In less than 15 minutes, we had made it from Winter Summerland all the way to the EPCOT resort area. The first stop was the Swan resort. The walk from the Swan to the Boardwalk was pretty short, so we figured it would be easier to just get off there than have to stop at the Yacht and Beach Club before getting to the Boardwalk bus stop.
Along the way, we got a lovely view of the Dolphin resort.
Since this was meant to be more of a relaxing play-it-by-ear day, we didnt have any ADRs, but figured we would be able to get into one of the restaurants around Crescent Lake. We decided on the Big River Grill and Brewing Works on the Boardwalk. There wasnt a table ready when we got there, but the wait was only around 20 minutes, so we took the opportunity to do a little exploring around the Boardwalk.
Our first stop was the nearby shops on the Boardwalk. I continued my search for any sort of
Tangled pin but couldnt find any.
I know Ive probably mentioned it time after time, but I love the theming at the Boardwalk. Out of all the Disney resorts Ive stayed at, its definitely my favorite.
The windows of the shops were all decorated for Christmas.
After a bit of browsing in the shops, Buzz and Mom decided to check out the model room at the Disney Vacation Club open house. They seemed impressed, but not enough to seriously consider the Vacation Club. I set off to do a little more exploring. The Christmas tree near the center of the resort was a must-see.
One of the elephants around the pool area. Even though weve stayed here a few times, weve never actually swam in the pool. Of course, weve only stayed there in December, so that explains that.
After a while, the four of us all managed to meet up again at the gift shops and headed over to Big River Grill once our table was ready. We had been to this Big River years and years ago and enjoyed it then, so it was nice to revisit it. The décor of the restaurant is pleasant but nothing spectacular (hence- no pictures), but it did have a nice view of the Yacht and Beach across Crescent Lake. Most of us opted for sandwiches or burgers. I had the Kobe burger and enjoyed it. As far as full service burgers go, it was better than most Ive had. I didnt have the feeling that I was eating an overpriced Applebees entre like I have at other restaurants on-property. After lunch, I still had some room for dessert (which is fairly unusual for me) and something called the Chocolate Confusion caught my eye, so Buzz and I got one to split. It was a mix of chocolate mousse and Oreo brownie cake with chocolate icing and chocolate chips. It was almost chocolate overload, but so delicious! All in all, I enjoyed Big River. It isnt the most elaborately themed restaurants at Disney, but I enjoyed the food and the more relaxing away from it all atmosphere. The whole meal was exactly what we were looking for that afternoon.
After lunch, we headed up to the lobby to see some more of the resorts Christmas decorations.
The Boardwalks traditional gingerbread tableau was on display in the lobby. Daisy Claus made sure to check her list. I assume she checked it twice.
Santa Donald was stuck in the chimney while pastry chef Stitch seemed to be doing as much eating as baking.
Christmas garlands were hung over the lobbys fireplace.
I tried to get a few shots of the elaborate miniature amusement park in the lobby. This one was my favorite photo of the bunch.
One of the vintage Mutoscopes scattered around the hallway to the Boardwalk Inn. A couple of them still work!
One of my favorite spots in the resorts- the Bell Vue Room. In the evening, its the resorts lounge, but in the morning they do a counter service breakfast there. It was so wonderful starting the day with a breakfast pastery while listening to vintage radio shows from the 30s and 40s in this cozy little nook. It was pretty empty at this point of the day, so I was able to get a few photos of it.
As much as I would have loved to spend more time at the Boardwalk, there were other placed that we wanted to visit that day, so we decided to head on towards the Beach Club to enjoy some of their Christmas decorations.
Next Chapter: Holidays at the Yacht and Beach Club.
The day was so fun though, I really want to do even some kind of mini-TR for it. 
Thats right, three nights of relaxing at the Animal Kingdom Lodge with possible side trips to Downtown Disney, Universals City Walk and maybe even some resort hopping. Weve never done just a resort stay before at Disney, but it should be fun. Who knows, it might actually be like a restful vacation! 
I'm all caught up now though!
Anyway, keep an eye out for the new chapter.
) I am so glad we were able to meet both of them. 
