Nah, not bad at all. We didn’t leave DS until right about noon or a few minutes after. We also stop every 2 hours or so to change drivers, use the restroom and get gas, so it really is 6:45 on the best days, but closer to 7 - 7:10 usually. So, 7:45 wasn’t bad.
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I enjoyed your trip report. Thanks again for sharing!
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Such an enjoyable trip report. I am incredibly sappy and it had me tearing up at times. So many precious moments. Thank you for sharing.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
So, the first trip of our “Year of Disney” with our APs has ended and, overall, it was a great time. The kids, at 9 and 13 have enough energy and independence that they can get up for rope drop, participate in the planning. We had a really nice time.
No lie though, it was HOT… and humid. But we made the most of it and, the best solution is to accept the heat and not care that you are hot. It sounds weird, but you just learn to live with it. We still tried to focus our touring in the mornings and evenings and stay out of the parks during the prime heat of the day, but it is what it is.
One of our goals to having the APs is to take time to slow down. We did that… a little… longer breaks, sleeping in when needed. But we have also discussed other things for the future… mini golf, more time at Typhoon Lagoon, wandering with less of a plan, and enjoying what WDW has to offer OTHER than riding on Space Mountain. I am hoping we will incorporate that more in the future.
Worst meal was Le Creperie in EPCOT. SUPER slow service, decent, but not outstanding food. It wasn’t horrible, but I wouldn’t eat there again. Toppolino’s Terrace was a close second. I thought the food was good, but not outstanding. The service was… good, but not outstanding, and the value proposition was not there for good, but not outstanding service and food.
Jiko remained strong! Very good food, excellent service… still expensive, but I felt like the value was better based upon the food and service. Biergarten was absolutely as expected, but DD13 loved it and we had a lot of fun.
CBR was great. DW fell in love with the proximity to the Skyliner. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised at how convenient it was to use the Skyliner to get to DHS and EPCOT. There were never any lines at the station (we didn’t wait for the close of EPCOT to try and get back…i suspect there would have been a line then!) and it was a very pleasant ride. The pool theming is great and the girls enjoyed several late night swims. But the transportation convenience is a game changer. Still drove to AK (and probably would have driven to MK) but having quick access to 2 of 4 parks give a whole new life to CBR.
Also, the cabins at FW were delightful!!! The sleeping quarters are a little cramped (queen bed plus bunks in 1 small room) but the cabin lives like a really useful suite. Large living room, kitchen, nice table… kids could go to bed and I could watch late night TV or work on trip reports without bothering anyone. We rented a golf cart, which was super fun, and the resort activities were well done. Pool is not as nice as CBR, but just as wet, and the campfires/movies were very enjoyable.
Boat transportation to MK was quick and easy. But transportation to the other parks would be much less convenient if you didn’t have a car (which parks right outside the cabin).
I would not hesitate to stay in the cabins again. 2200 loop was quaint, not too big, and the closest of the loops to the meadow and trading post.
The parks were fun. You can, however, see the deferred maintenance everywhere. We encountered far more ride “disturbances” on this trip than previously (SM, ToT, RnRC, RotR, SDD, LwtL, and even GotG all had “glitches” that affected our touring (some were only about 5-10 minutes, while others were far more significant). I feel like that shouldn’t be happening and I think WDW needs to get on that…
We enjoyed several snacks, favorite may have been the bbq mac n cheese from Flame tree, or the Pretzel from Baseline Taphouse… disappointed in the Wookie Cookie. Mickey bars are strong, as always.
We are very much looking forward to going back. Next scheduled trip is for October (offsite) and then December at WL.
I can’t wait!!!
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the trip! That’s the worst review of Topolinos I’ve ever seen.
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To be clear, our experience at Topolinos wasn’t awful (except for the previously discussed sole dish), it just didn’t live up to the hype in my opinion. It was perfectly fine. And the patio view were stunning… Just, at that pricepoint, I want better than “perfectly fine.”
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I got that. But it’s still the worst review I’ve ever seen.
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Good to know
Great idea!
Why?
The frosting in the middle was more of a consistency of like whipped cream sprayed out of a can rather than like butter cream or something similar.
I may have not been fully aware of what the cookie was, but the two cookies slid apart from each other and the middle “frosting” had no flavor.
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Oh no… sad to hear. I will adjust my expectations
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This is how I feel about the Wookiee Cookie.
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I was so bummed because I love a Little Debbie Oatmeal cream pie and was hoping for a better version of one of those!
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I agree. Wookiee Coolie was highly disappointing. None of us particularly cared for it
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More recently or you just never cared for it?
We only had the one. In April.
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Yes! That’s what I thought it was going to be like but I can’t honestly say what the cookie actually tasted like besides sweet.