Rain, Rain Wouldn't Go Away, but we made the best of it anyway!! (6/12 - 6/17 Trip)

William Ades

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Another Disney trip is in the books, and as usual it was a great time!! We went with the largest party we have traveled with to date. There were 7 of us, 4 adults and 3 children (2 girls ages 6,4 and 1 boy age 6) that stayed in a 2BR Villa at SSR. We live in SW Georgia so we drove down on Monday morning, arriving at the resort at about 12p. Fortunately we received a text that our room was ready at 1120a, so we went straight to the room and unpacked the cars and got ready for the fun!!

Day 1 (6/12): Spent a couple of hours at the pool before the rain moved in and pretty much ended that. We got a good 2 hours or so which worked out because we needed to eat and get ready for the Pirates and Pals Voyage Fireworks Cruise!! Again good fortune was on our side as the rain pretty much moved out as it was time for the Fireworks Cruise. If you have never experienced this event, I HIGHLY recommend doing so in the future!! There is a M-n-G with Cpt. Hook and Mr. Smee at the Contemporary Resort prior to boarding the boats. There are unlimited treats and non-alcoholic drinks available, and they encourage you to bring along a sack or bag to take items on the boat with you if you would like. Then you board the boat and troll around the lake singing songs, playing games, and taking photos until the fireworks begin. The music from the fireworks plays on board and you have a very good view of the fireworks. There was absolutely no breeze whatsoever and with the dank humidity from the rain, the smoke from the fireworks just kind of hovered over the castle making it difficult to see low fireworks and impossible to see the castle projections. I am not convinced you could see the projections with any clarity regardless though. Upon arrival back at the dock Peter Pan was waiting for us for another M-n-G. Overall it was an incredible experience that is very well priced in terms of affordability relative to other Disney experiences!! An absolute must if you are fan of Peter Pan, no doubt about it!!! **Ask to be on Patch's boat.

Day 2 (6/13): Today was our Epcot Day. At rope drop we went straight to Anna and Elsa M-n-G and only waited about 10 minutes. Then we went and did all of the attractions and things in Future World except for Test Track, Spaceship Earth, and Sorin' (we did them later). Had FPs for Nemo, Crush, and Frozen and waited for everything else. Longest wait was for Figment believe it or not, which was 35 minutes. Finished Future Wold by about 1p and moved to the World Showcase. By the time we finished in Canada the rain moved in and hung around off and on for about 4 hours or so. Had dinner at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. Food is good, not great but if you like the princesses they are all there. We watched Illuminations from the entrance to World Showcase from Future World, after which went straight to Test Track and waited 10 minutes. Form there we went straight to Sorin' and waited only another 10 minutes. Hit Spaceship Earth on the way out of the park.

Day 3 (6/14): Pool Day and a Date Night for my wife and I. Rained most of the morning with T-Storms so the pools were closed for long stretches of time. We got another 2 hours or so in, but most of it was in the rain. Wife and I went to Narcoossee's for dinner at the Grand Floridian. Excellent food and service, topped off with a great view of the fireworks afterwards. We decided to take advantage of the EMH at AK, so we went to check out the World of Pandora. Arrived at about 1030p so we were able to ride Everest and Kali River Rapids as well as catch a peek at Rivers of Light, and by 11p we were walking into Pandora. WOW!!!!! That is all the explanation that is needed. NRJ wait was only about 30 minutes and is visually stunning!! The wait for FoP said 75 minutes but we only ended up waiting 55 minutes and is easily the best simulator type ride on the property, maybe anywhere...

Day 4 (6/15): Magic Kingdom day. Beautiful morning that saw us knockout quite a few rides and M-n-Gs, but the rain moved in about 330p and was there to stay. I don't mind the rain, and I don't mind being in a park when it's raining but when you add 3 kids and 2 wives to the equations all soaking wet it starts take a toll. We powered through even though on multiple occasions rides were completely shut down. We had an ADR for 645p at the nearly mythical BOG, and this where things went south very quickly for me. I tried to check-in at 620p at the outside booth when there was no line at all and was told I had to wait until my time at 645p. At 645p I tried to check-in and there was a significant line (had moved inside because of the weather). I got checked-in at 705p and we didn't get seated until 720p. Food was good not great and extremely overpriced. Atmosphere was exceptional as it is beautiful in there. Server was very friendly, but incredibly slow!! The Grey Stuff was underwhelming. We didn't walk out of the restaurant until 910p, which of course means we pretty much missed the fireworks. A very big disappointment as it was one of the only things we had listed as "can't miss" for the day. We saw the last 5 minutes from behind the castle, but missed all of the projections as you cannot see them from behind the castle. Park closed at 10p (as we knew when planning) so we hit Space Mountain and called it a night. It will be a long time before we visit BOG for a Table Service meal again, I can assure you of that...

Day 5 (6/16) Another pool day shortened by rain, but we ended it on a high note at O'Hana!! Hands down the best overall food I have ever eaten on property. Appetizers, Main Course, Sides, and Desserts were all exceptional!! I've heard Pete Werner say it isn't as good as it used to be and for the most part I generally agree with him on his reviews. That being said, I wish I could go back and try it at the point he is referring to, because it must have been like dining on a meal good enough only for the gods because this was incredible!! Add that to the service and atmosphere, I am not sure you can ask for a better dining experience.

Day 6 (6/17) Sadly we had to leave, but not before character breakfast at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club. Excellent breakfast buffet with Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. Despite the rain we had an absolute blast!! Time to start planning the next trip!!!!!
 
Glad to see you had a great time despite the rain. Great example for the kids, too. Sometimes it rains, but the sun always shines again. Thank you for sharing.
 

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