Savvy's Annual September Trip – Yacht Club Resort - Sept. 16-23, 2017

Hello all!

This is a very, very belated trip report. I find it's much harder to crank these out since I added part time school on top full time work, but better late than never, right?

Savvy's 2017 Family Trip
DATES: 9/16-9/23/2017
TRAVEL: EWR to MCO, Magical Express
RESORT: Yacht Club
PARTY
Me (29) Many, many trips
JF (31) My boyfriend, his second trip but the first with my family
Sis (26) Many trips
ZF (26) Sis's fiance, who has done a few trips with us
Mom and Dad (54) - My parents, again, many trips
HIGHLIGHTS: Behind the Seeds Tour, Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP)

I feel like there's always something I'm worrying about before a trip. If it isn't a running injury, it's a hurricane and a sick dog. All jokes aside, Irma obviously posed a serious threat to a lot of people. I got a taste of that experience with Sandy, but I never had to evacuate or seriously worry about my home. So I feel for all the islands that suffered major damage.

That being said, it was a stressful week watching for updates on Disney and MCO re-opening in Irma's wake. We were initially scheduled to fly down the Saturday Irma hit Orlando. Luckily, I received a wedding invitation for that same day, forcing us to push the trip back a week. Without that delay, we would have either spent several days cooped up in the hotel or not made it down at all. Crisis number one averted.

I also worried about my dog, who scavenged some people food at my Labor Day BBQ and was now sick. I spent the two weeks leading up vacation trying to get him back to normal. After two vet visits, three medications, and a big bag of prescription dog food, his stomach finally settled down. While he wasn't horribly ill, the thought of dropping him at the kennel sick had been weighing on me. Crisis number two averted.

So. My worrying aside.

This is the first time I'm bringing a significant other on a family trip. JF and I took a trip alone in May this year, and while he really enjoyed himself, my family tends to move at a crazier pace. I can only hope we don't exhaust him. We did set aside some time for ourselves, including a Behind the Seeds tour and dinner at Citricos.

Other highlights of the trip include MNSSHP. Sis and ZF will also be wedding venue shopping, with my parents in tow as the maximum of two guests. I'm a little bummed we can't tag along, but we filled that time slot with the tour.

DAY 0/1, FRIDAY/SATURDAY, ROOM RENOVATIONS AND UPGRADES

The last day before vacation was a hectic one. It started with me bringing both dogs to the kennel when they opened at 7 am. I moved in with JF last year, so now it's the two of us and each of our pooches. I wouldn't exactly call the dogs buddy-buddy, but they tolerate each other well enough that it made sense to board them together. They're only 35 lbs each, but at 4'11", it was a struggle to get them both in the door without them jumping on everyone. Once inside, they bounded away without saying goodbye. This would normally upset me, but I was too busy discussing dog 1's intestinal issues and dog 2's fear of thunder with the woman checking me in. The struggles of pet parenting are real.

I had a quick trip to the chiropractor and then work. Halfway into the day, JF texted me saying the kennel called: his normally goofy, friendly dog was guarding the water bowls and had to be pulled from playtime. Having suggested JF board him here, I was now feeling pretty guilty that he was sitting in solitary. We did check in with them the next day and found out he was adjusting back to the play group. Crisis number three averted.

JF and I met back up at home after work. We had already packed, so it was just a matter of making sure The Land II was all set. The Land II is my name for the aquaponics garden in our basement, which JF created after being inspired by The Land ride at Epcot. With the help of timers, pumps, and automatic feeders, JF was confident The Land II would survive without us - which I appreciated, because I've become quite attached to the fish.

After locking up, we drove over to my parents, where we were late to the traditional pre-Disney pizza party. Mom and Dad were already getting into bed, and Sis and ZF were parked on the couch. I had eaten the last of our leftovers at home, so after JF ate two cold pieces of pizza, we went up to the guest room to get ready for bed. He conked out pretty quickly, but I tossed and turned most of the night, which I usually do before vacation.

And as usual, I heard everyone else getting ready way before me. We had a 7 am flight, so I set the alarm for 3:50 to be out the door by 4:30. We took two cars to Newark and had an easy morning, with one 15 minute delay where the TSA inspected Mom's bags thoroughly (plus the bags of everyone in that line before her). We then went in search of breakfast. They removed most of the brand name food vendors a few years ago and replaced them with a gigantic smattering of no-name options. Though I admit I was amused by the name of one of the vendors, Eggy Weggy, I ended up getting an egg white spinach bowl from the vendor next to it. I was also annoyed that many of the gate seats have been replaced with tables and chairs, each equipped with an iPad to make the airport more money. You can play games and order food, but this offers less seating for everyone waiting to board.

The flight itself was smooth, and Dad's elite status got us extra leg room for free. I did some homework and attempted to buy internet access halfway into the flight, but the service kept going in and out. I didn't want to waste money on the service if it wasn't going to stick, so I put my laptop away and watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for the rest of the flight; I saw JF was watching the latest Pirates movie, but he said it wasn't that great.

We were welcomed into MCO with that reassuring burst of warm air that means Florida. For some reason I never got our Magical Express luggage tags, which I didn't realize until last night, so we had to collect the bags before heading to the bus. Thanks to Dad's status again, the bags were some of the first ones out on the carousel. We grabbed them and walked directly onto the bus, making it to WDW in less than 40 minutes. The only hurricane damage we saw along the way were knocked over trees and branches scattered everywhere. (They were all cleaned up on WDW property within the next two days.) We made two quick stops at Boardwalk and Beach Club, where everyone else but us got off, before being dropped at Yacht Club.

Dad wouldn't let me do online check-in prior to arrival because he always asks for a room upgrade. I find it
little embarrassing, but we have about a fifty percent success rate with this. Luckily today, the hostess confirmed she already had both rooms upgraded and with a pool/lagoon view. Score! That kind of upgrade is also usually a good indicator that the resort is empty. The rooms weren't ready yet, so we changed into our shorts in the lobby bathroom and checked everything with bell services. We were all a little hungry, but Mom, Dad, and Sis didn't like the new Market at Ale and Compass. I was a little surprised because JF and I were quite happy with the offering when we first visited this new quick service in May. They were most unhappy with the cold, contemporary design, which I don't disagree with; it's very different from the warm wood theme that the lobby maintains.

They wanted to eat in the park instead, so we headed out front and had a short wait for the Magic Kingdom bus. This would end up being my only short bus wait of the entire trip. More on that to come.

The park itself was decked out in its yellow and orange Halloween decorations and didn't appear crowded. We first headed into Adventureland to get Sis her dole whip; normally a chocolate ice cream person myself, I decided to live dangerously and get a citrus swirl, which is now sold at the old dole whip location. It didn't do anything for me, but hey, I tried. I ate half of the vanilla ice cream and passed the rest onto JF to finish.

The park did fill up, but we were able to get a couple of rides in using both FP and standby. We started with a Haunted Mansion FP, which had a long standby wait, then walked over to Tomorrowland and waited for Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. The little girl Marty Wazowski interviewed in the last section of the show completely hijacked the routine, interrupting him and telling her own knock-knock jokes that always referenced poop. It was hilarious, and Marty did a great job rolling with it.

Next up were FP for Buzz, where I narrowly beat JF, and then a ride on the People Mover. Since we had an early dinner over at the Polynesian, Mom, Dad, Sis, and ZF left for the monorail to relax at the lounge. JF and I stayed to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade from the hub. The only complaint I have about this parade is that you must stand out in the sun during the hottest time of day. That aside, I really love the parade itself. It's a nice mix of old and new characters, and the soundtrack sticks in your head all day long. I suppose that can be good or bad, depending on your preference.

JF and I walked to the monorail and met up with my family at the Tambu lounge an hour before our 3:50 'Ohana reservation. I ordered a sparkling wine, which became my drink of choice for this trip. Though I can't remember which I got, I probably ordered the cheapest and still enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the little opening ceremony 'Ohana does, which I've never witnessed before. Our pager went off around 3:35, and dinner was fantastic as usual. I always skip over details on this one because I've eaten there so many times, but I highly recommend 'Ohana if you want a fun atmosphere, all you can eat food, and are ok with twenty kids running around racing coconuts. (A word of caution: I have occasionally been whacked with a broom.) While the menu has a lot of meat, they did prepare a veggie dish at Sis's request. It was basically more of the same veggies you get as an appetizer, plus tofu for protein. They've also made a bland dish here for Dad a few years ago when he was having stomach issues, so they are very accommodating. Then of course there is the bread pudding dessert, which is always a must-do for me. We were given a skimpy serving on this visit, but that at least prevented me from eating too much.

'Ohana drained the last of our energy, so we took the monorail back to MK and transferred to the Yacht and Beach bus. I had gotten the room text at dinner, but I could tell from the number that it wouldn't have been a lagoon view. Since Dad hadn't gotten a text at all, so we stopped at the front desk to get the correct room numbers, which were lagoon view and connecting as promised.

Room review time!

This was my first time staying in the Yacht Club since the renovations had been completed, and boy do I have a lot to complain about. I'll disclaim that I'm resistant to change in general, but I hated pretty much EVERYTHING they did to the guest rooms. The carpets have been replaced by tile? that looks like wood. I'm sure it's easier to clean, but your footsteps echo, and it was hard for me to sneak out for a 7 am walk without waking others. I could also hear my parents' 6 am chat sessions next door every morning.

The beds are now higher, presumably to let you store your luggage, since the traditional dresser has been replaced with a huge armoire full of shelves and hanger racks. There is no more ceiling fan, and the bed lights (which used to be dimmer switches) are extremely bright and can only be turned on and off. This is not convenient when I'm trying to read in bed and other people are asleep; there are bed-mounted reading lights, but they are obnoxious LEDs that I couldn't stand to use. The bathroom did have a neat rain shower, but Mom and Dad's bathroom did not have a tub, which is something to keep in mind if you have kids.

Like the new marketplace, the room was modern and seems to seek the approval of business travelers, not families. When I have kids and bring them for their first Disney trip, I won't stay here. That's a big deal considering I've stayed at this resort almost every trip for the past twenty years. The one tiny saving grace in the room were the window curtains, which subtly hid constellation patterns that formed Disney characters. There was no other theming present, which is very disappointing. Our view of the Boardwalk was the only thing that felt familiar.

While the Market at Ale and Compass has the same look and feel as the guest rooms, that change I don't mind so much. It's nice not to have to walk all the way to Beach Club for a bigger food offering. The new Market has a ton of options, including many healthy ones, though I admit the atmosphere is boring. Mom, Dad, and Sis were so turned off by it that I dont think they ate here more than once the whole trip. JF and I used it mostly for coffee runs.

Anywho. Back to this evening.

It was too early for bed, so we changed into our bathing suits and went down to the pool. The guys toughened it out in the chilly pool while Mom, Sis, and I relaxed in the hot tub. Mom and Dad split off to get ice cream after a while, but I was still full from dinner. At one point JF and I got drinks from Hurricane Hanna's and brought them back to the lounge chairs. JF got a black cherry lemonade something that he really enjoyed, but I didn't like my sauvignon blanc. We went upstairs around 8:30 to shower off and relax in bed. While I don't care for the high bed, I am a fan of the new pillowtop mattress! Sis and ZF, who had made a loop around the Boardwalk, said they came back to find Frozen blasting on the TV and the two of us passed out. I slept really well.

DAY 2, SUNDAY, BRUNCH AND BOOZE

JF and I were still on our work schedule and woke up at 6:40. It didn't help that we heard Mom and Dad chatting and watching television next door at 6. If they weren't my parents, I'd be annoyed with the lack of soundproofing through the connecting door.

Mom texted me to ask what time we were leaving for brunch at Narcoosee's, so I popped into their room. While we had all agreed last night to take a MK bus and transfer to the Monorail, she didn't want to rush and asked us to set up a Minnie Van, Disney's new service through Lyft. Sis had downloaded the app yesterday but was still asleep, so JF and I went downstairs to get coffee and take an easy stroll. I stopped at concierge to ask about the Minnie Van, and the woman told me all we had to do was download the app and the service should be available.

Though my family traditionally passes on the refillable mugs, JF and I had enjoyed them on our trip in May and purchased new ones from the Market this morning. We took it to go with us and had a nice walk around the Boardwalk. Normally we would also go down to Hollywood Studios and back, but we cut it short this morning to get ready for brunch.

Back at the room, Sis was having a hard time with Lyft and the Minnie Van, so we went down a few minutes early to get some help. Contrary to what the concierge told us, Bell Services had to take Sis's phone number and call somewhere to get the Minnie Van to appear in her Lyft app. It was pretty easy, but I thought it was odd you had to approach a CM to get it set up. (To be fair, I did get a Minnie Van info packet in the mail before the trip, but I tossed it without bothering to open it.) The Minnie Van option appeared in Sis's app seconds later, and we waited only 10 minutes for our driver.

If you haven't seen the pictures already, the Minnie Van is an appropriately named polka dot SUV which comfortably seated all six of us. The driver is a CM who took us straight to the Grand Floridian for a flat rate of $20.00. If you take a Minnie Van to MK, they also get to drop you directly at bus stop 1, so no worries about having to take the ferry. (Keep in mind this info is as of September 2017, and I know it costs more now.)

While it was nice to have a direct ride to GF in our dressier clothing, I would probably only use this service again when regular transportation is really inconvenient. We got to Narcoosee's a little early but were seated right away. JF and I had experienced this brunch for the first time back in May and were so blown away that we insisted on bringing my family back here. The food is amazing, and it has a beautiful view of Bay Lake. For about $70 a head, drinks and food are unlimited. Though, as my Mom noted, it's a bit expensive for kids at $30 a head.

Most of us started with mimosas, and Narcoosee's has three: orange, cranberry, and pineapple - known as the Hawaiian. Mom said the cranberry was her favorite, and Sis and JF loved the Hawaiian. We got a pastry basket for the table, an appetizer and entree per person (you can order more), plus a dessert trio to share. JF and I split the shrimp and grits and cheese plate starters. The shrimp and grits were great, but I only liked one of the cheeses, the Barely Buzzed. I'm not a fan of goat, blue, or really soft cheese, so I'm not the best judge here. I stuck with a simple egg white omelet for the entree (have to cut calories somewhere), and JF had the chicken and waffles. I believe Mom got an omelet, Dad and ZF the steak and eggs, and Sis the French toast. Everything was a winner. The dessert trio consists of three mini cakes, chocolate, orange and lemon/blueberry; they're very pretty, but everyone was too stuffed to take more than a few bites. Overall everyone loved this meal, and I saved 10 percent with my Disney Visa. (EDIT: As of January 2018, Narcoosee's brunch is suddenly no longer. I'm incredibly devastated and hope ti comes back, but it sounds like the change is permanent.)

Sis and ZF wanted to go back to the hotel to change, so they caught the monorail back to MK. Mom and Dad had struck good balance between dressing nicely and also for the park, and JF and I had packed a change of clothes, so the four of us took the monorail directly to Epcot.

Magic Kingdom security is now done before you get anywhere near the gates. The buses, ferries, and monorails have their own security stations, which really cuts down on lines and made entering the park faster. That means if you're leaving from the Grand Floridian, you go through security at the hotel just before you get on the monorail instead of the MK gates. Epcot has not implemented this yet, so we went through security both at GF and the Epcot gate this time. Not a big deal.

Once inside, we browsed the Animation Store until I got a text from Sis, so we walked over to Norway to meet them for our Frozen FP. It looks like this one is still sporting long lines, so it was good we had these FP. Mom wanted to check out the Food and Wine Festival Center afterward, so we went back to Future World to do that. JF and I browsed some of the merchandise and got a wine bottle ornament for our tree, then picked up our free Ghiradelli candies: milk chocolate caramel today, yum!

We then made our way over to the Land for our FP on that, but afterwards were still dragging from all the food. We all went back to the hotel and spent the afternoon at the pool, which was comfortable today since the sun was out. We originally had a dinner reservation at Rose and Crown but had canceled it thinking it would be too much food after Narcoosee's. Not only was that the right call, but it also meant we didn't have to rush out of the pool, which was a very welcome change of pace. With the invention of Fast Passes and ADRs, we spend entirely too much time rushing around on a typical Disney vacation. Add Run Disney events to the mix, and forget about relaxing at all.

After our few hours of chill time, we went back into Epcot to browse the Festival for dinner. We each got the wristband gift cards and spent most of the evening sharing sips and bites. JF and ZF did more of the drink sampling since they liked the more economical drinks (beer, mixed drinks, etc). I never get more than one or two glasses of wine because you get a very small cup for over $7. We did quite a bit of Food and Wine sampling throughout the week, so I'm including a review of everything we had at the end of the report.

I think Sunday night was the perfect time to enjoy the festival. The weather was nice enough that you could walk around without sweating up a storm, and it wasn't very crowded. We didn't have to wait long for anything, and because we were eating slowly, we could enjoy a lot more. My only complaint is that Epcot closes at 9, and we could have stuck around for another hour or two. We walked back to the hotel, and I had another fabulous night's sleep.

DAY 3, MONDAY, BEHIND THE SEEDS

JF and I slept in until 7:30 and did a full walk to Epcot, around the Boardwalk, to HS and back. Some of the marshy tree areas on the HS path had been knocked down, which exposed a lot of decaying wood and stunk. We had a very nice walk otherwise and saw a lot of turtles and big bass in the water.

It was wedding venue day, so the rest of my family was heading out the door as we got back. JF and I cleaned up and walked to Epcot for breakfast in France. Two different CMs confirmed we were heading to the bakery as we made our way over the bridge; I guess they don't want people walking around France without reason before World Showcase opened. There weren't many people here, so we enjoyed our food at one of the little tables outside. I can't remember what JF got, but I ordered the croquet monsieur, which was toasty and cheesy and all kinds of delightful. We each also got a cafe Americano, and at the last minute, he ordered a glass of champagne for us to share. We're really not in the habit of drinking with breakfast, but it was a nice treat.

This morning was our Behind the Seeds Tour at the Land, so we walked over there and checked in at the counter by Soarin'. The tour lasted 75 minutes and took us through their bug incubating room, several greenhouses, and the fish farm. We got to feed the tilapia, which were obviously used to this and swam right up for their breakfast. While you can't touch much on the tour, you could flick a leafy plant (named Stanley) that immediately withers up and puff back out after a few minutes. We also got a lot of neat ideas for JF to try at home. For $25 a person with a 10 percent discount with my Disney Visa, I thought it was worth it. it's not something I need to do again, and younger kids would probably be bored.

We went back to the Yacht Club and relaxed in the room, stopping at the Market for a mug refill. I did some homework while JF watched television and checked his email. We had passed Mom and Dad on the way up, who were going for lunch and didn't sound like they were back yet. Sis and ZF had gone straight to HS, and after sitting around for a while, JF and I decided to do the same. MDE app was showing only a 20 minute wait for Tower of Terror at the hotel room, but by the time we walked over to the park, it was closer to 40. Sis and ZF were already in standby for Aerosmith by this time, so I let JF make the choice. He's not a huge fan of heights but insists on riding with me, so we decided to get in line for ToT and get it over with.

The wait outside was hot and uncomfortable, but inside we moved quickly. JF seemed to enjoy this much better than his first ride in May and even let out a laugh or two during the drops. We celebrated by getting ice cream at the stand just outside: a small cup of cookies and cream for me and an ice cream sandwich for JF. The chocolate ice cream in his was way better than mine.

We met with everyone else and walked to Muppets, which took longer with all the Star Wars and Toy Story construction. Muppets ended just in time for our Toy Story Mania FP, where JF beat me pretty good. We had an hour before Star Tours FP, which the other four in the group didn't want to wait around for, so they walked back to the hotel. JF and I decided to ride standby, which only took 20 minutes. I enjoy standby here because I like watching the droid scanning cargo bags; he finds a lot of Disney Easter eggs inside, such as Chip and Dale, mouse ears, and Wall E.

After a long walk back to the hotel, we showered and met my family at Hurricane Hanna's. I stuck to one drink and tried the chardonnay this time, which I liked better than the sauvignon blanc I had the other night. We hung out here for about an hour before walking to Epcot for dinner.

My Dad has been itching to go to Teppan Edo in Japan for a few years. I've been opposed because we have very good hibachi at home, and I'd rather eat food unique to Disney when we're down here. This year I caved at the peer pressure and we booked it. I admit the restaurant itself looks very nice since its refurbishment, and I thought the CMs were especially friendly. We all got hibachi dishes, which come with veggies, noodles, and rice. The one thing I didn't care for was my sake mimosa, which was too sweet. While the food was good, I still personally don't have a need to return.

JF and I broke off on our own after dinner to look for a tea set in Japan's gift shop. I felt like they had less options than what we had been looking at back in May, and they were more expensive than I remembered. We passed on the tea set but did each pick out a set of fancy chopsticks.

Mom and Dad had gone off to watch Happily Ever After fireworks at MK. Sis and ZF were swimming back at the hotel, which we were too tired for. We did one more lap around WS with a stop at a booth for dessert before going back for bed.