Life Doesn't Stop for Disney: An October 2022 TR. LIFE UPDATE 4/28

[Verstehen]

What do you get when you combine a hurricane, a toddler, and a Weird Al concert?

My family’s Fall 2022 Disney trip, apparently.

Anyway, hi! I’m Rachel, and I sometimes write trip reports. This is one of them. Thank you for joining me! I'm the one with blue hair.

I’m an Orlando local but not a native. My husband and I moved to this city in 2016 and I’ve lived in Florida across a couple of different locations since 2010. We bought a house earlier this year at the north end of Orlando, about 35 minutes from Disney (without traffic, and there’s always traffic). We like this area a lot. I have an AP and am at the parks pretty regularly, usually just for an hour or two in the afternoons. I work from home part time doing client management and other tasks for a local software company.

Joining me on this trip is my mostly companion, my daughter April, who is just over 2 ½. She loves Disney as well and her favorite ride hands down is Small World. She is learning to love characters now that hugs are back and she loves spending time with the drums at Epcot.

As I said, she and I go to Disney a fair amount, but I don’t tend to write about our random outings here. However, a few years ago, my dad bought DVC so he could come visit us more often without us having to host him, and now comes once or twice a year and stays for a few nights. It’s a good excuse for April to spend time with her grandfather and for me to have a few days in a row going to Disney without having to drive. He has not been a Disney fan for very long, but warmed up to it when he learned about the Disney foodie/drinking culture, and especially loves it now that he has a grandkid to share it with. He lives in upstate NY where I grew up, and he is a semi-retired dentist and volunteer firefighter.

Also joining us on this trip is my younger sister, who I’ll call DS. She has some medical issues which make life difficult for her, and Disney is one of the few places she can vacation without having to worry about things not being accessible or accommodating. She loves Olaf and the Carousel of Progress, but is usually up to try anything at Disney as long as it’s not a thrill ride.

If you’ve read my reports before, you know that my husband, who I’ll call DH, doesn’t usually accompany us to Disney. He isn’t a fan and doesn’t have a pass, but he doesn’t have an issue with me taking April, though of course he misses her during the multi-day trips. To help with this, he will usually join us for our non-park day, which he did on this trip as well!

Now for the trip details. We stayed at the Polynesian Village in a studio for six nights, from October 12th to the 18th. My dad and sister flew in on Tuesday the 11th because they couldn’t get any direct flights on the 12th (due to my sister’s condition, it’s not good for her to do multiple plane trips in one day because of the pressure changes) and stayed overnight in a local hotel.

The plan, originally, was for them to stay in our house. But in case you haven’t heard, about a week and a half before our trip we got visited by Hurricane Ian. I don’t want to make light of this storm because as you probably know, it was devastating for a lot of Floridians, but I also don’t want to bring down the mood too much because for our particular household, we got relatively lucky. However, we did end up flooding and despite the small amount of water, it does look like all our floors will need to be replaced, which is pretty disruptive news.

But going back to the time before the trip, all we knew was that our lives were temporarily upended due to the power outage and a lot of our stuff getting wet, including our air mattress. Quite frankly, I didn’t have the emotional energy to host anyone at our house, nor could I vouch for the sanitariness of our air mattress any longer. So that plan was changed and my dad ended up booking a night at a hotel near my house. I would pick him and my sister up at the airport when their plane arrived Tuesday evening, and then on Wednesday I would go get them and our trip would begin in earnest.

Other than that, the plan all along had been for this to be a fairly low key trip. I was glad to be back at the Polynesian but nervous about us all sleeping in the same room. Our last couple of trips were in a one bedroom and I’d gotten spoiled having a separate sleeping area for me and April, and I suspected she would not sleep as easily if she could see us all milling about.

I didn’t make many ADRs for this trip but there were a few new things we got to try, which I’ll go over in more detail in my report. Suffice it to say, we don’t do Disney the way a lot of other families do Disney. We take our time. We don’t rope drop. We have very few “must dos” every trip. This is partially due to the fact that we’re lucky enough to be able to go often and partially due to the fact that we’ve learned it’s just how our family functions best. Some of us are old and tire easily, others are toddlers who also tire easily.

Overall, this trip was one where real life creeped in more than usual, between the hurricane aftermath and some other events I’ll get into during the report. Those of you who have read my reports before know I try to be honest about my experiences and provide insights that may help you, but in this particular case, we dealt with some things I think most of you will not have to think about during your trips, but either way, I promise I will do my best to make it a fun read.

All that out of the way, let’s get this report started!

 

[rdkeim]

Following!

 

[Verstehen]

Following!

Hiiii!

 

[Paulaparm]

Can't wait to read all about it.

 

[DLo]

Following along again! Looking forward to reading more.

 

[piglet1979]

Following along. I can't wait to hear about your trip.

 

[KPeterso]

I am in for another trip report.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Following along!

 

[suse66]

I'm here! I always love your reports.

 

[Verstehen]

Can't wait to read all about it.

Following along again! Looking forward to reading more.

Following along. I can't wait to hear about your trip.

I am in for another trip report.

Following along!

I'm here! I always love your reports.

Thank you all! I'm so flattered and happy that you're here.

 

[Verstehen]

Day 0 (Tuesday, October 11th)

I think a good trip report starts the day before the trip officially starts, so here we are. This was the day my dad and sister were due to fly into Orlando, but that wasn’t until the evening and I had plenty to do before then. I had work until about 2 pm, and then I had some tasks to complete while April napped.

I’ve mentioned in previous reports that my husband and I have two cars between us: a Prius and a CR-V. While it seems like a no-brainer to take the CR-V to Disney, I’ve unfortunately experienced several times that something about it makes April sick if she sits in it for more than 20 minutes. I don’t know if it’s the car, the car seat we’ve installed in it, or what, but she doesn’t care for it, and so I was determined to take the Prius. One of the results of this was that I didn’t do a pre-trip grocery pickup and instead elected to have an Instacart order sent to the resort. More on how that worked out later, but in the meantime, here was our order in case you want ideas!

Either way, I was mindful of the space issue while I packed, and was getting nervous about having a big suitcase, plus April’s suitcase, plus the stroller, all without even factoring my dad and sister’s stuff, which included two large suitcases, an oxygen machine, and a walker.

I have in my notes that I made “phone calls” during this time, but at this point I can’t for the life of me remember what they were about. I’m guessing it was related to our hurricane issues, but either way I doubt it’s relevant to the report.

At about 5, DH came home for the second half of his shift (he’s usually a floater at his job so at a certain point, if there are no immediate tasks to complete, he can hang out at home until he’s needed). He hadn’t been feeling super well so he asked for soup for dinner. I ordered pickup from a Thai place near us and included a bowl of wonton soup for him, and Pad Thai for him to have when he was feeling better. I try to ensure he’ll have at least a couple of meals ready to go when I’m not around; otherwise he’ll survive on pizza and other unhealthy/expensive delivery options.

After dinner, I left with April for the airport at about 7 to pick up my dad and sister. I arrived just before their plane landed, so rather than wait in the cell lot with a child who was eager to get out and run around, I elected to park in the garage and go into the airport to wait for them. We waited by the big fountain for awhile while I looked for them exiting the security area.

I thought for sure I’d be able to spot them, but I missed them! I got a text at some point that they were already at the baggage claim area, so I lugged April down the escalator to find them.

We had a very lovely reunion, wherein April was very excited to see her grandfather and was all set to run and hug him, but then I guess his enthusiastic smile was too much for her, because she then turned around and went crying back to me. Oh well!

We picked up their bags and headed back to the garage, which took a couple of elevator trips to figure out. I expressed my concern about fitting everything in the car, and my dad assured me that he was a master car packer and that one way or another, we would figure it out. I was skeptical, but optimistic.

We arrived at their booked hotel, which I think was a Hampton Inn or something like that? It was pretty conveniently located near our house. I dropped them off at the lobby and went to find parking, then as April and I were walking in, my dad suddenly called me and asked me to bring the car back around, and that he would “explain everything” when we returned.

Okay……

So it turns out that the hotel had some hurricane damage to some of their rooms, so they weren’t able to house my dad and sister that night. However, they had rebooked them at a sister hotel nearby and the entire stay would be free. That was nice. My only quibble was that “nearby” meant, in this case, Altamonte Springs. If you’re not familiar with the layout of Central Florida, Disney is towards the bottom, where I live is about 30 minutes north of that, and Altamonte is even FURTHER north. So essentially, this meant there would be a lot of backtracking in the morning to get to Disney property.

Honestly, this is a first world problem and I fully acknowledge that. But in the moment, I was tired and stressed and had already been not looking forward to this trip, so it started off on the wrong foot for me. Also I had a hard time getting to the new hotel.

But, all that said, we did make it, and the room turned out to be very nice. I helped them get settled and April was finally given a gift my dad had been waiting to get her. This super cute elephant!

It was now way later than I anticipated being out, so I drove April and I home and put her straight to bed. By this time DH had come home from work and was content to chill on the couch while I finished packing.

By this point I was full on freaking out about the car situation (DH did ask why I didn’t just take the CR-V and I reiterated my point about April getting sick). But finally, I decided, one huge suitcase and one smaller suitcase was just too much. So I took out a duffle bag my husband sometimes uses when we go on vacation and I put all of April’s stuff from the small suitcase into that, and all of my stuff from the large suitcase into the small one.

Reader, I don’t think we would have gotten everything into the car if I hadn’t made that call.

I put as much stuff as possible into the car so I’d be ready to go in the morning, watched a bit of TV with DH, and finally, finally, went to bed.

 

[rdkeim]

Oh my - a stressful start to your trip! I can totally relate to how you were feeling. I hate last minute curve balls and with hurricane related issues, I'm sure the anxiety level was higher than normal. On a vacation earlier this year we rented a Prius. I'm certain you made the right call! I hope once you get on Disney property, the fun begins!

 

[Verstehen]

Oh my - a stressful start to your trip! I can totally relate to how you were feeling. I hate last minute curve balls and with hurricane related issues, I'm sure the anxiety level was higher than normal. On a vacation earlier this year we rented a Prius. I'm certain you made the right call! I hope once you get on Disney property, the fun begins!

This was just a surreal trip overall! But it did end up being fun.

 

[Verstehen]

Day 1 (Wednesday, October 12), Part 1:

After an inadequate amount of sleep, I woke up around 7:30 when April woke up and started calling for me. We had no definite time plans today, but I guess the earlier the better.

I finished packing and got April and I dressed for the day. My dad texted a couple of times asking if I wanted any breakfast from the hotel, which stopped serving at 9 (which is crazy early if you want my opinion). I usually eat a half bagel toasted with peanut butter and banana at home which is like my comfort breakfast so I was all set, but I asked him to set some food aside for April. Despite the early wakeup call, we were definitely not going to make it to the hotel before 9 am. Such is life with a toddler.

When we were ready to go we said goodbye to DH who was still in bed, and finally got on the way to the hotel around 8:45 am.

Dad and sis were in the lobby when we arrived a little after 9. As promised, April had a whole plate of breakfast waiting for her. Waffles, vegetarian sausages, and eggs. She ate while the rest of us took turns getting ready. DS went upstairs to get dressed and finish packing, and dad went out to the car to try to pack it up. At some point, I also went to the bathroom to do my makeup. All the while, April ate.

Once she finished, I went outside to help dad pack the car. Honestly, it was the worst game of Tetris ever and I was genuinely worried we’d have to leave something behind or have to go home and get the larger car.

But we got it! It was a tight squeeze, but we made it work. I just tried not to think about how we’d have to do it all again on the way out.

At about 10:30, we finally made our way to Disney property! Our first park of the trip was to be Animal Kingdom, and we got there a little before 11:30. On the way, I finally heard back from Servpro, who wanted to come THAT DAY to look at the house. Since I knew my husband didn’t want to deal with them alone, I got them to agree to come the following Tuesday. It was an out-of-state team so they were a bit reluctant, but I was very relieved when they agreed.

When we arrived at the AK lot, we elected for the first time ever to upgrade to preferred parking. My sister has a handicapped placard that can be used in any car she’s in (she doesn’t currently drive herself) but my dad had forgotten to pack it. Since we wouldn’t be driving much this trip, we decided to fork over the cash to be able to at least park behind the handicapped spots. It was very close to the entrance and I think it was a worthwhile investment given it was our mistake.

We got out of the car and I took advantage of the new MDE app feature to save your parking row. No more taking pictures of the row number for me! I think this is pretty handy, but just double check before you save the row. I’ve found it’s sometimes a row or two in its first guess. It was auspicious we were parked in peacock because I was wearing my peacock shirt that day!

We went through security and the tapstiles, and were happy to finally be in a park! But before we could have fun, we had some business to take care of first. DS qualifies for DAS with her medical conditions, so we got in line for guest services to get that taken care of (if you’re wondering why we didn’t take advantage of the pre-registration for this…it’s because I completely forgot it was an option now. But also I’ve heard they have really long waits for that).

April brought her elephant so she could show it to the real elephants.

The GS line was long-ish but in about 20 minutes we were speaking with a CM who got us taken care of. I am really glad they let you book return times on the app now. I had never done it before but found it to be a pretty easy process. As soon as we were in the system, I asked DS what she wanted to do first, and she said Flight of Passage. So I opened the app and booked the return time, which I believe was in about two hours.

There was plenty to do in the meantime. We made our way over to Africa, where my dad wanted to look at the walking sticks. His foot had been bothering him and he thought it might be cool to have one. He considered a few of them; a lot just weren’t the right height (apparently, a good walking stick for your height is one you can hold with your arm at a 90 degree angle).

While he thought about it, we went over to the train to Rafiki’s planet watch. The last time I was here it was peak COVID and there was pretty much nothing to do here except for the animation drawing thing, which we have no interest in (I’m glad there’s a place for it to be done now since it’s a beloved experience for many, but it’s just not our thing). I was hopeful it would be a little more worthwhile overall this time.

While the drawing experience does take up a TON of space in that main building, there was still some other stuff to do. We headed to the petting zoo area first. Unfortunately, every single animal was either in the resting pen or just not close enough to pet, except for two pigs just lying on the ground like, well, like pigs.

April was tentative at first but eventually decided to pet them. I heard a few people walking by question whether or not they were even alive, but they definitely were.

We also went inside and looked at the lizards and bugs. A lot of them are pretty cool! There wasn’t anything going on in the vet observation area. I’ve heard most procedures/exams happen pretty early, and of course with our family’s habits we can never get there early enough.

There were some big photos on display and I tried to take this one of Mary Blair, since I recently got a Mary Blair inspired tattoo. It came out horribly lol. The photo, not the tattoo.

There were some other activities going on, but they were a bit too old for April and way too young for us. So we made our way back to the train station.

I think that’s a good stopping point, so I’ll see you next time!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I love that she wanted to show the elephants her new plush elephant friend-I feel like my heart grew two sizes reading that. So sweet!

 

[Paulaparm]

April's sunglasses are adorable.

 

[Verstehen]

I love that she wanted to show the elephants her new plush elephant friend-I feel like my heart grew two sizes reading that. So sweet!

I know!

April's sunglasses are adorable.

So there's a story behind those. Earlier this year my mom got her a pair of toddler sunglasses at MK that had a Minnie theme, and then DH accidentally broke them and bought these for her as a replacement but they are definitely made for a bigger kid. We bought her a replacement pair of the originals at AK and she'll wear the pink ones again when her head gets a little bigger lol.

 

[Verstehen]

Day 1, Part 2:

By the time we got on the train, made it back to Africa, then trekked all the way to Pandora, it was time to redeem our Flight of Passage return time. Only DS and I would be going, since it always makes Dad motion sick. We had a bit of a snag with me telling April I’d be leaving but would be right back. Usually she has no problem waiting with a family member, but today she decided she wanted to go with me. We took her into the gift shop where my dad successfully distracted her with some toys on display, and I bolted out of there before she could notice I was gone. Mom of the year!

DS and I made it through FoP fairly quickly. I think the last time I rode it the whole experience took about 30 minutes, but they seemed to be on the ball today and I think it took between 15 and 20 minutes. We had a good time! DS had trouble with feeling dizzy after the last time we rode it, but chose not to eat before our ride today and believes that helped.

We reunited with my dad and April in the gift shop. He said she did great and was very happy to play with a drum and some other toys. My dad is learning to play the drums and is very eager for April to learn too. He almost bought that drum. Almost. There’s always next time!

Now it was time for some lunch. We made a mobile order at Satuli Canteen and waited outside the restaurant for it to be ready. Since it was such a hot day, we decided to eat inside. I had the cheeseburger pods and I believe DS did as well. My dad had a chicken bowl and April had the kids’ quesadilla. DS and I also split the non-alcoholic specialty drink that had Powerade and juice. I can’t remember what it was called, but I do remember it was quite tasty.

By this point I had made a return time for Kilimanjaro Safari. The line was very long when we were first in the park, but by now it was showing an estimated wait of only 20 minutes, so we were able to redeem it pretty much at any time. We finished our meals and made our way back to Africa.

We saw lots of animals, but sadly it was low on elephants! We saw one bachelor but the main elephant area was empty ;_;

It ended up being a pretty long safari because a rhino on the road was causing a traffic jam. I didn’t mind too much but we were all tired and by the end I was getting a little claustrophobic. As we waited towards the end of the attraction to unload, I noticed a little tableau.

Someone, I’m assuming CMs, had set up a little scene with plastic dinosaurs in one of the walls. I thought this was really super cute and have never noticed it before, and probably wouldn’t have if we weren’t moving so slowly. Just goes to show, you can always find something entertaining even in the most inconvenient moments at Disney.

We exited and went back to the walking sticks. There was one that my dad had been leaning towards getting that I heavily endorsed. It had a giraffe on the handle that was, well, let’s say a few pounds heavier than your average giraffe. I called him my Good Big Boi and I really wanted my dad to get him. But there was another stick he ended up liking even more, with a gorilla on the handle and a snake wrapping around the stick. It was perfect for his height too. We’re not sure if he just didn’t notice when he’d been looking at the sticks earlier or if it had been added before we came back, but he decided to get it. Another factor is that the stick was fairly lightweight compared to some of the others. All of the sticks are the same price (around $90) but some are taller or shorter, some are heavier or lighter, and some are simple or intricate. So it really just comes down to what you like best and what will work for you. If you’re interested in getting one, you should also know that Disney doesn’t accept discounts for them.

Dad was pleased with his purchase and we stopped at Starbucks on the way out of the park as well.

At some point, April fell asleep in her stroller. Not surprising since it was well past her naptime! She stayed asleep when we got to the car and put her in her carseat, which is unusual. She really must have been tired!

Next up, we went to the Polynesian to check in! Our room was ready.

 

[KPeterso]

Day 1, Part 2:


It ended up being a pretty long safari because a rhino on the road was causing a traffic jam. I didn’t mind too much but we were all tired and by the end I was getting a little claustrophobic. As we waited towards the end of the attraction to unload, I noticed a little tableau.

Someone, I’m assuming CMs, had set up a little scene with plastic dinosaurs in one of the walls. I thought this was really super cute and have never noticed it before, and probably wouldn’t have if we weren’t moving so slowly. Just goes to show, you can always find something entertaining even in the most inconvenient moments at Disney.

Sounds like a great update. You only see this little spot when you are in one of the handicap trucks. It has had different set ups over the years. There was a time it was a lot of the safari animals all lined up in that spot. I probably have a pic around somewhere of all the animals in that spot. Have also seen it empty too. I do think it was the dinos in September too.

 

[suse66]

I finished packing and got April and I dressed for the day. My dad texted a couple of times asking if I wanted any breakfast from the hotel, which stopped serving at 9 (which is crazy early if you want my opinion). I usually eat a half bagel toasted with peanut butter and banana at home which is like my comfort breakfast so I was all set, but I asked him to set some food aside for April. Despite the early wakeup call, we were definitely not going to make it to the hotel before 9 am. Such is life with a toddler.

Toddlers run on their own schedule for sure! Something like teenagers, lol.

We got out of the car and I took advantage of the new MDE app feature to save your parking row. No more taking pictures of the row number for me! I think this is pretty handy, but just double check before you save the row. I’ve found it’s sometimes a row or two in its first guess. It was auspicious we were parked in peacock because I was wearing my peacock shirt that day!

Perfect!

The GS line was long-ish but in about 20 minutes we were speaking with a CM who got us taken care of. I am really glad they let you book return times on the app now. I had never done it before but found it to be a pretty easy process. As soon as we were in the system, I asked DS what she wanted to do first, and she said Flight of Passage. So I opened the app and booked the return time, which I believe was in about two hours.

DAS is a wonderful service!

While the drawing experience does take up a TON of space in that main building, there was still some other stuff to do. We headed to the petting zoo area first. Unfortunately, every single animal was either in the resting pen or just not close enough to pet, except for two pigs just lying on the ground like, well, like pigs.

The petting area can be hit or miss. Either you are overwhelmed with animals or there are almost none.

By the time we got on the train, made it back to Africa, then trekked all the way to Pandora, it was time to redeem our Flight of Passage return time. Only DS and I would be going, since it always makes Dad motion sick. We had a bit of a snag with me telling April I’d be leaving but would be right back. Usually she has no problem waiting with a family member, but today she decided she wanted to go with me. We took her into the gift shop where my dad successfully distracted her with some toys on display, and I bolted out of there before she could notice I was gone. Mom of the year!

Sometimes you just have to do what you need to do!

Now it was time for some lunch. We made a mobile order at Satuli Canteen and waited outside the restaurant for it to be ready. Since it was such a hot day, we decided to eat inside. I had the cheeseburger pods and I believe DS did as well. My dad had a chicken bowl and April had the kids’ quesadilla. DS and I also split the non-alcoholic specialty drink that had Powerade and juice. I can’t remember what it was called, but I do remember it was quite tasty.

I always love Satuli!

Someone, I’m assuming CMs, had set up a little scene with plastic dinosaurs in one of the walls. I thought this was really super cute and have never noticed it before, and probably wouldn’t have if we weren’t moving so slowly. Just goes to show, you can always find something entertaining even in the most inconvenient moments at Disney.

Love that attention to show.

At some point, April fell asleep in her stroller. Not surprising since it was well past her naptime! She stayed asleep when we got to the car and put her in her carseat, which is unusual. She really must have been tired!

Poor bunny! She was worn out.