My alarm went off at 3, and I got up pretty quickly, without needing my backup alarm. I checked my flight status because…summer of flight delays, and we were supposed to be getting some weather. Thankfully the app showed green, it wasn’t raining yet, and all systems were a go! I hopped out of bed, got dressed, said goodbye to Nick, told Quinn, our old dog, not to die while I was away (spoiler alert, he actually listened, but lived for only a couple more days after I got home…), and escaped past Gizmo who looked totally devastated and in disbelief that I’d consider leaving him again. 6 years with us, you’d think he’d know better by now.
The drive to Manchester airport was uneventful and took about half an hour. When I got there, I discovered the change to a new parking management company meant new garage ticket systems that asked for my credit card as a ticket. This made me nervous, because even at 4:30 in the morning, I could think of multiple ways this could go wrong, but, I inserted my credit card, the gate arm raised, and I found a spot on level two (the level that connects to the airport bridge…so the good level) without any real effort and was on my way.
Damn, did it feel good to hear my suitcase’s wheels moving through an airport again! That sound just doesn’t get old. Check in at Southwest was a breeze, and there was only one person ahead of me in the pre-check line. Security seems to have lessened their pre-covid era concerns with food in carry on bags, so I had no issue there either. I found myself a bottle of water at what used to be a quick service restaurant but is now more of a food stand complete with self-checkout, and then settled in at gate 14.
Ok…so…before I get on my soapbox, because obviously I have one about something every trip, here goes. I was very aware going into this trip that the Covid situation in FL right now is high and most people are reporting getting Covid from their Disney trips. I had Covid in January and it was basically a minor cold with a massive headache followed by a bugger of a sinus infection for me, and less than that for Nick, so I wasn’t worried about getting it on this trip. My goal was not to avoid getting Covid, but to avoid getting sick with it until I got home, so I wouldn’t get stuck in FL. I’d decided to wear a kn95 everywhere indoors for this day, most places indoors the next day, and then crowded indoor areas (think stretching room, shows) the remainder of the trip.
So anyway…I settled in at my gate, only to listen to the woman a few seats away from me start hacking. And hack some more. And then tell her husband she just “can’t stop coughing”. She wasn’t wearing a mask and wasn’t covering her mouth when coughing. I was that person. I found a different seat. Not happening. Not getting sick early in the trip.
Thankfully the people around my new seat were seemingly not hacking up a lung, so it was a reasonably not stressful wait until boarding time. Eventually boarding began, and it moved fairly quickly, because New England based flight. I was B3 to board, even with Early Bird Check-In, but I was able to get a window seat around row 8, so all was good.
We were fully boarded early, and so pushed back early, because there aren’t a whole lot of flights going out of Manchester these days (sigh), so it’s easy enough for them to send a ready plane on its way. We taxied all the way around the airport, maybe into the next zip code and then stopped at the end of the runway. The captain came over the PA and let us know that due to staffing issues with ATC in NY, they needed to space out planes so we would have to hold here for a bit. Thankfully, the delay was pretty short, and most flights to Baltimore seem to be grossly padded for timing, so we still arrived early. I had ample time to kill, and I was able to get away from the dog that had yipped the entire flight.
Deplaning was quick, and when I got off the plane I found myself directly across from the gate my next flight would leave out of. I had plenty of time, so I went in search of food. Revenge travel was alive and well in Baltimore so the food lines were crazy. I ended up getting a smoothie, which was decent. I found a less chaotic area than the gate area to watch the happenings on the runway, and enjoy the smoothie.
Eventually I made my way back to the gate area which was pretty hectic. It was going to be another completely full flight. Boarding began eventually and we were once again ready to go early. Or so we thought… Eventually maintenance boarded the plane. I watched as he walked to the back of the plane and…began taping an overhead bin shut. He was a very effective taper, and pretty soon we were actually on our way, with a bin that was definitely not in danger of popping open. Thankfully there were no ATC delays for this departure, and it was a smoother, clearer flight than the flight from Manchester had been, and didn’t have a yipping dog on board. I actually slept for part of the flight, and as I started to see the distinct coastline of the south, this trip finally began to feel real!
We arrived in Orlando early! Deplaning went smoothly and I was down at baggage claim pretty quickly. Bags started emerging within 10 minutes of me getting to baggage claim, which was WAY better than my experience in February, and soon I was on my way with my suitcase.
Now, on my way meant on an escalator back up to level 3, followed by crossing the atrium and then down two escalators to level one. But it was easy enough, and pretty soon I’d found the check in area for Sunshine Flyer.
I had agonized over whether to use Mears Connect or Sunshine Flyer. They offer the same service, and this summer were the same price. But the reviews for both were kind of mixed. However, as it came time to actually book, the reviews leaned in favor of Sunshine Flyer, particularly for the most important factor: reliability when returning to the airport. So I booked Sunshine Flyer.
For Sunshine Flyer, you check in at a podium outside, at the opposite end of level 1 in the B terminal from where you check in for Mears Connect. It was easy enough to find, even with some significant construction in the general area. The employees were friendly, check in was quick, and I was instructed to stay close by and listen for my resort to be called to “board the correct train”.
I waited maybe 10 minutes before a “train” bus rolled in and they started calling resorts. My bus had 4 resorts on it, and I was the second stop. I believe the order for that particular bus was Old Key West, French Quarter, Riverside, Wilderness Lodge. The bus was clean and fairly new.
The ride was uneventful and I passed under the pearly blue gates just about over an hour after my plane arrived at the gate. Not too shabby! Of course, it started raining during the stop at Old Key West, so being the second stop, I had to collect my luggage in the rain, but, it wasn’t a traditional August deluge, so I considered that a win.
Once inside the lobby, I debated and then headed for the front desk. I’d done online check in, and, as my flight arrived at the gate, I’d gotten a text that my room wasn’t ready yet. Normal. But on the bus ride, I’d been playing with the app and discovered a room number. So, I decided to go to the desk to see if the room was actually ready. It was! And it’s a good thing I went, because the cast member said there wasn’t a box checked to receive the room ready text. WEIRD. He also said that there was a note that the guest was enroute from about 11. Also weird. I assume it was because of my Instacart delivery, but, who knows.
I made my way to my room, 6314, which was an unexpected upgrade to a garden view room.
I dumped the luggage and then, since it was no longer raining, headed for bell services to pick up the Instacart order.
I’d placed this order the day before, and since I had never created an Instacart account prior to then, had gotten free delivery. Instacart surprisingly now DOES deliver where I live (we had to use it when we had Covid and both had to start quarantining the same day because of how the timeline with Nick’s positive test and my starting symptoms went), but it’s not something we make a habit of, because we confirmed during that one time that we don’t have patience for substitutions. For this trip, I’d ordered a case of bottled water and a couple snack things. Tiny order, but big money savings to get a case of water for the price of 2 bottles on Disney property! Instacart had delivered to bell services while I was still in Baltimore. Bell services will accept all of these orders, and if you retrieve it yourself, there’s no charge on Disney’s end. If bell services delivers orders to your room, there’s a $6 charge from Disney. Thankfully French Quarter is small enough that it was not an issue to haul the case of water back to the room, and one of the housekeepers near the elevator at building 6 saw me coming and pushed all the elevator buttons for me. Thumbs up for that one.
Order retrieved and deposited in the room, it was FINALLY time to play! And by that, I mean, go on a dole whip tour! I headed for the boat dock, and although I JUST missed a boat to Disney Springs, another one came along quickly. While boarding, I had to listen to the boat driver tell a guest they can pool hop anywhere except Yacht and Beach Club. Apparently the boat drivers are as reliable for information as the bus drivers are believed to be!
The boat ride was lovely and soon enough I was at Disney Springs, ready to start my dole whip tour!
I’d placed this order the day before, and since I had never created an Instacart account prior to then, had gotten free delivery. Instacart surprisingly now DOES deliver where I live (we had to use it when we had Covid and both had to start quarantining the same day because of how the timeline with Nick’s positive test and my starting symptoms went), but it’s not something we make a habit of, because we confirmed during that one time that we don’t have patience for substitutions. For this trip, I’d ordered a case of bottled water and a couple snack things. Tiny order, but big money savings to get a case of water for the price of 2 bottles on Disney property! Instacart had delivered to bell services while I was still in Baltimore. Bell services will accept all of these orders, and if you retrieve it yourself, there’s no charge on Disney’s end. If bell services delivers orders to your room, there’s a $6 charge from Disney. Thankfully French Quarter is small enough that it was not an issue to haul the case of water back to the room, and one of the housekeepers near the elevator at building 6 saw me coming and pushed all the elevator buttons for me. Thumbs up for that one.
Order retrieved and deposited in the room, it was FINALLY time to play! And by that, I mean, go on a dole whip tour! I headed for the boat dock, and although I JUST missed a boat to Disney Springs, another one came along quickly. While boarding, I had to listen to the boat driver tell a guest they can pool hop anywhere except Yacht and Beach Club. Apparently the boat drivers are as reliable for information as the bus drivers are believed to be!
The boat ride was lovely and soon enough I was at Disney Springs, ready to start my dole whip tour!
But first…lunch! I bee-lined it to Polite Pig, where I thankfully found a pretty minimal wait to order. I got the bbq meatballs appetizer and the polite punch. I found a table and both the food and the beverage were delivered pretty quickly. The meatballs (and cheddar grits) were fantastic and the beverage was a perfect vacation starter!
Once I’d eaten, it was time to shop! I went right from Polite Pig and hit a variety of stores working my way to Swirls on the Water, the dole whip location at Disney Springs, which is over near Rainforest Cafe. I got myself a dole whip flight. The flavors of the day were pineapple/vanilla swirl, watermelon/orange swirl and lemon/blue butter cookie swirl. All the flavors were great! I really liked the watermelon/orange swirl. Wicked refreshing! Just don’t make my mistake. Eat the blue one quickly, or keep it far away from the part of the table that’s over your shoes. The table has holes. I now have blue stains on my sneakers. That blue is VIBRANT!
Once I’d eaten as much dole whip as I could, I continued around the opposite side of Disney Springs, along the water, and then headed in towards the buses, stopping in more stores along the way. I really didn’t buy much today..just a couple things in World of Disney. Then I got myself on a loading bus to the Contemporary. Time to seek out more forms of dole whip!
When I got to the Contemporary, I headed for the 4th floor and stopped abruptly at the entrance to Contempo Cafe. They’re still mobile order only it seems, which I guess makes sense, since they had order kiosks 10 years ago but still. It’s not 2020 anymore. I mobile ordered my dole whip cupcake and got the notification that my order was ready almost immediately. The cast members working the order pickup table were really pleasant and chatted for a minute before I went on my way, telling me how much I’d love this cupcake. It was packaged to go which was perfect. I looked for forks but couldn’t find any. No big deal, I’ll grab some from the French Quarter food court.
I poked around the stores for a few minutes, then headed for the monorail. I got to the platform just as monorail gold was pulling away. I hate monorail (and skyliner) wraps from the inside because it impacts the view, but they do make for good pictures from the outside of the monorail.
The wait was relatively short in the grand scheme of Disney World monorail operations, and the time passed quickly as the monorail crew joked with me about my “please stand clear of my dole whip” shirt. Upper level Disney isn’t so magical these days, but front line absolutely is.
Once on a monorail my next step was the Polynesian. I headed outside and straight to the pool bar. Pro tip: the pool bar has a back entrance accessible to those not staying at the resort. It’s near the boat dock. This pool bar has some unique and awesome beverages. Some of them are made with dole whip. How else would this spot have made it on my dole whip tour?
The bartender was great, very pleasant, and pretty quickly I had my lime dole whip margarita in hand. This was just as good as I remembered from February.
I wandered around outside while enjoying my beverage then masked back up to go inside. I poked around the Boutiki and then headed for the monorail platform. Good grief, there are a lot of adults coughing. Does anyone know how to cover their mouth anymore?!
A monorail came along almost as soon as I had passed through security, so I was at the Magic Kingdom pretty quickly. I’d skipped the Red Roof, since they had nothing to offer my dole whip tour. Get it together Grand Floridian! I hopped off the monorail at the Magic Kingdom, heading for the buses, but stopping to admire the Halloween decor along the way. I immediately got excited for MNSSHP on Friday night!
Somehow, despite French Quarter being the absolute last bus stop in its row, with a bus there as I first caught sight of it, I made it on a loading bus. I think it was bus driver swap time. That delay can suck, but, sometimes it’s beneficial. This was one of those times. The ride back to French Quarter was quick, and pretty soon I was back in the room deciding what to do.
What to do turned out to be changing into a swimsuit and heading for the pool. This was my third time staying at this resort, and my first time actually using the pool. Not being much of a hotel pool user, I was really pleasantly surprised by how big this pool actually was, and how appropriate the size of it seemed to be for the amount of people. Finding an unreserved chair was an issue. Finding ample space in the pool was not. And while the water temperature was definitely not cold, it was cooler than the air or my body temperature, so it was refreshing.
As I got back to my chair from the pool, Jessie messaged me that she had landed in Orlando. YAY! She made it! I’m pretty sure we both had been holding our breath, waiting for her flight to have some crazy cancellation since she was flying Spirit. But…she’s here!
I hung out by the pool until I was dried off enough and then went back to the room to change. Jessie texted me updates and I watched the clock. Once I’d gotten the update that she was on Disney property, I headed out front. I didn’t have to wait long before her Mears Connect bus rolled in.
Jessie’s experience with Mears Connect was pretty similar to mine with Sunshine Flyer with regards to timing. The biggest difference was that she sat on the bus for her entire wait at the airport as they slowly filled it with a trickle of arriving guests. I didn’t get on a bus until they were ready to load everyone that was heading to that bus’s destinations and roll us out of there, so my wait on the bus was less than 10 minutes. Hers was like 20 minutes before the bus started rolling. She had no standing around time before boarding, though.
We celebrated Jessie’s arrival, then headed to the room to drop off her stuff. Then it was back to the food court for dinner! We both got gumbo. It was delicious.
Once we’d finished dinner, it was time for a French Quarter must-do: beignets! We got 3 beignets to share, with strawberry and caramel dipping sauces. Obviously, this was all delicious, and the perfect way to really get this vacation feasting started.
Then it was back to the room to get ready for the next day. We got park bags ready, set alarms, chatted about our travel day, and attempted to crash for the night. As soon as we turned the lights out, we discovered we had a demon fan, so quite a bit of chatter and laughter continued for a bit longer. I definitely don’t remember a demon fan in February.
But eventually that first night in Disney, excited, restless sleep happened. We have a big day tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment