Whistle While You Work – 2 Weeks at Disney - A June 2022 Trip Report

[jrmint427]

I love these in theory but I hate the little bits of black stuff. My in-laws will have the kids do them at my dining room table sometimes and then end up making quite the mess.

You're so right, the black stuff is the worst! There were a couple of times we had to go to the bathroom because my daughters' hands/arms/faces were covered with the black stuff. But it was really good to keep them entertained!

We eat at Homecomin' every single trip! I have been four times now, and each time our group has at least one person who is a first-timer. Everyone has always said they have to come back!

It's becoming an every trip restaurant for us too! The food and drinks are soooo good.

Loving your report! I am going to go back to read some old reports while I follow along here.

Thank you! So glad to hear that, it's crazy how much the girls have grown since my last reports.

It’s membrillo, the pulp of quince fruit that’s been boiled, puréed, and slow baked in a low oven for over 10 hours to dry it out. You can get it in little tubs at some high end grocery stores, or (if you’re an ambitious foodie who lives where quince bushes grow) you can make your own, which is much tastier!

Yum, I'll have to look for that! Any chance you know what that middle cheese was?

I love Disney bathrooms too! Great report so far---your girls are adorable.

Disney bathrooms are the best. Thank you!!

 

[Wayland10]

Yum, I'll have to look for that! Any chance you know what that middle cheese was?

I’m guessing Rey Silo Blanco, from your description! It’s on Jose Andres menu in DC.

 

[jrmint427]

The M&M Store

The girls were in the mood to shop after dinner, and we agreed we wouldn’t mind walking off dinner before getting dessert. The M&M store first caught our eye (and by us, I mean the girls insisted we had to go inside it).

There were many things in this store the girls wanted.



DD5 told me she was going to come back to this store later without me to buy the blue M&M coffee mug because she thought it was something I would like. She was right! But I didn’t buy it.



It was a fun store, very colorful.



The girls picked out a pack of M&M lip balm, and on impulse I bought them each a pair of green M&M socks.




They were also selling M&M blankets for $6 if you spent $30. My total came to almost $26 and I started looking around for something else to buy to get to the $30 because our condo was a little cold and I wanted a blanket while working the next few days. And really, I just liked the blanket. The cashier was very nice and said he would sell it to me for the $6 since I was close enough. This isn't my picture, but this was the blanket:





We were heading out around 8:55pm. I wanted to stop by Salt and Straw for ice cream but the line was very long, and it was getting late. We decided to go back to the hotel to eat some Gideon’s cookies instead. I was surprised how crowded Disney Springs was for a Monday night!




We saw some Epcot fireworks while driving home. It was hard to keep my eyes on the road with the fireworks straight ahead, and I noticed another car near me veer out of their lane. We were back at 9:35pm and broke into our 5+ pounds of Gideon cookies.



It was a very nice evening!

 

[jrmint427]

I’m guessing Rey Silo Blanco, from your description! It’s on Jose Andres menu in DC.

Thank you! That looks right, and I definitely could have heard "Rey Silo" as "Rey-cion" so I'm guessing that's what it was. I really liked it!

 

[jrmint427]

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Work Day #2

Pat and I worked another full day on Tuesday. We brought monitors with us because we both have an easier time doing our jobs with 2 screens. It seemed like we were over-packing but they actually worked out really well for us and we were glad we had brought them.



Our only plans for this day were for us to work and my parents and the girls to enjoy the pool.



My parents took the girls to Dave & Busters to play some games and then went to the grocery store to pick up items for us to grill at the outdoor grills by the pool that night. They took the girls to the pool just as I was wrapping up my day a little after 5pm, so I went to join them at the pool after I logged off. They were at the pool next to the bigger lazy river this time.

Pat had a 5pm call (we usually work Central Time but were working Eastern Time on this trip), so he joined us after his call wrapped up.

This pool (by Tower 4) was much less crowded but nice and warm. The girls were feeling more comfortable in the water, which was great to see. We went to the lazy river after playing for a bit and took a few trips around, which is where Pat caught up to us.

There were too many kids (and adults) not in innertubes despite signs saying everyone must stay in an innertube in the lazy river. Some people were walking the river, some kids were just playing in it. It was still relaxing, but less so when trying to avoid being splashed by kids playing around.

We went back to our room after the pool to check in with work, then went back downstairs to grill. The tables by the grills were full so my dad and Pat took charge of the food while my mom and I took the girls to sit by the pool while we waited. This was one of the few times on our trip the girls actually used their tablets, I was glad they were entertained so I could read a bit!




I was reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. It was a really good book, but heavier than I expected for vacation!

Dinner was burgers, veggie burgers, potato sticks and grilled pineapple. Not pictured, but Pat and I had Hard Topo Chico in tropical flavors that we had picked up from Target. It made for a great poolside meal!



After dinner I got into the hot tub and the girls joined me for a bit. Eventually the girls went upstairs with my parents and Pat while I stayed downstairs. I read by the pool for awhile longer and then was in and out of the hot tub. It was very relaxing and quiet!

I chatted with others in the hot tub for awhile. My dad came to check on me a little before 9pm. We stayed to watch the Epcot Fireworks until around 9:20pm then headed upstairs.

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

My parents took the girls to Dave & Busters to play some games

I’m a sucker for Dave & Busters lol. I didn’t know there was one in the Orlando area, but it makes sense!

Dinner was burgers, veggie burgers, potato sticks and grilled pineapple.

Definitely a perfect meal to enjoy by the pool!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Nice! It's great that your parents and the kids can have fun pool time while you guys have to work!

Pat and I worked another full day on Tuesday. We brought monitors with us because we both have an easier time doing our jobs with 2 screens. It seemed like we were over-packing but they actually worked out really well for us and we were glad we had brought them.

Your setup made me lol. One full monitor and a laptop on a book is my temporary-turned-permanent set up in my home office. Never did get around to buying a riser for the laptop.

 

[jrmint427]

I’m a sucker for Dave & Busters lol. I didn’t know there was one in the Orlando area, but it makes sense!

I didn't know either! We had our wedding rehearsal dinner at a Dave & Busters It was so much fun!

Nice! It's great that your parents and the kids can have fun pool time while you guys have to work!

Yes! I was jealous but it really was so nice for them to be on a long vacation with their grandparents.

Your setup made me lol. One full monitor and a laptop on a book is my temporary-turned-permanent set up in my home office. Never did get around to buying a riser for the laptop.

Haha! I have a riser at home but it was the one thing I didn't bring with me. Had to improvise for those video meetings

 

[jrmint427]

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Story Book Dining with Snow White

Pat and I worked again on Wednesday. It was my last work day for the week (yay!) but Pat still had to work the next day and just had Friday off this week. I don’t remember what my parents did with the girls, I think they went to the pool again for a few hours.

We had a very important dining reservation this evening – Story Book Dining at the Wilderness Lodge! This was one of our family’s favorite meals in 2019 and we couldn’t wait to go back. We left for the Wilderness Lodge right around 5pm, maybe a little after. We arrived at 5:31pm and I checked into our reservation as we were walking toward the resort.



We decided to check out the gift shop here to see if they had Magic Bands, and they did. The only options were Esmerelda/Hunchback of Notre Dame and a Marvel option, both at $30/piece. We debated briefly whether to wait to shop for other options at Magic Kingdom, but at most we would have saved $10 per person. So we decided it was worth it to save the time on our park day and just purchase the Magic Bands here.



Even though I had checked in on the app, I checked in at the hostess stand just before 5:45pm which was when our reservation was for, and they told me it would be another 20-25 minutes wait. We decided to explore while we waited, but my phone buzzed just a few minutes later at 5:47pm letting me know our table was ready! The girls were ready with their autograph books.



Side story, I had bought matching Snow White dresses for the girls, but DD5 refused to wear hers because she said it was scratchy. However, she was very concerned that Snow White would be unhappy if she wasn’t dressed like her, despite Pat and I both assuring her daily that Snow White would not care what she was wearing. I was so excited when I found this Seven Dwarfs top buried in the back of a closet so she could be on theme!

We were sat near the entrance of the restaurant. Grumpy arrived at our table about 10 minutes after we were sat, before any food had been delivered. We got our standard Grumpy family picture (see here for 2019).



The girls were a bit shy and didn’t want individual pictures with Grumpy.

Our appetizers were brought out next (“And So the Story Begins…”). The vegetarian appetizers were Wild Mushroom Bisque, Hunter’s Pie (I think) made with Impossible Meatballs and chopped tomatoes.



The mushroom bisque was my favorite. I remembered this from 2019. I’m not even crazy about mushrooms most of the time but I love this savory soup and the mushroom pieces are, I believe, fried, so nice and crispy. Only Pat and I ate this soup so I’m pretty sure I ate three of them myself!



The tomatoes were really well seasoned, I liked these but I think I only ate one even though the girls didn’t eat theirs.



The pastries with Impossible meatballs were excellent as well, I really filled up on just the appetizers.



They also brought out a “From the Garden” for each of the girls, which included fruit, vegetables, cheese and create-your-own honey butter. These plates were a big hit with both girls!



The other adults also got the Wild Mushroom Bisque, a similar pastry with a meatball on top, and the Wicked Shrimp Cocktail, served on a salad with “Bloody Mary Vinaigrette”. I passed my phone down to request a picture, and apparently I just got a close up of their shrimp dish:



We had our appetizers for about 5 minutes before the next character arrived to greet us.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I noticed while waiting in line that the cookies are almost a half pound - that is heavy!

yeah, They are ridiculously large!

The Peanut Butter cold brew was amazing. It didn’t taste too much like peanut butter until we were down to the bottom of it. I wish we had this place close by just for the cold brew - I want to try the other flavors!

Wonder if you got the bottom or top of a batch. Ours tasted like we were drinking peanut butter. I am glad we don't have them here, otherwise I would want one all the time!

I expected the Pistachio Toffee to be my favorite. It was very good, but I liked the others better. I think it could have used even more toffee flavor.

I agree, it could def use more toffee, personally.

We decided to take the meal slow and order a couple items at a time. We ordered grilled cheese and potatoes for the girls, both of which were a big hit. The grilled cheese came with Manchego cheese, which DD7 especially liked.

Grilled Cheese looks pretty good!

We also ordered a cheese plate with 3 cheeses

That is a huge serving of cheeses! Your whole meal makes me want to give Jaleo a try. I think our girls might eat enough of these options now.

I checked in at the hostess stand just before 5:45pm which was when our reservation was for, and they told me it would be another 20-25 minutes wait. We decided to explore while we waited, but my phone buzzed just a few minutes later at 5:47pm letting me know our table was ready! The girls were ready with their autograph books.

Why? Why do they always do this!!!

The mushroom bisque was my favorite. I remembered this from 2019. I’m not even crazy about mushrooms most of the time but I love this savory soup and the mushroom pieces are, I believe, fried, so nice and crispy. Only Pat and I ate this soup so I’m pretty sure I ate three of them myself!

This soup!!!! I love it so much!!! It is so good. And like you said I am not a big mushroom person. It was soooo good. I know you aren't a meat eater, but I saved one and dipped my beef and mashed potatoes in it. It made an excellent gravy as well!

passed my phone down to request a picture, and apparently I just got a close up of their shrimp dish:

Ha! The shrimp isn't that good. I hope they change it at some point.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Favorite Food: Homecomin’ mashed potatoes and Story Book mushroom soup

Yes to both of these!!!

Favorite Food: Prime Rib at Story Book Dining

And this too.

DD7, big sister, bubble blower, and collector.

She got so big!

DD5, little sister, adventurer and early riser.

And her as well!!!

Not only does Buc-ee’s truly have the best (clean) bathrooms, but we also enjoy their snacks.

Is it bad that I want to try a Buc-ee's?

It took us a minute to figure out that she thought we were trying to take her on the Tower of Terror because it was an elevator!

Poor thing. But sounds like something my girls would have done.

This looks so nice.

We started at Tower 3 (teal) and had taken a left, going almost all the way around the lake before ending up at Back Bay, which is in the pink and right next to where we were staying.

Glad we aren't the only ones who do things like this.

@StarWarsMomofGirls! shared her PPT template for daily plans (THANK YOU!!),

You are more that welcome!

Going through Security, the guard looking through my bag goes, “You have a lot of glow sticks in here!” That was supposed to be a surprise, but it got DD7’s attention. I tried to shush him but it was too late.

Oye!

It was awkward to watch the CMs having to lift the other kids onto their horses. There were a lot of kids who might have been tall enough to ride alone, but they couldn’t get on and off the horses on their own. My kids would have been upset to have strangers lifting them. We joked that Disney should be paying the parents to ride vs. the other way around.

Yeah, that is just weird...

 

[cccory]

following. Great trip report. Thank you

 

[jrmint427]

Wonder if you got the bottom or top of a batch. Ours tasted like we were drinking peanut butter. I am glad we don't have them here, otherwise I would want one all the time!

You're probably right about it being the bottom or top of the batch! It was late in the day, so maybe the bottom? But I'm with you, it would be dangerous to have one of these close to me. It was so good!

That is a huge serving of cheeses! Your whole meal makes me want to give Jaleo a try. I think our girls might eat enough of these options now.

You have to try Jaleo! It was a great meal, I would definitely go back there on a future trip.

She got so big!

They did both get so big so quickly!

Is it bad that I want to try a Buc-ee's?

Not bad at all! I really didn't get the hype when we first moved down here and people raved about Buc-ee's but now I get it.

following. Great trip report. Thank you

Thanks for following along!

 

[jrmint427]

Story Book Dining with Snow White, Part 2

Dopey visited our table next. He’s always fun! DD5 didn’t want to get too close to him but seemed happy to see him.



I asked the girls if they would take a picture alone with Dopey but that was not happening.



I pointed out to Dopey that he was on DD5’s shirt, which he enjoyed.



He blew a kiss to DD5 before moving on. She was starting to warm up at this point and was all smiles!

We went back to our appetizers, and about 5 minutes later our server suggested we go visit the Queen before our main dishes came out. The Queen was very good but didn’t say a word to us. We reflected that maybe she didn’t want to scare the kids? DD5 had to be held by Grandpa but immediately told the Queen, “I like your dress!” The queen replied by showing off her sleeves:



She then took DD7’s autograph book, which DD7 had open to the Snow White page. The Queen was clearly not impressed and flicked the page back to see if she could sign elsewhere but then reluctantly turned back to sign on the requested page, and thankfully left room for Snow White to sign later.



We got our group picture, you can see DD5 looks a little uneasy being so close to the Queen. I think she also doesn't like being told to smile for pictures



DD7 surprised me by asking for a picture alone with the Queen. Last time we went, she wouldn’t even join the group picture!



DD5 also wanted a picture alone with the Queen, but she wouldn't let go of Grandpa. You can tell she's torn between wanting her picture and still being nervous to be so close to the Queen!



Our dinners arrived shortly after we returned to the table, so our timing worked out very well.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Too funny! I love how DD5 is really trying but she can't quite hack it alone. So cute.

 

[jrmint427]

Story Book Dining with Snow White, Part 3

Last time we ate here there was only one vegetarian option, A Stroll Through Nature (vegetable gnocchi). This time there was a second option, the “Sorceress Spell of ‘Tricken’ Chicken” which was cauliflower puree, roasted vegetables and vegetable jus. It sounded good to me, but I also loved the gnocchi last time I had it. I asked our server which she recommended and she quickly pointed me to the gnocchi, so that’s what I ordered.



It was very good! Maybe not exactly the same as the last time I had it, some of the bites had an asparagus taste even without the asparagus (and I don’t care for asparagus), but it was very creamy and good.

My dad ordered the Sustainable Fish which was salmon. I think he asked for no peas or beans, and they let him sub for broccoli and potatoes on the side instead. He said it was very good.



Pat and my mom ordered the Royal Prime Rib Roast, which says it was served with horseradish-mashed potato, wilted greens and jus. It also came with a Yorkshire pudding (the bread puff) which they said was a nice touch. You might recall in his intro, Pat said this Prime Rib was his favorite food of our entire trip!



The girls both picked the macaroni & cheese and mashed potatoes, but their plates were brought out with the broccolini and carrots. Our server ended up bringing out mashed potatoes for them separately since that’s what they had wanted, but I didn’t get a picture.



I really like the mac & cheese here! We had about 15 minutes to eat before Snow White reached our table. She is always so lovely and kind with the girls!



DD7 had to get a picture with Snow White and their “matching” dresses.



I wish they had PhotoPass photographers for Snow White, our pictures came out a bit dark and blurry. Snow White took one look at Pat’s Grumpy shirt and said I should give him some Gooseberry Pie because it always cheers up her Grumpy.





The girls got some hugs, which is always the best part.



And then Snow White spent a long time looking over DD5’s top and asking her the name of all 7 dwarfs, picking them each out in the design. She said, “You know all of my friends! You’ll have to come meet them sometime.” This interaction made the entire dinner so worth it.



I was thrilled with how much attention Snow White gave the girls, and it was nice that she was the final character we met so they were warmed up before they met her. Up next was dessert!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

You have to try Jaleo! It was a great meal, I would definitely go back there on a future trip.

I think it will have to go on the list. My problem is there are too many restaurants in Disney Springs to try!

We went back to our appetizers, and about 5 minutes later our server suggested we go visit the Queen before our main dishes came out.

Intresting... when we were there, it was made clear we would see her after we had completed the entire meal...

DD7 surprised me by asking for a picture alone with the Queen. Last time we went, she wouldn’t even join the group picture!

Good for her!!!

DD5 also wanted a picture alone with the Queen, but she wouldn't let go of Grandpa. You can tell she's torn between wanting her picture and still being nervous to be so close to the Queen!

I love it! She tried!

she quickly pointed me to the gnocchi, so that’s what I ordered.

This looks delish!

Pat and my mom ordered the Royal Prime Rib Roast, which says it was served with horseradish-mashed potato, wilted greens and jus. It also came with a Yorkshire pudding (the bread puff) which they said was a nice touch. You might recall in his intro, Pat said this Prime Rib was his favorite food of our entire trip!

Andy and Morgan were in love with the horseradish Mashed potatoes! I think they would go for the mushroom soup, mashed potatoes and gooseberry pies!

DD7 had to get a picture with Snow White and their “matching” dresses.

So cute!

And then Snow White spent a long time looking over DD5’s top and asking her the name of all 7 dwarfs, picking them each out in the design. She said, “You know all of my friends! You’ll have to come meet them sometime.” This interaction made the entire dinner so worth it.

I love when the CM read that the kids want a bit more attention.

 

[jrmint427]

Intresting... when we were there, it was made clear we would see her after we had completed the entire meal...

That's how it worked on our last trip! They must have been trying to take advantage of a lull in other guests meeting the Queen.

I love when the CM read that the kids want a bit more attention.

I love that too! It was really special, a highlight for the girls.

My problem is there are too many restaurants in Disney Springs to try!

That's a good problem to have! I have the same problem - more restaurants than I'll ever get to.

 

[jrmint427]

Story Book Dining with Snow White, Part 4

I found a picture of the mashed potatoes after all! The girls really loved these potatoes.



While we were waiting for dessert, Grumpy came around again. We already met him once so I didn’t want to take too much of his time, but DD7 asked if she could give him a high five. I asked for her and he shook his head no! Then he put his hand out for hers. Apparently Grumpy does not give high fives, but he will give a good, firm handshake.



Our dessert finally came out after our second round with Grumpy. They gave the girls and I slightly different desserts since most of the normal ones have gelatin which is not vegetarian. We eat it sometimes because it can be hard to avoid, but I do like to avoid it when I can. These were the vegetarian desserts:



And the non-vegetarian desserts:



I did not care for this one – I think it had peaches or mango on top, which I liked, but it had some kind of chia seed pudding underneath and it wasn’t very sweet.



I was really sad this replaced a dessert we had the last time we visited, which had chocolate and chocolate rocks that you dug for in the cup. I asked the server about that old dessert and she knew what I was talking about but said they hadn’t served it for awhile. She agreed they should bring it back!

We had “Rotten” apples, which were chocolate, and were my favorite dessert of the three options. We also had a Gooseberry Pie, which was meringue and gooseberry. I liked the meringue part but the “gooseberry” part was just okay for me.



The non-vegetarians received similar looking gooseberry pies, “Poison” apples (dark chocolate-apple mousse and a sour center), but they also had the Miner’s Treasure, which was cookies n’ cream panna cotta and chocolate gems (those germs are what you dug for in the dessert I was missing).



And of course, we received the Hunter’s Gift to the Queen, chocolate hearts for each of us. The girls were impressed with the presentation and thrilled for more chocolate!



Our server, Charis, was wonderful!

Dopey came around again as we were wrapping up, and DD7 successfully received a high-five from him.



This meal is on the more expensive side, but both the food and character interactions are excellent, so the price is worth it for the experience in my opinion. The atmosphere with the trees and ability to watch the Queen from most seats is just so fun. This is a meal we will probably do again on a future trip.



We wrapped up dinner around 7:30pm, so this meal took about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

 

[jrmint427]

The Wilderness Lodge

We decided to walk off dinner by walking around the Wilderness Lodge. We stayed here on our last trip and absolutely loved it. But first, a trip to the bathroom. As I mentioned before, I really like Disney bathrooms! I love the wallpaper in the Snow White bathroom.



We had taken a picture of the girls on this bridge on our last trip, so I wanted to get an updated picture. We knew it looked a little different this time. Looking at the 2019 picture, the water was lower and the waterfall wasn’t running this year.



Picture from 2019; it looks like a couple trees might have been removed in the background too:



As we were walking around, a Cast Member walked by and bowed to the girls saying, “My royal highnesses!” It’s these little touches that make the girls feel special and make me love being in the Disney bubble so much.

We were able to get into the building with Walt Disney’s train without a room key. The Carolwood Pacific Railroad Room is inside the Boulder Ridge Villas and contains some Disney history and memorabilia. This includes part of the miniature train that Walt had at his family home in California. I think it’s so cool to be able to see part of the train on display here.



There was also a mini replica of the train that was in Walt’s backyard, which he had named for his wife, the Lilly Belle



There are pictures of Walt with the train on the walls, as well as other related train pictures. These were some of my favorites:





We relaxed for a bit near the train room. I really love the vibe at the Wilderness Lodge.