FOOD, WINE, AND SANDERSON SISTERS OH MY!

[pkondz]

Did you see it? Your girlfriend is returning to her Grotto on January 22nd.

You need to go back and see her.

I did not, actually.

And... to be honest, I'm dropping that. It was fun while it lasted, but after that guy touched her inappropriately a few years ago, I decided it might be best to steer away from that. I think as far as photos go, I took it about as far (in a funny way, not creepy I hope) as it could go anyway.

 

[vamassey1]

And... to be honest, I'm dropping that. It was fun while it lasted, but after that guy touched her inappropriately a few years ago, I decided it might be best to steer away from that. I think as far as photos go, I took it about as far (in a funny way, not creepy I hope) as it could go anyway.

I always enjoyed your fun phots and I don't think you crossed a line or where creepy. I do think you're making a wise decision now after what has happened.

I do look forward to what fun photos you will do in the future. Any idea for when Splash becomes Tianna's?

 

[pkondz]

I always enjoyed your fun phots and I don't think you crossed a line or where creepy. I do think you're making a wise decision now after what has happened.

I don't think I did either, especially since many of the photos I had my girls play along. But... yeah, time for a change there.

I do look forward to what fun photos you will do in the future. Any idea for when Splash becomes Tianna's?

I don't know, but... I wouldn't mind just onnnnnnne more ride on the current version.

 

[Paulaparm]

I don't know, but... I wouldn't mind just onnnnnnne more ride on the current version.

Me toooooooo!!!!!
We were able to ride last February. Our last park day was the first day it was open after a refurb of some sort! I cannot tell you how happy I was to be able to ride one last time...

I guess I need to watch the movie so I'm ready for the update

 

[vamassey1]

I don't know, but... I wouldn't mind just onnnnnnne more ride on the current version.

Your time is running out. Are you headed down there?

Me toooooooo!!!!!
We were able to ride last February. Our last park day was the first day it was open after a refurb of some sort! I cannot tell you how happy I was to be able to ride one last time...

I want one more ride too. I skipped it last year. I'm still tying to remember when was the last time I rode it. I think it was our Nov/Dec 2021 trip. I let Dennis use my pass the ride on our most recent trip. He said it was really run down looking and not all the animatronics were there and some weren't working. But I would still like to hear the music one more time.

I guess I need to watch the movie so I'm ready for the update

That's a really good idea. I have plans for a Disney bound of Tianna for our April trip.

 

[pkondz]

Your time is running out. Are you headed down there?

Not any time soon, I don't think.

 

[vamassey1]

Final Trip Thoughts

Looking back at this trip I can see how really different it was. Before I get into all that I wanted to post my steps. We all know we do lots of walking but it still surprises me how much.

I had 17,404 steps on our travel day and Studios. This was my lowest day but since part was on a plane and ME it's understandable.

I put in 20,209 for our Magic Kingdom day.

My most steps was on the Epcot day at 21,837. I think the trip to Disney Springs helped add to those steps.

I had 20,550 steps on our Animal Kingdom and travel home day. I wonder how many it would have been with a full AK day.

This was mine and Danielle's first trip back since the Covid shut down, both the parks and resorts really were different. There was so much not open and so many restrictions but I think like most people who went during this time we were just so happy to be there. It also gave us all hope that things might return to normal eventually. Disney World really as come a long way back but there is still so much still missing and different.

We loved being able to stay at Kidani for what I paid for 3 nights at Movies. That will never happen again. We didn't have a savanna view room but we also weren't far from the lobby. I've read lots of reports of people being down very long hallways at AKL and Kidani. The CMs we interacted with were great. The biggest downside was the food options. There was no real CS options. Sanna served some breakfast options and the restaurant was open for lunch and dinner. I feel really sorry for the people staying at Jambo House. They had to take a bus to Kidani to get breakfast. There was also limited options in the grab and go. The room was clean and a very nice size. We did not get any cleaning while we were there, but towels were delivered with no problems. The bathroom was a great size just bad lighting. I think I've seen where they might have been updated since then with lighting behind the big mirror. I really wish we had had time to use the pool. This was a very short trip so we didn't. I did hear people enjoying the pool when we were waiting for ME. The buses to the parks were ok except for the night Michelle was returning from Epcot while we went to DS. I wish she could have had time to tell that story. I can't say I miss the plastic dividers but I do miss not having to stand on a bus.

The parks felt crowded at the time, but I think that was mostly due to not being use to being around people. I look back at my pictures from then and compare it to being in the parks now and it's night and day. You have no bubble of space now, it's back to "fill all available space". Wearing the masks was hard in the heat. Having a sit down restaurant meal in the ac was a must. The lines for the rides seemed longer than they were due to the spacing. There was no fast pass so everyone was on equal ground pretty much. We all wanted fast pass back but look what we got instead, Genie +. The food options in the parks were limited too. Park hours were much shorter and the food hours were even shorter. We enjoyed seeing the Fall decorations in MK but they were very pared down compared to what we saw in 2021 and what they normally do. Lots of stores were not open and there were lines to get into those that were open. Can you imagine Disney not wanting as many people as possible in a store buying merch?

Disney Springs really was the most crowded area and of course there were lines to get into most stores. We didn't spend much time there and we didn't eat there so I don't have a whole lot to add. I will say I missed the live entertainment.

We used ME and now it's gone. I don't think we had any idea it would go away. It wasn't great that it was so different from what we had before COVID, but at least we had it. We missed having our luggage brought to the resort and being able to check it in and not see it until we landed. This was something we took in stride because we were so happy just to be there.

Overall I'm really so thankful we got to go. This was our very first Girls Trip and I wish it was something we could do every year now. We did repeat a Girls Trip in 2021, which will be my next report. I really enjoyed my time with just my girls.

Thanks for sticking with me. I enjoyed sharing Our Sanderson Sister Time.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Thanks for taking us along on your travels. I really enjoyed your trip report and am looking forward to the next one

 

[suse66]

Before I close this out I'm going to do a recap and maybe write a little about our May 2021 trip before starting our Girls Trip from 2021.

I look forward to it!

Looking back at this trip I can see how really different it was. Before I get into all that I wanted to post my steps. We all know we do lots of walking but it still surprises me how much.

It's amazing how much we walk at Disney! On our Epcot day in December I was at almost 28,000 steps!

Overall I'm really so thankful we got to go. This was our very first Girls Trip and I wish it was something we could do every year now. We did repeat a Girls Trip in 2021, which will be my next report. I really enjoyed my time with just my girls.

Such an unusual time to be in the parks with the restrictions. I think it would have been hopeful though too as you could see that things would open up again. Bless you three for being able to mask outside in the heat! I did mask outdoors in crowded areas on my August 21 trip but it was quite challenging.Now I look bback at all the things we had to do at the height of the pandemic and wondder how we got through it all.

Thanks for sticking with me. I enjoyed sharing Our Sanderson Sister Time.

Thanks for sharing such an awesome TR! I look forward to the next one.

 

[pkondz]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us and sharing your final thoughts. So much has changed from pre-Covid to Covid to post (?) Covid. Hopeful things continue to improve on all fronts.

 

[vamassey1]

Thanks for taking us along on your travels. I really enjoyed your trip report and am looking forward to the next one

Thank you Moira!

 

[vamassey1]

I look forward to it!

Thanks for sticking with me Susan!

It's amazing how much we walk at Disney! On our Epcot day in December I was at almost 28,000 steps!

That's a lot! I don't know if I've ever done that many.

Such an unusual time to be in the parks with the restrictions. I think it would have been hopeful though too as you could see that things would open up again. Bless you three for being able to mask outside in the heat! I did mask outdoors in crowded areas on my August 21 trip but it was quite challenging.Now I look bback at all the things we had to do at the height of the pandemic and wondder how we got through it all.

Looking back I don't know how we did it. I remember being very frustrated with all things Covid. I was reading a book about WWII set in England at one point. I was doing my regular walk and thinking about that book. It helped put it in perspective for me. They endured so much more than we did for a much longer time. If they could do that, we could do this. When you're going through something you often think you can take much more, but afterwards you see how it all helped you grow and change.

Thanks for sharing such an awesome TR! I look forward to the next one.

Thank you!

 

[vamassey1]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us and sharing your final thoughts. So much has changed from pre-Covid to Covid to post (?) Covid. Hopeful things continue to improve on all fronts.

Thanks PK!

I don't know if we'll ever have a post-Covid. we just live with it and keep going like so many other illnesses that have plagued the earth.

 

[pkondz]

Thanks PK!

I don't know if we'll ever have a post-Covid. we just live with it and keep going like so many other illnesses that have plagued the earth.

Yeah… that too

 

[vamassey1]

Trip planning update.

We're getting close to our 60 day mark so I starting to put plans together.

Danielle let me know last week that she has requested to take off the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday we'll be there. She already has Wednesday and Thursday off as her regular days off. She has also requested off around the time that Michelle is due, which is only a few weeks later. Dennis' first reaction was that we really didn't need to go to Disney since she would be coming here. WRONG! Danielle loves when we come to visit and she has the chance to show off her world, friends and get spoiled. She is really looking forward to having us to herself. When we went after Thanksgiving we were a big group and she enjoyed that but still likes to be the baby and spoiled. She also signed up for her CM Tron ride for next week. She gets to bring 3 friends and believe me it was temping to try and go.

Before I knew if she would take off, I wanted to make sure we did the 2 parks she wanted to do with us on her days off. The week is now wide open as far as she is concerned. I was also waiting to see the Garden Rocks concert line up which came out yesterday. Switchfoot is the only group listed while we are there and they aren't a big draw for us. I'm sure they are great, just not a priority for us.
I also want to make sure we get to see some Dis Friends while there.

I got Dennis to sit down and finally start looking at meal options. I even had a list prepared of the places I would like to try on our no park day and options in the parks. I guess my harping on "trying new places and experiences" paid off because he actually agreed to step outside his box.

Our tentative plans for now are to leave very early Saturday morning April 15th and drive straight down. I'm sure we'll stop for breakfast at Buc-ee's in Alabama and hit lots of rest areas along the way. I have learned to stop at the first rest area when you enter Mississippi and skip the others in Mississippi. I have also learned there is one rest area in Florida to skip too. It's in the very hilly area and way off the interstate. I like to use the rest areas for easy on and off access not for taking a drive to see the scenery. I do love that Florida has so many rest area stops. We usually stop at the rest area on the turnpike too. It has some fun photo ops. Hopefully the traffic on 1-75 won't be too bad (it usually is), and we'll make it to Riverside in the early afternoon. We plan on taking the boat to Disney Springs and grabbing some grub at Chef Art Smith's Homecomings. I'm so excited for this and hope to get an ADR. Danielle and I have always wanted to eat here and Dennis agreed after watching a review from Paging Mr. Morrow. We're not usually really hungry after driving and snacking all day so we may just do apps.

Sunday, April 16th will be our first park day. We're planning to go to Studios and say hello to Danielle's workmates. I think we'll buy Genie + just to make it easier. I would like to hit some of the rides we missed last trip and of course do Fantasmic. We will not be doing ROTR since we did it last year and I did it twice last year. When they announced Woody's Roundup would be open, I thought we might try for that. We decided against it since we'll be doing similar food later in the trip. I'm still trying to decide between a dinner at Mama Melrose's with or without the dining package. I don't think we'll eat all the food included on the package. Danielle and I shared a entre last trip. Hopefully we don't stay in the park all day and take a break.

Monday, April 17th will be our Animal Kingdom day. We don't plan on doing a sit down meal this day because we want to go to the HEA Dessert afterparty and hopefully meet up with @amazingact21 and @disneyAndi14. Dennis has agreed to go but isn't too excited about it. Danielle and I are. I think it's the best way to see HEA and not be overwhelmed with the crowds. I don't see us staying all day at AK.

Tuesday, April 18th is our no park day that Dennis requested. We would like to have beignets for breakfast at French Quarter. Yes, I know we can get beignets here but they aren't Mickey shaped. We're hoping to catch a boat to Disney Springs and and early lunch at The Edison which is brand new for all of us. Dennis wants to try the signature burger and Danielle loves grilled cheese and tomato soup. I don't know what I want yet. We'll do a little shopping and hit Gideon's if I didn't go on Saturday night. Love their cookies! Danielle lives near DS so I'm hoping to go by her apartment and see the kitties. I would really like to spend some down time at the resort hopefully by the pool. We're hoping to get an ADR for Hoop Dee Doo for dinner this night. This is something none of us have ever done and Danielle and I are dying to do. I can't believe Dennis agreed but he is thinking of this trip as a chance to eat new places and have " experiences". I warned him if we do section 1 he may have to interact with the entertainment but he says he wants to try and get section 1. I'm hoping we are joined by some Dis friends here too.

Wednesday, April 19 is our Epcot day. Dennis wants to ride GOTG again and I think I might try it again. I didn't do so well last trip but I think it was my anxiety about riding it that hit me. We want to try lots of food at the Flower and Garden booths and see as many topiaries as possible. I'm going to try to get a Space 220 lounge lunch since Dennis has never been. Danielle really enjoyed doing this last year. My backup plan is Biergarten for dinner. Dennis has never been and we missed doing it last trip since we left a day early to go to Atlanta. He did want to do Via Napoli but once I told him they didn't have the pepperoni pizza anymore he wasn't as excited, plus there is a "show" in Biergarten.

Thursday, April 20th is our last park day so of course we're going to end with my favorite the Magic Kingdom. This will be another day I plan on getting Genie+. Top of my list is doing Tron. Dennis is leery of Tron due to his fear of heights. He loves Rockin Roller Coaster because you can't see the ground. I really hope he at least tries Tron. Danielle should be reporting back to him next week to let him know her take on it. I should be ok as long as you don't go upside down. If we do the dessert party on Monday we won't need to stay for HEA but I do always like to stay as long as possible in MK and really hate saying goodbye.

Friday is an early rise and long drive back home.

I'm sure we'll have changes along the way, we always do. I have my fingers crossed and double crossed we get the ADRs we want.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Your trip plans sound fabulous. Crossing everything you get all the adrs

 

[pkondz]

Dennis' first reaction was that we really didn't need to go to Disney since she would be coming here. WRONG!

It’s like he doesn’t even know you.

Danielle loves when we come to visit and she has the chance to show off her world, friends and get spoiled.

She also signed up for her CM Tron ride for next week. She gets to bring 3 friends and believe me it was temping to try and go.

I bet!

I guess my harping on "trying new places and experiences" paid off because he actually agreed to step outside his box.

No way! How’d you manage that???

I have learned to stop at the first rest area when you enter Mississippi and skip the others in Mississippi.

May I ask why?

We plan on taking the boat to Disney Springs and grabbing some grub at Chef Art Smith's Homecomings.

There’s nothing in that sentence that is less than awesome.

We're not usually really hungry after driving and snacking all day so we may just do apps.

Can recommend the deviled eggs. And the Mac n cheese!

Yes, I know we can get beignets here but they aren't Mickey shaped.

Valid.

early lunch at The Edison which is brand new for all of us.

I liked it. Funky place.

I can't believe Dennis agreed but he is thinking of this trip as a chance to eat new places and have " experiences".

What have you done with the real Dennis?

I'm hoping we are joined by some Dis friends here too.

Wish I was there

 

[amazingact21]

I have also learned there is one rest area in Florida to skip too. It's in the very hilly area and way off the interstate.

I know exactly which rest area you're talking about! It's the one near the time zone change.
I used to go to FSU in Tallahassee, and whenever I had family coming to visit, I told them to avoid that rest stop, too.

Hopefully the traffic on 1-75 won't be too bad (it usually is)

Ugh, always! I hate 75.

grabbing some grub at Chef Art Smith's Homecomings.

I've heard the food there is amazing. I'm sure the apps wouldn't disappoint.

and of course do Fantasmic.

I would have been surprised if Fantasmic wasn't in your plans.

we want to go to the HEA Dessert afterparty and hopefully meet up with @amazingact21 and @disneyAndi14.

I'm excited! Also glad we don't have to fight the masses to enjoy the fireworks on Main Street.

We'll do a little shopping and hit Gideon's if I didn't go on Saturday night. Love their cookies!

Gideon's cookies are a must every Disney Springs visit, in my opinion.
Hope you can visit at the apartment for a little and still get some pool time in.



I guess he's thinking, if I'm going to do this, might as well go all in.

I didn't do so well last trip but I think it was my anxiety about riding it that hit me.

Hopefully one turn on Guardians won't be too bad. Like you said, the unknown can really mess with you. And just in case, take some Bonine or Dramomine.

He did want to do Via Napoli but once I told him they didn't have the pepperoni pizza anymore he wasn't as excited,

I'm still upset about this! Why take away such a staple pizza item?!

op of my list is doing Tron.

I hope you get to ride Tron!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Yay for April plans!
We definitely have some similar places and attractions we want to do
I think we will do Hoop de Doo especially if Jack doesn’t come.
I am making him decide this weekend or he is out, lol
I am tossing around the after hours event either at MK or DHS, I think we will get more for our money at MK since we won’t be riding ToT or RnRC at DHS, if we do that I’m not sure we would also splurge on the fireworks party.
I also want a Space 220 lounge reservation for Donna, she loves everything space!
If we don’t do the fireworks party maybe I will try the same night as you for Hoop or we can meet for a drink. I think we may do AK that first Monday as well.
I added an extra night for USO, however, it is very expensive for 2 day park to park tickets so we may just stay at a value resort and have a non park day our last day. I’m not sure.
I do have Portofino Bay resort reserved at UO for 4/24/22
I also reserved the Swan for our Disney portion but I think we will keep the WL. Donna really wanted the Epcot area but I’m not sure if we will like the Swan?? We have never stayed there.
I may need to update my last report with some plans and ask for advice. It is about 600.00 dollars less than WL
May do the Swan and this will offset the cost of USO, decisions, decisions!

 

[amazingact21]

I also reserved the Swan for our Disney portion but I think we will keep the WL. Donna really wanted the Epcot area but I’m not sure if we will like the Swan?? We have never stayed there.

So, I actually did a split stay at WL and the Swan this past July.

I think if you're going to be going to Epcot and DHS a lot, then the Swan is worth it. Being able to walk and use the Skyliner saved a ton of time.

You definitely miss out on the "Disney" feel at the Swan, though. It's more like a regular hotel. So I guess a lot would depend, too, on how much time you'll spend at the resort and if you want to eat at the onsite restaurants and swim. In that case, WL is the way to go.


Either way, though, I love both resorts and think you'll be happy at whichever you choose.