Disappointing Disney Vacation -- Arrival Day
For me, the anticipation of an impending Disney trip is almost too much to bear. I excitement builds with each encroaching day. It's Christmas Eve and I'm nine years old again. I get that excited.
But not for this trip. I was very apprehensive from the moment I made my reservation. On this trip, it was just my DS10 and me. Two guys. We left the house at 3:45 AM, drove to Globe Transportation to park the car and get our shuttle, and arrived at the airport around 4:50 for a 6:35 AM departure. All good. My saying is:
"The Disney Trip is Still Perfect Until You Arrive."
Southwest kept changing our flights for weeks leading up to trip. What started as a 7:00 AM. non-stop flight became an afternoon departure, complete with a four-hour layover in Nashville with a 5:00 PM arrival. After I complained, they managed a much shorter layover in Baltimore with a 10:30 arrival. Everyday up until yesterday, I checked to see if our flight was once again changed. It wasn't. (The return flight was though.) We use the Southwest Self-Serve kiosks to check-in and get our luggage tags and boarding passes, but immediately receive an error message. We need to find customer service. Panic sets in. The line is formidable and no one from Southwest is even at a counter yet. The trip is in trouble already. My son has anxiety issues and is on medication and soon becomes panicky. Turns out, the kiosks are not turned on until 5:00 AM and once a representative makes them active, we proceed to print our paperwork and check our bags. Security in Greater Pittsburgh Airport was a breeze and soon we are terminal side with breakfast in hand.
I had received a text message yesterday, informing me my room was ready, complete with a room number. It stated the fourth floor, which surprised me because I thought Trinidad rooms only went to the second floor. No matter. We are wearing jeans now because it is only 43 degrees, but we have shorts in our carryons and we will change in our room and head out.
New protocols have us grab our own bags and bring them to the Magical Express. My son spots ours quickly and we are on our way. Our new Magic Bands we ordered work and we are told it may be about on hour before a bus is available. I fear we will miss our dining reservations. A bus is ready for us to board in only 10 minutes though. We stow our gear and are assigned a seat.
As we enter Disney property, I receive another text message, stating my room is NOT ready, but that I will be notified as soon as it is. Temperature is 80 degrees already. We have jeans on. We check our bags at Bell Services, walk to the new Skyliner, which is a wonderful means of transportation, and get to Hollywood Studios with much time before our Dining Reservations at 50s Prime Time Cafe.
My son is not a rider. He's not a thrill seeker. He is sweet, and somewhat timid, very bright -- almost too bright -- and has anxiety. For weeks he was nervous about this trip, but very excited to shop at Galaxy Edge's Market Merchants. Extremely excited. That's all we talked about prior.
"Dado, I think they have location-specific toys there."
When we get there, Disney has a COVID Precautionary Line, limiting the number of groups in the shopping district at a time. The line is about 20 minutes long, but visually appears much longer. When it is finally our turn to enter, we learn of their policy: Only one group in a kiosk at a time while two or three other groups stack up behind, awaiting their turn. It's our turn. It's my son's turn to do what he's been talking about for six weeks, but I can sense his anxiety building. (A parent knows.) He is acutely aware that others are watching JUST HIM SHOP as he frantically looks for something he likes. Shuffled feet. A few mild groans or sighs as he returns to something he previously spied. He settles on something I'm certain he has no interest in.
"I'll take this."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Can we go now?"
"There are many other shops here. Want to look in them first?"
"No. I want to go. Can we be done now please?"
My heart broke. For weeks, this was what he looked forward to most, but Disney's insane, torturous procedure to allow ONLY ONE GROUP in a merchant while the others stacked up behind, was too much pressure for him to endure. We left. We never returned.
It was nearly 2:00 PM and time for our first attempt to snag a Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance. I've read all the posts. My alarm goes off and I switch to cellular. I try. Fail. Try again. Fail. Try again. Fail. Try again. "All passes have been distributed at this time." Oh, well. I still have Saturday and two more attempts.
Lunch at Prime Time Cafe was sad. The place is known for its lively atmosphere and "homey" feel. Unfortunately, social distancing had the place at about one-quarter capacity. You could hear all the TV dialogue. (A first for me.) I had the chicken (of course.) Delicious. So did my son.
We receive a text our room is ready and since we are wearing jeans and it is 90 degrees now, we leave the park without riding one ride. Skyliner back. We go to our room to call for our luggage, but our phone doesn't work. We are in Trinidad so I have a long walk ahead of me. As I am on my way, a Mousekeeper tells me there is a phone by the vending machine. I use that to get our luggage.
Phone doesn't work. USB ports don't work. Batteries are dead in the TV remote. Issues. Once our luggage arrives, we unpack, freshen up, and head to Disney Springs. Our dinner is at The BOATHOUSE. (I don't know why they use all caps.) My son has the Firecracker Shrimp. A picky eater, he LOVES it! I get the lobster roll after some oysters on the half shell. All Amazing!!!!! Best meal of the entire trip if you ask me. Service was terrific. We grab a coffee and brownie and go back. Our arrival day was nearing its conclusion. All in all, I was still excited to be in my favorite place. Our room was Pirate themed with a gorgeous water view. Sadly, this was one of the better days.
