We Only Had to Wait in Line Twice For This - An April 2024 runDisney TR *Updated 5/9*

[vamassey1]

I'm so sorry your room was so bad. Ours was okay until we saw the spider web on the ceiling. That was an easy fix compared to your issues. Those rooms cost way too much to put up with that many issues.

I know Alex couldn't stay our of the park.

You had a great first night. I have still never done the lantern photo.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Aren’t the rooms at the WL beautiful?

They look lovely in your photo for sure.

I’ll go ahead and say this here now, though, to get it out of the way. I became a little disenchanted with the Wilderness Lodge this trip.

I’m a wee bit sad for you. You really did have some horrible issues with your room. I’d have been so annoyed.

I’m the gal who will eat the mashed potatoes even though I ordered fries.

You have such a great way with words. This made me laugh but it also totally made me get you.

some problems got a band-aid placed on it, others who knows?

I feel like they should have done a lot better. Those rooms cost a lot so they should have made sure it was worthy of guests but I suppose at least they resolved some of the issues.

I called the kids to see how they were doing

Landon immediately began grilling me

Evie had more pressing concerns.

Kids are so funny how they look at life so differently. Landon is definitely your Disney buddy and I mean how could you forget to put playing with friends after dinner on the planner

All right, phone call complete.

Now what?

What we SHOULD NOT do is hop on a boat and go into the Magic Kingdom.

Despite there being Extra Magic Hours for deluxe resort guests.

No way.

That’d be irresponsible.

Happily Ever After was showing at 9 p.m., so Alex and I headed to our favorite non-Main Street viewing location.

What a gorgeous photo. You both look so happy

the two of us hopped in line to get the Tangled lantern photo

Another lovely photo.

Alex and I saw Mickey and Minnie above us, waving goodbye to guests.

Perfect way to end the day!

 

[suse66]

I think if only one or two of these problems were present, Alex and I wouldn’t have thought much about it, but the accumulation of them all really skewed our opinion. Alex and my dad have work experience in resorts and hotels, so I’ve heard enough over the years to know this room shouldn’t have been open. Alex and I agreed, WL needed to put a block on this room and give it some TLC.

Oooh, I am fuming on your behalf. They should have given you a new room AND upgraded you to Club Level after that nonsense!

“Which hotel is that? Do I know that one? Is it one I like?”

It’s not easy sneaking away to Disney when you’ve got a kid who loves WDW as much as you.

Evie had more pressing concerns.

“Am I still allowed to play with my friends after dinner? You didn’t mention it in the notes so Nana didn’t let us. Please tell her it’s okay.”

Evie kills me! I see Landon as a future Disney College Program kid. He would be perfect!

The Tangled bathrooms.



It’s not glamorous, but it has seats and great views of the fireworks.

And seats.

If I’m not watching projections on Cinderella’s Castle, than I’d rather be sitting down and enjoying them.

I've never considered that location! I usually watch from either The Adventureland bridge area or Fantasyland. No Main Street craziness for me, thanks.

Once HEA was done, the two of us hopped in line to get the Tangled lantern photo. Despite it being around for years, we’d never done it before.

Sweet picture!

Then we headed to Adventureland. Thrilled to be in the first theme park of the trip or not, Alex and I were tired and needed to focus on easy attractions with little waits.

And what fits the bill better than Pirates?



Upon exiting, I was ready to call it a night. The early wakeup call had caught up to me. And I mean, fireworks and a ride. That’s not too shabby for a spur of the moment visit.

But Alex remembered one of my Must-Dos was the Enchanted Tiki Room, and he insisted we see it on the way out.

All right, all right.

Twist my arm, will you?

Perfect! I love, love, love the Tiki Room!

The show completed, I told Alex it really was time to leave. This time, he didn’t argue. But as we were walking down Main Street, he suggested we pop into the Confectionary and grab a sweet to take back to the room.

Good plan!

So, should we have gone to the Magic Kingdom? Probably not.

Did we regret doing so?

Defintiely not.

How could you resist going over when you are only a boat ride away?

 

[rdkeim]

Great first night! An impromptu visit to MK - who could pass that up!? When describing your room issues, I was certain they would move you to a new room. And, an upgraded room! Disappointing but I hope you enjoyed being at such a beautiful resort.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

We had a lot of issues with the room.

Like, enough that Alex and I had to go down to the front desk the following morning and talk to someone about them.

Which is NOT in my comfort zone.

I’m the gal who will eat the mashed potatoes even though I ordered fries.

Goodness, that’s ridiculous! I’m guessing they were full and therefore didn’t have an alternative room for you? I would’ve been pretty irritated, too, especially given the price of those rooms. DId they give you any sort of apology (a room discount or a bonus day of Genie+) other than "fixing" the problems?

I'm guessing Alex was the main spokesperson for the front desk confrontation? I sometimes hesitate to complain, but I would ask for my mashed potatoes.

“Am I still allowed to play with my friends after dinner? You didn’t mention it in the notes so Nana didn’t let us. Please tell her it’s okay.”

Wow, your mom took your notes seriously!

And that is why, at 8:30, I have this picture on my phone:

Yay! I knew you wouldn't stay in your room (and in its state, who would want to? ), but I'm not surprised Alex wanted to head to a park. Watching HEA sounds like the perfect way to kick off your trip!

Once HEA was done, the two of us hopped in line to get the Tangled lantern photo. Despite it being around for years, we’d never done it before.

That's such a fun magic shot! It's a nice picture of the two of you.

And what fits the bill better than Pirates?

That's an excellent choice! Very Disney (plus that excellent Disney water smell!).

Hello, welcome, come on in, take in the sights of all my bird statues.

Be glad they’re not real.

So, should we have gone to the Magic Kingdom? Probably not.

Did we regret doing so?

Defintiely not.

Absolutely! It was the perfect way to kick off your trip.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

You are so much nicer than I am. If I had all those rooms, I would have been firmly, but politely, insisting on a new room. I am paying WAY too much money to have that many problems.

Of course you had to go into a park. With an AP, it is bad Disney math not to go. I have never thought to watch the fireworks from the Tangled bathrooms. Thanks for that tip!

I did the make your own popcorn at the confectionary in April. I HIGHLY recommend that! I brought it home and snacked on it for a week. And it never seemed stale.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I am here and following along. I have only read the intro. Got to come back and get caught up.

Okay, just the younger one. The preteen in the mix gave a halfhearted shrug and an “I don’t care.”

The world of middle schoolers is an anomaly to me…

But I needed to just say.... WHAT?!?! HOW?!?! Landon is a middle schooler? How is this happening? And he didn't care you guys were going to Disney with out him? What is happening?

 

[disneyAndi14]

I’m here catching! I’m so happy you had a trip with hubby and talked him into running for fun
I totally get the disappointment at times with Disney rooms especially when paying the deluxe prices and especially when a few years ago WL was priced like a moderate at around $250 a night and now upwards to $600 a night!
My sister Helen was shocked that I don’t get VIP status like at other hotel chains since I stay so much! I wish!
It sounds like spending time at MK in the evening was just perfect for the two of you!
I also enjoy the Tiki Room, another attraction that never gets old!

 

[amazingact21]

Yep first full marathon. Did a couple half’s with Rundisney in 2022/2023. I actually have just learned recently that getting on a ride during the course is a thing! My main goal is just to finish and not die soooo we’ll see how a ride factors into that

Congrats again on signing up for a full! I think doing your first full at WDW is the way to go. You get to run through all 4 parks AND down Main St. I'm not sure if you know about it, but if you ever have any questions, the runDisney subforum on the DIS is really helpful.

Those rooms cost way too much to put up with that many issues.

It was a little rough, thinking about how much we spent on the room, only to have so many problems.

I know Alex couldn't stay our of the park.

He was really glad I agreed to go into a park that night.

I feel like they should have done a lot better. Those rooms cost a lot so they should have made sure it was worthy of guests but I suppose at least they resolved some of the issues.

Alex and I were surprised that they only sent maintenance down to resolve the major issues. We didn't even receive an apology or a sorry for the inconvenience for having workers in the room.

Kids are so funny how they look at life so differently. Landon is definitely your Disney buddy and I mean how could you forget to put playing with friends after dinner on the planner

It is funny how different kids can be.
Although, in a major plot twist, it's Evie who has been more excited for our upcoming DL trip. She insisted we create a countdown, and everyday at breakfast announces how many days we have left. I guess it's the newness factor that has her excited.

 

[amazingact21]

Oooh, I am fuming on your behalf. They should have given you a new room AND upgraded you to Club Level after that nonsense!

The way the situation was brushed off definitely left a bad taste in our mouth. On the one hand, they fixed the bare minimum to allow us to stay in the room. On the other hand, the CM writing down the issues didn't even apologize for the problems. Alex and I assumed the resort was fully booked and that's why they didn't even try to move us.

I see Landon as a future Disney College Program kid. He would be perfect!

He wants to do the CP! For about 2-3 years now, he has said it's something he wants to apply to. But he also said he's afraid if he does it, he'll never leave and stay working at Disney full time.

I usually watch from either The Adventureland bridge area

I want to watch HEA from here next time.

How could you resist going over when you are only a boat ride away?

I do love that boat ride to the MK. It's so relaxing! (Especially compared to the long haul from the TTC.)

Great first night! An impromptu visit to MK - who could pass that up!? When describing your room issues, I was certain they would move you to a new room. And, an upgraded room! Disappointing but I hope you enjoyed being at such a beautiful resort.

I love MK at nighttime, so I'm glad I forfeited sleep and went into the park.
We can only assume the resort was full and there were no rooms available to move us to. But it certainly made us not want to rush back to WL for awhile.

 

[amazingact21]

I’m guessing they were full and therefore didn’t have an alternative room for you? I would’ve been pretty irritated, too, especially given the price of those rooms. DId they give you any sort of apology

That was our assumption, as well. But the CM writing down the issues didn't even issue an apology. It was a little off-putting. We joked that it was because we were getting the military discounted price, so it was a "deal."

Watching HEA sounds like the perfect way to kick off your trip!

I've found that when we stay at monorail resort, we tend to start a trip with fireworks. I guess we like to celebrate being close to the MK.

Very Disney (plus that excellent Disney water smell!).

Alex thinks I'm crazy for talking about the Pirates water smell!

You are so much nicer than I am. If I had all those rooms, I would have been firmly, but politely, insisting on a new room. I am paying WAY too much money to have that many problems.

Alex is still debating whether or not to send an email just to make sure the room received some TLC before more guests were stuck in the room.
I can only guess they didn't move us because they were fully booked.

With an AP, it is bad Disney math not to go.

Absolutely! I justify a lot of stuff with "we gotta get our money's worth out of our passes."

I did the make your own popcorn at the confectionary in April. I HIGHLY recommend that! I brought it home and snacked on it for a week. And it never seemed stale.

That's good to know the popcorn didn't become stale. We feel like the caramel popcorn from the Germany pavilion goes stale really quickly so we stopped buying it.

But I needed to just say.... WHAT?!?! HOW?!?! Landon is a middle schooler? How is this happening?

I know! I mean, technically, he's finishing up 5th grade next week and then he'll be a middle schooler. But he certainly already acts like one.

 

[amazingact21]

My sister Helen was shocked that I don’t get VIP status like at other hotel chains since I stay so much! I wish!
It sounds like spending time at MK in the evening was just perfect for the two of you!
I also enjoy the Tiki Room, another attraction that never gets old!

They really should have a reward program for returning guests! Even if it's Genie or a free meal at the QS location.

The Tiki Room is a classic. The only better time to visit it is when it's hot outside and you need an air conditioning break.

 

[kclark9830]

Joining in!!! Someday, my daughter and I (she's 14) want to do a race weekend!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Although, in a major plot twist, it's Evie who has been more excited for our upcoming DL trip. She insisted we create a countdown, and everyday at breakfast announces how many days we have left.

Way to go Evie!!!! I’m betting you are proud parents that Evie has finally gotten into the pre-trip countdown excitement with gusto. Nothing quite like a countdown calendar to get everyone excited .

he also said he's afraid if he does it, he'll never leave and stay working at Disney full time.