Boardwalk to the Beach Club.. with a cruise inbetween! April 2015

[disneybarbie]

........

Next we went back to the Land pavilion and rode Living with the Land – we must do this every trip, I like how it's barely changed since my first trip to WDW in 1993

















We had FP+ for Nemo, so we went there but ended up not needing the FP as there was no line!





















Spent some time looking around the pavilion too














We went to Mission Space next, minimal wait for the orange side...














And then it was past 11am, so time to head around the world (showcase)!
















We stopped at the Pineapple Promenade first – DH got the Pineapple Dog and I got a Dole Whip.. which may have had coconut rum in it (5 o clock somewhere...)









Next we tried the Urban Farm Eats booth and got the ghost pepper dusted tilapia – this was fantastic and the area was really interesting, showing how to grow plants in small urban spaces.














We walked anti-clockwise around the lagoon, it was a beautiful day




































Wandering around the shops in Morocco..














We stopped at the Morocco booth and tried the harissa chicken kebab with couscous salad, DH had a casa beer and I had a white sangria. The chicken dish was nice, but not one of our favourites.









We also got a couple of dishes at the Botanas Botanico again, the capacha con queso (sweet corn pancake) and a white corn arepa with braised beef. Both of these were very tasty.

.......

 

[disneybarbie]

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In Italy I got a glass of prosecco to walk with!














DH got a beer from the margerita stand in Mexico and we sat near La Hacienda for a while.









Next we decided to visit Donald and friends in the Mexican pavilion.




















We made our way slowly back towards International Gateway



















Stopping at the American Adventure to watch the show – I love to see this attraction.









We spent a few hours back at the Boardwalk, I read my book and face-timed my parents.









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[disneybarbie]

......

At about 5pm we headed out – we were trying to think of the best way to get to the Grand Floridian, but decided just to get a taxi as it was so hot and we were 'dressed up' for dinner!




We had a dinner reservation at Citricos with DH's parents, they were staying at the GF and we were excited to return as we stayed there for our honeymoon four years ago.









We had arranged to meet at Mizner's Lounge, so we headed there and got a drink while we waited.









A Grand Cosmo..









There was a large conference group in there at the same time so it was quite noisy (plus the orchestra were playing!), so when my inlaws arrived we found an outside seating area on a nearby balcony. I think it was a smoking zone, but we sat out there for over an hour and no one else used it at all!









It was so nice to catch up with DH's parents, they were having a fantastic vacation too (first trip for them to WDW alone) and itw as fun hearing about their experiences in the parks so far.




View of the recently opened Polynesian villas.











We made our way to the restaurant, it seemed really busy and we had to wait 15-20 minutes for our table, not a great start -but that was more than made up for by the incredible meal and service we ended up having!




Our server was called Lauren and was faultless – she gave us great recommendations, was flexible with us over wine choices (let us try a glass before deciding to buy a bottle) and even convinced us all to have dessert.. a very rare thing!

The meal was well paced, we weren't at all rushed.



To eat I had the lamb albondiga (large meatball), Florida swordfish for main and then was talked into strawberry shortcake for dessert









At the end of the meal, we asked Lauren where was the best place to view Wishes – she told us the boat dock near Narcoossees – and then let us used a secret CM staircase to get down to the ground floor! We walked past some servers who were eating their dinners backstage






We watched the fireworks from the dock...


















And then went to see DH's parents' room – the décor was really nice, they had a theme park view but were on the ground floor so it was mostly Space Mountain that you could see.






DH and I got a cab back to the Boardwalk, it had been a really nice evening and perfect Disney day.

 

[Benchley]

Lovely to read a fellow Brit's report. We've travelled Premium Economy on both Virgin and BA and have a definite preference for Virgin.

Love the idea of prosecco on the go, the GF cosmo looked rather good too!

 

[snoopygirl79]

I'm loving your report!! I thought I was going to get email notifications when someone posted something to it but I didn't so I've only just read it all!! I'll have to remember about the chocolates on the plane and also taking a screenshot of our FP+ details.

Looking forward to reading more!!

SG x

 

[TXMNie]

Loving all the Epcot photos! Looks like you had a great day with not too many waits!

 

[Dugette]

This morning we both woke up early, so decided to hit the gym!

Yep, I walked by that place a lot during our trip. Never thought about going in, though. You guys are ambitious!

but these had virtual screens and I got to 'cycle' around Paris for 15 minutes!

Okay, that sounds really fun!

First we headed for Soarin' – it was a walk on as we were among the first there

Score! Not easy to get on Soarin' quickly. Seems like Epcot was pretty quiet in general that day.

We stopped at the Pineapple Promenade first – DH got the Pineapple Dog and I got a Dole Whip.. which may have had coconut rum in it (5 o clock somewhere...)

I see no problem with this.

Sounds like a really pleasant day in Epcot.

Your evening sounds nice too. Glad you had a great meal and DH's parents were having a good trip. Nice fireworks view!

 

[cindianne320]

Love the little drinks you had around the world- can't wait to try some when we go back! I vow to have a Dole Whip with Rum- either at F+G or AK!

We loved Citricos when we went for our 5 year anniversary. GF is such a pretty resort.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Jumping aboard your thread! Never stayed at BW or BC and want to hear about your experiences.

 

[Leshaface]

Perfect Disney style edu-tainment

I love this! Did you make that up?

Great shot of the lion. I rarely get to see them!

DH had teriyaki beef and I had honey chicken – both were tasty, we missed the food being served in the paper boxes

That's what looked so different! I hope they were just out of the take-away boxes like you said and not getting rid of them.

By a complete coincidence, DH's parents had booked a trip to WDW that overlapped with ours.. so we had arranged to meet up for a couple of evenings!

How funny (and fun!) is that!

Big River Grille – but after looking at the menu, decided it was ok, but suggested instead we walked into Epcot and graze around the F&G booths instead.

This is a much better option, IMO

Pimms and lemonade for me (it's sort of an English sangria, but with gin, for those who haven't tried it).

I must try this!

We went to Tutto Gusto for some food, and decided to share an anti pasti platter.

I seriously love this place

Ooh the Key Lime one looks fab!

We slept in a little later (until about 7am!

You two look like models!

Dole Whip.. just to check it tasted the same from the new location

Of course you have to! I mean, for trip reporting purposes and whatnot

sweet potato nuggets, very tasty!

Those look yummy!

We rode Buzz Light Year Spaceranger Spin next – the line said 20 minutes but it was over half an hour, which was probably our longest wait of the whole trip!

I don't understand how this ride get such long waits? Isn't this a fast loading ride?!

went to Tomorrowland Terrace.

It's NEVER been open for us

UGH! And it needs to be open for us please! This looks refreshing on a hot day.

Love that guy from Tangled.

I saw a CM provide some sellotape

I'm trying to figure this out. Is this like Scotch tape?

All that is perfect in the world is in this photo.

which may have had coconut rum in it (5 o clock somewhere...)

Atta girl

Cute!

At the end of the meal, we asked Lauren where was the best place to view Wishes – she told us the boat dock near Narcoossees – and then let us used a secret CM staircase to get down to the ground floor! We walked past some servers who were eating their dinners backstage

That's cool!

Yep, she wasn't lying such a great view![/QUOTE]

 

[disneybarbie]

Wednesday 15th April 2015



Blizzard Beach, Downtown Disney and Epcot for dinner




I started the day with a quick 5k around the Epcot resorts – it was already hot and humid, but I wanted to get a few miles in as it was the anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon, and also two years since I signed up for the WDW half marathon and started running outside









We decided to skip breakfast as we were still full from Citricos dinner the night before! So I just ate a cereal bar in the room, and we got ready for a morning at a water park.




DH in a tshirt from our last cruise!









Once at the bus stop, we decided to go to which ever water park the first bus was for... after a few minutes the Animal Kingdom bus arrived, so Blizzard Beach it was!




The bus was really busy, we stood all of the way – the driver asked after our last pick up 'does any one want Blizzard Beach or are you all for Animal Kingdom?' … and we were the only two going to the water park!! We stopped there first too... I hope the other people on the bus weren't too annoyed











We arrived before the park opened, but we were allowed in to the lockers and changing room area so we rented a locker and got our things ready.




(Not many photos now as I still haven't got our disposable waterproof camera developed!)




At 10am, the cast members dropped the rope to the main pool area and slides, and we found some sun beds on the beach near the main pool. We decided to do the family raft ride first, but rather than walk there – we got in the lazy river!




We must have been among the first in there, we actually had to swim for a while to find some floats to use.. they were all stacked neatly at the next entrance point




We got out of the lazy river about half way around, and got in the short queue to use the ski lift... I love this feature of Blizzard Beach!




Once at the top, we noticed that even Summet Plummet didn't have a line yet... but decided to stick to our plan of doing Team Boat Springs




On previous trips, we've been allowed to go on the family raft ride just as a two – but this time we were put with a family of three... it was fine, but we were all sat pretty close together!




DH wasn't worried about doing any other slides, so we got back in the lazy river and then made our way back to our sun loungers. We spent an hour or so sunbathing and reading, it was really relaxing – we got in the main pool for a swim to cool off too.




About 12pm we decided to leave the park, walking back to the locker area I really appreciated the water sprinklers that were shooting across the walk ways, keeping our feet cool!












We left the park and waited a short while for a bus to Saratoga Springs... making our way to Downtown Disney for some lunch and shopping.


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[disneybarbie]

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We had stayed at SSR in 2008, and remembered that the nearest bus stop to DTD was Congress Park, so we waited until that stop and then walked through the resort and across the bridge to DTD.









I could already see some of the new buildings, ready for Disney Springs, and one of the aqua cars from the Boathouse was out on the water!









We were both getting hungry so decided to have lunch first, then shop. And – amazingly – we didn't go to our usual Earl of Sandwich! We walked right around the lake, taking in the new shopping area...














And decided to try Paradiso 37 for lunch.









We sat inside as outside was not available (they are adding a lot more seating as part of the refurbishment) – which was fine as we needed a break from the warm Florida sunshine.




DH had a beer and I got a white sangria, and to eat we shared three appetisers – enchiladas, nachos and some shrimp.


It was all really tasty and just enough for a satisfying lunch.









Then.. shopping time!




I really liked the style of the new Co Op stores.











I bought a grey 'snow queen' vest in Tren-D (with Elsa on it!), and treated myself to a Vera Bradley bag. I had planned to buy a new Dooney and Bourke, but had noticed a lot of other guest with the VB bags and decided I'd get one of those for a change.




We also stopped in the World of Disney and bought some houseware items and souvenirs.









Then we got back on a bus to the Boardwalk, and spent a couple of hours relaxing in the room – I sat out on the balcony and read my book (I was reading Gone Girl and couldn't put it down!).

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[disneybarbie]

.........

Later in the afternoon, we headed into Epcot.









First we walked through the Butterfly Garden – it was a really unusual exhibit and so pretty.









We had a look around Mouse Gear, and then stopped at Club Cool for some free soda – and my once-a-trip tradition of a Beverly sample.




I was trying to find a new iPhone case on this trip, but unfortunately the phone I have (a 5C) didn't seem to have many cases available – it was a shame as I loved so many of the designs!




We wandered around World Showcase, ready for our ADR at Tokyo Dining - a new restaurant for us to try!









We waited a short while for the table, and then were sat about three tables from a window – so not the closest for Illuminations viewing, but still a nice view.




We ordered two sushi dishes to start, then DH had a bento box and I ordered teriyaki salmon. All of the food arrived together, which we hadn't planned on, but otherwise it was a really great meal!









We finished eating about 8.30pm, and decided not to stay and watch the fireworks, but made our way slowly back to the Boardwalk.




It had been a relaxing and fun day – and we were ready for another rope drop in the morning... at Disney's Hollywood Studios!

 

[disneybarbie]

Lovely to read a fellow Brit's report. We've travelled Premium Economy on both Virgin and BA and have a definite preference for Virgin.

Love the idea of prosecco on the go, the GF cosmo looked rather good too!

Hi! Thanks for joining in - I really enjoy flying PE with Virgin, makes those long flights so much more enjoyable

I'm loving your report!! I thought I was going to get email notifications when someone posted something to it but I didn't so I've only just read it all!! I'll have to remember about the chocolates on the plane and also taking a screenshot of our FP+ details.

Looking forward to reading more!!

SG x

Hi! Thanks for reading along so far.

Loving all the Epcot photos! Looks like you had a great day with not too many waits!

Thanks! Epcot looked even more beautiful with all the topiaries, lots of photo ops.

Yep, I walked by that place a lot during our trip. Never thought about going in, though. You guys are ambitious!


Okay, that sounds really fun!


Score! Not easy to get on Soarin' quickly. Seems like Epcot was pretty quiet in general that day.


I see no problem with this.

Sounds like a really pleasant day in Epcot.

Your evening sounds nice too. Glad you had a great meal and DH's parents were having a good trip. Nice fireworks view!

Thanks for reading, it was a really lovely day.

Love the little drinks you had around the world- can't wait to try some when we go back! I vow to have a Dole Whip with Rum- either at F+G or AK!

We loved Citricos when we went for our 5 year anniversary. GF is such a pretty resort.

The dole whip was really nice.. I forgot they do them in AK too now!

Jumping aboard your thread! Never stayed at BW or BC and want to hear about your experiences.

Thanks for joining in

I love this! Did you make that up?

Wish I could say yes.. but I think it was Walt himself or one of the Imagineers


Great shot of the lion. I rarely get to see them!

Yeah - usually we see him but he'll be fast asleep!

That's what looked so different! I hope they were just out of the take-away boxes like you said and not getting rid of them.



How funny (and fun!) is that!



This is a much better option, IMO



I must try this!



I seriously love this place



Ooh the Key Lime one looks fab!

They were so tasty - we will have to get more desserts from the Bakery on future trips!







You two look like models!

Haha.. thanks! Usually I'm screaming on rollercoaster type rides, but the Mine Train wasn't too scary

Of course you have to! I mean, for trip reporting purposes and whatnot

Exactly! Please to report they taste just as good.

Those look yummy!



I don't understand how this ride get such long waits? Isn't this a fast loading ride?!

I know ... it's just a continuous loop of cars, so not sure why the line was long that day!

It's NEVER been open for us



UGH! And it needs to be open for us please! This looks refreshing on a hot day.

The food was so nice here, really fresh tasting! Hope you get to try it.. this is one of those places that really goes against the 'theme parks only serve burgers and hotdogs' I think

Love that guy from Tangled.

You reminded me.. that DH hadn't seen Tangled... so when the mime started to walk down Main Street, DH was like "what on earth is that?!" .... I'll get him to watch the movie





I'm trying to figure this out. Is this like Scotch tape?

Yes.. sorry, I hadn't realised this was an English-only word! So the parents had asked the CMs to tape up the kids' lightsabers so that they couldn't fight each other while in the park

All that is perfect in the world is in this photo.

Love it when my favourite brands combine!


Atta girl



Cute!



That's cool!



Yep, she wasn't lying such a great view!

[/QUOTE]

 

[elphie101]

Hello Emma! I'm so glad I clicked on the TR forums (which I don't usually do) to see that you have another trip report!! I'm loving yours and DH's adventures again and especially can't wait for the cruise!

 

[oceanmarina]

Hi Emma,

Your trip report is AMAZING! I'm so steeling the screen shot idea! I usually keep them on sheets of paper in my purse. Your idea is so much easier!

Your photos are great! Did you take them with your 5c phone camera?

 

[cindianne320]

Nice to hear about Blizzard Beach- we are going for the first time in March!
I'm also interested if you use your 5c camera, as it's what I have, too.

 

[disneybarbie]

Hello Emma! I'm so glad I clicked on the TR forums (which I don't usually do) to see that you have another trip report!! I'm loving yours and DH's adventures again and especially can't wait for the cruise!

Hi! I realised yesterday that since the Dis boards had that upgrade a few months ago, I'd stopped getting alerts for your PJ/TR! So just caught up on all that I'd missed

Hi Emma,

Your trip report is AMAZING! I'm so steeling the screen shot idea! I usually keep them on sheets of paper in my purse. Your idea is so much easier!

Your photos are great! Did you take them with your 5c phone camera?

Thank you so much for reading so far! Yes - about 99% of my photos are from my 5C iPhone.. I do have a point & shoot Canon camera too, it takes great photos (the AK safari ones are taken on that), but more and more now I find that I use my camera phone as it's more convenient, I can share pictures sooner and the quality is often just as good

Nice to hear about Blizzard Beach- we are going for the first time in March!
I'm also interested if you use your 5c camera, as it's what I have, too.

Thank you - yes, most of the photos are all from my 5C phone. I really enjoy Blizzard Beach, I think both of the Disney waterparks are so well themed and a great place to spend a quieter day while at WDW!

 

[disneybarbie]

Thursday 16th April 2015

Disney's Hollywood Studios and Blue Zoo for dinner.




We got up about 8am – I made some coffee in the room and got ready, and we left at 8.40 for a short walk to Hollywood Studios.














Today's Fast Passes (the fourth one was for DmiL, but showed on my app too!)







The lines were already moving at the entrance when we arrived, so we were quickly in the park and making our way to Toy Story Mania.




The green army men were standing still like statues and moving suddenly when guests looked at them!














We walked straight onto TSM – good ride as ever, and DH won.. as normal









Next we checked into the Hollywood Tower Hotel..



















And then a quick ride on Rock N Roller Coaster too.




Once the three E Ticket rides were completed, we went to get some breakfast as the new Starbucks!











I really liked the theme in there with the tram cars. I had a vanilla latte, DH had a lime cooler drink, and we both just got fruit cups as we new we had some bigger meals planned for lunch and dinner.




We sat on a bench on Sunset Boulevard and watched the world go by.











Next we went to One Man's Dream, watched the film at the end (I cried a little!), and then it was time for our FP for TSM.























We wandered along the Streets of America section, stopping to look at the Cinderella coach and glass slipper.











.........

 

[disneybarbie]

..........

We rode Star Tours next, and then made our way over to our lunch destination.


I had heard about the Brown Derby Lounge on the WDW Radio podcast, and really wanted to try it out as we don't have a favourite quick service dining location at DHS particularly.


As we approached the outdoor seating area, there was no one there except for two cast members setting up the bar.


I asked if they were open, and one of the servers said 'yes, of course – sit anywhere you'd like and I'll bring over the menus'.


We had a private dining area for the first 20 minutes, before another handful of guests joined us!













We were given the small plates menu for the lounge, as well as the full menu from the Brown Derby – good to know if there are no ADRs available.









Private dining with a glass of wine in WDW... one happy Disney girl







We ordered the PEI mussels, sliders (one kobe beef and one pulled pork) and the charcuterie board – which came with a large bread basket.









While we were eating, I suddenly got the feeling I was being watched... and looked up to find DH's parents snapping a quick photo of us... They were in the park too! It was just like being in Hollywood with the paparazzi... sort of




We shared a dessert trio to finish – we could pick any three from a selection – we went for a blueberry cobbler, crème brulee and a strawberry cheesecake.









Everything tasted fantastic – we will definitely be returning to the lounge again!



After lunch we went on the Great Movie Ride, the line was about 20 minutes – but when we got to the room where the trailers are being shown, we were directed to a much shorter 'party of two' line – this worked really well and the cast members were filling the cars with couples once the rest of the guests had been seated.


































This year I have become a big fan of the musical Wicked – so the Wizard of Oz scenes meant a lot more to me now!









(Who would steal a dead women's shoes?!)










..........