When is our BOMA dinner? 5 5 5! When is it? 5? No, 5:55!! UPDATE May 28

[maryandtyson]

In Which We Explore Disney Transportation and Shop the World

Back at Wilderness Lodge, we headed to the pool for some down time. As we were looking for chairs, I ran into a fellow PTA volunteer from our elementary school back home. Sing it with me, “It’s a Small World, after all.”

Anyway, the pool was much cooler than it had been on Saturday. The girls enjoyed it anyway. The new splash area is totes adorbs, even thought my girls are technically too big for it. They stood under the bucket and got drenched.

It started to sprinkle about the time we were planning to leave anyway. We were planning an evening at EPCOT to eat some of the Flower & Garden Outdoor Kitchen snacks. We thought we could take the boat to Magic and then the monorail to EPCOT. However, the monorail was completely shut down.

Luckily, we know our way around. We took the Beach Club bus from Magic and walked into the International Gateway. Beach Club – we have a date with you in September! The BounceBack offer was 35% off Beach Club!!! Before we decided to get Annual Passes, we had planned on our usual trip Sep. 26-Oct. 3 at Beach Club. We had booked free dining, which we were happy with. That offer doesn’t work any more for us, so we were thrilled with this deal!!

By this time, we were pretty hungry. First stop, Fleur de Lys (near France, natch) and the gnocchi. It was delicious and I could have eaten more! Next we stopped at Botanas Botanico. I tried the White Corn Arepa with Braised Beef and the girls shared the Seafood Ceviche – both were delicious. Next stop: Marrakesh where we tried the falafel. Unfortunately, the filling was good but the pita was stale. The Chicken Kebab was very good.

Right about this time, the rain was moving in. We timed it so we could run into the Japan store to wait out the rain. Emma had birthday and allowance money burning a hole in her pocket and this is her favorite store! She found a little doll to add to her collection, a mug with pretty owls on it and paper lanterns with cherry blossoms to hang up in her room. Katie got a small Buddha board - you write on it with water and the writing or drawing disappears as it dries.

The rain let up some, so we continued around World Showcase. Tyson got a brat and a beer in Germany while the girls shopped in the Germany toy store. Emma got a Steiff wooly mammoth – adorable! Then we stopped in Karamel Kuche for caramel corn and treats. I got a salted dark chocolate caramel and Katie got a pecan cluster. Yum! That store smells amazing! I could just stand in there sniffing the air.

The rain must have scared off some of the crowds because the ride wait times were way down. We decided to try to ride Soarin’ - wait for it - without a Fast Pass. The wait was only 30 minutes. I was still hungry, but decided Soarin was worth it! The line moved quickly and we enjoyed the ride, but MAN I was hungry, heading to hangry or pass out.

Luckily, Sunshine Seasons is right there – my favorite quick service. I got grilled salmon, mashed potatoes and green beans. It’s hard to believe this is quick service food. It was remarkably fresh, even though it was 30 minutes before closing. The girls got fish tacos and some asian dish I can’t remember. It was all good.


Now that we felt better, we decided to watch Illuminations from the Future World side. My feet couldn’t take any more trekking! The crowds were really light! The fireworks were spectacular, as usual, which sound ridiculous. I'd love to see Illuminations get some kind of update or change.



Time to head home on the bus. Wait time was minimal and we made it safe and sound.

Tyson and I made our nightly stop at the Territory Lounge to wind down. I have to say, this worked out great for us. We were able to relax and just be together in a quiet setting. I slept great the whole trip.


FitBit tally: 19,149 steps. WOW!

 

[nilla]

Love Sunshine Seasons! And the gnocci in France is wonderful. Isn't Epcot the best?

Speaking of the best, 30 minute standby for Soarin'? Gotta love those light Spring crowds. Rain helps, too

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Going into that store in Japan while it's raining is one of my favorite pastimes!

 

[maryandtyson]

Love Sunshine Seasons! And the gnocci in France is wonderful. Isn't Epcot the best?

Speaking of the best, 30 minute standby for Soarin'? Gotta love those light Spring crowds. Rain helps, too

We just love World Showcase! I was surprised how light the crowds were! 30 minutes was nothing!

Going into that store in Japan while it's raining is one of my favorite pastimes!

That store is dangerous. I think we spent upwards of $300 in there all told. Crazy! But, we love what we got.

 

[maryandtyson]

In Which We Dine with a Beast

So, poor planning on my part, but we had another early morning. This time, we were testing the Be Our Guest breakfast with an 8:20 ADR. Teenagers don’t like early mornings. I don’t know if you know that, so I thought I’d pass it along. YIKES!

Anyway, Emma was a good sport and arose early enough for us to hop the bus to Magic. Love that Wilderness Lodge is so close! A CM checked our reservation on her iPad and we got in the early ADR cattle car, I mean queue. The gates opened for us at 7:45 a.m. and we walked to Be Our Guest. We weren’t racing, by any means, but we were the first to check in. I guess some people were sightseeing or taking pics. Lesson learned: it’s not your ADR time, it’s when you check in that counts! (You can see in the pic that "empty Main Street" is a myth.)



But, we got this nice shot of the Castle.


We’ve eaten dinner and lunch at BOG before. I love the setting and we’ve found the food to be good, so we were excited to try it. The doors finally opened right at 8:00 and about 10 CMs came out and gave a little speech, inviting us to BE OUR GUEST!



We ordered at the kiosk, got our rose and found a table in the ballroom. Emma and I got the puff pastry with eggs, Tyson got the baguette and Katie decided on the crepes from the kid menu. The pastry baskets were irresistible. Apparently, there were plain croissants in them, but Emma (the ninja) ate them before I saw them.


Breakfast was good, not amazing, but really good. The food was delivered promptly and everything was hot. The country ham was a nice counterpoint to the creamy eggs and pastry. Tyson enjoyed his baguette and eggs. Katie said the crepes were yummy.



The best part, however, was when we exited and were first in line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We rode in the very first train!! I love Snow White and this ride is fun and adorable. I appreciate it more every time I ride it! We were a little disappointed not to see the interactive queue and decided to try to ride stand by another time.



Again, we wanted to see the new queue at Peter Pan, so we headed there next. Very cute queue! I like that they are adding these fun elements to the wait.


Bathroom break at the Tangled bathrooms!! I wish Rapunzel got more than a bathroom, but it’s pretty cool!

We headed to Haunted Mansion next. Emma and Katie just got into this ride last October. Before that, they always just thought it was creepy. I wasn’t even aware of the new queue elements here. The line was really short, but we went through the queue elements anyway. Lots of fun!


Next we headed to Big Thunder again. We had intended to ride Splash, but Katie didn’t want to ride it. As it turned out, the ride was down anyway. We got a cool drink in Liberty Square and headed to Tomorrowland Speedway so Katie could ride. Emma doesn’t like the ride, so we went to Winnie the Pooh. While we were in line, Tyson and Katie got in the line behind us. After we had all ridden, it was starting to get crowded and hot. I mean, there was a WAIT for the Mad Tea Party. WHAT? Emma was starting to wilt from the early morning. We decided to ride TTC and head out.

As we were walking, Tyson said, “Pre-lunch ice cream?” Absolutely!! With the expanded seating, The Plaza ice cream was much more do-able. You know chocolate melts faster than vanilla? We have tried to walk around with cones before - DISASTER!! The new hub is really pretty and there are lots of tables. Tyson for a root beer float, Emma got a cup of mint chocolate chip, Katie got a cup of birthday cake and I got the kids cone (Mickey ears made of chocolate!) of mint chocolate chip. Refreshing!

We shopped on the way out and hopped on the boat to Wilderness Lodge.

 

[ichabody]

What a great morning! Every morning should end with ice cream!! If you have any pics of the new hub and expanded seating at the Plaza that would be nice to see! Only 30 more days for us!!

 

[maryandtyson]

What a great morning! Every morning should end with ice cream!! If you have any pics of the new hub and expanded seating at the Plaza that would be nice to see! Only 30 more days for us!!

Hi Ichabody,
Sorry, I didn't take pics of the Hub. Never intended to do a trip report. I will do better in the Fall when we stay at Beach Club.

 

[maryandtyson]

In Which Kathleen finds her Inner Speed-Demon

Back at the resort, Emma and Katie were tired and not hungry. (Remember the ice cream?) Tyson and I sent them up to the room and we went to Roaring Fork. We split a Bacon Cheeseburger. Basic Disney fare and it hit the spot.

This is when I miss Animal Kingdom Lodge and The Mara. The system they use, the large seating area and the food are far superior to Roaring Fork. I maintain that what AKL lacks in location, it makes up for in theme, CMs and food. Roaring Fork is absurdly small for this resort. One or two strollers at breakfast time and the whole place is gridlocked. However, the burger was fine and the sweet lady who kept trying to give us a flatbread instead finally got it right.

The girls were hungry later, so we got them a tomato basil flatbread to share. They said it was awesome!

I had wanted to dine at Garden Grill for years and we had an ADR that evening for 6:00. It looked like the monorail was back working, so we tried the boat to monorail thing again and it worked. We got to EPCOT in time to ride Spaceship Earth – always fun! I love Dame Judi Dench ‘s narration and the library at Alexandria scene!!

Next up. three of us wanted to ride Test Track, but Katie (10, almost 11) was not convinced. She insists that she hates fast rides, especially fast down hills. We have had some very difficult times over this issue in the past. Our strategy has evolved from arguing, insisting she try it once to now – just LET IT GO! (Had to get it in here somewhere!)

Anyway, she had ridden TT last year. Her memory was that the ride was very intense and fast. For some reason, she agreed to try it again. I was SHOCKED! The wait was pretty short, but I could see her nerves getting to her. There have been times when she would be actually shaking in line for one ride or another.

We decided to have a rematch from last year. I would ride, and design an awesome car with Emma. Katie would ride with Tyson. So they designed their car together and he told her he’d hold her hand and explain the ride as it went along to help her through it.

Shock of Shocks!! She LOVED IT! When it was over she said, “That was it? That was awesome!” She will be our speed demon, someday.

It was almost time for dinner with Farmer Mickey! We headed to The Land and checked in for our first ever meal at Garden Grill. Long story, short. Dinner was good, but without the Dining Plan, it just wasn’t worth the money. We enjoyed the salad, bread and entrée, but the dessert was the standout. I could have eaten the entire cobbler by myself! Many people have commented on the amazing character interaction. Maybe it was our party, but it just wasn’t that great.


We rode Livin with The Land because it’s a cute ride and we walked right on to a boat. We are nerdy like that and enjoyed seeing the different plants and how they have changed things up in there.

We decided to wander around World Showcase some more since it's one of our favorite places! As a wannabe gardener, I really enjoyed seeing all of the ideas presented at Flower & Garden. Here's the thing: I have a reputation in my family. I'm the nerd who always READS all the INFORMATION. In museums, botanical gardens, historic sites, I hold up everyone with my slow pokiness. I could have looked at everything for MUCH MUCH longer. But, I moved along with the family. Sigh.

Had to go into the Japan Store again. I mean, what visit to World Showcase would be complete without it? The sweet ladies working there put Kathleen's hair up in a beautiful comb. It will never look like this again.


I like Miss Piggy, but where is KERMIT?


World Showcase is so pretty at night!!




My princesses!



FitBit Steps: 20,372

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That's cool you got to try BOG for breakfast and must have been neat to be there as they open and invite you in. And even better to get first ride on Mine Train! I think people are now starting to appreciate that ride for what it is - rather than complaining about what it isn't

I love the idea of pre-lunch ice cream (even if it did mess with some appetites)

Sorry you didn't enjoy Garden Grill more - it was one of the happy surprises for us last trip and I actually though dessert was the weakest part of the meal. We also had very good character interaction and the kids just loved that the restaurant rotated so that probably helped ... well, that and the pitcher of sangria

 

[maryandtyson]

That's cool you got to try BOG for breakfast and must have been neat to be there as they open and invite you in. And even better to get first ride on Mine Train! I think people are now starting to appreciate that ride for what it is - rather than complaining about what it isn't

I love the idea of pre-lunch ice cream (even if it did mess with some appetites)

Sorry you didn't enjoy Garden Grill more - it was one of the happy surprises for us last trip and I actually though dessert was the weakest part of the meal. We also had very good character interaction and the kids just loved that the restaurant rotated so that probably helped ... well, that and the pitcher of sangria

The SANGRIA! That's what we missed! In reality, we have enjoyed a dining plan for free for years. I think we had sticker shock paying cash. The food was really good!!

I love Mine Train!! Thanks for your comments. I agree. The complainers are missing the point.

Thank you for reading and commenting!!!

 

[NJlauren]

I love WS too, I cold walk around it all night!!! To bad they kick you out after illuminations!

We also love living with the land, my sister rode for the first time this trip and she loved it and was thinking about one of the tours!

The F&G in EPCOT really adds something I almost wish it was always there!

 

[Disney before Sally]

We love Mitsukoshi store in Japan too. I have done three days of Epcot touringplans for our upcoming trip, re-arranged them for entertainment, and re-arranged them again for character meets. Now I am trying to find places to squeeze in the Japan Pavilion time. That store gets most of our souvenir money, and we end up with usable items all around our house for years to come.

 

[mymommom]

What a great trip report! Your pictures are beautiful and your daughters are adorable. We take our children and grandchildren (ranging in age from infant to 10 years old) and have always dreamed of staying at Wilderness Lodge. Your report encourages me because the location seems perfect for returning to the Lodge, thereby making it a more relaxing trip. Looking forward to your next update.

 

[maryandtyson]

Guess what! I am rearranging our dining for our Sep/Oct trip. It HAD TO BE DONE: BOMA at 5:55!!

Girls went, "squee."

 

[NJlauren]

Guess what! I am rearranging our dining for our Sep/Oct trip. It HAD TO BE DONE: BOMA at 5:55!!

Girls went, "squee."

Haha! Love it!! And another trip amazing!

 

[maryandtyson]

In Which We Squeeze Every Last Bit of Fun from our LAST DAY!

Last day. Booooooo!

Our girls LOVE water parks at Disney. If you ask them what their favorite park is, they both usually respond with Blizzard Beach. I have to say that this bugs me to no end. One, I am not much of a swimmer. Two, how can it NOT be Magic Kingdom? Makes no sense to me.

Anyhoo, this was our final day of the awesome semi-spontaneous trip, so we asked the girls what they wanted to do. First, they wanted to visit the other water park: Typhoon Lagoon. Second, Emma wanted to see more fireworks. Sounds fun to me!

Water Parks make great rest days, in a strange way. They don’t open until 10:00, which is a major sleep in for us. Also, there is more freedom. You can lie around on a lounger, play in the sand, bop around in the wave pool or slide on the many, many water slides.

We found a nice sandy spot in the shade, near the Lazy River and the Storm Sliders. Tyson went to get donuts. If you’ve never tried the water park donuts, you MUST! There is a little stand near the main entrance/shop/big restaurant. Inside is a machine that cranks out fresh, tiny donuts. They are AMAZING! You can get chocolate and/or strawberry dipping sauce too. Oh, and their coffee is pretty good too. So we chowed down a dozen of these little gems in short order.

Next up: Lazy River. It was still early and this attraction was actually quiet and lived up to its name for once. We took it to the far side of the park and ride the three tube slides over there and then came back and did Storm Sliders. These are my former favorites at TL. However, they have dramatically increased the time between riders (from 6 seconds to 18) and it is now a ridiculous wait time.

After that, I took a reading break and everyone else did Crush Gusher and the wave pool. We had some lunch and then decided to head back. We got changed and cleaned up for the rest of our day.


Next up: EPCOT and Magic Kingdom

I know there are many, many people who travel without Park Hopper. I totally respect your decision. There is a Disney vacation style for most everyone. Except true curmudgeons. But, I don’t have time for those people. Anyway, clearly, this would NEVER work for us, as has been demonstrated previously and here we go again.

Dinner time. Where to eat? We all love to try different things, so the obvious choice was back to EPCOT for more of the Flower & Garden food selections.

I wanted to start in Mexico at La Cantina de San Angel for some nachos. Emma and Katie usually like them, but not as much today. They did, however, enjoy watching all the birds that hang out there to grab some leftovers. We continued on and stopped at Primavera Kitchen for Emma to have the Fior di Latte (pinwheel of mozzarella and prosciutto). She loved it! Then Katie had the Pulled Pig Slider with coleslaw at The Smokehouse. It was very good, but we are from North Carolina and it was definitely different from our vinegar-based bbq. She ate it all up!

Not sure I mentioned this, but this trip was a total secret from half our family. The ones who just don't get Disney. We all have them, right? DH's mom asked me if I thought the girls were tired of going there. Ummm, no. They are not. Anyway, we kept this trip quiet because we just didn't want to deal with it. So, DH had been calling his parents most every day as though it were a normal week. Since they live far away, it wasn't too difficult to pull off. I also posted nothing on Facebook. Some of our friends knew we were going and my sister knew, because she also loves the World. So, anyway, we hung out while he called the 'rents.

Next, we went to Hanami near Japan for the Frushi. This was a highlight to me: sushi made with fruit, coconut rice and served with whipped cream. It was delicious! I hope they have it at Food & Wine.

Tyson decided to take another look at something we had seen in the Japan store – a puzzle box. There are several different models and they are kept in a locked case. You know what that means. Anyway, it was beautiful. All handmade preciand delicate beauty. Had to have it! Emma picked out a lucky owl and Katie got a butterfly hair comb.

We made our way to the monorail to head to Magic Kingdom - a great place to bookend our week.

(Sorry for the total lack of photos. I never thought I'd be doing a Trip Report. Watch out for our next trip!)

 

[NJlauren]

Looks like a great last day so far! I love the park hopper too, I know why people don't get it but I love to have it even if we don't use it every day!

I have never been to the water parks but my husband keeps asking so I think I am going to fit it in next trip... Since you are an expert on water parks... Would a toddler be ok at one or is it not worth it?

 

[maryandtyson]

Hey, NJLauren,
Thanks for commenting!

There are toddler areas at both water parks with lots of little slides. Our girls loved them!! In addition, your little one could play in the sand. I think all the kids meals come in a plastic bucket and there are sand toys at the gift shop. The wave pool at TL would be too rough, but the BB one is pretty tame and there are lots of tubes to grab and bop around in. You could also take LO on the Lazy River. There are smaller tubes or he/she could be a lap rider. Depends on your child. There are also little "tide pools" at the zero entry area of the wave pool to splash around in. We have been taking our girls since they were maybe 5 and 3 years old.

If you are willing to split up so one of you can do the bigger attractions, I think it could definitely be a fun day. Whether it's "worth it" or not is very personal, like all things Disney. My DH loves water, and our girls do too, so it's definitely worth it for us. I say, give it a try and see for yourself! Also, GET THE DONUTS!!! Seriously.

When are you going? I hope you have a fun trip!! Mary

 

[maryandtyson]

NJLAuren,
I'd also look at some Youtube videos of the water parks, so you can get an idea.
Mary

 

[NJlauren]

Thanks for getting back to me on the Water Parks! Actually it wouldn't be till next year since we just got back

However my DH keeps saying how we haven't gone to a water park on any of our recent trips and he wants to... so maybe next time (i am hoping next April)