Way Out Here, Eh? - A June 2019 TR *PTR Link Posted

[luvpoohandcompany]

Hello there, friends! Hope everyone is doing well. I am enjoying the reports currently floating around the boards. Gives me hope that one day, the kids will get to return to Walt Disney World and make new, magical experiences.


I come back to this sad, desolate report to ask you experts a few questions. I knew there are no better people to ask then you all, awesome TR friends.

Next month, (June) Alex and I are getting the opportunity to stay at the Swan for one night. Just me and the hubs, kids are going to stay with the MIL and be spoiled rotten.
The Swan - and Dolphin - are completely new resorts for us. We haven't even been to them to eat or explore!

So...any advice or tips? Is the pool worth checking out? Is it worth to take a walk over to the Boardwalk? A walk to the International Gateway to experience the Skyliner?


Alex and I will not have park tickets for the two days, and my knowledge of eateries outside the parks isn't the best. We aren't comfortable eating indoors yet, but do you guys have any restaurants or quick service spots that are worth checking out? I know ADRs are impossible to come by, and we're not that worried about trying to eat somewhere nice. We just need some food ideas!
Any restaurants in the Swan worth trying? Favorite Disney Springs snacks? We have so many desserts we want to try, test out, but very little in the way of actual food. And the last thing I want is to end up at our go-to from ten years ago, Earl of Sandwich. Which will be exactly what happens if I don't throw out some better idea to Alex.



It's been two years since we've been on WDW property, and I feel like a complete newbie. I don't remember anything, anymore! So, please, toss me any and all tips.

Il Mulino is there and sounds fantastic . @CruellaNY and @JennySanders ate there recently (they both have TR on to go) and the food looked fantastic plus they were able to eat at a wee outdoor table area. Boardwalk Bakery has some great qs breakfast and lunch options and again there are outdoor tables. You used to be able to get pizza/burgers over there from a takeout place but I'm not sure if its still there. There are also the YC/BC restaurants and some of them are doing mobile order/to go. I don't think you'll have any problem finding a spot to picnic in the area plus you can sit on the lovely beach and watch the boats come and go. We stayed in the Swan years ago and really enjoyed it there. I'm so glad you are getting to go for some florida sun and family time soon. Maybe you could start another book while you're there - I loved Cabin Girls and my daughter did too! Congratulations again

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Meant to say you used to be able to sit on a bench at the boardwalk and catch some of the EPCOT fireworks (the high ones) so if they are up and running again that might be nice
As I look out on yet another rainy, cold, more like winter than summer day I long for Florida sunshine and I'm guessing you do too

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We have never stayed at Swan and Dolphin BUT we have stayed at a bunch of times at Yacht Club. So, we know that area. I believe the pool is nice there. I want to say it has a waterfall? How nice for you guys to get a night away with no kids! I am not sure when we will be able to do that again...

ADRs are impossible to come by, and we're not that worried about trying to eat somewhere nice. We just need some food ideas!

I believe Trattoria al Forna has a take out menu, you could check out.

I want is to end up at our go-to from ten years ago, Earl of Sandwich. Which will be exactly what happens if I don't throw out some better idea to Alex.

I mean if you go to Disney Springs, I HIGHLY recommend Polite Pig. It's counter service BBQ. Soooo good. Or it sounds like Wine Bar George has some really nice outdoor seating upstairs... But you would need a reservation for that.

Is it worth to take a walk over to the Boardwalk? A walk to the International Gateway to experience the Skyliner?

I would say yes and yes! The boardwalk has such a nice atmosphere. And a ride on the Skyline would be nice! Kind of take a peak at the parks! You could also get off and eat at the pool bar at Caribbean Beach, Banana Cabana... Oh!!! OR you can do a Skyliner Crawl!

Ok, here is my plan...
Start at the Yacht Club Pool Bar, Hurricane Hannas and get the Nachos (love them) from there and a drink.
Then walk over to the Skyline and ride it to the Rivera. Then you can go to the pool bar, Bar Riva there. I haven't been here yet but I have heard good reviews of the food here. Get another item to share and drinks. And then you can walk from Rivera to Caribbean Beach. And get something at there pool bar, Banana Cabana. Here I highly recommend the Jerk Chicken Wings and everyone seems to rave over the pull apart rolls here as well. After that, you can walk back to the skyline and take it to Art of Animation. Maybe get something there? I honestly don't know if there is a specialty item that would be worth trying. Or maybe just see the resort and head back on the Skyliner? Take it back to EPCOT, and walk to the Boardwalk area. Not sure if Abracdabra Bar will have outside seating. But there is also the Margarita stand. Maybe grab a dessert from Boardwalk Bakery? Or even just enjoy the views from the boardwalk. And then you can walk back to Swan and Dolphin from there.

This way you get a little of all the resorts and you would be able to eat outside at all of those places.

Just a thought. Whatever you do, I am sure it will just be nice to be out by yourselves!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

@StarWarsMomofGirls I love your plan! Sounds like a great way to eat and drink around the place with a wee break on the skyline between courses and I’m sure the views from up there will be gorgeous as the evening progresses. Love it!

 

[rdkeim]

I cannot wait for the Florida sunshine! We have been having a record-breaking rainy month here in the U.K. It's been in the 40s/50s and rainy every single day. My poor skin's not going to know what to do when UV rays hit it again! (Told the family to buy several bottles of SPF 50 sunscreen for our poor selves. )

Oh, I'm really happy to hear your March trip went well! I remember you pushed it back a few times. It must have been so nice, walking down Main St. once again. Anything about the restrictions/changes that changed your experience? Do you have another trip on the horizon?

We've had a very rainy and windy Spring here so far. Starting to finally feel more like summer. Enjoying the Florida weather in Feb/March was almost the best part. Second to finally being in DW. I would say it took a day or 2 to get our Disney mojo back. Initially it was pretty warm (upper 80's) which we weren't used to plus having to wear a mask made it kind of uncomfortable. But, the temps cooled down and we got into a Disney groove. The restrictions didn't really affect our trip. We plan to go again same time next year. My DH retired Feb. 1 so we'd like to make it an annual trip!

 

[amazingact21]

Il Mulino is there and sounds fantastic

I just went and looked at their menu. I've been craving some really good pizza lately, so this might be the perfect answer! Thanks for the suggestion.

Boardwalk Bakery has some great qs breakfast

Perfect idea for the morning. A nice, early morning stroll over to the Boardwalk and then some coffee and pastries.

Maybe you could start another book while you're there - I loved Cabin Girls and my daughter did too! Congratulations again

Thank you so much for the kind words! I still feel bad you burned your toast. I really appreciate the support.

As I look out on yet another rainy, cold, more like winter than summer day I long for Florida sunshine and I'm guessing you do too

Hasn't this weather been just dreary? Spring has to be somewhere, right?! Have you been able to enjoy your outdoor furniture yet? I remember you got some a few years ago, but I'm sure this rain has made it difficult to transition to outdoor seating.

How nice for you guys to get a night away with no kids! I am not sure when we will be able to do that again...

We were supposed to be celebrating our 10 year anniversary in Hawaii sans kids, but between moving overseas and the pandemic, we've accepted that might be a 15 year bucket goal.

This way you get a little of all the resorts and you would be able to eat outside at all of those places.

Your plan sounds awesome! I couldn't have come up with something better if I tried. Alex and I actually have never been to Caribbean Beach or Riveria before, and this would be the perfect opportunity to check them out. Plus, we've never done the Skyliner, so your idea really would give us a lot of new Disney experiences without stepping foot in the parks. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the help!

 

[amazingact21]

We've had a very rainy and windy Spring here so far. Starting to finally feel more like summer. Enjoying the Florida weather in Feb/March was almost the best part. Second to finally being in DW. I would say it took a day or 2 to get our Disney mojo back. Initially it was pretty warm (upper 80's) which we weren't used to plus having to wear a mask made it kind of uncomfortable. But, the temps cooled down and we got into a Disney groove. The restrictions didn't really affect our trip. We plan to go again same time next year. My DH retired Feb. 1 so we'd like to make it an annual trip!

I can't even imagine what wearing a mask with Florida weather is like. (I'll find out soon enough.) Has to be quite the challenge.
An annual trip sounds like just the gift to give yourself for (DH) reaching retirement!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I still feel bad you burned your toast. I really appreciate the support.

Don’t feel bad it was a great read. You had me hooked right from the start. Cabin Girls would be a perfect vacation read for anyone who hasn’t bought it yet

Hasn't this weather been just dreary? Spring has to be somewhere, right?! Have you been able to enjoy your outdoor furniture yet? I remember you got some a few years ago, but I'm sure this rain has made it difficult to transition to outdoor seating.

Isn’t the weather rubbish! Suns out today so fingers crossed for lunch outside

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We were supposed to be celebrating our 10 year anniversary in Hawaii sans kids, but between moving overseas and the pandemic, we've accepted that might be a 15 year bucket goal.

We are hoping to go to Hawaii in 2022 to celebrate Andy turning 50. But we are going to bring the girls with us. Hopefully. all we have done at this point it talk about it. No real pricing or anything yet.

Your plan sounds awesome! I couldn't have come up with something better if I tried. Alex and I actually have never been to Caribbean Beach or Riveria before, and this would be the perfect opportunity to check them out. Plus, we've never done the Skyliner, so your idea really would give us a lot of new Disney experiences without stepping foot in the parks. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the help!

Always!!!! I kind of wish we were taking a quick kids free trip and could do it as well. One day!

 

[Steppesister]

I think I forgot to sub in and dropped the ball on this TR!!! EEK!!!! I'll have to go back and see where I left off!! Sorry, Alicia!!!

 

[amazingact21]

I think I forgot to sub in and dropped the ball on this TR!!! EEK!!!! I'll have to go back and see where I left off!! Sorry, Alicia!!!

Don't feel too bad, I've dropped the ball on the entire DIS! Maybe one day I'll get back on here and catch up on everyone's reports. I know you've started one recently, so I'll try and jump in and comment.

 

[Hubie]

Just found your TR! Living in Germany & England has to be a great experience. We visited Germany (spent a couple of nights in Munich) during a 1990 mountaineering & hiking trip to Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France. We also had a wonderful more recent vacation in Scotland. Edinburgh is my favorite European city now. We can't wait to return.

 

[Hubie]

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the long absence. I wish I was writing to say that I had an update coming, but unfortunately I have no idea when I'll have a free moment to sit and write.

Over Thanksgiving break, my family went up to Scotland for a long weekend:

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The area was beautiful; we loved it so much we are trying to go back over Spring Break! I would highly recommend a tour through the country if you're in England or Ireland.

The trip put me behind last week (hence why there's no update) and then Winter activities filled our weekend. The kids saw Frozen 2 yesterday, and we have been forced to listen to Into the Unknown approximately 200 times already...

Alex had to work during the base's holiday party, and his job turned out to be pretty entertaining:

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I won't lie, giving a Santa Stormtrooper a kiss goodbye was pretty weird!




In a last bit of news, as most of you all know, Landon has an eye condition that was diagnosed when he was 5 months old. Since then he has sported nifty glasses:

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Unfortunately, over the summer the condition worsened and he reached his max strength in prescription glasses. This means that next week he will have surgery to try and repair the issue. It's a fairly basic procedure, and I scheduled it right before Winter Break so he'll only have to miss the last 4 days of school and then have two full weeks of recovery at home.
This is the first time any of the kids have to had to have any sort of medical procedure, so I'm a little nervous but hopeful this will help alleviate some of Landon's ongoing symptoms. (He's been getting a lot of headaches and blinking a lot.)
But because of this, I have no clue when I'll catch up to this report or remain current on everyone else's. Please bear with me; I'll get there, eventually!

If you ever get the chance, check out the Isle of Skye. It's gorgeous.

 

[Hubie]

June 8th, 2019 Part 2:


By the time we got off Alien Swirling Saucers our second Fastpass had come due, but collectively my family agreed to skip it. Sorry, Little Mermaid, you were cut from the plans yet again.

Instead, all the adults opted to leave Toy Story Land and take the kids to some characters stops. It had been raining off and on all morning, leaving the park a lot emptier than expected and allowing us to run into Goofy in the first character queue. Only Landon wanted to say hello to him:

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First up on the meet and greet list was Hollywood Minnie Mouse. We hadn’t told Evie she would be dressed in a glamorous pink gown, so when she rounded the corner and saw the ensemble she let out a gasp and dropped her jaw. I am pretty sure this was one of Evie’s favorite parts of our Disney trip. She LOVED Minnie’s dress and couldn’t stop staring at it the whole time she was talking to her.

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A few months before the trip, the kids were on a Sorcerer Mickey kick and read the Sorcerer Apprentice short story over and over again, so meeting this version of Mickey was a must for me when planning our DHS day.

As expected, the two kids were thrilled to see the gold tassels and star-studded magician’s hat:

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I tried to point out some of the props around the room, noticing the items that matched objects in the story, but unfortunately the Photopass photographer was rushing us through and we kind of had us pose and move on.

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The two (and one bonus) meets took a lot less time than expected. My family was back outside in less than fifteen minutes, and we had to figure out what to do with our extra time. Our checklist for Disney’s Hollywood Studios was getting ticked off faster than I thought it would, and I needed to find some new activities to do.

My mom remembered that Olaf met near where we were and suggested we go meet him. The kids seemed interested in that, so off we went.

To a completely empty queue!

Poor Olaf was just hanging out in his room alone, waiting for some guests to come up and say hello. It was kind of strange, having the entire character area to ourselves, but it made for some great interaction between him and the kids. They had plenty of time to share warm hugs and compliment his carrot nose. They heartily giggled when Olaf noticed my mom’s blue shirt and “said” it reminded him of his friend, Elsa.

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Having the time with Olaf was great, but it also reached the point where we had run out of things to say to him and were standing around awkwardly. He was trying to entertain us by throwing high fives and pointing to the sun in his backdrop, and I knew he was going to go back to being bored after we left but…. It was time to go.

Sorry, Olaf! Hopefully a family came shortly after us and entertained you!



After our very long meet with the summer-lovin’ snowman, I hopped on the MDE app and mobile ordered us food from Woody’s Lunchbox. This was the first time my mom had done a mobile order and she was very impressed with the system.

“That was so easy. We don’t have to wait in a line? And it’ll be ready when we get there?”

Welcome to the best of technology, Mom.


Unfortunately, because we wanted to try this new Quick Service restaurant we needed to backtrack to Toy Story Land.

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Sounds like a pain, but this evil necessity worked in our favor.

Our trip happened shortly before the premiere of Toy Story 4, and on this day it just so happened that the cast of the film was doing promotional work inside the park. When we left the land to head to our Minnie meet, we had spotted a secluded spot to the left of Toy Story Midway Mania with a bunch of people sitting under a canopy but hadn’t thought much of it.

Alex had asked me, “Did you see anyone over there?”

“I saw someone with long black hair and facial hair, but I couldn’t tell you who it was.”

Then, as we walked along we heard other guests buzzing about the people and the activity within TSL. I don’t remember when it happened, but Alex grabbed my arm at one point and went, “It’s the actors from Toy Story.”

To which my mom said, “You mean Tom Hanks is here?!?!?”

And to which I said, “I SAW KEANU REEVES! That guy with the long hair was Keanu Reeves!”



Oh, the teenage fangirl in me did a little swoon. Memories of Speed on VHS and A Walk in the Clouds flooded my mind, and I got pretty excited. It’s not everyday you catch a glimpse of an actor’s hair and connect the dots…



Keeping the promo event in mind as we headed to lunch, my mom and Alex and I kept our eyes peeled as we entered the land. There were a lot of Cast Members and security lining the walkways and telling guests to not stop and hold up traffic.

And naturally nobody was listening.


I tried my best to grab a photo as we passed:

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In which you can see absolutely nothing.


Oops.

Right as I set my phone in my pocket, Tom Hanks stood and waved to the guests and gave a thumbs up to Woody as he walked past.

And Alex managed to catch a super grainy picture of it:

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Not going to lie, seeing Tim Allen, Keanu Reeves, Tom Hanks, and Tony Hale sitting in Hollywood Studios was pretty cool. I don’t know why, but Alex and I have weird luck when it comes to Disney and celebrity sightings. In 2010, I walked into (and yes, I mean into) Trace Atkins, the country singer at the RNRC dump shop. In 2013, we ate lunch next to Neil Patrick Harris at 50’s Prime Time Café. And now, we’d seen the actor who played our pet’s namesake character. (Our dog is Buster after Buster Bluth from Arrested Development.)

Talk about a busy morning!


My family made it over to lunch and by some miracle, we found a family leaving a table and were able to grab it. As popular as this restaurant is, you would think the seating area would be larger. Or has the popularity gone down since Galaxy’s Edge opened?

Either way, Alex ran up to the mobile pickup window, said we were there, and got our food.

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The food was really good, and the kids loved having an orange and Babybel with their meal. I think it made it feel a little more normal for them since those two items are standard lunch fare for them. All the adults were happy with their sandwich choices, as well, and the meal would have been a fantastic experience.

Had we not had other guests hovering behind us the entire time.

Evie, in her painfully slow way, took ages to finish her food and people were looking over at our table seeing the adults with empty trays and started to encroach on our space. One woman even went so far as to put her bag at our feet.

I tried to get Evie to eat faster, but I also didn’t think it was fair to her to make her bring her food with her while we walked. Some of the guests were really pushy and rude, making colorful comments about the people sitting at the tables. Alex had to turn around to one person standing close behind him and ask her to not use certain words around innocent ears.

I could tell my mom was getting super uncomfortable with the situation, so I got up to throw our trash away and spotted a family of five standing nears the bins, using it as a table ala Wine and Dine style. I told them to follow me and offered them our table, asking if Evie could sit with them as she finished her orange.

As soon as she was done, we hightailed it out of there. I loved the food options there, but I don’t believe I’ll eat there during peak meal times again. Too stressful!



Up Next…They Let is Snow Inside

She was so excited about Minnie's pink dress, what does Evie think of the Princesses dresses? It's taken me all day to finish your TR. Great report and we can't wait until we return to WDW in November. Hope you can return in 2022.

 

[amazingact21]

Just found your TR! Living in Germany & England has to be a great experience. We visited Germany (spent a couple of nights in Munich) during a 1990 mountaineering & hiking trip to Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France. We also had a wonderful more recent vacation in Scotland. Edinburgh is my favorite European city now. We can't wait to return.

Hi! Thanks for joining in! My family loves lives overseas, and we are already panicking that we only have two years left and still so much to see.
Scotland is my husband's absolute favorite place in the world, and we are actually trying to plan an August roadtrip in order to visit Isle of Skye and Inverness.

She was so excited about Minnie's pink dress, what does Evie think of the Princesses dresses? It's taken me all day to finish your TR. Great report and we can't wait until we return to WDW in November. Hope you can return in 2022.

Evie loves all dresses and accessories that shimmer and sparkle. However, since this 2019 trip she has discovered Star Wars and is all about droids and robots. Given the choice, she'd rather build something than play with her princess dolls. (Although she has just watched Raya and the Last Dragon and seems to like the main character a lot.)

I bet you are very excited to get back to the world this November! And what a great time to visit. It doesn't feel like the surface of the sun anymore, but it's still hot enough to enjoy the pool or bask in the FL sunshine, and the holiday decorations start popping up. Bit of a bummer there won't a MVMCP this season, but I guess the consolation is that the After Hours will have fireworks.

 

[MickeyReeds]

I love reading your trip reports! We are hoping to be able to go on a British Isles cruise next July (it was postponed from this July) for our 30th wedding anniversary. We are planning on Disneyland Paris before the cruise. Do you have any websites that are helpful for Americans traveling to Europe for the first time? It is a bit overwhelming!

 

[Steppesister]

Don't feel too bad, I've dropped the ball on the entire DIS! Maybe one day I'll get back on here and catch up on everyone's reports. I know you've started one recently, so I'll try and jump in and comment.

Of course I'd love to see you!! Miss you tons!

 

[amazingact21]

I love reading your trip reports! We are hoping to be able to go on a British Isles cruise next July (it was postponed from this July) for our 30th wedding anniversary. We are planning on Disneyland Paris before the cruise. Do you have any websites that are helpful for Americans traveling to Europe for the first time? It is a bit overwhelming!

Thank you! And congrats on your trip next summer. Disneyland Paris is a beautiful park and fun to experience as a WDW fan. And summer really is the best time to visit England. The sun and clear skies almost make up for the rainy and windy winters.

I don't have any websites, per say, to help with traveling overseas. What I typically do when I'm traveling to a new area is go to Pinterest and search for "Day Trips to ____" or "Best Activities in ____" There are hundreds of blogs and articles where people talk about the highlights of any given place. Sometimes, if I'm looking for an easy outing, I'll search for kid-friendly walks or hikes, just to get a slower paced list of places.
I'm sure this could also work for little details, as well. "What you need to know before traveling in Europe."

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I remember how confusing it can be to land in a new place. My best advice would be to download a google translate app, that way you can scan menus or street signs or train ticket windows for translations (when you're in DLP). Also, make sure your electronics are compatible up to 240 hertz. (it's 220 for Europe and 240 for the U.K.)

 

[Hubie]

I love reading your trip reports! We are hoping to be able to go on a British Isles cruise next July (it was postponed from this July) for our 30th wedding anniversary. We are planning on Disneyland Paris before the cruise. Do you have any websites that are helpful for Americans traveling to Europe for the first time? It is a bit overwhelming!

Check out the TR on page 3 of the Disney Cruise Line Forum TRs titled, England and Scotland Trip *Updated 12/6* and other TRs on other cruises to England and Europe.

 

[amazingact21]

I have an update! Finally! More than two years since our last trip, and I actually have some Disney-related content to talk about again. Hooray!


Friends, I have to admit. It has been a struggle keeping up with the DIS, not knowing when I would step foot on WDW property again. My heart just was not in it. But now that I’ve gotten a little taster, had to the opportunity to remind myself that magic is waiting for me…no matter how long it takes me to return, I am hopeful I can stay up to date on here once more.
It is summertime, and so I cannot promise there won’t be gaps between comments, but hopefully you all understand. The kids are growing up so fast, I don’t want to miss it by being on my laptop all day. (Even though they would happily ignore me to go play in the park by our front yard.)



A few months ago, I mentioned that my younger brother was getting married and we wanted to return home for the event.

Well, it wasn’t easy, but my family did it. Four COVID tests each (five for Alex so he could end his quarantine early), a flight into and out of Miami because of travel restrictions entering the U.S. (which put us four hours south of where we needed to be), a ten day quarantine for the kids and myself upon returning, and masks for fifteen hours straight were a few of the hoops we had to jump through.

Was it worth it?

Oh, you better believe it.


I would fill out a hundred passenger locator forms, get called every day to make sure we weren’t breaking quarantine, allow all the acne breakouts from sweating under a mask in order to see my parents again.
It had been over two years since we’d seen the kids’ grandparents and our siblings. I cannot describe how amazing it was to hug my mom and hear my dad call out, “hey girl, welcome home.” My brother took a video of our arrival, and I can’t watch it without crying.


It was a wonderful, cherished trip back to Florida. The kids got to play with all their cousins, my mom had her children together for the first time in eight years, and the wedding was beautiful.


And Florida was all sunshine, heat, and humidity.

I loved it.
Every second.


And the icing on the cake? The dollop of fudge on the sundae? The chocolate surrounding the ice cream on a Premium Mickey ice cream bar?

Alex and I got a date night on WDW property!



My MIL (the kids call her Mimi) and Alex’s aunt agreed to watch the kids from the afternoon of the 18th to the afternoon of the 19th of June. They only live about an hour away from the world, so it was a quick jaunt over for us, although it did feel as if we were running wild and free. A great escape!

Because Alex and I did not have park tickets nor did anything too noteworthy, I figured I would just break down the highlights and talk a little about each of them. Starting with…



The Swan Resort:



This was our first time staying at an Epcot area resort, and I was surprised at how much I loved it. The hotel was lovely, and I would gladly stay here again in the future.

Our room was a king bed room with a balcony, and I spent almost an hour sitting outside, enjoying the heightened atmosphere of people’s park morning.








Although, I will say that having the balconies at a ninety degree angle caused some curious scenes for Alex and me. Folks forgot that if the shades were open, people had direct views into their room….


I also loved that there were two sinks in the bathroom, one outside the shower room, so that more than one more person can get ready in the mornings or evenings.



We walked over to the Dolphin side, and I have to say I think I preferred the Swan. It’s a lot quieter and smaller, and there were less people milling about. However, the walk to and from was enjoyable in the evening, and the pool and beach looked splendid. Again, if Shades were booked and I wanted an Epcot resort, I would stay here again in a second.




The Food:

The best part of being on property, right? Alex and I love eating at Walt Disney World, especially because we allow ourselves to have as many sweets as our stomach will allow.

And this stay did not disappoint.

For dinner, we ordered Il Mulino’s To-Go:



It was average. Not bad, but personally, I prefer my ziti sauce. I don’t think we’ll eat there again.



On our walk around the resorts, we stopped in the Beach Club (oh, the lobby smell!) and picked up two of their specialty Father’s Day blondies.




It was peanut butter and chocolate, and the best part was we saved one and brought it all the way back to England with us. There’s nothing like overcoming jetlag and post-vacation blues by eating a Disney snack.


At Disney Springs, Alex and I had lunch at the Polite Pig. We had eaten there once before, and I was not blown away by my sandwich, but this time was a completely different experience.



The pulled pork sandwich was tasty, but the winner of the meal was the barbecue cauliflower. It was so, so good! I almost ordered a second serving, because I enjoyed it that much.


We also tried the original poutine from the Daily Poutine:


Like the pasta dishes, it was not bad, but not up our alley. We will skip it from now on.


Alex and I had kept apprised on all things Gideon’s Bakehouse before the trip, and Alex really, really wanted to try the coffee cake cookie. So, we drove over to the shopping center before opening, jumped in the virtual queue, and waited our turn to enter the sweetshop.

My interests lay in, ironically enough, the items that weren’t cookies. I got the peanut butter cold brew coffee:



And oh my goodness, it was amazing! By far, my favorite treat. I regretted not ordering two and kept telling myself not to slurp it down too fast. No doubt about it, I will gladly join a virtual queue again in the future to get more of that beverage.


I also got the peanut butter pie slice:



It, too, was delicious. Alex, actually, loved it more than he thought he would. And it was so gigantic that we snacked on it for three days, plus shared it with the kids.


Naturally, we couldn’t go to Gideon’s and NOT try the cookies. So we got the coffee crumb cake, the pistachio toffee, and the monthly specialty cookie, which was white chocolate salted caramel.




I didn’t like the white chocolate at all, and in fact gave most of it to my brother and sister-in law when we got back to my MIL’s house. The coffee crumb was good, but the real surprise was the pistachio toffee.

I don’t like toffee, but in this cookie, it worked. The dark chocolate chips were not too sweet, and the nice zing of salt at the end of every bite was perfect.

Alex and I walked away from Gideon’s going, “Okay, it was worth the hype.”

That being said, we also love the Salty Donut shop in Orlando, and it is located right next to East End Market where the original Gideon’s is located. So I think in the future we might just hit up both those spots and save ourselves hours of dangerous browsing at Disney Springs.




THE SKYLINER:

I don’t have any pictures of our trip on the newest Disney transportation, but Alex and I did all but one of the lines. We found them to be quick, easy, and fun enough to feel like we were enjoying an attraction.

Having the Skyliner allowed us to visit the Riveria Resort and Art of Animation, and in the afternoon hours there was never a wait to board a vehicle.



Did we feel bad about being on property without the kids? Definitely.

Do we wish we could go back for a legitimate trip? Oh, the desire is real.


Alex and I miss the parks, and it killed us to be feet away from Epcot and not being able to go in. However, we know it will happen one day.
Tentatively, Alex and I are planning a Christmas 2022 trip, and I have hopes to do a runDisney race next spring. For that one, it’ll be just me and my mom. Another mother/daughter trip!


Until then, the kids and I will keep dreaming of hopping aboard the wildest ride in the wilderness, of hearing the Dapper Dans on Main Street, of finding animals of all kinds in the Tree of Life.

Stay safe, my friends. I’ll be hanging around on everyone’s reports and pondering the appeal of starting a PTR for 2022.