Articles | Disneyland | Walt Disney World
Results 1 to 18 of 18

Thread: Fun With the Cuz - a WDW Trip Report 1-16

  1. #1

    Fun With the Cuz - a WDW Trip Report 1-16

    Time to buckle down and get this written before I forget everything. This was an unexpected and very unusual trip for me. You all know that I'm a long-time single park stormer. I've enjoyed the occasional day with other co-workers when I've been in town working at a convention. But for vacations I always do it solo - not really out of choice, but out of necessity, being a single guy. But that changed with an email in December from my cousin Steve.

    A few words about Steve - he's a recently retired Episcopalian priest. He comes from a family of 4 kids - I come from a family of 4 kids. His mom and my mom were sisters, while his dad and my dad were best buds in the army even before they got married. Needless to say, our families were very close growing up. In fact, my first visit ever to DL back in 1963 was a combined Young-Powers day. I've been lucky to spend a few minutes with Steve at family reunions over the past few summers, but other than that we've pretty much drifted apart. Steve just went through successful cancer surgery, but his health and recovery schedule forced his early retirement. He's been living in Virginia, but is now planning to move back to SoCal to be closer to family. He decided that it would be a good time to storm WDW before moving, and guess who he contacted as the family's resident WDW expert? Yup, I was the designated tour guide, and I was really looking forward to it, both for time in WDW and to get to know the adult version of the cousin I grew up with.

    My flight from Dallas was uneventful - I had the entire row to myself! Steve drove down to Florida, so he picked me up at the airport in his trusty Audi (whom I learned was named Kristof the Swift!). He was staying at a Hilton Vacation Club property, where our rooms had a terrific view of the Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower -



    A quick unpacking and it was off to Epcot for the rest of the day.

    Last edited by danyoung; 02-02-2016 at 09:08 AM.
    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  2. # ADS

    Join Date
    Location
    Posts
     

  3. #2

    Thursday, 1/21 -

    I had to snap a quick shot of Steve right at the start of the visit -



    He's just a few years older than me, and about 4 feet shorter! We entered Epcot and headed for the Fountainview to pick up a quick pastry. On the way I saw that the line for Spaceship Earth was really short, so we did that as our first ride. The ride stopped right by the radio scene, giving me a chance to take a really nice shot -



    A quick stop for a tasty pastry and it was time for our first FP+ at Test Track (I booked all the FP+ and meals for both of us - it really pays to have an expert in the family!). The one thing I was really worried about this trip was the whole drinkin' thing. I really like to spend some serious time at the Rose & Crown, and I wasn't sure if Father Steve would be into it. Well, I needn't have worried. He told me a joke - how many Episcopalians does it take to screw in a light bulb? Two - one to call the electrician and one to mix the drinks! We stopped into the R&C before dinner, where he had a pre-dinner martini and I enjoyed a glass of wine (don't wanna get too snockered too early!). Then it was off to dinner at the Coral Reef, of course sitting right by the glass. Steve started with the lobster bisque -



    ...and I enjoyed the calamari -



    Steve's entre was the always excellent mahi mahi -



    I always get seafood here, but I'd seen several pics online of the Coral Reef steak, so I thought I'd try that -



    A very good choice - good steak! After dinner we went back to the Rose & Crown and let my friend Gavin serve us some fine libations. Miss Carol was performing, and she asked me up to do a little Danny Boy, much to the joy of cousin Steve who had never heard me sing before! Outside for IllumiNations, then a walk around the World Showcase. I wasn't sure that Steve would be up to this, but he said he was fine as long as we took it slow. A really nice walk, and a great end to a terrific first day.

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  4. #3

    Friday, 1/22 -

    I should note here that I didn't really take a lot of pictures this trip. I tried to document the food, of course, and also to snap some pics of me & Steve with the characters. But other than that, not much.

    Friday was DAK day. We started with a Tusker House rez even before rope drop - fun as always to see the place with so few people around. We had a lot of great interactions with the characters -



    ... and a great breakfast (love that jungle juice!). The park had opened by the time we finished breakfast, but no problem - it was a rainy morning, and the crowds were small. We started off with a FP+ at Kilimanjaro Safaris -



    The gorilla bachelors were all out on this rainy morning -





    Time now for our FP+ at Everest, which was fun as always. Again, I was a little worried about Steve's health, but he kept right up with me! We went next to Dinosaur, which is a really rough ride. I don't know if this is getting rougher or if my tolerance is going down. It was now time for the first showing of Finding Nemo, which we both enjoyed quite a bit. Lunch was at the always excellent Flame Tree BBQ, where Steve had the chicken salad -



    ... and I had my usual ribs -



    An excellent lunch - no big surprise. We had time for a showing of Tough To Be a Bug, then back to the hotel for a nice nap. Next we're off to the California Grill for dinner!

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  5. #4

    Friday, 1/22 (continued) -

    We parked in the main lot and boated over to the MK, catching a couple of rides. Tonight I wanted to employ my new trick at the California Grill. This trip didn't start its planning till mid-December, by which time the CG was totally booked. But we took a monorail over to the Contemporary and then up to the CG at about 7pm, and they sent us up to the bar with no problem. We both enjoyed the incredible Spicy Kazan Roll -



    ..., and then took our drinks out on the balcony for a sky high view of the Wishes fireworks. After another drink or two, we took the monorail around to the Grand Floridian and a visit with Tammy, my bartender friend at Mizner's. Neither of us had the energy to head into the MK, so it was monorail around to the TTC and out to Kristof the Swift and back to the hotel.

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  6. #5

    Saturday, 1/23 -

    Have I mentioned how cold it was this trip? We had rain on Friday through early afternoon. Other than that it was clear skies, but COLD for Florida (some days it was high in the mid-30s with a 20 mph wind!!!). All I had was a heavy sweater, and at times it wasn't enough. But you still see some jokers wearing shorts and tank tops and wondering why it's not warmer in Florida!

    Today started in Epcot, where I wanted to have breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. Oops, forgot it was closed. So we headed up to the Garden Grill, where they took us even without a reservation. Breakfast is family style -



    ..., and plenty of characters -







    Once around Living With the Land with no wait, then it was over to the Seas and a few minutes with Nemo and friends. Against my better judgement we went next on Imagination, which Steve hated as much as I do! By now it was time for our lunch rez at the Rose & Crown. It was very cold, but they had the patio screens down and space heaters on, so it was really comfortable. We were both still pretty full from breakfast, so Steve had a cheese plate while I had a scotch egg -



    We stopped off in France for Impressions de France -



    We next headed on up to the American pavilion for a set from the always amazing Voices of Liberty -



    ... followed of course by a showing of The American Adventure. Time to head back to our posh hotel for naptime. Tonight is our one time in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  7. #6

    We got to the Studios at around 3:30, in time for our FP+ ride on Star Tours. Next was a showing of the Muppets, which both Steve and I are big fans of. I had a FP+ for Midway Mania, but there just wasn't the time. It was already time for our early dinner at the Brown Derby, which was easily the worst meal of the trip. Oh, the food was OK -





    ..., but our waitress was just horrible. She was very nice, but it took for freakin' EVER to get anything. Like, a glass of wine took 20 minutes, the entrees took 25 minutes, getting a fork for Steve took about 10 minutes - it was just ridiculous. Drinks were watered down cuz they had been sitting with the ice melting, and the food was luke-warm. A 1 hour meal took over 2 hours because she was so slow - totally unacceptable. And we were watching her - she wasn't too busy, she was just slow. By now the cold and this lousy meal had thrown us both out of sorts, so we called it early and headed back to the hotel.

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  8. #7

    Sunday, 1/24 -

    It was already our last day in the parks. We started out in the Magic Kingdom, scoring a killer parking spot right up front. We had an early ADR at Be Our Guest. Upon entering the park I made a HUGE mistake. I entered on the right side, but the entry for dining was on the left side. We fought the crowd (and it was crowded!) for a bit before I figgered out that we could exit the tapstiles, walk across the open territory, and then re-enter on the left side. We hit Main Street just barely ahead of the crowd -



    We had a nice breakfast at BOG, but it didn't help us getting on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - 90 minute wait by the time we got out there. Ah well, on to the next thing. We had a FP+ for Big Thunder, which is always fun, with a stop at the Haunted Mansion on the way. Way too cold for Splash - I guess it was way too cold for everyone, as Splash had a 5 minute wait and was still sending out empty logs. We had FP+ for Pirates, but it was down all morning. Time for a showing of Mickey's PhilHarmagic, and then it was already time for our lunch rez at the Plaza, and then quick rides on the Carousel of Progress and the PeopleMover before calling it a morning. Tonight was a big finish at Epcot.

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  9. #8

    Sunday, 1/24 (continued) -

    Tonight we hit Epcot for one last time. We just had time to enter the Mexico pavilion and do the Gran Fiesta, seeing the new 3 Caballeros animatronics for the first time. Dinner was at La Hacienda de San Angel. For some reason, this was the only pic of that dinner -



    Great dinner as always, but I don't remember what I had. Time to hit the Rose & Crown, followed as always by IllumiNations and the walk around the World Showcase.

    Monday, 1/25 -

    The next day we had to spend outside of the parks, as Steve could only score a 4 day pass. I wanted him to see the Coronado Springs Resort, so we had an early lunch of enchiladas (not bad for a food court). We still had a few hours to kill before my flight, so we headed into Downtown Disney for a little wandering around -







    And then it was time to head for the airport and an uneventful flight home. Well, sorta uneventful - the guy sitting next to me slammed a whole buncha alcohol, and I had to elbow him to wake up when it was time to leave the plane. But that was no biggie, and overall I had a terrific time with the cousin. Next trip - April 2016 for the Flower & Garden & Food & Wine Festival!







    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  10. #9

    A quick correction. I put up the wrong pic for dinner at the Coral Reef. The actual steak looked like this -



    ..., while this was the steak at La Hacienda de San Angel -



    - and both were very tasty! I also wanted to show this little gem now on the front of the Mexico pavilion -

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  11. #10
    Registered User Silvercat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Birmingham, UK

    Hey Dan, great trip report! Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed reading this. It looks like you had a real good time with your cousin, and I'm glad you got to spend some quality time together - nothing like a Disney trip with family to assist with some family bonding!

    Silvercat

    (Enjoy reading trip reports? Why not try my books, "Tiggerific Travels" - all 4 books available now as e-books)

  12. #11
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Drexel Hill, PA

    Great report as usual. I think it's awesome that you got to go with your cousin and make sure he had a great time and didn't miss any big attractions. I am single too but would never have the guts to go to Disney by myself. Best wishes to your cousin for his continued recovery.


  13. #12
    …as in "Grumpy Old Fool's Day@Disney mmorizio's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    New Jersey
    Blog Entries
    17

    Great report Dan. Thanks!

    mike
    AKA Grumpy Old Fool
    My videos here on Mouseplanet

  14. #13

    Trip report

    Thanks Dan!! Great report -- you guys did everything I would have done : - ) thanks so much for writing it up.

    take care,

    faith

    PS -- Oh and Sue......I go on solo trips all the time -- it's very fun!! maybe just try a short one as a test but I think you'd really enjoy it -- there is always a consensus as to what to do : - )


  15. #14

    I'm headed back to the World in April, precisely because I want that solo trip. It was fun spending time with the cuz, but I really enjoy doing it all solo, changing the plan on a moment's notice with no consulting of anyone except ME!

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  16. #15

    As always....great report Dan! What were your thoughts on the Garden Grill Breakfast? My wife and I are on the fence about it.


  17. #16

    Trip with Cuz

    Quote Originally Posted by danyoung View Post
    I'm headed back to the World in April, precisely because I want that solo trip. It was fun spending time with the cuz, but I really enjoy doing it all solo, changing the plan on a moment's notice with no consulting of anyone except ME!
    I'm all over this concept : - ) I'll be back at the beginning of May for Flower & Garden --

  18. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by ssmerdel View Post
    As always....great report Dan! What were your thoughts on the Garden Grill Breakfast? My wife and I are on the fence about it.
    Thanks for the kind words. If you saw the pic I posted, well, that's pretty much it. Fairly basic breakfast food, and you get to greet the characters. I wouldn't go out of my way to do it if Sunshine Seasons hadn't been closed for breakfast. I used to eat dinner there all the time before they changed to a character meal. I like the rotating restaurant part - very relaxing.
    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  19. #18

    Looks like you had a great time with your cousin! Thanks for writing up the report and sharing it with us!

    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney ~
    1982 Off-site, BC 9/01, ASMo 1/04, ASMu 8-9/08, POFQ 4/09, BC/POR 7/10, AKL and Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek 7&8/12, CS 11/12, Disney Dream 3/13, POR and BW 12/13-1/14, Pop Century 7/14, Fort Wilderness 8/15, POR/AoA (MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival 10/15), Fort Wilderness 7/16, Off-site 12/16, Off-site 12/17, Off-site 12/18 and Disney Magic, 7/19 Off-site DL/DCA

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •