What the heck? Is this allowed? The mickeystoontown gang is back in the World and together again! Updated 4/13 x 6

[mickeystoontown]

Wolfgang Puck Express is definitely a fantastic QS! We have eaten there several times and it's been delicious each time. And I do the same thing as you do, walk around and find a ton of things I want in that moment, but then come back later to buy what I actually still want at that time. Otherwise I would own one of almost everything there!

Guuuurrrrrllll, you and me both. I so wish that I had an unlimited spending budget at Disney. I'd come home with so much stuff!

So many good eats comin' your way! That bacon-wrapped meatloaf sammie sure caught my eye!

John has ordered it several times and has always given it two thumbs up.

Thanks for the bonus pictures. I especially like the one of John on the step stool and the story behind it.


I had to look back at my pictures from the 8th grade class trip because we stayed in the same spot as you had. Room 7763 in 2012 and Room 7915 in 2015.

I agree, not a bad walk to the lobby/front of the report.

Lots of folks complain about the walks around resorts but I haven't stayed anywhere that the walk was too long. Even at the larger resorts.


Same!

But still true for me. I'm not a shopper and there is plenty of places I like to eat in the theme parks.

I only like to shop when I am at a flea market or Disney.


I do regret that I have not dined here. All the reviews I have read are so positive!

This is a nice start to your Disney stay.

 

[mickeystoontown]

God is great! God is good! Let us thank Him for this Disney food! Let's eat!
Round 3

The beignets were just what we needed after our lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express and window shopping at Disney Springs. I had purchased a fountain drink and John a coffee. Before leaving, I got a refill at the station and took a couple of pictures to share.



The food court has been redone recently and there big Mardi Gras masks, beads and other decorations were gone. In their place were painted murals.




Before leaving, we made stops in the bathroom to wash our hands and make sure that the was no powdered sugar on us. If you've ever eaten a beignet, you know that they can get messy. That done, we made our way to the boat dock. The picture of John eating the beignet was taken a little after 2 p.m. and the next picture was taken at 2:38 p.m.



We had to wait a while to see if other guests would come to the dock.






Two others came onboard and then we were off.










**Continued in next post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

God is great! God is good! Let us thank Him for this Disney food! Let's eat! Round 3







We pulled into the dock that is located near Rainforest Cafe and were walking along the walkway when we saw this little cutie in the bushes.



One of the boat crew came by and saw us watching the cat. He said that there are several that "cat around" Disney Springs and Saratoga Springs and that they enjoy watching them as well. We wanted to get back to the resort and rest for a little while before it was time for Disney food round 3. We had a bit of a walk to the bus stops. As we were standing in line for All Star Movies, one of the newly wrapped Incredibles 2 bus was picking up guests at another resort stop.




Not long after we got to the stop, a bus pulled up and it simply said All Stars on it. We would be sharing a bus back to the resort. But, there were only about a dozen guests by the time the bus arrived. The driver asked who would need to stop at Sport, who needed to stop at Music and who needed to stop at Movies. All of us were going to Movies. He took us all straight there.

**Continued in next post​

 

[Donald - my hero]

OKIE DOKIE The Duck is in for another one of your trips! This is just craazzyy girl! We are starting with 2 nights at AllStars Moomies (as our family has always called movies with a looong drawn out, almost moo-ing sound ) and then moving to POFQ and your last set of pictures are just the perfect end to the relatively rotten day I'm having!
Ready for more fun!

 

[mickeystoontown]

OKIE DOKIE The Duck is in for another one of your trips! This is just craazzyy girl! We are starting with 2 nights at AllStars Moomies (as our family has always called movies with a looong drawn out, almost moo-ing sound ) and then moving to POFQ and your last set of pictures are just the perfect end to the relatively rotten day I'm having!
Ready for more fun!
View attachment 448626

Hi Jacqueline!So glad to see you again! I'm happy to know that my pictures and report helped you out of a rotten day. My last two days at work have been pretty darn crappy too. Writing about Disney keeps my mind off the "real life".

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

We'd be finishing up the drive across the Florida panhandle. We hadn't gone maybe 30 - 40 miles and we started noticing that the tree tops were looking odd. And then the tree tops were gone. Nothing but short stubby trunks left. And then no trees! We were entering where a recent hurricane had swept through the area and it was devastating!

Wow. I did that drive a couple of years ago and I'm sure it looks completely different now.

John got the chips from the snack bag as I was making the sandwiches. The temps were too cool to sit outside so we had to make due. Picnic a'la console.

Ah, yes, the car picnic. I've done that once or twice or 50 times.

It was just horrible and John and I talked about how people think they can ride out a hurricane.

Never a good idea.

John, in the meantime, asked me if I was excited to finally be here and put the camera in my face so that he could capture my expression. I squealed and almost choked on my Altoid.

When I look back at our earliest visits to Walt Disney World, we never even considered going to what was then Downtown Disney (a name that I find myself still using for Disney Springs).

It'll always be Downtown Disney to me.

We knew where we wanted to go. Our old stand-by. Wolfgang Puck Express.

I've never eaten there. But always heard great things. John's sandwich looks really good.

 

[Steppesister]

The food court has been redone recently and there big Mardi Gras masks, beads and other decorations were gone. In their place were painted murals.

I'll miss the old decor. I thought it was colorful and pretty. Although the new murals do look very nice.

Isn't that boatride the bomb? So relaxing and pretty!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'll miss the old decor. I thought it was colorful and pretty. Although the new murals do look very nice.

Isn't that boatride the bomb? So relaxing and pretty!

Coming from Louisiana, I thought that the Mardi Gras theme that was there before was more authentic. It truly looked like Mardi Gras.

 

[mickeystoontown]

God is great! God is good! Let us thank him for our Disney Food Amen!
Round 3

We shopped a little at Disney Springs and then made our way to the Disney's All Star Movies Resort bus stop. We wanted to drop off our purchases and freshen up a bit before we moved on to the next round of food.

As I said before, we were in The Love Bug section of the resort in Building 7. That area of the resort is pretty much a straight shot once you leave the main building. You just walk past the pool and straight back.

Lift up Herbie John! Show your muscles!


If you take a picture as a couple is it still a selfie?



I don't remember if I mentioned this before and if I did, just skip this part of the update. Actually, don't because I am adding more info to the story.

When we checked in, I had made small thank you gifts for our mousekeepers. They were small gifts. A few were cinnamon candies and then spearmint candies wrapped up in Christmas fabric. I had made a couple of lanyards and keychains. And there were some little Tabasco hot sauces.

We noticed, along the pathway, that there were red candy wrappers strewn along the walkway by the rooms. It was very obvious that they were from the gifts that I had made the housekeeper. There were also a few bits of paper here and there. Things like straw paper, a tag from a shirt, cigarette butts, etc. It wasn't anything horrible but it wasn't a pretty site either as some had blown into the landscaping as well. John and I both noticed it and we figured that the housekeepers or the lawn maintenance crew would pick it up as they made their way to that area of the resort.

We also noticed that there was a garbage can located near the elevator and it was completely full. Like overflowing full by the second day. And there was a smell coming from that area that smelled like, well, garbage. Sour garbage.

I made a mental note to see if it were still there the next day and it was. We had opted out of housekeeping and we were supposed to receive an egift card. I was told that if it didn't show up in my email to stop by the check in desk and they'd check into it for me.

So, while John took a short nap, I dropped off our packages and walked back to the front desk. While there, I mentioned the trash around our building and the overflowing garbage can. They said that they'd get with "them" and they'd get it taken care of. Mind you, I wasn't fussing or anything, just making them aware.

After being told that the gift card would be resent via email, I went on my merry way (get it?) and back to our room. But first, (channeling my inner Julie Chen Big Brother voice), I had to take a few pictures of the resort. Whamp whamp whamp. I took two. Two pictures. Don't worry, I took more the next morning.







My time at the front desk took over a half hour and I'll go ahead and tell you....I did not get the e gift card the second time either meaning I'd make another trip later.

Tonight, we'd be eating at an oldie but goodie and we were driving. Whaaaaat? We normally don't drive anywhere on Disney property. Once we arrive, we usually park the car and don't start it back up until the day we leave. However, the last time that we took a bus to the area where we were dining, it took us, and I'm not exaggerating, two hours by bus because of the multiple stops. That ain't happening this time. We were driving. Or I was driving. I mean, the two of us can't drive at the same time. And I'm not lettin' John behind the wheel of a car at Disney. The man can hardly drive between the lines at home.

I woke John up and filled him in on what happened at the front desk and the gift card and that I had mentioned the trash around our building. A little while later, we hopped in the car and headed to Disney's Beach Club Resort, my fellow Diser, Dee's home away from home.



The Christmas decorations were so pretty and the turning carousel was beautiful.



We didn't have a lot of time to dilly dally because we had a reservation at Beaches & Cream. While I am sad that we won't be able to eat there on our upcoming Thanksgiving trip, I am glad that they are expanding the size of the restaurant. It really was quite small making it really hard to get reservations there.

We checked in at the podium and were told that it would be a few minutes before we were seated. This was our view from the cute little soda shop style seats. You can see the lifeguard in a jacket and long pants. It was cold that evening and we could see only two people in the pool on the other side. But the lifeguards continued to walk back and forth in that area despite the fact that there were no guests swimming there.





About ten minutes after we checked in, our name was called and we were seated at one of the few tables in the middle of the restaurant. This was my view from the middle of the room. You can see how close we were to the counter.



John ordered a bowl of chili and I ordered the grilled cheese with tomato soup. I took pictures of both but for some reason my phone will not download the picture of my plate. So, you'll have to settle for just a picture of chili. But isn't it the most beautifulest picture of chili that you've ever seen?



Both of us were completely satisfied/full from our meal and there was really no room in our tummies for dessert so there was no No Way Jose ordered by John and I.

Once we were outside and back in the car, I had an idea.

**Up Next: We're close by! Why not stop? They'd love to see us!
​

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Sorry you had trouble with trash and your e-gift card. Ours showed up within minutes in January, but I heard a few people stating that they were having trouble getting theirs.

In all my visits I've never eaten at Beaches and Cream. I wont be on my next trip either, but we are thinking of doing a few ways at WDW before our cruise next year and if we do, we will then. That chili does look delicious!

 

[natebenma]

I enjoyed reading about your travel to and from Disney Springs.

How fun to see a cat on Disney grounds:




I didn't like the sound of the trash issues. I hope they were addressed after you pointed it out.

Of course, I LOVED your visit to the Beach Club. It really is home for me.

I'm hearing a possible date for Beaches & Cream to reopen after refurbishment is Jan 4.

 

[natebenma]

Duplicate Post

 

[rndmr2]

Nice updates, so sorry about your trash and gift card issues, hope they were resolved. I have never been to Beaches and Cream but I don't think I could go there and not get some sort of ice cream, even if I had to take it with me. Can't wait to hear more!

If you are interested, I started my TR from my Disneyland Paris trip already, we just got home last night.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/killing-2-birds-with-one-stone.3778988/

 

[Steppesister]

Still reading, Lisa, despite my commenting. Just letting you know I"m still here.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I always enjoy reading your trip reports. So happy I just found this one.

 

[mickeystoontown]

We're close by! Why not stop? They'd love to see us!

We left Disney's Beach Club around 8:45 p.m. with the intention of going straight back to All Star Movies. But, as we got to Buena Vista Drive, we had an idea. Why not go check out our old stomping grounds. I mean, we were close by? Why not stop? I'm sure they'd love to see us. Okay, so they wouldn't even know that we were there but why not?

We were close to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and were going to see what it looked like since our last visit there. Last time, it was tore up from the floor up. As in a temporary food court, no store, no pool bar an the new Riviera Resort was just a shell.

We got to the guard station and told them that we were there to take a look around and they waved us on in. I have no pictures of the outside of Old Port Royale because I was driving and it was dark. We parked at the front of the new Old Port Royale and walked into the brand new lobby. It was stunning! And I didn't take pictures. Y'all, I was falling down on my job.

We made a turn to our right and went into the store where there was holiday merchandise galore.



More pictures of the store:








These are in such random order. The beverage cooler was well stocked with sodas, juices, water, beer, wines and milk.



For those wanting some snack type foods for their room, they had an assortment to choose from:



Like all other Disney resorts, they also had some over the counter medicines like Benadryl, Claritin, Halls and Aleve. If you forgot your Blistex, shaving cream or deodorant, you can find them there. Have a blister? Disney has you covered....your blister covered. Feminine products, diapers, swimmers, stomach meds. and more could also be found.






There were mugs galore!



And pretty black and cream/off white kitchen decor



Continued in next post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

We're close by! Why not stop? They'd love to see us! cont'd

Looking for a plush? Magic Band or Bubble Wand? They've got them!







More of the black and cream/off white kitchen decor items



We didn't buy anything and wanted out into the new dining area where I took some pretty crappy pictures. This was the entrance to the grab n go area.



There were several people there and I didn't want to get in their way, so I took just a couple pictures:







I believe that this was a coffee/drink station area place a ma bob. The window to the left in the picture was the window where you picked up your food order.



Deeper into the new food court was the long counter where you find the cutlery and condiments.



We had come to the end of the new food court we we walked out the door and around to the pool. It was getting late and it was cool out so it was no wonder that there were hardly any people swimming (there was a couple of people outside the shot)

​

 

[mickeystoontown]

The gift card saga continues!

As I said many moons ago, we had been given the opportunity to receive an e gift card in lieu of mousekeeping. We were told that I would receive the e gift card by email. I didn't receive it the first day. I didn't receive it the second day so I went the front and was assured that it would be emailed. It wasn't. Today, I was making another trip to the front desk. I had to make sure that it was taken care of because we were officially checking out of our room only reservation and then in for our package reservation. I figured once we were checked out of the room only, there would be no way that I'd get them to send the e gift card.

I told John that I was going to the front desk and may wander a bit as well. He said that he was going to jump in the shower and would be ready when I got back. I knew better than to rely on that because he is as slow as molasses when it comes to getting ready and dressed.

The walk from our building in the Love Bug section wasn't long and I was soon at the main building. It was pretty crowded but most were going into the food court and to the buses. Or so I thought. I turned and there was a long line at the front desk. Cast members were positioned at the front of the line with ipads and were quickly directing the guests to the appropriate line. I told them what I needed and I was pointed in the right direction. And I waited. And waited. Others may have said screw it and forgotten the gift card. Not me. I was told that I would receive the gift card and I was going to get it. I was also going to mention that there was still trash on the ground all around our building. Obviously, they hadn't spoken with the mousekeepers about the problem.

After about a fifteen minute wait, a cast member came to greet me and walked with me to their station. She said that their records show that the gift card was sent to my email but that it was kicked back. Ummmm, it shouldn't have because she read the email back to me and it was correct. She called over someone else and they said that wasn't what happened. (I personally think she was just saying that as an excuse.) After about 15 minutes of tapping away on the computer, she said that she'd be right back. There was a cast member dressed in a suit and was obviously management. She had him look at the screen and he ended up just giving me a real plastic gift card.

While the management cast member was there, I told him about the trash around our building. He had a big frown on his face and asked how long it had been like that. I told him that it had been days and he didn't like that at all. He said that he would talk with "someone" about it and have it taken care of. He thanked us for our stay and said that he hoped we had a good trip home. I told him that we weren't leaving and would be staying another week and that it should have been noted on the reservation that it was a continuing reservation. He went back to the computer and confirmed that it was. He said that our room would be cleaned today since we would be beginning another reservation. He asked if I wanted to check out and back in right then. John was still in the room getting ready for the day and we weren't ready to get out and about yet so I told him that we would stop back by and check out and back in.

Forty-something minutes after entering the building, I walked out of the check in area with a gift card in hand.

Instead of going straight and towards the Love Bug section, I made a right and walked over to the 101 Dalmatians area of the resort.





And towards the Mighty Ducks section















Continued in next post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

What happened to grandfather?!?!

John surprised me. He was ready when I got back to the room. He said that Lacey had called and she and Hunter were up and on the second leg of their drive to Walt Disney World!

I forgot to mention that they had started the drive the evening before. Like John and I, they worked that day and didn't get to start the drive until after work. They both worked until 6:00 p.m. and left our house about 6:30 p.m. Lacey had ordered a pizza before she left work, picked it up on her way to our house and then picked up Hunter and his suitcase from our house. They ate pizza while they drove and laughed away the miles together.

I had booked their stay at the Baymont in Crestview, Florida the same time that I had booked our's. As you may recall (okay so you probably don't since it was forever ago), I had informed the desk clerk at Baymont that Lacey and Hunter were coming a few days later and that they would be paying cash and not to charge my debit card. They did anyway. And Lacey and Hunter paid cash so they got paid twice. And held onto my money until a couple weeks later.

They had gotten up this morning, checked out, filled up with gas and were on their way to meet up with us at Disney. Only they were 405 miles away.

After I had booked our package, I was told that our tickets were grandfathered in under their old ticket policy. Since we booked, they had changed to date specific tickets. John and I were going to add a day to our tickets and I was told by several cast members that this would be allowed as soon as we had checked in for the second reservation. I'm sure you can see where this is headed...................


John said that the kids had called and they were on their way. He and I were going to head to a park. Any park. As soon as we checked in and upgraded our tickets by a day. We locked up the room and head to the front desk. It was busy but not as busy as when I had visited earlier. We waited about ten minutes and were greeted by a cast member. I told her that we wanted to check out and then back in and add a day to our tickets.

Checking out was no big deal. It was done in two to three minutes. Checking in wasn't so easy. They had each of us as day guests. And that there were eight of us. Ummmm, people, rooms at your resort only allow four people. How could their be eight of us? And why would we all be day guests yet you see that I have a reservation? The cast member had to move computers twice and we followed her both times. Then she had to call over a manager. 30 minutes later, we were no longer showing up as day guests and we were down to just the four of us. However, we were told that it would cost John and I almost $200 to add a day to just our tickets. Not for all of us. Just John and I. What happened to being grandfathered in? We were suppose to just pay the difference between a 7 day ticket and an 8 day ticket.

We were told that they could call Guest Services but it would take a while. I did not want to wait forever and a day and I wasn't paying almost $200 for a half day in a park. We declined. Then, we were asked if we wanted to opt out of mousekeeping. Our room would be cleaned today and we'd receive a credit for every night thereafter. We decided to do it again and were once again told that they'd email it to us. Because we were having to adjust our plans for the day and weren't going to a park, we asked if they would make a notation that the room be cleaned early so that we could come back early afternoon and wait on Lacey and Hunter. They put the notation in the system and we were off. Again, 40+ minutes after we walked in.

Well, what were we going to do now? We were going to wing. This is where my pictures are few and my memory is fuzzy. We decided on going to Disney Springs to eat at Wolfgang Puck Express again and to window shop. There, I took one picture. One. One of the giant ornaments.




I know that we talked to Hunter and Lacey a couple of times. Each time, they were more and more excited and getting more and more silly. If that's possible. I mean,they are our kids. Silliness flows quite freely in our blood. We still had some time to kill so we got on a bus to Disney's Contemporary Resort. We hadn't seen their gingerbread display the year before so why not see it today. On a day where we had plenty of time to wander.







Their gingerbread display had a lot of hidden Mickeys and I think that we found all but two or three of them.

By this time, we were bored. Bored and no real place to go other than back to the resort. It was after 3 p.m. and our room should have been done and ready for us. We might take a nap and anxiously wait for the kids to call and tell us that they'd be there soon. We walked over to the Magic Kingdom and then over to the bus stops. (this was before the bag check and security stations had been moved). Because it wasn't peak traveling time to and from the resorts, we had a bit of a wait for a bus. We kept an eye on the bus stops for All Star Music and Sports and said that if a bus for one of those came before Movies, we'd hop on and just walk to All Star Movies. Just as we said that, a bus for Music came along. The ride to the resort wasn't a long one and we looked around in the Music store before walking over to Movies. The walk wasn't long at all. Just hung a left and over the road to Movies.

When we got to our building, we could see a mousekeeper at the room next to our's. We opened our door and it hadn't been made up yet. Our's must be next. We found a bench and called mama to check in with her. We caught up on all that was happening around our neck of the woods. (a whole lotta nothing) and then John got a call from Lacey and Hunter. They were less than 100 miles from Disney. Not long now and we'd all be together in Disney again!

Precious Disney minutes wasted, John looked around the corner of the building and the mousekeeper was still in the same room. John watched until she stepped out and she said that she wasn't supposed to do our room because the guest had checked out. Mind you, it was well after 4 p.m. He told her that we were the guests and that we had checked out and back in. We were staying in the same room. She said that she "would check on it" and then clean the room. Even if we weren't staying in the room, wouldn't they still need to clean it for the next guest?

He came back to the bench and we waited some more. We watched a couple of squirrels running around the resort grounds. We talked to Lacey and Hunter again when they asked us a question about their driving directions.

More than another half hour had passed and the mousekeeper still hadn't moved. She was still in the same doggone room. What the heck? What was she doing? I suspect that she was taking a break and doing nothing but sitting. I was ready to go to the front desk and complain but I'm not one who complains without giving someone the opportunity to "fix" a situation. John doesn't mind just chilling but even he was getting frustrated. She knew that we were waiting to get in our room and she was doing nothing about it.

We sat and sat. A maintenance guy came around on a golf cart type cart and asked how we were doing. We couldn't help but say "not so great" and that we were waiting on our room. He and John talked about some things and I took a couple of calls from the kids. They were in Kissimmee and seeing the purple mile marker signs. You know that you are almost there when you start seeing those. About 20 minutes later, they called and were at the guard station. They were here! I stayed on the phone with them and guided them to the parking lot by our building. Big hugs were passed around (we acted like we hadn't seen them in months). They had just driven 405 miles and were ready to drop their bags and freshen up a bit. We walked to the room, opened the door and it was still not made up. What the heck? Is this allowed? We went in and made a bathroom stop and then out to show them the resort. I was also going to the front desk to complain. This was ridiculous. The mousekeeper had hours to get the room ready for us. And she knew that we were waiting.

I stood in line at the front desk for the fourth, or was it the fifth time, this trip. The cast member apologized and said that they'd get the room done immediately. I don't know how long it took for the mousekeeper to actually do it because we made the decision to go to Disney Springs and have some dinner. First, we went to the room to grab my jacket and we were off.

**May I present to you the Earl! Do I need to curtsy?​

 

[natebenma]

I know exactly how you must have felt visiting CBR on your way back. Home.

Oh my gosh, what a frustrating day! Not what you expect from Disney-level service.

Glad you got to leisurely check out the holiday decor at Disney Springs and the Contemporary. Too bad that you, and the kids, were not able to return to a room that was ready for you to relax and take it easy!

Don't get me started on those date-based park tickets!