There's No Sleeping at Disney! - A Oct-Nov 2020 Trip Report. MINI TR COMPLETE 5/10

[Verstehen]

Mini TR, Part 2

We then went on The Seas, where it is notoriously difficult to get a good on-ride picture (if you’re following the no flash rule).

But we had a really good time in the aquarium. April loves looking at animals of all kinds.

We had “dinner” at Yorkshire Fish and Chips, having joined the line just before it closed. We shared one order so it was more like a pre-dinner snack (we ate some leftovers from the night before for dinner once we got back to my house). I gave April some fries and bits of fish and she gobbled it all up!

On our way towards the exit, I found these nice butterfly wings and needed a picture with them.

As we were leaving, I had to get a picture of the new fountain all lit up at night. It’s so beautiful and it makes me so happy to see this tribute to vintage Epcot!

Tuesday was my dad’s last full day. I worked until noon again while he came over and entertained April.

Then we went over to Leu Gardens, a botanical garden near downtown Orlando. They’re having a special dinosaur event, which is apparently a popular returning event from the year before. I had never been during dinosaur time so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Turns out, it was literally sculptures of dinosaurs scattered around the property.

Some of them were very cool! I don’t think we found every single one; the map got confusing at times. I don’t think this is the ideal time of year to visit Leu Gardens; a lot of plants seemed dead or just weren’t blooming, so I’m guessing the dinosaurs are what they do to “liven” the place up a bit. Still, it was lovely to walk around!

We also saw some turtles resting on an island in a lake

After Leu Gardens, it was still a little early for dinner. We drove over to Loch Haven Park, also near downtown, which has a really cool walking and biking path called the Orlando Urban Trail, which takes you through a nice neighborhood and behind some industrial buildings as well. We walked down the path a bit and found the entrance to Quantum Leap winery, which I knew about but had never had the chance to visit. They had a nice outdoor seating area with tables available, so we ordered wine flights inside and sat outside to enjoy them. Dad got a red flight, and I got a white one.

On our way back down the path after, we came across this adorable pupper. April LOVES dogs and she immediately reached out when she noticed him. His owner stopped to let April pet him. She was delighted.

We went to Eden Bar for dinner, which you may recall is an outdoor restaurant in Maitland. At this point, April hadn’t really napped at all all day long, but she was a real trooper and was in a great mood during dinner. A giant screen was playing Sister Act II and she was super into the music, bouncing along in both my lap and Dad’s. It made dinner challenging, but very pleasant! They had a special Valentine’s Day themed cocktail menu and we ordered from that, along with the awesome spinach and artichoke dip.

Then we went home and that pretty much wraps up our trip! Dad left the following afternoon when I drove him to the airport after work. It was a really nice time.

My mom and sister arrive on Tuesday, so I’ll be sure to talk about that visit after it happens!

 

[KathyM2]

I’m happy to report that I got my first vaccine dose on Monday night!

Congrats!! What a relief this must be to have at least one dose in!!

 

[rdkeim]

I totally agree with your pro's and con's of your trip. We were there early March and had a similar experience. Fun reading about your Dad's recent visit. After Disney we stayed in an AirBnb technically in Orlando but very close to Winter Park. We had fun exploring the area. Adorable pictures of your DD meeting the puppy. SO cute!

 

[Verstehen]

Congrats!! What a relief this must be to have at least one dose in!!

It was a big relief for sure!

I totally agree with your pro's and con's of your trip. We were there early March and had a similar experience. Fun reading about your Dad's recent visit. After Disney we stayed in an AirBnb technically in Orlando but very close to Winter Park. We had fun exploring the area. Adorable pictures of your DD meeting the puppy. SO cute!

I wonder how close you were to me in that AirBnb!

 

[Verstehen]

Mini TR 2: Mom and Sis Visit!

Hope everyone is doing well! I got my second shot a week ago and am feeling great. One week to full immunity! I wrote up my whole report on my mom and sister's visit in one long go, and will break it up over several posts.

They were both fully vaccinated, and I hadn’t seen either of them in person in over a year. It was a lovely visit.

They arrived the evening of Tuesday the 6th, but the fun really began on Wednesday. I finished up my work day at 2 and then April and I picked them up at their AirBnb near downtown, and we went to Disney Springs for a fun afternoon and evening.

I was starving when we arrived since I hadn’t eaten lunch yet. We got out of the Orange garage and I immediately spotted the Yesake kiosk and decided to get a poke bowl. I got mine with rice, ahi tuna, seaweed salad, ginger, spicy mayo, and tempura crumbles. It was sooooo good. My mom also got a bowl with some different ingredients and my sister got the pizza bun. We also got a couple of strawberry boba slushes to share.

April ate some baby snacks and just chilled in her stroller. She really enjoyed the music! The forums aren't letting me embed video or links, but check out this video of her dancing! I promise it's worth the click:

https://imgur.com/XvlDKkO

We went to the Town Center area and I grabbed some items I needed from Sephora. It was my first time shopping there in over a year, believe it or not! Since before April was born, actually. I just hadn’t needed new makeup, but I was almost out of eyeliner and I also wanted to grab some detoxifying face masks for some rare moments of me time.

Next we went over to Marketplace. We’d originally been planning to go into World of Disney, but the wait to get in was about 20 minutes and we weren’t interested in that, so we went over to the Co-Op instead. Rebekah wanted to buy a Magic Band, so she did that while I browsed around and Mom waited outside with April.

After her purchase, she had a bit of time before it would be ready. I saw this cool lego model of the Riviera at the DVC booth and just had to snag some pics, though the lighting wasn’t the best for seeing through the case in some parts.

We spent some time in the Christmas shop where I saw a cute onesie April just had to have for our visit to Epcot the following week. We also went to the Art of Disney store.

Then we went back to the Co-op to pick up Rebekah’s band. At my urging (read: tempting), she also purchased the cats dress from the Dress Shop, because I thought it would look great on her and was perfect because she recently got two new cats. I’ll show pictures of her wearing it when we get to our Magic Kingdom day.

After that we decided to go ahead and check in for dinner. We made our way over to...The Boathouse!

My mom and I ate here a few years ago and loved it. I also had the opportunity to eat here again in 2019 when my employer at the time held a dinner there. I normally don’t get to eat here when my dad’s in town because he doesn’t like seafood restaurants, so unless I want to SHELL out for it myself, I have to wait until my mom comes to town, haha.

We checked in and waited a bit for our table to be ready. We looked at the Amphicars while we waited. April was more interested in the birds.

When they seated us, we were in the second dining room, at a table right next to the window. The sun was setting so I had to ask that the shades be drawn because it was right in my eyes, but other than that it was perfect. I wouldn’t have minded sitting outside, but poor Mom was about to melt in the heat.

I had been fully intending to try that drink with the rubber duck on it, but once I sat down all I was craving to drink was a nice crisp cider. I got the strawberry lime cider by Kopparburg and it was AMAZING. You can see by this picture that I took later in the meal that I actually ended up getting two.

For food, my mom and I started with the wedge salad to split. We asked for two plates and intended to cut it up ourselves, but they actually divided it for us! We got this the last time we ate here together. It’s really the perfect appetizer for a hot day.

We both got the same thing for our mains: lobster rolls New York style (I’ve also seen it called Connecticut style, but that’s what the Boathouse calls it). No mayo or anything, just warm lobster pieces on a toasted bun with lemon and melted butter on the side. Perfection. The fries were good, but way too many of them. My mom actually ordered truffle fries with hers but they brought her regular instead. They offered to bring her fresh truffle fries, but we already had so many fries so she declined. We ended up taking a lot of fries home, haha.

Rebekah got salad with shrimp and macaroni and cheese. We gave some of the mac and cheese to April, along with some fries. She gobbled it all up, and also played peek-a-boo with the tablecloth.

It was a great meal. I still think about that lobster roll.

After, I wanted a sweet treat that I could take home. I usually like to go to Amorette’s, but it was a little far to walk this evening. We walked by Gideon’s but it had a very long line (I actually recently went to the OG Gideon’s spot in Orlando when I was in the same shopping center to pick up ramen for dinner. There was no wait!), so we went to the next closest place, Sprinkles. There was a bit of a line to get into the store, but only one party in line for the cupcake ATM, so we got behind them.

Side note: I hate the phrase “cupcake ATM.” It’s not an ATM! It’s a vending machine! But I guess ATM is funnier.

Mom didn’t want anything, so I got a red velvet cupcake for myself, chocolate and marshmallow for DH, and vanilla for Rebekah.

We browsed in a couple more shops on our way back to Orange garage, but our evening was pretty much over! When I got home, I snapped a quick pic of the red velvet cupcake before devouring it.

It was fine. Not the best dessert I’ve had at Disney by pretty much any measure. I think I can get cupcakes that are just as good if not better at Publix, but it did the trick as far as satisfying my craving for a sweet treat.

 

[KathyM2]

I got my second shot a week ago and am feeling great.

Congrats!!! What a relief that must be!

April ate some baby snacks and just chilled in her stroller. She really enjoyed the music!

Cutest thing ever!!

We browsed in a couple more shops on our way back to Orange garage, but our evening was pretty much over! When I got home, I snapped a quick pic of the red velvet cupcake before devouring it.

I love the cupcake sundaes from Sprinkles...they are enough for a meal, but divine!

 

[Verstehen]

Congrats!!! What a relief that must be!



Cutest thing ever!!



I love the cupcake sundaes from Sprinkles...they are enough for a meal, but divine!

Thank you so much!

 

[Verstehen]

Mini TR w/ Mom and Sis, Part 2

So the next few days weren’t too exciting. On Thursday I worked and after we got lunch at one of my favorite local spots, Infusion Tea. Their food is all vegetarian or vegan.

Then we went out to shop for a new pair of glasses for me, which my mom had offered as a late birthday present.

On Friday after work we took April to a local playground. She’s not walking quite yet so she’s a little limited in what she can do there, but I know she’ll be taking off very soon and then I’ll be in trouble!

Also not sure what time that day this pic was taken, but it's just a great picture of April and my sister.

On Saturday evening my mom and sister offered to watch April so DH and I could go on our first real date since before she was born. So that was exciting! Unfortunately I discovered that in Covid times, with so many local restaurants limited in capacity, it’s very hard to get a reservation at the last minute. It was also pretty yucky weather, so that meant we had to stick with indoor options. I had several top choices for restaurants, and none had any availability, so I looked at Open Table and picked a restaurant in Winter Park called 310 Park South that had decent reviews.

It ended up being alright. The service wasn’t great and the food was good, but expensive. I had the duck and it was pretty tasty. DH got steak, I believe.

After dinner the weather cleared up so we just enjoyed the evening and walked down Park Avenue. It was a nice evening! April apparently didn’t miss us until towards the end of the night when she got tired. I hope we’ll have more opportunities in the future to have some time alone. It’s tough not having family nearby.

Sunday I hoped we would go to the farmer’s market at Lake Eola, which was walking distance from my mom’s AirBnb, but the weather was awful. It actually started hailing in the morning, and it rained much of the day. So instead, they came over to our house and we just had a quiet rainy day at home. I made pancakes and then later I made this amazing dish from a recipe I found on Bon Appetit: milk-braised pork.

I know it sounds gross, but it’s actually amazing. It’s pork shoulder braised in a broth of milk, a whole head of sauteed garlic, lemon peel, red pepper, and herbs for about 3 hours in the oven. I serve it with mashed potatoes and it’s really yummy and the perfect comfort food for a rainy day. Basically like an Italian pot roast.


Monday was when things got real! I worked a short day, 8 am-11 am, and then we were off to Epcot! We arrived about noon, and I thought we had plenty of time to get to our lunch reservation at 12:50, but we just ran into snag after snag. First there was a super long line of cars to get into the parking lot. It moved quickly, but still. Then we had to figure out how to get my mom’s ticket while hopefully avoiding a long line at the ticket booths (I had advised her to bring a magic band from a previous trip, but she couldn’t find it). She has an Android so Mobile Magic wouldn’t work on her device (side note: I think it’s pretty crummy that Disney discontinued free magic bands in anticipation of Mobile Magic, when Android users can’t even utilize it yet!). Luckily, we were able to get her ticket working on my phone by having her log into the app on my iPhone, so she just had to use my phone for her ticket the next few days. That wouldn’t get annoying at all!

We got into the park and had to then stand in line to get a scooter for Rebekah. There was a real concern that they would run out before we could get one, which would especially be a problem because she had left her walker at the AirBnb. I hadn’t eaten anything yet that day so I was trying to hold back my hangry-ness, especially as we crept closer to and then past our ADR time.

But finally, we got one, and we hurried over to the Mexico pavilion as quickly as possible. We considered stopping at Guest Services for our DAS, but the line was very long and we were already late, so we decided to return after lunch.

It was an insanely long walk to Mexico especially with all the construction, and of course when we arrived there was a line to get into the pyramid. But if you have a San Angel Inn reservation you’re able to bypass the line, so we were able to pretty much walk in which was nice.

Since we were a little late checking in for our reservation (our ADR was for 12:50 and I think we got there about 1:15), we were told there might be a wait of about 15 minutes, but they would text me so we just mulled around the shops until it was time to be seated. About 20 minutes later, we were called to a table.

I know it’s kind of sinful to do an ADR at Epcot during a festival (even though Epcot literally always has festivals these days), but we liked the idea of being able to eat a nice meal in the air conditioning during one of the hotter parts of the day. It turned out to be a great choice. I’ve had some less than great meals at San Angel Inn in the past so I was nervous, but we had a great experience today.

I got the ribeye tacos, which were amazing. The meat was so tender I was able to give some to April.

My mom got the chicken enchiladas, which she shared with me and April. April absolutely loved them. Rebekah got the soup and the chicken caesar salad with shrimp. They also brought us chips and salsa, which we couldn’t stop eating before our food arrived.

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal here. I don’t know if they’ve stepped up their game since the last time I ate here, or if we just ordered the right things this time, but I would definitely eat here again.

To be continued!

 

[NYDisneyKid]

Hi there and welcome to my latest trip report! I’m excited to share this trip with you. It was an unusual visit to Disney World, given it was during the Covid pandemic, and there are obviously a lot of issues surrounding that. My goal here is, aside from showing off photos, to share our experience so you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to visit Disney World during this time. I don’t think it’s a one-size-fits-all answer, and it’s something I struggled with a lot myself. I’ll strive to explain why I ultimately decided to go, and where my reservations and concerns still lie. Since so much of this trip surrounded sleep, whether it be lack of or too much, I decided this was an appropriate title.


First, let me introduce you to myself and my traveling companions.

I’m Rachel. I’m 32, and I live right here in Orlando. I live on the north end of the city, in a charming neighborhood called College Park, pretty close to the city of Winter Park. Both were featured on the Dis’s Moving to the Magic Youtube show, so check those episodes out if you want to have a better idea of what it’s like to live in this part of Central Florida. We’re about 30 minutes away from Disney property, more if there’s traffic in downtown Orlando and the tourist districts, but honestly, I love this area and there are few other places in Orlando I’d want to live. It’s historic, unique, and beautiful.

I work full time from home doing marketing for a software company (yes, even before the pandemic). When I’m not working, I’m usually chasing around my 10-month-old and our dog, cooking, or working on a few different personal projects. I recently launched a Disney podcast with a friend of mine (not affiliated with The Dis!), and am really excited to be unleashing my nerdery into the world.

I have been a fan of the Disney parks since my grandparents started taking me when I was six. I grew up in upstate NY, and moved to Florida about 10 years ago, partially to be closer to the magic, and partially to pursue my career (which was not remote at the time). I love that the parks have something for everyone, and I really never get tired of going. I do have an annual pass and in the past have often traveled to the parks just for a day or even just a couple of hours, but obviously with having a baby and then with the pandemic, that has severely slowed down. Most of the time now, when I do go to the parks, it’s for a multi-day trip with my father when he visits from out of town.

Speaking of which: my dad! He lives in upstate NY, still in the house I grew up in. He’s a semi-retired dentist still working part time, and the other part of the time he’s a volunteer EMT. So as you can imagine, he keeps very busy. He purchased DVC in 2016, first at the Polynesian, then another contract last year at the Riviera. When he comes to town, he prefers to stay in a hotel over our house (which is fine by me as we really no longer have space for guests), so this was his way of being able to visit often without having to intrude on us. He’s not the biggest Disney fan there is, but he’s grown to appreciate it over the years, especially when it comes to the food and drink options. And of course, it’s now a way for him to connect with his granddaughter. He typically comes twice a year: once in the late winter with my younger sister, and once in the fall without her. So this served as his yearly fall trip.

Also joining us was my daughter, April, who was a little over nine months old during this trip. She has been the brightest spot in this absolutely crazy and terrible year. She is so silly and sweet, and probably the best first baby I could have asked for. One big positive about this trip was getting to see her finally take in the rides and attractions, since during our last trip in late February, when she was only six weeks old, she pretty much slept on every ride, and in fact through most of the trip itself. I can’t say she was a perfect angel every second, but she was a real trooper and I’m glad she got to have the experiences she did.



Making a special guest appearance is my husband, Alex (no picture, but you can see him in my other reports!). If you’ve read my other reports, you know that he does not like Disney and he does not tend to stay with us on these trips, preferring to instead enjoy the silence of an empty house for a few days. This time, he actually did consider taking a few days off work so he could join us (and not be away from his baby for too long) but he works for the local news and sadly, due to it being the week before and of the election, and an impending rocket launch in the area as well, no one at his station was allowed to take time off. We did, however, see him for part of the trip!



On to the details of this trip. We stayed 6 nights, from October 28-November 3rd, in a preferred view studio at the Riviera resort. It was our first time staying there since purchasing a DVC contract here last year. You may notice that our trip ended on Election day. Yeah, I’m not sure why we picked those days either. I’ll try not to get political in this report, but it’s relevant to say that I had a LOT of anxiety in the days leading up to that Tuesday, and it unfortunately put a little bit of a cloud over our trip, especially when combined with my Covid anxieties.

Besides Covid and the election, there was of course the challenge of traveling with an infant. If you read my last report, you know that traveling with a newborn had its own unique challenges, and there were definitely advantages and disadvantages to going again several months later. If you are thinking of bringing a child around April’s age to Disney, I hope I’ll be able to offer you some perspective and insight as to what to expect.


With all that out of the way, thank you for making it this far, and I hope you’ll follow along on this journey!

Where in upstate NY? Thats's where I'm from (Binghamton NY) Moved to Kissimmee 13 years ago.

 

[Verstehen]

Where in upstate NY? Thats's where I'm from (Binghamton NY) Moved to Kissimmee 13 years ago.

Just outside of Albany, in Niskayuna!

 

[Verstehen]

Mini TR w/ Mom and Sis, Part 3:

Next we went back to Guest Services, where there was pretty much no line, and set up the DAS for Rebekah. During our short wait, April finished off some chicken from her lunch.

That's the outfit I got her at Disney Springs. I love it!

For those of you who don’t know, DAS stands for Disability Access Services and is basically how Disney accommodates people with disabilities that make waiting in long lines difficult. Instead of allowing you to skip any line at any time (which was pretty much how the system used to work), you instead get a return time similar to a Fastpass, which allows you to bypass the actual wait in line, but you still have to wait the amount of time you would have in the normal queue, you can just spend that wait doing something else. You can return to the attraction any time after your return time, but you can only have one return time at once, so you need to redeem or cancel your first one before getting another.

We decided to use our first one at Soarin, one of Rebekah’s favorite rides, so we went over to The Land. It would only be me and Rebekah riding, since Mom is afraid of heights. We got our return time for about an hour from that point, and then we went over to Living With the Land, which didn’t have a wait.

April jammed out to the song at the end, because of course she did, she’s my daughter! I tried to capture it on video but wasn’t really successful. Again, the boards are not letting me embed video but you can view it at this link:

https://imgur.com/FzVaUbc

We still had some time before our return for Soarin, so we went over to Journey Into Imagination and rode that, then we went back to The Land. Mom watched April outside of the building while Rebekah and I rode. She was not pleased to be separated from me.

But it was her naptime anyway and she was soon asleep.

We headed over to World Showcase after to get a return time for Frozen, then we walked around the world for a bit. I know we got shaved ice in Japan but I neglected to get any pictures of it. On our way back to Norway, I also tried these arancini from Italy.

Delicious! We then rode Frozen. April did well until the drop. I think getting splashed with water was the bigger issue; next time I’ll be sure to sit us in the middle. She immediately turned around and tried to cling to me, which made getting out of the boat lots of fun.

But all was quickly forgiven. Our family loves the troll in the gift shop so April and I had a little photoshoot with it.

We went back around World Showcase to explore, counter-clockwise. I got this lobster salad from the Citrus booth. It was really good and April liked trying it too! She let me feed her the lemon curd which was fun. I also got a lemon hefeweize beer (I’m sure I didn’t spell that correctly). It was super refreshing!

In the UK I wanted to get some pictures of the tea garden. I think this is such a unique concept, and I love tea.

As we passed the American Adventure I decided to indulge in some oysters.

At this point we were exhausted and decided to head towards the exit. I snapped a pic of one of my favorite topiaries on our way out.

Back at the wheelchair rental, Rebekah had to wait in a small queue to return her scooter and get her deposit back. While we waited, I showed April this little baby Lady stuffie, since she loves dogs. She was instantly attached to it, so we had to buy it.

We went home and got some rest, ready for another fun day.

More coming soon!

 

[North of Mouse]

Have enjoyed your trip report very much! Have not commented yet, but had to let you know that you have a beautiful and sweet tempered little girl. I know you realize this . I have three that are grown now and they were easy going also. Glad your Mom and Sis could visit, also your Dad earlier.

 

[rdkeim]

Nothing better than combining family time and Disney. Sounds like a great day at Epcot. Your DD is SO adorable!

 

[Verstehen]

Have enjoyed your trip report very much! Have not commented yet, but had to let you know that you have a beautiful and sweet tempered little girl. I know you realize this . I have three that are grown now and they were easy going also. Glad your Mom and Sis could visit, also your Dad earlier.

Nothing better than combining family time and Disney. Sounds like a great day at Epcot. Your DD is SO adorable!

Thank you both! It was a lovely visit.

 

[Verstehen]

Mini TR w/ Mom and Sis, Part 4

Tuesday was my mom and sister’s last full day in Florida, and our second park day! This time I took the whole day off work since we were going to Magic Kingdom and wanted to get lots done!

I woke up around 9 and got ready. April was still asleep when I was ready to go, so I literally scooped her up in her bed, stuffed her outfit in my pocket, and put her in her car seat. My hope was that she would fall back asleep in the car, but she didn’t. That wasn’t a huge deal; she was at least in a good mood. I drove to the AirBnb to pick up my mom and sister, and then we drove to property.

I was worried about the travel and arrival process today since yesterday had been so full of mishaps, and Magic Kingdom seems even more prone to issues than Epcot. But there was no line for the parking lot, so that was a good sign! We had a fun encounter with a castmember here. I don’t know if his scanner wasn’t working or whatever, but he asked me if I was an Annual Passholder. I said yes, and he said, “Well you seem like you have a trustworthy face, even though I can’t see it, so go on in.” Haha, okay!

My mom remembered to pack my sister’s handicap placard today, so we were able to park near the handicap lot (the actual handicap spots were all filled, but there were lots of open spots right next to it, so I assume they use that for overflow). We had a short walk to the TTC, and a quick temperature and bag check experience.

Since COVID hit, I’ve generally preferred the ferry over the monorail for getting from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom, but there was no line for the monorail today and one was just pulling into the station, so we hurried up the ramp and got a car all to ourselves! During our ride, I finally changed April into her daytime clothes, haha. Once we got into the Magic Kingdom, Mom and Rebekah went to rent a scooter while I tried to get a peek at a cavalcade that was coming by on Main Street, but it was just disappearing into the backstage area.

Turns out, they were already out of scooters! So Rebekah would get a text message when one became available. Luckily she’d brought her walker today, so she would still be able to get around, though a scooter would make it much easier. For our trip in September she’ll definitely be renting one.

We had about 45 minutes before our lunch ADR. I was hungry and we all needed some caffeine. So we went to the Starbucks on Main Street. It had a line out the door, but it moved very quickly. Soon enough, we got our drinks (and I got this monster Mickey cinnamon roll, which was alright).

We crossed the street and saw a cavalcade come by. It’s nice to see the characters in at least some capacity!

We knew we definitely wanted to ride Small World, so we went over to Fantasyland to get a return time since the line was at 60 minutes. By that point it was pretty close to our ADR time, so we decided to just check in early.

Our ADR today was at Liberty Tree Tavern, which we’d eaten at together before and enjoyed. We didn’t have too long of a wait, but I was surprised when the hostess took us out of the lobby and had us walk down the side of the building into the Golden Horseshoe!

Turns out, to increase capacity, they are seating some parties over in the Diamond Horseshoe next door. So FYI if you have an ADR there during this time, you might be seated there! I was a little disappointed at first and almost contemplated if we should ask to be in the main restaurant for, idk, the atmosphere? It didn’t seem like a huge deal at all but it still felt weird I guess. That is until we were seated right next to the stage.

This turned out to be an excellent spot, because every once in awhile the self-playing piano would serenade us with a tune. April LOVED it, and would constantly look back at the stage when it wasn’t playing, to see if it would start. So this turned out to be a great spot. The only thing that sucked was that the closest bathrooms were outside, the ones under the tunnel from Frontierland to Adventureland, and to get back into the Diamond Horseshoe you had to walk all the way back around the building. But it was an inconvenience we only had to deal with once.

Anyway, while we waited for food, my mom snapped some pictures.

The food was the usual Liberty Tree family-style fare. Rolls, salad, turkey, pork, pot roast, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, and green beans. I ate a little bit of everything. April was partial to the mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.

Click to see baby dancing to player piano!

While we were eating our main meals, my mom requested more stuffing, not realizing there was actually still plenty of stuffing on the table. Of course, she instantly felt bad, but it was too late. The waiter brought another plate of stuffing, which she accepted graciously, but then looked at me like, “What did I do?” I could not stop laughing. She took it way too much to heart, asking me what she should do. I suggested she apologize to the waiter to alleviate her conscience (I was joking, but she really did it!), and then I made a joke that there was so much stuffing, it would be part of my inheritance. She tried to get me and Rebekah to eat some, but we were full. At this point, April was full too, which she demonstrated by throwing what remained of her food onto the floor. If this had been a dinner reservation instead of a lunch reservation, I would have gladly took some of the leftovers home for dinner, but alas, it would have all gone bad sitting in the sun all day.

We finished our meal with a few bites of the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. I tried to save more room, but I was so full. I gave a few bites of ice cream to April.

More MK coming soon!

 

[RooDoll99]

Going to follow

 

[Verstehen]

Going to follow

Welcome! I hope you enjoy the read.

 

[rdkeim]

Love LTT! We ate there on our last visit and it might have been our best meal. We're simple folk Hope the waits aren't too long in MK and you get a lot accomplished.

 

[Verstehen]

Mini TR w/ Mom and Sis, Part 5

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day weekend! DH and I took April to Gatorland on Saturday. It's a great time to go since it's mating season, so the gators are very active. None of us had been before, but we had a great time. It's basically a zoo with mostly gators, lol. Afterwards we had a late lunch at Polite Pig, where April ate a good portion of my mac and cheese. On Sunday, we chilled at home together; DH made pancakes for us. Later my friend came over to watch April and DH and I went to a fancy restaurant called Kabooki Sushi (we went to the location on Colonial Drive, but I think they have some locations that are closer to Disney). It was WAY fancier than I thought it was going to be, haha. I think the menu is similar to the style of Takumi Tei in Epcot, actually. It was great though, and I had way too much sake. Here are some photos of our great weekend!

This was a Sakura Sour, with both whiskey and sake. It was AMAZING.

Tuna tartare

Chef's nigiri selection

Karaage (fried chicken)

Pana cotta (I forget the flavor, but I want to say basil)

Thai tea creme brulee. INCREDIBLE.


Now back to the report...

After we wrapped up lunch, it was time to ride Small World! We had a boat all to ourselves because they put us on the wheelchair-accessible one (even though we didn’t have a wheelchair). My mom took plenty of videos of me and April, and I tried to get some selfies as well.

https://imgur.com/9MscEfn

https://imgur.com/D2OXQuH

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https://imgur.com/EmOsxKc

We then got a return time for Peter Pan’s flight, and headed over to Haunted Mansion since the line was pretty short (posted at 25 minutes, I think, but it didn’t end up taking that long). Rebekah had to park her walker because a cast member told her the line wouldn’t accommodate it and she’d have to get a return time to use the accessible entrance. Since we already had a return time, she elected to park the walker and just held Mom’s hand if she had any trouble walking (she doesn’t need the walker for every day stuff, but on a day like a Disney day it makes her life way easier). It wasn’t ideal, but it worked fine.

Mom and Rebekah rode in one doom buggy and April and I rode in another. I don’t see my picture on the app which is a shame, but Mom and Rebekah’s picture came out at least.

I didn’t think April would react too negatively to the ride at this age, but she did seem quite nervous! She would look at something, turn around to hug me, and then cautiously turn around again, only to have to hug me again. Poor baby! I think she was getting kind of sleepy though, because as we made our way over to Peter Pan’s flight, she fell asleep in her carrier. Which was a shame, because I was looking forward to riding it with her! Oh well, always next time I guess.

She was still out like a light, and Rebekah had been asking to do Carousel of Progress. I thought Buzz Lightyear would be a fun attraction to do as well, so we made our way over to Tomorrowland. On the way, we ran into a cavalcade!

We got a return time for Buzz Lightyear, then got in line for CoP. Yes, because of COVID, there was actually a wait to see Carousel of Progress! It was probably about 20 minutes. April stayed sleeping for most of it.

And then woke up towards the end, just in time for us to take our seats in the theater. I was worried she’d be fussy but she was fascinated by the whole thing! She especially loved Rover and needed to continuously point to him in every scene yelling, “Dee!” Which I guess is her word for dog? lol. I hope nobody in the theater thought she was annoying; I thought it was super cute.

After it was time to ride Buzz Lightyear. They didn’t have anyone manning the Fastpass scanners and seemed super busy, so they just waved us through. While we were in line, Rebekah got a text that they had a scooter available at the front, and she had an hour to go up and claim it. So we decided that would be our next stop after Buzz, even though by this point the day seemed to be winding down. I know moving around was becoming more and more difficult for her.

Rebekah rode in her own car and Mom and I rode in another with April on my lap. I did okay, though not my best score.

April needed a diaper change and I just wanted a break from the sun, so I decided to check out the Baby Care Center while Mom and Rebekah went to the front to get the scooter. They were a little confused about where to go, so I walked them over to Main Street and they were able to get the rest of the way themselves. We agreed to meet back up in about 25 minutes, though we didn’t agree on a place; just somewhere vaguely in Adventureland since that was where we wanted to go next.

The Baby Care Center was open, but pretty much empty! I changed April on one of the very nice changing tables, used the bathroom myself, and then went into the nursing room. I was disappointed that they took out the big plush recliners in there and replaced them with wooden rocking chairs. I’m not 100% sure why. There were three rocking chairs in there, and I think there were only 3 or 4 recliners in there before. I’m guessing it’s easier to clean the rocking chairs?

In any case, it didn’t matter. April had no interest in nursing. She just wanted to explore the floor. Hooray.

I also refilled her water cup in the little kitchen. I think I accidentally annoyed the poor hostess by touching some of the items in the kitchen, like a cup of baby snack puffs, because I didn’t realize they were for sale. Silly me! I should have realized Disney gives pretty much nothing away for free.

I took us to Adventureland and got a return time for the Jungle Cruise. There was a bit of confusion because it showed we still had an open return time for Buzz (I guess we could have ridden it at least twice in a row if we’d wanted!), but the cast member cleared it and it was no problem.

I then found an awesome little sitting spot in the shade. If you’re standing pretty much in front of the spitting camels facing the Aladdin ride and the Tiki Room, look to your right and you’ll see a little open air seating area. If you go in there and then turn right, you’ll see a little tunnel, and along that tunnel are these booths built into the wall. The first one was empty, so I snagged it and April and I just chilled out while we waited for Mom and Rebekah.

Shortly after, they started calling to ask where I was. I tried to explain but they were having a hard time finding me (I’m not the best with directions, though I’m usually good at finding my own way, go figure). But I was unwilling to move unless I absolutely had to, knowing we’d stumbled upon a real jewel of a spot and if I left, we might not get it back. So I pressed on with my instructions, trying to figure out where they were (they walked right past the magic carpets and were looking for me at the Dole Whip stand???). But eventually, they found me!

Once they did, they agreed that this was a great spot. We still had time before our Jungle Cruise return time and weren’t in a hurry to go anywhere, so I suggested we indulge in some Dole Whip. Mom and I wanted regular Dole Whip swirl cups, and Rebekah wanted the raspberry cup. I ordered on the mobile app, and then immediately hit the “I’m here” button and left April with Mom to walk over to the stand. Literally as I was walking over, the app said my order was ready! I walked right to the mobile order pick-up window, the cast member greeted me, looked at my screen, and put the order on a tray. I walked back to the booth and that was it! There was a line for physical orders, but my entire experience from the time I opened the app to when I was actually sitting and ready to eat my Dole Whip was maybe three minutes tops. It was MAGICAL.

We sat and enjoyed our Dole Whip for awhile. I was kind of hoping April would just focus on her baby snacks so I could eat mine in peace, not because I didn’t want to share, but because I thought she wouldn’t enjoy it. But she kept trying to grab it, so I pulled out her bib and spoon and let her share with me. And she loved it! I am one proud Disney Mama, let me tell you.

https://imgur.com/XMJx6IV
Honestly, we could have stayed in that booth all day. If we’d discovered it earlier in the day, we might have. It was nice and cool and so cozy; we felt like we had a special spot all to ourselves. I know Disney’s in-park cabanas didn’t take off, but if they put them here, I think it would be a different story.

We finished up, a bit stickier, but happier. And finally, we knew it was time to give up our seats so that we could enjoy some Adventureland attractions.

We started with the Tiki Room, which I had been looking forward to showing April all day. I knew she’d find it fascinating. And she did! But maybe going towards the end of the day wasn’t the best idea. She was restless and kept trying to wriggle out of my arms. We were seated in the front row and she saw all this floor space in front of her and wanted to explore it. I let her sit on the floor for a couple seconds at a time, but the second she tried to crawl off, I had to grab her again. I’m sure if anyone else in the audience saw me, they thought I was being an irresponsible parent, letting her go on the floor. And maybe I was. But I was also just trying to stay sane.

After Tiki Room, we went to the Jungle Cruise to redeem our return time. This was April’s first time! She didn’t get any of the jokes. She’s so uncultured! But we adults had a great time.

At this point, we’d done pretty much every attraction we really wanted to do at Magic Kingdom (I wouldn’t have minded doing Splash Mountain, but no one else wanted to do it with me so I would have had to leave April with them while I stood in the standby queue, and I knew she wouldn’t go for that).

We made our way towards the front of the park, and stopped for a quick Photopass shoot. There was a short line and someone in the party behind us was complaining about how slowly it was moving, but the photographer was doing a great job making sure each family got some special photos, so we didn’t mind!

Rebekah is wearing her cats dress that she got at Disney Springs the week before. It looks great on her! I think this is a really nice dress.

We headed to the exit and returned Rebekah’s scooter. We took the monorail back to the parking lot since there was no line again. Once in the lot, I texted DH, because he had something he needed from me…

So as I’ve probably mentioned but you may not remember, DH works for one of the local Orlando news stations as a cameraman. He works second shift, so as we were leaving the park around 8 pm, he was in the throes of his workday. He also, as you may remember, does not like Disney, so today was particularly sour for him as he was assigned to work on the big Disney story that broke that day: That castmembers would now be allowed to have tattoos (among other things).

So DH and his reporter were parked at the Crossroads shopping center across from Hotel Plaza Boulevard (near Disney Springs). He asked me to come by on our way home so he could say hi to me and April, and so he could get a shot of my Disney tattoo to include in the story.

Have I mentioned I have a Disney tattoo? I honestly can’t remember if I have.

Anyway, we met him and his reporter in the McDonalds parking lot. It was nice for Mom and Rebekah to be able to say goodbye to him, since their flight was leaving early in the morning. He got the shot of my tattoo, gave some kisses to April, and we parted ways. They would be stuck there for another couple of hours.

We hadn’t eaten dinner, but Mom wasn’t hungry and just wanted to get back to the AirBnb so she could pack. Rebekah was fine with eating some food they had at the AirBnb. I was starving and April was pretty grouchy, so I wanted to get home and get food for both of us ASAP. We went to the AirBnb and said our goodbyes, hoping it wouldn’t be too long until we could see each other again. I then drove through a McDonalds (guess meeting up with DH in a McDonalds parking lot gave me the idea!) and picked up a quick dinner for myself and April to share. We ate, and then I put her down for a late bedtime.

And that was our family visit! Overall it was very lovely and it’s been nice to relive it here. I hope it was enjoyable for you as well. I’m excited to creep closer and closer back to normal. I do plan to bring April back to the parks once I’m fully immunized in a couple of weeks. If anything big happens that I’d like to post about I will do so here, but otherwise I’ll open up a new thread once we get back from our big trip in September! Right now we’re booked September 22-28 in a one bedroom villa at the Boardwalk. Stay tuned for that, and thanks for following along!

 

[Verstehen]

Love LTT! We ate there on our last visit and it might have been our best meal. We're simple folk Hope the waits aren't too long in MK and you get a lot accomplished.

I'm always up for unusual cuisine, but I agree, LTT is great! I think it's one of the most reliable dining experiences on property.