An Instagrammable and Dole Whippy 4th of July Trip Report!**UPDATED 3/4

[rachel09985]

After our photopass session we took some more photos around the hub!



I used this picture for an instagram photo.

"#nofilter #castle #magickingdom most people want sun but I think the dark clouds look neat"


Here is Corey's instagram pics from around main street/the hub.





After this we had to figure out what we wanted to do! We decided to head into Adventureland and ride an old favorite, Pirates of the Caribbean.



However, something caught Corey's eye! And that something was dole whip. He loves the orange/pineapple mixture.



Look how tiny it looks!

Since Corey was eating ice cream I of course, had to eat ice cream as well!

However, mine was the delicious citrus swirl from Sunshine Tree Terrace.



She really loaded me up! There was so much citrus swirl in there. I only ate about half. It was really good but I wanted to save room for dinner.

With our bellies full of ice cream we could finally ride Pirates.

There was only a 10 minute wait.







Horrible picture but I really like the mermaid scene.



Something was wrong and we were stuck at the end of the ride for about 10 minutes. We saw people with flashlights going through the empty boats. Someone must have lost something? I did get to take a nice photo of the dog though with the keys in his mouth.







After Pirates, I was like hmm what to do next! Corey was like "How about new Fantasyland?" I said, "DUH! Oh yeah, you have never seen new fantasyland!" So that is where we went. I was excited for him to see new fantasyland.





He really liked the new section. He thought it was well done. He can't wait for the mine road though.

He instagrammed this picture of the gaston fountain.



We just walked through fantasyland because we were going to save the attractions for tomorrow.

We decided to walk out slowly and head over to Grand Floridian.

When we walked out we saw the stage show! Of course I had to watch it for a few moments.





Just look at this sky! Turned out to be nice for how rainy it was.





I stopped to take photos of the Starbucks to send to my friend Emily. She went with us to Disney in November last year and she would have LOVED the starbucks there!! I wish it was there. She is a huge starbucks fan and drinks it every day.





I sent her the pictures and she was so confused because she thought I was in disney but she didn't understand why I was sending her starbucks pictures!

After this we looked around in the main street stores for a little bit. I love the emporium but it is always a madhouse. I am sad they moved the vinylmation trade box from there. They should have like just moved it across the street.

I didn't buy anything but did look at the vinylmations!

 

[KatMark]

Fun update.

I love POTC....I tried to get a pic of the mermaids but was not successful.

So glad got Corey got a peek at the new Fantasyland.

And I can't wait to try Starbucks on Main Street next month. I am there much more than I should be (sometimes three times a day). I know a lot of people aren't happy about it, but they really needed some decent coffee somewhere in DW.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Rachel! I see the namesake of this TR made its debut already! I've still never tried a Dole Whip. Maybe next trip.

Wow! That was some rain. I love rain but only for short periods of time... I don't want it to interrupt my park time. I think I melt so I have to be careful!

I love Corey's PB&J lunch for .69 - that was awesome! I remember seeing that on the live dining thread and I think he got honorable mention for the least expensive lunch EVER!! So funny!

Your photos are awesome as always. I love that iphones take such great photos too!

 

[Caretames1]

POTC is one of our favorite rides, and getting stuck in one spot would be fun for a little while, but no longer than your 10 mins.

I loved the New FL! I had high hopes that the Mine Train would have maybe some soft openings this fall, but it's looking like not.

Mmmmm Dole Whip.

 

[Luv0fDisney]

checking in! love your report so far. for some reason i love reports that have a bit larger font

 

[Disney9.9.10]

10 minute waits for POTC are awesome!! Such an amazing ride. The sky really did turn around, wow! The pictures towards the end of your update really have a beautiful blue sky.

 

[rachel09985]

We decided to take the boat to Grand Floridian since it is the first stop.

When we got to the boat dock there was the cutest duck family there!!! I loved the little ducklings.



They were walking all over the place! I even took an instagram video of them. Click the picture for the video.





Of course the line was cut off right in front of us. But a new boat was coming soon so that is okay.

The boat came and we sit where we sit all the time- on the bench on the side.

Such a peaceful boat ride!!!









Corey posted a picture on instagram.

"On the boat heading to Grand Floridian Cafe"


When we got off the boat there were lizards everywhere! I tried to take pictures of them but I only got one. I kept scaring them away.



We had a little time to kill so we took pictures outside.











New GF DVC.





I made Corey take a picture of me and I wanted him to get the pillars on the side.




All of a sudden a bee started flying around!

Corey got this face of me.



After this we decided to go in and sit for a bit.

Love the floors in here.





It was around this time that I realized my toe was hurting. I have one toe that sort of curls under (lol gross I know) and it was rubbing wrong on the bottom of the Crocs. I have never gotten a blister in disney and I was hoping this was not a blister. I went to the gift shop to get a bandaid and they didn't have individual bandaids. I also got chap stick because I didn't bring any of my mentha lip shine and I needed something on my lips because they were dry.

Corey instagrammed a picture.

"Relaxing before dinner at Grand Floridian Cafe"



It was so nice to relax in the lobby of the grand! It is just so pretty! Someone mentioned on my trip report that they love the smell of the lobby there. I realized it reminds me of a grandma's house! Not my favorite smell of the hotels. It is too flowery and powdery there!

Anyways, we sat until about 10 minutes before our dinner reservation and then checked us in and got sat!

 

[blabbermouth]

Ooh, two updates.

Yay for dole whippy #1!

Corey really knows how to work that instagram

I think Pirates is probably the one ride that everyone at least likes if not loves!

Looking forward to hearing what you think of the g flo cafe, I don't hear too much about it.

 

[Pixel Dust]

Joining in

I love me some Dole Whips.

How funny that she was confused by the Starbucks pic.

 

[TinkyCheeks]

Caught up! Wow, what great pictures of the GF.

I love the bee face!

I totally agree about the lobby. It's just stunning.

Can't wait to hear about the GF Cafe. We may need to try there someday!

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[RachelNinja]

Yum, that Citrus Swirl looks great! I have only started being tempted by the non-pineapple treats due to my recent allergy to pineapple.

Can't wait for your dinner review! I don't hear much about the place.

 

[KatMark]

What a cute video of the ducklings; it's funny how sometimes those lizards are everywhere and sometimes you hardly see them (I guess it depends on the season).

Beautiful pictures outside of the GF.

 

[JuliaIsabella]

Hi Rachel09985, loving your trip report!

 

[rachel09985]

We got sat right away at Grand Floridian Cafe.

We had a nice table by the window. There were only a few other tables in the restaurant.

Our server's name was Brian.



The first thing I asked him was if I could get dessert from Narcoosee's. I was really wanting that cheesecake from there and I have seen people order it from Grand Floridian Cafe.

Corey and I both ordered Diet Cokes and he went to go check to see if they could do that.

When he came back he said that they couldn't do it because there wasn't two managers here so one could go get it for me. I guess they sometimes have extras in the fridge at the GF but they didn't this time. I was so sad! I never get any extra pixie dust. With that no, my dessert changed to go to going to the Wilderness Lodge for the cobbler.

He brought out the bread for us next.







I hated the bread. First of all the white rolls were rock hard. It was so hard that when I threw it on the table it made a loud "thunk" on the table!

Here is the inside. The outside was inedible because it was so hard.



The other bread corey loved. It was a raisin bread loaf thing. I hate raisins so I didn't have any of it.



I knew what I wanted for my entree before I came in and it was the shrimp and grits. I checked with the server to make sure it was good and he said it was.

Shrimp and Grits - Jumbo Shrimp with Chorizo and Fennel served on top of Creamy Mascarpone Cheese Grits $19.99



Oh my gosh, was this good. It was heavenly. The sauce that was covering everything was like this lobstery like butter sauce. It was so good. It made the dish. It reminded me of the truffle butter sauce at Le Cellier. It was delectable. It brought the entire dish together. It made the grits much creamier. The grits were a good portion as I couldn't finish them. The chorizo and shrimp were excellent as well. I wish the shrimp was grilled with a nice seasoning but they were just steamed I think. They were still delicious with the buttery sauce. There were a LOT of onions in this dish. There were huge slivers of onions and little diced onions. Luckily, I like onions.

Here is what Corey ordered.

Char-crusted New York Strip Steak - with red-bliss Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables, finished with a brandy-green peppercorn sauce $29.99





He really loved this steak and mashed potatoes! He ate it all up!

I passed on dessert here because I was still bitter about the cheesecake and I already made up my mind on the Wilderness Lodge so we just left after we paid our bill.

We saved $11.19 with Tables In Wonderland and our total was $57.76.

I was so happy with our Grand Floridian choice. We were going to do Whispering Canyon but I was happy we didn't as I loved my entree at GFC. I honestly didn't know how another disney restaurant would top this! The only negatives were the bread and the lack of getting the Narcoosees dessert. I do wish GFC had better desserts.

On the way out I took a picture of their dessert platter.



We took the monorail back to the Wilderness Lodge and my toe was really hurting! Ugh! I knew I had a blister and needed a bandaid.



Then we took a boat to Wilderness Lodge. We sat outside and it was so nice!



The girl across from us was like picking her nose the entire time and she was probably 10 or 11. Then she was like blowing her nose into the air. Yucky!







We passed right under the Monsters University wrapped monorail!







We got to Wilderness Lodge and took a few photos! We love this hotel.



I was a little confused where the Territory Lounge was. I didn't realize it was right by Artist Point like above it almost.

There were lots of open tables so we sat down and the server came right over and we ordered the cobbler with berries and raspberry ice cream.





Corey said he wasn't going to eat any but he dug right in and LOVED it! He was surprised as he has never really had blackberries or blueberries. He really liked this dessert. I liked it too but not as much as last time since it seemed like there was less cobbler this time but more berries. It was still very good though.

When we left I noticed someone with a first aid station at the check in desks. I ran over to see if they had bandaids and they did!! Yay! I took a couple to put on my toe.



Our plans for tonight were to head to Epcot to watch Illuminations.

So off we went to Epcot after waiting a bit for a bus to show up!

 

[rachel09985]

Fun update.

I love POTC....I tried to get a pic of the mermaids but was not successful.

So glad got Corey got a peek at the new Fantasyland.

And I can't wait to try Starbucks on Main Street next month. I am there much more than I should be (sometimes three times a day). I know a lot of people aren't happy about it, but they really needed some decent coffee somewhere in DW.

That mermaid part is really dark and hard to get! For some reason I love that music in that area.

Oh my gosh Starbucks three times a day! That is glorious!! You love the starbucks at disney. I really do love the starbucks there but I am sad they basically have only generic starbucks pastries and I am sad they got rid of the seating. But I do love the coffee!

Hi Rachel! I see the namesake of this TR made its debut already! I've still never tried a Dole Whip. Maybe next trip.

Wow! That was some rain. I love rain but only for short periods of time... I don't want it to interrupt my park time. I think I melt so I have to be careful!

I love Corey's PB&J lunch for .69 - that was awesome! I remember seeing that on the live dining thread and I think he got honorable mention for the least expensive lunch EVER!! So funny!

Your photos are awesome as always. I love that iphones take such great photos too!

I can't believe you have never had a dole whip! Not even at disneyland?? At first I didn't like the dole whip with just pineapple but now that I mix it with vanilla and pineapple I really like it. I like the pineapple juice with the vanilla and pineapple. Iphones do take great photos! Not so much when it is dark but during the day they are very crisp. Yes, his lunch was funny. He was so proud of it!!

POTC is one of our favorite rides, and getting stuck in one spot would be fun for a little while, but no longer than your 10 mins.

I loved the New FL! I had high hopes that the Mine Train would have maybe some soft openings this fall, but it's looking like not.

Mmmmm Dole Whip.

No, definitely not longer than 10 minutes. I hoped the mine train would have openings in the fall too! I wonder if it will be open by december? I will be there the first week.

checking in! love your report so far. for some reason i love reports that have a bit larger font

Me too! I am glad you like the larger font. Sometimes it is hard to read the small font. It all just blurs together.

10 minute waits for POTC are awesome!! Such an amazing ride. The sky really did turn around, wow! The pictures towards the end of your update really have a beautiful blue sky.

Yes the wait time was great! I was surprised too because that was in the middle of the day 2 days before the 4th of july.

Ooh, two updates.

Yay for dole whippy #1!

Corey really knows how to work that instagram

I think Pirates is probably the one ride that everyone at least likes if not loves!

Looking forward to hearing what you think of the g flo cafe, I don't hear too much about it.

Corey is a great iphone photographer!! I loved his pictures. He took some really good photos. He was getting into it. Yes Pirates is a ride that everyone likes! Me especially! I am not sure why I like it so much but I think I like the smell.

Joining in

I love me some Dole Whips.

How funny that she was confused by the Starbucks pic.

Hey! I am glad to have you here! You can be my photographer critiquer! I really struggle sometimes with getting the sky to stand out. I am still learning and need to study more and tend to always leave it on av mode and forget to turn the aperture higher when I go outside.

Caught up! Wow, what great pictures of the GF.

I love the bee face!

I totally agree about the lobby. It's just stunning.

Can't wait to hear about the GF Cafe. We may need to try there someday!

I do recommend GF cafe! It so quiet and pretty in there and good food.

Great pics!

Thanks!!!

Yum, that Citrus Swirl looks great! I have only started being tempted by the non-pineapple treats due to my recent allergy to pineapple.

Can't wait for your dinner review! I don't hear much about the place.

If you have never had a citrus swirl I recommend it. They are delicious! If you like orange juice I think you will like the citrus swirl. It is so refreshing.

What a cute video of the ducklings; it's funny how sometimes those lizards are everywhere and sometimes you hardly see them (I guess it depends on the season).

Beautiful pictures outside of the GF.

True about the lizards. I wonder if they only come out during certain times of the year. I saw them all over the place in April and this trip.

Hi Rachel09985, loving your trip report!

Hi Julia! Glad to have you here!!!!

 

[Britard]

I like that you will hop to different restaurants to get exactly what you want! That is awesome.

Hooray for Dole Whips, can't wait to see more.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Corey said he wasn't going to eat any but he dug right in and LOVED it! He was surprised as he has never really had blackberries or blueberries. He really liked this dessert. I liked it too but not as much as last time since it seemed like there was less cobbler this time but more berries. It was still very good though.

I have to show that picture of the berry cobbler to my DH. We were at the WL last Feb and never had a chance to eat at the Territory Lounge. We are returning to the lodge in Dec and I scheduled a night just so we can have appetizers and dessert at the Territory Lounge. He is looking forward to that night more than to any other ADR.

And FWIW, I've never had a Dole Whip either. It doesn't appeal to me. There are so many other good things to eat, like berry cobbler.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Goodness I fell behind a bit.

Ever since I was little kid, those tiny lizards always fascinated me. I swear to me they are as much a part of Florida as palm trees and oranges.

My next mission is to explore the GF. I have never set foot there, but I definitely need to.

Wilderness Lodge I have seen though, and you're so right, it's beautiful.

 

[WDWaddictt]

Joining along... And all caught up.
Great TR so far, looking forward to reading more.