dining, whining, and dreaming of silver linings: a 2020 TR Updated 9/1/20 POST PANDEMIC trip

[pepperandchips]

Umm, Joe and I love this and just recently added a bottle to our ever-growing COVID liquor cabinet. We have never been so stocked before. LOL!

Sounds like a good time for me to come for a visit

We love Frontera Cocina! What a fun progressive dinner. I am excited to have a cocktail with Andi (for the first time) at Geyser Point in January!
Cool to see David Bromstad, his laugh is very distinctive and noticeable!
Love the mask hanging idea. I wil, have to do this!

What a fun experience to do cocktails at Geyser Point for the first time! I can't exactly wrap my mind around Andi being a grown woman - in my mind she is still the young lady that I read about in your TRs years ago! Geyser Point is perfect in January - either it will be mild or they have those space heaters!

Yes, we had fun listening to David and his friend talk and laugh. Too bad they didn't discuss anything juicy - mainly working out and diet.

 

[pepperandchips]

Well we have more or less come to the end of the July trip, BUT CALL NOW AND WE WILL THROW IN AUGUST FOR FREE!!! Yes, like it or not, there is more to report.

I am going to combine July 4 and July 5 since we didn't move resorts and there's only so much "then we went to the pool, then we hung out on the balcony" that I feel like writing, much less that you'd want to read about.

July 4, 2020

What's more American than spending Independence Day during a pandemic at Walt Disney World?

Don't answer that.

We had a breakfast reservation at one of our favorite brunch spots, so we headed to Old Key West and headed in to Olivia's.

Here was our first encounter with a cast member asking us to use the mobile check-in. However, since we wanted an outdoor table I let her know that and it was no problem to check in with her and we found a bench nearby to wait. Actually R did that, I perused the gift shop where I refrained from buying any of the many items I wanted. Don't worry, I made up for it in August with shopdisney.com. Haha!

We were the only party seated outside. It wasn't TOO hot yet, so this was pleasant. We people watched from our table as lots of families headed to the pool. Mask compliance was poor, but we were outside, so whatever. I will refrain from further comment.

Our server told us that it was her first day back after the closure. We didn't ask if this was her usual location but our service was a bit rough. We always like the Disney french press pots as a step up from regular drip coffee, so we ordered one like we have on many occasions at Olivia's. We also pulled up the menu on our phones and were disappointed with the very small number of options. There were four choices: pancakes and eggs, waffles and eggs, banana bread french toast, and Olivia's Breakfast. We went with the latter two.

Banana bread french toast: Topped with Bahamian Banana-Rum Syrup, Coconut Whipped Cream, and served with choice of Bacon or Sausage ($16)

Olivia's Breakfast: Two Eggs-Any Style, Olivia's Breakfast Potatoes, and Buttermilk Biscuit with choice of Bacon or Sausage ($14)

The banana bread french toast was rich and delicious as always, your quintessential super sweet breakfast on vacation indulgence. The Olivia's Breakfast, however, was pretty sad. The biscuit didn't seem very fresh and the potatoes were more al dente than was pleasant. Our server had pressed the press pot right away when she brought it too us, and whether the culprit was time or too few grounds (suspiciously few, IMO), the coffee was super weak. She apologized profusely and replaced it right away with regular coffees, and brought us a fresh press pot toward the end of our meal. We waited longer to press that one (she left it to us) and it was perfect, though tardy.


The whole thing was just off, and it's 100% reopening pains, so I am reluctant to even say anything negative. We will return, of course.

Back at the resort, the pool scene was a little busier than it had been. I heard a family report that they had not been able to find satisfactory seating at the main pool and were resorting to the quiet pool as a second choice. Later we watched some CMs move an umbrella from the quiet pool area to the main pool, presumably. They were headed that way when I stopped paying attention.

It was our last night at WDW so we hung out in the pool as long as possible. Here's the view looking toward Caribbean Beach over the lagoon:

It was fun hanging out in the pool past sunset and watching the building's exterior illumination come to life. Light rain finally drove us back to the room.

We didn't really feel up to the hassle of going out to dinner following our late swim, and we'd already pretty much decided to hang out nearby and watch Hamilton on Disney+ (which was about as patriotic as we got this year). After looking at the menu for Primo Piatto for the 900th time, we decided to order Flipper's Pizza.

Pepperoni neopolitan style, which wasn't very neopolitan, but it was still delicious.

And some concoction we made with lots of veggies on a regular style crust

And salad

As always, Flipper's hit the spot and it was awfully convenient not to have to leave the room. We stayed up late watching Hamilton and packing. The last night is always so sad!!!

The next morning we went... you guessed it... back to the pool. R picked up a banana bread from Le Petit Cafe

I ... wouldn't recommend it. It was neither banana-y enough nor chocolatey enough and it was pretty bland. I think we ended up tossing most of it out.

By 1:30 or so we went to clean up in the pool bathrooms, which was prior to Disney's closure of the showers in the shared bathroom facilities. The Riviera pool bathrooms are pretty nice and there is a fully enclosed shower that you can totally lock off.

We headed out to Disney Springs for the last time, and in search of a final meal before getting on the road. We debated a bit and ended up at the Boathouse, where we were seated on the back porch in the corner nearest Terralina. We'd eaten out there before years back on New Year's Eve. It ended up being the perfect location, because a storm rolled in during lunch, but the restaurant servers rolled down the sun shade, which kept the majority of the rain off us.

We were supplied with irresistible dinner rolls and butter, and I ordered a strawberry gin fizz. This was delicious and refreshing, though I neither tasted nor felt a hint of gin.

The menu here had been abbreviated as well, so we branched out from our usual and ordered a grouper special:

It was sauteed or poached or something and served over a medley of mushrooms, tomatoes, and squash. There was a nice herbed oil preparation on the vegetables. Overall the dish could have used just a touch more seasoning but it was nice and light and R really liked it.

Of course, it was nice that we had one light dish, as we also had a heavy one:

The classic burger, which is made with an in-house blend of meats and is always perfectly cooked. Just pure indulgence! We upgraded to truffle fries as usual and they were garlicky goodness.

We always love visiting the Boathouse and while I have heard a few reports on the Dis Unplugged podcast that it was packed with people, we've now eaten there twice and that was not our experience. Of course, we often eat at off-times, but we had to walk through basically all of the dining rooms to get to our table and there was ample space between tables and not too many people there.

Lunch complete, our trip was over. We took the last sad walk back to the parking garage and headed back to Atlanta.

Overall, I would say Disney did a great job with reopening for that trip. The resorts were at a very low capacity and even over the holiday it was not impossible to get pool chairs. As others have mentioned, our chief complaint was the lack of dining options and shorter hours. But it was absolutely amazing to get back to Disney and recharge our batteries after so many months at home.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.

in the next installment of course... Our August trip begins and we head back to the parks for the first time!

 

[pepperandchips]

Double post...

 

[disneyAndi14]

The egg breakfast does look a little sad
We tried Flippers last summer and we really liked it. I would order from there again.
I have been reading about the minimal menu items at many of the restaurants. Oh well at least they are open!
Looking forward to your August stay.

 

[CruellaNY]

The banana bread french toast was rich and delicious as always, your quintessential super sweet breakfast on vacation indulgence.

This is what I wish I'd gotten when we were there in January! Have to make it back again soon.....

It was our last night at WDW so we hung out in the pool as long as possible. Here's the view looking toward Caribbean Beach over the lagoon:

Purty shot

R picked up a banana bread from Le Petit Cafe

Um.......that looks like fossilized something or other.


I was so jealous you were there for the 4th and we weren't although we were supposed to be, but happy you went and enjoyed it! On to August! And September.......and November?

 

[pepperandchips]

..and November?

Oh when are we going in November?

Quick math says I better quit buying stuff on shopdisney

 

[tundra1]

I love this view of the CBR! The Rivera Resort just looks out of place next to the colorful atmosphere across the lake. I guess it is worth staying there for this view though. Maybe if I ever travel to Europe I would appreciate the exterior building style of the Rivera Resort more. Can't wait to read about your August adventures!

 

[CruellaNY]

Oh when are we going in November?

Quick math says I better quit buying stuff on shopdisney

It's a tiny bit up in the air but......early

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Sounds like a good time for me to come for a visit

You and Ryan are seriously welcome at any time! We would love to have you.

We were the only party seated outside. It wasn't TOO hot yet, so this was pleasant. We people watched from our table as lots of families headed to the pool. Mask compliance was poor, but we were outside, so whatever. I will refrain from further comment.

We love sitting outside at Olivia's.
We had a bad experience at Olivia's in March. I'm hoping our server was just having a bad day as this is one of our fav spots to eat breakfast...

 

[Stasieki]

Glad I found your TR. Looked like a nice, relaxing July 4 trip. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the parks.

 

[vamassey1]

I'm a little late but enjoying your reports. We're going back in October and you're giving me lots of great tips.

 

[paradesintherain]

I've been out of the TR loop for a while, but I decided to look tonight and was rewarded with this TR! So expect a lot of quotes.

Bet you're excited about this report, huh?

YES MAAM! Glad to see you outside the dining review boards!

Maybe one day I'll grow out of it.

You'd better not!

it was announced tonight that both Disneyland and Walt Disney World are closed for at least the balance of March. I personally view this as “closed until further notice”.

Oh wow, so wild how much has changed since then. And wild that Disneyland is still closed.

April 3-11, 2020: Disneyland for R's Spring Break
May 28-June 1, 2020: First DCL Cruise for our 2nd Anniversary with a pre-night at AKL

Poor trips

Your socks are magnificent! As a cat lady I fully approve.

with what I think is WDW’s best hamburger.

There's a burger in Kansas City I want you to try; now that I know how much you like burgers!

Mahi tacos ($22) per the menu, these are served with Green Papaya-Jicama Slaw, Guajillo Sauce, and Spicy Avocado Salsa Verde. These were quite good with the pickled onion lending a nice sour note and the "spicy avocado salsa" turning out to be a chunky guacamole.

Drooling! I love a good fish taco (RIP fish tacos from Sunshine Seasons).

Is it gross to post a picture of your feet? I am sorry, if so.

Not to someone with a foot fetish

The girls

These people are so great and I'm only a smidgen jealous.

we all still had room for dessert and by popular request we all ducked into Ample Hills for some really incredible ice cream.

Ugh this one stings. Why'd we have to lose Ample Hills?

I'm also breathing easier since we just returned from a trip to WDW which reignited the magic in me and brought me a lot of hope during what has been a very dark and difficult time.

I'm so glad you were able to get away and that it really helped restore hope! These times have been incredibly dark, and it's really hard to see a light at the end, so that magic is more important than ever!

(this is how I've been getting through the pandemic - what have you been doing?

I've been doing absolutely nothing! Haven't read a single book, although I'm usually an avid reader. For some reason, I've had zero desire to read!

That view, wow! If I could just have that view I think things would be so much better!

we changed into our swimsuits and headed out to my favorite place on property - the Oasis pool.

Why didn't I swim in either of the pools when I stayed at Poly? Epic fail!

So peaceful, I feel more at ease just looking at this.

We also stopped to check out the future location of Gideon's Bakeshop. I cannot WAIT to get my grubby little hands on these massive cookies!

I will wait in ALL the lines for these cookies. Our consolation prize for the loss of Ample Hills!

Now is probably an appropriate place to mention that we aren't really comfortable dining indoors yet.

Me either! Glad to hear I'm not the only one, and that'll make your reviews even more valuable to me!

I thought that the prices that Disney was charging per night (as well as the DVC point values) was absolutely insane.

I agree! That studio that only has a murphy bed is so outrageously priced! Although I do think they're beautiful rooms.

And to my surprise, she was like "let me check with my supervisor" and upgraded us to a one bedroom!!!

This is your reward for being a very nice person!

That painting is soooo magical!

Bedroom and bath tour... our lovely, comfy, KING BED with crisp clean sheets. Ahhhhh, the feel of a hotel bed....

That king bed is something else, wow!! Ok so I do love these rooms because they're obviously very nice and well-appointed, but I am struggling to get a coherent theme from the place.

As we swam around there were several cast members passing through who joked with us about our exclusive pool.

It's no Oasis pool!

Spicy Italian Sandwich: Sliced Capicola, Salami, Ham, Provolone, Vegetable Giardiniera

Ooooh it's like a muffuletta (or however you spell it!), I'm sold!

and I ordered a strawberry gin fizz. This was delicious and refreshing, though I neither tasted nor felt a hint of gin.

This drink looks sooo refreshing. I need it in my life immediately... with a healthy helping of gin, though.

 

[kastoney]

Please do not base your judgement on whether to eat there on my experience.

Sorry not gonna happen. I base all of my judgements on your experiences and yours alone

I'm a one trick pony here on most occasions, and I went for my tried and true favorite - Huckleberry Punch: 44° North Mountain Huckleberry Vodka, Bols Crème de Cassis, Lemon Juice and Cranberry Juice ($15). I absolutely love the unique huckleberry flavor in this drink, though it is sweeter than my usual preference so after one of these I usually change things up. R went with a beer.

Yum!!!! This sounds delicious. I'm not even sure I know what huckleberry tastes like so I'd be interested in trying this.

"hey, isn't that the guy from Food Network?" After translating to English and listening for a minute, I realized that R had noticed that David Bromstad, host of "My Lottery Dream Home" and formerly of one of my HGTV favorites, Color Splash, noted designer and artist was seated at the table next to us.

How cool!!! We love him and my lottery dream home. The intro has this lady saying "Oh David" that we find hilarious and walk around the house saying it often.

Where were we? Oh, another appetizer. Did you forget we already had an appetizer? We must have too Verde Guacamole - Roasted poblanos, roasted tomatillo, toasted pepitas, cilantro, and onions (contains seeds) paired with smoky chipotle and herby salsa ($12).

We had a not so great experience at Frontera before, but the guacamole and drinks were the exceptions. I'd definitely go back just for some happy hour.

Here was our first encounter with a cast member asking us to use the mobile check-in. However, since we wanted an outdoor table I let her know that and it was no problem to check in with her and we found a bench nearby to wait.

Oh good to know that Olivias has outdoor tables. We've never been, but if we go in November pretty sure outdoor dining is all Jason would be comfortable with at this point.

Wow!!!!! That is a tasty looking pizza. Do they deliver it right to your room? Asking for a friend whose husband may make it to Orlando and never leave the room

The classic burger, which is made with an in-house blend of meats and is always perfectly cooked. Just pure indulgence! We upgraded to truffle fries as usual and they were garlicky goodness.

Ok you are seriously making me so hungry today. Those Boathouse fries are a thing of beauty

 

[kittylady1972]

Such a great trip. With your review and @Jenny Sanders of Bar Riva I feel we need to find a way to get there now. Those wings looked fabulous.

Loved that you got to have so much pool time. I really enjoy trips like that where you can just relax at the resorts.

Geyser Point has become one of our new faves after a trip last month. Can't wait to return there next month!

Ok some of your desserts also sounded fabulous, like that tiny tiny cake...I think I need that in my life but we haven't been brave enough to venture to Disney Springs yet.

Loved your view at Frontera Cocina. Only visited there once and it was during a total downpour rainstorm with my son, but I've kinda wanted to return there with the rest of the family eventually.

 

[DaisyNY]

Great trip report...thanks for sharing!