Of course there are free cabanas......a fabulous 10 day summer solo trip! August 19-29/23. New PTR link 02/25

[vamassey1]

Love this photo! You look fabulous.

Now I will admit to having a love/hate relationship with Skippers. Today however, was an excellent experience. I was seated in the S.E.A. room upon request, I had an amazing server and the food was delicious!

I'm happy to read this. We have had some really good experiences here.

My only hiccup was that I had originally ordered the white Sangria which I did not care for at all. It was overly sweet and warm. My server noticed I was not drinking it and asked what I would prefer. I went for a glass of Sauvignon Blanc instead and he removed the sangria from my bill. I was sure to leave a generous tip for such an outstanding experience.

Danielle had a drink at Space 220 she didn't like at all. The servicer noticed this and brought her another too. I'm so glad they do this.

Minnie and I discussed the importance of bows.

So Cute! You look so animated.

Daisy told my fortune and assured me it was a good one!​

Another cute one.

I was ready to head out of the park now but first made time for a set by my beloved Dapper Dan’s. They never disappoint!

I love them too. It makes my day when I catch them performing.

Duplicate.

I stopped in at Ghiradellis for ice cream and originally thought the cashier said $6.95. No friends, it was $16.95!!! For a hot fudge sundae! Most expensive ice cream ever!

OMG!!!

 

[suse66]

Love this photo! You look fabulous.

Thank you so much! That dress is one of my favourites.

Danielle had a drink at Space 220 she didn't like at all. The servicer noticed this and brought her another too. I'm so glad they do this.

I am glad they do that too. The price is not insignificant for something you don't care for.

I love them too. It makes my day when I catch them performing.

Agreed! Now if they would just bring back the Main Street Trolley show.....

OMG!!!

Right??? I didn't even want to think what it would be with the exchange rate!

 

[vamassey1]

Agreed! Now if they would just bring back the Main Street Trolley show.....

I'm waiting for this too!

 

[suse66]

Fun in the sun!!

The Old Turtle Pond Road pool is one of my favourites on property. it's shady, quiet, has a refillable mug station and an awesome snack bar. What could be better?? I settled in on a shady lounger with my book and a mug full of iced lemonade. It was such a perfect morning! I alternated dips in the pool with laying on my lounger and chatting to the people next to me. Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were also Canadian and from a town only 15 minutes from where I live!


I just love that sky!​

Ahhhh…..relaxation! This is the whole reason I love DVC so much. I know I can take each day as I wish and change plans on a whim as there will always be another time.



Love that view! I soaked it all in as there is really nothing better than lounging in the sunshine gazing at palm trees.


The best lunch I had so far this trip was at the snack bar. I ordered the buttermilk chicken sandwich served with house made chips. It was juicy, flavourful and utterly perfect. So unexpected from such an unassuming little place but I enjoyed every bite!

I headed back to the room for a nap and some HGTV as I thought about plans for the evening. I decided that I would take the ferry to Disney Springs and hop on whatever resort bus came first. But first I went for a glass of wine on my balcony!

My resort bus was Riviera so I went off to explore there. My friends Su Lynn and Caroline had both talked about the delicious almond honey cold brew from Le Petit Cafe. It did not disappoint!

I decided to meander along the walkway to Caribbean Beach as I had never been to the resort before. It is so pretty with the beach areas and tucked away private hammocks. I made my way to Banana Cabana which was hopping! I went for the Prickly Pear Margarita to start (Casamigos Reposado Tequila, Grand Marnier and Sweet-and-Sour with Seasonal Signature Flavor). This was a great choice!


For my dinner choice I went for the Sebastians Salad with Jerk Kitchen (Mixed Greens, Avocado, Red Pepper, Black Beans and Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette with Jerk Chicken). This was fabulous and a very generous serving. I really enjoyed the fun lively atmosphere, the music and the chat with other guests at the bar as well as the awesome CMs bartending.

I was ready to head to a park but where would I go and what could I accomplish with only a few hours left in the evening. That's next!​

 

[Wood Nymph]

I alternated dips in the pool with laying on my lounger and chatting to the people next to me. Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were also Canadian and from a town only 15 minutes from where I live!

That is a crazy coincidence! What are the odds of that happening?

Our one stay at OKW was in a building on Turtle Pond Road. We really liked our 2 br villa and hope to return there one day.

 

[disneyAndi14]

What a wonderful day! I’m glad you got to try the delicious cold brew at Riviera!
I have heard good things about the pool bar at CBR!
The food and drink look great
Andi and I thought about going over there but relaxing at the Riviera won out!

 

[amazingact21]

I still can't believe that sundae was almost 17 dollars. My goodness. I think you could have bought all the ingredients plus an entire bar of Ghirardelli chocolate for less than that...

Sounds like you made some great food choices this day! Relaxing by the pool is one of the best ways to spend a summer Disney day.

I had to try that almond cold brew, too. It's very popular among DISers!

Looking forward to hearing what park you went into.

 

[pkondz]

The Old Turtle Pond Road pool is one of my favourites on property. it's shady, quiet, has a refillable mug station and an awesome snack bar. What could be better??

Free alcohol? A dome for inclement weather? Personal slave... er... attendant?

I settled in on a shady lounger with my book and a mug full of iced lemonade.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were also Canadian and from a town only 15 minutes from where I live!

What??? No way! What are the odds?!?!?

This is the whole reason I love DVC so much. I know I can take each day as I wish and change plans on a whim as there will always be another time.

You make a pretty good case.

The best lunch I had so far this trip was at the snack bar.

Now that's surprising!

I decided that I would take the ferry to Disney Springs and hop on whatever resort bus came first.

I like how you just decided to go where the winds blow you.

I decided to meander along the walkway to Caribbean Beach as I had never been to the resort before.

Nor I. It's so big that it doesn't appeal.

I went for the Prickly Pear Margarita to start (Casamigos Reposado Tequila, Grand Marnier and Sweet-and-Sour with Seasonal Signature Flavor). This was a great choice!

There ya go. Not being a coffee drinker, I wasn't interested in your previous libation, but this sounds good.

I really enjoyed the fun lively atmosphere, the music and the chat with other guests at the bar as well as the awesome CMs bartending.

Living it up!

 

[suse66]

That is a crazy coincidence! What are the odds of that happening?

Right?? We were chatting and they mentioned they were Canadian. Then I said I was from Ontario and they said so were they, in the GTA (Greater Toronto area). I laughed and said I live in Mount Albert and they just looked at me and said we are in Uxbridge! We even shop at one of the same grocery stores! They are DVC members as well.

What a wonderful day! I’m glad you got to try the delicious cold brew at Riviera!
I have heard good things about the pool bar at CBR!
The food and drink look great
Andi and I thought about going over there but relaxing at the Riviera won out!

It was such a perfect day. Banana Cabana is very fun! It would be neat to do a Skyliner bar crawl one night and try out all the fun resort lounges along the Skyliner route!

I still can't believe that sundae was almost 17 dollars. My goodness. I think you could have bought all the ingredients plus an entire bar of Ghirardelli chocolate for less than that...

I know....I still can't get over it either. And it really was just average,

Sounds like you made some great food choices this day! Relaxing by the pool is one of the best ways to spend a summer Disney day.

That buttermilk sandwich was incredible. And the CM gave me enough chips for a family! I just love the relaxed vibes of OKW!

I had to try that almond cold brew, too. It's very popular among DISers!

It's really good!

Free alcohol? A dome for inclement weather? Personal slave... er... attendant?

Well I wouldn't say no to free drinks!

What??? No way! What are the odds?!?!?

We both got a good laugh out of it!

You make a pretty good case.

It's the best investment I've ever made!

Now that's surprising!

It was just the perfect lunch...so simple and so good!

There ya go. Not being a coffee drinker, I wasn't interested in your previous libation, but this sounds good.

It was delicious!

Living it up!

Absolutely!

 

[pkondz]

Well I wouldn't say no to free drinks!

That's the one you pick... you know your priorities!

It's the best investment I've ever made!

 

[suse66]

That's the one you pick... you know your priorities!

Well when you see the price of a Disney cocktail these days and add in our oh so lovely exchange rate, free sounds pretty good!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Hi Susan! Just popping in to say hi and that I'm reading along We just stayed at WL for the first time in July and we were CHARMED! It is so tranquil and a nice escape away from the parks. We checked out the villas pool on our last night and loved the free cabanas there! We're hoping to snag one at AoA in May (the "traffic cones" ones in the Cars section)

 

[suse66]

Hi Susan! Just popping in to say hi and that I'm reading along We just stayed at WL for the first time in July and we were CHARMED! It is so tranquil and a nice escape away from the parks. We checked out the villas pool on our last night and loved the free cabanas there! We're hoping to snag one at AoA in May (the "traffic cones" ones in the Cars section)

Hi Molly! So nice to have you pop by! I know your WL experience was pretty amazing, especially with the pixie dust! You must be getting so excited for your trip with the littles!

 

[suse66]

Can you really walk right on to Rise of the Resistance?

Well friends, my park of choice was Studios and I only had about two hours to play with. Leaving Banana Cabana, I headed to towards the Skyliner. This was a longer walk than expected but nice to see parts of the resort. Soon I was boarding the Skyliner and off to Hollywood! Of course I had to have a picture!


My plan was to head for Galaxy’s Edge as I had never been there at night. It was so fun just wandering around taking in the atmosphere and watching people with their Lightsabers. ​

I strolled by Rise and had to do a double take as the standby wait was listed at 20 minutes!!! When does that ever happen? Friends, it was a walk on!! I didn’t stop until I got to the Rey holographic

My attempt at a scared face, lol!

Rise was SO fun with everything working perfectly! Maybe the end of the night is the best time to ride it. I wanted to check out Fantasmic to see the new scene. Usually I am not the biggest fan of Fantasmic but it was really lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt it was the perfect ending to a perfect day!​

​

 

[Wood Nymph]

I strolled by Rise and had to do a double take as the standby wait was listed at 20 minutes!!! When does that ever happen? Friends, it was a walk on!!

I've never seen the line that short. But we did find a 30-minute stand by line in the morning in October. Everything was working properly that day, too.

Rise was SO fun with everything working perfectly! Maybe the end of the night is the best time to ride it.

We love walking through Galaxy Edge at night. It feels like a different place in the dark.

Usually I am not the biggest fan of Fantasmic but it was really lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt it was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

We saw Fantasmic on a very hot evening in September and wished that the water would spray in our direction to cool us off. Unfortunately, it was blowing in another direction. We enjoyed the new version of the show, but I'm not sure if it better than the old one.

 

[amazingact21]

End of the night for Rise is the sweet spot! We've never waited more than 20 minutes for it near closing. I'm glad you were able to have the same luck and got a walk on experience.

I feel like Galaxy's Edge is like Thunder Mountain. Two different experiences based on time of day.

You made the most of your few hours in the park!

 

[vamassey1]

Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were also Canadian and from a town only 15 minutes from where I live!

Wow, small world.

I decided to meander along the walkway to Caribbean Beach as I had never been to the resort before.

How long was the walk? We thought about walking from Caribbean to Riviera when we stayed at CBR but didn't find the time.

Of course I had to have a picture!

Cute picture and another cute dress.

My plan was to head for Galaxy’s Edge as I had never been there at night.

GE is so pretty at night.

I strolled by Rise and had to do a double take as the standby wait was listed at 20 minutes!!! When does that ever happen? Friends, it was a walk on!! I didn’t stop until I got to the Rey holographic

Score!!!

Usually I am not the biggest fan of Fantasmic but it was really lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt it was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

We love Fantasmic and find it's a great ending to the day.

 

[suse66]

I've never seen the line that short. But we did find a 30-minute stand by line in the morning in October. Everything was working properly that day, too.

I have heard early mornings are great too. You have to love a short wait.

We love walking through Galaxy Edge at night. It feels like a different place in the dark.

It really does!

End of the night for Rise is the sweet spot! We've never waited more than 20 minutes for it near closing. I'm glad you were able to have the same luck and got a walk on experience.

It's the best!

I feel like Galaxy's Edge is like Thunder Mountain. Two different experiences based on time of day.

Absolutely. My preference for both is in the evening.

How long was the walk? We thought about walking from Caribbean to Riviera when we stayed at CBR but didn't find the time.

It was maybe 10 minutes along the path.

Cute picture and another cute dress.

Thank you! This one is by Stitch Shoppe (Loungefly brand). It's Mickey comic strips and has pockets!

We love Fantasmic and find it's a great ending to the day.

It totally won me over this time!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I guessed DHS for your park, the Skyliner makes that decision!
How awesome to walk on Rise, mostly unheard of!
I really liked Fantasmic!
I was thinking DHS should be our third park on Saturday so we could maybe see the Tower of Terror Holiday projections, just a thought
I think we need to try and see Santa Claus either at DHS or Epcot!

 

[suse66]

I guessed DHS for your park, the Skyliner makes that decision!
How awesome to walk on Rise, mostly unheard of!
I really liked Fantasmic!
I was thinking DHS should be our third park on Saturday so we could maybe see the Tower of Terror Holiday projections, just a thought
I think we need to try and see Santa Claus either at DHS or Epcot!

That’s a great idea! Maybe we can hit up some Festival booths and grab dinner at HBD lounge!!