The GRAD Finale- Four days of Family, Fun, and Frolic!! May '19 TR

[pattyw]

Hello everyone!! Our family just returned from a very special trip! We celebrated my DS's college graduation!! Orlando -and Disney- has been a special place for our family since we started vacationing here in 2001. So where else would we celebrate such an important milestone like graduation?? Our Happy Place, of course!!

Here's our frolicking foursome!!



Let me introduce ourselves: First, I'm Patty- accountant by day and family trip planner. My DS, Joe, is a maintenance coordinator and shares my love for travel! My DS, Kyle, is in medical school in Miami and is engaged to Erin. We were delighted that Kyle drove up to Orlando for part of our trip. Sadly, Erin, a nurse, had to work and could not join us. My younger DS, Troy, is our college graduate!!

The graduate!



Graduations, like other milestones, mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. This trip also marked another milestone in our family. This would be our last trip as a family of four. We have welcomed Erin into our family and are overjoyed that she has joined us on our trips the past few years. We were saddened she couldn't make the trip due to work and it made me reflect that this would, indeed be the last time we would travel as our family of four. So this trip would include a lot of reflection on the past while we all move on to new chapters in our lives!

We had a blast together! I, however, had many tearful episodes that I tried to conceal behind sunglasses and /or blamed on allergies!! Ok- I promise to try and keep my emotions in check!

Now, let's get this party started!!

 

[pattyw]

We decided to stay onsite at The Swan for this trip. Now that they are Marriott properties, we can accrue points as we are Marriott rewards members! We're also still under the double points promotion!

The rates here, even including the $30 daily resort fee ,are still a fraction of the cost of the neighboring deluxe resorts- Yacht, Beach, and Boardwalk. So, good rate + points =

The resort is just beautiful!!


That's Joe in the background- in awe of his surroundings!



Disney bus stop to the left of the entrance:




Lobby area:





The lovely fountain!! A very popular spot!! I had to be fast to snap pics without others in the photo!

 

[pattyw]

Our room was very nice!




I loved the bathroom area. There was an additional sink outside of the shower/toilet area. It certainly helped when we were getting ready in the morning!





There was a roomy closet!

 

[pattyw]

We had a balcony room. Our view included a not so nice view of the roof. But, we had a lovely view of the lap pool on the other side and had a nice view of Tower of Terror!!











Cute swan boats!!

 

[pattyw]

We used Tony Hinds for airport transportation! He is the absolute sweetest man! Always on time-waiting with a smile!! He stopped at Publix so that we could purchase the necessities- water, fruit, snacks, and wine! I highly recommend his service!!

We arrived at the hotel about 8pm and were so tired!! We decided to order room service while we settled into our room. It took only about 25 minutes to get our dinner delivered! The staff at the Swan were impeccable! So friendly & efficient!! They truly impressed us!

Our meals were delicious!

We went to bed early as we had a full day at Hollywood Studios on Friday! We had an ADR for Lunch with an Imagineer at 12:00pm. So excited when I scored that ADR!! Then, we purchased tickets for the After Hours Party at Hollywood Studios from 9:30pm-12:30am.

 

[pattyw]

We slept in the next morning and ordered some room service for breakfast. We arrived at Hollywood Studios about 11:30 am. I like the new entrance and security screening area! It's very large and the security team is efficient. This will be very important once Star Wars Land opens!!

We stopped for a quick picture:



Then we headed over to the Brown Derby.Our lunch was scheduled at 12:00pm.


I'd love to try the outdoor lounge sometime!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Joining! Your room looks amazing as do most of the views!

Looking forward to reading more and congrats to your DS on his graduation

Tanz

 

[pattyw]

Thanks for reading along and for the congratulatory wishes!

The Swan was truly impressive!

 

[pattyw]

We checked in a little early for the Imagineer lunch. It gave us time to enjoy the artwork in the lobby!









A few minutes after noon, our group was called! There were a total of 10 of us there for the lunch! It was a nice small group which made for great intimate conversation!

The lunch is held in the private, Bamboo Room:



Our Imagineer was Michael Herman, a Construction Manager.

After we were seated, he introduced himself and had all of us do the same. It was so interesting as he told us about his path to becoming an Imagineer. He discussed his education, internship at Disney, and the many projects he worked on. He was able to give details on past projects. One of his projects was the building of Shanghai Disney! He spent a lot of time there during the project and saw it to completion. He isn't able to share many details on current projects for reasons of confidentiality.

It was so nice to spend time with the others- all Disney fans who had knowledge of their own to share with the group!

 

[pattyw]

Our lunch was delicious!! Everyone gets a personalized menu as a keepsake!



Lunch includes soup, salad, choice of entree, dessert, and soft drink.

Roasted tomato soup:


I apologize about not taking a photo of the Cobb salad. I think I was caught up in conversation and totally forgot! But, it was very good!!

My entree choice was the Cioppino:
It was delicious!!



The dessert sampler:



The food was scrumptious! The service wonderful! The interaction and conversation between our group and Michael- purely magical!

We finished about 2pm- so two hours for the entire experience! The cost of lunch is $89/per person with an 18% gratuity automatically added. As with any special experience, no discounts are offered. You don't pay in advance when you reserve this. It's only the standard credit card guarantee.

While it is an expensive experience, it is truly amazing and well worth it! You get to talk with a Disney Imagineer who is responsible for the magic we enjoy at the parks! Also, I have to say that the people who attend this are very well-versed in Disney history and knowledge as well! We learned a great deal from them, too!!

It's not easy to book this lunch. I've tried many times to no avail! This trip, I wasn't even trying for it- it just showed up one day when I was looking for lunch availability! So, if you are interested in the Lunch with an Imagineer- don't give up! With perseverance and some luck it IS possible!! A truly magical meal!!

 

[suse66]

Joining in! Your trip looks lovely so far. It's nice to see adult sons still travelling with their parents. Mine are in their late teens now and I hope to still travel with them as they get older. Your lunch at HBD looks incredible!

 

[tbholc81]

All caught up, The Swan looks great! We'll have to try it on an upcoming trip.

 

[pattyw]

Joining in! Your trip looks lovely so far. It's nice to see adult sons still travelling with their parents. Mine are in their late teens now and I hope to still travel with them as they get older. Your lunch at HBD looks incredible!

Thanks for reading along!

We're very fortunate that our sons still enjoy traveling with us. Family vacations are so special! I'm sure your teens will continue to travel with you as well. While I miss the days when they were young, I have to say it is fun to travel as all adults. We enjoy nightlife that we had to pass on when they were young!

 

[pattyw]

All caught up, The Swan looks great! We'll have to try it on an upcoming trip.

Thanks for reading along!

The Swan is lovely! We were so impressed by the staff! They certainly know how to spread Disney magic, too!!

 

[pattyw]

After our Lunch with an Imagineer, we had scheduled our FP's. First up- Star Tours!!



Love this ride! we'll be sad if/when they replace this ride when Star Wars Land is completed!





We stopped to browse in the souvenir shop. I couldn't resist this purchase!

 

[pattyw]

After Star Tours, we decided to head out of the park and back to the hotel for a break. We were returning for the After Hours Party later and would be able to ride all the headliners then. So, we decided a break/nap would be a good idea. The weather in Orlando was above normal - so HOT HOT HOT! no clouds or rain the entire weekend!! No complaints on our part as we were coming from the Buffalo, NY area where it has been cool and VERY rainy!! This is why we love having annual passes. We don't feel the need to stay in the parks all day. We can just do a little, take a break, and go back later!

Every time we head out of the Studios, Joe has to stop here outside of Indiana Jones:




Love to see the reaction of others around us who are surprised at what they hear after the rope is pulled! Gotta love Disney's attention to detail!!

 

[pattyw]

We took a detour on our way back to the hotel. We took the boat to the Yacht/ Beach Club to walk around there! The Yacht Club was the first Disney resort we stayed at on our first trip to Disney in 2001! So, it is a special place that brings back fond memories! It's such a pretty resort and the lobby is so relaxing and peaceful with its dim lighting and spacious seating areas!
















We enjoyed the lobby, shopped in the gift shop and headed back to the Swan for a rest!

 

[Ruthie5671]

Congratulations on your son's graduation! You have some handsome fellas in your family!

 

[pattyw]

Congratulations on your son's graduation! You have some handsome fellas in your family!

Thanks Ruthie!! They're a great bunch!! I'm very blessed!

 

[pattyw]

We headed back to Hollywood Studios about 6pm. We had a 6:45 pm ADR at a family favorite, Sci-Fi Dine In!! We love the atmosphere there!! We're actually fortunate to have a REAL drive-in theater still operating just a few miles from our home! It's so fun to watch a movie sitting under the stars! And they even have the same old intermission cartoon clips that they show at the Sci-Fi!










I love all the movie posters in the waiting area!





We didn't wait long- I think we were seated right around our ADR time of 6:45pm!