She's A Disney Adult and Feeling Artsy, a February 2020 Trip Report (Updated 6/15)

[GrandCalifornian]

This made me more excited than I'd care to admit. It's the perfect balance. You want your diet cherry root beer, you wait; you want quick but boring options, have at it!

Exactly! You want all the options. It is pretty neat.

It's funny that you stopped for a rest walking through CBR. I've looked at it a few times, what with it being one of the cheapest ways to sleep 5, but the layout just seems so spread out.

It is really spread out, but now with the Skyliner you couls have a shorter walk to the Riviera station than the Carribean Beach station depending on your room location. It makes it a lot nicer.

I think AoA is on our future list, too. For prices comparable to a deluxe, I'd personally rather stay somewhere like Crescent Lake, but you can't beat that theming with young kids.

Yeah, we looked at it for a few trips, but the regular rooms are only in the Little Mermaid section, and the Cars Family suites cost a lot more, and get almost to the cost of Wilderness Lodge.

This seems odd to me. You'd think plenty of people are park hopping with these in tow.

You would think so, at least tot he point that the Security guard would be more familiar with them. He was like "Open this up, I need to see what's inside." Oh well, whatever they want.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off, our boarding group had opened and we were headed for Rise of the Resistance.

As we have come to expect, the line queue area was super themed.



It was beautiful and as you get inside there are tons of props and things that help set the stage for the ride.


STOP HERE IF YOU DONT WANT SPOILERS

Yes, we documented the entire experience, and despite the efforts by the First Order we were able to escape with photographic evidence.





The ride is incredibly immersive and you are right in the story.
Paul and I aren't the biggest Star Wars fans... I know I know... but you really don't need to know anything about Star Wars to enjoy this ride.

I see it as Disney throwing all of the different technologies and ride mechanisms into one awesome experience. I don’t know all the characters, but the experience was amazing.

I had to remind myself multiple times that it was just a ride. The kids really enjoyed it too, Marshall says it freaked him out but he still likes it. There's a bilboard that we pass every day that advertises Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland and he says every day that he rode that ride.

The actors were amazing and did a great job playing their parts. You felt like you had been captured and were going to be interrogated.



They even got after the kids for not standing in line.

Fortunately we were rescued by the Resistance, and after they lasered the room open we escaped.


Right into our ride vehicles.




The ensuing chase was very impressive. We went underneath the giant AT-ATs and going in and out of the canons was neat.







We got off the ride just blown away. It is definately a step above.



We all initially just said Wow. Then Brandy thanked the Cast Member at the exit and said they outdid themselves.

IF YOU AVOIDED SPOILERS JOIN BACK IN HERE

After we got off the ride we were done with Hollywood Studios.

With that mission complete at 4:58, we headed for the front of the park.

The park was PACKED

We got to the bus stop at 5:16 just as a bus pulled away. Three AK buses came before another DS one came at 5:38.


It pulled out at 5:42, and got to DS at 5:54.


I don't think we've ridden a bus from a park to Disney Springs so that was a treat.

It was also particularly quick from HS, once it arrived.

As we walked in to Disney Springs Brandy stopped by Luxury of Time. His salesman there had heard he was in town and had some watches to show him. That took until almost 7:00, when we went in and told him we had a dinner reservation to get to.


Brandy has a collection of mechanical watches, they are pretty amazing pieces.

Brandy added another one to the collection that night, but we were more focused on Food.

We were headed to Homecomin for dinner and I was really looking forward to it.


We made our way over to Homecomin and checked in at 7:03, but that was fine because the hostess let us know they were running late due to a private event. We got some seats outside and watched the crowd.


We didn't have to wait that long before our table was ready. They sat us at a high table in the bar area, you could tell it was kinda thrown together but it worked out great. Our waitress was fantastic as she was tending bar and handling our table she was busy but super adorable.


We had our table by 7:15, and Erika was our waitress and was great. She was probably my favorite server of the trip.

We ordered Deviled Eggs and Hush puppies as appetizers and both were amazing.


The hush puppies come with pimento cheese to dip and I think I could eat a whole order all myself.

In talking to our waitress the reason we couldn't get reservations is because they had an event the night before that rented out the entire restaurant.

We also chatted with her about the current party going on outside, and she didn't know who they were but said she'd try to find out. She was super personable and fit the theme of southern charm just perfectly.

She went out there and came back in and said she had no idea what it was for but that they smelled expensive.

It was really funny. I about died when she said "They use that expensive soap..."

For our entrees, I got the cheeseburger, Brandy got Catfish, Jon got a chicken sandwich, and Melissa got pot roast.

The food was amazing, every bite and we were STUFFED so we didn't order dessert. The plan was to walk off dinner a bit and then get Sprinkles for dessert.

While we were eating Melissa asked one of the party attendees what they were there for and learned they were there for a franchising convention. They were representatives of companies that have franchises. Hence the expensive soap.

There was a lot of money rolling in that party.

It was pretty impressive to watch from our corner table.

After we left, we made our way over to the Christmas store to get our ornament. There were a lot of people at Disney Springs this night, and it was super crowded. Fortunately the Christmas store was pretty quiet as usual.


We were the only people in line to get our ornament personalized and had it shipped back to the resort so we didn't have to wait for it

We picked a Mickey Ear ornament with a castle inside, and chose to go with "Paul's 40th" for the personalization.


After the Christmas store we...

...stopped at the Carousel and Allie took a ride. She loves this silly little carousel and rides it whenever she can. Marshall had fallen asleep in the stroller.


Then we headed to the bus. We got there just as a bus pulled out at 9:58. Fortunately another pulled in right behind it at 9:59 and left at 10:01 with only 6 of us on it. We got to WL at 10:18, which had to be some sort of record for a trip back from Disney Springs.

It was really spectacular. We have the worst bus luck from Disney Springs normally.

Apparently Jon and Brandy had the bad luck, as their trip shortly before us took over an hour.

When we got back, I went out for a mug refill and some dessert at Roaring Fork. I got some more courtyard pics on the way.




I got a bowl of soft serve that I really enjoyed. I don't know why, but the simple soft serve is always so good there.


I’m pretty sure I was asleep when he came back to the room. We were all exhausted from such a busy day and it didn’t take much to get the kids in bed.

It was a great Disney day, and I felt like we totally nailed it as far as Hollywood Studios went. The next day we would try to do the same for MK.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I skipped your spoilers, but how great that you got to ride RotR. I think your guys did HS the right way, getting out of the crowds when you had the chance.

Your dinner sounds yummy!

 

[Wood Nymph]

The actors were amazing and did a great job playing their parts. You felt like you had been captured and were going to be interrogated.

The CM interaction the very first time we rode it, which was on the day after opening day in December, was the absolute best ever. Unfortunately, the next two times, January and just last week, had much less. But it is still an incredible experience because of all the different things that happen.

We ordered Deviled Eggs and Hush puppies as appetizers and both were amazing.

I love deviled eggs and they are such an old time, picnic favorite. It sounds like a great dinner.

Then we headed to the bus. We got there just as a bus pulled out at 9:58. Fortunately another pulled in right behind it at 9:59 and left at 10:01 with only 6 of us on it. We got to WL at 10:18, which had to be some sort of record for a trip back from Disney Springs.

I think the fact that you were trying to get back to WL after the fireworks were over might have helped.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Glad you were able to get on Rise of the Resistance! I skipped through most of the part with spoilers but I'm glad you were impressed even as non- Star Wars fans. We've never seen the movies at all but it sounds so awesome that I think we'll appreciate it anyway.

Homecomin' is such a good restaurant. Glad you had a great dinner.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I skipped your spoilers, but how great that you got to ride RotR. I think your guys did HS the right way, getting out of the crowds when you had the chance.

We are so glad that we got to ride it, especially with minimal dealing with chaos. Yes, we were all very happy to get to take a break in the middle of the day and go do something more relaxing

Your dinner sounds yummy!

it really was. It kind of got overshadowed by other great meals later in the trip, but it was a neat new place for us.

The CM interaction the very first time we rode it, which was on the day after opening day in December, was the absolute best ever. Unfortunately, the next two times, January and just last week, had much less. But it is still an incredible experience because of all the different things that happen.

Yeah, I’m sure there will be some human variation with it, but it is an amazing ride experience.

I love deviled eggs and they are such an old time, picnic favorite. It sounds like a great dinner.

It was really great food. We must have been hungry, as I didn’t get pictures of most of it, but everyone left full and happy.

I think the fact that you were trying to get back to WL after the fireworks were over might have helped.

Yeah, I think we just got lucky. We have had some long late rides back to WL, but this time the buses got bunched up and we hit the timing just right. We’ll take it when we can get it

Glad you were able to get on Rise of the Resistance! I skipped through most of the part with spoilers but I'm glad you were impressed even as non- Star Wars fans. We've never seen the movies at all but it sounds so awesome that I think we'll appreciate it anyway.

Yes, you can definitely enjoy it without k owing a thing about who those strange characters are. I fee there’s probably way more to it than we knew, but we still thought it was great.

Homecomin' is such a good restaurant. Glad you had a great dinner.

Thanks, it was really nice and we will definitely be back. Not that we needed another good place at Disney Springs, but we definitely found one.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

With all of the Corona virus craziness in the world right now it is still nice to take a bit of a break and focus on our happy place. Our thoughts are with everyone whose health, liveliehood, and therefore ability to go to Disney is adversely affected during this time. While we wait, we will look back on our trip to the place we love.

On Sunday I woke up at 5:15, then got ready and went out about 6:15. I took some pre-sunrise pics around the resort and applied another gift card.







I went back to the room and woke Melissa up at 6:36. I grabbed a few more pics as I went to Roaring Fork to fill mugs.




We had a breakfast date with our friends from the hundred acre woods. Jon texted at 7:30 and said they weren’t going to make it to breakfast.

We winished getting the kids ready and left the room.


We headed out via the side exit and got to the bus stop at 7:43.


No bus times were showing, but one arrived at 7:49. We hopped on and it left at 7:50, and arrived at MK at 7:55.

We got through security at 8:01. Marshall was concerned that his Magic Band might not have magic anymore because he had scratched it.

Luckily it was still magical though because we made it in the park with no problems.


We got our obligatory photo pass picture on Main Street, then we walked around the Emporium.


We are good shoppers but we didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without.

We got to Crystal Palace at 8:32 and there was a bit of a line, but we had no problem with reducing the number of people for our reservation, and we were seated very quickly. Marshall did the parade with the characters as soon as we sat down, then we went to get food.


Breakfast was great. It felt like the characters were slow though.


Yeah, we were done with our food before the first character came to our table. It was Eeyore though, who was probably Allie’s favorite.


After that all the characters went in, but we hadn’t seen any others. They brought Pooh and Tigger back out and we finally got to see them too.



Pooh and Tigger followed pretty close behind each other but we had to wait quite a while for Piglet.

We actually decided to leave without a visit but as soon as we got up he came to our table.


Allie was able to squeeze in a last minute pic with Piglet and then we headed out. We texted Jon and Brandy who were getting off of the boat.

We waited at the castle end of Main Street and watched them training a horse. They just had him parked with the carriage and getting used to the people all around.


He was being a very good boy.

It was fun to have extra time to get pictures.






Once we had the whole gang together we headed to Mine train for our fastpass.

We took the short walk over there and got on at 10:20.

Everyone loved the ride. It is one of my favorite roller coasters because it is so smooth and fun for everyone.



It’s really nice that the kids are getting older and we don’t have to baby swap as much. This trip into the magic kingdom we didn’t even bring the stroller

From mine train we headed over to Dumbo where we had another fast pass. We checked on Barnstormer, but the wait was 45 minutes for it, so we just did Dumbo.




After Dumbo we checked out Big top gifts which had recently been closed for a wet carpet issue. They apparently replaced the carpet but we didn’t notice.


At least it didn’t smell like Electric Umbrella...

Oh true. Jon bought a pair of socks. I love all the funky Disney socks but I’m really picky about my socks so I haven’t bought any for me.

From there we went over to Haunted Mansion which was showing a 30 minute wait in the app. Unfortunately when we got there it was over an hour, so we decided to pass. Instead we did something new for us and got on the Liberty Belle.


We sat on the boxes on the front of the boat. It was a nice view and a fun new thing to do.


We love the Mark Twain at Disneyland but had never ridden the river boat at WDW.

The crowd at the Magic Kingdom continued to build and it was pretty darn busy when we got off the boat.


Marshall had to go potty so I ran off with him as soon as the boat arrived. We met back up on our way to Jungle Cruise.

We had our third fast pass for Jungle Cruise and it saved us from a long line. Our skipper was really good, and had a continuous string of jokes. He even had a shocking number of current electricity related jokes to jump start the ride. (You see what I did there...)


He was really funny and we got a whole set of extra jokes because we had to hang out on the boat for a little bit while they unloaded a wheelchair on the boat in front of us.

With the increasing crowd and heat in the park, we decided to escape for lunch.


Read more about our destination and afternoon of resort hopping in our next update.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I took some pre-sunrise pics around the resort

The sky looks very clear and blue in your pictures. I love how blue the sky is in Florida when it is cold out. Your pictures look great.

we walked around the Emporium

Allie and Marshall look like they aren't interested in shopping today. I like there little cubby hole.

we were done with our food before the first character came to our table.

The pictures of the kids are really cute. I guess the wait was worth it, but you must have been anxious to leave.

It’s really nice that the kids are getting older and we don’t have to baby swap as much. This trip into the magic kingdom we didn’t even bring the stroller

That's the nice thing about MK, plenty of things to do in a compact park.

He was really funny and we got a whole set of extra jokes because we had to hang out on the boat for a little bit while they unloaded a wheelchair on the boat in front of us.

We have enjoyed Jungle Cruise lately. It seems like they have some new jokes and they mix it up a bit. We watched them load a wheelchair onto a boat once. It was really interesting to see how the mechanism rises out of the bottom of the boat. They also brought that boat out from the storage area. They took a regular boat out of the line to move the handicap boat into the ride.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

That sounds like a lovely morning at MK. How fun the you got to stop and get pictures with the horse in training!

Bummer about the timing with CP. I hear a lot of people complaining about the timing on their character rotation. Glad you did get to see everyone before you headed out.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

The sky looks very clear and blue in your pictures. I love how blue the sky is in Florida when it is cold out. Your pictures look great.

Thanks, it was just beautiful down there. We didn't have nearly the amount of rain we are used to, and it actually warmed up quite a bit as the week went on.

Allie and Marshall look like they aren't interested in shopping today. I like there little cubby hole.
The pictures of the kids are really cute. I guess the wait was worth it, but you must have been anxious to leave.

They were actually being really good. They were in a good mood that morning, and were getting along very well. Allie was cute about waiting for Piglet. SHe agreed we didn't need to wait, but sure was excited when she saw Piglet coming as we were getting up to leave.

That's the nice thing about MK, plenty of things to do in a compact park.

Yes, we felt like we were really productive, especially since we were picky about what to spend time waiting for.

We have enjoyed Jungle Cruise lately. It seems like they have some new jokes and they mix it up a bit. We watched them load a wheelchair onto a boat once. It was really interesting to see how the mechanism rises out of the bottom of the boat. They also brought that boat out from the storage area. They took a regular boat out of the line to move the handicap boat into the ride.

Yeah, it was our second cruise of this trip, and we enjoyed it. This was the time we had the Fastpass for it to make sure we'd get to ride it, and it was nice to not have as long of a line at this time.

That sounds like a lovely morning at MK. How fun the you got to stop and get pictures with the horse in training!

It was neat. The horse was pretty and it made for some nice pics while we were waiting.

Bummer about the timing with CP. I hear a lot of people complaining about the timing on their character rotation. Glad you did get to see everyone before you headed out.

Yeah, this was the first time we'd had that issue. It seemed they just got behind schedule, and didn't finish the tables before the characters went back in for their breaks. We enjoyed the food as always, so it was still a nice experience.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We just wanted to give everyone a little real life update here. Stuff has been ok at home, Allison is out of school until April 30th for now, could be extended.

I am working from home, which has been really nice. Allie stays with me while Marshall still goes to the office with Melissa.

Our office is small, heck our whole company only has 13 employees and there are only 3 of us in the office so I feel pretty darned safe there. Elevators are also essential so I'll be working unless this really is the apocolypse.

We are watching the unprecedented closures at Disney with fascination and compassion for all of the affected employees. We are looking forward to being able to go back, whenever that is.

For other parents stuck at home with bored kiddos we found this lesson on Khan Academy called Imagineering in a box, here is a link https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/hass-storytelling/imagineering-in-a-box.

We hope all of our friends are safe and staying sane.

With that, we will resume re-living our trip and hope that you continue to enjoy following along.

When we left off we were headed out from a busy Magic Kingdom after a successful morning.

We left the park and got right on a yellow flag boat to the Grand Floridian at 12:37.


It pulled out at 12:39 and the Grand Floridian was the first stop.


We decided to have lunch at Gasparillas as it rarely disappoints and usually has good deserts.

It was nice and calm and quiet compared to the park. We didn’t see the usual choices of great cupcakes though. We shared a sandwich, and Jon and Brandy did a pizza. The kids had something too, but we don’t remember it.

We also think we had desert but it was probably not remarkable because neither of us took pictures.

From there we walked around past the Grand Floridian cafe towards the lobby. On the way we saw a first look for a couple at their wedding. We love seeing weddings here.


It was so adorable, it also got dusty, my eyes started leaking. It's so sweet watching the coupls start their lives together here.

Aww Disney Weddings, so cool.

Then we went inside and upstairs to shop at their gift shop. We checked it out for a while before hopping on the monorail.

We decided to hop over to the Contemporary. Paul was looking for the new DVC Polo and they didn't have it at the Grand Flo.

I had seen it at WL but only in a size small, which wouldn’t work for me. We asked at the CR gift shop and they said it was sold out everywhere except in small and medium. Oh well.


We decided to check out the Contempo Cafe desert case and hit the jackpot.


We wound up with three different things: a Cookies and Cream Cupcake (which was my favorite), Peanut Butter pie, and Worms and Dirt chocolate cake.

We had an impromptu afternoon dessert party watching the monorails go by.



It was fun and very delicious.

We enjoyed it, then made our way down to the dock at 3:10.


We got a blue flag boat direct to WL. When we got there we walked up to the lobby to check out the Mercantile.


Jon was excited to pick up his new Vera duffel from package pickup.

I was up for any excuse to go up to the lobby and check out the Mercantile.

The embroidery came out really nice and it's a super cute print.


Then we headed down to the room about 4:00. It felt odd to say we went down to the room from the lobby, but that was how it went. We hung out in the room for a bit and put on a Star Wars movie while Marshall played with his droid.

The down time was really nice, I got some work done and was able to put my feet up for a bit.

We wanted to make sure we were early for our Artist Point reservation, so we left the room about 4:55. We had a debate about how would be quickest to get there, and wound up splitting into two groups and having a race.

Brandy and I went to the elevator and up to floor 2, then across the courtyard above the waterfall to the door by Territory Lounge.


Melissa and Jon went out by the pool and across then up the ramp.


I didn't choose the best way, we not only had to climb the dang ramp but we didn't win. I didn't remember there was a door up there.

We celebrated our victory by checking in a little early for our 5:15 reservation.


We wanted to get in as early as possible because we didn't account for the fireworks being earlier when we scheduled a fireworks cruise for that night. It had the potential to be perfect, but we would need to leave dinner by 6:45.

They called us to be seated at 5:10, and we got a table in the far corner, near the windows. It was a nice experience from the very beginning.


Poor Paul was super stressing about the timing but I was pretty sure we would get through the dinner pretty quickly.
they're good at turning tables at character meals.

This was a great meal though, and it started with the appetizers.


We all got to try everything, and they brought neat activity appetizers for the kids where they got ot make their own butter by shaking it in a jar.


The butter "churning" was super fun and the kids really enjoyed that part.

The appetizers were good all but the mushroom soup. Our table was split on it though because both Jon and Allie really liked the soup.

Jon did love it and had multiple bowls. For the entrée, I went with the Prime Rib roast, which was exceptional.


It was fork tender and full of flavor.

I got the shank and it was also delicious, we each ate half and then swapped.


The food was amazing and the prime rib was hands down the best I've ever had anywhere.

Jon got the "Walk Through Nature" and it was really quite good as well.


We were very impressed at the food quality, even compared to the prior version of Artist Point.

Dessert was really fun too, everyone gets a little bit of everything and it was all tasty. My favorite was the gooseberry pie.





It was all excellent, and I really enjoyed how everyone got to try everything. It was a great meal, and had a high end feel to it. The characters were nice too, and the kids enjoyed meeting Snow White and the Dwarves.



Marshall was a little scared to meet the Queen at the end though.

He wasn't excited about Grumpy either but Grumpy worked his magic and we got a cute picture.


Dopey was really funny too, walking into the poles.


I can understand why he was intimidated by the queen. She was very much in character.


We got to meet her on the way out, and still had enough time to get to our boat ride on time.



It was an exceptional meal, and the only down side I can think of is that it was expensive, at almost $400 for the six of us it was the most expensive meal of the trip by almost $100.

After a potty stop we got to the boat dock just a couple minutes after 6:45. We'll continue with our Fireworks Cruise in the next update...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Wehen we left off we were heading down for a Fireworks Cruise from Artist Point.
We met Pedro who was there waiting for us and led us to the boat, where we all got a surprise.


The boat was decorated with a birthday banner and baloons for Paul's birthday! We were all floored. The only time his birthday was ever mentioned is when I asked for the birthday button at the front desk.
We have no idea how the mention got on the boat reservation.

We really don’t know how that got noted on the reservation, and they didn’t charge any extra for the balloons and sign. It was cool.

It was so much fun to have the decorated boat.

On the boat, we headed out around Discovery Island counter clockwise.


We couldn’t see much of Reflections, but the full moon rise over Fort Wilderness was beautiful.


Pedro, our driver was a nice kid from a Disney family. His parents worked for Disney and he worked his way up as a lifeguard and then started driving the boats.


He did a great job on the tour and was super personable.

Our boat was also brand new, on its second night out.


Snacks and drinks were of course included but we were all so stuffed from dinner not much was eaten.

When it came time for the Fireworks, we had a nice spot front and center.


The wind blew the boat a little to the left so sometimes the train station blocked the castle, but we got some great shots.





The weather was nice too, and while it was a cool night it wasn’t super cold. Pedro has brought some blankets which Melissa snuggled with.

Yeah he had two blankets on the boat which was nice because it was a little chilly out on the water. I had actually considered buying a throw blanket just for the boat ride but it was nice that I didn't need to. I eventually bought a blanket anyway though, it's on my lap right now, I love it.

Marshall fell asleep during the fireworks just like last time.

It was funny he just kinda fell over asleep.






After the fireworks were over, we took a nice cruise back to WL and went by the North side cabins on the way. It was cool to have stayed in one and to tell Pedro about it.

We did give him some cabin info to use on future tours. The boat drivers have to source their own info for the tours which is kinda interesting. I thought there would be some official script or something but they just do their own thing.



We got back to the dock and said goodbye about 9:00, and Jon and Brandy went to Geyser Point while we took the kids back to the room.

That is hands down the best way to watch fireworks. We've already agreed we need to do it on our next trip again. We all love the private viewing and lack of crowds and great view.

As good as the dinner was, the fireworks cruise was more impressive and for a lower cost. It is really something special.

About 9:45 I went out for a mug refill and saw them at Geyser Point. Then I called Grandpa Jim and chatted while walking around the resort until about 10:30. Then I came back and we were all in bed by 11:00




It was another fantastic day at Disney. It was nice to have a little park time, a little resort time, some down time, and then some fireworks. Can't really ask for much better than that.

It was a perfect Disney Day, and I would put it up against any other in a competition. Everything came together great, and we had a ball.

 

[rdkeim]

What a great day! Glad to hear your Artist Point dinner was a winner - we will have to give it a try. We were supposed to leave next Wed. So, I'm living vicariously through your TR

 

[Wood Nymph]

Allison is out of school until April 30th for now, could be extended.

Is her school able to provide online classrooms? Many of our schools aren't set up for that. This has to be a difficult time for parents who suddenly have to be teachers, too.

It is nice that Paul can work from home and Melissa has an essential business with a small workforce. Our divorced son lives with us and he used to manage a restaurant. It has been closed and he is now part of our little stay at home group. DH is still running his consulting business from home but there will be a big reduction in work with the state shutdowns. My life hasn't changed too much since I am retired. I use to commute to downtown Chicago and am glad that I don't have to do that anymore.

It was nice and calm and quiet compared to the park. We didn’t see the usual choices of great cupcakes though. We shared a sandwich, and Jon and Brandy did a pizza. The kids had something too, but we don’t remember it.

We stayed at the GF a coupe of years ago and we were disappointed in the food options at Gasparillas and the awkward way you ordered food. But we did enjoy watching fireworks from the tables outside of the restaurant.

From there we walked around past the Grand Floridian cafe towards the lobby. On the way we saw a first look for a couple at their wedding. We love seeing weddings here.

We saw a bride and her father getting into a Cinderella carriage pulled by white horses. We also walked past many couples posing in their wedding gear all over the resort. It is a beautiful place for pictures, although I would personally prefer WL. The upper courtyard at WL is gorgeous. I think the balconies on the fourth and fifth floors are popular places for pictures. I have a picture of the upper springs as my iPhone screensaver.

Brandy and I went to the elevator and up to floor 2, then across the courtyard above the waterfall to the door by Territory Lounge.

The elevator could have slowed you down, too. You had the better view during your walk.

They called us to be seated at 5:10, and we got a table in the far corner, near the windows. It was a nice experience from the very beginning.

That was a good table. The window tables are much nicer than the ones by the back wall.

The butter "churning" was super fun and the kids really enjoyed that part.

Did it take a long time for the butter churning? I tried that with my girl scout troop once.

The appetizers were good all but the mushroom soup. Our table was split on it though because both Jon and Allie really liked the soup.

Was this the famous portabello mushroom soup or a different recipe? I've never tried that soup and it is interesting to note that not everyone likes it.

Marshall was a little scared to meet the Queen at the end though.

I would be scared, too.

It was an exceptional meal, and the only down side I can think of is that it was expensive, at almost $400 for the six of us it was the most expensive meal of the trip by almost $100.

Were you able to get a DVC discount?

The boat was decorated with a birthday banner and balloons for Paul's birthday! We were all floored. The only time his birthday was ever mentioned is when I asked for the birthday button at the front desk.
We have no idea how the mention got on the boat reservation.

That was really nice of them to do that. WL has the best staff.

the full moon rise over Fort Wilderness was beautiful.

We had been returning from dinner at Fort Wilderness via boat one night when a full moon was rising. It was beautiful and something I hadn't seen in a long time. We don't have any lakes near us.

The wind blew the boat a little to the left so sometimes the train station blocked the castle, but we got some great shots.

I love the way the train station is framed by fireworks. Were you able to see the laser pictures on the castle?

We did give him some cabin info to use on future tours. The boat drivers have to source their own info for the tours which is kinda interesting. I thought there would be some official script or something but they just do their own thing.

I am always surprised at how little information the CMs are given. We have a friend who was a greeter at the Beach Club and she said that she was always learning new things from the guests.

It was a perfect Disney Day, and I would put it up against any other in a competition. Everything came together great, and we had a ball.

It sounds like a great day.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

What a great day! Glad to hear your Artist Point dinner was a winner - we will have to give it a try. We were supposed to leave next Wed. So, I'm living vicariously through your TR

We really feel for you. That is a bummer to come so close and have everything closed. It will work out, but having to wait is no fun. We're glad you enjoy seeing our trip as you wait for yours.

Is her school able to provide online classrooms? Many of our schools aren't set up for that. This has to be a difficult time for parents who suddenly have to be teachers, too.

The schools didn't have anything set up for online learning, but Allie has some great teachers and they moved quickly to get stuff out to the kids. They had their first Zoom meeting on Friday, and she has a lot of work she can do online to keep up. It is a big adjustment, but she is doing well.

It is nice that Paul can work from home and Melissa has an essential business with a small workforce. Our divorced son lives with us and he used to manage a restaurant. It has been closed and he is now part of our little stay at home group. DH is still running his consulting business from home but there will be a big reduction in work with the state shutdowns. My life hasn't changed too much since I am retired. I use to commute to downtown Chicago and am glad that I don't have to do that anymore.

Yeah, we are very fortunate. Hopefully this doesn't last too long, and things get back to closer to normal soon. In the mean time maybe the three of you can have some fun along the way.

We stayed at the GF a coupe of years ago and we were disappointed in the food options at Gasparillas and the awkward way you ordered food. But we did enjoy watching fireworks from the tables outside of the restaurant.

We usually enjoy Gasparilla's, especially when we saw the fireworks there last trip. This time the desserts weren't as neat as usual, but CR made up for it.

We saw a bride and her father getting into a Cinderella carriage pulled by white horses. We also walked past many couples posing in their wedding gear all over the resort. It is a beautiful place for pictures, although I would personally prefer WL. The upper courtyard at WL is gorgeous. I think the balconies on the fourth and fifth floors are popular places for pictures. I have a picture of the upper springs as my iPhone screensaver.

We always have a soft spot for Disney weddings. Having gotten married at the Grand Californian, we definitely would choose WL too, but both are beautiful.

The elevator could have slowed you down, too. You had the better view during your walk.

I was ready to take the stairs, but the elevator was right there as we walked by.

That was a good table. The window tables are much nicer than the ones by the back wall.

We had never sat on that side of Artist Point, and really enjoyed the view.

Did it take a long time for the butter churning? I tried that with my girl scout troop once.
Was this the famous portabello mushroom soup or a different recipe? I've never tried that soup and it is interesting to note that not everyone likes it.

The churning took some time and effort, and the butter wound up a little soft, but it did work. I'm not sure if it is the same mushroom soup as before, but it just wasn't my thing.

I would be scared, too.

She was a little spooky. Definitely in character like the CMs on Rise of the Resistance.

Were you able to get a DVC discount?

Unfortunately they didn't have AP or DVC discounts, or accept Tables in Wonderland.

That was really nice of them to do that. WL has the best staff.

They impressed us, as they often do.

We had been returning from dinner at Fort Wilderness via boat one night when a full moon was rising. It was beautiful and something I hadn't seen in a long time. We don't have any lakes near us.

I love the way the train station is framed by fireworks. Were you able to see the laser pictures on the castle?

I am always surprised at how little information the CMs are given. We have a friend who was a greeter at the Beach Club and she said that she was always learning new things from the guests.

Yeah, I guess they give them a lot of freedom to share what they want, but there doesn't seem to be a standard script.

It sounds like a great day.

It was an amazing Disney Day. We didn't spend all day at the parks, but that made it more of a perfect day for us. The night was pretty amazing, and it was all centered around WL.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Your pictures are always so gorgeous! The fireworks over the castle with the train station were lovely.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Your pictures are always so gorgeous! The fireworks over the castle with the train station were lovely.

Thanks! That's one thing we love about the fireworks cruise, the photo opportunities are amazing. We took a bunch of photos, and love the ones where you can see the castle, fireworks, and the train station.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I woke up on Monday morning at 4:30, but stayed in bed until 5:45. Then I got up and went out just after 6:00. I started on the 7th floor and worked my way down taking lobby pictures.





Then I filled my mug and went out by the North side cabins.




I made my way down by the pool and watched the first geyser and some of the sunrise.



Then I went back to the room and Marshall had woken Melissa up. We got him dressed and then he played with his droid.

I still don't know how he gets up this early especially after our late night the night before. Marsh absolutely loves his droid. He still loves playing with it.

Our plan for the day was to head for Animal Kingdom. We got everyone ready and made it to the bus stop at 8:37, and again no times were showing. A HS bus came at 8:40 and took most of the people that were waiting, than our AK bus came at 8:41. It left at 8:42 and went direct to AK, arriving at 8:56.


We were there basically at rope drop and the turnstiles were pretty backed up but lucky for us they had an AP entrance. It's gonna be sad on the next trip we don't have an AP and can't take advantage of these.


It may be a while till that happens though, because we are planning our next trips to be staggered just enough to make one AP work for both. We were in the park by 9:06, and headed for the Safaris. The line showed 30 min, but we made it to the truck in 23 minutes.

Marshall said he had the best seat in the house. He had a great ride with an awesome view of some giraffes.






It was a wonderful safari ride with lots of views of the giraffes in particular. The cooler weather had the hippos on land sunning themselves looking super cute with their pink bellies.



After the safaris, we did the Gorilla trail, but Marshall didn't want to walk and then had to go potty. This led to a super long hurried trek. We made it to the ones in Africa,,, but they were closed so we had to go back across the bridge and past the child care center. He made it, but it was a frustrating trip.

It was a little ridiculous to have to go that far to get to a bathroom. The park was getting PACKED and there were people everywhere.

We decided we needed Starbucks, luckily the line went quickly but it was busy too as usual.


After our caffeine we walked around the tree of life towards the Asia bridge and then Expedition Everest. Jon offered to watch Marshall, so the rest of us went together. It was Allie's first time on the ride, but she did great.




After Everest we had to book it back over to Pandora for a FOP fastpass. Allie didn't want to ride it so Paul took the kids over to Dinoland while Jon, Brandy, and I went over to Pandora. We got over there a little early so we hung out on a rock in the shade for a bit and people watched. When we were in line for the ride I learned that my dad was in the ER so that kinda took the fun out of the ride. There wasn't really anything I could do from Florida so we went ahead and rode it. I took the opportunity this time to look around to see how the ride mechanisim works. It was super impressive. Luckily my dad ended up being fine, he just needed some medication adjusted.

I took the kids to Dino land. We tried for Primevial Whirl, but it was still closed so we did Triceratops spin.


Then we decided to do the carnival midway. I bought $15 in tickets, and started with the kids playing Wack-A-Mole. Allie won and Marshall cried.


Then Allie did the basketball and got one in, so she gave her first prize to Marshall. Then Marshall and I did the squirt gun race together, and he won, getting another toy. Then we spent some time in the gift shops on Discovery Island and walked around through Africa to outside Yak and Yeti.

After FOP we headed back over to meet Paul and the kids. Normally stroller parking outside Yak and Yeti for us is really busy but this time there was plenty of room.

We didn't wait for ling till they met us at 12:57.

We didn't have to wait long for our table and we were seated at a table we've sat at before.

It was noticeably less crowded than during our September trips. They brought Allie water and lemon because Allie had complained about feeling sick on her way in. A super attentive manager had noticed, and sent them to our table right away.


We weren't sure what was up with her but she was a little pale and icky. I was incredibly impressed that it was noticed and taken care of right away before we even asked for anything.


We got a waitress at 1:23, and ordered our drinks. The poor lady was super busy, but we got our order in and got our food at 1:58, almost an hour after our reservation. I got the ribs, which I greatly enjoyed.


We also ordered fried green beans, one of our familys favorite things. I ordered a bowl, I think it was a Korean bowl. I do remember I didn't like it as much as the scallops I had last trip.


I was glad that the fries were better than mine were last time. Allie was feeling better after a break and some food and water, which was nice. We were all done eating by 2:22, when the waitress checked on us, but we didn't see her again until 2:34. We decided not to wait for dessert, and then headed out. We did get large to go cups, which we enjoyed.

I missed my mango pie but it wasn't worth the wait. After lunch we decided to head out of the park, it was still busy and kinda warm.


Find out where we went for the afternoon in our next update.

 

[rdkeim]

Great photos of the WL - in my opinion it's the prettiest resort. Haven't stayed there in a while - I need to fix that! You had a nice morning in AK. Your DD's first ride on EE must have been quite a thrill for her. So hard to wrap my head around DW being closed - today was our travel day. We rebooked for Sept - counting the days!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I still don't know how he gets up this early especially after our late night the night before.

He sounds just like his daddy.

Marsh absolutely loves his droid. He still loves playing with it.

So often kids ignore their Disney toys when they get home. It is nice that he still plays with his droid.

It's gonna be sad on the next trip we don't have an AP and can't take advantage of these.

It is tricky to try to schedule 2 trips in one year. Do you have tentative plans for 2022 yet? That sounds so far away.

It was Allie's first time on the ride, but she did great.

She looks a little apprehensive. Our grandson wasn't too sure about going on Everest, but he finally decided to ride it and was okay with it.

When we were in line for the ride I learned that my dad was in the ER so that kinda took the fun out of the ride.

That must have been a little scary until you found out how it all turned out.

Triceratops spin

I had to ride this ride over and over again with my granddaughter when she was 3 years old. The rest of the family was in Dinosaur, which I was happy to skip. She had a meltdown when she found out that she couldn't ride Primevil Whirl and I was grateful that she was too short for the ride.

We were all done eating by 2:22, when the waitress checked on us, but we didn't see her again until 2:34. We decided not to wait for dessert, and then headed out.

We have had times when we skipped dessert because it would have extended an already long meal.

I love the Cars bus.