So, I tried to move our seats myself, but the entire coach area of the plane was full except for one middle seat several aisles in front of us. However there were seats available in the premium economy section, so I got on the phone with United, and pled my case. It was not ideal, but I finally was able to move my son, his wife, the 2 year old, and the baby to 3 seats together in aisle 15 (with extra leg room), and then move my husband, the 7 year old and the 4 year old to aisle 34 and me one row across the aisle behind him. ( Trust me, my husband wanted to sit with the two boys! He has been babysitting them 3-4 days per week since the schools closed, so they already had their routines. ) Anyway, because of the struggles, I did get reimbursed for the added costs of the seat assignments that no longer existed, and it all worked out.
By the time we left the next day, the plane was completely full. I was nervous flying for 3 hours in a full airplane, but overall, I was very impressed with the precautions that United had taken. The plane smelled like disinfectant when we boarded, and the flight attendants handed out alcohol wipes to each passenger as they boarded so they could wipe down their armrests, seat tray, etc. All the vents were open and the air was flowing, and we could see the air filters that had been installed in the passenger section. Once they finished with first class, families with infants, people with disabilities, and military personnel, they loaded the plane back to front, ignoring the boarding group number on the tickets. We were at the back of the plane, and so we boarded with the kids shortly after my son had gone on with the baby and the 2 year old. We had a double stroller which we used to navigate O'Hare and the parks, and the airline personnel tagged that at the gate and stored it under the plane during our flight. There was no extra baggage charge for the stroller.
The Disney Magic started early for us! As I was going into the plane with the 4 year old and the 7 year old, the pilot was standing near the entrance greeting passengers. I mentioned that it was the first time my grandsons were flying, and he asked them if they wanted to visit the cockpit and see what pilots do! So, the two boys and I squeezed into the cockpit, and Neil, the co-pilot, showed them all around! The 4 year old was very concerned about the seat belts, and he even got buckled into the pilot's seat and determined that the pilot and co-pilot would be very safe. My older grandson was interested in all the instruments and asked lots of questions. By the time we were done, the plane was almost completely loaded and we took off shortly afterwards.
The flight itself was fairly uneventful. No one around us was coughing, and everyone was respectful of others. The flight attendants passed out snack bags that had a small bottle of water and 2 snacks (a stroopwafel and a bag of pretzels), and came around to pass out beverages from their cart. They were wearing masks, face shields, and gloves, and when asked, the flight attendant by us said she felt well protected. Once we landed, the passengers got off the plane from the front to the back, and everyone was again respectful of others.
Once inside MCO, we made our way to the baggage claim. The kids enjoyed their first monorail ride from the terminal to concourse B, and we found our luggage easily. Meanwhile, my daughter was flying in from Newark, with her plane due to arrive at 1:00pm. She flew Jet Blue, and they are still keeping middle seats open. Her flight got in early, and she was waiting for us at the United baggage claim, already pulling off our luggage from the belt. We then made our way down to the lower level to catch the Disney's Magical Express.
This is where my research failed me. I should have followed the crowd, but we found a set of chairs for the family, and then I walked all the way to the back of a very long line, thinking I was going to get a ticket or something to allow us to board. When I got to the front of the line (which moved very quickly), the attendant asked where everyone was. So, I had to step out of line, round up the 9 of us, and then go back to the desk to be assigned a bus number. We were then assigned a row to stand in, and watched what should have been our bus depart from the terminal. After about 10 minutes, the CM assigning busses was able to get us on a bus that had room for 9 people, and we were able to board. Our line said Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian Resort, Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower (BLT), but we ended up going to Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and then Bay Lake Tower. Wow, those two other resorts are huge!
We finally arrived at BLT around 2:30 pm, which was just under 2 hours after landing in Orlando. The kids were so excited to get there! Our room ready text had popped up while we were on the bus, and we headed up to room 8217. I was hoping for a room on the outside curve of the building, but instead got the center of the inner curve. Because we were renting points, I could only make two basic room requests, and I picked Higher floor, and having a room ready early over location preference. It was fine. We had plenty of room, a beautiful view of the lake, and were high enough that the noise from the pool did not bother anyone taking naps. The room was beautiful, in good condition, and the three bathrooms were much appreciated! We had a dedicated 2 bedroom villa, which had a king size bed in the master suite with a jacuzzi tub, a second bedroom with 2 queen beds, and a living room with a pull out sofa bed and a chair that converted into a twin bed. The three boys slept in the living room, and the adults used the two bedrooms. I called for a crib for the baby, and they brought a really nice crib vs. the pack and play I was expecting. The kitchen had nice stainless steel appliances and the place was spotless!
I had planned for a grocery delivery and checked out all the options. Instacart via Publix was pretty good, but the same grocery order from Walmart was $35 less expensive, and Walmart had delivery times by the hour, vs the 2-4 hour window of other services. So, I had arranged for a 3-4pm delivery time, which was perfect! I ordered diapers, wipes, sunscreen, lysol spray, liquid hand soap, plus groceries to make breakfast and lunch for the kids and adults who returned to the resort for naps and swimming. The driver sent me a text when he was at Walmart, and another one when he was on his way. He then texted me when he pulled into the resort entranceway. I headed downstairs, borrowed a cart from Bell Services, and as I was walking outside, he pulled up in his vehicle. All the produce was perfect. I would definitely use Walmart again! It was very easy to order on line, and there were no issues with missing items. The driver was very pleasant and helped to load the cart.
By 4pm, we had unpacked and were ready to head out the door to Epcot for dinner. I was so excited! Spaceship Earth...here we come!
We have been back from our Disney Adventure for a week, and I am still going through all my pictures, but we had the best time ever! I learned a lot about navigating Disney along the way, and my entire family had a truly magical time! If any of you have not seen the saga we went through to get there, please read my pre-trip report here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/yes-we-are-still-going.3804486.
As the numbers of positive cases climbed in the ER where I work, I was so worried one of us would come down with Covid-19 prior to our trip. I told my kids they had to avoid crowds and everyone was taking vitamins, and we all remained healthy!
Our trip started out a bit rough.
Back in October, I had gone to the United Airlines website to check on how full our plane was, and discovered that our original flight was cancelled and merged with a flight leaving a half hour later. Our arrival time was pushed back by 20 minutes, but worst of all, the excellent seats I had paid extra to reserve were now gone, and instead of sitting one adult with one child per row at the back of a DC-10, we were either going to sit 3 in a row, or we were going to have to sit next to someone outside our family. Either way, I was scrambling. The day before our trip, I got an email that our plane was being swapped out for one that was longer, and our seats were again moved. We were split up pretty significantly, and Charlie, the 2 year old, was placed by himself, on an aisle. I'm sorry, but the poor people who would have sat next to him did not deserve that!So, I tried to move our seats myself, but the entire coach area of the plane was full except for one middle seat several aisles in front of us. However there were seats available in the premium economy section, so I got on the phone with United, and pled my case. It was not ideal, but I finally was able to move my son, his wife, the 2 year old, and the baby to 3 seats together in aisle 15 (with extra leg room), and then move my husband, the 7 year old and the 4 year old to aisle 34 and me one row across the aisle behind him. ( Trust me, my husband wanted to sit with the two boys! He has been babysitting them 3-4 days per week since the schools closed, so they already had their routines. ) Anyway, because of the struggles, I did get reimbursed for the added costs of the seat assignments that no longer existed, and it all worked out.
By the time we left the next day, the plane was completely full. I was nervous flying for 3 hours in a full airplane, but overall, I was very impressed with the precautions that United had taken. The plane smelled like disinfectant when we boarded, and the flight attendants handed out alcohol wipes to each passenger as they boarded so they could wipe down their armrests, seat tray, etc. All the vents were open and the air was flowing, and we could see the air filters that had been installed in the passenger section. Once they finished with first class, families with infants, people with disabilities, and military personnel, they loaded the plane back to front, ignoring the boarding group number on the tickets. We were at the back of the plane, and so we boarded with the kids shortly after my son had gone on with the baby and the 2 year old. We had a double stroller which we used to navigate O'Hare and the parks, and the airline personnel tagged that at the gate and stored it under the plane during our flight. There was no extra baggage charge for the stroller.
The Disney Magic started early for us! As I was going into the plane with the 4 year old and the 7 year old, the pilot was standing near the entrance greeting passengers. I mentioned that it was the first time my grandsons were flying, and he asked them if they wanted to visit the cockpit and see what pilots do! So, the two boys and I squeezed into the cockpit, and Neil, the co-pilot, showed them all around! The 4 year old was very concerned about the seat belts, and he even got buckled into the pilot's seat and determined that the pilot and co-pilot would be very safe. My older grandson was interested in all the instruments and asked lots of questions. By the time we were done, the plane was almost completely loaded and we took off shortly afterwards.
The flight itself was fairly uneventful. No one around us was coughing, and everyone was respectful of others. The flight attendants passed out snack bags that had a small bottle of water and 2 snacks (a stroopwafel and a bag of pretzels), and came around to pass out beverages from their cart. They were wearing masks, face shields, and gloves, and when asked, the flight attendant by us said she felt well protected. Once we landed, the passengers got off the plane from the front to the back, and everyone was again respectful of others.
Once inside MCO, we made our way to the baggage claim. The kids enjoyed their first monorail ride from the terminal to concourse B, and we found our luggage easily. Meanwhile, my daughter was flying in from Newark, with her plane due to arrive at 1:00pm. She flew Jet Blue, and they are still keeping middle seats open. Her flight got in early, and she was waiting for us at the United baggage claim, already pulling off our luggage from the belt. We then made our way down to the lower level to catch the Disney's Magical Express.
This is where my research failed me. I should have followed the crowd, but we found a set of chairs for the family, and then I walked all the way to the back of a very long line, thinking I was going to get a ticket or something to allow us to board. When I got to the front of the line (which moved very quickly), the attendant asked where everyone was. So, I had to step out of line, round up the 9 of us, and then go back to the desk to be assigned a bus number. We were then assigned a row to stand in, and watched what should have been our bus depart from the terminal. After about 10 minutes, the CM assigning busses was able to get us on a bus that had room for 9 people, and we were able to board. Our line said Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian Resort, Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower (BLT), but we ended up going to Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and then Bay Lake Tower. Wow, those two other resorts are huge!
We finally arrived at BLT around 2:30 pm, which was just under 2 hours after landing in Orlando. The kids were so excited to get there! Our room ready text had popped up while we were on the bus, and we headed up to room 8217. I was hoping for a room on the outside curve of the building, but instead got the center of the inner curve. Because we were renting points, I could only make two basic room requests, and I picked Higher floor, and having a room ready early over location preference. It was fine. We had plenty of room, a beautiful view of the lake, and were high enough that the noise from the pool did not bother anyone taking naps. The room was beautiful, in good condition, and the three bathrooms were much appreciated! We had a dedicated 2 bedroom villa, which had a king size bed in the master suite with a jacuzzi tub, a second bedroom with 2 queen beds, and a living room with a pull out sofa bed and a chair that converted into a twin bed. The three boys slept in the living room, and the adults used the two bedrooms. I called for a crib for the baby, and they brought a really nice crib vs. the pack and play I was expecting. The kitchen had nice stainless steel appliances and the place was spotless!
I had planned for a grocery delivery and checked out all the options. Instacart via Publix was pretty good, but the same grocery order from Walmart was $35 less expensive, and Walmart had delivery times by the hour, vs the 2-4 hour window of other services. So, I had arranged for a 3-4pm delivery time, which was perfect! I ordered diapers, wipes, sunscreen, lysol spray, liquid hand soap, plus groceries to make breakfast and lunch for the kids and adults who returned to the resort for naps and swimming. The driver sent me a text when he was at Walmart, and another one when he was on his way. He then texted me when he pulled into the resort entranceway. I headed downstairs, borrowed a cart from Bell Services, and as I was walking outside, he pulled up in his vehicle. All the produce was perfect. I would definitely use Walmart again! It was very easy to order on line, and there were no issues with missing items. The driver was very pleasant and helped to load the cart.
By 4pm, we had unpacked and were ready to head out the door to Epcot for dinner. I was so excited! Spaceship Earth...here we come!
I know you were on the fence, but we really had a great time and felt VERY safe. The numbers of positive cases in WI were higher than the numbers down in Florida. and being outdoors so much, I never felt in danger. 
My workplace stopped telling the staff that they could not travel, so that was no longer an issue.
I will definitely use them the next time we travel.
I learned so much from reading other trip reports, that I thought I would pay back the favor. Thanks for reading!
I can't wait to see how they decorated Epcot for Christmas!
