The things people say! May 4-11, 2024 Trip Report

[lulu2121]

Day 4 – Tuesday, May 7, Part 3
We were in our room at WL at 6:24. I had noted on our reservation that this was our anniversary trip.



If you were paying attention when this trip report began, I introduced myself as Christie. No, Disney didn’t get it wrong. Consider yourself a friend. Christina is my legal name and the one I use professionally. If you know me as Christie, you must be a longtime friend or a family member. Doug asked why it was lowercase instead of a capital C. He assumed Disney made a mistake. Nope, that’s the way I entered it in MDE years ago. Not really sure there was a purpose at the time other than I liked the way it looked printed on the inside of my MagicBand, but back when the screens worked properly on rides such as It’s a Small World, I would know it was me if the name came up lowercase.



I did not take room photos upon arrival. These were taken before we checked out so please excuse the rumpled bed.

Random thought I wanted to add – WL had better pillows than anywhere else we’ve stayed on property over the years. This is a small thing, but I thought it was worth noting. I’m not sure if Disney is actually buying better quality pillows or if these were just newer and not squished down into nothingness yet. Either way, I appreciated the bit of firmness and support!

We unpacked quickly and decided to spend the evening at the pool. We got changed and placed a mobile order for Roaring Fork. Doug had the Pulled Pork Sandwich with fries and a Coke, while I had the Tuna Sandwich with chips. We divided and conquered. Doug waited for the food at Roaring Fork, and I headed to Geyser Point for drinks as Blue Moon wasn’t available at Roaring Fork. I quickly grabbed Doug a Miller Lite and a Blue Moon for myself, and we met up at the Boulder Ridge pool. We found a table in the back corner and dug in.



Apparently before I took photos! My sandwich was massive. I only ate half and saved most of the chips for later. Doug enjoyed his, and it was gone quickly. We took a dip in the pool and eventually made our way to the hot tub for a bit.

Around 8:40, we dried ourselves off and headed back to our room. We were excited to see what the view of the fireworks would be from there. I took a quick shower and changed into dry clothes. We found the channel on the TV with the fireworks music.



And here it is! I didn’t take many photos as I just wanted to watch, but this will give you a point of reference. We couldn’t see much of the low stuff due to the trees, but it was a great view of all of the higher fireworks.

I was starting to feel the bugs bite pretty immediately, and I didn’t want to use bug spray since I’d just showered. We ended up lying across the bed for the remainder of the show.



Terrible photo, but it was still a great view from inside on the bed.

 

[Araminta18]

To answer your question about Mears, it was absolutely sufficient for the cheapest option out there. My only complaint is that on departure day we were picked up 3 hours and 50 minutes before our flight, and then headed straight to the airport. It was just too early. That alone would make me consider another option if we were leaving on an early morning flight.

Did it feel like too long of a delay to get out there? That's always been the part I've been hesitant on. But also, 3h50min?! Oh my goodness.

This was so good! The marshmallow buttercream was not as sweet as I thought it might be, but I wouldn’t have pegged it as marshmallow flavored without being told that it was. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the cake. Doug ate about 3/4 of this.

We got this cake too! So delicious - but I agree I wouldn't have pegged it as marshmallow either.

This is a must-do for me. There aren’t words to describe how beautifully they sing. I have goosebumps the entire time and have had to wipe away tears depending on the song selection.

We've never done this! We'll have to try it some time.

and the strawberry shortcake was just meh. We also picked up the Cucumber-Watermelon Slushy. We got it without the gin. Neither of us loved it, but we drank it because it was cold and it was a hot afternoon.

100% agree - we got the shortcake and weren't impressed. I did like the cucumber watermelon slushy, though probably mostly for the refreshing aspect.

And then I hear, clear as day, the gentleman say, “Aw, sh*t. It’s a yes or no question. I don’t need a dissertation.”

ok that's hilarious.

Anyone can holler “ice cream” at any time and veer toward the nearest cart, stand, or parlor from which to purchase and partake, no questions asked. If anyone in our family ever asks if you need an ice cream, it likely means you need to get your attitude in check. Ha ha. Since adopting the ice cream method, we’ve actually found that we need it less often!

oooh that's so smart!!

We made our way to the back of the Morocco pavilion and walked right into the Passholder Lounge, well, after they checked our passes of course, without a wait at all. We also received our passholder pins. We each grabbed a cup of water and maybe a half cup of mint tea (they were almost out) and a snack. Doug got a package of nuts/trail mix, and I picked up a bag of Chex Mix. We stuck our snacks in my bag for later. Open seats were a little scarce. We checked the left side of the room first but had no luck. We made our way over to the right side and ended up sitting on a couple of pouf/ottoman things on the floor. These were actually quite comfortable. We enjoyed the lounge for maybe 20 minutes or so. I grabbed a second cup of mint tea before heading out and sipped it as we walked back to Future World.

Hey, we were there at the same time! We found a booth in the corner (we got lucky) and conked out for like an hour. I didn't feel too bad 'cause there was no wait, like you said. It was definitely a nice break.

And even got the monorail in the background!

Nice shot!

I had noted on our reservation that this was our anniversary trip.

Isn't that so cute?! We got that too on our tv - love that little touch.

WL had better pillows than anywhere else we’ve stayed on property over the years. This is a small thing, but I thought it was worth noting. I’m not sure if Disney is actually buying better quality pillows or if these were just newer and not squished down into nothingness yet. Either way, I appreciated the bit of firmness and support!

ooooh jealous. That's the one thing I don't love about the hotels - the pillows are too soft! May have to do WL next.

And here it is! I didn’t take many photos as I just wanted to watch, but this will give you a point of reference. We couldn’t see much of the low stuff due to the trees, but it was a great view of all of the higher fireworks.

What an awesome view!!

 

[lulu2121]

Did it feel like too long of a delay to get out there? That's always been the part I've been hesitant on. But also, 3h50min?! Oh my goodness..

The trip to the resort was pretty quick. We waited less than 5 minutes to get on a bus. Once on the bus, I think we left within 10-15 minutes. We made only one stop at an AlllStars resort before arriving at AKL. All in, it was about an hour. I was more annoyed that it took us over 45 minutes from landing to get our bags and then get to the Mears line.

Hey, we were there at the same time! We found a booth in the corner (we got lucky) and conked out for like an hour. I didn't feel too bad 'cause there was no wait, like you said. It was definitely a nice break.

Good for you guys! Especially if you were staying for the evening. Epcot days can seem really long and I always feel like it’s the second hottest park, after AK.

 

[alohamom]

Day 4 – Tuesday, May 7, Part 2 – Aw, sh*t. It’s a yes or no question. I don’t need a dissertation.

HAHAHAHA, this is priceless!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I think I'm going to start combining two of those phrases in faculty meetings...I don't need a dissertation and don't get huffy. Probably won't work but what the heck?

I'm loving your trip. I need to spend more pool time when I go. I did that for the first time in April and wow, it truly makes a difference in how you feel!

 

[lulu2121]

I think I'm going to start combining two of those phrases in faculty meetings...I don't need a dissertation and don't get huffy. Probably won't work but what the heck?

I'm loving your trip. I need to spend more pool time when I go. I did that for the first time in April and wow, it truly makes a difference in how you feel!

Please do! Let me know how that works out.

Glad you are enjoying it! It took 20 years to get DH to relax and sit still on vacation.

 

[lulu2121]

Day 5 – Wednesday, May 8 – And there’s the Cosmopolitan. And that’s Port Orleans Riverside.

Yeah, rope drop did not happen this morning as planned. I was up and got a boarding group for Tron at 7:00 (something like group 87), but we didn’t leave the room until sometime after 8:00, probably closer to 8:30. We opted to take the boat to Magic Kingdom. The line was long, and all the way back the dock. We weren’t sure we’d even make it on the big boat if it came next. Luckily, it pulled up within about 5 minutes. We just made the cut to get on, and the captain cut the line off right behind us. Whew. We stood at the front, right inside the doorway for our cruise to the park. It was a great vantage point, and there was a nice breeze. On our way there, a gentleman and a lady were kind enough to point out the sights and landmarks. “And there’s the Cosmopolitan.”

The lady followed with, “And that’s Port Orleans Riverside,” just a few moments later.

(Both photos were borrowed from the internet for illustration purposes.)

But I’m not one to insert myself in someone else’s conversation, and these folks sounded pretty sure they knew what they were talking about!

We breezed through security and entered the park right at 9:00. We decided to try for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We got over there, but it was down. Knowing this is a frequent occurrence at opening (happens to us every trip!), we waited for a couple of minutes to be sure, but soon gave up and went to Pirates instead. We rode POC at 9:18. After a quick pit stop at the POC bathrooms, we checked the app and BTMRR was up and running. We walked back over and took the wildest ride in the wilderness!

We walked up through Frontierland, and Doug wanted to stop at the shooting gallery. We’ve never done this before, and he wanted to give it a try before it disappears. He had fun shooting all of the targets. I decided I needed a bite to eat before doing anything further. Our go-to breakfast in MK is a Mickey waffle with strawberries from Sleepy Hollow, but I wasn’t feeling something sweet this morning, and the soonest mobile order window was like 30 minutes out when I first checked. We headed through Liberty Square and across the bridge to Adventureland. Where was I headed? To the egg roll cart! This was on my list of snacks to try. We’d never stopped here before. I got one pepperoni and one cheeseburger egg roll. While in the short line at the cart, I checked mobile order again for Sleepy Hollow and got an immediate window. I ordered Doug the Mickey waffle at 10:10 and hit the I’m here button. We walked back to Liberty Square and found a table in the shade behind the shops. I sat down and waited while Doug went to Sleepy Hollow to pick up his waffle. I thought both eggrolls were good, but I preferred the cheeseburger one. This is something I would definitely order again. Doug enjoyed his waffle.

We checked wait times, and Jungle Cruise was showing a 40-minute wait. We decided to give it a try. As soon as we got in line, the wait immediately changed to 50 minutes before we even got fully into the regular queue. We waited 40 minutes as I took this photo at 11:22 as we began our journey.

Our guide was Skipper Victoria. First name Skipper, last name Victoria. She was great! This was the most enjoyable Jungle Cruise we’ve taken for a while!

Once we arrived back at the docks, we decided to grab a cool treat at Sunshine Tree Terrace before heading to the Enchanted Tiki Room to eat them. Doug had an Orange Swirl, and I kept it classic with the Dole Whip Orange. We caught the very end of the preshow and were in the theater just moments later to hear the birds sing the words and the flowers croon.

Next up was the Hall of Presidents. We only waited about 5 minutes for the show to start.

We left Liberty Square and made our way across the hub to Tomorrowland while discussing what to do for the next 3ish hours until our Tron boarding group was called. I checked the app at 12:41 and was able to make an ADR for Skipper Canteen for 1:50. Sweet. We took a ride on the Peoplemover.

We then took a spin on the Carousel of Progress. The ride stopped right in the middle of the first and second scenes. We could see and hear both. I decided this was the perfect opportunity for a nap. We’ve been evacuated from this ride previously, and let me tell you, it is not fun to watch one scene four times in a row! And I love COP. The ride moved slowly and stopped in the correct spot for the second scene and functioned normally after that one hiccup.

We walked back across the park for our lunch at Skipper Canteen. We checked in about 10 minutes early. We shared the Brazilian cheese bread, and then each ordered our own shrimp fried rice appetizer as our mains. Our waiter asked if we’d like to add additional shrimp, and Doug took him up on this offer. Mine has 5 shrimp, and Doug’s has 10.



Our timing worked out well as once lunch was finished, our Tron boarding group was near being called. We slowly made our way back across the park. By the time we made a pitstop at the Tron restrooms, our group was called and we joined the line. We were on the ride by 3:30.

After Tron, we decided to head out of the park and back to WL for an afternoon break. We got in line at the boat launch and a small boat pulled up immediately. We spent a couple of hours relaxing at the pool before getting changed and grabbing dinner at Roaring Fork before heading back to MK for EEH. Doug had the Country-style Baked Meatloaf, and I had the Wilderness Salad with Chicken. He like the meatloaf, and my salad was fine.

We headed back to MK and rode Dumbo at 8:37, followed by Little Mermaid. We made our way over to BTMRR, and our train left the station right as the last firework from Happily Ever After went off. We were hoping to board a little faster and see the end of the fireworks during our ride. I think we may have ridden twice as I have a bit of time here that I can’t account for. I know we grabbed Mickey ice cream sandwiches from the cart next to BTMRR following our ride. It was nearing 10:00, and I know finding an open cart of any kind is scarce during EEH and I was determined to get an ice cream sandwich this evening.

We headed across the park while eating our ice cream and rode Buzz Lightyear at 10:12, followed by Space Mountain at 10:30, and Buzz again at 10:46. During our afternoon break, I was able to get a VQ for Tron during EEH. We were trying to stay in Tomorrowland as our boarding group was near to being called. We rode Tron at 11:32. Once off the ride, we headed to SDMT and rode at 12:07. We were seated in the first row of the last mine cart. The two guys behind us were having a good time on this ride, rocking the cart and singing along through the mine. Doug always does this, so I was glad our fellow riders were too. I had to laugh when I saw the ride photo later!



We made our way out of the park and took the boat back to WL. There was a really long line this night, like long enough we almost decided to head for the buses instead. But our luck held out, the big boat came quickly and we made it on without issue and even got a seat.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Great MK day! I remember being in MK and a lady was telling another person that Harry Potter area was just past BTMRR, what ?? We have heard so much inaccurate information on our vacations even from CMs at times!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

It is on my bucket list to stay at the Cosmopolitan at some point. Wow, you did it all in MK. I don't think I've seen the inside of Tiki, Hall of Presidents, or COP in YEARS!!!

 

[lulu2121]

Great MK day! I remember being in MK and a lady was telling another person that Harry Potter area was just past BTMRR, what ?? We have heard so much inaccurate information on our vacations even from CMs at times!

I know I'm an extreme over-planner and researcher by nature, but some of the misinformation you hear around the parks is pretty basic stuff!

It is on my bucket list to stay at the Cosmopolitan at some point. Wow, you did it all in MK. I don't think I've seen the inside of Tiki, Hall of Presidents, or COP in YEARS!!!

You should go for it if you can fit it in the budget! It was my mom's dream resort for our big family trip a couple of years ago, and I was so happy to be able to find a way to make it work and stay there. It did not disappoint, and it just makes you feel a little bit fancy. Tiki Room and COP are must-dos for us every trip!

 

[lulu2121]

Day 6 – Thursday, May 9 – Connor, its 97 degrees. Get in the pool. You’re gonna die!

Originally, our plans for this day included rope dropping DHS. The forecast, however, made us change our minds. They were calling for 97 degrees this day. Truth be told, there is nothing in DHS that I even like enough to spend the day there if it’s 97 degrees. I know, go ahead and throw stones since I uttered those words. Luckily, Doug felt the same way, and we both decided the day would be better spent at the pool, in a cabana or at least under the shade of an umbrella. We’re weren’t moving quite early enough to get a cabana at the Boulder Ridge pool, so we settled for an umbrella.

I placed an Instacart order from Target to obtain more margarita mix, and Doug wanted some Aleve for his old man aches. I think he was complaining about his knee. Bad wife for not remembering or paying him much heed. It was minor though, and just some soreness. Now, this order was supposed to be delivered between 10-11. It finally showed up at 12. I was annoyed. This is why I hate Instacart. Besides the fees and tip, they are always late or get lost. I only did it this time because I had free delivery and a $10 off coupon for Target.

We had also placed an order from Geyser Point to go. We had the Crispy Peking Ribs, Thai Chili Wings, Edamame with Chili Salt, and Housemade Chips. Of course, our order was ready at 11:45, and so my lunch was interrupted by the Instacart delivery. I made a quick trip to the lobby to meet the delivery guy, and then to the room to drop off our supplies, make some more margs, and headed back to the pool to finally relax. Doug ate the ribs, we split the wings and chips, and I had the edamame to myself. These were pretty heavily dosed with the chili salt and that stuff has some heat!

“Connor, its 97 degrees. Get in the pool. You’re gonna die!” Please imagine a six year old boy’s high pitched voice shouting these words, and each word should be slightly exaggerated as only a six year old boy can. At least 10 times. Okay, I am borrowing this quote from a previous trip, but Doug and I said it to each other multiple times this day as it was indeed 97 degrees. In August of 2021, we were staying at Kidani, and it was 97 degrees at 3:00 in the afternoon. It was really hot. A mom was trying to get her 10 year oldish son, Connor, to get in the pool as she thought he was too hot as he was sitting under an umbrella with dad playing on his tablet, and little brother joined in shouting as well. Connor never did get into the pool, but I’m happy to report he survived that afternoon! This has been our go-to line since this that trip whenever we’re hot, and we still find it funny.

I had moved onto reading my third book of the trip this day, House of Eve, which I finished late in the afternoon, and then started on book number four, Coal River.

We stayed at the pool until about 8:30 that evening. We headed up to our room for showers and to watch the fireworks. This time, I did bug spray myself and watched from outside.

After fireworks, we headed to Geyser Point to sit at the bar for dinner. I started with a Blue Moon, and Doug had a Miller Light. We split a Bison Burger and got an extra order of fries.

That’s Josh, the bartender, in the background there. He’s always great.

We caught the Electrical Water Pageant while we ate as were we sitting at the corner of the bar and facing the water. We each had a second beer before calling it a night. It was a pretty perfect way to end the day.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I love all the quotes you collected from your trip. I guffawed at the lady pointing out the resorts - if she was the leader and “trip expert”… her poor group!

The mid- to high-90’s at WDW is no joke. It was so stinking hot when we were there we were practically melting. I think a day by the pools sounded like a good plan!

 

[Paulaparm]

Nice view of the fireworks!!

 

[lulu2121]

Day 7 – Friday, May 10 – That squirrel owes me a new cooler! [or] I’ve got 7 more days. I just can’t screw this up!

We ditched our original plans again this day and opted to head for the pool again. We had planned to rope drop MK, but we had done everything we wanted on the other days we had spent in the park.

Some backstory. Vacation used to mean we had to go go go. We only vacationed for one week about every 3 years or so, so we had to make the most out of our vacations. We needed to see something, do something, keep the kids occupied, etc. We weren’t beach people. We rarely went to the pool, as it was only something to occupy the kids for an hour or so. We would take a break day in the middle of a WDW trip (Day 3 had to be a nonpark day, even way back when), but when the kids were young, we stayed offsite and had a car. We still went shopping or found something to do outside of the parks. Not gonna lie, it was exhausting! Of all things, a trip during Covid changed our ways! Our older DD was supposed to get married the first week of May 2020. We had to reschedule for July because the venue wasn’t allowed to operate yet on the original date. We had a lovely trip planned for May for an 8-night stay at Coronado Springs after the wedding. Obviously, that got nixed. We decided to take a trip after the wedding in July because we needed some time away from our house and the people in it. Our daughter, son-in-law, and infant granddaughter were staying with us at the time. Younger DD was a senior in high school. Looking back now, I wouldn’t trade that time for anything as I got to spend tons of time with DGD, but in the middle of it, I was ready for a break. So, after moving the wedding date to July, we planned a 6-night trip to San Antonio to follow it. A week or two before the wedding, Texas was a hotbed for Covid, and there was rioting in San Antonio. We started to feel nervous. There had been rioting already that summer in Louisville, and we didn’t want to deal with any real world problems on this trip. So, I found a 6-night stay at Boulder Ridge Villas through one of the DVC rental sites. The parks were still closed at this time (MK opened the day we returned home), so it would be our first resort-only stay. IT WAS THE BEST TRIP EVER! We did nothing but lay by the pool for 6 days and go out to dinner each night, mostly in Disney Springs as a lot of resort restaurants were still closed. This trip changed our view on vacation forever, and the majority of our trips since then have either been resort-only or with very limited park time.

So we were happy to have another pool day. This trip really reinforced that even with APs and the ability to go the parks as much as we wanted, we simply didn’t want to.

We headed to the Boulder Ridge pool again this morning, and we were able to get a cabana. I finished the fourth book of the trip, Coal River, and started on number five, The Forgiving Kind. Around 11:20, we picked up a mobile order from Geyser Point to go. We shared a Steak Sandwich with fries and the Edamame with the Chili Salt on the side. I like the chili salt, but I wanted to be able to control the amount. We split the sandwich, while Doug ate the fries, and I had the edamame. The edamame might be my new favorite pool snack! We had also packed a couple of the cookies we purchased earlier in the week at Gideon’s, and these were in a Ziploc bag in the cooler, and we snacked on them throughout the afternoon. We had a nosey squirrel sniffing around the cabana for a while, but it soon moved on.

We spent an hour of this afternoon just trying to mind our own business but finding it really hard! There was a son (40ish) and his dad (70ish) in the cabana next to ours. There were wives and kids too, but they seemed to be in the pool and missed the conversation. The son was trying to figure out DVC points and how the timeshare worked. They were staying in a two-bedroom at Boulder Ridge through a cash reservation so they knew nothing about DVC or buying in or points or anything. While we don’t yet own DVC, we’ve looked into it extensively and talked with a guide, etc. We’ve also rented points many, many times over the years, and we have good handle on how it all works. It was almost painful as we listened to them try to reason their way through it, but there was no way to join the conversation except to be rude and just interrupt them. I didn’t want to do that, and they eventually called the DVC number and sort of figured it out.

Since it was our last full day of the trip, we began talking about plans for next year. Nevermind we have trips already planned for September and next February! When we bought our APs, we knew we’d also take another trip right around the time they would expire. Epic planning fail here on my part. I didn’t consider Easter or when it would fall in 2025. We originally thought we’d go April 19-May 3, and I was thinking spring breaks would be over and Easter would have already happened. BUT NO, Easter falls on the 20th. No thank you. We decided on April 26-May 10 instead, and our APs will expire on May 4. I started looking at points charts, and we discussed where we’d want to stay. For September, we’ll be at AKL Jambo House in a standard studio. For February, we’ve booked a standard Studio at the Grand Floridian. I also checked here on the DIS on the rent/trade board to see if anyone had points for rent for next year. A DISers we’ve rented from a few times now had just posted a couple of days prior that she had points to rent. I emailed her immediately with our dates and asked if she had points she’d been willing to rent for Boulder Ridge. I got a response back quickly that she did, and she’d be glad to book for us when we hit the 11-month window!

We took our last dip in the pool around 6:00 and got out to dry off before heading back to the room to get ready for dinner. Well, I reached the cabana and found that the squirrel had come back and was headfirst into our cooler, which was sitting on top of the table in the cabana. I chased it off and discovered it had chewed through the zipper on my Swig cooler.

Doug had gotten out of the pool by then and asked what was going on. “That squirrel owes me a new cooler.” Doug took a closer look and realized the squirrel had also chewed through a ziploc bag containing the last bit of one of the Gideon’s cookies that was in the cooler! That cookie must have been what it was after.

We gathered our stuff and headed back to our room to get ready for dinner. We were heading to Disney Springs for dinner at a new restaurant. Once ready, we headed to the bus stop, and a bus arrived within a few minutes. The driver pulled up and opened the door, and we, along with another lady, hesitated before boarding to make sure no one was exiting the bus. The bus was empty, and the bus driver motioned us on and thanked us for waiting. The driver’s name was Joy, and she promptly announced, “I’ve got 7 more days. I just can’t screw this up!” She had 7 more days until she retired, and she was super excited about it. She had been a bus driver for 17 years, and we chatted while she drove from WL to the Contemporary before heading to Disney Springs. She delivered us to Disney Springs without screwing it up, and we wished her well as we got off the bus!

We had an 8:45 reservation for Summer House on the Lake, and we arrived right on time. First, this restaurant is beautiful. It looks upscale along with comfortable at the same time. They got it right on décor and ambiance. We were led through the dining room and out to the back patio area. Score one for us! Absolutely amazing. I am so sorry for not taking pictures out there. There were two rows of tables along the patio, and we were seated on the restaurant side rather than the railing side. I couldn’t figure out how to take a photo of the patio area that would do it justice without getting the other diners, and I didn’t want to be rude.

Our server this evening was Daniel, and he was excellent. Just the right amount of attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly. We started with drinks. I had the Crush Season, and Doug went with a margarita. Both were really good. We shared the jalapeno cornbread to start.

This was yummy. My only complaint could be that the portion size was a little small. I think you can kind of tell that in the photo when comparing the bread plate and small water glass. It was enough for the two of us though, and I would definitely order it again.

For entrees, I ordered the Costa Mesa salad with tuna, and Doug had the carne asada tacos.


Ya’ll! This salad was sooooo good. The tuna was grilled perfectly, and every bite had all the good salad stuff in it. No bites were just lettuce, and I didn’t have to dig around to get the good stuff out. Doug said the tacos were great. I didn’t have a bite of them, but these were loaded and looked exceptional! We were stuffed. I couldn’t even finish the salad because it was large. We ordered two cookies to go and selected the walnut chocolate chip and the lemon cookie.

This may be my new favorite restaurant. We will definitely go here again in September. I might even book it twice.

We made one more stop in Disney Springs before calling it a night. We left Summer House and went to Salt & Straw. Doug got a single scoop the Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons in a cup, and I got a single scoop of Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper in a regular cone. Doug loved his and ate it quickly. This was good, because I wasn’t enjoying mine so I passed it over to him to finish! I thought the strawberry was just too sweet. I really think I’ve had this flavor previously and liked it, but I’ve not been eating many sweets at all in the last 7-8 months, and my tastes have changed because of it. I have never been one to say something is too sweet or too rich, but I guess now I do since this wasn’t the first time I felt this way this trip.

On the bus ride back to WL, we debated on what to do the next day since it was departure day. Pack up early, have bell services hold our bags, and rope drop Animal Kingdom? Pack up early and head to the pool? Sleep in and pack up right before 11? Decisions, decisions.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I'm so glad you enjoyed Summerhouse. I've heard mixed reviews but I really think I would like the cookies from here more than the cookies from Gideon's. Hoping to try either one of them in November.

 

[lulu2121]

I'm so glad you enjoyed Summerhouse. I've heard mixed reviews but I really think I would like the cookies from here more than the cookies from Gideon's. Hoping to try either one of them in November.

I wonder if we would have viewed our experience differently if we had been sat inside, but the food was great! We’re going to try it again in September to see if it holds up. I know I am swayed by atmosphere/table location/ambiance when it comes to meal experiences so I’m curious if the dining room will hold the same appeal. We ate our cookies after we got back home, so about two days later. We enjoyed them and they were good, but they weren’t special. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to get them or wait in line for them.