DVCSunDevil
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2020
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We got back Saturday from a weeklong WDW trip. We have never gone this late in January before, but my oldest daughter is in college and her holiday break is SIX weeks long. One of the benefits of her break being that long is that it allowed us to take our trip after the holiday madness. I honestly have never seen the parks that empty over an entire week. It was GREAT! The one thing about this trip that was less than ideal was the temperatures while we were there...they high temps were generally in the low 60s, with the highest temp being 70 degrees on the last day of our trip (of course!). We knew the temps would be cooler so we just packed accordingly (sweatshirts, jeans, etc.). We are from Upstate NY so the temps weren't really "cold" for us, but there were a lot of people who were wearing full on parkas in the parks. Because the crowds were down, the wait times for the lines were the shortest I have seen them in a VERY long time...the longest Standby wait time we saw was 60 minutes (Flight of Passage). And the actual wait times were roughly half the time that was posted. We actually hit every single ride we wanted to...multiple times. This was our first time doing the paid Lightning Lane, and we had a few of those on this trip. It enabled us to really hit as many rides as we wanted, especially with the shorter than average queues.
As usual, below is my day by day recap. We always have go-to experiences we like to repeat, but we also like to build in things we haven't done before.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10TH:
- we landed at MCO around 4:00pm. We have used the same car service for years, and our driver met us in the baggage claim area. We got our bags around 4:30pm and were off to WDW! The car service we use offers a no-charge stop at the Publix on the way to WDW, and we always get a few cases of water and some room snacks. We made our Publix stop and got to the hotel around 5:15pm.
- because we don't like to waste DVC points on our travel day if we get into town late in the day, we will usually stay at a DS area hotel that first day. We used to stay at the Hilton right across from DS, but a few years ago I switched to Marriott. Since we got into town late in the day on this trip (like every trip, really), we stayed at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek. It was our first time staying there and we really liked the resort. Everything was much nicer than the Hilton. Too bad the weather was cold (well, cold for Orlando anyway) because the pool area looked awesome. We got checked in and brought our bags to our room with no issues. The view was "meh"...it was a view of Highway 4. Oh well, we only use hotels this first night as a place to sleep so we get full days in our DVC rooms.
- we headed to DS around 6:00pm to grab dinner and drinks. This has really become a tradition for us on the day we travel to WDW. We love hitting DS that night and "settling in" to WDW. We ate at Wine By George, which was the first time we have been there. We have always wanted to try it, but one of our kids is a picky eater so we never tried it. Overall, I thought it was good...not great, just good. The food was decent, but the cocktails were better. My wife and I had some espresso martinis which were fantastic. We walked around DS a bit and did some light shopping, while my wife and I enjoyed a couple beers. For dessert, we had some churros and then headed back to the hotel around 10:00pm.
- my wife and I had a nightcap at the hotel bar before calling it a night. I had an old fashioned and it was good...a perfect way to end our "transition" day to WDW.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11TH:
- we slept in a little and got some coffee and light breakfast at the hotel. The little coffee shop they have is excellent...the food and pastries are good and they serve Illy coffee. We checked out around 10:30am and I booked an Uber to take us to Beach Club. The Uber XXL (there is four of us with luggage) was only $15, which I thought was very reasonable. We always use Uber to transfer between hotels, even if the hotels are both WDW resort hotels. Years ago we used the luggage transfer service on our split stay changeover day and our bags didn't arrive until later in the afternoon. We routinely experience our rooms being ready earlier in the day, so we prefer to bring our luggage with us and just store it until the room is ready.
- we arrived at Beach Club around 10:45. Just as we were pulling up to the hotel, we were alerted that our room was ready! It was perfect timing. We had the bell services bring our luggage and groceries to our room and we got settled in. The room was good with a view of a little grassy area with the woods behind it. It was a Deluxe Studio, and we have become experts at navigating this room category with our family of four. That said, we may have to upgrade to a 1 or 2 bedroom on our next trip. Our kids are just getting too old (18 and 20).
- we headed over to Epcot around noon and spent the day in the World Showcase and riding some rides. We jumped on the virtual queue at 1:00pm and were able to get Guardians for later that afternoon. We hit Soarin, Remy, and of course Figment. We rode Guardians around 5:15pm and then headed back to our room so we could change before dinner. Man, that short distance between Epcot and Beach Club NEVER gets old. It is fantastic to be in your room literally within 5 minutes after leaving the park. Nothing beats Beach Club's location.
- we walked over to the Boardwalk for our 6:15pm reservation at Flying Fish. This restaurant has become one of my top two in WDW. It is fantastic. I have had a good meal at other restaurants, only to have that same restaurant underperform on a repeat visit. Flying Fish is always good, however. Their seafood and steaks are equally as good.
- after dinner, we headed back to Epcot to experience World Showcase at night. This is why we always pay for park hopper passes. I love finishing the day with an evening in Epcot and just roaming and having some drinks in World Showcase. We watched the fireworks in the French Pavilion before literally walking on to Remy with zero line.
- we headed back to Beach Club as the park was closing. Not to be a jerk, but I always chuckle when I stroll by a super long line for the Skyliner during my short walk to Beach Club. The Skyliner line wasnt crazy long tonight, but it WAS super long on our last night of this trip. As I noted before, me and my family enjoy a peaceful sub-5 minute stroll to our room as all those people are standing in a super long Skyliner line. Nothing beats Beach Club's location.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12TH:
- we woke up around 8:00am and grabbed our coffee from the Beach Club marketplace. Everyone was ready around 9:00am and we caught a boat to Hollywood Studios. The park was fantastic with the shorter lines. Since we are staying in a Disney resort, we also had early entry privileges and were able to start riding some rides before the non resort guests...I think we had a 15 minute or so head start, which allowed us to ride Slinky Dog Dash with virtually no line. Slinky was good back when my kids were younger, but I think they have outgrown it. The day was great and we literally rode everything we wanted to ride: Minnie and Micky's Runaway Railroad, Tower of Terror (twice), Aerosmith (twice), Smuggler's Run, and Rise of the Resistance.
- for lunch, we split up because we all wanted something different. Two of us had ABC Commissary and two had Woody's Lunch Box. Between some rides, we also stopped by Baseline for a couple Hefeweizens. We love taking a few minutes to relax on the patio here and just people watch while we are having a couple beers.
- we hit all the stores at the front of the park for some shopping before leaving around 3:00pm. We headed back to Beach Club for a little downtime before our dinner later.
- we headed into Epcot around 4:30pm to stroll through World Showcase before arriving at San Angel Inn for our 6:30pm reservation. We got to Mexico a little early and noticed the line for Cava wasn't too long, so we grabbed an avocado margarita. I miss the days when the line was this short...the secret on Cava got out several years ago and the lines can get ridiculously long. Anyway, Mexico never disappoints...everyone gave their meals a resounding thumbs up and the margaritas were delicious.
- after dinner, we rode Guardians (we had a reservation). We were all a little worried about riding a ride after eating Mexican food, but everything went great. For anyone asking what the best ride in WDW is, the answer is Guardians of the Galaxy. I could seriously ride that thing 100 times a day. We strolled through through the park after Guardians and headed back to the hotel around 10pm.
- my wife and I made a quick stop by Martha's Vineyard before bed for a nightcap. After that, it was off to bed after a great long day of park hopping!
MONDAY, JANUARY 13TH:
- today is our day at Animal Kingdom. We usually only spend one day at AK during a week stay, and that day is typically only 1/2 day. What's weird is that we all really like AK and think the park is great, but we typically find ourselves ready to leave after 1/2 day. Anyway, we were all ready and out of the door at 8:00am.
- we had some major pixie dust sprinkled on us as we exited the hotel on our way to the buses. A very nice gentleman, Bill, from Disney asked us where we were heading and we told him Animal Kingdom. There was a woman with her daughter behind us who was also going to AK and Bill offered to take us all in the Princess Van. Bill works for DVC and drives guides and their customers for sales calls (I took that to mean guests who are viewing a resort before buying into DVC), and he told us his next meeting wasn't until 9:00 so he had time to drive us. Bill was FANTASTIC. As I write this I am reminded to go onto the DVC site and send an email to DVC about Bill. The van was really nice and a fun way to start the day! Bill was super nice and gave us all a lot of good Disney and DVC history during the drive. Thanks, Bill!!
- when we got to the park, we rode Flight of Passage first. The Standby line showed 60 minutes, but the actual time was more like 30 minutes. After FOP, we headed over to Everest and rode it...twice. The line was only about around 10 minutes, so we figured we would do it twice. After Everest, we walked around a bit and then went on the Safari. I don't think I have ever seen all the main "characters" be so front and center...we got great pictures of the elephants, giraffes, lions, hippos, and even the cheetah.
- we had 12:45pm lunch reservations at Yak and Yeti and it was delicious! We have been here several times, but I don't remember the portions being this large. The food was outstanding and the drinks were equally as good (my wife and I each had cocktails).
- after lunch, we watched A Bug's Life and then shopped a bit in the stores in front of the Tree of Life. We were all ready to leave right around 3:00pm, so we headed out to the busses to grab one to Beach Club. The bus was pulling away as we were walking up, but the bus for Caribbean Beach was just getting ready to leave so we hopped on it instead of waiting for the next BCV bus. We took the Skyliner from Caribbean Beach to Epcot, which was a nice relaxing time to get off our feet.
- we went back to the room for a bit before out dinner reservation that evening. We had 6:15pm dinner reservations at Cake Bake Shop, so it was just a short walk from Beach Club. This was our first time eating at Cake Bake, and I thought the food was just OK...especially at these prices. My wife and I stopped by in October a few days after they had opened and got two drinks and a slice of cake from the "to go" side...and the bill was $100. My two daughters hadn't been there yet so they wanted to experience it, so I was outvoted on this trip. Everyone liked their meals, but no one was overly impressed. I got the burger and it was just "meh"...I have had MUCH better burgers at WDW (and for a lot less $$). The best part of the meal was the cake...we split two slices.
- we headed over to Epcot for our nightly enjoyment of World Showcase and fireworks. The line was Remy was super short with a 20 minute posted Standby line, but the real wait time was really just the time it took to walk through the queue to get to the ride. After Remy and a nightcap from France, it was time to head back to Beach Club and call it a night. Did I mention I LOVE the short walk back to BCV after a long day a the parks? LOL.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14TH:
- today is a Hollywood Studios day. My 18 year old daughter wanted to sleep in a bit longer than the rest of us, so only three of us headed over in the morning. We didn't get up crazy early and ended up leaving the hotel around 9:00am. My younger daughter ended up meeting us around 11:00am. As usual, the three of us hopped on a boat and enjoyed the ride to HS.
- similar to our first day at HS on this trip, we hit the usual rides: Aerosmith, Tower of Terror, Mickey and Minnie, a couple Star Wars rides, and Toy Story Mania. We spent some time in between rides just enjoying the parks, as well as stopping in all the stores to window shop.
- at 12:15pm, we had lunch reservations at Sci-Fi. This is a favorite lunch spot for us, but we haven't been back in a couple trips. We were excited to have lunch here again. We got to the restaurant about 15 minutes early, so we had a beer at Baseline while we waited. The timing was perfect, because our table was ready just as we were finishing our beers. The lunch, like usual, was good. I will say I noticed the food was a little different than it used to be when we were here a couple of years ago. I used to LOVE the onion rings here, but they changed them from the large onion rings that had thicker batter and were crispy to smaller ones with just plain batter. Our server did a great job recommending some options "off menu" for our pickier eater. Even if the food isn't quite as good as it used to be, the experience and ambiance is still good.
- after lunch we rode a few more rides and then headed back to Beach Club around 4:00pm. We wanted to get changed for our dinner in Disney Springs.
- we had 7:00pm dinner reservations at The Boathouse. This is a restaurant we go to just about every time we come to WDW. We love it. The food and ambiance is great. One of the things we love about The Boathouse is listening to the live music at the outside pavilion while we wait for our table. I usually grab a cocktail at Hangar Bar to enjoy while listening to the music, and this time was no different. It is just really enjoyable. The Boathouse was PACKED due to the colder weather...no one wanted to sit outside so the wait times for tables inside were a little longer. Our table was ready around 7:15pm and we had another great meal. After our dinner, we walked around DS a little bit and enjoyed the ambiance and window shopped. We headed back to the Beach Club around 10:30pm to pack up for our changeover day the following morning.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15TH:
- this is our changeover day to Grand Floridian. First, though, was a 9:00am reservation for the Cape May Character Breakfast. This is our first time eating at Cape May, which is funny considering BCV is our home resort. I thought the food was good, but this is probably my least favorite character breakfast. It was super chaotic. We have done Chef Mickeys and Topolino's for character breakfasts, and our unanimous favorite is Topolino's. Again, the food at Cape May was good and the characters were great...but it just seemed really chaotic with kids running around and there didn't seem to be as much room between tables so everyone was kind of on top of each other.
- after breakfast, we grabbed our bags and checked out. We grabbed an Uber XXL to bring us to Grand Floridian. We were all VERY excited for our first time staying at VGF! When we got to VGF, our room was not ready yet so we left our bags with bell services and headed to Magic Kingdom for a bit.
- because we all had such a big breakfast and had Ohana reservations for dinner, we just snacked for our "lunch". I couldn't wait to get some cheeseburger spring rolls, which are SO good. Actually, three of us had them...my "picky" eater daughter elected not to eat them. We rode a couple rides (Pirates, Tiki Room) and then headed back at 1:30pm to check out the Grand Floridian.
- we walked the grounds and got a feel for where everything is...and then got the text around 2:30pm that our room was ready. We checked into our room and it was AMAZING. We were in Big Pine Key and had a room at the end of the floor. The great thing is that we had no rooms above us, so we had more of a vaulted ceiling. It was awesome and we loved our room! The deck had cool vibe because there was no one above us, and your head is even with the shingles of the roof. The view was incredible, looking across the GF, lagoon, monorail, and Polynesian.
- we got settled and then headed over to Polynesian around 3:30pm to check out the new Poly Tower. We had 5:15pm Ohana reservations, so we grabbed a drink at the Wailulu bar at a table along the wall. They had heaters going so it was really relaxing and enjoyable. We wanted to have a drink at Trader Sam's, but the quoted wait time was an hour so we didn't have time. The new tower is really nice, and Wailulu is a cool spot to enjoy a drink and some appetizers.
- we had a great time at Ohana, and it has been years since we ate there...I think it was around 2021. As usual, we all were "sport eating" (that's what my daughter calls it when you are full but still eating) by the end of the dinner. My wife and I each had a Lapu Lapu (drink served in a pineapple), which are always fun and makes for a great social media post. LOL.
- after dinner, we visited the Poly store and then walked back to our room to drop off some things we purchased at Poly. From there, we headed over to Magic Kingdom. Tonight is Extra Magic Hours for guests staying at WDW deluxe resorts. We got to the park about 30 minutes before the fireworks started, so we found a good spot and enjoyed the fireworks. After the fireworks, there is about 15 minutes before non deluxe guests have to clear out.
- MESSAGE TO ANYONE FROM DISNEY MANAGEMENT: you all have to do a better job of organizing the flow after the fireworks. It gets CRAZY! A huge majority of people are streaming towards the exits, but then there are guests (especially those there for extra magic hours) trying to get through that mob to get to the rides. There is no clear signage showing which way to go and guests are getting yelled at by cast members who are doing their best to block off the walkways that are not supposed to be used. It's chaos.
- we were able to FINALLY weave our way through the swarms of guests and find a walkway we were allowed to walk down to get to Tomorrowland. We hit Tron, Peter Pan, Seven Dwarfs, and Tiana's before calling it a night and heading back to the hotel.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16TH:
- we slept in a little since last night was a late night. We got up around 9:00am and grabbed some light breakfast at Gasparilla's before heading to Magic Kingdom around 10:30am. We rode some rides and just experienced the park. We experienced Country Bear Jamboree twice...it is better than it used to be since they updated it. Now even my kids enjoy it! We did most of our MK shopping today, including getting gifts for everyone back home that we needed to get things for (the grandparents for watching the cat, etc.). We headed back to the hotel to change (I was in shorts) because tonight was the meal I most anticipating.
- we had 6:15pm reservations for Hoop Dee Doo, and this is my absolute favorite meal experience at WDW! I have always loved it, and the last time we went was pre Covid. We used to go every single trip, but we didn't go over the last few trips to WDW. The awesome thing is that my kids also now are old enough to really enjoy it and get nostalgic about it. We got there around 5:30pm and hit the gift shop first, then grabbed a drink and got in line to check in. For tonight's dinner, we were the middle of the 2nd row in front of the stage! To add to the fun, my wife got selected to go on stage for the final number...she was the Can Can girl. It was awesome and we all had a great time!
- after leaving Fort Wilderness, my daughters went to MK for a bit and my wife and I went to the Enchanted Rose for a couple drinks. There was no wait and we got a table right away. It was a really nice way to end the day!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17TH:
- today is the first day of Festival of the Arts at Epcot, so we were excited to experience that. We got up, got some coffee at Gasparilla's and then headed out around 9:30am. We took the monorail to the transportation center, then took the monorail to Epcot.
- this was the only day this week that the queues were insane. You could feel the energy and excitement around Festival of the Arts, and everyone really wanted to be there to feel that vibe. The annoying thing is that there were a LOT of people blogging...I wouldn't be surprised if 1/4 of the people there were bloggers. Normally I wouldn't care about that stuff, but many of them were super snobby and acted like they should be getting special privileges. God forbid if you accidentally walked into their frame when they were videoing things. News flash to the bloggers: if it is that busy and there is no way to get around you, people may walk into your shot...traffic is not going to stop for you while you film for 2 minutes.
- we really enjoyed Epcot today. We stopped at a lot of food stands (France, Morocco, Mexico, China, Germany, Canada, USA...just to name a few) to grab cocktails and food. We just worked our way around Epcot and enjoyed the vibe. The only ride we rode was Guardians one last time. My wife was very excited to get the Figment popcorn bucket...Figment is her FAVORITE. We left Epcot around 4:30pm to get back to Grand Floridian for our dinner reservation.
- we had 6:15pm reservations at Narcoossee's for dinner. This was our first time eating here and has been on my to-do list for a while. It did not disappoint! Every one of us loved our meal. Our server did an excellent job on his recommendations. The cocktails were equally as good as the food. I will say, the view from this restaurant is fantastic. We were at a table right along the window and had a great view of the MK and the castle the entire time. We got done eating around 7:30pm, but our server let us know that we could come back and watch the fireworks from the deck outside if we wanted to...we just had to show them our receipt so they knew we had dinner there.
- we headed back to the room after dinner to start packing, but my wife headed back down to Narcoossee's to watch the fireworks. I was all set...I was more concerned with how I was going to fit the mountain of purchases into our suitcases. My wife said the fireworks were fantastic. We managed to get everything packed up, but we are pros at this stuff at this point. We always bring some "stow away" back packs in case we need extra room going home. We always come with only one carry on each, but come back home with two carry ons each. LOL. After we got everything packed up, we still had time for one final "farewell" cocktail at Enchanted Rose.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18TH:
- our flight was at 10:00am, which is much better than the earlier flights we have had in the past. Our car service was there right on time at 7:00am, which IMO was a little early (my vote was for 7:30am). The car service always recommends getting picked up three hours before the flight in case MCO is crazy, so my wife went with their recommendation. There have been times we were glad they recommended the three hour prior to flight pickup, especially during the holiday season. However, with the lower crowds I had a feeling we were going to be there with time to kill...and I was right. The lines (baggage check and security) were short, so we had some time to get coffee before our flight.
- my wife and I have always laughed at the juxtaposition of the people arriving to MCO compared to those leaving. The people arriving who are decked out in their WDW gear are very excited to get to WDW, while the people leaving and waiting for their planes are sad the week is over. This trip was no different. We always find it a humorous comparison...and it is right there to see as people arriving are getting off their planes. Next time you are both arriving and leaving, take a moment to look around and notice it.
- good bye, WDW! Until next time!
That's it. That's the recap of this trip. As usual, there were a lot of things that are favorites of ours that we repeated...and there were also things we tried for the first time. It was another awesome trip to WDW! Next up is a March DCL cruise on the new Treasure for just my wife and I. We can't wait for that! Only 5 weeks until we are experiencing some more Disney magic!
As usual, below is my day by day recap. We always have go-to experiences we like to repeat, but we also like to build in things we haven't done before.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10TH:
- we landed at MCO around 4:00pm. We have used the same car service for years, and our driver met us in the baggage claim area. We got our bags around 4:30pm and were off to WDW! The car service we use offers a no-charge stop at the Publix on the way to WDW, and we always get a few cases of water and some room snacks. We made our Publix stop and got to the hotel around 5:15pm.
- because we don't like to waste DVC points on our travel day if we get into town late in the day, we will usually stay at a DS area hotel that first day. We used to stay at the Hilton right across from DS, but a few years ago I switched to Marriott. Since we got into town late in the day on this trip (like every trip, really), we stayed at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek. It was our first time staying there and we really liked the resort. Everything was much nicer than the Hilton. Too bad the weather was cold (well, cold for Orlando anyway) because the pool area looked awesome. We got checked in and brought our bags to our room with no issues. The view was "meh"...it was a view of Highway 4. Oh well, we only use hotels this first night as a place to sleep so we get full days in our DVC rooms.
- we headed to DS around 6:00pm to grab dinner and drinks. This has really become a tradition for us on the day we travel to WDW. We love hitting DS that night and "settling in" to WDW. We ate at Wine By George, which was the first time we have been there. We have always wanted to try it, but one of our kids is a picky eater so we never tried it. Overall, I thought it was good...not great, just good. The food was decent, but the cocktails were better. My wife and I had some espresso martinis which were fantastic. We walked around DS a bit and did some light shopping, while my wife and I enjoyed a couple beers. For dessert, we had some churros and then headed back to the hotel around 10:00pm.
- my wife and I had a nightcap at the hotel bar before calling it a night. I had an old fashioned and it was good...a perfect way to end our "transition" day to WDW.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11TH:
- we slept in a little and got some coffee and light breakfast at the hotel. The little coffee shop they have is excellent...the food and pastries are good and they serve Illy coffee. We checked out around 10:30am and I booked an Uber to take us to Beach Club. The Uber XXL (there is four of us with luggage) was only $15, which I thought was very reasonable. We always use Uber to transfer between hotels, even if the hotels are both WDW resort hotels. Years ago we used the luggage transfer service on our split stay changeover day and our bags didn't arrive until later in the afternoon. We routinely experience our rooms being ready earlier in the day, so we prefer to bring our luggage with us and just store it until the room is ready.
- we arrived at Beach Club around 10:45. Just as we were pulling up to the hotel, we were alerted that our room was ready! It was perfect timing. We had the bell services bring our luggage and groceries to our room and we got settled in. The room was good with a view of a little grassy area with the woods behind it. It was a Deluxe Studio, and we have become experts at navigating this room category with our family of four. That said, we may have to upgrade to a 1 or 2 bedroom on our next trip. Our kids are just getting too old (18 and 20).
- we headed over to Epcot around noon and spent the day in the World Showcase and riding some rides. We jumped on the virtual queue at 1:00pm and were able to get Guardians for later that afternoon. We hit Soarin, Remy, and of course Figment. We rode Guardians around 5:15pm and then headed back to our room so we could change before dinner. Man, that short distance between Epcot and Beach Club NEVER gets old. It is fantastic to be in your room literally within 5 minutes after leaving the park. Nothing beats Beach Club's location.
- we walked over to the Boardwalk for our 6:15pm reservation at Flying Fish. This restaurant has become one of my top two in WDW. It is fantastic. I have had a good meal at other restaurants, only to have that same restaurant underperform on a repeat visit. Flying Fish is always good, however. Their seafood and steaks are equally as good.
- after dinner, we headed back to Epcot to experience World Showcase at night. This is why we always pay for park hopper passes. I love finishing the day with an evening in Epcot and just roaming and having some drinks in World Showcase. We watched the fireworks in the French Pavilion before literally walking on to Remy with zero line.
- we headed back to Beach Club as the park was closing. Not to be a jerk, but I always chuckle when I stroll by a super long line for the Skyliner during my short walk to Beach Club. The Skyliner line wasnt crazy long tonight, but it WAS super long on our last night of this trip. As I noted before, me and my family enjoy a peaceful sub-5 minute stroll to our room as all those people are standing in a super long Skyliner line. Nothing beats Beach Club's location.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12TH:
- we woke up around 8:00am and grabbed our coffee from the Beach Club marketplace. Everyone was ready around 9:00am and we caught a boat to Hollywood Studios. The park was fantastic with the shorter lines. Since we are staying in a Disney resort, we also had early entry privileges and were able to start riding some rides before the non resort guests...I think we had a 15 minute or so head start, which allowed us to ride Slinky Dog Dash with virtually no line. Slinky was good back when my kids were younger, but I think they have outgrown it. The day was great and we literally rode everything we wanted to ride: Minnie and Micky's Runaway Railroad, Tower of Terror (twice), Aerosmith (twice), Smuggler's Run, and Rise of the Resistance.
- for lunch, we split up because we all wanted something different. Two of us had ABC Commissary and two had Woody's Lunch Box. Between some rides, we also stopped by Baseline for a couple Hefeweizens. We love taking a few minutes to relax on the patio here and just people watch while we are having a couple beers.
- we hit all the stores at the front of the park for some shopping before leaving around 3:00pm. We headed back to Beach Club for a little downtime before our dinner later.
- we headed into Epcot around 4:30pm to stroll through World Showcase before arriving at San Angel Inn for our 6:30pm reservation. We got to Mexico a little early and noticed the line for Cava wasn't too long, so we grabbed an avocado margarita. I miss the days when the line was this short...the secret on Cava got out several years ago and the lines can get ridiculously long. Anyway, Mexico never disappoints...everyone gave their meals a resounding thumbs up and the margaritas were delicious.
- after dinner, we rode Guardians (we had a reservation). We were all a little worried about riding a ride after eating Mexican food, but everything went great. For anyone asking what the best ride in WDW is, the answer is Guardians of the Galaxy. I could seriously ride that thing 100 times a day. We strolled through through the park after Guardians and headed back to the hotel around 10pm.
- my wife and I made a quick stop by Martha's Vineyard before bed for a nightcap. After that, it was off to bed after a great long day of park hopping!
MONDAY, JANUARY 13TH:
- today is our day at Animal Kingdom. We usually only spend one day at AK during a week stay, and that day is typically only 1/2 day. What's weird is that we all really like AK and think the park is great, but we typically find ourselves ready to leave after 1/2 day. Anyway, we were all ready and out of the door at 8:00am.
- we had some major pixie dust sprinkled on us as we exited the hotel on our way to the buses. A very nice gentleman, Bill, from Disney asked us where we were heading and we told him Animal Kingdom. There was a woman with her daughter behind us who was also going to AK and Bill offered to take us all in the Princess Van. Bill works for DVC and drives guides and their customers for sales calls (I took that to mean guests who are viewing a resort before buying into DVC), and he told us his next meeting wasn't until 9:00 so he had time to drive us. Bill was FANTASTIC. As I write this I am reminded to go onto the DVC site and send an email to DVC about Bill. The van was really nice and a fun way to start the day! Bill was super nice and gave us all a lot of good Disney and DVC history during the drive. Thanks, Bill!!
- when we got to the park, we rode Flight of Passage first. The Standby line showed 60 minutes, but the actual time was more like 30 minutes. After FOP, we headed over to Everest and rode it...twice. The line was only about around 10 minutes, so we figured we would do it twice. After Everest, we walked around a bit and then went on the Safari. I don't think I have ever seen all the main "characters" be so front and center...we got great pictures of the elephants, giraffes, lions, hippos, and even the cheetah.
- we had 12:45pm lunch reservations at Yak and Yeti and it was delicious! We have been here several times, but I don't remember the portions being this large. The food was outstanding and the drinks were equally as good (my wife and I each had cocktails).
- after lunch, we watched A Bug's Life and then shopped a bit in the stores in front of the Tree of Life. We were all ready to leave right around 3:00pm, so we headed out to the busses to grab one to Beach Club. The bus was pulling away as we were walking up, but the bus for Caribbean Beach was just getting ready to leave so we hopped on it instead of waiting for the next BCV bus. We took the Skyliner from Caribbean Beach to Epcot, which was a nice relaxing time to get off our feet.
- we went back to the room for a bit before out dinner reservation that evening. We had 6:15pm dinner reservations at Cake Bake Shop, so it was just a short walk from Beach Club. This was our first time eating at Cake Bake, and I thought the food was just OK...especially at these prices. My wife and I stopped by in October a few days after they had opened and got two drinks and a slice of cake from the "to go" side...and the bill was $100. My two daughters hadn't been there yet so they wanted to experience it, so I was outvoted on this trip. Everyone liked their meals, but no one was overly impressed. I got the burger and it was just "meh"...I have had MUCH better burgers at WDW (and for a lot less $$). The best part of the meal was the cake...we split two slices.
- we headed over to Epcot for our nightly enjoyment of World Showcase and fireworks. The line was Remy was super short with a 20 minute posted Standby line, but the real wait time was really just the time it took to walk through the queue to get to the ride. After Remy and a nightcap from France, it was time to head back to Beach Club and call it a night. Did I mention I LOVE the short walk back to BCV after a long day a the parks? LOL.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14TH:
- today is a Hollywood Studios day. My 18 year old daughter wanted to sleep in a bit longer than the rest of us, so only three of us headed over in the morning. We didn't get up crazy early and ended up leaving the hotel around 9:00am. My younger daughter ended up meeting us around 11:00am. As usual, the three of us hopped on a boat and enjoyed the ride to HS.
- similar to our first day at HS on this trip, we hit the usual rides: Aerosmith, Tower of Terror, Mickey and Minnie, a couple Star Wars rides, and Toy Story Mania. We spent some time in between rides just enjoying the parks, as well as stopping in all the stores to window shop.
- at 12:15pm, we had lunch reservations at Sci-Fi. This is a favorite lunch spot for us, but we haven't been back in a couple trips. We were excited to have lunch here again. We got to the restaurant about 15 minutes early, so we had a beer at Baseline while we waited. The timing was perfect, because our table was ready just as we were finishing our beers. The lunch, like usual, was good. I will say I noticed the food was a little different than it used to be when we were here a couple of years ago. I used to LOVE the onion rings here, but they changed them from the large onion rings that had thicker batter and were crispy to smaller ones with just plain batter. Our server did a great job recommending some options "off menu" for our pickier eater. Even if the food isn't quite as good as it used to be, the experience and ambiance is still good.
- after lunch we rode a few more rides and then headed back to Beach Club around 4:00pm. We wanted to get changed for our dinner in Disney Springs.
- we had 7:00pm dinner reservations at The Boathouse. This is a restaurant we go to just about every time we come to WDW. We love it. The food and ambiance is great. One of the things we love about The Boathouse is listening to the live music at the outside pavilion while we wait for our table. I usually grab a cocktail at Hangar Bar to enjoy while listening to the music, and this time was no different. It is just really enjoyable. The Boathouse was PACKED due to the colder weather...no one wanted to sit outside so the wait times for tables inside were a little longer. Our table was ready around 7:15pm and we had another great meal. After our dinner, we walked around DS a little bit and enjoyed the ambiance and window shopped. We headed back to the Beach Club around 10:30pm to pack up for our changeover day the following morning.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15TH:
- this is our changeover day to Grand Floridian. First, though, was a 9:00am reservation for the Cape May Character Breakfast. This is our first time eating at Cape May, which is funny considering BCV is our home resort. I thought the food was good, but this is probably my least favorite character breakfast. It was super chaotic. We have done Chef Mickeys and Topolino's for character breakfasts, and our unanimous favorite is Topolino's. Again, the food at Cape May was good and the characters were great...but it just seemed really chaotic with kids running around and there didn't seem to be as much room between tables so everyone was kind of on top of each other.
- after breakfast, we grabbed our bags and checked out. We grabbed an Uber XXL to bring us to Grand Floridian. We were all VERY excited for our first time staying at VGF! When we got to VGF, our room was not ready yet so we left our bags with bell services and headed to Magic Kingdom for a bit.
- because we all had such a big breakfast and had Ohana reservations for dinner, we just snacked for our "lunch". I couldn't wait to get some cheeseburger spring rolls, which are SO good. Actually, three of us had them...my "picky" eater daughter elected not to eat them. We rode a couple rides (Pirates, Tiki Room) and then headed back at 1:30pm to check out the Grand Floridian.
- we walked the grounds and got a feel for where everything is...and then got the text around 2:30pm that our room was ready. We checked into our room and it was AMAZING. We were in Big Pine Key and had a room at the end of the floor. The great thing is that we had no rooms above us, so we had more of a vaulted ceiling. It was awesome and we loved our room! The deck had cool vibe because there was no one above us, and your head is even with the shingles of the roof. The view was incredible, looking across the GF, lagoon, monorail, and Polynesian.
- we got settled and then headed over to Polynesian around 3:30pm to check out the new Poly Tower. We had 5:15pm Ohana reservations, so we grabbed a drink at the Wailulu bar at a table along the wall. They had heaters going so it was really relaxing and enjoyable. We wanted to have a drink at Trader Sam's, but the quoted wait time was an hour so we didn't have time. The new tower is really nice, and Wailulu is a cool spot to enjoy a drink and some appetizers.
- we had a great time at Ohana, and it has been years since we ate there...I think it was around 2021. As usual, we all were "sport eating" (that's what my daughter calls it when you are full but still eating) by the end of the dinner. My wife and I each had a Lapu Lapu (drink served in a pineapple), which are always fun and makes for a great social media post. LOL.
- after dinner, we visited the Poly store and then walked back to our room to drop off some things we purchased at Poly. From there, we headed over to Magic Kingdom. Tonight is Extra Magic Hours for guests staying at WDW deluxe resorts. We got to the park about 30 minutes before the fireworks started, so we found a good spot and enjoyed the fireworks. After the fireworks, there is about 15 minutes before non deluxe guests have to clear out.
- MESSAGE TO ANYONE FROM DISNEY MANAGEMENT: you all have to do a better job of organizing the flow after the fireworks. It gets CRAZY! A huge majority of people are streaming towards the exits, but then there are guests (especially those there for extra magic hours) trying to get through that mob to get to the rides. There is no clear signage showing which way to go and guests are getting yelled at by cast members who are doing their best to block off the walkways that are not supposed to be used. It's chaos.
- we were able to FINALLY weave our way through the swarms of guests and find a walkway we were allowed to walk down to get to Tomorrowland. We hit Tron, Peter Pan, Seven Dwarfs, and Tiana's before calling it a night and heading back to the hotel.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16TH:
- we slept in a little since last night was a late night. We got up around 9:00am and grabbed some light breakfast at Gasparilla's before heading to Magic Kingdom around 10:30am. We rode some rides and just experienced the park. We experienced Country Bear Jamboree twice...it is better than it used to be since they updated it. Now even my kids enjoy it! We did most of our MK shopping today, including getting gifts for everyone back home that we needed to get things for (the grandparents for watching the cat, etc.). We headed back to the hotel to change (I was in shorts) because tonight was the meal I most anticipating.
- we had 6:15pm reservations for Hoop Dee Doo, and this is my absolute favorite meal experience at WDW! I have always loved it, and the last time we went was pre Covid. We used to go every single trip, but we didn't go over the last few trips to WDW. The awesome thing is that my kids also now are old enough to really enjoy it and get nostalgic about it. We got there around 5:30pm and hit the gift shop first, then grabbed a drink and got in line to check in. For tonight's dinner, we were the middle of the 2nd row in front of the stage! To add to the fun, my wife got selected to go on stage for the final number...she was the Can Can girl. It was awesome and we all had a great time!
- after leaving Fort Wilderness, my daughters went to MK for a bit and my wife and I went to the Enchanted Rose for a couple drinks. There was no wait and we got a table right away. It was a really nice way to end the day!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17TH:
- today is the first day of Festival of the Arts at Epcot, so we were excited to experience that. We got up, got some coffee at Gasparilla's and then headed out around 9:30am. We took the monorail to the transportation center, then took the monorail to Epcot.
- this was the only day this week that the queues were insane. You could feel the energy and excitement around Festival of the Arts, and everyone really wanted to be there to feel that vibe. The annoying thing is that there were a LOT of people blogging...I wouldn't be surprised if 1/4 of the people there were bloggers. Normally I wouldn't care about that stuff, but many of them were super snobby and acted like they should be getting special privileges. God forbid if you accidentally walked into their frame when they were videoing things. News flash to the bloggers: if it is that busy and there is no way to get around you, people may walk into your shot...traffic is not going to stop for you while you film for 2 minutes.
- we really enjoyed Epcot today. We stopped at a lot of food stands (France, Morocco, Mexico, China, Germany, Canada, USA...just to name a few) to grab cocktails and food. We just worked our way around Epcot and enjoyed the vibe. The only ride we rode was Guardians one last time. My wife was very excited to get the Figment popcorn bucket...Figment is her FAVORITE. We left Epcot around 4:30pm to get back to Grand Floridian for our dinner reservation.
- we had 6:15pm reservations at Narcoossee's for dinner. This was our first time eating here and has been on my to-do list for a while. It did not disappoint! Every one of us loved our meal. Our server did an excellent job on his recommendations. The cocktails were equally as good as the food. I will say, the view from this restaurant is fantastic. We were at a table right along the window and had a great view of the MK and the castle the entire time. We got done eating around 7:30pm, but our server let us know that we could come back and watch the fireworks from the deck outside if we wanted to...we just had to show them our receipt so they knew we had dinner there.
- we headed back to the room after dinner to start packing, but my wife headed back down to Narcoossee's to watch the fireworks. I was all set...I was more concerned with how I was going to fit the mountain of purchases into our suitcases. My wife said the fireworks were fantastic. We managed to get everything packed up, but we are pros at this stuff at this point. We always bring some "stow away" back packs in case we need extra room going home. We always come with only one carry on each, but come back home with two carry ons each. LOL. After we got everything packed up, we still had time for one final "farewell" cocktail at Enchanted Rose.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18TH:
- our flight was at 10:00am, which is much better than the earlier flights we have had in the past. Our car service was there right on time at 7:00am, which IMO was a little early (my vote was for 7:30am). The car service always recommends getting picked up three hours before the flight in case MCO is crazy, so my wife went with their recommendation. There have been times we were glad they recommended the three hour prior to flight pickup, especially during the holiday season. However, with the lower crowds I had a feeling we were going to be there with time to kill...and I was right. The lines (baggage check and security) were short, so we had some time to get coffee before our flight.
- my wife and I have always laughed at the juxtaposition of the people arriving to MCO compared to those leaving. The people arriving who are decked out in their WDW gear are very excited to get to WDW, while the people leaving and waiting for their planes are sad the week is over. This trip was no different. We always find it a humorous comparison...and it is right there to see as people arriving are getting off their planes. Next time you are both arriving and leaving, take a moment to look around and notice it.
- good bye, WDW! Until next time!
That's it. That's the recap of this trip. As usual, there were a lot of things that are favorites of ours that we repeated...and there were also things we tried for the first time. It was another awesome trip to WDW! Next up is a March DCL cruise on the new Treasure for just my wife and I. We can't wait for that! Only 5 weeks until we are experiencing some more Disney magic!
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