Sunshine, food and fun...a perfect March Break adventure! A March '22 trip report! Back from PEI 08/09

[amazingact21]

happy to start off with a quintessential favourite, Spaceship Earth!

Perfect first Epcot attraction. It's not a trip to Epcot for me if I don't ride that or LwtL.

Next up was Living with the Land which is one of my favourites! It was done up beautifully for Flower and Garden.

We share Epcot attraction favorites. I love that they change the displays up depending on the time of year. Makes it interesting every visit.

Could Epcot look any prettier?

It truly is the best time to visit Epcot.

Sadly it is just not the same these days without the cultural representatives

I can't wait for them to return! They elevate those pavilions so much.

 

[suse66]

We share Epcot attraction favorites. I love that they change the displays up depending on the time of year. Makes it interesting every visit.

I think we both love the classics.

It truly is the best time to visit Epcot.

I can't wait for them to return! They elevate those pavilions so much.

It makes such a difference! I always enjoy chatting to the cultural representatives.

 

[suse66]

A relaxing pool day, resort change and delicious dinner!

We started off the day with breakfast on the balcony, enjoying some coffee and taking in the view. We knew we wanted to enjoy the pool today before moving to Old Key West so we packed our pool bags and brought the rest of our things to Bell Services for transfer to OKW. We decided to try the High Rocks Springs pool today although you are really spoiled for choice at SSR with 5 pools to choose from. We found two lovely loungers in a shady area and settled in. Nothing better!

I was very grateful that we had added beer to our Instacart order as I saw the price for one Schofferhofer was $10 USD!!!! I bought a 4 pack for $9.60 and just tucked a couple into our pool bag with an ice pack.

We decided to mobile order some lunch from Artist's Palette. I know some people are not fans but I really love how quick and easy it was use to use. Now you can easily add your gift card number for payment which is a win for me. I went for the turkey club wrap with a side of grapes. which was absolutely delicious. Bill had the braised meatballs on polenta with sauteed onions and peppers. This was SO good! We were really happy with our choices.

After lunch, we enjoyed the pool for a while, hung out in the hot tub and chatted with some other DVC members. It was just lovely! We decided we would take the walking path over to OKW so got changed and packed up our pool things. But first we decided we should visit the pool bar! Bill went for the Banana Cabana (Cruzan Mango Rum, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Bols Crème de Banana, Orange Juice, and Pineapple Juice with a float of Grenadine) while I enjoyed the Cucumber and Mint Vojito.

We had our challenges actually finding the walking path....did I mention Saratoga is a HUGE resort?? We ended up near the driving range for the golf course, one one of the golf cart only lanes and then finally on the correct path. Bill was using his Garmin app and was convinced the private path was not the correct one but it actually was as it was Disney owned (therefore marked as private on the app). Once we were actually on the right path, it was a very pretty walk along the Sassagoula River. We had received our room ready text just before lunch and were in Old Turtle Pond Road, building 34. This was an excellent location...a 10 minute walk to the Hospitality House, right across from the bus stop and 3 minutes from the Turtle Pond pool. We absolutely fell in love with the laid back vibe at OKW.
Our room was spotless and we were happy to get settled in. Bell Services brought up our luggage and we got ready for our special dinner. We were heading over to Morimoto and were very excited to check it out for the first time!

*continued in next post*




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[suse66]

We waited for the river boat for about 10 minutes and really enjoyed the ride down to Disney Springs. It was fun to see the Saratoga treehouses along the river. I'd love to stay in one of those one day! We made our way through the Springs to Morimoto and checked in right on time. What a gorgeous restaurant!

Our waitress recommended ordering small plates to share so we could try more items. We were happy to go with her suggestion. Starting with cocktails, Bill went for a Kirin Ichiban and I enjoyed the Sake Sangria (sake, light white wine, plum wine, asian pears, apple, tangerine juice).

We were happy to enjoy the beautiful ambiance and just relax as we enjoyed our cocktails.


We started with the Pork dumplings (pork, napa cabbage, and scallion). These were rich and flavourful. Next up were the spicy pork lettuce cups although I don't see them on the menu anymore.

We went for the spider roll next (tempura soft shell crab, spicy mayo, cucumber and asparagus). This was just okay.

We tried the famous chili hoisin ribs next and they did not disappoint! The meat just fell off the bone!

I decided to go for another cocktail as our waitress had recommended the White Lily (hangar one makrut lime, calpico and yuzu served with a twist) and I though it would be fun to try something different.

Then we both had ramen..... Bill went for the Sapporo Spicy Miso Ramen (thick temomi noodles, roasted duck and pork bone broth, chashu pork belly, beansprouts, sesame, scallion and soy marinated egg) while I had the Tonkotsu Ramen (rich pork bone broth, wheat noodles, roasted pork, woodear mushroom, pickled ginger, scallion and soy marinated egg). Needless to say, this was a LOT of food and we did not come close to finishing. Our wonderful waitress packaged up our leftovers for us and we enjoyed them for lunch a couple of days later.


We were really pleased with our meal and gave Morimoto a solid 8 out of 10. We will probably go there another trip but not for a while. Our waitress was excellent and added in the DVC discount on our bill. We were sure to tip her well. All in all, it was a great day!


We headed back on the bus to OKW as it was raining quite a bit. We were happy to have a good night's sleep as we were heading to Hollywood Studios in the morning and I was trying to snag a $ILL for Rise. Would I be successful? That's next!​

 

[Wood Nymph]

We had our challenges actually finding the walking path....did I mention Saratoga is a HUGE resort??

This path has never been well marked. It is probably easier to find it if you are starting at OKW.

We had received our room ready text just before lunch and were in Old Turtle Pond Road, building 34.

We stayed in a 2br at OKW in building 35. We loved the villa.

We started with the Pork dumplings (pork, napa cabbage, and scallion). These were rich and flavourful.

This sounds really good.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

What a great day from start to finish!

 

[cindianne320]

Looks like a great day and that food looks delicious!

 

[suse66]

This path has never been well marked. It is probably easier to find it if you are starting at OKW.

So much easier! We were special friends trying to find it from SSR!

We stayed in a 2br at OKW in building 35. We loved the villa.

It's such a great location and a super charming atmosphere!

This sounds really good.

It was delicious!

What a great day from start to finish!

We couldn't have asked for a better day!

Looks like a great day and that food looks delicious!

Thank you! It was such a fun day! I am glad you joined in!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Such a lovely, relaxing poolside lunch. It's been pouring here all night and day, which really has me wishing for sunshine!!

 

[suse66]

Such a lovely, relaxing poolside lunch. It's been pouring here all night and day, which really has me wishing for sunshine!!

I am longing for sunshine and warmth too. It is chilly (12 C so around 53 F) and is supposed to rain later. But we got outside to play twice today which, as you know, is everything in kindergarten.

 

[MaleficentMe]

Pretty sure it's going to rain here until July.

 

[pkondz]

We started off the day with breakfast on the balcony, enjoying some coffee and taking in the view.

Great way to start the day.

you are really spoiled for choice at SSR with 5 pools to choose from.

Did not know that.

saw the price for one Schofferhofer was $10

I know some people are not fans but I really love how quick and easy it was use to use.

Mobile order is like the old FP. Those who know use it, the rest wonder how you got food before them.

Now you can easily add your gift card number for payment which is a win for me.

Oh! Great!

We were really happy with our choices.

I’d eat what Bill had.

Cruzan Mango Rum, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Bols Crème de Banana, Orange Juice, and Pineapple Juice with a float of Grenadine

NOPE!!!

Bill was using his Garmin app and was convinced the private path was not the correct one but it actually was as it was Disney owned (therefore marked as private on the app).

Ohhhhh.

We absolutely fell in love with the laid back vibe at OKW.

We did too. Such a nice resort.

It was fun to see the Saratoga treehouses along the river. I'd love to stay in one of those one day!

Right????

What a gorgeous restaurant!

Our waitress recommended ordering small plates to share so we could try more items.

Well shoot! I would’ve done that. Maybe it wasn’t offered back then.

sake, light white wine, plum wine, asian pears, apple, tangerine juice

Yum!

cocktails.

You guys look pretty content.

I decided to go for another cocktail as our waitress had recommended the White Lily (hangar one makrut lime, calpico and yuzu served with a twist) and I though it would be fun to try something different

How was it?

We were really pleased with our meal and gave Morimoto a solid 8 out of 10.

Good rating. I’d probably rate it the same.

 

[amazingact21]

We started off the day with breakfast on the balcony

The best way to start a day on Disney property. Love early mornings on the balcony.

I went for the turkey club wrap with a side of grapes. which was absolutely delicious. Bill had the braised meatballs on polenta with sauteed onions and peppers. This was SO good!

Both looked very good!

It was fun to see the Saratoga treehouses along the river. I'd love to stay in one of those one day!

They look like they'd be a such a fun and unique place to stay.

All in all, it was a great day!

Sounds like a wonderful day all around. You can't beat the pool, lovely food, and a clean room, all under a beautiful Florida sky.

 

[suse66]

Did not know that.

It's awesome....there are three quiet pools (Grandstand, Congress Park and Carousel) and two feature pools (High Rock Springs and Paddock). The Paddock area is standard but has so many amenities. I would definitely choose it next time.

Mobile order is like the old FP. Those who know use it, the rest wonder how you got food before them.

Agreed!

I’d eat what Bill had.

He loved it and pretty well licked the plate clean!

We did too. Such a nice resort.

I would love to add on another DVC contract there.

Well shoot! I would’ve done that. Maybe it wasn’t offered back then.

It was really great...I think I would do that at other restaurants. Just get a selection of different appetizers to share and maybe split an entree.

You guys look pretty content.

We were settling in to vacation mode for sure!

How was it?

It was a little too sweet for me. I am glad I tried it but I would probably stick with the sake sangria next time.

The best way to start a day on Disney property. Love early mornings on the balcony.

Nothing better!

Both looked very good!

We were really pleased with the selections at Artist Palette.

They look like they'd be a such a fun and unique place to stay.

Right??? My boys would love it!

Sounds like a wonderful day all around. You can't beat the pool, lovely food, and a clean room, all under a beautiful Florida sky.

My favourite for sure!

 

[franandaj]

Hi Susan! I've seen you around on lots of my friend's TRs and possibly you have even visited mine as well. I saw this link to your TR on those "suggestions" at the bottom of the page on this new DIS format and thought I would pop over and join in on the fun! Sounds like you are off to a pretty good start!

We had a lovely uneventful flight to Montreal where we had to clear customs. Luckily customs was not busy at all and we zipped through easily. This left us with an almost 5 hour layover! The things you do to save money on flights!

This is an interesting choice of flights to get from Toronto to Orlando, but as you said the things you'll do to save money on flights.

Luckily we were staying at Hyatt Regency that night as it was almost 10:40 by the time we got our bags off the plane. We were really pleased with our room and managed to get it for $309/night.

I can see why you would want to stay there, arriving so late, but yikes! $309 a night! I guess when I've stayed there, we got a deal. Then again EVERYTHING costs more nowadays.

Imagine my horror when I saw it was 7 degrees (44 F). What??? I checked again to see if I was still on my home town page but no...it was 7 degrees in Orlando. Thank goodness I brought layers!

It was like that for our trip in February too. I'm glad I knew that going in, because back home there was a heatwave. They were advising people who came in for the Super Bowl to take care and drink lots of fluids, etc, while I was freezing in Florida!

We were absolutely thrilled with our meal, drinks and excellent service. Wine Bar George will be a must do on all trips going forward.

Huh....this is the first review of WBG that I've seen menu items that interested me, I'll have to take another look whenever our next trip takes place.

we were walking right by Dockside Margaritas. Well you know there is only one option, right? We just had to order something delicious! Bill went for the frozen lime margarita (Patrón Silver Tequila, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice and Sweet-and-Sour)

Of course you have to stop! This would have been my choice as well. I love Patron and always want Grand Marnier added to my margaritas!

we were given a room in the Springs.

I've never had a room in the springs. Several times in the Grandstand and once in Congress Park.

Arriving at Jock Lindsay's, we were told the wait for a table would be at least an hour and a half! Yikes! That did not fit in with our plans at all.

Yikes! I haven't been there since the pandemic started, but we would always go in the afternoon and never ended up with a wait.

We happened to be outside Frontera Concina and Bill said why don't we see if they possibly have a table. Imagine our delight when they had one table out on the patio! Yay! I couldn't believe how lucky we were.

Nice score....I've seen that place on the app, but wasn't sure whether it was any good or not.

We walked over to Amorette's to grab dessert to being back to the room.

I always look there, but keep getting scared off by the prices!

We had a short ten minute wait for the bus and arrived at AK shortly after 8 am.

Very nice bus mojo!

Sadly I couldn't ride anything too fast or bumpy as I was recovering from a concussion due to a workplace injury.

I'm sorry to hear that, I hope things are getting better.

We took the back way and enjoyed the beautiful view of the water.

I love that pathway too!

we paired that with the charcuterie board from the Tiffins appetizer menu.

I didn't know that you could order from the Tiffins menu in there!

we were lucky enough to have a short five minute wait before we were on a bus headed to Epcot!

You are doing so well with the busses!

Next up was Living with the Land which is one of my favourites! It was done up beautifully for Flower and Garden.

I bet! They always do a great job!

I adore the floating islands of flowers and the beautiful beds of flowers done for the festival.

Boy do I miss F&G, I haven't been for one of those in years, probably six!

Bill wasn't really a fan of the frushi.

I wouldn't be either it has coconut.

I felt the show was technically brilliant but didn't have any real heart or emotional pull for me.

I think that's about what I thought too, haven't got that far in my TR yet.

We spent a bit of time hunting for 50th anniversary statues and were happy to find Rocket with baby Groot

I didn't know that they had those! How cute!

We decided to try the High Rocks Springs pool today although you are really spoiled for choice at SSR with 5 pools to choose from.

Is that the main one near the main building?

We decided to mobile order some lunch from Artist's Palette. I know some people are not fans but I really love how quick and easy it was use to use.

....well it must be since you ordered from Artist Palette. That's a nice pool. The only other pool I've been to there is at the Grandstand.

did I mention Saratoga is a HUGE resort??

Yes it definitely is!

We went for the spider roll next (tempura soft shell crab, spicy mayo, cucumber and asparagus). This was just okay.

I'm sorry to hear that. A Spider Roll is one of our favorites at sushi restaurants.

We tried the famous chili hoisin ribs next and they did not disappoint! The meat just fell off the bone!

Yes! those are fantastic!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[suse66]

Pretty sure it's going to rain here until July.

Ugh! Sounds like you are on the "wet" coast! My sister is saying the same thing about the weather in Vancouver.

Hi Susan! I've seen you around on lots of my friend's TRs and possibly you have even visited mine as well. I saw this link to your TR on those "suggestions" at the bottom of the page on this new DIS format and thought I would pop over and join in on the fun! Sounds like you are off to a pretty good start!

Hi Alison! So glad to have you join in! Yes, I have lurked on your reports for quite a while and finally joined in on your latest on the DVC trip reports board.

This is an interesting choice of flights to get from Toronto to Orlando, but as you said the things you'll do to save money on flights.

March Break in Canada is ridiculously expensive to travel. I am tied to those dates though until I retire from teaching kindergarten in another four years. So I just have to deal with it for now and will do just about anything to save a little $$$. Especially when travelling to Disney where we Canadians have to add another 30% to the already high prices.

I can see why you would want to stay there, arriving so late, but yikes! $309 a night! I guess when I've stayed there, we got a deal. Then again EVERYTHING costs more nowadays.

Yup! That $309 with taxes and a small bite in the lobby bar before bed ended up being $503 CDN. Blech!

Huh....this is the first review of WBG that I've seen menu items that interested me, I'll have to take another look whenever our next trip takes place.

Oh my gosh, we fell in love with WBG! I can't wait to go back.

I've never had a room in the springs. Several times in the Grandstand and once in Congress Park.

It was a great location. I really loved SSR.

Yikes! I haven't been there since the pandemic started, but we would always go in the afternoon and never ended up with a wait.

Last summer when I was there with my 21 year old son, we were able to walk up with no wait at all. Then again we were the crazy Canadians who were happy to sit on the deck in August... I love the heat!

Nice score....I've seen that place on the app, but wasn't sure whether it was any good or not.

My friend Caroline @disneyAndi14 recommended it and we were so glad to try it. Such a great spot!

I always look there, but keep getting scared off by the prices!

Definitely pricy but so worth it!

I'm sorry to hear that, I hope things are getting better.

Thank you! I am fully recovered now but didn't go back to full hours until the beginning of April. I am just finishing up my physio next week. It's been a slog for sure.

I didn't know that you could order from the Tiffins menu in there!

Yes! They will let you pick anything from the appetizer section.

Boy do I miss F&G, I haven't been for one of those in years, probably six!

Flower and Garden is definitely my favourite festival. So, so pretty!

I wouldn't be either it has coconut.

You and @pkondz !

I didn't know that they had those! How cute!

They are located through all four parks. So fun to search for!

Is that the main one near the main building?

Yes.

....well it must be since you ordered from Artist Palette. That's a nice pool. The only other pool I've been to there is at the Grandstand.

We really enjoyed the pool and sunshine!

I'm sorry to hear that. A Spider Roll is one of our favorites at sushi restaurants.

I typically love spider rolls so was excited to try it. Maybe it was just an off night? Everything else was so good!

Yes! those are fantastic!

So delicious!!

 

[vamassey1]

Luckily the stop was a quick three minute walk from our room and we were lucky enough to have a short five minute wait before we were on a bus headed to Epcot!

Sounds like you had some of pkondz's bus mojo.

Spaceship Earth! While she is showing her age a bit and could use some TLC, I adore this ride.

I do too!

Next up was Living with the Land which is one of my favourites! It was done up beautifully for Flower and Garden.

This is another favorite for me. The F&G overlay was beautiful.

Could Epcot look any prettier?

It really is at it's best for F&G. Lovely photo!

avender Honey Mustard chicken flatbread. We both found this a bit dry and bland.

I think this was the flatbread we had and it was really good. Maybe yours wasn't fresh.

Beast!

Lovely photo of you!

We decided to browse around Mitsukoshi next. Sadly it is just not the same these days without the cultural representatives and the shelves are pretty bare.

I agree with this. It's just not the same. I hope they bring back pick a pearl and the cultural reps soon.

So we continued our stroll with an eye to finding a spot for Harmonious. I felt the show was technically brilliant but didn't have any real heart or emotional pull for me. Bill really enjoyed it though but he is not as picky about the nighttime shows like I am.

I really enjoyed Harmonius but it may be that I've seen it with Danielle and she loves it. I think it grows on you the more you see it. Danielle didn't love it at first but after seeing it so many times while working in Epcot she grew to love it and see all the little extras. She knows it by heart.

Doesn't Epcot look so pretty at night?

Beautiful!!!!

 

[vamassey1]

What a great day relaxing after hitting the parks hard.

I really want to try Morimoto's some day.

 

[pkondz]

He loved it and pretty well licked the plate clean!

well there ya go!

I would love to add on another DVC contract there.

Is that the sound of the change purse opening I hear??

We were settling in to vacation mode for sure!

 

[suse66]

Is that the sound of the change purse opening I hear??

Don't I wish!! We have to get all three through university before that happens.