Birthdays. Back Pain. Battlestar Galactica. - Our May 2024 WDW Adventure! *THE END! 09/01*

[Newsies]

Two lattes - woohoo! They both look good but the one from Trails End looks especially tasty. Nice you scheduled a non park day so you could take it easy. I love FW. We've stayed in cabins several times the last time being March 2022. It's so peaceful - you would not know you were in the middle of WDW. Hope your back situation improves!

We will never do a trip without a non-park day again. We need the break from the Parks and need to explore other parts of WDW!
FW seems like such a peaceful way to tour WDW! I just can't get over how massive it is -- we would need to do a lot of planning to make it happen, but mom is already talking about potentially staying in one of the cabins ahead of a trip next year or the year after.

You hit the bullseye on sweets when you showed us that scrumptious Mickey bun from Contempo. Then you surpassed that with news about the Cookie Croissant! WOW, did that look yummy! I hope they still have both of those when I stay at BLT next time. I’m really looking forward to hearing more about your trip…I don’t want it to end.

They are both such great treats!!!

We are headed back to Fort Wilderness with our camper Jan/Feb of 2025. This will be our 2nd time staying there. This time we are staying 3 weeks because last time we felt we didn’t have enough time just to enjoy the Fort!

Love the idea of staying at the Fort for 3 weeks to relax and enjoy the Fort! What are you most looking forward to at the Fort?

 

[Newsies]

Day 5, Part 2
When Irish Eyes are Smiling
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I took a nap and woke up with, again, horrible back pain. Mom had some type of topical muscle lotion from this essential oil company she shops with that she let me borrow, which helped enough that I could get down to the pool with the family for an hour or two. We again found ourselves at the Quiet Pool, which was anything but quiet as the Lava Pool was closed again. We swam around, dad made friends with some strangers, and then we headed back up to the room to get ready for Disney Springs.

We caught a bus to Disney Springs and there was some issue at the GF stop -- we were held up there with another bus in front of us for at least 10 minutes. It didn't look like there were any problems with the bus and from what I could tell, the driver wasn't inspecting anything and they weren't handing it off to another bus driver, he just picked up the bus and left after 10 minutes. We had an hour or two to go before dinner, so it wasn't an issue, but it was really odd and I've never encountered anything like it before.

Anyway, Disney Springs! Yay! Our first stop was at Disney Style, where we took some pictures, and I got a lanyard and a THIRD colorway of the shirt I'm wearing in the picture below (the monochrome embroidered Mickey tee). I love this tee so much. It fits so perfectly and goes with any pair of pants I own -- I'm a bit crazy for doing this, but glad I got all three versions!

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From there, we went to Summer House on the Lake to pick up some cookies to enjoy after dinner.

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There's something very uncomfortable about the vibes at Summer House on the Lake. I'm not a fan of the dining room or menu in this space, but the cookie bar got everybody's attention. Everybody got one cookie, I got a Butterscotchie and it was terrible. Absolutely the worst cookie I've ever had in my life. I took a bite of it that same evening and it was rock hard & stale. To Summer House's credit, Grace offered me a piece of her chocolate crinkle cookie the next morning and it was much better, but I'm not going to be visiting the cookie bar here again for a long time. I was born a Gideon's girlie, and I'll die a Gideon's girlie!

We had ~ half an hour before we could check in to dinner at Raglan Road, so we started heading over there. Grace and I had one more stop we wanted to make, which was the Harley-Davidson store.

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For whatever reason, Grace and I really wanted Harley-Davidson tees. She got an Orlando Harley shirt and I got a shirt with the classic logo on it. It took us a little while to check out because their system was down for a minute, but eventually we headed back to Raglan Road, where it was time for us to check in.

This was our first time at Raglan Road and everybody was very friendly. We were a big fan of the hostesses, servers, talent, and management here. We were sat at a table that was right next to some B-Stage platform and close to the main stage, so we got to see all of the dancing and performers. We really enjoyed the entertainment.

I started the evening with the Iced Irish, mixed with Irish Whiskey, butterscotch, Bailey's Salted Caramel, cold brew coffee, and whipped cream:

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This was incredible, and it also got me very drunk, which we can come back to later. It was strong and sweet and perfect for anyone who loves coffee like I do!

They also put some soda bread down on the table, which came with some type of sweet dipping sauce.

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Apologies for this photo, I know it's not great. It took me a few bites to get into this dish, it's a very unique bread service compared to the other breads of Walt Disney World restaurants. Kind of sweet, kind of earthy... hard to describe.

We also ordered some Nom Nom Wings for the table -- crispy chicken wings with honey, chili flake, soy & ginger sauce.

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These were absolutely incredible. OMG. Nom Nom is right. The skin was so crispy and the chicken was so tender at the sauce was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Everyone loved these!

For dinner, I got the Chicken Pie Do Try. Very self explanatory -- a chicken pot pie with "colcannon mashed potatoes" and carrots.

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Outside of Shula's, this was the best entree I had on this trip and frankly the best entree I've had at Disney Springs in a very long time. Just wow. The pot pie crust was so buttery and flaky, and the filling (chicken, mushroom, leeks in a white wine cream sauce) was so decadent if not just a little salty. If we are being completely honest, I didn't know what "colcannon mashed potatoes" were, but I've since learned that it's mashed potatoes with cabbage. I loved these. Do you know how hard it is to get me to eat cabbage? They snuck cabbage into mashed potatoes and got me to love them. Witchcraft. I even ate those wonderfully charred carrots, and I don't usually eat carrots, either. Double witchcraft.

It just got better and better. Our last (and best) course of the evening was Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding. The only description for this pudding was "Like none you've ever tried. Believe us." And they were absolutely correct.

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This takes the award for best dessert of the week. This was so buttery and moist, I wish I had some right now at 8:30 in the morning. And the butterscotch sauce and vanilla were perfect with it. It was truly like no other bread pudding I've ever had. This was insane.

Anyway, we really, really enjoyed Raglan Road. We had a TON of fun, loved the staff, loved our meals. In fact, we may be back the very next time we visit Walt Disney World. It was one of the best meals we've ever had at Springs... ever.

I was sufficiently drunk after my drink at Raglan Road so I told my family that I was going back to the resort, only to sneak off and run to the Disney Springs Co-Op to see if I could find the red shorts that matched the red Mickey t-shirt I bought. I did, and then I ran back to the bus stop. On my way back, I noticed my all-time favorite human being was dancing on the steps of WoD and I asked him for a selfie.

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Eddy Maserati, you will ALWAYS be famous.

I got back to the bus stop and noticed a few people waiting for the Poly bus, which was conveniently located next to the Sundries shop and I really needed some painkillers for my back. I bought a bottle of SmartWater and some Advil, and took it while I was waiting in line for my ride back to the Poly. Eventually it came around and I sat down in the back, nearly falling asleep in the dark & air conditioned bus.

I trudged slowly to the room with my bad back and fell asleep very quickly.

Click here to continue​

 

[LoveToDisney]

That cookie bar looked great but I always wonder how fresh they are…sad your cookie was hard and stale. Not a good look for Summer House.
Loved the review of Raglan Road…awesome food and amazing dessert.
Glad you found the clothing you were looking for! Love the shirt (and pic)!
So sorry to hear your back in still hurting. Hoping the advil will help.
BTW, still curious how Battlestar Galactica materializes into your remaining trip report days……. SO ! MUCH ! FUN ! reading your posts!!

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

was born a Gideon's girlie, and I'll die a Gideon's girlie!

I have never been to Gideon’s It is in my must do list on my solo trip next week (Omg I fly down in two days and haven’t even thought about packing)! What is/are your favorite flavor cookie(s) there?

It was truly like no other bread pudding I've ever had. This was insane.

I haven’t been to Raglan Road in YEARS, but I do recall having the bread pudding and it was truly magical.

It was one of the best meals we've ever had at Springs... ever.

Love this!! Will have to revisit this gem sometime in the future.

I trudged slowly to the room with my bad back and fell asleep very quickly.

You’re such a champ. I hate that you were having so much pain on your trip, Kait

 

[Paulaparm]

Love the idea of staying at the Fort for 3 weeks to relax and enjoy the Fort! What are you most looking forward to at the Fort?

Just relaxing at the camper. Taking the golf cart for a ride around the various loops and maybe trying the pool this time!
We enjoyed taking the golf cart to the marina to watch MK fireworks with the soundtrack piped in and then the water pageant comes by!
It’s just such a quiet, relaxing place!
And of course, Hoop Dee Doo!!

 

[piglet1979]

Shula's is awesome. We went on our last trip. Kids were with their marching band so we wanted to go somewhere nice. This is our favorite restaurant. We did stay at the Swan and liked that much better then the Dolphin. The Dolphin was too big and confusing. he Swan was much smaller and easier to navigate. We did go to quick services at the Disney hotels close by because the ones here were not great.

 

[Newsies]

That cookie bar looked great but I always wonder how fresh they are…sad your cookie was hard and stale. Not a good look for Summer House.
Loved the review of Raglan Road…awesome food and amazing dessert.
Glad you found the clothing you were looking for! Love the shirt (and pic)!
So sorry to hear your back in still hurting. Hoping the advil will help.
BTW, still curious how Battlestar Galactica materializes into your remaining trip report days……. SO ! MUCH ! FUN ! reading your posts!!

It was a pretty awesome night at Disney Springs!

Okay, so... this is a bit awkward, but there's not actual Battlestar Galactica in this TR The title of this TR is a play on the alliteration in a line from one of my favorite TV shows, The Office. I'll link the full clip here, but basically, there's this iconic line from the series where Jim is impersonating Dwight and he says "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." Which is where the title of this TR drives from!

I have never been to Gideon’s It is in my must do list on my solo trip next week (Omg I fly down in two days and haven’t even thought about packing)! What is/are your favorite flavor cookie(s) there?

HOPE YOU'RE HAVING A BLAST! So sorry I'm just now seeing this and probably no help to you, but one thing I LOVE about Gideon's is that is that they change flavors so frequently that you never really know what you're gonna find on any given day. The classic chocolate chip is epic and I also love the cookies & cream one, but I always ask what's new/what's seasonal at Gideon's when I go and have had some unique flavors from there that I loved. I also think it's worth mentioning that their cake slices are epic and I kind of love their cake more than their cookies! Their cake is just so moist and the frosting is so good... now I'm scheming how to worm a Disney Springs trip back into my plans for September!!!

You’re such a champ. I hate that you were having so much pain on your trip, Kait

You are the sweetest. I'll mention this again at the end of the TR but as I'm re-writing my experience, I keep thinking about how I don't even remember how bad the back pain felt, it's like a distant memory/fever dream. I mostly remember the good stuff from this trip!

Just relaxing at the camper. Taking the golf cart for a ride around the various loops and maybe trying the pool this time!
We enjoyed taking the golf cart to the marina to watch MK fireworks with the soundtrack piped in and then the water pageant comes by!
It’s just such a quiet, relaxing place!
And of course, Hoop Dee Doo!!

This all sounds amazing! I haven't been to Hoop Dee Doo in ages. It really does have the quietest and most relaxing vibes in all of Walt Disney World -- definitely not like any other resort on property.

Shula's is awesome. We went on our last trip. Kids were with their marching band so we wanted to go somewhere nice. This is our favorite restaurant. We did stay at the Swan and liked that much better then the Dolphin. The Dolphin was too big and confusing. he Swan was much smaller and easier to navigate. We did go to quick services at the Disney hotels close by because the ones here were not great.

We loved Shula's!! We didn't have the chance to see the Swan but we did feel that what we saw from the Dolphin was confusing and large, and I can imagine you'd probably want to eat most of of your QS meals at different resorts. Was it easy to get to and from the non-Epcot parks from Swan/Dolphin?

 

[cheryllarsen]

How Fun! Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[cheryllarsen]

Such a wonderful trip, I enjoyed the great read.

 

[LoveToDisney]

Okay, so... this is a bit awkward, but there's not actual Battlestar Galactica in this TR The title of this TR is a play on the alliteration in a line from one of my favorite TV shows, The Office. I'll link the full clip here, but basically, there's this iconic line from the series where Jim is impersonating Dwight and he says "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." Which is where the title of this TR drives from!

Oh that’s hilarious! I’ve not watched The Office or I’m sure I would have caught that. I’m glad you did your title as you did because it caught my attention and I have LOVED reading your TR. You have quite the writing talent.

 

[piglet1979]

We loved Shula's!! We didn't have the chance to see the Swan but we did feel that what we saw from the Dolphin was confusing and large, and I can imagine you'd probably want to eat most of of your QS meals at different resorts. Was it easy to get to and from the non-Epcot parks from Swan/Dolphin?

Yes. We usually walked over to the Boardwalk and took Disney busses. We did take the bus back from AK twice in the mid day and it was horrible and waited a very long time. We think this was a bus driver issue as it was the end of their shift and were trying to get out of doing some work. I don't think this is the norm. The next time we go we will just use the Boardwalk busses for everything.

 

[Newsies]

How Fun! Thanks so much for sharing.

Such a wonderful trip, I enjoyed the great read.

Cheryl, thank you so much for the kind words and for joining in! Appreciate you so much!

Oh that’s hilarious! I’ve not watched The Office or I’m sure I would have caught that. I’m glad you did your title as you did because it caught my attention and I have LOVED reading your TR. You have quite the writing talent.

I'm so glad the TR title caught your eye! You are the kindest ever, I really appreciate you reading and commenting!

Yes. We usually walked over to the Boardwalk and took Disney busses. We did take the bus back from AK twice in the mid day and it was horrible and waited a very long time. We think this was a bus driver issue as it was the end of their shift and were trying to get out of doing some work. I don't think this is the norm. The next time we go we will just use the Boardwalk busses for everything.

That's so frustrating! I've definitely had my fair share of bus drama at Animal Kingdom... I feel like there's always a driver switching shifts and inspecting the bus while we're trying to get back to the resort! Good to know about the Boardwalk buses -- we did this with Riviera when we stayed at CBR in the Aruba section.

 

[Jsharp13]

Just found your report today so reading and following along. I love TR's because I always learn something new! I enjoyed reading about and seeing your custom ears from the Christmas Store. I'm adding that to my "next time" list! They are so pretty!

 

[kclark9830]

I have always wanted to try Raglan Road. So far, we've never quite made it. One day!

 

[Newsies]

Just found your report today so reading and following along. I love TR's because I always learn something new! I enjoyed reading about and seeing your custom ears from the Christmas Store. I'm adding that to my "next time" list! They are so pretty!

Thank you so much for joining along and for the comments! My ears were definitely one of my favorite souvenirs, the Christmas Shoppe team did such a great job with them! Highly recommended!

I have always wanted to try Raglan Road. So far, we've never quite made it. One day!

That's what we said -- it was on our list for so long and it took us literally years to make it over here. So glad we gave it a shot!

 

[Newsies]

Day 6
A Rough Time in Epcot
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The next day, I woke up early to Rope Drop Epcot so I could go on Guardians, pick up my perfume bottle, and try some of the Flower & Garden booths. I was hoping to sleep in a little bit, but I nabbed GotG boarding group 1, so I decided it was time to pop a Tylenol and rally.

(This is where my memory of the trip gets a little fuzzy, now 3 months postmortem and several PhotoPass photos expired from the app that I neglected to download)

I ended up being able to get into the Park early enough to take advantage of the early morning entry for resort guests and started walking past Spaceship Earth. I saw that some Guest Relations hosts were out waving at guests with their little iPads in front of the GR building, and it reminded me that I wanted to talk to someone in person on this trip. Basically, I had planned a short weekend trip last year that never materialized, but before I cancelled it, I bought a MNSSHP ticket in fear that it would sell out. I knew that sometimes, you could apply the balance of an unused Special Event ticket for a different Special Event, but I wasn't sure what the statute of limitations was for that kind of exchange so I figured it would probably be better to talk to GR in person while I was there instead of making a phone call to Disney ticketing.

The GR hosts were so friendly and were able to take the balance of my ticket last year and apply it to a new party this year! It was a very easy transaction, but the host did make sure to remind me that this type of accommodation is not always a guarantee.

I thanked the GR team and then it was time for me to start my day. With a few minutes still until the Park opened and until my boarding group would be called, I decided to recreate my morning with Walt and sit next to him for a few minutes.

I ended up accidentally creeping up on a PhotoPass photographer who was tying her shoe, and I guess it was kind of a jumpscare when she got up and saw me sitting there.

"You scared me!" She laughed.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to." I apologized.

"That's okay. Do you want a photo?" She asked.

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I asked if I was okay to sit here for a few minutes while it was still quiet over here, and she said of course it was. I saw that she was still wearing her "Earning my Ears" tag, so I asked her how long she had been training. It was her first or second week, but not her first time as a CM. She had worked here before she had her son, and then just came back after some years at a different job. Then I mentioned how I had been a Character Attendant and how much fun it was to work in Entertainment and how it had been my dream and I miss it. And when she heard that, she asked me, "Why don't you come back?"

It really got me. I remember staring out onto Showcase Lagoon and tears welling up in my eyes. I got a different job relatively quickly after COVID (and a job I love), and nobody has ever asked me before why I didn't go back to Disney. I wasn't really sure what to say. "It's tough." I explained. "I wish I could have stayed, but I have my whole life in New Jersey with a different job I really love."

"You can always come back." She assured me. "It took me years. But I came back."

When COVID struck, I told myself I'd never go back. But now, four years after the fact... who knows. Maybe some day I will.

It was my second time getting emotional next to the Epcot statue of Walt that trip, so I figured I was at my quota for crying on the Walt Bench and thanked her for her time and told her it was lovely talking to her.

By the time I had stepped off the bench, my boarding group had been called for Guardians, so I headed over there and walked right through the queue, likely to be one of the first 10 people on the ride that day. My song this time was "One Way or Another," which was new to me again! I'm at 3/5 now.

I made my way to the World Showcase, running into @elsbit and company! It was so nice seeing and speaking to them!

I got to France, and as expected ~30 minutes post Park-opening, it was crazy. I waited about 20 minutes in line for my food BUT I did make my way to the seating area as a family was leaving a table and I was able to snag it. I also invited a mom and a daughter to sit with me after watching them struggle, so it worked out for multiple parties.

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On the left is the Roule Lard et Fromage, a bacon and cheese roll that I've sung my praises for over the past decade I've spent on the DIS. Before COVID, this roll was perfect -- it was shaped like a cinnamon roll, but made with sort of a pizza dough type pastry filled with cheese and bacon. It used to be very good, this was my ultimate comfort food on my first DCP, but it never quite bounced back when the park closed for COIVD. This entire pavilion unfortunately seemed to suffer the most when coming back from COVID through various management issues, but as this roll specifically "evolved" in shape and recipe since its return, it has progressively gotten more bland with every iteration that it undergoes. Not offensive, just not as good as it used to be. I'll try something different when I come back to Les Halles in September.

I'm happy to report that one thing that stays the same is the Creme Brulee on the top right. Oh-so-sweet and custardy with that classic burnt sugar shell on top, this rivals any standard Creme Brulee you'll find on property and comes in a perfect portion for one.

With my craving for Les Halles satisfied, I made my way over to Plume et Palette so I could pick up my engraved bottle of J'Adore. It was a very simple process -- the CM behind the counter was friendly and I showed him my receipt and he presented my new bottle to me.

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I can't understate how this is one of my all-time favorite souvenirs from Disney. It's so precious and I use this perfume all the time now. Definitely one of my favorite buys!

I had really hoped to eat at some Flower & Garden booths this trip, but my back was now getting unbearable and I decided it was probably wise to head back to the resort before I seriously hurt myself.

I stopped twice on my way over to talk to two different friends. First was Mickey -- it was SO cute, literally so full of energy and so excited to see me, plus my friend Chey was attending him!

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I also noticed Ariel was making a surprise appearance in an unusual part of the International Gateway, so it was likely her first day on the human world -- IYKYK. She was so sweet and I'm glad I was able to get a photo with her and gush about how much I love her!

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I did have to make my way back to the monorail station after that as the pain was becoming too much for me, especially in the insane heat that Epcot was enduring. Waddling up the ramp as I watched the monorail approach the station was not fun.

I went back to the hotel room and laid down and laid down for a few minutes before throwing on my swimsuit and meeting my family at the pool. We had a 4 or 5 PM reservation at Biergarten for dinner, so I kept trying to get my family out of the pool and out the door in a reasonable timeframe, but time management is not my family's strong suit and we ended up leaving the hotel room at 3:30. I once again had to make the excruciating walk from the Monorail station to the World Showcase, and as we approached the bridge just past the China pavilion, it went up so the barges for the Luminous could make their way into the lagoon and held us up there for about 10 minutes. It was already 4:10 PM when we got stopped, so we were going to be very late to the ADR. I really try to be go-with-the-flow, especially since we've already done everything there is to do at WDW, but I was in a lot of pain and beyond irritable this evening and could already tell it was not going to be a good night for me.

Thankfully, we were able to check-in at the podium and explain the situation and they were very kind and got us seated almost immediately.

It was another very good dinner at Biergarten, this is a recent favorite for us. The ambiance is very mellow when the restaurant isn't super busy and we love watching the performance from the band. And the food isn't too bad, either.

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Everything on this plate was very delicious except for the pretzel roll. The cheesy nudel gratin is one of the best things you can eat at Epcot. The spaeztle, schnitzel, and potatoes are also some of my favorites. If you get a bite that's got spaetzle, schnitzel, and some of that red cabbage all together on your fork, it's like heaven.

I washed it down with a glass of Riesling which was also very nice, and I had a little bit of apple strudel for dessert, but I was in a lot of pain and very anxious to leave this restaurant. This was a Garden Rocks dining package, so we collected our tickets as we paid our waitress and then made our way out of the restaurant.

I went into Karamell-Kuchen with mom and Grace to get some popcorn, but as soon as we walked out of the store, I knew I wasn't going to make it to see Lit at Garden Rocks. I sat down on the bench and told my parents that I was in a lot of pain and needed to go back to the hotel room, like, immediately. It stunk because I was so excited to see Lit and felt like I hadn't done enough in Epcot that day, or on the trip in general. I made my way back to the hotel room, stopping several times to sit down at various benches because my back was in that bad of a condition, until I finally made my way back to the monorail and back to the Poly.

I remember spending a few hours alternating between laying down and getting up and walking around the hotel room to help my back, but eventually fell asleep to get ready for our last day at the Parks.

Click here to continue​

 

[Sajchinook2015]

Oh no, my mom’s back goes out with back spasm. I am in tears just thinking about you in pain. Not fun at all, hopefully it gets better.

 

[LoveToDisney]

So sorry to read you were in even greater pain today. How disappointing to have pain interfere with your favorite park and put a damper on your entire trip. I’m eager to see the pain gremlins hurled into oblivion and never to return!

 

[footballmouse]

Did you get your back checked out when you got home? If it was muscle spasms, I feel ya, they are so bad at times.

 

[kclark9830]

I'm so sorry to hear about your back pain . That is just plain rough. But that J'Adore bottle is to die for! That is my favorite perfume, and now I WANT!!! LOL