From the Boardwalk to the Edge of the Galaxy - A July 2020 Trip Report

[andy_dangg]

Hey everyone!

My name's Andy and welcome to my July 18-21, 2020 trip report! I previously wrote a report of my March 2020 trip here. This July trip is the second "part" of my family's Disney trips this year, so if you're so inclined, please read the report!

I like to start my reports with some background before I jump into the main review portion (which will be filled with lots of pictures--don't let all of this text scare you away). So, for a little about me! I'm a pre-dental student at the University of Florida. When I'm not at school I live in the Tampa Bay area! I've been obsessed with Disney as long as I can remember, especially the parks and resorts. This is my fourth overall overnight trip to Disney, but I've made a few other day trips to the parks, and have been to Disney Springs many times. This was a trip with my family, which is comprised of my parents in their early 50s, and my younger siblings who are both in their teens.

My personal background is much more straightforward than the background of the trip itself. Early in 2020, we bought the Florida Resident Discover Disney tickets, which gave us four days of tickets that were set to expire at the end of June. Due to school and work schedules, we had to split the ticket in half, doing two-three night trips. We decided on staying at Port Orleans Riverside and visiting Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom in early March (see report linked above or in signature), and staying at Caribbean Beach while visiting Epcot and Hollywood Studios in early May.

Obviously, the closure due to COVID-19 derailed our May 9-12 plans. With Disney not having announced a reopening date, in early April we decided to move our trip dates to July 18-21. We again booked at Caribbean Beach, which we selected due to the (relatively) moderate cost and Skyliner. Eventually, Disney announced that the parks were reopening a few days before our trip, but Caribbean Beach was not on the list of the resorts that would not be open.

I tried calling the day park reservations opened up (June 22) to see where we were going to be moved. However, anyone who called that day is aware of the absolutely awful hold times if you miraculously got connected. I was actually on a road trip with my boyfriend at the time and lost service once I got on hold. However, I did get my sister to make park reservations for us from home.

The next day, I was able to reach a cast member. He moved us to the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, which I was sorta expecting but not really thrilled about. After sitting on it a few days, I felt more meh about it, especially considering how far the campground is from Epcot and DHS, and how spread out it is. So I decided to call back, explain my situation, and ask for a second move. Much to my surprise, the agent offered me a choice between a studio at Beach Club Villas or Boardwalk Villas (asked for Riviera but it was unavailable). Knowing Stormalong Bay was closed, I happily chose Boardwalk! Boardwalk has always been one of the resorts I wanted to stay at but never really considered, so I was happy to be able to stay there without paying a ton or having to deal with the hassle of renting points.

I know that was a lot, so here's the TLDR: had to move dates because of closure, Caribbean Beach not reopening, moved to Fort Wilderness, not happy with move so I asked for another move and got placed in Boardwalk! Whew, everyone with me?

Now, about the plans (or lack thereof) we had for the trip. I'm normally a compulsive planner (I love MDE and FP+), but after seeing how low and variable wait times were the first few days of reopening, I threw all of that out the window. The only plans we booked on MDE (aside from park reservations) was a dinner at Trattoria al Forno for our first night and a reservation for Oga's Cantina on our DHS day...neither of these went exactly as planned, as you'll see as the trip progresses.

Our "must do's" for this trip (as Stacy would say) were Rise of the Resistance, exploring Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land, and riding Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. We haven't been to DHS in over six years, so a lot changed! We were also looking forward to a chill day in Epcot. It's not my favorite park, but never stressful and always a good time.

With all this blabbing out of the way, it's time for my report! Day 1 coming soon

 

[erinch]

Following!

 

[andy_dangg]

July 18, 2020: DAY 1 - ARRIVAL

We had a pretty early wake up call for this trip--I think I woke up around 6:30a. It's so easy to wake up for a vacation...if only it was that easy day to day! We ended up leaving our house around 8:30a to go drop off our dogs at the pet sitter.

With the pups on vacation, it was officially time for our vacation to start! Disney World is about 1.5 hours from our house near St. Petersburg, so we were just a short drive away.

Heading over the Howard Frankland:

Almost every time we go to WDW, we stop at the rest stop on I-4 in Polk County. We could have easily made it without stopping, but it's been such a tradition that we would feel sad skipping it...even though it's just a typical rest stop. They did renovate the bathrooms though!

What's great about the rest stop is that once you stop, you're less than half an hour from Disney! Soon enough, we were crossing under that magical gate. For a brief moment, all felt right with the world.

By this point it was a little after 10:30a. We initially planned to drop off our bags at the hotel, go to Riviera for lunch, and go swimming before our room was ready. However, literally at the moment we turned the corner into Boardwalk, I got notified our room was ready!

I was pretty happy our room was ready--on the online check in, we put our arrival at 10a. We did the same in March and our room was ready around 1p, so I was pleased it was ready close to the notated time. It made it a lot easier, we could unpack and head to lunch rather than worrying about bell services.

Really wanted to get a good arrival pic but a Magical Express bus was blocking the view:

When we pulled into the hotel, one of the bell services guys came out to bring a luggage cart. It was actually locked and we had a lot of difficulty trying to move the cart before we realized it was locked. I was hoping they'd help us to our room, because we had a lot of bags and maneuvering the cart down the narrow halls was tricky. In all honesty, I didn't find the bell services staff to be particularly friendly at any point of our stay. It was a clear contrast from the front desk staff who were SO friendly, outgoing, and professional!

The walk down the long hallway was quite difficult...we had to battle other guests, housekeepers, and the lazy wheel on the cart!

Now, for our room! We were in room 4107, which is a standard view studio. We requested a view of the Village Green and a high floor, and we got the high floor fulfilled. Some people told me on these boards that people paying with cash usually get a pool or garden view even if they're booked in a standard view, but oh well.

The view could have been better, but I'm happy a tree was blocking the view of the entryway. You could also see the Skyliner through the trees!

All in all, we really liked our room. Some may balk at the thought of five people in a studio, but we found it to be pretty comfortable. We also were decently comfortable in our Port Orleans room, so YMMV! I actually liked that there was a sofa bed, because it felt like there was more usable space during the day. The bedroom area as a whole could have been a little larger, because the entryway, bathroom and kitchenette area felt very spacious. The balcony was also a decent size, and let a lot of light into the room. We found Port Orleans to be a little dark, so I really loved the bright, whimsical look of the room. A little sad they removed the bed runner and decorative pillows because of the extra cleaning...Tom Bricker is probably fuming!

Some little touches I loved in the room:

One of the best feelings in the world is entering your Disney resort room and hearing the sounds of this channel:

Up next: lunch at Primo Piatto, and a rainy afternoon!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more. Read your March TR. Glad you are writing another .

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Following along! Great pictures so far

 

[andy_dangg]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more. Read your March TR. Glad you are writing another .

Welcome back! Hope you enjoy!

Following along! Great pictures so far

Thank you! I should have another post tonight

 

[andy_dangg]

On the drive over to WDW, we placed a mobile order at Primo Piatto for the 11:30a-12p time slot. We kind of lost track of time getting settled in our room and realized we had to get over to Riviera soon. We went down to the elevators (which are one party per elevator, btw) and went down to the lobby so we could check it out when we weren't pushing a massive luggage cart.

The Boardwalk lobby really is beautiful, I love the massive lobbies of the Magic Kingdom resorts, but something about this lobby really did feel like we were at a resort on the Atlantic.

My first glimpse of the Boardwalk!

Hi NBA:

I gotta say, walking down the Boardwalk was a lot lovelier than I was expecting. Even with many of the restaurants/kiosks closed, the feel of the wood planks under your feet felt nostalgic. I've been to the boardwalk at John's Pass more times than I can count, and I've also visited Ocean City, MD a few times (we have family in Baltimore), so this definitely took me back a little bit.

After a short but hot walk, we made it to the Skyliner station at International Gateway! Seeing Epcot and the Skyliner really made me realize we were IN Disney. It's hard to forget about COVID and everything else going on in the world, but little moments like these gave me little pops of joy where things felt *normal*.

There was absolutely no wait in the Epcot station, and we were flying past France in no time:

The ride to Riviera was really quick. I honestly loved the Skyliner from the moment I stepped on. I'm a big fan of cable-lift type rides (they're so relaxing) so this was great. The monorail has SO much nostalgia for me, but I think the Skyliner is a lot more practical...more private, less smelly, and less waiting.

Riviera was pretty nice. Like many others have said, the theming won't blow you away. But the grounds are really pleasant, and do have a European flair to them. However, it didn't feel so much like entering a themed environment as it just felt like a really nice hotel. I'm sure I would enjoy a stay at Riviera, but I love the elaborately themed Disney resorts. However, I must say--Riviera is BY FAR the best smelling resort. I love the smell of the Contemporary and Grand Floridian, but the scent that poured out the doors of the Riviera was just so nice. I've never made a Magic Candle Company purchase, but I'm just a few clicks away from buying the Riviera fragrance oil!

When we got to Primo Piatto, our food was not yet ready. However, the restaurant was so quiet that they let us sit and wait for our food rather than making us wait outside like other quick service venues are doing. Our food took a while to come out, but when it did, it was piping hot and came out in sealed paper bags.

I decided to order the croque monsieur, as did my mom and brother. A croque monsieur is one of my favorite sandwiches, and this one was honestly one of the best ones I've had. The ham was pleasantly salty, and the bread was great! The best part was the generous amount of bechamel sauce that was on the inside of the sandwich. The melted cheese on top was kind of unnecessary, but vacation calories don't count, right?

The romano herb fries on the side were the typical Disney fries with a tiny bit of cheese and seasonings on top...not really revolutionary, but I will never turn down a fry.

My dad's Italian sandwich was also really good. My sister got a kid's pizza. Overall, we really loved Primo Piatto! There was only one other party in the restaurant (I feel iffy about indoor dining at the moment--more to come later), so it was a relaxing experience. I loved all the pictures of Walt and Lillian on the walls, and the outdoor patio looked like a great place to eat too. The staff could have been a little more friendly, but I would definitely recommend and return!

I was kind of enamored with the Skyliner, so after lunch, we decided to ride the Skyliner around a little more. We decided to ride it down to the Caribbean Beach hub, then to Pop Century/Art of Animation.

Kind of weird flying over the closed resort where we were supposed to have stayed:

The (closed) Art of Animation:

The glare on the windows is kinda awful.

When we got off at the Pop station, we were originally going to walk around Art of Animation for a little bit (the Cars area is cool) before we realized it was closed. So we just kinda strolled around Pop for a few minutes before we hopped back on the Skyliner to return to Boardwalk.

On the walk back from the International Gateway to our hotel, it started pouring--and it was sunny. Gotta love Florida. We hid under the covered area/gazebo thing along Crescent Lake to wait out the rain, which lasted maybe five minutes before it was sunny again.

Once the rain stopped, we decided that we would stop in the Screen Door General Store before going swimming. I really wanted one of the Baby Yoda masks, and I also wanted to buy a Boardwalk pin. Sadly, they had a really limited selection of face masks that did not include any I wanted. However, I did come out of the store with a really cute Boardwalk pin!

We made our way back to our room to go change into our bathing suits. Nature had other plans though...thunder and heavy rain killed our afternoon swimming plans. The rest of my family took this as time to watch TV and nap. I ended up pulling down the Murphy bed and just relaxed on my phone for a while when the rest of my family slept.

Up next: resort explorations, coffee, and dinner at Trattoria al Forno!

ps: I would love to write more right now, but this felt like a natural stopping point--I have some work to catch up on. But please post any questions or comments you have, I love getting them! Hope y'all are enjoying the report so far.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Loving your report so far and looking forward to more. The Boardwalk area is so pretty. But those long hallways can be a killer at the end of a busy day. And those "nanny" chairs in the lobby are the stuff nightmares are made of. Great that the skyliner makes resort hopping so convenient. I've heard great things about the QS at Riviera. I've not been able to try it yet but it's definitely on my wish list.That sandwich looks fantastic (I desperately miss the croque monsieur they used to serve at lunch in Chefs de France) and french fries are essentially my love language, haha.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

July 18, 2020: DAY 1 - ARRIVAL

We had a pretty early wake up call for this trip--I think I woke up around 6:30a. It's so easy to wake up for a vacation...if only it was that easy day to day! We ended up leaving our house around 8:30a to go drop off our dogs at the pet sitter.

With the pups on vacation, it was officially time for our vacation to start! Disney World is about 1.5 hours from our house near St. Petersburg, so we were just a short drive away.

Heading over the Howard Frankland:

Almost every time we go to WDW, we stop at the rest stop on I-4 in Polk County. We could have easily made it without stopping, but it's been such a tradition that we would feel sad skipping it...even though it's just a typical rest stop. They did renovate the bathrooms though!

What's great about the rest stop is that once you stop, you're less than half an hour from Disney! Soon enough, we were crossing under that magical gate. For a brief moment, all felt right with the world.

By this point it was a little after 10:30a. We initially planned to drop off our bags at the hotel, go to Riviera for lunch, and go swimming before our room was ready. However, literally at the moment we turned the corner into Boardwalk, I got notified our room was ready!

I was pretty happy our room was ready--on the online check in, we put our arrival at 10a. We did the same in March and our room was ready around 1p, so I was pleased it was ready close to the notated time. It made it a lot easier, we could unpack and head to lunch rather than worrying about bell services.

Really wanted to get a good arrival pic but a Magical Express bus was blocking the view:

When we pulled into the hotel, one of the bell services guys came out to bring a luggage cart. It was actually locked and we had a lot of difficulty trying to move the cart before we realized it was locked. I was hoping they'd help us to our room, because we had a lot of bags and maneuvering the cart down the narrow halls was tricky. In all honesty, I didn't find the bell services staff to be particularly friendly at any point of our stay. It was a clear contrast from the front desk staff who were SO friendly, outgoing, and professional!

The walk down the long hallway was quite difficult...we had to battle other guests, housekeepers, and the lazy wheel on the cart!

Now, for our room! We were in room 4107, which is a standard view studio. We requested a view of the Village Green and a high floor, and we got the high floor fulfilled. Some people told me on these boards that people paying with cash usually get a pool or garden view even if they're booked in a standard view, but oh well.

The view could have been better, but I'm happy a tree was blocking the view of the entryway. You could also see the Skyliner through the trees!

All in all, we really liked our room. Some may balk at the thought of five people in a studio, but we found it to be pretty comfortable. We also were decently comfortable in our Port Orleans room, so YMMV! I actually liked that there was a sofa bed, because it felt like there was more usable space during the day. The bedroom area as a whole could have been a little larger, because the entryway, bathroom and kitchenette area felt very spacious. The balcony was also a decent size, and let a lot of light into the room. We found Port Orleans to be a little dark, so I really loved the bright, whimsical look of the room. A little sad they removed the bed runner and decorative pillows because of the extra cleaning...Tom Bricker is probably fuming!

Some little touches I loved in the room:

One of the best feelings in the world is entering your Disney resort room and hearing the sounds of this channel:

Up next: lunch at Primo Piatto, and a rainy afternoon!

This just made me miss Disney even MORE, we were scheduled to be there August 8th but somethings just didn't work out. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

I agree with your thoughts on the Riviera. It is a beautiful hotel and the smell is AMAZING. We recently ordered some candles from Magic Candle company and their scents are spot-on. While it is a beautiful hotel to visit, we kind of feel like we are not "really" at Disney. I admit I sort of like more DISNEY in your face, we get that from POP and AoA but I would never turn down and opportunity to stay there, however, I would pick other resorts easily over that ex: AK, CBR, etc.

 

[andy_dangg]

Loving your report so far and looking forward to more. The Boardwalk area is so pretty. But those long hallways can be a killer at the end of a busy day. And those "nanny" chairs in the lobby are the stuff nightmares are made of. Great that the skyliner makes resort hopping so convenient. I've heard great things about the QS at Riviera. I've not been able to try it yet but it's definitely on my wish list.That sandwich looks fantastic (I desperately miss the croque monsieur they used to serve at lunch in Chefs de France) and french fries are essentially my love language, haha.

Luckily, we weren't tooooo far down the hallway. It was nothing compared to parking at the wrong side of Kidani when we were going to Sanaa for dinner--those hallways are SO long!

This just made me miss Disney even MORE, we were scheduled to be there August 8th but somethings just didn't work out. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Hope you're back in WDW soon and that I can bring some of the magic to you!

I agree with your thoughts on the Riviera. It is a beautiful hotel and the smell is AMAZING. We recently ordered some candles from Magic Candle company and their scents are spot-on. While it is a beautiful hotel to visit, we kind of feel like we are not "really" at Disney. I admit I sort of like more DISNEY in your face, we get that from POP and AoA but I would never turn down and opportunity to stay there, however, I would pick other resorts easily over that ex: AK, CBR, etc.

Awesome! I'll have to try the MCC oils. And I agree, I would like to stay at Riviera eventually, but resorts like WL, GF and Poly are higher on my list.

 

[andy_dangg]

After my family napping for about an hour, the rain slowed down. The pool was still not open, but I got a little bored and wanted to explore. I was also in need of some iced coffee, so my mom and I ended up exploring the resort for a little bit.

This is kind of dumb, but when I was younger I was obsessed with looking at Disney resort photos on Allears, and I remember seeing pictures of this hidden Mickey. It was pretty cool seeing it in person.

You can still walk over to the Inn side even though it's closed. It's interesting how there is a subtle, but noticeable difference in the vibes between the Inn and Villas sides.

I love these photos of Monopoly pieces in one of the lounge areas:

We made our way back down to the Boardwalk, still kinda wishing we got our room request for a view of the Village Green...

I got some iced coffee from the Boardwalk Bakery and my mom and I sat out front. A bird decided to join us:

After I finished my coffee, we started walking towards the Swan and Dolphin:

We walked along the canal:

Before looping back to the Luna Park pool, which was still closed. A lifeguard said there was still lightning in the six mile radius.


After our walk, we still had about an hour before our 5:05p dinner reservation at Trattoria al Forno. We just chilled in the room for a bit before we made our way back down to the Boardwalk. Once we got to the restaurant, we scanned the QR code to check in for our reservation at 5:02. By 5:12, we still hadn't gotten the text to come in while many parties had been entering the restaurant. We went in to ask and the host said that sometimes, the online check-in doesn't work. They checked us in on the iPad and got us seated really quickly.

Once we were seated, it took a while for our very friendly waitress to come. She was great, but overall, I felt very anxious at the meal. The tables in the restaurant were spaced out, but none of the patrons were wearing masks--not that they were required to, but we try not to take our masks off unless we are actively eating. With increasing evidence that the virus spreads easier indoors and may linger in aerosols in the air, I just overall felt very uncomfortable being indoors with unmasked guests for such a prolonged period of time. It was at this point that my mom and I decided that for the rest of the trip, we were only really comfortable with outdoor dining. On top of that, my sister and my parents were getting into a little argument (as teenagers do) and I just felt very on edge--I decided to pop into the bathroom to calm down for a bit.

Now, about the food. The bread and dipping sauce were really great! I loooove olive tapenade and this was no different. I decided to order the chicken parmesan, which is one of my go to dishes at this type of Italian restaurant.

The chicken itself was great--crispy breading and nice and lemony. The pasta was also good, it had a great texture and appeared to be made in house. However I was not a huge fan of the sauce. It just didn't taste very well developed. It was a 6/10 sauce--I've had a lot of worse sauces, but I've had some really stellar ones and this one just didn't hold up. This was the common theme of most of our entrees, the meats and pasta were good, but the sauces were eh. However, my sister was able to order alfredo even though it was not on the menu and it was great. The meatballs were also great, they had such an interesting anise flavor.

I think the food was a decent value though. The portions were all big enough for leftovers (I ate mine the next morning) and the service was great. Our waitress somehow thought we were annual passholders and gave us the discount, which was a nice surprise.

In the end, our dinner at Trattoria al Forno was alright. The food was a little better than average, the price was not awful, but some of us just didn't feel comfortable eating indoors in a pretty busy restaurant. I didn't mind Primo Piatto because there was only one other party, but Trattoria was definitely busy, relatively speaking. This isn't the fault of the restaurant--we should have known this going in. If you want Italian food in Disney, I think Mario and Enzo's is a lot better--they have the best lasagna I've had. I personally wouldn't recommend Trattoria al Forno, go somewhere in Epcot or maybe splurge at Flying Fish (when it's open).

Up next: the rest our our first day, and the start of our Epcot day!

 

[andy_dangg]

After dinner, we saw that the pool was open, so we made our way back to the room to change.

Since Stormalong Bay was closed, Beach Club Villas guests could use the Luna Park pool at Boardwalk. I was a little concerned with crowding, but luckily, distancing was pretty easy. There were a bunch of available chairs, and the pool was large enough that everyone could keep their distance. They even had the "please wait here" makers on the stairs to the slide. The activities staff were doing trivia games by the pool--they had a bunch of energy!

We probably swam for about an hour. The slide was super fun, it honestly packs a punch! The pool was also the perfect temperature.

After swimming and drying off, we went back up to the room so we could shower. While waiting to shower, I sat on the balcony and had a pretty nice view of the lit up entryway:

At this point in the day, we had still not watched Stacy yet, so right before bed, we watched her for a bit. I always like to watch the full Must Do Disney at least once during the trip, it gets me super excited for the parks. I don't think my family likes her as much as I do, but they can't deny that it's a requisite Disney World experience.

Up next: a day at Epcot!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Watching Stacey and quiet moments on the balcony are some of my favorite moments of a Disney vacation!

 

[tundra1]

Thanks for sharing your trip report! I can't wait to read more about your adventures. I have thought about staying at Boardwalk, but the clown at that pool is scary! What is it about clowns????

 

[andy_dangg]

Hi everyone--sorry for the intermittent/short posts! I was helping my boyfriend move this weekend and now I have a bunch of organic chem to catch up with, lol. But hopefully writing this report will be an incentive for me to work efficiently! I'll try to add at least an update a day

 

[andy_dangg]

Watching Stacey and quiet moments on the balcony are some of my favorite moments of a Disney vacation!

Right??? Another one of my favorites is the WDW Today/music channel when getting ready in the morning <3

Thanks for sharing your trip report! I can't wait to read more about your adventures. I have thought about staying at Boardwalk, but the clown at that pool is scary! What is it about clowns????

Thanks for joining! I'm personally not bothered by clowns, but my mom is! Oddly, I feel like the clown isn't as big or imposing as it looks in pictures--it's pretty easy to avoid. The pool slide is super fun, but I gotta say, I think I would have preferred a more "natural" pool theme (Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian look nice!)

 

[andy_dangg]

July 19, 2020: DAY 2 - EPCOT

I had a decently early start at around 7a. Our room got the morning sun, so light was coming in through the balcony. I got up, made some coffee, and ate my leftovers from last night's dinner (not the healthiest start to the day, but I love leftovers for breakfast).

Around 8a, my mom and I went down the Boardwalk to drink our coffee and walk around for a bit. The cast members who were out this morning were super friendly and one of the security guards even came to talk to us for a bit. We ended up walking around to the Beach Club area, before it was time to head back to get the rest of the family ready for our day at Epcot.

At 10:15a, we started to make the walk over to the Epcot International Gateway. Unfortunately, it was already getting a little hot, which is a drawback of these late openings.

The walk only took 5-7 minutes--so much better than the bus.

We were the third party in line for the temperature screening, which was not yet open:

They opened the temperature screening promptly at 10:30a. It was fast and easy. Interestingly, my dad's forehead was hot, so they scanned behind the ear and he was good to go. He was standing in the sun, and his forehead is kind of dark, so I'm thinking that may have been the reason why.

They have the new security scanners here, not sure if they do at the main entrance. They were so nice! You walk right through with your bags.

This was our view at 10:31a. For much of our walk to Norway, we did not see any other guests. It was odd, but amazing.

We were the second party in line for Frozen Ever After! A line builded somewhat quickly, though.

We weren't let into the ride until a few minutes before opening. I have a very blurry photo I accidentally took while stepping into the second boat of the day at 10:58!

Frozen is one of my favorite Disney movies, so I was really excited to ride this. It was a fun ride for sure, but I feel like it was a little all over the place. I understand they had to work within the constraints of the Maelstrom building and ride mechanism, but I felt like the storyline could have been more developed. However, I did love the ice skating Olaf, and the Let it Go scene was definitely a highlight. I'd ride again for sure, but I would not wait over 30 minutes. My mom and I were in the front row of the boat and got wet on the second (forward) drop.

Since we were on the Norway side of the park, we decided to ride Test Track next. When we got to the ride, the line looked very lengthy, it was stretching outside and making use of most of the outdoor queue.

We were inside soon though:

Our first sighting of the new plexiglass:

The design your own car preshow was out of commission; instead; the area was woven through as queue space. The line moved constantly and we were about to board after 20ish minutes of waiting.

Test Track was my favorite ride when I was younger and I still really enjoy it. I think the retheme took a lot of the interest out of the first half of the ride, especially the former hill test, rough road test, and the environmental conditions. I like the aesthetic of the retheme, but the Tron look will be a lot less novel once the actual Tron ride opens in Magic Kingdom.

While my brother was looking around the gift shop, it started to rain. Luckily, it was short lived and turned into a drizzle in a minute or two.

Next, we decided to go ride Soarin. One thing that's really annoying about the Epcot construction is that it makes walks longer. To get to The Land from Test Track, you have to walk back towards World Showcase and around past Imagination. I can't imagine navigating these relatively narrow walkways during busy times.

We stopped for a quick water break before entering the Land.

The last time I was at Epcot was in May 2016 for a school trip. Soarin was closed, so I was really excited to see the new film.

I don't know why, but I never noticed how much this section of the queue looked like an airport.

We essentially walked on to the ride, there was a small wait before the preshow. We got the middle row of the theater, which was great as they were not accepting seating requests. My sister and I sat in the bottom row of the theater, which I wasn't a huge fan of, as when you flew "down" you could see the bottom of the screen. Nonetheless, I LOVED the new "around the world" film. I think I'm definitely in the minority in preferring the new version. California was nostalgic to me, but this made more sense thematically, and I felt like the transitions and views were more natural. I think sitting in the middle row is an essential--I don't think the Paris scene would have been as spectacular if it was bent...

Up next: lunch at Food and Wine, exploring World Showcase, and an afternoon break at the resort!

 

[andy_dangg]

After a quick post-Soarin bathroom break, we were all feeling a little peckish, so we decided to get some food. We decided to sample the Food and Wine Festival booths for lunch.

Our first priority was to get the Orange Bird Sippers. I know I wanted one, and I also needed to get two more: one for my boyfriend and one for a friend who is obsessed with Orange Bird. My mom and sister also decided they wanted one. I initially just bought one for myself and planned to come back later for the other ones, but based on the number of the sippers being sold, I just decided to buy them all at once. We got three with the drinks inside, one with the drink separate, and one without the drink (still the same cost).

I would have bought these if they were filled with vinegar, but I truly enjoyed the orange cream drink. If you've had the orange flavored soft serve, this drink is a thinner version of that. On a hot day, it was much enjoyed!

We also got some more food at the citrus booth, plus some poutine and Dole Whip from the Refreshment Port:

I had some of the chicken cutlet and it was delicious! They were super fresh and the combination of the sauce and greens worked well. I didn't have any of the lobster tail, but my brother said that it was good but small and probably not worth the $8. Based on some reports of rubbery lobster, I'd probably pass on this, and get the lobster roll near the American pavilion (which I regrettably did not try).

The poutine was delicious, and a few dollars cheaper than the place in Disney Springs. The fries were the standard Disney fries rather than the thicker ones in Disney Springs, but poutine is really all about the gravy and cheese curds...these were great.

My dad and sister really enjoy sausages like bratwurst and kielbasa, so we started walking towards the Germany pavilion. On the way, I stopped in one of the World Showcase gift shops to look for face masks and to get a bag for our Orange Birds. Again, there was limited selection on the masks.

At a small gift kiosk, I saw an adorable Orange Bird hat. It's technically Flower and Garden merch, but the prospect of MORE Orange Bird (and sun protection) was too good to pass up:

Near Mexico, there was a plant based food booth of some sort. My brother got the Impossible slider and it was honestly really delicious. I stole a bite and it had so much flavor--definitely recommend! The wasabi cream was amazing. I wish I got a picture...

My brother and I also got some dumplings from the China booth--my sister and dad kept walking towards Germany. They were decent, but I enjoyed the slaw more than the dumplings themselves. They weren't bad, just very ordinary.

Disappointingly, my sister and dad found out Sommerfest was closed. Biergarten was the only restauarant open in Germany. They ended up getting some type of sausage in a pretzel roll from the F&W booth--they said it was alright. I had a few bites of the apple strudel, which was really good.

Gotta love the Disney Ducks (and I'm not talking about Donald):

We kept working our way around World Showcase. My dad, brother, and sister went off to Japan for more food. My mom and I went to have a water break and use the restroom in the American Adventure pavilion. We have never been to Disney in the summer, and obviously never with masks, so we found it SO helpful to take frequent water breaks.

When we got to Japan, we found the rest of our family munching on tempura and the frothy ramen. I actually LOVED the frothy ramen. This is a cold ramen dish--hot ramen would have been awful with 90+ degree temps. The foam was interesting, and the broth had a great flavor. The noodles were also cooked well. The tempura was unremarkable and the breading was a little soggy, I'd pass.

One of our favorite places in World Showcase is the Mitsukoshi store in Japan. I never really buy anything, but I love walking around and looking at all the cool stuff. Interestingly, they still had international Cast Members here.

The store was notably less crowded than usual:

I thought it was cool they sold Japanese skin care, my boyfriend swears by the Hada Labo premium lotion (gold bottle, middle shelf). I'm a Drunk Elephant guy myself

After I was done window shopping, I really needed to rest my feet for a bit, so I sat outside in the shade while my family finished shopping.

At this point in the day, it was getting really hot and we were nearing the International Gateway, so we thought it would be a good time to take an afternoon break at the resort. However, I still had not had a single F&W dish to myself--I'd just taken 1-2 bites off of my family's stuff. I figured I'd find something in France on the way to the Gateway.

We didn't really walk into the France pavilion, wishing I did for some photos and to peek at Ratatouille construction.

For my lunch I got the "Tarte aux Oignons Caramelises et Chévre", which sounds a lot better than it looked:

It was good, but not great. The onion and goat cheese filling had a lot of flavor, but the crust was alright. The worker took it out of a warming case, so it probably wasn't super fresh. But I still enjoyed it, a solid 7/10.

France also had international CMs. I think France, Morocco, and Japan were the only pavilions where I saw them. The other pavilions had regular CMs.

After my little lunch, we ducked out the International Gateway and walked back to the Boardwalk. This is the first time we have ever taken an afternoon break, and with the resort being so close, it could have not been easier.

Up next: our afternoon at our resort, and the remainder of our day at Epcot (including an interesting second flight on Soarin)

 

[zacksmammie]

Loving this report! Thanks for writing it Boardwalk is one of my favorites!