Disney with the Family

2 October, 2021

Main Street Railway Station

Our first family vacation since the onset of COVID. This trip had been on the books for a couple of years, so we were happy that Disney opened back up and there had been no reports of massive transmission events. In a rare move we chose to drive down in order to minimize exposure risk, while other members of our party flew to Orlando. Fortunately there were no health-related incidents the entire trip, other than a bit of heat exhaustion suffered by yours truly thanks to abnormally high temperatures.

Skyliner

We chose Pop Century for this trip, a property we have stayed in a couple of times prior. We find the "budget" hotels still deliver a solid "Disney" experience, just with fewer whistles and bells. The rooms are nicely appointed, towels and linens are "Disney-level" and, of course, the staff is pure Disney. There are pools, bars, food, and shopping, as well as luggage services, rental scooter management, and easy transportation to the rest of the property. One of our favorite aspects of Pop Century is the (relatively) new Skyliner service, which provides transportation to Hollywood Studios and Epcot via gondolas that run continuously during operating hours. The gondolas comfortably accommodate 6 adults, but you can probably squeeze in 8 under many circumstances. They'll also fit a scooter with a few others - loading parameters are generally dictated by your party and not the capacity of the SkyLiner.

The pent-up wanderlust caused by COVID kept us running hard for our entire visit (which was probably a significant contribution to my heat exhaustion mid-week.) For the first time ever I spent a day at Animal Kingdom. The only other time I've been in that park was shortly after it was opened with limited space, I only lasted a few hours before becoming frustrated with the crowds and made my exit. This time I had a vastly more enjoyable experience. Expedition Everest is a novel and entertaining coaster, a definite "must ride" for any coaster enthusiast. The animal displays are thoughtful and the inhabitants don't display any signs of stress. The food options in Animal Kingdom are some of the best counter service offerings available in any Disney park that I've visited.

Grey Stuff!

In the Magic Kingdom we had lunch at Be Our Guest. The 3 course prix-fixe menu offers several options (including vegetarian) and, while on the more expensive end of the Disney dining spectrum, I think it represents reasonable value for teens and adults. Obviously the experience is focused on children (this is Disney, after all!) but I struggle with the cover charge for youngsters. Our entrees were quite tasty. I had tuna tartare as a starter and short rib beef bourguignon and had to remind myself several times that I was in the Magic Kingdom. The dessert trio is the way to go for dessert - The Gray Stuff really IS delicious! Characters roam around almost constantly throughout the meal and when they're not on the floor the venue itself becomes the entertainment. The air conditioning is quite effective, as is the case in several attractions, so a light jacket might be in order if you're prone to getting chilled.

Remy's ride

Remy's Ratatouille Adventure had just opened up, and we were fortunate enough to get a spot in the Virtual Queue. The queue winds through the rooftops of Paris before depositing you at the loading zone, where you board your Rat-mobile. The vehicles travel through the ride autonomously, using trackless technology. The 4-D effects are the best Imagineers have to offer and provide laughs and surprises without being overly intense for younger guests. With the integration of video and motion this ride appears to have been developed with future enhancement or revision in mind. Everyone in our group (ages 3 to 53) thought the attraction was very well done and would have ridden multiple times if that were even remotely possible. RRA has since been moved under the Genie+ umbrella, making it easier for guests to enjoy.

This was our first time ever dining at Skipper Canteen in Adventureland. How this restaurant slipped by us on our previous couple of visits is beyond me, as we're usually attentive to changes. This table service venue provides an elevated experience hidden away in plain sight. We were visiting Disney with family members who hold annual passes, who had dined here several times previously. They reported that everything they've ever eaten there was quite good, and the six of us who were new to the experience concurred unconditionally. The air conditioning provides an amazing respite from the heat, the service is excellent and has just enough "Jungle Cruise" humor to elicit a smile from even the most fatigued guest. True Disney aficionados (addicts?) will notice a steady stream of Easter eggs scattered around. From office doors to bookshelves, they range from homages to Imagineers to assorted Disney references. Look for both direct and oblique connections to movies and history (both real and imagined) - they are abundant.

This visit marked the first opportunity for our group to visit Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios.  Some of us opted to sleep in instead of getting up obscenely early for the rope-drop opportunity. The rest of us made our way over to the park at a more civilized hour and enjoyed our favorites, such as Rockin' Rollercoaster, and new attractions, like Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. The latter, housed in Grauman's Chinese Theater, replaced the Great Movie Ride in 2020. It's the first Disney ride to feature Mickey & Minnie, and it's well done. There's cartoonish excitement and suspense, and like Remy, restrained enough to keep the laughter above the anxiety. Unfortunately I got a bit overheated and had to retreat back to the hotel mid-afternoon. A cool shower and some dilute electrolytes along with a nap in a cold room had me sorted out in just a few hours. I was feeling human again when everyone returned around dinner time, and by the next morning I was good to go - and much more cognizant of my fluid intake.

Mickey

After several character dining experiences throughout the week, we wrapped things up with the character breakfast at Topolino's Terrace located in the Riviera Resort. A huge plus to this location was the easy access from Pop Century via the SkyLiner. The restaurant is beautiful and the food was excellent, but the premium added for the character experience simply doesn't represent a reasonable value for me. Unless Mickey is going to sit at the table for the duration or Goofy is going to provide end-to-end entertainment throughout the meal, a $52 plate of bacon and eggs or French toast isn't justifiable, even with coffee and juice. I understand market economics, so I'll gladly surrender my seat to those willing to participate. I do look forward to having dinner at Topolino's one day, the menu is interesting and they have already demonstrated their ability to execute with their tasty breakfast.

The only complaint I can lodge for this trip is that Disney now charges a daily parking fee where once there was none. I understand the stresses placed on businesses due to COVID, but a fee to park in a lot, without any level of service attached to the parking, just seems like a petty money-grab. We don't drive to Orlando often, but we have done it enough that this added fee was a bit of an annoyance. I'm already spending over $100 per person, per day (room, meals, tickets) - there's no need to rub my nose in it.

Despite a few logistics glitches (our room was originally two, but became four) the week was a much-welcome breakout of the COVID world. Masking was implemented situationally in higher-risk environments, and I didn't witness anyone throwing a tantrum for it being either too restrictive or too permissive. The Disney Cast members provided polite and gentle mask reminders if and when needed (which was rare, and usually at transitional moments, such as boarding a bus) and I don't even recall a snide remark from anyone.