She's Headed to High School, a June 2024 WL Trip Report: Post Trip DL Update 10/11

[KPeterso]

I am also not a big fan of Dino. Just too jerky and loud. We have a few pics over the years of my head practically in my Mom's lap. Just not one I like at all.

The Indy version is better to me, but I also cannot tell you the last time I rode it. Probably over a year at this point. I like it better but it is still too jerky to ride all the time.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

How did you get the picture of being in the Kali raft? Did a cast member or guest take it for you? Or is that PhotoPass?

The CM who was loading the rafts took it for us. We didn't ask for it, but he saw us taking a selfie and he had the extra time to do it so he did. It was a nice thing.

And is Tappan Edo number two?

Yes it is! We started Teppan Edo one year after Yak and Yeti, and that streak is continuing as well.

Allie's dresses were adorable. Melissa had done a great job with them.

She was so little!

The worst is when you get totally soaked from the waist down. At least you avoided that.

Yes, we were quite fortunate and kept ourselves relatively dry. For me getting my shoes soaked is the worst, and we all kept our feet up and did well.

I'm not comfortable in the vehicles, either. They are too jerky.

They were pretty innovative, but that was a long time ago. We both remember going to Disneyland right after Indiana Jones opened, and it never really bothered me, but they are really rough.

I am also not a big fan of Dino. Just too jerky and loud. We have a few pics over the years of my head practically in my Mom's lap. Just not one I like at all.

The Indy version is better to me, but I also cannot tell you the last time I rode it. Probably over a year at this point. I like it better but it is still too jerky to ride all the time.

Yeah, it definitely isn't for everybody. It was pretty intense for most of us, but I'm glad we got to do it one more time. We don't do the Indy version either, it just is one ride Melissa doesn't enjoy, so generally we avoid it.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off, we were heading out of Animal Kingdom. We left the park at 2:53 and got on the tram at 3:00.

It took a little bit to find the Jeep but we made it and soon were on our way back to WL.

It was a quick trip back “home”. Our rental was a plug in hybrid and the battery was dead. We found that they had electric vehicle charging at the lodge.

It also was a nice way to get a spot right up front. We were parked by 3:20, which made it a really quick trip.

We went up to the room for a little bit, then decided it was a good opportunity to get in some swimming.

It’s still funny to me how much the kids love swimming here even with having a great pool at home.

We just went to the main pool and Marshall did the slide a whole bunch of times. We were only down there from 4-4:30 but it was fun for the kids. Then we went back up to the room to get ready for our dinner. It was so nice not having to allow an hour and a half for resort to resort transportation.

Yes, this transportation would have been a nightmare too. It’s so tough to get between resorts but I feel like Animal Kingdom Lodge is always a challenge. Marshall seemed to be dragging a bit but I hoped some food would make him feel better.

We went down to the Jeep and got to it at 5:17.

We were parked in the parking garage at AKL by 5:32.

We took the elevator up to the lobby and had time to check out the Kidani gift shop.

We got Marshall some sinus medicine and a Rubiks cube at the gift shop.

Yeah he was still not feeling great and getting worse. Poor guy.

Then we went downstairs and outside to see the animals.

There were giraffes, zebras, and ankole cattle all hanging out.

The cows are my favorite. Their horns are just incredible.

It was neat to see the variety of animals together.

We checked in for dinner and didn’t have to wait long for our table.

I checked in at 5:55 and we got the text a couple of minutes later. We got a nice table in the middle with a good view.

We had a new waiter who was training with another waitress.

Oh yes! This was fun, he was really sweet. I liked our trainee waiter more than the waitress that was training him.

We ordered the bread service because you have to do that when you come to Sanaa.

It’s delicious, one of my favorite food experiences on property.

I do enjoy the bread service. The first time we had it I had just been to India, and it was really authentic. It was just as good the second time. We finished it pretty quickly, and they offered a discount on a "refill" of breads, but we decided to wait for the main course.

I ordered the fish which was corvina and it was a beautiful dish.

It was as delicious as it was beautiful too. It was so so good.

Both Allie and I went with the Butter Chicken with rice and beans.

Marshall got a plain burger and a side of Mac and Cheese. Both Allie and I loved our chicken, and it was a very flavorful and filling dish.

Marshall was declining and really not feeling good so we decided to pass on dessert. We got a container to take his Mac and cheese to go thinking maybe he’d eat it later.

We left the resort at 7PM and went to the Jeep. Since we were driving back to WL, we had the chance to stop by CVS to get him some medicine.

Even with the stop, we made it back to the resort by 7:40.

I dropped them off at the front of the resort and then went to park the Jeep.

We went up to the room and snuggled in bed watching the Safety Smart videos. He felt better as the medicine kicked in.

I hung out in the room too until we put Martshall to bed about 8:45. He felt better but getting to bed early was a nice thing for him.

I then went out in search of dessert, and I was headed to Fort Wilderness by boat. I was celebrating the return of the Blue Flag boats that connect WL to FW and CR.

I caught a cool picture of the 9:00 Geyser from the dock before boarding the boat.

The boat ride was great, and I forgot how much I love this transportation option. They are fun and pretty, and a quick way over to the Fort.

The store had closed at 9, so I made my way over to see what they did with Trail's End. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice and effective the conversion from Table Service to Quick Service was for this location. It was always one of our favorite places to eat before, and I felt kind of like they took it away from us after COVID, but in reality it is still a noce option with much of the same food it had before. Instead of being an all you cna eat buffet you just piuct the items you want and purchase them, but you have the same nice dining area to sit and enjoy them at.

Tonight I was in search of dessert though, and I remembered the soft serve ice cream they used to have here. Unfortunately for my craving, they have now switched over to hand scooped ice cream. They only have a few flavors, but they cover the basics. I got a single scoop of vanilla.

I had heard about the strawberry shortcake there and asked him to pick it up.

That took me a minute to find but it was there in one of the refrigerated cases. I picked that up and headed back towards the lodge after I finished my ice cream, since it would have melted.

As I walked towards the dock I saw the fireworks had started. There were lots of golf carts around with campers who had come down to the beach and dock to see the show.

As soon as the fireworks show ended, the EWP parade began, and the crowd on the dock enjoyed that as well.

Soon a Blue Flag boat arrived and it happened to be going straight to the Lodge, so I hopped on. I had the boat to myself besides the driver.

Soon I was back on the dock and headed up to the room with Melissa's dessert.

I enjoyed the "room service" dessert.

It was a fun evening trip, and I do think we will plan on a meal over at Trail's End on our next trip. We hung out in the room for a bit but were in bed by 10:45.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We just went to the main pool and Marshall did the slide a whole bunch of times. We were only down there from 4-4:30 but it was fun for the kids. Then we went back up to the room to get ready for our dinner. It was so nice not having to allow an hour and a half for resort to resort transportation.

It took us about 1-1/2 hours to go to AKL from WL via Disney transportation. Now we take a taxi.

There were giraffes, zebras, and ankole cattle all hanging out.

That's a nice grouping of animals. I love the viewing area at AKL.

Soon a Blue Flag boat arrived and it happened to be going straight to the Lodge, so I hopped on. I had the boat to myself besides the driver.

I'm thrilled to have the boat back again. We took it to FW from WL for Hoop Dee Doo. It is a wonderful ride.

I'm glad to hear that the food at Trail's End is good. We will be at WL in February and will be sure to plan a dinner there.

 

[rdkeim]

Another good day! Nice lunch and another break from the heat. Yak & Yeti is a favorite of mine too. Your family seems to handle the heat and crowds pretty well considering. Too bad your DS wasn't feeling well but he was still smiling! I love that the blue flag boats are back! We stayed in FW cabins in 2022 and did NOT know those boats hadn't been brought back. We had a reservation at WC in WL - what a pain it was to get there. Hope everyone is well and rested for your next day!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

It took us about 1-1/2 hours to go to AKL from WL via Disney transportation. Now we take a taxi.

We totally believe it. Resort to resort transportation is the toughest, and AKL seems to be particularly bad. We have had it take almost two hours to get back from AKL to WL after park close since we had to connect at Disney Springs. This is where the car is awesome, or like you mentioned using a Taxi works great too.

That's a nice grouping of animals. I love the viewing area at AKL.

It was neat how close they were to each other, just hanging out in the afternoon.

I'm thrilled to have the boat back again. We took it to FW from WL for Hoop Dee Doo. It is a wonderful ride.

I just love the blue flag boat rides. Even if you have to stop at the other resort on your way to your desired destination (either CR or FW) the ride is pleasant.

I'm glad to hear that the food at Trail's End is good. We will be at WL in February and will be sure to plan a dinner there.

It looked so good. I was just there for dessert, but with the same kitchen as before it all looked just like it did in the buffet format. We will be doing this next trip.

Another good day! Nice lunch and another break from the heat. Yak & Yeti is a favorite of mine too. Your family seems to handle the heat and crowds pretty well considering.

We do our best, and everybody was generally pretty agreeable, but there was plenty of complaining about being soooo hot and not wanting to do anything. Kids will be kids and complain about anything. As adults we complain sometimes too...

Too bad your DS wasn't feeling well but he was still smiling!

He tried, but he was miserable for a bit. We didn't take / share pictures of the worst of it.

I love that the blue flag boats are back! We stayed in FW cabins in 2022 and did NOT know those boats hadn't been brought back. We had a reservation at WC in WL - what a pain it was to get there.

Yes! FW and WL are such great neighbors, and the boats make it s easy to hop between them. I really want them to reopen the walking trail, but the boats are my favorite way between the resorts.

Hope everyone is well and rested for your next day!

With the extra sleep and nothing scheduled super early for the next day we all did well. We'll be ready for a great time on our "off" day.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

On Saturday I slept in until 6AM before going out for my morning walk.

I still caught a nice sunrise at Geyser Point and discovered a potential dream Disney job.

I saw the transportation Cast Member who gets to race across Bay Lake first thing in the morning and check out the docks. Just a quick in person inspection, right about sunrise. I could do that.

I could see you doing that. The only problem is that it’s in Florida and well, I’d melt.

I then checked out the lower number cabins on the MK side.

I saw the Otter Pond, and continued on towards the employee parking lot.

I was careful to watch for signs indicating where I could and couldn’t go, but I figured I could connect all the way to the main parking lot. As I walked I took pictures as I tend to do in the morning. I thought about the supposedly decent fireworks view from the employee parking lot and I took a picture in that general direction.

Go on tell em what happened

As I did I heard someone yell from over by the cabins. I looked up and saw a Security officer heading my way.

She was a very nice young lady but wanted to know what I was doing taking pictures in a closed area. I explained my reasoning and discussed my history with and love of the lodge, which was enough to convince her I was just a lodge obsessed tourist and not a threat to WDW. We chatted for a bit more about California Disney and how there just isn’t this kind of space there, then we both went on about our morning. I was (and still am) slightly embarrassed about taking too many pictures, but I really didn’t do anything wrong.

He finally got caught for being a creeper guys.

I’ve been warning him for years and have told him that I am not bailing him out. Luckily for him he charmed the security officer. She probably thought he was just a lost old man.

As I went on I made sure to point my camera in the “correct direction”. In front of the lodge I saw blinking lights and wondered if they had called for someone to haul me away, but instead saw that a Mears bus was broken down in the resort bus stop area.

I had to take the unique photo opportunity.

It was an interesting place for it to park waiting for a tow truck, there’s no way it broke down there, they don’t normally drive that way.

I am thinking it died on the hill or in front of the Lodge and they backed it down there. It was still pretty quiet down there that early. I went back up to the room after that and watched the 8:00 Geyser from the balcony before starting to wake everyone up.

He walked in and said “Guess what happened this morning”

And I said “did you get in trouble for taking pictures?”

Lol it went something like that. Marshall wanted to go for a walk when he got up, so we headed down to the Mercantile. We watched a CM reloading the pin trading board for the day. He saw a Mickey one he wanted but he didn't have his lanyard with him. The CM said she would hold that one for him to come back later, which I thought was super sweet. Instead I bought two more pins for him to trade with, and she suggested the Wish ones which were 40% off. I bought two of those and he traded one for the Mickey he had his eye on, and he had another excellent interaction with a Cast Member.

He really did have so much fun pin trading this year. He is so social and it was really good for him to talk to so many different people.

When we got back up to the room Allie was up and getting ready for breakfast.

We all left the room about 9:00 and went down to the Lobby.

We took some cute pictures of the kids. Allie let us take so many pictures this year. A stark difference from years past for sure.

Then we headed out to the parking lot, and on the way to the Jeep Marshall saw a red Jeep Renegade with a duck on the dash, so we ducked it with a Mickey duck. It was so cute.

We were headed to brunch at one of my favorite places. Again, renting the car makes it so easy to get to Disney Springs quick early in the morning.

The GPS showed an arrival time of 9:24 and routed us over by Fort Wilderness and past the distribution centers.

It is an area that feels almost backstage because the Disney buses don't go by there. It worked though and we arrived to a quiet Disney Springs right on time.

We were early enough we even got to sneak in a Starbucks order on the way.

We went over by World of Disney and it wasn't even open yet. Starbucks was doing good business though. Both Allie and Melissa got drinks, and enjoyed them, despite the look on Allie's face.

We headed over toward Homecomin’ passing Gideons on the way. We have yet to wait in that line to see what the hype is about. I wish they did mobile order or something.

It was crazy, and once again most of the people at Disney Springs were in that line. We walked right past it and were able to check in immediately at Homecomin, even a few minutes early.

That is one nice thing here, despite being a hard reservation to get they don't seem to pack the restaurant too crowded for breakfast and we were able to get right in.

We were seated right away. We ordered the maple bacon donuts to start and they are so delicious.

These are amazing donuts, some of my favorites anywhere. This time both Melissa and I got Halleujah biscuits.

I enjoyed it all, just like everything I've had here. I would give a slight preference to the breakfast sandwich I had last year, but it is all good. You can't go wrong with pimento cheese and bacon. Mmmm

We don’t remember what Allie ordered but it was also delicious.

I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu here. The food is just amazing.

Marshall was excited to get lots of canteloupe as his sides, so he loved the breakfast as well. It went pretty quickly, but we were definitely full by the time we left.

After breakfast we had some shopping to do.

We went over the bridge to the art store.

Marshall found an R2D2 Mickey ear hat that he had to have. We couldn’t say no, he was so cute about it.

We also got a carousel castle print that caught our eyes, and enjoyed looking around. We saw that Greg and Nath McCullogh woud be signing art there later in the day, but we headed out before they arrived. We made the traditional trip to the Christmas store to pick out our annual custom Ornament.

We love this tradition. It takes some time and patience for the personalization but for us it’s worth it.

It is a great souvenir and we have quite a collection of them now. We get to see it and continue our non-park day in the next update...

 

[alohamom]

He walked in and said “Guess what happened this morning”

And I said “did you get in trouble for taking pictures?”

This made me laugh out loud!

 

[Wood Nymph]

She was a very nice young lady but wanted to know what I was doing taking pictures in a closed area.

You probably would have been okay if you weren't taking pictures.

We used to walk the nature trail when it was along the shore. One time we walked up the road that was for cast members only. We ended up in the work area behind the restaurant. But no one said anything, thank goodness.

In front of the lodge I saw blinking lights and wondered

You timed that right.

I went back up to the room after that and watched the 8:00 Geyser from the balcony before starting to wake everyone up.

I love that picture. It is ever better than a similar shot I use for my screen saver.

Then we headed out to the parking lot, and on the way to the Jeep Marshall saw a red Jeep Renegade with a duck on the dash, so we ducked it with a Mickey duck. It was so cute.

That is a cute Mickey duck.

We headed over toward Homecomin’ passing Gideons on the way. We have yet to wait in that line to see what the hype is about.

I don't see the appeal to Gideon's either. The cookies are huge. I'd rather have ice cream.

It is a great souvenir and we have quite a collection of them now.

That is a very nice tradition.

 

[rdkeim]

Caught red handed! I'm glad it didn't end up to be a big deal. It is nice to know they look out for real weirdos. We've only done lunch at Homecomin' but breakfast also looks good! My DH would really go for those donuts. Nice to get a break from the heat/crowds with a non park day. Fireworks cruise??

 

[GrandCalifornian]

This made me laugh out loud!

She knows me.

You probably would have been okay if you weren't taking pictures.

Yeah, or if I had used my phone instead of the big camera, but what’s the fun in that.

We used to walk the nature trail when it was along the shore. One time we walked up the road that was for cast members only. We ended up in the work area behind the restaurant. But no one said anything, thank goodness.

I have done exactly that. There used to be no signs coming from the WL side but you walked right up on the back of the Cast Members only sign. It was a longer route back to avoid the signs.

You timed that right.

I had never seen a giant tow truck in front of the lodge, but now I have.

I love that picture. It is ever better than a similar shot I use for my screen saver.

Aww thanks. Feel free to download it and use it for whatever.

That is a cute Mickey duck.

It matched the little Jeep so well. We hope they enjoyed it.

I don't see the appeal to Gideon's either. The cookies are huge. I'd rather have ice cream.

I am all for a cookie (and ice cream too) but that line is insane, even so early in the morning.

That is a very nice tradition.

It makes the tree pretty neat at Christmas time.

Caught red handed! I'm glad it didn't end up to be a big deal. It is nice to know they look out for real weirdos.

Yep, and they found one this time. She was really nice about it though.

We've only done lunch at Homecomin' but breakfast also looks good! My DH would really go for those donuts.

We love lunch and dinner there too, but brunch is amazing. It is hard to schedule though since they only do it on the weekends.

Nice to get a break from the heat/crowds with a non park day. Fireworks cruise??

Yes! We’ve got some outside the bubble shopping coming up, but then the weather is looking good for the fireworks cruise. So fun!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I think the extra boat stops on the way to your destination make it even more fun, if you're not in a rush.

 

[Stasieki]

We do the personalized ornaments each trip too and we always love talking about the trips as we decorate the tree each year. I did just have one break from a 2009 trip that has broken my heart. It was our now 18 year olds trip when she was 3. It was a glass teapot with Alice inside of it. I stopped getting breakable ones a few years ago. I did see it on Mercari and need to try to get it and get it painted on to recreate it.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Are you guys on your Utah trip?

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I think the extra boat stops on the way to your destination make it even more fun, if you're not in a rush.

It is always nice to go for a cruise.

We do the personalized ornaments each trip too and we always love talking about the trips as we decorate the tree each year. I did just have one break from a 2009 trip that has broken my heart. It was our now 18 year olds trip when she was 3. It was a glass teapot with Alice inside of it. I stopped getting breakable ones a few years ago. I did see it on Mercari and need to try to get it and get it painted on to recreate it.

Aww, that's tough. I would totally go for making the recreation though.

Are you guys on your Utah trip?

Yes, we just got back from our 30th annual summer trip to Utah. We had a great time but are back home and back to work, and trip report writing...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off we were ordering our customized Christmas ornament during our Disney Springs non-park day.

In years past we’ve had our ornament just shipped home so we don’t have to come back and pick it up but unfortunately they have changed that policy. They don’t ship them anymore.

Yeah, it was the hidden down side of the announcement of the new UPS shipping center at DIsney Springs. Now if you want to ship something home you have to pick it up yourself and take it there, so that was what we did. We ordered the ornament and were glad that we still had more to do at DIsney Springs, because we would have to pick it up in person.

After the Christmas shop we stopped at the spice store for a refill of Butchers Rub. I love this stuff and use it all the time. It’s great in burgers, on steaks, chicken. All the things.

It is good, and a pretty long running tradition now. We checked out the Co Op store as well before we got the text that the ornament was ready. I ran back to get it before we got too far away. I had to wait in the same long personalization line again to pick it up, which annoyed me a bit, but it wasn't too bad. Once I had it We went in search of the UPS store.

It’s behind the World of Disney Store, kind of hiding. When you walk it feels just like the UPS store at home.

They had to measure the box, and then weigh it, all the typical things that they do when you ship something and then give you a quote and then tell you that you have to also buy the box. It was an odd interaction but we said that A. Yes, we wanted to buy the box, and B. Yes we wanted to have it shipped. It ended up being just under 30 dollars to have it shipped which is pricey but in line with normal shipping rates. Because of the hassle of going to pick up the ornament and then taking it over to have it shipped I think we’ll just plan on packing the ornament home in the future.

It was oddly non-magical. I figured it would be obvious that we wanted to ship the item we brought in, and yes we would need a box to do it in. It seemed to be new to the person doing the packing and shipping as well, and took way too much time in what felt like any other UPS store, only smaller and less efficient. Oh well, in this case progress isn't always an improvement.

With the shipping out of the way we headed over to the toy store.

Over at the toy store we checked things out and made a purchase we had contemplated many times in the past, even having taken pictures of it before. We finally got our own Pirates Battleship game.

I have wanted one of these for years and I finally figured we’d have enough room in the luggage to take it home. As of yet no one has played it with me yet though.

Aww, we really need to open it up and play with it. Perhaps after we aren't spending our spare time in the evenings writing about our Disney trip...

With Marshall’s recent love of pin trading we HAD to visit the pin store so he could trade again.

We picked up a couple Wilderness Lodge pins and a Grumpy pin for my dad.

There are always some neat pins here that we don't see other places. We had to add a few to the collection. Then we moved on to the World of Disney store.

This time we didn’t pick anything up I don’t think. We headed over to Sugar Boo Co. and the boys went over to the Columbia store to look at cold weather gear because we need parkas in June in both Florida and Southern California.

We both feel you just can't have enough fleece jackets, especially if they are on sale. We didn't buy one yet, but we made note of the sale and wanted to check what size Marshall's was.

After that we were done with Disney Springs and had an adventure to go on.

We decided we had an outside the bubble mission to complete from last year.

We wanted to find and check out Forever Vintage, a thrift shop for Disney merchandise that we have seen online. We got stuck in the wrong lane and had to turn right out of the parking structure, but we made our way to I4 and started our 45 minute drive. We stopped at a Circle K for drinks and snacks for the road trip.

This Circle K was green, kinda odd. They were also encouraging people to prep for hurricane season. I guess I’m so used to California where we’re always earthquake prepared but I guess it’s a thing as hurricane season gets closer down there.

It turns out Winter Haven Florida is not just outside the bubble, rather it is a significant trek to the West and South.

As we drove I got more skeptical, and more than anything I was afraid of how Allie would react to missing so much time at WDW for a side trip to some unknown thrift store in podunk nowhere. She was simmering in the back seat, but we pressed on towards our destination.

We were both actually terrified of her if our destination disappointed.. Ah the joys of teenage daughters.

We found it, and pulled up to a steel building with a few cars parked out front and a disney horse carriage, so we knew we were in the right spot.

As soon as we went inside we started finding cool things, starting with pins at 3 for $15. There were so many cool things, from artwork to props to old promotional items.

They had a section for purses and Allie and I immediately found a Loungefly carousel bag. We decided it was going to be ours.

Allie was in and we had so much fun looking at all of the surplus merch and resort and parks props. Allie found several pairs of ears, including a misprint pair. It should have Remy on one ear and Emile on the other but her pair has Emile on both.

That's the kind of odd stuff they had. Marshall got a water bottle and a light saber from Galaxy's Edge, and I got a set of Crocs. They had some awesome stuff from Wilderness Lodge, like the old bunk beds and some artwork, and they even had props from Trail's End like hand tools and a violin.

In the end there were a lot of things I appreciated seeing but didn't decide to take home, but a few deals that we had to have.

They had a Wilderness Lodge mat, like the ones they have in front of doors coming into the hotel.

I wanted that, but like many of the things there the logistics of getting it home would have been difficult. Also that particular one was a little worn and dirty. Melissa put a pretty firm stop to that.

Yeah I had to say no but we had so much fun and there was SO MUCH to see.

Each of us found some treasures and more importantly we had a great time. There was so much to see and a variety of deals to be had, but most importantly Allie loved it and wants to go back during our next trip.

This place is a fascinating destination for people who like finding deals and are interested in quirky Disney items, and we will be back.

We headed out and Paul had this crazy craving for soft serve ice cream. It’s kinda hard to find and we didn’t end up finding any on the way back to the resort unfortunately.

Truthfully I miss the soft serve they used to have at Roaring Fork pre-COVID, and I get in the mood for it on Disney trips. I tried for it at Fort Wilderness and struck out, so we kept an eye out on the drive. The GPS showed a 4:15 eta back to WL, and we just had a little bit of traffic on I4.

When we got back to the resort we decided to delay swimming and instead go straight for the monorail loop.

Truthfully he just really likes swirl soft serve, I think you’re always in the mood for it. I was excited we had time for the monorail loop. It is one of my favorite non-park activities.

See if we get it in the next update...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We stopped by the room for a quick break and to grab our mugs, then left at 4:37 to start with mug refills at Roaring Fork.

Then we hopped on a Blue Flag boat to the Contemporary.

We stopped for some pictures on the metal Mickey ears.

We went upstaris and checked out the gift stops. Bay View Gifts always has cool things, and we enjoy the toy store in the middle.

Then we were ready for some food, so we stopped at Contempo Cafe, one of our favorite QS destinations.

Also coincidentally, one that still has soft serve!

We split a meatball sandwich but Allie’s chili cheese corn dog nuggets were the hit.

They were so good. Actually the meatball sub was good too but you can get those anywhere. Chili cheese corn dog nuggets are harder to find.

We've had some decent meals here before, but this time everything was a hit. We left satisfied and full, and were ready to monorial. So ready that Melissa didn't notice I got stopped by security and she continued on up the escalator. The kids waited for me to be searched, which didn't take too long.

I totally ditched everyone but once you get on the escalator you can’t exactly turn around and get off.

We got to the monorail at 6:06, and to the TTC at 6:14, then got off at the Poly at 6:17. We shopped upstairs and then moved on to the big shop downstairs.

Allie got ears and Melissa got another Tervis.

The cast member that checked us out was so cute and was setting up Happily Ever After buttons for us for our anniversary and she could only find Disneyland ones. Somehow the whole package she had said Disneyland. We didn’t mind though, our wedding was at The Grand Californian at Disneyland.

We told her about that, and she said it was meant to be. We grabbed a mug refill and then we headed back to the monorail and went to the Grand Floridian. We got off the monorail there at 6:47 and soon discovered that the upstairs shop (M. Mercantile) was closed for refurbishment so we shopped downstairs. I checked out the old style elevator on the way.

This guy and elevators now. He’s completely converted. He has to check out every one we get in, we can’t ever just ride an elevator.

At least I wasn't driving along pointing out all the ones I've worked on like I do at home... Once we got downstairs Allie found GF ears to add to her collection, then she wanted to take pictures wearing them around the resort.

We had a mini photoshoot while Marshall did some pin trading and found a new friend in the cast member that was manning the board at the time.

She was super cute, sharing random facts in a way that was super relatable to Marshall. Except for about a 12 year age difference he could have found his person. They had a great chat and then we headed for the monorail at 7:08. We decided to boat to WL from MK and got to MK at 7:11.

We walked straight to the dock but we had to wait for a WL boat.

It took until 7:26, then left at 7:30, but we had to stop and wait for a ferry boat to cross, so we didn't make it back to WL until 7:47. We just had to cut it close with our 8:00 fireworks reservation.

It wouldn’t be a Disney trip without some sort of time crunch somewhere. We decided to tag team and Paul took our shopping bags up to the room and grabbed the camera and bug spray while I took the kids for potty break before we got on the boat.

That actually worked out really well, and we were down at the dock like two minutes early just as two boat captains walked up the dock. Unfortunately neither of them had our name on their agenda. Then a third boat came across Bay Lake, and our Captain arrived.

After missing out on our cruise last year because of the storm that came through I was excited for the cruise.

Our driver was a nice college kid working through school with hopes of working in the entertain,ent industry.

He was relatively new at driving the boats, and we put him at ease by letting him know we'd done the cruises before and didn't need the polished speach. Marshall gave him some tips about Discovery Island, and we told him all about Wilderness Lodge. He said he actually learned from us...

There were a ton of other cruise boats on the water and the most memorable was one that had a couple and a whole camera crew with lighting and everything.

We couldn’t figure out what was going on.

It was like they brought a whole camera crew to photograph their couples evening out on the lake. We're talking serious lighting and multiple cameras, it was a real production. We tried to get our driver to get the scoop from their driver and let us know what the deal was, but we never got the scoop.

So now we get to make up our own stories about them.

As a way of escaping paparazzi, the young prince and princess brought their own photo crew to capture his proposal. A true Disney Love Story...

Or they were filming b roll for a Dateline episode.

Before we could go too far with that we got the boats positioned and the show began.

It was the most other boats we have seen for a fireworks cruise, but the view was still excellent. I took some pictures but also sat and watched some of the show.

I made him promise to put the camera down and just enjoy the show. He did an ok job at that. It was great to have Happily Ever After back. I think it’s our favorite fireworks show.

It is a nice show, and it is definitely our favorite way to see it. I love seeing the show without the crowd, and anything is made better with a boat.

We made our way back to WL after the show and went up to the room.

Marshall and I made one last trip down to Roaring Fork and picked up a Mickey Bar for Melissa's dessert.

After a long day we made it to bed by about 11:30.

It was a great day with no park tickets. It wasn’t exactly the relaxing day we had thought we would have but it was great and we fit in so much fun.

In all of our trips I think this was our first day in the middle of a trip without a park visit, but we still had as many steps and took as many pictures as any other day.

We’re not good at down time apparently.

Coming up Epcot! A favorite lunch spot and other shenanigans.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Were there any highlights from your recent Utah trip, that you'd like to share?

Too bad that it's become such a hassle to ship home your ornament. Seems like part of an overall decline in customer service, sadly. There are still pockets of good service here and there, but the overall experience isn't as consistently great as in some years past.

I'm happy for you guys that your fireworks cruise went smoothly this time, especially after last year's weather cancellation.

Did Allie do more vlogs after the MK day?

 

[Wood Nymph]

In years past we’ve had our ornament just shipped home so we don’t have to come back and pick it up but unfortunately they have changed that policy. They don’t ship them anymore.

Yeah, it was the hidden down side of the announcement of the new UPS shipping center at DIsney Springs. Now if you want to ship something home you have to pick it up yourself and take it there, so that was what we did. We ordered the ornament and were glad that we still had more to do at DIsney Springs, because we would have to pick it up in person.

Does this new policy extend to shipping from all of the Disney Springs shops?

Yes, we wanted to buy the box, and B. Yes we wanted to have it shipped. It ended up being just under 30 dollars to have it shipped which is pricey but in line with normal shipping rates. Because of the hassle of going to pick up the ornament and then taking it over to have it shipped I think we’ll just plan on packing the ornament home in the future.

That is really expensive. How much did it use to cost to ship directly from the Christmas shop?

Each of us found some treasures and more importantly we had a great time. There was so much to see and a variety of deals to be had, but most importantly Allie loved it and wants to go back during our next trip.

It looks like a great place to shop. It looks like Allie really liked her carousel loungefly.

It was a great day with no park tickets. It wasn’t exactly the relaxing day we had thought we would have but it was great and we fit in so much fun.

It looks like you had a great day. The fireworks were a great way to end it.

 

[AliceNDinah]

Awwww love the update. I especially love Allie's face outside the Vintage store, ha ha ha ha ha. I also love the Loungefly horse bag!!!! Looks like a fun store! Can't wait for more updates, you are making me jealous today----I'd give anything to be down there right now. Tell me: do you just plan your trips yourselves, or use a travel agent? Sorry if you ever addressed that before, I'm just curious.