"Let's See What We Can See!"- Surviving WDW With Three Under 3! - And now... A CRUISE?! Updated 4/19!

[vamassey1]

So sorry you started you day way to early with some stomach issues. Glad to hear it resolved itself so you could enjoy your Summer House by the Lake brunch. My DD ate there and loved it too. It's on my list for someday. There are just too many places in DS.

Arrival Day for the rest of the family sound so exciting and also exhausting. Having a swim day is the perfect way to bridge that gap of arrival and park touring. We have a resort day planned for the day we check into AOA too and we'll be in a Cars Suite. Thanks for sharing your photos. We stayed in a Nemo suite in 2022 so we know what to expect as far as size of the room. The cost is a lot for what you get but we usually take advantage of DD's CM discount to help make that cost not so hard to swallow. You niece and nephew are so cute. It's making me even more excited to see my 3 grandson's reactions to AOA. The middle boy is 2 1/2 and loves Cars too. We're looking forward to the using the big splash pad again. We didn't get in the pool last time there so that should be fun for us too.

 

[Mollydolly334]

I just love how you write Molly, I can almost feel the fun energy of your family as you describe the day to day of it all.

OMG, this comment made my day Thank you so much!!! I have so much fun writing these and I'm so glad that it reflects in my writing!!

This doesn't surprised me at all! YC/BC are our favorite resorts, but my goodness, something about Stormalong Bay turns people into psychos! I've seen so many ridiculously rude interactions at that pool.

Your pool day sounds so amazing! Do they actually play music under the water there? I thought I heard about that somewhere, didn't know where it was though!

It was CRAZY! I had never seen such rudeness and entitlement! Like, I get it, it's a fun pool, but... really??

So apparently they used to play music underwater, but they stopped! (See Caroline's comment below). Honestly, it makes a lot of sense!!

They quit playing music under the water because to many kids were needing to be rescued by the lifeguards
I read that somewhere so no more underwater music
What a fun afternoon and the kids are so stinkin cute!

Ahhhh, got it!! I mean it makes sense; I can totally see kids staying underwater for wayyyy too long and trying to hear the music!!

Thank you!! We had so much fun!

What a fun pool day- and a different atmosphere having to be in charge of 3 kiddos- always an adventure!
I'm so sad that they stopped playing the music. We've stayed there twice and loved it both times, but haven't splurged on a suite since we only had 2 kids- and on that trip, my mom and sister stayed with us.

I would have ruminated the same with you at the bartender's comment. Yikes!
Hope you found some yummy dinner!

It was definitely a change in pace but a fun one!! Overall, we loved AoA with the kids; it was absolutely perfect for them and so fun to see them enjoy all of the characters and theming. The Splash Pad was one of the highlights of their trip!

Ugh! I have this problem myself. This makes me a little nervous to try 'different' types of food and snacks on vacation. Glad you felt better fairly quickly.


I loved Nilla's trip reports!

You make CSR look really tempting. Maybe my next family trip because my sons both want a moderate.

Ugh, I hear you so much I usually end up trying the food, then regretting it to some extent because of how it makes me feel. But, in the grand scheme of things, personally, I would much rather try the fun and unique food and not feel 100% vs. just eat the same boring stuff I do at home

CSR was amazing; especially if you are foodies and/or have older kids, it is a perfect resort for that!!

I have a lot to catch up on!!


Great luck!!

This makes Milwaukee the coolest airport I've heard of - it looks like a big library!

You're making me want to fly out of Milwaukee instead of Chicago from now on.

Oh no! We had the issue of someone trying to watch a movie with no headphones on our last flight too, sitting right in front of us. After a few minutes, my daughter loudly said, "I thought you can only watch movies with headphones on?" since that is what we told our kids. I took advantage of that and loudly replied, "Yes, that's what you're supposed to do! So everyone else can listen to their own things!" The person got the hint and put headphones in shortly after.

I bet it hit even better after all the stinky smells earlier in your day!

Oh my goodness, I need to try the PB Cold Brew Cookie!!

I always think that too!

Oh no! If they updated their menu they should have given you the updated version. What a bummer!

The PB Cold Brew cookies just got even better, Reese's Pieces are one of my favorite candies too. I now will have to plan our next trip around when that pops up on the menu!

Hi!!!! So glad you are here

The Milwaukee airport is so cute, but for us, a shorter distance to the airport ALWAYS wins, LOL! So I totally understand if it's just too far for you!

I so wish that Gideon's had some sort of pattern with their menu; they change things up so much and are constantly adding new cookies. For example, if the PB cold brew cookie was there every May, that would definitely factor in with my planning! But it's all so random- I wish there was some way to predict so that you can plan your trip better!!

Hi, Molly!!!! I was three updates behind again somehow!?!! Well, I know how. I haven't opened my laptop AT ALL since starting summer break LOL

First, I am SO excited for you getting September on your GoTG ride!!!! I had tears in my eyes reading that part, imagining you two screaming your heads off!! So sweet.

Family arrival does sound a little insane!! I'm glad you got to have some time just you and Jake to be in chill mode before all that family fun started!

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

Hi Jackie!!! So glad you seem to be having a relaxing and fun summer

Getting September was a perfect cherry on top to an amazing day!! Jake and I were SO glad that we ended up doing that park day just the two of us; it was just what we needed before the craziness began!

So sorry you started you day way to early with some stomach issues. Glad to hear it resolved itself so you could enjoy your Summer House by the Lake brunch. My DD ate there and loved it too. It's on my list for someday. There are just too many places in DS.

Arrival Day for the rest of the family sound so exciting and also exhausting. Having a swim day is the perfect way to bridge that gap of arrival and park touring. We have a resort day planned for the day we check into AOA too and we'll be in a Cars Suite. Thanks for sharing your photos. We stayed in a Nemo suite in 2022 so we know what to expect as far as size of the room. The cost is a lot for what you get but we usually take advantage of DD's CM discount to help make that cost not so hard to swallow. You niece and nephew are so cute. It's making me even more excited to see my 3 grandson's reactions to AOA. The middle boy is 2 1/2 and loves Cars too. We're looking forward to the using the big splash pad again. We didn't get in the pool last time there so that should be fun for us too.

I totally agree on the DS front; I'm always overwhelmed by the restaurant choices there!! I'm constantly battling between trying something new vs. going with our old standbys.

AoA and the Cars Suite will be absolutely perfect for your grandsons!! It's a perfect "boy room" (haha) and I know that they will love the characters and theming soooo much!!! Having a swim day at the beginning really helped us relax right away and work out all the logistics of traveling with such little kiddos.

 

[Mollydolly334]

Real-Life Update- Mini Colorado TR!


Hi DISfriends! Hope you all had a great 4th of July. Thought I’d do a quick real-life update, since Jake and I just returned from a little trip! We were in Colorado from July 3-7th, and it was AWESOME! We stayed for 3 nights in Estes Park, then the last night in Vail.

Jake and I are not usually “outdoorsy” people, so this was definitely out of our wheelhouse. But, spoiler alert, we LOVED the change in pace and vowed to do nature-focused vacations like this more often! This was my first time to visit a national park, and now, I have a whole list of the ones I want to visit next!

We did SO much in our 4 nights here!

I’m pretty sure we walked every square inch of the town of Estes Park!







The Stanley Hotel- the inspiration for The Overlook Hotel in the movie “The Shining!” Jake and I are horror movie buffs, so we were excited to see this!







During our time in Estes Park, we stayed at the Silver Moon Inn, which was, in a word, CHARMING! It was absolutely perfect for us; just a 2-minute walk to downtown Estes Park and had such a rustic and woodsy vibe.



We also beat the ground down in Vail; each day of the trip, we walked 25,000- 29,000 steps!






During our time in Vail, we stayed at the Austria Haus. It was an Austrian-themed cottage-type resort, and once again, it was absolutely PERFECT. It was right in the middle of Vail Village, and the room was HUGE and so luxe!





We really couldn’t have picked better hotels. They were reasonably priced (well, compared to Disney standards, LOL), and both resorts had free breakfast as well, so that's always a plus!

Overall, we felt that spent the perfect amount of time in each city. We slightly preferred Estes Park, because we felt that it was more rustic and really screamed “nature.” Vail was absolutely stunning and reminded us of a European village, but there really wasn’t too much to do besides shopping/restaurants, since we don’t ski!





We spent two mornings exploring Rocky Mountain National Park!









We drove all the way up Visitor’s Center- at 12,000 feet elevation!





We also saw a moose!



Bear Lake





Nymph Lake



We also spent an evening in downtown Boulder and explored Pearl Street!







It was a good thing we walked so much; we definitely indulged in ALL of the food!

Ube Latte from Kind Coffee in Estes Park



Elk Meat Cheeseburgers and Fries from Penelope’s Famous Burgers and Fries in Estes Park



Pizza from Bob and Tony’s in Estes Park



We didn’t eat here, but we saw an ADORABLE restaurant called MollyB in Estes Park. I needed to grab a pic by the sign; my maiden name starts with a B, so for most of my life, I have been known as “Molly B.”



Breakfast Sandwich, Hash Brown Casserole, and Peanut Butter Pie from You Need Pie! In Estes Park



Bacon-Wrapped Dates, Deviled Eggs, Hoisin Duck Wings (my first time trying duck!), and Crispy Brussels Sprouts from River and Woods in Boulder.



Pork Shank, German Pretzel, Bratwurst, and Mashed Potatoes from Alpenrose in Vail.



And… ice cream! Duh



Jake was an absolute rockstar- we rented a Jeep Rubicon, and he drove SO much this weekend. And, some of the roads were so high and winding!!!

As you can see from the photos, we hit the JACKPOT on weather. We didn't get a drop of rain the entire time we were there, and it was always sunny and 70 degrees on the nose! I don’t think I sweat an ounce the entire time; the air was so crisp and clean. We also didn’t notice any altitude-related issues besides our noses and lips being kind of dry!

Overall, it was such an amazing trip, and the perfect little holiday getaway!




​

 

[Disney102015]

I was so behind but just had a blast catching up!

My mom immediately started crying out of happiness. It was going to be a LOOONG week.

Awww haha I love this!!

This part of the day was… chaotic

My sister and I were just reminiscing about our last big family trip with our 6 kids (I think they were 9, 4, 4, 2, 2, and 3 months at the time) and both cackled thinking about the ~2 hours after check in. We thought we had made the BIGGEST mistake taking this trip, between all the diaper changes and luggage and groceries and strollers being delivered all at once and the kids being stir crazy from the plane and trying to wrangle everyone into swimsuits and sunscreen for the first time. We were both like…what have we done?!? Haha. It was (comparatively) smooth sailing after those first few hairy hours!

He got me a “Big Blue Ocean,” which was vodka, Bacardi, lemonade, and Blue Curacao- with a pretty glow cube!

That’s what I always get there! And Nick gets the Mai tai!

Your trip to CO looks awesome! I had never heard of Estes Park but now it’s on my list!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

What a fun trip to CO! Thanks for sharing

 

[vamassey1]

Wow so much natural beauty in Colorado. I would love to see this.

The food looked pretty good too.

 

[missjackiemcg]

My cousins live in Colorado and post these type of scenic mountain pics all the time, and I am just in awe they live in the midst of it all!! I love that you and Jake discovered you actually ARE outdoorsy people More adventures to come!!!!

PS love the Overlook reference!! I absolutely LOVED that book. It took me forever to finally watch the movie, and when I did, I was so sad I didn't love it

 

[cindianne320]

What a fun trip. I grew up in Northern MN, so used to see moose pretty often, but my children never have! Colorado looks beautiful- my DH would love to go skiing there, while I eat all the food! <3

 

[suse66]

As most of you know, I have a pretty sensitive stomach, and oftentimes certain foods will aggravate it (especially when I am eating more frequently and often eating super decadent foods on vacation). My blessing (curse?) is that when I have a stomachache, I immediately know the exact food that I ate that brought me the discomfort. And, in this case, it was the Mediterranean Flatbread from Flower and Garden Festival yesterday.

Ugh, poor you!

Walking around this section made me think of some of my favorite TRs written by Nilla over here on the DIS. I haven’t seen him around here in a while! His family always stayed at CSR, mostly in the Cabanas buildings I binge-read all of his old TRs right before we left to prepare us for our stay here!

I really love the walk around CSR. It's such a pretty resort!

After our grand tour of CSR, Jake and I looped back to El Mercado. I filled up my resort mug with water and mixed in a packet of Liquid IV. This brought me back to 100%, and I was ready to do some browsing and brunch at Disney Springs! We got an adorable Toy Story bus, and left CSR at 9:45 AM.

I need to find liquid IV here!

I loved the feel of this restaurant. It’s very light and airy!

It's beautiful!

For entrees, Jake ordered the Breakfast Tostadas,

Yum!!!!

Jake was in food heaven. He absolutely loved the Breakfast Tostadas. The pulled chicken was super moist and tender, the eggs were cooked perfectly, and the sauces packed so much flavor! And… THE PINKIE! Oh my WORD this cookie was incredible. So soft, sweet, with a perfect swirl of gooey strawberry icing on top. I had MAJOR food envy with this cookie, especially since I wasn’t a huge fan of my two cookies. The Lemon cookie was too tart for my liking, and the Beach Blondie was super one-note and kind of bland. It definitely needed some toffee or butterscotch chips mixed in. Usually, at the Chicago location, I get the Oatmeal Scotchie Cookie or Sea-Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie, and those are always great. So, the risk didn’t pay off for me today!

Too bad your cookies weren't your favourite but your meal looked fantastic! Jake's meal looked great too.

Immediately, once Ollie saw all of the Cars decorations, he yelled, “WHOAH, RACECARS!!” My mom immediately started crying out of happiness. It was going to be a LOOONG week.

So your mom and I are literally the same person because that would be me!

However, the room needed some work. My mom commented on how the room was a lot smaller than she imagined it would be, and that it was TIGHT for them. They felt that the room was way too expensive for what they got (I want to say that they paid about $600 for their one night stay), and that it felt cheap and small.

Yeah I have to agree...they do look small to me.

I was convinced that it was the rash guard, Nana was convinced that I had accidentally scratched him with my ring (I absolutely did not ). Haley fed him, but he was still upset… and what do you know? As soon as we took off the rash guard, he was happy as a clam. Moral of the story- always listen to Auntie Molly. We changed Ethan into a looser rash guard, and we were FINALLY ready for some pool time!

Auntie Molly for the win! And how delicious is that baby?? He is chonky!

At 4:15 PM, we could definitely tell that the kids were slowing down. Nobody except Jake and I had had a real meal that day besides airport/plane snacks, and they were STARVING! So, we set off in search of some grub!

TS or QS?

Jake and I are not usually “outdoorsy” people, so this was definitely out of our wheelhouse. But, spoiler alert, we LOVED the change in pace and vowed to do nature-focused vacations like this more often! This was my first time to visit a national park, and now, I have a whole list of the ones I want to visit next!

I can highly recommend the Smokies.

We really couldn’t have picked better hotels. They were reasonably priced (well, compared to Disney standards, LOL), and both resorts had free breakfast as well, so that's always a plus!

They look so lovely!

Overall, it was such an amazing trip, and the perfect little holiday getaway!

It looks like such a fun trip! Now I want to go to Colorado!

 

[piglet1979]

You and your sister look a lot a like. At a first glace one of the pictures of your sister, I thought it was you.

So I have not been on in a little bit and I had this in the quotes. I am not sure I responded with them the last time. So bare with me if I am repeating myself

I spotted these crew necks everywhere around WDW, and I regretfully did not purchase one I couldn’t decide between Piglet and Eeyore!

I need to get this. I love Piglet. I had a group of friends in high school that we all took on a Winnie the Pooh Character and I was Piglet. Our personalities match.

So, my verdict? I loved the movement and the music, but sadly, the screens make it hard for me! I’m SO glad I tried it once, but it’s not a ride I would need to do over and over again! Unfortunately, keeping your head down and focusing on not getting dizzy kind of ruins the atmosphere of a ride.

I am guessing this is Guardians and I am not sure what I wanted to say. I am glad you finally rode it though. I chicken out a lot with rides and takes a lot of convincing to get me to ride. We live by Cedar Point and every summer I would go with friends and every time I got in line for Magnum and every time I chickened out. It just has a big hill at the beginning. To this day I have never ridden it. But I rode the Power Tower (Like Tower of Terror) for a boy. I hated it and have never been on ToT. So I applaud you for having the courage to get over your fear and ride it.

Evie swallowed a penny this afternoon.”

My nephew swallowed a quarter once. Plenty old enough to know better too. I think he was 7. They are not fun. They wait and see and not knowing is the worst. I think Cory ended up having surgery to remove the quarter.

Of course, my sensitive self secretly over-analyzed this interaction and felt paralyzing guilt for coming across as rude for, like, hours after this. Enneagram 9 problems. Can anyone else relate??

This is me. To this day I still over analyze stuff that happened years ago.

 

[piglet1979]

This Colorado trip sounds awesome. We need to get out and do more stuff like this. Since having the kids we have gone to Disney several times, a Disney cruise once, DC for a long weekend and Gatlinburg. (this is a once and done us).

 

[Mollydolly334]

We loved our time on the WISH! Our kids couldn't get enough and were sad to get off the boat- and go to Disney World. LOL. It was my husband's and I 5th cruise, and the kids 2nd/3rd, but it was the first one they remembered.
I've never stayed at the Poly- so super excited.

Your leisurely morning sounds perfect. I need to try Summer House. Next time!

What a fun trip. I grew up in Northern MN, so used to see moose pretty often, but my children never have! Colorado looks beautiful- my DH would love to go skiing there, while I eat all the food! <3

HAHA I love that the kids were sad to leave the boat in order to go back to WDW That's how you KNOW you had fun!! Jake and I WILL get on a cruise someday; the beauty of Colorado made us want to book an Alaskan Cruise! It was such a great trip and so different from what we're used to doing on vaca. Seeing the moose was definitely a highlight!!

I was so behind but just had a blast catching up!


Awww haha I love this!!

My sister and I were just reminiscing about our last big family trip with our 6 kids (I think they were 9, 4, 4, 2, 2, and 3 months at the time) and both cackled thinking about the ~2 hours after check in. We thought we had made the BIGGEST mistake taking this trip, between all the diaper changes and luggage and groceries and strollers being delivered all at once and the kids being stir crazy from the plane and trying to wrangle everyone into swimsuits and sunscreen for the first time. We were both like…what have we done?!? Haha. It was (comparatively) smooth sailing after those first few hairy hours!

That’s what I always get there! And Nick gets the Mai tai!

Your trip to CO looks awesome! I had never heard of Estes Park but now it’s on my list!

HAHA, I'm not going to lie, I had a similar "What have we done?" feeling during those first few hours of the trip!! Sounds like we had the exact same experience I'm hoping that our next trip will go a little smoother (or at least we'll be more prepared for that chaos, haha!)

Ooooo, definitely check out Estes Park if you can! It's a super cute little town that's right next to Rocky Mountain National Park, so it's super convenient for a nature-focused trip but also has plenty of fun shops, restaurants, and other things to do too.

What a fun trip to CO! Thanks for sharing

Thanks for reading!! It was such a fun change of pace!!

Wow so much natural beauty in Colorado. I would love to see this.

The food looked pretty good too.

Food and scenery were 100%. I couldn't believe that some people actually LIVE there and get to see that view every single day!!

My cousins live in Colorado and post these type of scenic mountain pics all the time, and I am just in awe they live in the midst of it all!! I love that you and Jake discovered you actually ARE outdoorsy people More adventures to come!!!!

PS love the Overlook reference!! I absolutely LOVED that book. It took me forever to finally watch the movie, and when I did, I was so sad I didn't love it

SERIOUSLY!!! Jake and I were joking that America is so, um, diverse with it's scenery. He was like, "Some people get to wake up in Colorado in the mountains, and we get to wake up in Milwaukee WI."

I have never read the book! I tried to way back in high school but I scared myself so badly that I had to stop I like the movie, so I have a feeling I'll like the book even more!!

Ugh, poor you!

I really love the walk around CSR. It's such a pretty resort!

I need to find liquid IV here!

It's beautiful!

Yum!!!!

Too bad your cookies weren't your favourite but your meal looked fantastic! Jake's meal looked great too.

So your mom and I are literally the same person because that would be me!

Yeah I have to agree...they do look small to me.

Auntie Molly for the win! And how delicious is that baby?? He is chonky!

TS or QS?

I can highly recommend the Smokies.

They look so lovely!

It looks like such a fun trip! Now I want to go to Colorado!

Ooo I'll definitely look into the Smokies. I heard somebody refer to Estes Park as "The Gatlinburg of the Rockies." And we loved Estes Park, so I bet we'll love Gatlinburg too!!

OMG you and my mom are soooo similar; just from reading your TRs I could tell that you guys would get along great And Ethan is SUCH a chunk!! At his 4-month check up, he was 17 lbs... meanwhile, I was a super petite baby and was 16 lbs at ONE YEAR OLD

You and your sister look a lot a like. At a first glace one of the pictures of your sister, I thought it was you.

So I have not been on in a little bit and I had this in the quotes. I am not sure I responded with them the last time. So bare with me if I am repeating myself


I need to get this. I love Piglet. I had a group of friends in high school that we all took on a Winnie the Pooh Character and I was Piglet. Our personalities match.

I am guessing this is Guardians and I am not sure what I wanted to say. I am glad you finally rode it though. I chicken out a lot with rides and takes a lot of convincing to get me to ride. We live by Cedar Point and every summer I would go with friends and every time I got in line for Magnum and every time I chickened out. It just has a big hill at the beginning. To this day I have never ridden it. But I rode the Power Tower (Like Tower of Terror) for a boy. I hated it and have never been on ToT. So I applaud you for having the courage to get over your fear and ride it.

My nephew swallowed a quarter once. Plenty old enough to know better too. I think he was 7. They are not fun. They wait and see and not knowing is the worst. I think Cory ended up having surgery to remove the quarter.

This is me. To this day I still over analyze stuff that happened years ago.

This Colorado trip sounds awesome. We need to get out and do more stuff like this. Since having the kids we have gone to Disney several times, a Disney cruise once, DC for a long weekend and Gatlinburg. (this is a once and done us).

So last time I checked , the Winnie the Pooh crew necks were still available online at disneystore.com!!

As we've gotten older, Haley and I look more and more alike... one time, Ryan even put his arm around me thinking I was Haley Our voices sound very similar too! And glad to know that I'm not the only sensitive one here... that's where Haley and I are polar opposites. She's so unbothered by everything and can brush anything off .. I wish I was more like that!!

Hmmmm.... about Gatlinburg!! Why was it a one and done for you?? I'm just wondering because Jake and I heard Estes Park being referred to as the "Gatlinburg of the Rockies," and it made us want to visit the Smokies because we loved EP so much!!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 3 (The One Where the Family Arrives, and Jake Finds Food Nirvana!)- Part 3


Although Jake and I had a big brunch at DS earlier, the rest of the family was famished from their crazy travel day! So, we went into Landscape of Flavors to find some early dinner for them.





They all ordered some variations of burgers and nuggets. Nothing like some comfort food after a big afternoon of swimming!! Jake and I weren’t too hungry, so we just munched on some Cheez-Its that I had brought in my pool bag, as well as the rest of our cookies from Summer House on the Lake.

Evie and Ollie were EXHAUSTED, eating their food like total zombies and staring at the cartoons playing on TV. We joked that Disney had broken them!



Meanwhile, Ethan was wide awake after his pool nap and ALL SMILES!







After everyone finished eating, we could tell that it was going to be an early night for the kids. We wanted them to be all rested up for Magic Kingdom tomorrow! We decided to take a walk around the resort to look at all of the different sections and let the twins burn off some steam.









This was such a great decision! We explored for a good half hour. Evie had a wicked fall in the Lion King section and scraped her knee up pretty badly, but she didn’t even flinch! *Disney Magic* everyone. We all agreed that we overwhelmingly liked the Cars section the best. It seemed to be the most detailed and was definitely the most photogenic, especially at night!

Jake and I headed back to the room with the crew to get them all settled back in. We went over our plans for tomorrow and gave them all the low-down on purchasing Genie +, the Tron virtual queue, and all that jazz. Jake and I then bid them goodbye at 5:45 PM. And, according to Haley, this is where their night ended! They spent the rest of the night chilling in the room and went to bed super early!

In contrast, Jake and I still had the whole night ahead of us!! We explored the Ink and Paint Shop gift shop for a couple minutes.



This was a REALLY nice gift shop with tons of merch! Then, we got an Uber, and we were back to CSR by 6:20 PM



We loved Art of Animation, but we were happy to have a bit of peace and quiet on our last night just the two of us. When we got back to the room, we realized that we were BEAT. The sun and pool time definitely drained us a bit!

We both took showers and just lounged around for about an hour and a half. There was a Twilight Zone marathon on TV, and we gladly watched that! I had a few pieces of mochi from Epcot and some cashews from my pool bag, which I instantly regretted. I needed some REAL FOOD! We dragged ourselves out of the room at 7:45, with Three Bridges Bar and Grill on the brain!



Before our trip, we had watched a Mammoth Club video all about Gran Destino Tower and how it was based off of Salvador Dali’s cartoon, “Destino.” We enjoyed seeing little nods to the short film all around the property!







We really lucked out with sunsets on this trip. CSR has amazing lighting for sunset photos!

When we reached Three Bridges, we could immediately tell that the place was BUSY. We enquired about a table for 2 with the hostess, expecting a pretty big wait (which we were fine with). However, the hostess regretfully shared that the waitlist was full, so it was not possible for us to do their dine-in service that night.

Jake and I understood of course, but honestly, we were stumped. We had been so excited to eat at Three Bridges that we didn’t really have a back-up dinner option for tonight. We decided to head back to El Mercado and investigate!

Jake and I browsed around El Mercado, Maya Grill, and Cafe Rix to check out their menus and see if anything tripped our trigger. Honestly, I think this put the final nail in the coffin for CSR. Once again, this area was absolutely SWARMED with cheer groups and their families. It was stressful just being there! I quickly filled up my resort mug with some Sprite and we noped right outta there.

It’s so sad, because otherwise, this resort is absolutely stunning and tranquil, and a lovely option. But, I would NEVER choose to stay here during an active convention. It totally ruins the peaceful vibes that this resort tries to replicate!

We were also really considering eating at Toledo (we figured that this more adult option would be quieter), but the food was kind of expensive and we weren’t really in the mood for anything fancy tonight. Ultimately, we found a nice table on the water right outside of Laguna Bar, and we decided to just mobile order food from Three Bridges! Even if we couldn’t dine-in, we could still enjoy the food! They gave us an order window for 8:40 PM, and our food ended up being ready to be picked up at 9:00. So, about an hour wait from start to finish, but it actually flew by! We sat, chatted, and enjoyed the view.





During this time, I got a somewhat frantic phone call from Haley. She explained that they barely had any WiFi or phone service over at AoA, and that Ryan couldn’t find his park tickets on the app. I recommended that Ryan call Guest Services to fix his tickets and reassured her that I would just purchase Genie + for them and have it all settled for tomorrow. Turns out, Ryan somehow had two MDE accounts in the system and a CM had to merge them for him!

Finally, Jake was able to run over to Three Bridges and grab our food!

Jake ordered the Three Bridges Signature Burger with a side of paprika fries.



I was all over the place tonight. I COULD NOT decide on what to eat! I went with an old stand-by that I always enjoy; an Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl.



Once again, a couple bites in, Jake proclaimed; “This is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.” For someone who is somewhat critical of Disney food, Jake hit a home-run today!! He joked that he was in “Food Nirvana” , and that if he was on death row, today’s eats would be his last meal!

My poke bowl was also INCREDIBLE. There was this coconut-lime sauce that made it the perfect blend of sweet and savory. I hate that I’m even saying this, but it was my favorite poke bowl that I’ve ever had- and I’ve been to 3 islands in Hawaii. 5 stars for Three Bridges!
It was a beautiful night sitting outside by the water. In hindsight, I’m glad we didn’t sit in Three Bridges restaurant, because it was pretty crowded and loud in there. It was nice and peaceful where we were at!

Jake and I were getting pretty tired, but we still had one more stop before heading back to the room!





The “Movie Under the Stars” tonight was Toy Story! Jake and I had tried to eat our dinner there, but it was pretty packed and no tables/chairs were available!

Even though Jake and I didn’t really feel like drinking, we knew that we at least had to stop into Dahlia Lounge!



It was so strange; despite being a Saturday night and there being a big convention going on, Dahlia Lounge was very quiet! Right after we took this picture, about half of the tables left, and it was only 9:30 PM!

Fine with us!



I wasn’t really in the mood for alcohol, so I went with a non-alcoholic Hibiscus Lemonade. Jake got a Merlot, which shocked both of us, since he is NOT a wine person! When in Rome!



See how the place cleared out?? Maybe WE were the stinky people from our travel day??



Jake was being silly and “nosing” the wine, acting like the wine expert that he absolutely is NOT.

Our drinks were yummy and a nice way to end the night! I’m glad we went up here to check it out. If we would have been hungrier, we definitely would have gotten some charcuterie or the churros for dessert; all of the food here looked great.

I think that Dahlia Lounge a really nice option for people who want to get away and have some adults-only time! It surprises me that CSR is still considered a Moderate with the addition of the Tower and the sheer amount of bars/restaurants on property.



I mean, this restaurant alone should make CSR considered a Deluxe!!

Jake and I were in there for about an hour, but time flew by! We headed out of Dahlia Lounge at 10:30 PM. We watched a bit more of The Twilight Zone and packed up all our stuff quickly, since we were checking out tomorrow. This was bittersweet; it felt like the first “leg” of the trip was officially over!

Jake and I ended up going to bed at 11:15. I was REALLY hoping that I could finally get a good night’s sleep tonight, since we had a BIG day tomorrow. We were so excited for our family Magic Kingdom day, but anxious at how the kids would do in the parks!! Would they be overwhelmed? Scared? Hyperactive? Euphoric? You’ll find out soon!


​

 

[ambula603]

Hey Molly!
I am finally back to my computer and able to catch up on your trip! Of course I wanted to start with this:

But, spoiler alert, we LOVED the change in pace and vowed to do nature-focused vacations like this more often!

I am SO HAPPY you had such a great experience in Estes! It is so charming and will always be your special first NP! Now the door is wide open for you guys to explore some more places...I vote Smokey Mountains (Gatlinburg is more crowded than Estes in our experience, but still has good food and shopping!) and SMNP is the most visited NP in the nation for good reason! I also love the Sedona area for some hikes and luxury, even if it isn't a NP. But you know my love for Grand Tetons already - I think it should be next for you guys! It could be a lovely long weekend in Jackson Hole!

As for the Disney trip, thank you for all the Coronado Springs details. It is definitely now on my list to try. And how cute is the Cars room!? But glad to know it needs some work. It's insane how much we pay for these hotels to be so small and possibly banged up. But I do love the theming!

I loved the pictures of Summer House - we are possibly redoing our basement to be a "pool house" and I love the aesthetic, I may have to scope out some more photos and videos!

Most of all I am so proud of you for trying GTG ride! I cannot believe you got September, so lucky! I think we rode it 4 times and never got it, and it was the song I wanted most. But all of them are good! I am glad you gave it a shot. On a similar note, I am so sorry you got sick after all the yummy food. Jason does that often. It doesn't slow him down much, but I do always feel bad for him!

I can't wait for more!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Dahlia and Three Bridges are reasons we keep staying at Destino!

The Poke bowl looks delicious I may need to try this in December!

The churros are very good at Dahlia with a spicy warm chocolate sauce!

 

[cindianne320]

What a relaxing evening! I’m jealous that you could mobile order at a Table Service. Caribbean Beach got rid of that option at Sebastian’s- we couldn’t even do a take out order with a reservation. (DH wasn’t feeling well.)
I’ve only stayed at Coronado once, but need to go back- even just for dining.
Can’t wait to hear how your first park day goes! (Oh, once Z had 2 accounts on MDE, too. Luckily Ryan caught it before the morning chaos!)

 

[vamassey1]

Meanwhile, Ethan was wide awake after his pool nap and ALL SMILES!

And looking do very cute!

We decided to take a walk around the resort to look at all of the different sections and let the twins burn off some steam.

We never did this on our last stay and really want to. Our last stay was in November, so it got dark really early. We'll be there in just 12 more days so we'll have lots more daylight.

We explored the Ink and Paint Shop gift shop for a couple minutes.

It's a great shop with so much merchandise.

However, the hostess regretfully shared that the waitlist was full, so it was not possible for us to do their dine-in service that night.

Oh no! This was my choice when we stayed here but got outvoted by the guys and we ended up at Cafe Rix.

It’s so sad, because otherwise, this resort is absolutely stunning and tranquil, and a lovely option. But, I would NEVER choose to stay here during an active convention. It totally ruins the peaceful vibes that this resort tries to replicate!

It is a lovely resort. There were no big conventions when we went so it was quiet. I hope you give it another try when it's not so busy.

. Ultimately, we found a nice table on the water right outside of Laguna Bar, and we decided to just mobile order food from Three Bridges! Even if we couldn’t dine-in, we could still enjoy the food!

This was just perfect.

Once again, a couple bites in, Jake proclaimed; “This is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.”

Now you make me want to go even more.

Even though Jake and I didn’t really feel like drinking, we knew that we at least had to stop into Dahlia Lounge!

As adults you had to go here.

Jake and I ended up going to bed at 11:15. I was REALLY hoping that I could finally get a good night’s sleep tonight, since we had a BIG day tomorrow. We were so excited for our family Magic Kingdom day, but anxious at how the kids would do in the parks!! Would they be overwhelmed? Scared? Hyperactive? Euphoric? You’ll find out soon!

Another cliffhanger. I hope it turned out good.

 

[piglet1979]

that's where Haley and I are polar opposites. She's so unbothered by everything and can brush anything off .. I wish I was more like that!!

My sister is so out going and doesn't worry about things. I wish I had an ounce of her in me too.

Hmmmm.... about Gatlinburg!! Why was it a one and done for you?? I'm just wondering because Jake and I heard Estes Park being referred to as the "Gatlinburg of the Rockies," and it made us want to visit the Smokies because we loved EP so much!!

We went the last week of July last year with my dad and step mom. It was the hottest week with temps in the 100's and the heat index even higher. So I am sure these 2 things didn't help anything. As I have gotten older I get more nervous in cars in areas I don't know. We left from My dad's in Kentucky and went mostly back roads the rest of the way. We were on some roads, on the side of a mountain for 2 cars but only big enough for 1. This started my anxiety and I was super stressed. Then when we got Gatlinburg (we stayed 2 cities in front of Gatlinburg but it is all one big road between the 3 cities). I have never seen so much traffic in my life. It is 6 lanes (maybe more) of barely moving traffic. I told Jeff he was not allowed to drink this week as I refused to drive. It was just too much. I can handle Disney busy but this seemed different. Everything is very touristy and very expensive.

We did find a great BBQ place not on the main strip. It was the best BBQ we have ever had. It is a place you will never find if you someone didn't tell you. They don't really have anything on the internet either. It looks like an old garage/gas station and only had about 6 tables. The son sat people, the mom took orders, the grandma helped clear tables and the dad and other son cooked the food. It was the best place.

I think if we were staying more up in the mountains and not in the main area it would have been better. That was more what I was expecting. Just hanging out in the woods and it so was not like that but we were more in the thick of the chaos. It took me week after getting home for my stress level to come back down.

We did go to Dollywood one day. It was not a park for any of us but my son. It is either you go on thrill rides (coasters) or they have kiddie rides. I am inbetween them and there wasn't really anything for me to ride. We are also spilled with Cedar Point basically in our back yards. It was not a bad park by any means, just wasn't for us.

We also did a mountain coaster. These are pretty fun. We timed it right and went once in the daylight and by the time we got on again (long lines) it was dark. So pretty cool. We also went horseback riding (Elizabeth rides now and I did before I had kids). We did go carts but it was just too hot to be on black top with the heat from the go charts in 100 degrees temps. Kids also did the thing where it simulates sky diving. They had a lot of fun with that. Once day we did put put, a mirror maze and the arcade. SO it all wasn't bad. We did have fun but it was just too stressful with how busy it was.

 

[amberdc1987]

Just found your report!! I'm on board. I cannot wait to hear more about it! And your first day with the family.

 

[Mollydolly334]

Hey Molly!
I am finally back to my computer and able to catch up on your trip! Of course I wanted to start with this:

I am SO HAPPY you had such a great experience in Estes! It is so charming and will always be your special first NP! Now the door is wide open for you guys to explore some more places...I vote Smokey Mountains (Gatlinburg is more crowded than Estes in our experience, but still has good food and shopping!) and SMNP is the most visited NP in the nation for good reason! I also love the Sedona area for some hikes and luxury, even if it isn't a NP. But you know my love for Grand Tetons already - I think it should be next for you guys! It could be a lovely long weekend in Jackson Hole!

As for the Disney trip, thank you for all the Coronado Springs details. It is definitely now on my list to try. And how cute is the Cars room!? But glad to know it needs some work. It's insane how much we pay for these hotels to be so small and possibly banged up. But I do love the theming!

I loved the pictures of Summer House - we are possibly redoing our basement to be a "pool house" and I love the aesthetic, I may have to scope out some more photos and videos!

Most of all I am so proud of you for trying GTG ride! I cannot believe you got September, so lucky! I think we rode it 4 times and never got it, and it was the song I wanted most. But all of them are good! I am glad you gave it a shot. On a similar note, I am so sorry you got sick after all the yummy food. Jason does that often. It doesn't slow him down much, but I do always feel bad for him!

I can't wait for more!

Hi Amber!! I loved looking at your vacation pics and you definitely gave us inspo for more National Park trips!!! I think #1 on our list for next time is Alaska We're thinking maybe summer 2025 or 2026. Yellowstone or Yosemite is also next up! I've never been to Arizona, but Jake lived there for a couple months before we met, and he has rave reviews about Sedona! I'm guessing we'll do a weekend trip there sometime soon!

We loooooved the vibes at Summer House. We're planning on eating at the Chicago location in a couple weeks so I can send you more pics to compare and contrast the differences between the two!!

I'm sooo happy we got September!! Jake and I joke that we're never lucky like that with songs; on our trip to Disneyland, we got "Give Up The Funk" for 3 out of the 4 times we rode Mission: Breakout By the third time, we both just screamed "Noooooooo!"

Dahlia and Three Bridges are reasons we keep staying at Destino!

The Poke bowl looks delicious I may need to try this in December!

The churros are very good at Dahlia with a spicy warm chocolate sauce!

YES you should try the poke bowl!! It was soooo good! Even if we're not staying at CSR, we are definitely going to make it back to those places. The vibes were so good and the food was amazing!

What a relaxing evening! I’m jealous that you could mobile order at a Table Service. Caribbean Beach got rid of that option at Sebastian’s- we couldn’t even do a take out order with a reservation. (DH wasn’t feeling well.)
I’ve only stayed at Coronado once, but need to go back- even just for dining.
Can’t wait to hear how your first park day goes! (Oh, once Z had 2 accounts on MDE, too. Luckily Ryan caught it before the morning chaos!)

It worked out so well being able to do a mobile order for 3 Bridges! I did this once at Kona Cafe too and it's so convenient!!

Hahah- we figured it out that it was because Ryan had one account with his old work e-mail I had a momentary instance of panic where I was like, "Did I forget to buy Ryan's ticket???"

And looking do very cute!



We never did this on our last stay and really want to. Our last stay was in November, so it got dark really early. We'll be there in just 12 more days so we'll have lots more daylight.



It's a great shop with so much merchandise.



Oh no! This was my choice when we stayed here but got outvoted by the guys and we ended up at Cafe Rix.



It is a lovely resort. There were no big conventions when we went so it was quiet. I hope you give it another try when it's not so busy.



This was just perfect.



Now you make me want to go even more.



As adults you had to go here.



Another cliffhanger. I hope it turned out good.

We will DEFINITELY try CSR again!! The cheer crowds were annoying but not enough to make us never want to go back; you really get a lot of bang for your buck there and it's a great resort with amazing food and beverage options.

AHHHH! Your trip is getting so close- how exciting!! You'll have to update me on how the kids like AoA and how they do in the parks!!

My sister is so out going and doesn't worry about things. I wish I had an ounce of her in me too.

We went the last week of July last year with my dad and step mom. It was the hottest week with temps in the 100's and the heat index even higher. So I am sure these 2 things didn't help anything. As I have gotten older I get more nervous in cars in areas I don't know. We left from My dad's in Kentucky and went mostly back roads the rest of the way. We were on some roads, on the side of a mountain for 2 cars but only big enough for 1. This started my anxiety and I was super stressed. Then when we got Gatlinburg (we stayed 2 cities in front of Gatlinburg but it is all one big road between the 3 cities). I have never seen so much traffic in my life. It is 6 lanes (maybe more) of barely moving traffic. I told Jeff he was not allowed to drink this week as I refused to drive. It was just too much. I can handle Disney busy but this seemed different. Everything is very touristy and very expensive.

We did find a great BBQ place not on the main strip. It was the best BBQ we have ever had. It is a place you will never find if you someone didn't tell you. They don't really have anything on the internet either. It looks like an old garage/gas station and only had about 6 tables. The son sat people, the mom took orders, the grandma helped clear tables and the dad and other son cooked the food. It was the best place.

I think if we were staying more up in the mountains and not in the main area it would have been better. That was more what I was expecting. Just hanging out in the woods and it so was not like that but we were more in the thick of the chaos. It took me week after getting home for my stress level to come back down.

We did go to Dollywood one day. It was not a park for any of us but my son. It is either you go on thrill rides (coasters) or they have kiddie rides. I am inbetween them and there wasn't really anything for me to ride. We are also spilled with Cedar Point basically in our back yards. It was not a bad park by any means, just wasn't for us.

We also did a mountain coaster. These are pretty fun. We timed it right and went once in the daylight and by the time we got on again (long lines) it was dark. So pretty cool. We also went horseback riding (Elizabeth rides now and I did before I had kids). We did go carts but it was just too hot to be on black top with the heat from the go charts in 100 degrees temps. Kids also did the thing where it simulates sky diving. They had a lot of fun with that. Once day we did put put, a mirror maze and the arcade. SO it all wasn't bad. We did have fun but it was just too stressful with how busy it was.

Ahhhhh I gotcha. Heat, crowds, and traffic is a lethal combination! Especially when you're not expecting it. We definitely had some traffic issues in Colorado too. On our way from Vail to the airport, it took 3 hours and 15 minutes to drive 90 miles!! I'll make a note to try to go in the off season if we do ever make it to Gatlinburg!

We did a mountain coaster in Estes Park too!! It was fun with great views but it went FAST! I was a little nervous haha

Just found your report!! I'm on board. I cannot wait to hear more about it! And your first day with the family.

Thank you so much for reading along!! New update coming soon