A Restful Spring Break? - A March/April 2024 Trip Report

[luvpoohandcompany]

I’m here and looking forward the hearing all about your trip. Hope life has settled a little

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I’m here and looking forward the hearing all about your trip. Hope life has settled a little

Glad you are here! Life is settling back to normal craziness.

 

[DLo]

Popping over from your PTR . Looking forward to reading more.

You definitely needed some vacation time after everything you had happen .

 

[piglet1979]

I am here to read along. I am so sorry that things were so crazy for you. Glad that you were still able to have a good trip.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Travel Day

We all woke up around 3:00 AM. We all got ready and packed up the last of our items.
Ready to go

Andy and I decided this trip that we would just do an uber or lyft to and from the airport this time around. We aren’t that far from Philly so it worked out pretty well. Andy did schedule a pick up, as the early hour did worry what we would have for availability.

Suitcases Ready to Go
Our suitcases were ready to go!!

Our Lyft driver showed up on time and we were loaded into the minivan.

At a bright and early time of 4:40 AM we were already at the airport dropping off bags. We dropped bags off with no issues, and were through security also with no issues, going through the TSA precheck always helps!
Checking in at the Airport

Andy and I got coffee and we found our gate. We just sat and waited for our time to board. We watched all the families also going to Disney in their outfits. Well, I did. Morgan was playing Stardew Valley for the first time and got heavily engrossed in what she was doing.

By 6:15 we were boarding the plane
Ready to Board
Can someone tell me why everyone insists on hoovering by the gate when they KNOW they are the last boarding group? I HATE this so so much. ANYWAY....

It was a rainy morning and the pilot said it would be a bumpy ride. We were all VERY glad we did the first flight of the day, who knows what the weather would have done with the rest of the flights
Rainy Morning

We all slept at some point.
Tired Bubba
Gwen was the first man down... (Morgan still playing Stardew Vally here)

Tired Bunch
But at some point all 3 of us took a little nap time.

Flight was VERY turbulent! Probably the worst I had ever experienced. But we thankfully had no incidents.
Rested and Ready to Land
But by the end of the flight, we were ready to go!

Plane Seflie
And yes, we had the VERY back row. The seats we selected didn't stay for some reason, and when we checked in it was the only seats together.

While we were waiting for the plane to empty out, we made bets as to when we would be off hte plane. I am always SO surpised by doing this, how much faster the time goes!!! Gwen won and the wait was about 12 minutes to unload the WHOLE plane.

It was 10:35 AM when I saw this beautiful carpet!
The Vacation Carpet

Our First ride of the trip! The Pho-Monorail
First Ride of the Trip
Does everyone consider this, there first ride fo the trip?

Ready to Party
Gwen was excited to be in Orlando!

The benefit of being the LAST people off the plane? By the time you get down to luggage claim, your bags are basically coming out! We grabbed our bags, and headed outside to grab a lyft.

We were in a lyft at 11:10. So, about a 50 minutes from landing, we were on our way out of the airport. I know this is always the big question, of how much time to leave to get to property.

Uber to Disney Property
Girls played a trivia game in the car. Gwen was terrible at it and Morgan couldn’t understand how.

Andy was texting work folks and wasn't prepared to take this pic for me, so this is the best I got.
Walt Disney World Sign

Once dropped off at the Yacht Club, we went over to the check in desk and checked in, even though I did online check in. I wanted to make sure the room would have a sleeper couch, which the CM confirmed. This CM also, manually programmed our Magic Bands to the room This ended up being a thing the whole trip. Not sure if it was because we had older magic bands or something new with Disney tech.

We made a quick wardrobe change in the bathrooms, and set up with park bags. We dropped our bags off with bell services. And headed to the buses!

We were on a bus right at noon to head to Disney Springs!
On Bus to Disney Springs

Ready for some Moonshine!

And again, about an hour and half from landing to heading out for the day. Pretty good. I do think that is the fastest you could do that.

---------------------------------Up Next.... Disney Springs for the Linner win!------------------------------

 

[Mollydolly334]

Hi! Glad you are here! How is the planning going for your trip? I need to hop back over there next.

Planning is going great!! Everything is pretty much all booked, just counting down the days until the trip Our trips have a lot of similarities (both are long trips with 10+ nights, triple-split stays, with one stay at CSR), so I'll be voraciously reading this TR to get myself pumped and take down some tips for our trip!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Joining in! It really sounds like a trip was needed! I’m excited to hear all about it!
The first day at Disney is always exciting! I love having the whole trip in front of you!

 

[Araminta18]

Wow, you've had so much going on!! I'm so glad you were able to take this trip and that it turned out relaxing for you!

Andy and I decided this trip that we would just do an uber or lyft to and from the airport this time around. We aren’t that far from Philly so it worked out pretty well. Andy did schedule a pick up, as the early hour did worry what we would have for availability.

I've always heard that scheduling a pick up doesn't guarantee that you'll have a driver at the early time - so glad it worked out for you! I've been too nervous to try it.

At a bright and early time of 4:40 AM we were already at the airport dropping off bags. We dropped bags off with no issues, and were through security also with no issues, going through the TSA precheck always helps!

TSA Precheck is the best!

The benefit of being the LAST people off the plane? By the time you get down to luggage claim, your bags are basically coming out! We grabbed our bags, and headed outside to grab a lyft.

Ooooh good point! Never thought of it this way

And again, about an hour and half from landing to heading out for the day. Pretty good. I do think that is the fastest you could do that.

That is fantastic!

 

[Paulaparm]

I’m in too!
Looking forward to reading about the rest of your well-deserved trip!

 

[jrmint427]

By 6:15 we were boarding the plane

Your girls look so wide awake!!

Can someone tell me why everyone insists on hoovering by the gate when they KNOW they are the last boarding group? I HATE this so so much. ANYWAY....

I don’t get it! When they called our boarding group 2 I told Pat we should stay seated longer and get up when the crowd standing lightened up. And then a few minutes later we realized none of the people crowding the gate were moving at all - so we finally got up to try and squeeze through. It makes boarding so difficult!

Does everyone consider this, there first ride fo the trip?

Definitely!

I spy Gideon’s, can’t wait to read more!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Can someone tell me why everyone insists on hoovering by the gate when they KNOW they are the last boarding group? I HATE this so so much. ANYWAY....

Yes, it’s completely annoying. (That’s not to say I don’t bolt toward the line the minute our group is called… )

I’m glad you returned to booking early morning trips after your later flight fiasco on your prior trip. Other than being the last row (which has its pros and cons), your travel day was almost perfect!

Does everyone consider this, there first ride fo the trip?

YES. Absolutely yes.

This CM also, manually programmed our Magic Bands to the room This ended up being a thing the whole trip. Not sure if it was because we had older magic bands or something new with Disney tech.

Oh dear, what happened? I still need to make sure are new Magic Band pluses are attached correctly to MDE - they should be as I purchased them through my account, but I believe there is still some setup you need to do. I just want to avoid a trip to guest services if I can!

Also, in your case, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an issue with Disney tech.

And again, about an hour and half from landing to heading out for the day. Pretty good. I do think that is the fastest you could do that.

That’s amazing! As I said, you had (and deserved!) a perfect travel day.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Planning is going great!! Everything is pretty much all booked, just counting down the days until the trip

I caught up on your pre-trip report last night! You are in the worst part.... there is nothing to plan and nothing to do but wait!

, so I'll be voraciously reading this TR to get myself pumped and take down some tips for our trip!

I will try to get a few posts done! I feel thr pressure! Ha.

Joining in! It really sounds like a trip was needed! I’m excited to hear all about it!
The first day at Disney is always exciting! I love having the whole trip in front of you!

Glad you are here!!! The first day is always the best. Well, hopefully

I've always heard that scheduling a pick up doesn't guarantee that you'll have a driver at the early time - so glad it worked out for you! I've been too nervous to try it.

We did have a driver cancel on us the day before. But a new one grabbed it. I mean any and all ubers / lyfts are not guaranteed, I guess. It thank fully worked out this time.

I’m in too!
Looking forward to reading about the rest of your well-deserved trip!

Welcome!!!

I’m glad you returned to booking early morning trips after your later flight fiasco on your prior trip. Other than being the last row (which has its pros and cons), your travel day was almost perfect!

It was early but we all agreed it was def worth it. And how we will try and go most of the time now.

We have usually end up towards the back, so we are used to it. And typically we check our bags, so I am not worried about boarding first.

Oh dear, what happened? I still need to make sure are new Magic Band pluses are attached correctly to MDE - they should be as I purchased them through my account, but I believe there is still some setup you need to do. I just want to avoid a trip to guest services if I can!

We weren't able to sue them to unlock the room if the CM didn't manually "code" them to our room. I don't knwo why but they needed to specifically tell the magic bands what our room was.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Travel Day: Why did it have to be Snakes?

I left us off headed to Disney Springs, we made it there around 12:30.
Disney Springs

While on the but over, I received notification that our room was ready!
We got room 3065 on the 3rd floor. I had no idea what that meant but it was nice to know that our room was ready already.

Once we arrived, we headed towards our first of 2 food destinations. But first we checked to see if we needed to get onto a virtual queue for Gideon’s first, but they weren’t doing one, so we skipped that for now, and headed to get something to eat! We had been up way too long and not had enough food!

Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar
Silly side note, I snapped this photo as Andy was walking in, so the full photo has the back of Andy's head and later on in the trip, he was looking at photos and just blurts out "Is THAT what the back of my head looks like?"

When we walked in, it was pretty much empty and we were able to sit basically wherever. The girls picked the same spot as last time, the submarine looking seats.
The Whole Gang
I used the pano feature on my phone for this. And we had a few very funny mishaps before I figured out the speed at which to pan at.

Once we were seated, I pulled up Touring Plans to see exactly where our room was. And I saw it was a corner room, and I was pretty sure that it was a pretty good spot! So I was excited to see the room later!

While we were waiting for our drinks and food. My grandmother called. I had to step out to hear her. I talked to her briefly about plans for my grandfather’s service and when we were going to come and see her next weekend.

For drinks, Morgan and Gwen just got Water
Andy got a Diet Coke. He asked for a specific beer but they didn't have it today. So he decided to just wait for his moonshine after.

I ordered a Shorty's Singapore Sling
Plymouth Gin, Heering Cherry Liqueur, Bénédictine, Cointreau, fresh Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice, and Grenadine
I did not get a photo of my drink. I wasn't in full picture mode just yet. It was just ok. I really wanted the Cool Headed Monkey but they didn’t have the fun glasses anymore, so I went with something else. I wouldn’t order the Singapore Sling again.

Since we had another food destination, we decided to share a few items:
I really wanted to try the Tuna Poke Tacos
Ahi Tuna, Pineapple Pico De Gallo, Sriracha Aioli, Watermelon radish, Red Cabbage
Tuna Poke Tacos
Morgan and I really liked these! There was a lot of tuna and alot of Siracha Aioli!. These def hit the spot and were my favorite for this “feeding”

We also ordered the Club Obi Wan Chicken Wings
served with Lime Sour Cream tossed in your choice of Shanghai BBQ, Birds Eye Chili or St. Augustine Datil Pepper Sauce
Club Obi Wan Chicken Wings
We chose the Bird's Eye Chili, as it sounded the most like a Buffalo wing. We have had these before and both times they were good but not amazing. They come with sour cream on the side which we find strange. I would def prefer it to be ranch or blue cheese not sour cream.

We also ordered a side order of Fries

Gwen knew what she wanted, the Chicken on the Egg
Fried Chicken, Deviled Eggs, and Hot Honey Sauce
Chicken on the Egg by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
This is the whole reason we came here, so Gwen could get these. She orders it with the hot honey sauce on the side. She was VERY happy with these again. I tried a small piece with the hot honey sauce on the chicken, and it was a good combo! She ate all but 1 of these.

We were so happy to be there, and just relaxing. We took our time and just enjoyed the atmospher.

We had just enough food to tame the hanger. Well, Gwen ate a lot but that was ok because I wasn’t sure she was going to be into the food at our next “feeding” location. We always enjoy Jock Lindsay’s.

Before we left, we ventrured outside to see if we could here the radio but it wasn't working.
trying to hear the code

Morse Code

We paid the bill and headed out!
Fllying Circus
We love Jock Lindsey's. The food is surprisingly good and I dod usually like the drinks here. I think I just choose poorly this time.

It was about 1:23 when we got in line for Gideon’s. They were not doing a virtual que, which was sad, but we decided to wait, we had about 40 minutes before our reservation, and I figured it couldn’t be THAT long, right?

Once we realized the line wasn’t moving that fast, Andy went and got a Iced Tea Moonshine
Andy and his Moonshine
Vacation had begon! Andy isn't a big drinker at home, so this was kind of his way to kick back.

Iced Tea Moonshine
He loves this one. It tastes mostly like Iced Tea and is so smooth. We have tried to make a version of this at home, and it is just not the same.

We talked with the couple in front of us. They were there for a second time. And we laughed at some of the people walking by looking like we were all crazy to wait in line just for cookies.
Waiting in line for Cookies?

Gideon's Bakehouse
The "menu" for the month.

March Menu
I was really hoping that we would be able to geta. coffee cake cookie. But they do sellout each day.

Gideon's
The whole feel of this place is what really makes it.

Activate Magic Bands
Morgan reminded us while we were waiting that we needed to do our traditional magic band shot. So we did that as well.

We were pretty much to the front of the line but not yet, and I realized we were going to be late for our reservation. I ran over to Wine Bar George and told them that we were going to be a little late, as we were still in line. They said there was no problem

As we were waiting in line, I saw George of Wine Bar George walk by and I just blurted out "There is George!"

At 2:03 we were finally inside Gideon’s!
No pictures
I tried to get a photo of Gwen and she said NOPE.

Gideon?
This guy is super creepy!

Gideon's Ceiling
Love the ceiling lights in here.

Gideon Portrait
The whole feel inside is fun. It's creepy but not TOO creepy.

Morgan was dying to see what the cake flavors were.
Cakes
After the Key Lime Pie Cake we had last time, she was looking forward to trying the Chocolate Cake Version.

We ended up ordering ALOT!!!
2 Pieces of Cake - Red Velvet & Dark Chocolate
7 Cookies - Coffee Cake, Cookies & Cream, Banana Bread Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, 2 Peanut Butter Crunch, Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip
We were going to do just 6 but my math when ordering got mixed up some how.

It was a lot, but we had waited so long. And I wasn’t sure if we would be back again. We also brought 4 cookies home with us and are now in the freezer to eat later on.

-------------------------------------Up next..... Will we meet George? -------------------------------

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

What a great travel day! Everyone looks so happy to be up and at it so early. I feel like you've already got a lot done and its only your first day. Food looks great and the Gideon's treats sound awesome. I have never tasted them but everyone who does seems to rave about them and it's nice that you got to bring some home to enjoy.

 

[SEAGULL59]

Travel Day: Why did it have to be Snakes?

I left us off headed to Disney Springs, we made it there around 12:30.
Disney Springs

While on the but over, I received notification that our room was ready!
We got room 3065 on the 3rd floor. I had no idea what that meant but it was nice to know that our room was ready already.

Once we arrived, we headed towards our first of 2 food destinations. But first we checked to see if we needed to get onto a virtual queue for Gideon’s first, but they weren’t doing one, so we skipped that for now, and headed to get something to eat! We had been up way too long and not had enough food!

Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar
Silly side note, I snapped this photo as Andy was walking in, so the full photo has the back of Andy's head and later on in the trip, he was looking at photos and just blurts out "Is THAT what the back of my head looks like?"

When we walked in, it was pretty much empty and we were able to sit basically wherever. The girls picked the same spot as last time, the submarine looking seats.
The Whole Gang
I used the pano feature on my phone for this. And we had a few very funny mishaps before I figured out the speed at which to pan at.

Once we were seated, I pulled up Touring Plans to see exactly where our room was. And I saw it was a corner room, and I was pretty sure that it was a pretty good spot! So I was excited to see the room later!

While we were waiting for our drinks and food. My grandmother called. I had to step out to hear her. I talked to her briefly about plans for my grandfather’s service and when we were going to come and see her next weekend.

For drinks, Morgan and Gwen just got Water
Andy got a Diet Coke. He asked for a specific beer but they didn't have it today. So he decided to just wait for his moonshine after.

I ordered a Shorty's Singapore Sling
Plymouth Gin, Heering Cherry Liqueur, Bénédictine, Cointreau, fresh Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice, and Grenadine
I did not get a photo of my drink. I wasn't in full picture mode just yet. It was just ok. I really wanted the Cool Headed Monkey but they didn’t have the fun glasses anymore, so I went with something else. I wouldn’t order the Singapore Sling again.

Since we had another food destination, we decided to share a few items:
I really wanted to try the Tuna Poke Tacos
Ahi Tuna, Pineapple Pico De Gallo, Sriracha Aioli, Watermelon radish, Red Cabbage
Tuna Poke Tacos
Morgan and I really liked these! There was a lot of tuna and alot of Siracha Aioli!. These def hit the spot and were my favorite for this “feeding”

We also ordered the Club Obi Wan Chicken Wings
served with Lime Sour Cream tossed in your choice of Shanghai BBQ, Birds Eye Chili or St. Augustine Datil Pepper Sauce
Club Obi Wan Chicken Wings
We chose the Bird's Eye Chili, as it sounded the most like a Buffalo wing. We have had these before and both times they were good but not amazing. They come with sour cream on the side which we find strange. I would def prefer it to be ranch or blue cheese not sour cream.

We also ordered a side order of Fries

Gwen knew what she wanted, the Chicken on the Egg
Fried Chicken, Deviled Eggs, and Hot Honey Sauce
Chicken on the Egg by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
This is the whole reason we came here, so Gwen could get these. She orders it with the hot honey sauce on the side. She was VERY happy with these again. I tried a small piece with the hot honey sauce on the chicken, and it was a good combo! She ate all but 1 of these.

We were so happy to be there, and just relaxing. We took our time and just enjoyed the atmospher.

We had just enough food to tame the hanger. Well, Gwen ate a lot but that was ok because I wasn’t sure she was going to be into the food at our next “feeding” location. We always enjoy Jock Lindsay’s.

Before we left, we ventrured outside to see if we could here the radio but it wasn't working.
trying to hear the code

Morse Code

We paid the bill and headed out!
Fllying Circus
We love Jock Lindsey's. The food is surprisingly good and I dod usually like the drinks here. I think I just choose poorly this time.

It was about 1:23 when we got in line for Gideon’s. They were not doing a virtual que, which was sad, but we decided to wait, we had about 40 minutes before our reservation, and I figured it couldn’t be THAT long, right?

Once we realized the line wasn’t moving that fast, Andy went and got a Iced Tea Moonshine
Andy and his Moonshine
Vacation had begon! Andy isn't a big drinker at home, so this was kind of his way to kick back.

Iced Tea Moonshine
He loves this one. It tastes mostly like Iced Tea and is so smooth. We have tried to make a version of this at home, and it is just not the same.

We talked with the couple in front of us. They were there for a second time. And we laughed at some of the people walking by looking like we were all crazy to wait in line just for cookies.
Waiting in line for Cookies?

Gideon's Bakehouse
The "menu" for the month.

March Menu
I was really hoping that we would be able to geta. coffee cake cookie. But they do sellout each day.

Gideon's
The whole feel of this place is what really makes it.

Activate Magic Bands
Morgan reminded us while we were waiting that we needed to do our traditional magic band shot. So we did that as well.

We were pretty much to the front of the line but not yet, and I realized we were going to be late for our reservation. I ran over to Wine Bar George and told them that we were going to be a little late, as we were still in line. They said there was no problem

As we were waiting in line, I saw George of Wine Bar George walk by and I just blurted out "There is George!"

At 2:03 we were finally inside Gideon’s!
No pictures
I tried to get a photo of Gwen and she said NOPE.

Gideon?
This guy is super creepy!

Gideon's Ceiling
Love the ceiling lights in here.

Gideon Portrait
The whole feel inside is fun. It's creepy but not TOO creepy.

Morgan was dying to see what the cake flavors were.
Cakes
After the Key Lime Pie Cake we had last time, she was looking forward to trying the Chocolate Cake Version.

We ended up ordering ALOT!!!
2 Pieces of Cake - Red Velvet & Dark Chocolate
7 Cookies - Coffee Cake, Cookies & Cream, Banana Bread Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, 2 Peanut Butter Crunch, Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip
We were going to do just 6 but my math when ordering got mixed up some how.

It was a lot, but we had waited so long. And I wasn’t sure if we would be back again. We also brought 4 cookies home with us and are now in the freezer to eat later on.

-------------------------------------Up next..... Will we meet George? -------------------------------

I need to get to Gideon's! The cakes are what looks yummy to me.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Wow! That was quite the Gideon's haul. I still haven't been there. It stays on my list for "next time" but never quite makes it to "It's time!"

 

[missjackiemcg]

This travel day is off to a great start (minus the bumpy flight!!) We always like to fly out early and get right to a park, but sometimes we end up not making it over to Disney Springs at all on certain trips...your plan of heading there first is definitely a good one!

Activa

THERE it is!! NOW you're on vacation! I love that you do this every trip!

 

[rdkeim]

So far it's a great arrival day! You all look excited to be there - that little nap on the plane really helped. The cake at Gideon's looks so good. Hope you love your YC room!

 

[erinch]

For your pre trip traumas: other than that, Mrs. Lincoln,how did you enjoy the play?

Mostly a lurker! Keep thinking I will do a TR. we are here on a glorious almost 3 week trip. We live in Lancaster, PA, and take the autotrain down. 3 nights at the Jard Rock, 2 at AKL, and now 2 weeks at the Vistana, which I can get by renting form an owner for between 1000 and 1200 for a week. So lovely and a straight shot into WDW. It’s our first trip without kids, who re now 36 and 28. The 28 year old princess CANNOT believe we came without her and her hubby. We are enjoying not having their bar bill!

 

[Counting Stars]

Absolutely following Love your trip reports.... So glad you all were off to a great start once you actually arrived in Florida! Your YC room sounds like its going to be a good one- looking forward to hearing more!