Vernie822
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2014
DAY 1 - BLT, Boathouse & Splitsville
We checked into our studio standard view at Bay Lake Tower, on the 12th floor:
This is the sleeping/living area, with the TV and little sitting table across from the bed/couch.
The bathroom is just to your right when you walk in (the toilet was up when we walked in, don't worry, I'm not that gross):
The kitchenette area is next, also to the right - it's very galley-like and has some shelving across from the area you see here. Honestly it felt like I was in an RV or something. Note that I have never been in an RV, I have just seen them on those shows my husband watches on Camping Channel or whatever it is.
The kitchenette was overall kind of odd. The only full-length mirror was in the kitchen (to the far right of this photo, above the trash can). There was also a set of shelving (for food storage) across from the fridge, and there was a mirror above that as well.
The bathroom had virtually no storage or counter space, so I actually kept my makeup stuff in the kitchen and got ready in there.
BLT is overall one of the smaller or smallest studios, so I think if you have 4 people that's something to consider. It was definitely plenty of space for the two of us. We liked it and would definitely stay there again. You can't beat being that close to the Magic Kingdom and having all of the restaurant options along the monorail! I'll also note that there's not a lot of Disney theming - which is a positive or negative, depending on who you are! We didn't mind it.
We rested a bit and freshened up before our dinner in Disney Springs.
We had a reservation at 7, but headed to the buses around 5 so we could grab a drink and browse beforehand.
We didn't wait too long and we were headed towards Disney Springs!
We weren't sure where to start so we decided on Jock Lindsey's, though it was pretty busy so we decided to switch to The Boathouse instead.
I have been wanting to eat here foreverrrrrr. Somehow with all of the other new places opening up, we've decided to try those instead. And Justin hates seafood, but once he saw their menu he said "Oh, we should come here sometime!" Sometimes men need to think of these things themselves, then it's like the best idea ever Hey, if it gets us there, I'm ok with it!
The Boathouse's bar area is pretty cool, we sat right next to all of the raw bar seafood that they prepare, so that was fun to see.
We were greeted by two or three really friendly bartenders who made us feel welcome!
I decided to start with a Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen. The bartender said this is similar to a Blue Moon. I really liked it and I'll totally get this again sometime.
Justin decided to start with his favorite, a Moscow Mule.
They had a really nice cocktail and wine list, too. The Blueberry Lemonade sounded awesome!
We chatted with the bartender Lee for a bit before deciding to head to Splitsville for our reservation and try one of their drinks, instead of having a second drink at the Boathouse. We were feeling our drinks a little (yes, we each only had one ) and saw that Splitsville's menu included huuuuge fishbowl drinks for $14.50!!!
On our way out we stopped to listen to the live music.. I love the live music at Disney Springs, and this guy was actually pretty great.
We arrived maybe 10-15 minutes early for our meal and were seated right away. Splitsville is also a bowling alley, and the server mentioned that upstairs was even bigger with a ton of bars. We were sat between the bowling lanes on the first floor. We wouldn't be bowling, and there were a ton of empty tables in the area with a family or two bowling on either side of us.
It was odd to be seated there, but it was a bowling alley so that happens.
We decided to each start with a fun fishbowl drink.
Justin went with the Kool-Aid:
From their menu
It's a "delicious mix of flavored rums with pineapple, cranberry, and orange juices. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face!"
I went with the Pink Passion:
"A luscious blend of flavored vodkas, triple sec, grenadine, and pineapple juice."
These were touted as being 18 oz for $14.50.
The glasses were frozen, so the drinks were really cold which was nice. We also decided to order quickly after that.
I went with the Crouching Dragon Roll.
Tempura shrimp, asparagus and avocado topped with spicy krab mix and drizzled with eel sauce, spicy mayo and sriracha $16.
Justin wanted a burger, so he decided to try The Mad King.
The Mad King - The biggest burger in the land! A 21-oz, triple decker burger with double cheese, bacon and topped with onion rings $20.
For $20, this was a pretty good deal. His burger had three decently sized patties. He shared the onion rings with me, and they were pretty good. Nice and crunchy, not a greasy fried, more of a tempura batter.
Justin thought his burger was good, and the fries had a nice seasoning. It was huge, so he shared some of it with me, and some of it stayed behind.
We had really high hopes for the drinks, seeing as they were supposed to be pretty big. Unfortunately neither of us tasted any alcohol, nor did we feel much of a buzz. So those were kind of a let down, and just left my stomach feeling "bleh" from sucking down so much sugar! $30 later and we were wishing we would've stuck around for a second drink at the Boathouse.
I thought my sushi was fine, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I had a roll at Morimoto that was much better, but seeing as Morimoto is, well, Morimoto, it probably should be. It was really light on the shrimp, but the spicy sriracha and eel sauce were a nice kick.
After our meal, we kind of agreed that we think if it were busier and had more of a "bumpin" (Justin's words, not mine, ha!) atmosphere, maybe it would have been a little more fun? It was one of those meals where you leave and say "what did I just spend $75 on!?" -- But overall, we enjoyed the food and the drinks tasted good, even if they were really light on the liquor. The service was good as well! We'd maybe return back, and probably sit outside by the bar next time as opposed to in between the bowling lanes. It's kind of weird sitting in a nearly empty section of a restaurant.
Overall, one thumb up from us, not two, but not a bad meal!
We ended the night by watching Wishes from Top of the World Lounge. It would ultimately be my last Wishes viewing, so I was really glad we did it. It was a nice POV & we stopped at the bar for a drink beforehand. I think I just had a Blue Moon. It was so nice being able to walk back to our room afterwards!
We checked into our studio standard view at Bay Lake Tower, on the 12th floor:
This is the sleeping/living area, with the TV and little sitting table across from the bed/couch.
The bathroom is just to your right when you walk in (the toilet was up when we walked in, don't worry, I'm not that gross):
The kitchenette area is next, also to the right - it's very galley-like and has some shelving across from the area you see here. Honestly it felt like I was in an RV or something. Note that I have never been in an RV, I have just seen them on those shows my husband watches on Camping Channel or whatever it is.
The kitchenette was overall kind of odd. The only full-length mirror was in the kitchen (to the far right of this photo, above the trash can). There was also a set of shelving (for food storage) across from the fridge, and there was a mirror above that as well.
The bathroom had virtually no storage or counter space, so I actually kept my makeup stuff in the kitchen and got ready in there.
BLT is overall one of the smaller or smallest studios, so I think if you have 4 people that's something to consider. It was definitely plenty of space for the two of us. We liked it and would definitely stay there again. You can't beat being that close to the Magic Kingdom and having all of the restaurant options along the monorail! I'll also note that there's not a lot of Disney theming - which is a positive or negative, depending on who you are! We didn't mind it.
We rested a bit and freshened up before our dinner in Disney Springs.
We had a reservation at 7, but headed to the buses around 5 so we could grab a drink and browse beforehand.
We didn't wait too long and we were headed towards Disney Springs!
We weren't sure where to start so we decided on Jock Lindsey's, though it was pretty busy so we decided to switch to The Boathouse instead.
I have been wanting to eat here foreverrrrrr. Somehow with all of the other new places opening up, we've decided to try those instead. And Justin hates seafood, but once he saw their menu he said "Oh, we should come here sometime!" Sometimes men need to think of these things themselves, then it's like the best idea ever Hey, if it gets us there, I'm ok with it!
The Boathouse's bar area is pretty cool, we sat right next to all of the raw bar seafood that they prepare, so that was fun to see.
We were greeted by two or three really friendly bartenders who made us feel welcome!
I decided to start with a Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen. The bartender said this is similar to a Blue Moon. I really liked it and I'll totally get this again sometime.
Justin decided to start with his favorite, a Moscow Mule.
They had a really nice cocktail and wine list, too. The Blueberry Lemonade sounded awesome!
We chatted with the bartender Lee for a bit before deciding to head to Splitsville for our reservation and try one of their drinks, instead of having a second drink at the Boathouse. We were feeling our drinks a little (yes, we each only had one ) and saw that Splitsville's menu included huuuuge fishbowl drinks for $14.50!!!
On our way out we stopped to listen to the live music.. I love the live music at Disney Springs, and this guy was actually pretty great.
We arrived maybe 10-15 minutes early for our meal and were seated right away. Splitsville is also a bowling alley, and the server mentioned that upstairs was even bigger with a ton of bars. We were sat between the bowling lanes on the first floor. We wouldn't be bowling, and there were a ton of empty tables in the area with a family or two bowling on either side of us.
It was odd to be seated there, but it was a bowling alley so that happens.
We decided to each start with a fun fishbowl drink.
Justin went with the Kool-Aid:
From their menu
It's a "delicious mix of flavored rums with pineapple, cranberry, and orange juices. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face!"
I went with the Pink Passion:
"A luscious blend of flavored vodkas, triple sec, grenadine, and pineapple juice."
These were touted as being 18 oz for $14.50.
The glasses were frozen, so the drinks were really cold which was nice. We also decided to order quickly after that.
I went with the Crouching Dragon Roll.
Tempura shrimp, asparagus and avocado topped with spicy krab mix and drizzled with eel sauce, spicy mayo and sriracha $16.
Justin wanted a burger, so he decided to try The Mad King.
The Mad King - The biggest burger in the land! A 21-oz, triple decker burger with double cheese, bacon and topped with onion rings $20.
For $20, this was a pretty good deal. His burger had three decently sized patties. He shared the onion rings with me, and they were pretty good. Nice and crunchy, not a greasy fried, more of a tempura batter.
Justin thought his burger was good, and the fries had a nice seasoning. It was huge, so he shared some of it with me, and some of it stayed behind.
We had really high hopes for the drinks, seeing as they were supposed to be pretty big. Unfortunately neither of us tasted any alcohol, nor did we feel much of a buzz. So those were kind of a let down, and just left my stomach feeling "bleh" from sucking down so much sugar! $30 later and we were wishing we would've stuck around for a second drink at the Boathouse.
I thought my sushi was fine, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I had a roll at Morimoto that was much better, but seeing as Morimoto is, well, Morimoto, it probably should be. It was really light on the shrimp, but the spicy sriracha and eel sauce were a nice kick.
After our meal, we kind of agreed that we think if it were busier and had more of a "bumpin" (Justin's words, not mine, ha!) atmosphere, maybe it would have been a little more fun? It was one of those meals where you leave and say "what did I just spend $75 on!?" -- But overall, we enjoyed the food and the drinks tasted good, even if they were really light on the liquor. The service was good as well! We'd maybe return back, and probably sit outside by the bar next time as opposed to in between the bowling lanes. It's kind of weird sitting in a nearly empty section of a restaurant.
Overall, one thumb up from us, not two, but not a bad meal!
We ended the night by watching Wishes from Top of the World Lounge. It would ultimately be my last Wishes viewing, so I was really glad we did it. It was a nice POV & we stopped at the bar for a drink beforehand. I think I just had a Blue Moon. It was so nice being able to walk back to our room afterwards!
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