The ABCs of a Very Merry Christmastime Land and Sea Adventure- M is for: Making the Most of a Morning Safari!

[Steppesister]

Day 12 Sneak Peeks:

 

[pkondz]

Guessing the 2nd shot is from Skippers. 3rd from DHS, I'd think.

 

[Steppesister]

Guessing the 2nd shot is from Skippers. 3rd from DHS, I'd think.

Yeppers!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We went to the Hall of Presidents when we were there earlier this month. It is always interesting.

 

[Steppesister]

We went to the Hall of Presidents when we were there earlier this month. It is always interesting.

It always gives me a hefty dose of patriotism.

 

[Steppesister]

Day 13…. All good things must come to an end. On the way to MCO and Home for the Holidays.

 

[pkondz]

Day 13…. All good things must come to an end. On the way to MCO and Home for the Holidays.

Looks like you really had a wonderful trip. Now go home and celebrate with family!

 

[Steppesister]

Looks like you really had a wonderful trip. Now go home and celebrate with family!

It will be different this year. Perhaps… melancholy? Bittersweet? Different anyway.

 

[zanzibar138]

Day 13…. All good things must come to an end. On the way to MCO and Home for the Holidays.

Safe travels! And thanks for sharing your sneak peeks - I've really enjoyed seeing them

 

[pkondz]

It will be different this year. Perhaps… melancholy? Bittersweet? Different anyway.

It will be. I hope you can enjoy the holidays as much as possible, given the recent circumstances.

 

[Steppesister]

A is for: A Really Awesome Arrival!

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Beep, beep, beep...

The alarm blared for a middle-of-the-night departure. Not that it was necessary; attempts at sleeping were completely futile.

It had been a long, exhausting, and emotionally-charged 2 weeks and I'd buried my father the day before. Having postponed this trip, and changing the vast majority of what I'd planned, I had very mixed feelings about leaving my mom and sisters with a quagmire of settling affairs and continued grief.

I chose to re-arrange and salvage what I could of the plan, put on a brave face, and while snow flurries danced around Southern Kentucky, I made my way to Nashville for a 7:35AM departure.

I arrived at 5:00AM with plenty of time to eat a little breakfast of packed yogurt and granola then get through Security with my TSA Pre-check. I bought a $5 coffee on the other side of security and made use of the 2-hour wait with reading the news, doing my Wordle, and thinking. I did a lot of that on this trip.

In true travel-fashion, I was stuck in front of 2 annoying, bickering kids ("Landon, stop touching me...!" "Mom, make him stop!" <cries, kicks my seat....> The sleep I'd so hoped for did not happen. Luckily though, I did have a window seat and my own row, so it wasn't a total loss. The sunrise view off the portside was spectacular; it's not uncommon at all to see views like this with the early morning flights out of Nashtown.

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The flight, other than the bickering behind me, was uneventful and I landed on time at 9:35. Busting out my my savvy travel moves, I was literally in a Lyft by 10:00 with my checked bag and carry on and breezed into All Stars Sports at 10:30. So far, my travel prowess was ON FIRE! I had booked my Lyft all the way through to the Springs, so with a 3-minute bag dump at Bell Services, I was on my way again and at the Ride Share Drop point by 10:45.

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Kari and I had decided to keep our Summerhouse on the Lake ADR for 11:00 with Jollywood Nights on the docket for that evening. To be honest, I wasn't sure at ALL if I could make the 11:00 reservation; there are just too many things that can trash a well-laid out plan, especially when it involves air travel and Disney, and an hour and 15 from touchdown to the Springs would be cutting it close... very close. But here I was, hungry for lunch and with a few minutes to spare! Kari was already at the Springs and I wanted to take the few minutes I had to slowly take in the Christmas atmosphere including the Trees on the Tree Trail. While it's a hella long walk from where the Rideshare drop is to, well, anywhere, in this case I was glad I could cover that area of the Springs and get a headstart on my first of several Holiday Hunts.

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The Holiday Tree Stroll has 21 themed trees this year, and unlike in years past, this year's stroll has the trees scattered all throughout the Springs rather than in one small trail in one small area. As luck would have it, I came across 4 trees before we even met up and I was able to get partway through my hunt. Huzzah!! (If you want to see the fun details in each tree's ornaments, you can zoom in.)


The Lion King Tree (#1):

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Lilo and Stitch (#2):

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Moana (#3):

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The Sphere Tree (#4):

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I texted Kari and we met up in front of the Summerhouse on the Lake. This was a new place for both of us and I was excited to see how it turned out. Admittedly, life's been very full and busy and during my last 2 1/2 years of school I've not had much, well, really any, time for researching or keeping up with Disney World news, so hadn't even heard of this new place until a mere few months ago.

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My first impression is that it's got an open, airy, clean feel to it. The decor is crisp with lots of natural media used for the lights and walls with loads of windows to let in the sunshine. It's spacious and open with some nice use of large indoor plants to keep it feeling like they've brought the outdoors in. I thought the live candle in the bathroom was an elegant touch that you just don't see very often anymore. This made me smile for sure.

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The menu has a nice variety of offerings but seems heavy on the fishy things. But I think there is something for everyone with pizzas, burgers, soups, salads, etc... I was trying to save a bit of money where I could on this trip and know my own appetite just can't support ordering an entree without feeling the guilt of tossing half of what I order in the trash. So for my myself, I ordered the:

Cheesy Dream Puffs- Rosemary, pepper with a pepper dipping sauce for: $10.95

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These were absolutely delicious. They reminded me a lot of the Skippers Brazilian cheese bread thingy's but these were MUCH lighter. They were hollow on the inside but still had a nice layer of cheese to make them plenty filling. The sauce was a savory, peppery thinnish one that actually elevated the dish to perfection. I REALLY loved them and ate all but two which I took back to the room and ate for breakfast the next morning.

Kari got the fish tacos and she ate 2 of the 3. I took the last one along with my cheese puffs and added that to my breakfast. Sadly, they weren't very good leftover and I mostly picked out the fish and tossed the rest. @Malia78, if you're reading I'll let you give your thoughts on the Summerhouse and what you ordered.

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We finished up then decided to stroll around The Springs (you will always be DTD in my heart) to look for a few more trees and just enjoy the holiday atmosphere. Something new, well at least to me, was the Art Walk that runs on the outside of the "The Market Building". (This one):

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I really liked a lot of what was painted and was glad to have found, what I assume will be, a rotating display over time:

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At the Crystal Arts Store at the Town Center, I picked up a Tree Map so I could fill it in more with the little stickers (In case you're wondering, this is COMPLETELY FREE!):

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I was also able to grab a photo or two of the Town Center Tree, bringing my total to #5:

(It's HUGE!!!!)
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The 4 Parks Tree (#6):

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The Disney+ Tree #7):

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The Star Wars Tree (#8):

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We also took a few moments to get some selfies and fun shots:

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We didn't stay long and were back to ASSp by 2:30 or 3:00 by way of Uber. We needed a little rest, I wanted a hot bath, and we also needed to change into MUCH warmer clothes for our hot time in Tinseltown!

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Stay tuned for our party night- a holiday in Hollywoodland!

 

[Malia78]

I will add a couple notes from my side of the adventure...I had flown in the day before since flying from the west coast is all day affair, just making my 7 PM Glimmering Greenhouses tour Tuesday evening.

This morning, did a little tree strolling of my own before meeting Liesa at the Summer House.



Opening the restaurant with our 1100 reservation was a great plan because it was basically empty and we could really enjoy the decor and openness of the restaurant. Classy festive vibes...



Now I felt a little piggish ordering an entree while Liesa nibbled on her appetizer of dream puffs Fresh and hot from the kitchen, I thought my fish tacos were very good--particularly the fish. The breading was light and crisp and no weird herb flavors to be found--just a lime and a sprinkling of the nice flavorful sauce.



All in all, a good whirlwind visit to Disney Springs for me (I would be flying home after the cruise so no extra days for me).

 

[zanzibar138]

I'm so glad you still managed to salvage some of your trip

The sunrise view off the portside was spectacular; it's not uncommon at all to see views like this with the early morning flights out of Nashtown.

OMG with views like that I'd be booking the early flights all the time!

Busting out my my savvy travel moves, I was literally in a Lyft by 10:00 with my checked bag and carry on and breezed into All Stars Sports at 10:30.

Tell me about these travel moves... all the talk about how terrible it is at MCO is making me a little nervous!

The Holiday Tree Stroll has 21 themed trees this year, and unlike in years past, this year's stroll has the trees scattered all throughout the Springs rather than in one small trail in one small area.

I didn't know this existed, but it looks like a fun thing to do, and there's some really beautiful trees.

Summerhouse keeps appearing on all the lists of good places to eat at WDW, so good to see your review. All of our ADRs for our upcoming trip are based on experience or 'novelty factor', so nothing at Disney Springs really made the cut, but I'm sure we'll be spending some time there and maybe looking for a last minute ressie.

Something new, well at least to me, was the Art Walk that runs on the outside of the "The Market Building".

This sounds like fun too!

I especially love these ones!

Stay tuned for our party night- a holiday in Hollywoodland!

Can't wait!

 

[pkondz]

The alarm blared for a middle-of-the-night departure. Not that it was necessary; attempts at sleeping were completely futile.

I'm familiar with this. Early mornings (i.e. middle of the night) wake up times are usually more... "Thank goodness the waiting is over" times.

It had been a long, exhausting, and emotionally-charged 2 weeks

I'm sure it was. My condolences, again.

and I'd buried my father the day before.

The day before! I'm shocked you weren't a basket case.

Or maybe you were.

I had very mixed feelings about leaving my mom and sisters with a quagmire of settling affairs and continued grief.

That must have been very hard.

and thinking. I did a lot of that on that on this trip.

I can imagine.

In true travel-fashion, I was stuck in front of 2 annoying, bickering kids ("Landon, stop touching me...!" "Mom, make him stop!" <cries, kicks my seat....>

Wow! Beautiful!

I landed on time at 9:35. Busting out my my savvy travel moves, I was literally in a Lyft by 10:00 with my checked bag and carry on

Very impressive!

But here I was, hungry for lunch and with a few minutes to spare!

I would've put money on you not making it in time. Good for you!

Those are a big set of balls.

this year's stroll has the trees scattered all throughout the Springs rather than in one small trail in one small area.

Oh! I like that better, I think.

The Sphere Tree (#4):

Nope. Not a fan of that one. The rest are all quite nice, but... nope.

Summerhouse on the Lake. This was a new place for both of us

I've only recently heard of that too.

The decor is crisp with lots of natural media used for the lights and walls with loads of windows to let in the sunshine. It's spacious and open with some nice use of large indoor plants to keep it feeling like they've brought the outdoors in.

Sounds really nice!

The menu has a nice variety of offerings but seems heavy on the fishy things.

That surprised me at first... then realized it is called Summerhouse on the Lake afterall.

Cheesy Dream Puffs- Rosemary, pepper with a pepper dipping sauce for: $10.95

Hmmm... glad you liked them, but doubt I'd order that.

The Springs (you will always be DTD in my heart)

I really liked a lot of what was painted and was glad to have found, what I assume will be, a rotating display over time:

I like that they're murals. I wasn't expecting that.

Fun shot.

we also needed to change into MUCH warmer clothes for our hot time in Tinseltown!

Nice play on words, there.

 

[pkondz]

Love this tree-topper.

Now I felt a little piggish ordering an entree while Liesa nibbled on her appetizer of dream puffs

Fresh and hot from the kitchen, I thought my fish tacos were very good--particularly the fish. The breading was light and crisp and no weird herb flavors to be found--just a lime and a sprinkling of the nice flavorful sauce.

mmmm... sounds good. I would've done what you did. Fish tacos > cheese puffs.

Selfie game on point.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Yay for your trip! I’m here to join in all the fun! I only saw like 5 trees this year at DS!
I’m excited to hear all about it!

 

[Wood Nymph]

The sunrise view off the portside was spectacular; it's not uncommon at all to see views like this with the early morning flights out of Nashtown.

The sunrise is beautiful. We always take the "sunrise" flight out of Chicago-Midway but seldom see the sunrise. Most people keep the shades down. It is my biggest gripe since I almost always have a middle seat and no control over the window shades.

So far, my travel prowess was ON FIRE! I had booked my Lyft all the way through to the Springs, so with a 3-minute bag dump at Bell Services, I was on my way again and at the Ride Share Drop point by 10:45.

You managed to do the impossible, especially since you had checked luggage.

While it's a hella long walk from where the Rideshare drop is to, well, anywhere, in this case I was glad I could cover that area of the Springs and get a headstart on my first of several Holiday Hunts.

The rideshare drop-off is near the boat dock, so we have experienced that long walk when staying at POR. You must have been moving pretty fast to make it to the Summerhouse on time.

My first impression is that it's got an open, airy, clean feel to it. The decor is crisp with lots of natural media used for the lights and walls with loads of windows to let in the sunshine.

I had lunch at the Summerhouse with my sister last November. I love the openness of it. I had a great view of the rainstorm that blew through while we were eating.

Fresh and hot from the kitchen, I thought my fish tacos were very good--particularly the fish. The breading was light and crisp and no weird herb flavors to be found--just a lime and a sprinkling of the nice flavorful sauce.

I love fish tacos. I'm happy to know that they are good.

 

[Steppesister]

I will add a couple notes from my side of the adventure...I had flown in the day before since flying from the west coast is all day affair, just making my 7 PM Glimmering Greenhouses tour Tuesday evening.

I was sad to have missed that! I ended up riding the boat 3 times over the course of my trip, both day and night so did get to see it in all of its Greenhous-y glory!

This morning, did a little tree strolling of my own before meeting Liesa at the Summer House.

They were so fun and creative!

Opening the restaurant with our 1100 reservation was a great plan because it was basically empty and we could really enjoy the decor and openness of the restaurant. Classy festive vibes...

It was! With the restaurant being so "open" I'd imagine with the place being more full, it'd also be a lot more noisy. I thought the white and lights holiday motif was so classy and clean. Loved it!

Now I felt a little piggish ordering an entree while Liesa nibbled on her appetizer of dream puffs Fresh and hot from the kitchen, I thought my fish tacos were very good--particularly the fish. The breading was light and crisp and no weird herb flavors to be found--just a lime and a sprinkling of the nice flavorful sauce.

They really did look good (I prefer the no-breaded fish for my tacos). I love the slaw that goes in fish tacos and loads of cilantro. Sadly, re-heated they weren't so good. They got kinda soggy and fell apart.

All in all, a good whirlwind visit to Disney Springs for me (I would be flying home after the cruise so no extra days for me).

Booooo!!!

 

[Steppesister]

I'm so glad you still managed to salvage some of your trip

I did!! And almost a full week after the cruise in the parks!

OMG with views like that I'd be booking the early flights all the time!

This is definitely not the first time I've had a glorious sunrise to fly out with.

Tell me about these travel moves... all the talk about how terrible it is at MCO is making me a little nervous!

I'm pretty zippy! I always try to hit the potty BEFORE landing then head straight to the fake-o-rail. They announced which baggage claim my stuff would be on so headed straight to that next and positioned myself near the end where it dumps out so I don't have to wait for it to go all the way around. I called for a ride share as soon as I got it and bee-lined it for the pick up area. Luckily, it's not a far walk at all AND there was one available within 3 minutes this time. I've only used the "Add stop" feature a couple of other times but it sure came in handy this time so I didn't have to wait for a 2nd one to get to The Springs. Voila!

I didn't know this existed, but it looks like a fun thing to do, and there's some really beautiful trees.

They are all so creative and fun. The other cool thing, that I didn't mention, is that on about half of them you can use your Magic Band+ to make them "do stuff". I am a cheap and have never paid for one so didn't do this, but watched some other families do "the stuff". Like certain things light up, or something moves, or a soundtrack comes on...

Summerhouse keeps appearing on all the lists of good places to eat at WDW, so good to see your review. All of our ADRs for our upcoming trip are based on experience or 'novelty factor', so nothing at Disney Springs really made the cut, but I'm sure we'll be spending some time there and maybe looking for a last minute ressie.

I wouldn't say there's anything unique or novel about this place. It's kinda more on the sedate end of the scale with a solid menu. If you want unique, fun, and quirky head straight for Jock Lindsay's. There is a TON of themed stuff in there from Indiana Jones and the legendary SEA/ Jungle Cruise back stories. Plus they have a themed menu and fun cocktails. For excellent food, one of my faves is the Terralina. Not well known, but I loved their pasta.

I especially love these ones!

Here's another from the same artist that I didn't post:

 

[Steppesister]

I'm familiar with this. Early mornings (i.e. middle of the night) wake up times are usually more... "Thank goodness the waiting is over" times.

The sacrifice is a solid one as it buys you a whole extra day without the need for a Disney-priced hotel. And if it's hot out you can use that arrival day for a half pool day while you wait for your room.

I'm sure it was. My condolences, again.

Thank you, PK!

The day before! I'm shocked you weren't a basket case.

Or maybe you were.

There were some intense moments of contemplation.

That must have been very hard.

My sister that lives in the DC area stayed on for the week and the one who lives locally moved in with Mom until got back. That made it "less hard".

I would've put money on you not making it in time. Good for you!

It was definitely a gamble!

Those are a big set of balls.

I'm fairly certain the color was not accidental.

Oh! I like that better, I think.

It certainly accomplishes the goal of getting more folks around the venue to shop and spreads the crowds out for better traffic flow.

Nope. Not a fan of that one. The rest are all quite nice, but... nope.

Yeah, this one was the odd duck out. Very weird. Then again, it was by Cirque so maybe it was trying to reflect the show a bit?

That surprised me at first... then realized it is called Summerhouse on the Lake afterall.

Hmmm, true. But it was mostly ocean fish- tuna, shrimp, etc....

Hmmm... glad you liked them, but doubt I'd order that.

I think they are a good choice for a pre-meal nibbley especially if you're splitting an entree.

I like that they're murals. I wasn't expecting that.

I have no idea how, or if, they'll preserve them when the time comes...

mmmm... sounds good. I would've done what you did. Fish tacos > cheese puffs.

Generally, I'd agree but wasn't all that hungry enough for a big meal. I did, however, find a few occasions to pig out later in the trip!