Sunday, July 19^th, Disney Day 1

We packed up. The suit I didn’t care about anymore, so I just placed it in my luggage. We took a stroll out to the beach one last time.

The last get together for the wedding ceremony was a breakfast buffet in one of the hotels rooms. So we sat and ate and chatted with family before leaving. While eating I get a text message from Disney with the room number.

My brother went by himself to get the rental car. My mother and I met my sister in law in the lobby. We carried the luggage up the stairs (why no ramp? Who heard about stairs only entering and leaving a hotel’s main entrance?) There is a ramp up to the main entrance of the hotel. Somehow, even though my brother was first, another car got in his way to pick up people.

We loaded our luggage in the back. And we were on our way to Pop Century. My brother was using a GPS app on his smartphone. So was I, but his had him going the wrong way. So I started to give him directions using mine. Even though I was in the back. I soon switched seats with my sister in law and I was sitting in the front. My brother had his to go around toll roads if possible, mine didn’t worry about that.

We didn’t have any issues going to Pop Century. The only traffic we saw on the highway was right after we exited it. We got our luggage out of the car and my brother and sister in law were on their way. We head to the room and had a very unpleasant surprise. When I ordered the rooms, I requested a room with a kings size bed, another rooms with two doubles, so we should have gotten two rooms, adjoining rooms. One room should have had a roll in shower. We got into the room and the adjoining room was locked. So I called up the desk and was told the room reservation was changed to just one room. By whom?? We spoke to someone on the phone in the room. After some checking for availability, she would transfer us to Art of Animation, a suite, where we would have two bathrooms and a private bedroom.

I didn’t think to ask, since I knew how to get there, if they would provide transportation. When I went to the AoA front desk, they did have our reservation transferred, but our room was not ready. They did give us options where to stay. The best option, Finding Nemo rooms was not ready, but Cars was ready. But we wanted to be nearer everything in preferred Finding Nemo, so we would wait for that. While at the front desk still, I get another text message that our room was ready at Finding Nemo.

We stopped by the food court to look it over and get our refillable mugs. I looked at the mug colors, give my mother a choice and pick one for myself. I carry both mugs with my in my backpack.

Our room at Art of Animation’s Finding Nemo suite

room number

this is a ‘Murphy bed’ This is a table during the day, bed folds out of the wall at night.

master bathroom

More room photos later in the trip.

We make it to room, I give my mother the bedroom with its own bathroom. I get the outer room. There is a pull out bed out of the couch, and the table pulls down to a bed. I chose to sleep in the sofa bed. I have my own bathroom. By my bed is a small kitchen area, if it can be called that. A coffee machine, microwave oven, refrigerator, and a sink. Plus some paper plates and plastic wear. The previous day at Walgreens, my mother bought box of cereal to eat for breakfast.

The problems with the room obliterated my plans to go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to do my traditional first meal on property at Flame Tree BBQ, and also my fast pass plans there too. We had dinner plans at the Grand Floridian Café in the Grand Floridian next to the Magic Kingdom.

I didn’t know I would have problems with my room resort. I did expect to have issues with my theme park ticket and matching fast passes for myself. Originally I planned to get my Will call TA discounted ticket at Animal Kingdom. Now I will do it before eating dinner, I will go to the Magic Kingdom.

We head to the bus station for the Magic Kingdom. I use my usual joke..does this bus go to Universal? Ha ha. ;)

Once at the Magic Kingdom, to enter the will call booth, you have to go through bag check security. A unpleasantness I didn’t want to deal with since we weren’t going into the park. But what can you do.

I had a short wait till it was my next, just a couple of minutes. I showed the paperwork I had with the will call ticket, my credit card, and they scanned my Magic Band, that part was easy to do as they placed my ticket on my Magic Band. Now the fast pass issues to deal with. Part one, matching existing fast passes that I chose for my mother, to be matched to mine. This went 99% ok. The only hiccup would be Toy Story of course. You cant be too early to a fast pass return time, but you can be up to 15 minutes late for one. Those 15 minutes would be the overlap for our FP return times. Part two was the unused FP+’s that was not used for Animal Kingdom. I decided since we would be near the Magic Kingdom for dinner, it was a obvious choice to be going to the Magic Kingdom after dinner. So the CM in the will call booth set us up with Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, and Mk’s Little Mermaid ride.

We then took the monorail over to the Grand Floridian. We didn’t eat lunch. We did have a big breakfast. But after the fiasco of the rooms, getting our Fast Passes straightened out, I was hungry. It was before our check in, but they still seat us early. They are never busy here and always sit us even an hour before the ressie.

We are on the dining plan. This gets us one non alcoholic beverage, entrée and dessert. My mother usually likes a hot drink like tea at the end of the meal. She listens to me and will use her refillable mug at the nearby food court in the Grand Floridian to get some hot tea there instead of during the meal.

While appetizers aren’t included, I want the onion soup. She gets the same.

So I will pay out of pocket for the appetizers. We both get the NY Strip Steak. I enjoyed it, my mother not so much.

After dinner, sitting in the food court, my mother is having her tea. I am calling Walker Mobility to see about delivery of the scooters. If they deliver a scooter before 7 pm, they charge for its use that day. I am calling about 6:30, but its ok, they still wont charge that day. We are waiting for their truck by the entrance of the Grand Floridian. I soon spot the truck. The driver gives my mother a lesson on how to drive the scooter, making all adjustments. I just hope she doesn’t hit anyone (she doesn’t) but throughout the trip, rear ends me a couple of times, just to let me know she is still behind me.

She gets on and off the monorail without incidents and we make it through the bag check and park entrance. We head towards Tomorrowland. They redid the hub since I was here last, so it’s a bit different to go from the hub to Tomorrowland, but still find it. Its too early to ride Buzz Lightyear, so we go on Carousel of Progress first. In the last scene, when the husband makes a comment about the score on the video game, the audio enabled oven raises its temperature to the game score, and the dinner burns. There should be smoke from the oven, but there isn’t.

We then use the Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear ride. I remember a high point target on the ceiling somewhere. I keep a look out for it, but cant find it.

my score on the right

We go on Tomorrowland Transit Authority next. Not the first time we stopped while on the ride, but the first time we started to slid backwards. I guess with no power to the magnets, gravity takes over. It was a short period of time before we were moving in the right direction.

After TTA, my mother took a break and had a ice cream float.

We left Tomorrowland to head towards Liberty Square and ride on the Haunted Mansion. After HM, we backtracked and rode tiny planet… aka It’s a Small World. Then headed to the new section of Fantasyland and rode Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid.

After the Little Mermaid ride, I realized Wishes should be starting shortly. I figure to try and make it to Main Street, but only made it as far as the walkway near the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride before the lights were lowered and the first shell went off. The castle was in front of us. Some fireworks could be seen by the castle, others over our right shoulder. We stood and watched the fireworks from that point.

After Wishes, I decided enough for today. We headed to the exit and the buses. But I first stop by City Hall. Before leaving for Florida, Disney made news about banning Selfie Sticks in their theme parks. They also mentioned about the possibility of banning monopods too. I use a monopod with a adapter that allows me to use my smartphone and camcorder on my monopod. So I ask for a CM to make sure if I bring the monopod into the theme parks tomorrow, I wouldn’t have any problems. I was told no, I shouldn’t, and I if do, contact someone in City Hall to educate the security guard bag check person that my monopod is ok. Those monopods that can fit in a backpack are ok. Larger ones are not.

This is the first time looking for Art of Animation buses. I find the bus number. I get on the bus first and park it. My mother lets the bus driver park her scooter and we are headed back to the resort.