Trip Report - February 2023

[Noreen411]

Monday 2/13/23 Continued
We drove to Magic Kingdom.







We were happy to be at Magic Kingdom even though it was a bit later than we originally planned.





We went on the People Mover which kept getting stuck. Then rode Buzz Lightyear.



The park is more crowded today. Below is one of the pictures I really like since it looks like a postcard but we’re in it near the bottom right. Look at the crowds by the castle today.


We headed to FantasyLand and rode Peter Pan. This is such a sweet ride.

Seven Dwarves Mine Train is surprisingly one of our newer favorites. It’s cute and of course I’m singing along with the dwarves.



We watched the parade as we headed towards Liberty Square/Frontierland since it was passing by.

We watched the Hall of President’s show since it was just about to start when we walked by.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was next. It’s a shame they don’t have a photo on the ride since this is another favorite of ours.



We rode the Railroad around the park and got off at Main Street.

 

[Noreen411]

Monday 2/13/23 Continued
We left the park and drove to Caribbean Beach resort. We had dinner reservations at Sebastian’s Bistro. We went a bit early to have a pre-dinner cocktail at the Banana Cabana Bar. We browsed through the shops at the resort before heading to the bar.

At Banana Cabana, I had the Banana Cabana drink and Scott had Bourbon


Scott went to check in at Sebastian’s Bistro a few minutes before 8 (our reservation time) and was told they were running about 30 minutes late. We were OK hanging out at the bar so it was fine. Surprisingly, we were called/texted just a few minutes later to be seated.



We ordered the extra Shrimp add on. This is very good.



The rest of the meal is family style and the food started coming out pretty quickly.

The little rolls are good, but would have been even better if they were warmed up a bit.


The salad was good and very fresh


From the meat platter we enjoyed the chicken the most. Scott took the meat off the bone for me; one of my food quirks. We didn’t finish the other items.



The rice and vegetables go well with the meal.


The waiter asked if we wanted more of anything so Scott asked for a piece of chicken.

Once we finished the food, they brought out dessert. This is a really good bread pudding. Similar to O’Hana/Tambu lounge but not quite. Tambu Lounge/O’Hana is still our favorite bread pudding, but this one is a pretty close second.







We enjoyed Sebastian’s Bistro and would definitely come back.

When we left the restaurant the Epcot fireworks were happening and we were able to watch it from right there. It was a nice way to end the evening.

We headed back to the resort after.

 

[rdkeim]

Sounds like a good day even with the car hiccup. Nice you didn't let it ruin your day. Both your meals look awesome! I'll keep them both in mind!

 

[Noreen411]

Sounds like a good day even with the car hiccup. Nice you didn't let it ruin your day. Both your meals look awesome! I'll keep them both in mind!

Hi. Exactly, can’t let little things ruin the day. We’re pretty easy going and always have fun whatever we are doing. We changed our plans a bit to drive to the airport to swap out the car, but we’re still on vacation together. Not everyone gets an opportunity to do that so we have to put the car hiccup in perspective. We’re actually making a little bet about how many more cars we’ll go through before my car is fixed.

 

[Noreen411]

Tuesday 2/14/23
Scott went to the gym at 6:30 and I followed about 6:45.
Just before 7 we bought Genie+, right at 7 I was able to get a virtual queue spot for Scott for Guardians of the Galaxy (I can’t ride that), and booked our first Genie+ selection.

Our normal morning routine of laundry, jacuzzi, showers and get dressed. We didn’t make breakfast today as we planned to get breakfast from the bakery in France in Epcot. During our last trip we bought a croissant that we really enjoyed and were saying that would make a great breakfast so that was our plan for breakfast today.

We got to Epcot a little before 10







As we were entering the park, it was time for Scott’s virtual queue at Guardians of the Galaxy so we headed over there. Even though I won’t ride, I still like the cute pictures outside.







Scott enjoyed his ride.

 

[Noreen411]

Tuesday 2/14/23 Continued
We walked into World Showcase







It was time for us to ride Remy so we went over there next.





This is a cute ride.

After Remy we finally made it to the bakery in France. We were hungry so ordered more than we originally thought we would. I guess it’s like going to the supermarket hungry, you buy more stuff than you need.

Scott got a quiche Lorraine that he enjoyed.


I got a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant that was OK, but a bit on the greasy side. I ate some of it then gave the rest to Scott to finish.



We got the box of macarons which was a bit different than the ones we bought last trip, These were still good and packaged well. They made it back to New Jersey and were still good when we ate them a week or so after getting home.


We also got the chocolate croissant and had that wrapped up for later. This wasn’t as good as the one we had last time but I think it’s our fault, we ordered the wrong thing. Last time it was an almond/chocolate croissant that was delicious. This one was just a chocolate croissant which normally would be good too, but it was a bit dry. These pictures are from later

 

[Noreen411]

Tuesday 2/14/23 Continued
We continued our walk around the countries.

In America Scott wanted to try the Duck & Dumplings from the festival booth. I’m not a big fan of duck so didn’t try it. Scott said it was just OK


I’m pretty sure we stayed to watch the American Adventure as it was just starting.

We went to the Animation Academy which was held in the outdoor theater across from the American Adventure show. We enjoyed the drawing class at Animal Kingdom so were looking forward to doing another one.

We drew Lady from Lady & the Tramp. An earlier class drew Tramp. While we definitely enjoyed this, we didn’t like that it wasn’t a contained class and felt like we only did half of it. Had we known that they were drawing Tramp earlier and Lady now, we would have tried to get to both classes. They chose Lady & the Tramp for Valentine’s Day (that’s what the animator running the class told us)

This is the animator’s drawing at the end of the class.


This is Scott’s drawing - he’s much better at this than I am.


This is my drawing; I’m not very artistic.


We continued walking around World Showcase; I think we did two laps around today, stopping here and there.








When we were heading back towards the front of the park, we saw the Paint by Number mural so stopped to do this. What a cute idea.



It was time for us to ride Soarin so we did that. This is always fun.
We got right onto Living with the Land after

We also went on Spaceship Earth

We headed out of the park

 

[Noreen411]

Tuesday 2/14/23 Continued
We drove to the Dolphin later and valet parked for our Valentine’s Day dinner at Shula’s.

We got there a little early for a pre-dinner cocktail and decided to stay at the bar for dinner. We made sure to let the hostess know.



Scott had Bombay Sapphire straight with olives. I had white sangria. The first sangria they brought me tasted odd, not bad, but not as good as it usually is. I wasn’t going to say anything but Scott mentioned it so they brought me 2 new ones to try and see which I liked better. They said we should always let them know if something isn’t perfect so they can fix it. I chose the better one of the two new ones and enjoyed it.


For an appetizer we had the crab cake. This was very good; you tasted the crab and there wasn’t a lot of filler.


The bread is always delicious - crunchy outside, soft on the inside, warm. It’s so hard not to eat it all.


For dinner we ordered the special Chateaubriand for two served with truffle butter. This was an off menu Valentine’s Day special. It was very good. The truffle butter can be a bit overwhelming if you use more than just a small bit of it.





We also ordered the macaroni and cheese (the best Mac & cheese at Disney)


For dessert we had the special off-menu Valentine’s Day dessert. There was cake inside the dome, all the decorations were edible. It was good and lighter than the chocolate soufflé we usually get at Shula’s for dessert.



We really enjoyed our meal at Shula’s. When I was making our reservations 60 days in advance and realized we would be there for Valentine’s Day, I knew Shula’s would be a great choice as it’s consistently one of our favorite meals at Disney.

We were originally planning to head to Hollywood Studios to watch Fantasmic but by the time we finished dinner it was too late.

We walked around the Boardwalk a bit then headed back to our resort.

 

[cassidy57]

Saturday 2/11/23 Continued
Later that evening we drove to the Dolphin and valet parked for our reservation at Shula’s.

We sat at the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail and decided to eat at the bar rather than moving to a table. We we having a nice time chatting with the bartenders and some other guests. We let the host know so they could use the table for others looking to eat in the dining room.
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I had a white sangria and Scott had Bombay straight with olives.
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For an appetizer we had the tuna tartare. This is very good here. The wonton chips they serve it with is a nice change from the normal chips served with tuna tartare in most places.
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The bread here is great. Warm, crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. It’s hard not to fill up on the bread.
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We shared the dry aged cowboy steak, which is a special not on the menu. This is so good; it just melts in your mouth.
And it’s huge.
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We also had the macaroni and cheese. This is Scott’s favorite Mac & cheese at Disney. I like this one too and I’m not a huge Mac & cheese person.
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For dessert we had the chocolate souffle. This is a fantastic dessert. The ice cream goes great with it and cuts the richness of the soufflé very well. With my food quirks, I like that you pour the sauce yourself as much or as little as you want. Scott always has that job to pour the sauce so I can take a picture.
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After dinner we walked around the Boardwalk a bit then drove back to the resort.

We walked over to one of the other sections of the resort and stopped at the Breezes Bar. Being a pool bar, they don’t serve their drinks in glasses, just plastic. Scott had a martini and I had a Blue Raspberry non alcoholic drink.

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Karaoke was going on at the bar so we stayed to watch/listen for a bit. It was kind of like nails on a chalkboard; the singers were not very good. I guess that’s the fun of it; I’m sure several of them had a few drinks before getting up to perform. Instead of sitting right by the bar, we moved towards the pool area; we could still hear the Karaoke but it wasn’t quite as loud. Several others had the same idea and we had a nice time chatting with other people sitting near us.

 

[cassidy57]

Tuesday 2/14/23 Continued
We continued our walk around the countries.

In America Scott wanted to try the Duck & Dumplings from the festival booth. I’m not a big fan of duck so didn’t try it. Scott said it was just OK
View attachment 757266

I’m pretty sure we stayed to watch the American Adventure as it was just starting.

We went to the Animation Academy which was held in the outdoor theater across from the American Adventure show. We enjoyed the drawing class at Animal Kingdom so were looking forward to doing another one.

We drew Lady from Lady & the Tramp. An earlier class drew Tramp. While we definitely enjoyed this, we didn’t like that it wasn’t a contained class and felt like we only did half of it. Had we known that they were drawing Tramp earlier and Lady now, we would have tried to get to both classes. They chose Lady & the Tramp for Valentine’s Day (that’s what the animator running the class told us)

This is the animator’s drawing at the end of the class.
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This is Scott’s drawing - he’s much better at this than I am.
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This is my drawing; I’m not very artistic.
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We continued walking around World Showcase; I think we did two laps around today, stopping here and there.


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When we were heading back towards the front of the park, we saw the Paint by Number mural so stopped to do this. What a cute idea.

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It was time for us to ride Soarin so we did that. This is always fun.
We got right onto Living with the Land after

We also went on Spaceship Earth

We headed out of the park

I just found your trip report and I am loving it. I love all the photos. I really don't know how to post a reply, lol But thanks for posting!

 

[Noreen411]

I just found your trip report and I am loving it. I love all the photos. I really don't know how to post a reply, lol But thanks for posting!

Hi. You replied perfectly
Thank you for the nice comments.

 

[Noreen411]

Wednesday 2/15/23
We went to the gym about 5:45.
Just before 7, bought Genie+ and right at 7 booked our first selection.

Our normal routine of laundry, jacuzzi, showers and breakfast followed.

We got to Hollywood Studios around 9:30



We went onto Mickey & Minnie’s runaway railroad. This is a cute ride.

We watched the Indiana Jones Show. We haven’t seen this in ages as it’s usually too hot to sit outside but with the great weather we were able to enjoy the show.

We headed into Toy Story Land





We rode Toy Story Mania continuing to try to remember the tips to get better scores, but not doing too well.

Slinky Dog Dash was next which we both enjoy.



I am pretty sure we rode the Alien Saucers next.

We headed towards Tower of Terror. This is my favorite ride at Hollywood Studios. Of course we stopped for a few pictures on the way.






We are all the way in the back on the ride. There are no bad seats, but it’s harder to see us in the picture.








We were wandering around the park looking through the shops, taking pictures and just enjoying being there.

 

[Noreen411]

Wednesday 2/15/23 Continued
Throughout the trip I’ve been looking for a black hoodie I saw, whenever we saw a shop I would take a look. Unfortunately, I haven’t had any luck finding it in my size. When we saw people wearing them earlier in the trip, they mentioned they found them at one of the resorts.

Scott suggested we stop at the Riviera to look for the hoodie on the way to Epcot. We could take the Skyliner since it’s a nice way to travel when the weather is nice.

On the way out of the park, Scott saw a photographer and said he will sometimes wander off and surprise me with a solo picture, he thought I should take a solo picture too.



The skyliner may not be the quickest mode of transportation but it was enjoyable.



When we got to the Riviera and tried the store there, they didn’t have the hoodie I was looking for. We got back on the Skyliner and headed to Epcot.

Since we entered through International Gateway we did a loop (maybe two) around the countries, stopping here and there.

We were getting a little hungry and wanted to try some of the food booths.

We got the Gnocchi poutine. While we were initially surprised that the poutine was fried, it ended up holding up to the topping well and we enjoyed it.


Scott tried the Angry Crab which he thought was great. Probably his favorite food booth dish. I liked the little ball things, but the crab looks too much like it did alive for me to eat.


Scott also tried the scallops which he thought were OK. I’m not a huge scallop fan so didn’t try them.


We were near the front of the park so rode a few attractions.

The single rider line at Test Track is a great way to ride. We are usually a row or car apart.

Figment is always a cute ride.






We rode Soarin still getting one of the end sections so had crooked landmarks. It’s fun regardless of where you sit and we’re always amused by the crooked landmarks.

Spaceship Earth is a classic so we like to ride.

Of course, we stopped for a few more pictures

 

[Noreen411]

Wednesday 2/15/23 Continued
We walked back into the countries and exited through the International Gateway to take the Skyliner back to Hollywood Studios. We got the car and stopped at Publix for a few items, then headed back to the resort.

We thought we may be able to go swimming but the sun was behind the buildings so the pool was in the shade and it would be too cold. Instead we started doing some packing. It’s quicker to pack to go home but it still takes a while since we both overpack; getting a head start on it now was a good plan so we won’t have to do it all tomorrow.

We cancelled our dinner reservation earlier and were planning to see where the evening took us.

We drove to Disney Springs. We browsed some shops then got on the Gideon’s standby line.
In the morning they have the crumb cake/coffee cake cookie that they sell until they are out of them (limited supply) which is our favorite Gideon’s cookie. In the evening they have a special nighttime crumb cake/coffee cake. We’ve never tried that one so figured this would be a good time to get them if they still have them. We were successful and they still had the evening crumb cake/coffee cake cookies available.

We went into the Hangar Bar. We’ve never been here before so wanted to give it a try. It’s a cute place but the seats are not comfortable (my pet peeve).



Scott had the Mayor’s Reserve (a bourbon drink) which he said was OK. He also ordered a plain bourbon which he enjoyed more. I had the Cool Headed Monkey which I enjoyed.



We stayed at the bar to eat. We shared our food as we like to do; ordering several things.

We started with the Tacos al Pastor. These were OK, probably our least favorite of the items we ordered. Nothing was wrong with them, it’s just the other items outshined them.


We had the meatballs which were surprisingly very good. Scott makes his own meatballs and his own sauce (gravy) so is very picky about meatballs out. But these were really good.


We also had the sliders. Another solid dish.


We were pretty full already but kept seeing people ordering a huge pretzel with all sorts of stuff on the plate. So we ordered it too - the Loaded Pretzel. We probably just should have gotten a plain pretzel; it was good but too much stuff. Or maybe we just weren’t hungry. We had most of this wrapped up to go.



We drove back to the resort, put the cookies in the freezer, and the leftover food in the fridge.

We walked over to the Breezes bar at the resort and ended up hanging out there until they closed. We met some nice people and the bartender was super friendly.

 

[buteraa]

I really enjoy your trip reports. One of our favorite things is trying new restaurants, so i appreciate you including food pictures and reviews.

 

[Noreen411]

I really enjoy your trip reports. One of our favorite things is trying new restaurants, so i appreciate you including food pictures and reviews.

Hi. Thank you for the kind words. We’re always looking for new places to try too; but we also have our favorites that we don’t want to miss. So many restaurants and too little time for it all.

I did a separate dining review in that section with more details including descriptions of the food from the menu.

Let me see if I can try to link that here for you in case you want to take a look.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dining-review-february-2023.3911611/

Noreen

 

[KenyaSierra]

I love your reports! And Scott is my cocktail brother – martinis, G&Ts, occasional whiskey/bourbon drink. Just curious, do you really do laundry every day? As a single person, this is far beyond my laundry capacity but that is possibly my fault more than anything,

 

[jbharr1]

What I would give to take a road trip in a car that has only 50,000 miles on it! That milestone is almost 100,000 miles in our (scratched up) rear view mirror!

Enjoying your trip report.

me too. this year will be first road trip with a van under 50k which is only because my old one was totaled by someone running red light in 2021. replaced with new because used minivans prices were outrageous.

 

[Noreen411]

I love your reports! And Scott is my cocktail brother – martinis, G&Ts, occasional whiskey/bourbon drink. Just curious, do you really do laundry every day? As a single person, this is far beyond my laundry capacity but that is possibly my fault more than anything,

Hi. Thank you for the kind words.

I’m more adventurous trying different types of cocktails, but I need wimpy versions that don’t taste too strong.
Scott knows what he likes and doesn’t deviate too often. I’m glad he’s been trying some of the different bourbon drinks lately.

At Disney we’ll do laundry pretty much every day. It’s easy having the washer/dryer right in the villa. But it’s a smaller stackable set. Between the two of us we’ll go through a lot of clothes each day: gym clothes, park clothes, possibly a second set of park clothes, pajamas, multiple pairs of socks and underwear, sometimes a bathing suit. It’s nice to pack clean clothes to bring home. It doesn’t interfere with the day since we throw a load of wash in when we get back from the gym, and it’s in the dryer before we leave for the park.

 

[Noreen411]

Thursday 2/16/23
Scott went to the gym at 5:30; I went about 6:15
Just before 7 bought Genie+ and booked our first selection at 7

Back in the villa our normal routine of laundry, jacuzzi, shower, and breakfast
We did a bit more packing before we headed to the park.

We drove to Magic Kingdom. While the trams are running we walked from the parking lot to the TTC then took the ferry over to the Magic Kingdom.

While on the ferry Scott received the annual pass holder Tron preview email so clicked on that and the bar moved very slowly waiting for it to complete. I didn’t get the email, just Scott did.



We started at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This is one of our favorites. I hope they add a ride photo to it.

We went on Ariel’s Under the Sea ride stopping for some pictures on the way





We enjoyed our ride on 7 Dwarves Mine Train. Another favorite. I like roller coasters but can’t ride the really big ones that flip anymore.



We stopped for a few more pictures as we were walking about.





We always enjoy the Haunted Mansion but have to figure out when they take the picture so maybe we will be looking the right direction.







We stopped to get a Dole Whip. I haven’t had one in a long time and was looking forward to it. I’m glad I finally got it, but it wasn’t as good as I remembered, it was a bit too tart. It was still good but just not quite how I remembered it. We ordered the one that was pineapple and vanilla swirl.



We watched the Country Bear Jamboree.

I think we also saw the Tiki Bird show.

We were enjoying being at Magic Kingdom. We browsed through some shops and were just happy to be there.

The park was more crowded than it’s been earlier in the trip. With President’s Weekend coming up we’re not surprised.

We headed out of the park.

Scott finally got through the wait on the Tron preview email and the event is already sold out. When we saw the dates it was fine since we weren’t going to be back in March. Maybe we missed it, but I don’t remember the email giving the dates until you went through the whole wait.