Highs, Lows & Plans - YC & RPR Aug 18

[loola30]

I did fully intend to do a full trip report However, I unexpectedly got a job that I didn't really mean to get which started the day after we got back from holiday So as I've been very busy, here is a highs, lows & plans instead

Highs
Premier Inn at Gatwick North - I can never fault this hotel. It's brilliant getting to the airport the night before and the meal at the Thyme restaurant is always lovely. A great way to start the holiday. Plus we got it for £35. You can't argue with that for value for money!

Upper Class VA - It was the first time we've ever flown UC and I can honestly say it's ruined flying for me. I don't know I'll ever be able to turn right again. The seats, the crew, the food and the service were all outstanding. I'm more than happy to fly economy on the way home though as I'm always thoroughly peed off - so I might as well be peed off on the cheap Added to this, I'd like to say that the VA Flying Club scheme really is brilliant. The price of our flights would have cost us £10K+

Yacht Club view - We were very lucky! We booked a garden view but requested a room (via TP) overlooking the wedding gazebo and ended up with a great water view - 2079. We also had a cracking view of the Epcot fireworks from our balcony. Lovely way to sit and enjoy a glass of wine

Random Couple at Sanaa - We at at Sanaa one night and although we had a window table, the boys were wandering in front of another couple's table. The couple very kindly said they didn't mind if the boys stood in front of their table for a better view of the animals. Our boys said thank you and we thought nothing more of it. At the end of their meal the couple approached our table and said that they found our boys to be so polite, they would like to give them $20 to buy themselves a toy in the parks. I was so touched by this act of kindness that I'm not ashamed to admit I sat there and cried. What a lovely thing for someone to do. It really made our meal there just a little bit extra special (as did the bread service )

Soarin' - I'd never rode this and didn't really know what to expect. It blew me away! I loved the whole sensation of the ride and all 4 of us came off and went straight on again. In fact we went on it 5 times in total! Which prepped us very nicely and leads me on to my next high...

Flight of Passage - Wow, just wow! I felt so emotional coming off this. It's like Soarin' x 100. I couldn't get over how amazing this was for quite some time afterwards. This is now a very, very close 2nd to the ride that will always feature on my 'highs' list (provided there is no Guardians of the Galaxy style mucking about...)

Tower of Terror - What a ride. Incredible. Still the only ride that makes me nervous beforehand. I love it.

Captain Cook's at the Poly - We ate a QS lunch here and although the food was lovely, the real high here was seeing this resort for the first time. Especially that view of the castle from the lobby doors. More about that later...

Uber - A couple of time we opted to hop in an Uber when the kids were extra tired or it was heavily raining. It's such a great service and we never waited more than a couple of minutes. We also used it to travel between Disney & Universal and Universal & the airport. Cheap, reliable, efficient and safe. I'll always recommend Uber for non-drivers

Mobile Ordering - This worked really well. A couple of times when walking into a busy QS we were advised to grab a table and do our mobile order from there, then DH by-passed all the queues to just go and collect. So easy to do and all things get totalled up for the dining plan credits at the end so you know exactly what you are 'spending'

Yachtsman - Meal of the holiday for us. We had the Porterhouse between the two of us with the creamed spinach on the side. Oh my it was delicious. My husband said it was the best meal of his life! Now if you know my husband and know how much he loves his food then you will understand that I nearly fell off my chair at this statement. He still stands by it now, even though he doesn't have a pint of Captain's Mai Tai in him!

Express Passes / RPR - I will never go to Universal without being able to have the Express Passes. They are fantastic and really make the whole Universal experience much more laid back. After a manic 10 days at Disney that are planned to high heaven, just rocking up to Universal and using the front of the line pass is just what was needed for the end of the holiday


Lows
Housekeeping - Our housekeeping at YC was shocking. I never imagined I would have to complain about something as basic as dusting! I then didn't imagine I would have to go back and complain that the issue still hadn't been rectified. I got $100 credit for our bother but all I really wanted was to feel like our room was properly clean. It all felt very rushed and like only the basics were done each day really. Poor

Be Our Guest - I'll hold my hands up and say I used up 2 TS credits just to meet Beast. I didn't even look at the new menu when it changed, I just kept it as a dinner reservation as I really wanted to meet Beast Luckily the food was lovely but oh my goodness the service was dire! The waiter forgot to take any orders for the boys before wandering off, then our entrees arrived before our appetizers, then they forgot what appetizers we wanted. It was soooo slow. We didn't tip very well as a result and the manager could not have appeared faster if he'd been delivered by the Rock'n'Roller Coaster! We explained all our issues and the manager gave us a FP for any ride we wanted for any day we wanted (anything apart from Frozen and the Fireworks apparently). We chose Soarin' again as we hadn't been able to book that for our last day as we had a Test Track FP already. We were happy with the resolution but now that I've met Beast (dreams do come true ), I'm not sure we'd bother with BOG again.

Longer walk to HS - The walk to HS is quite a bit longer at the moment with the diversions around the cable car construction. Not an issue when it's 6.30am and still relatively cool. However, when your 6-year-old then announces they are desperate for the loo and you realise you've still got to snake around the parking lot and bus stations before getting there, it becomes a bit of a nerve-wracking walk / canter!

Toy Story Land (Shade) - There is literally no shade in this place! Seems bonkers to build something with young families in mind and then have lots of temporary parasols dotted around the place because, unsurprisingly, it's blazing hot sun that people are having to stand in to queue for 6.2 days to ride Slinky. Bit of an oversight there Disney...

Weather - This is my 4th time visiting in August, so was fully expecting the downpours and lighting storms. However, I'm used to that being for a short period and then full sunshine again. There were times when the storms started at 2pm and that was it for the rest of the day. However, a day in the rain at Disney is ALWAYS better than a day in the sun at home


Thoughts & plans
I want to add to my 'post-script' that we met Mr & Mrs Tom Morrow in the VA Clubhouse. Guess what, he isn't really Sheriff J.W. Pepper nor is his name Tom! I feel like my whole Dibb life has been a lie On a serious note, was great to meet such a lovely couple and have a good old chat

So, the Poly. You may recall that I previously insisted back in 2016 that we 'just visit' the Boardwalk area. My husband didn't really anticipate what was happening then (poor thing) and low and behold I fell in love with the Yacht Club. This time, however, he was on to me, and when I booked a QS at the Poly he knew what was going on. Luckily we both fell head over heels in love with this resort and it's on our plans for August 2020. Only 6 months until booking I hope

In the meantime we've booked Barbados for Easter 2019 and are considering a Disney Cruise for August 2019. However, my fingers do keep searching other WDW 2019 holiday. But you all know what it's like, can't be helped really can it!

To finish, here are a few pics from our trip

Seat 7K

Tusker House

Sanaa Bread Service

Admiral's Cake - Yachtsman

Tower of Terror

Room 2079 YC

Boardwalk at 6am

Harry's Appetite...

And Finally - Dreams Do Come True

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Great write up
I just got back today and will do a Highs and lows

Sanaa was great too as was the pandora ride!

[loola30]

Originally Posted by kevin_cambs_uk

Great write up
I just got back today and will do a Highs and lows

Sanaa was great too as was the pandora ride!

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Thank you!

Looking forward to reading it - will be great to compare & contrast

[DisneyPCLI]

Great update 👍🏻

[Feebee2]

Oh lovely. Agree about the porterhouse. Shared it with DD she wrongfully claimed I ate all the fillet. Me? Never

[Mr Tom Morrow]

A great update and it sounds like a good time was had
Really nice view from the YC I must say. Evidenced in your picture.
Some of your points are similar to mine, namely poor housekeeping and the weather.

I was shocked at Toy Story land. Who decided not to erect some shaded areas? Weird. Also who designed those 'Animal Kingdom type' cracked paths there? DHS has the generic nice concrete paths so the TSL ones lok out of place.

So all in all a great visit.Barbados for 19 sounds good and maybe a Cruise. Brilliant. Maybe we will see each other in the UC Lounge again.

[loola30]

Originally Posted by Feebee2

Oh lovely. Agree about the porterhouse. Shared it with DD she wrongfully claimed I ate all the fillet. Me? Never

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How rude of her! I'm sure it was entirely 50/50...

[loola30]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

Maybe we will see each other in the UC Lounge again.

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One can only hope Mr Morrow...

[DisneyBride08]

Great update. Wondering if we will be trying the same Disney Cruise

[Unexpectedpenny]

Sounds like a great time. That boardwalk photo is beautiful!