WDWFRK
04-06-2014, 02:35 PM
Day 3 Thursday 3/13—Check-out and DTD
It was nice to sleep in a bit today after the go-go-go of the last couple of days. We got ready and checked out right around 11. It was a bit chilly and windy today—yuck. I thought I had left that behind in Nebraska! The luggage was lugged to the car, and then we went to the bus depot to wait for a DTD bus. There was a CM there with an iPad telling us where the bus was and how long it would take to get to our resort. We waited a REALLY long time for this bus, which was my karmic payback for just yesterday talking about how short all of our bus waits had been. I also mentioned that we had yet to be on a bus with any ECVs. A second payback would come later on the way back to the BC.
After arriving at DTD, we walked around a bit, checked out the construction (lots of wall up), looked at the new food trucks (cool idea), and then it was time for our 12:30 lunch at Raglan Road. This was my first meal here, and I really enjoyed it, especially the Pear Cider. I forgot to try the bread pudding, though, so we will have to go back.
We stopped in the World of Disney store to peek in the BBB, and then we shopped for some gifts in Basin before heading back to the BC. Of course, not before our return bus ride involved loading not one, but two ECVs. (I’m not bashing ECV riders; I understand they are a necessity for most of the people who use them, but they do slow things down.)
We grabbed some snacks for the road from The Beach Club Marketplace, and DH got a fountain soda. Since there seemed to be little monitoring of the pop machines here, I had been wondering how they kept people from refilling the same disposable cup over and over. Well, duh! I knew about the RFID chips in the refillable mugs, but it hadn’t occurred to me that they could do that on a disposable cup, too! There was a little sticker/chip on the bottom of the cup. Of course, DH had to jack around with it to see how/if it worked by drinking and refilling a few times. The chip did its job.
Final Thoughts:
Magic Bands and FP+--We all LOVED the Magic Bands. They worked every time with no problems at the park entrances, rides, restaurants, and hotel doors. Even though getting the FP+ booked before the trip was a major pain, everything worked out fine while we were there. My only complaint, which it sounds like is going to be addressed, was that we couldn’t make FP for more than one park. The trick with the Fastpass+ and only being able to get FP for one park each day is that you must utilize early mornings or very late evenings to avoid long waits.
There were a TON of CMs scattered all around every park with iPads, ready to help guests with FP reservations. Don’t stop at the group right at the entrance to the parks—we saw people waiting in line for help when they could’ve just walked a bit further into the park and found CMs standing around with nothing to do.
We were there during the busy Spring Break season, but I still managed to see just about everything I wanted to and never waited in line for anything longer than 25 minutes. I used the MDE app on my phone constantly to check wait times and it seemed to be accurate most of the time. I think if you know the parks well and remain somewhat flexible in when you ride things, the FP+ will not cause you any trouble. It’s just new and different; no one likes change, but it is what it is so embrace it!
Beach Club Villas—I love the location of the BC and have always wanted to stay here; it just can’t be beat for getting to EC easily. Again, I do not want to seem ungrateful as my parents used their DVC points for the room, but the room itself was a bit disappointing for a couple of reasons.
First of all, we ended up getting a wheelchair-accessible room which means no bathtub and absolutely NO shelving in the bathroom. Well, unless you count the two-inch by twelve-inch strip of wood across the sink. We all had to just put our stuff around the perimeter of the floor. I HATE to put stuff on the bathroom floor! The bathroom also had a pocket door which I don’t like either; at least this one didn’t squeak when being opened and closed.
Second of all, the room was kind of beat up. The cabinets in the kitchenette had no glass in them--just open lattice work. I suppose that could’ve been by design, but I got the sense that the glass had been broken and not replaced. The sink had no nozzle, just an exposed screw top. The pocket door on the bathroom was covered with black scuff marks, like it had been banged into. A lot.
The Beach Club itself is a lovely resort, but this particular room just didn’t do a lot for me. I loved the pool areas, the lobby, the grounds, and the general décor of the resort.
Food—I was a completely devoted fan of the Main Street Bakery, and I am so disappointed with the change to Starbucks. We went in just to check out the changes, and it is, indeed, just a fancified Starbucks. All of the menu items are what you can find in any other Starbucks. I will not be eating here anymore. :(
Since this was such a whirlwind trip, I don’t have a lot to say about the food other than I like that they have begun to offer one main queue that feeds into all of the individual registers at the Backlot Express and Columbia Harbour House with a CM kind of directing traffic. Oh, and could someone please explain the menu choices at Gaston's Tavern? :confused: Would you like a cinnamon roll or a pork shank? Or perhaps some hummus?
Short trip vs. No trip—It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do a full-on, week-long, Disney only trip, but I’ve managed to pack a lot into these short spring break trips and they are enough to just take the edge off of my insatiable WDW cravings. Even with all of the changes, positive and negative, I will ALWAYS love coming here and try to enjoy every minute that I’m lucky enough to be there. Thanks for reading!:mickey:
It was nice to sleep in a bit today after the go-go-go of the last couple of days. We got ready and checked out right around 11. It was a bit chilly and windy today—yuck. I thought I had left that behind in Nebraska! The luggage was lugged to the car, and then we went to the bus depot to wait for a DTD bus. There was a CM there with an iPad telling us where the bus was and how long it would take to get to our resort. We waited a REALLY long time for this bus, which was my karmic payback for just yesterday talking about how short all of our bus waits had been. I also mentioned that we had yet to be on a bus with any ECVs. A second payback would come later on the way back to the BC.
After arriving at DTD, we walked around a bit, checked out the construction (lots of wall up), looked at the new food trucks (cool idea), and then it was time for our 12:30 lunch at Raglan Road. This was my first meal here, and I really enjoyed it, especially the Pear Cider. I forgot to try the bread pudding, though, so we will have to go back.
We stopped in the World of Disney store to peek in the BBB, and then we shopped for some gifts in Basin before heading back to the BC. Of course, not before our return bus ride involved loading not one, but two ECVs. (I’m not bashing ECV riders; I understand they are a necessity for most of the people who use them, but they do slow things down.)
We grabbed some snacks for the road from The Beach Club Marketplace, and DH got a fountain soda. Since there seemed to be little monitoring of the pop machines here, I had been wondering how they kept people from refilling the same disposable cup over and over. Well, duh! I knew about the RFID chips in the refillable mugs, but it hadn’t occurred to me that they could do that on a disposable cup, too! There was a little sticker/chip on the bottom of the cup. Of course, DH had to jack around with it to see how/if it worked by drinking and refilling a few times. The chip did its job.
Final Thoughts:
Magic Bands and FP+--We all LOVED the Magic Bands. They worked every time with no problems at the park entrances, rides, restaurants, and hotel doors. Even though getting the FP+ booked before the trip was a major pain, everything worked out fine while we were there. My only complaint, which it sounds like is going to be addressed, was that we couldn’t make FP for more than one park. The trick with the Fastpass+ and only being able to get FP for one park each day is that you must utilize early mornings or very late evenings to avoid long waits.
There were a TON of CMs scattered all around every park with iPads, ready to help guests with FP reservations. Don’t stop at the group right at the entrance to the parks—we saw people waiting in line for help when they could’ve just walked a bit further into the park and found CMs standing around with nothing to do.
We were there during the busy Spring Break season, but I still managed to see just about everything I wanted to and never waited in line for anything longer than 25 minutes. I used the MDE app on my phone constantly to check wait times and it seemed to be accurate most of the time. I think if you know the parks well and remain somewhat flexible in when you ride things, the FP+ will not cause you any trouble. It’s just new and different; no one likes change, but it is what it is so embrace it!
Beach Club Villas—I love the location of the BC and have always wanted to stay here; it just can’t be beat for getting to EC easily. Again, I do not want to seem ungrateful as my parents used their DVC points for the room, but the room itself was a bit disappointing for a couple of reasons.
First of all, we ended up getting a wheelchair-accessible room which means no bathtub and absolutely NO shelving in the bathroom. Well, unless you count the two-inch by twelve-inch strip of wood across the sink. We all had to just put our stuff around the perimeter of the floor. I HATE to put stuff on the bathroom floor! The bathroom also had a pocket door which I don’t like either; at least this one didn’t squeak when being opened and closed.
Second of all, the room was kind of beat up. The cabinets in the kitchenette had no glass in them--just open lattice work. I suppose that could’ve been by design, but I got the sense that the glass had been broken and not replaced. The sink had no nozzle, just an exposed screw top. The pocket door on the bathroom was covered with black scuff marks, like it had been banged into. A lot.
The Beach Club itself is a lovely resort, but this particular room just didn’t do a lot for me. I loved the pool areas, the lobby, the grounds, and the general décor of the resort.
Food—I was a completely devoted fan of the Main Street Bakery, and I am so disappointed with the change to Starbucks. We went in just to check out the changes, and it is, indeed, just a fancified Starbucks. All of the menu items are what you can find in any other Starbucks. I will not be eating here anymore. :(
Since this was such a whirlwind trip, I don’t have a lot to say about the food other than I like that they have begun to offer one main queue that feeds into all of the individual registers at the Backlot Express and Columbia Harbour House with a CM kind of directing traffic. Oh, and could someone please explain the menu choices at Gaston's Tavern? :confused: Would you like a cinnamon roll or a pork shank? Or perhaps some hummus?
Short trip vs. No trip—It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do a full-on, week-long, Disney only trip, but I’ve managed to pack a lot into these short spring break trips and they are enough to just take the edge off of my insatiable WDW cravings. Even with all of the changes, positive and negative, I will ALWAYS love coming here and try to enjoy every minute that I’m lucky enough to be there. Thanks for reading!:mickey: