Trip Report COMPLETED: Ex-Floridians take on Walt Disney World during summer

Aaaaaaand we're back! From July 9-14, 2015, my DW "M" and I ("B") stayed at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. We had an AMAZING time and an absurd amount of fun! Here is our pre-trip report: The "OMG I can't believe we actually get to go now!" Pre-Trip Report

And here is our trip report!

Note: I have already written the entire TR like last time and will post a little at a time so I don't bombard this board with messages. Another note: My last TR was just over 11 pages in MS Word. This one is almost 21 pages and I'm still adding to the "Final thoughts" section. Another note (last one I promise!): All photos were taken on smartphone cameras. Some turned out pretty nicely! Some...just get the job done.

Day 1: Thursday

On Wednesday night we were originally planning to stay with DW's grandpa, where we had been the previous six nights; however, he lives 90 minutes away from the Milwaukee airport and he insisted on paying for us to stay in a hotel so we wouldn't have to get up quite so early. So instead of getting up at 2:15 we slept in until 3:45! We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to print boarding passes, check two bags (yay Southwest!), get through security, and eat a little breakfast.

Airport breakfast

We had a whole row to ourselves on the plane!

I don't think that's quite right, flight tracker...

Our flight was uneventful and we landed a bit early! Since we had used our good ol' yellow Mickey tags we went right to the DME check-in area. Our bus was already there and we only waited about ten minutes to start the drive to Disney.

Obligatory first Disney photo!

Coronado Springs was our first stop (yay!) and I went right to the check in desk since I hadn't received a room number text. We were originally planning to stay an extra night but a few weeks prior to arrival we decided to leave a day early; the Cast Member who checked us in still had the old dates in his system for some reason but I let him know and he said he would change it in the CSR system. We had decided to call this our anniversary trip (8 years together, 1 year married. The dates of the trip were between the two dates) so I had called ahead to add a note to the reservation. The CM gave us our red anniversary buttons and told us how to get to our room, which was already ready at 11:00am! We got all of our room requests: Cabanas, top floor, and close to transportation!

The Coronado entrance!

Almost there!!!

Yay fountain!

Our room was gorgeous! We are used to New York-sized accommodations from both living here and the times we had to travel here prior to moving, and our last two WDW onsite stays have been in Value resorts, so it seemed huge to us!

Beds!

TV and storage

Bathroom area

Curtains and ottomans

Next up: Epcot!

 

[12in12]

I am putting that Viking drink on my list. Bailey's is my favourite drink.

 

[disneyfirstLJ]

Great report so far!

 

[bee]

I think it is a classic margarita - no extra flavors added. My husband enjoys the jalapeno one - good if you like spicy

Awesome, thanks! That's on my list for next time!

I am putting that Viking drink on my list. Bailey's is my favourite drink.

Yay! You will love it I'm sure! There was also the option to have vanilla or mocha iced coffee in it I believe. We did vanilla and it was great.

Great report so far!

Thank you, and thanks for reading!

 

[bee]

Day 3: Saturday

We were planning to do EMH at DHS this morning, but...that did not happen! We were way too tired to get up at 6:40 and leave our room at 7:00 to get there by 8:00. Instead we woke up around 9:00 or maybe even 10:00, had a quick breakfast of protein bars and apples in the room, and headed to the Dig Site pool. I rode the Jaguar Waterslide at least four times! It wasn't too crowded so we enjoyed a bit of pool relaxation time. Since we were already in wet swimsuits after the big pool we decided to check out the Cabanas quiet pool. We were the only ones in it and it was certainly quiet! Side note: when deciding which section to request we had it narrowed down to Casitas and Cabanas. The fact that the Casitas quiet pool would be closed for construction made the decision for us. If we stay at CSR again after construction there is finished I might request the Casitas to try something new.

After our swims we showered and then headed to El Centro for coffee. We boarded the bus for DHS in the late morning. The park wasn't as crowded as I expected for an EMH day and a weekend. Oh, and there was NO HAT! I loved it! (Of course, that darn Frozen stage was in the way so I didn't REALLY get to take in the view.)

First we rode The Great Movie Ride, which I don't distinctly remember having ever ridden before. I may have ridden it in 2003 when I visited with my parents and brother, but I don't remember much of anything from that trip except that I got really sick from a bad reaction to a new medication I had just started taking. I had some health problems that doctors could never seem to figure out from about 2003-2006 and ended up missing a lot of school during that time frame. Thankfully I am much, much better now and have a wonderful wife who is very understanding and takes care of me when little incidents show up once in awhile.

Aaaaaaanyway, I've only been to MGM/Hollywood Studios a few times since that trip and don't remember TGMR from any of those visits either. It was silly but fun! Some of the AAs are really showing their age but overall it was nice to take a trip through various classic movies and made me want to rewatch them!

Waiting for TGMR. I have to take a picture when I see Snow White things. She's by no means my favorite princess and the movie isn't my favorite, but since childhood I've often been told I resemble her since I have pale skin and dark eyes and hair. I was Snow White for Halloween at least a few times during childhood (before the Disney princess line was popular or even existed. My mom made my dresses!) and this year DW and I are planning to dress up as modern versions of Snow White (me) and Ariel (her). She's blonde but she will probably put some temporary bright red color in her hair.

While we were in line for TGMR we decided we'd prefer a table service meal to a quick service meal. It was SO. HOT. Plus the QS options at DHS are kind of limited and mediocre in my opinion. There happened to be a reservation available at Sci-Fi, and they have two distinct vegetarian entrees so we grabbed it immediately. After TGMR we had awhile until the reservation so we decided to ride the new Star Tours. I don't remember that much of the old ride other than liking it (I was a huge Star Wars nut as a kid! I had the original trilogy memorized and my younger brother and I would take turns quoting the entire movies! I read the extended universe books! I was in some kind of fan club! I gave my classmates Star Wars valentines! I was too young when the prequels came out to understand that they were bad movies so I loved them! Anyway...). We liked the new version, although we were confused as to when in the SW timeline the ride was supposed to take place. There was a pod race scene but also an appearance from Darth Vader and a view of the demolished (or maybe half-built?) Death Star. Oh well. It was still fun.

Waiting for Star Tours...

Soon it was time for Sci-Fi! The last time I ate there I was 2004 I think. First of all we were just glad to be inside in the air conditioning after being so hot outside. We were seated about ten minutes before our reservation time and were "hitchhikers" in the back of another family's car. We ordered the Vegetarian Black Bean Burger and the Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie and split them. Both were quite good. They were overpriced in my opinion but the TIW discount sort of made up for it. It was fun to watch the "previews" but I wish there had been at least one cohesive short film with a plot instead of just snippets.

Sci-Fi pager

Sci-Fi menu

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Vegetarian Black Bean Burger. Those are sweet potato fries and I actually liked them. Normally sweet potato fries are too sweet and not enough potato for me but these were nicely balanced.

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes

Will I be back: Maybe, if the menu changes so I can try something new

It was too hot still to want to do ANYTHING else at DHS. Did I mention it was hot?? I think the high was 97 that day, and of course we were sweating from the Florida humidity as well.

It SAYS 93 but it felt like about 150!!! I used to live in Florida. How did I de-adjust so quickly???

We weren't planning to go to Epcot on Saturday but apparently we just can't stay away! We took the boat to the Swolphin dock and walked to the Boardwalk Bakery to get some tea in our mug before walking the rest of the way to the International Gateway. I don't have any photos of rides from Epcot so I'm not sure if we didn't do anything or if it was just too hot for me to remember to take a photo. We may have ridden the Vegetable Boat Ride. (EDIT: Just remembered we rode Ellen's Energy Adventure! It was great to be in the AC for 45 minutes! But a really smelly little boy sat next to us. I'm not sure why he and his family felt the need to cram in so close to us. It's not like that ride is ever full. Also, the Ellen animatronic was missing in February, and both she and the snake were gone this time and had been replaced by some pterodactyls. The video after the dinosaur sequence references her being attacked by a giant snake which doesn't make sense now. Anyway.)

After doing whatever it is we did (Edit: Ellen!), we were hungry for a snack so we shared the Vegetable Naan-wich from Electric Umbrella. Neither of us had eaten there since they redid the menu. The Naan-wich was fine and probably a good option if you're the only vegetarian in your party and they all want to eat at EU, but it wasn't something I'd get again when there are so many good QS options in WS.

The Naan-wich.

Did I enjoy the snack: Yes

Will I be back: Nah. Not when there are so many better options at Epcot.

Next up: First time at Be Our Guest!!!

 

[12in12]

I have never been able to stay awake during Ellen. Maybe one day I will see all of it.
The naan-wich looks a bit boring compared to some of the other delicious vegetarian meals you have had.

 

[bee]

Day 3: Saturday, cont.

We had awhile until our Magic Kingdom FPs and BOG reservation, so from Epcot we went back to Coronado to drink some COLD beverages and relax for a bit inside our COLD, AIR-CONDITIONED room.

Under an umbrella at Pepper Market

We then took the bus to MK and arrived around 6:30, right in the middle of our third 7DMT FP window. There were storm clouds in the sky which made for some cool photos of the castle!

I love the guy near the bottom left corner haha

This must have been taken before the other one because I think that's glasses guy, farther away from us

After we had scanned our bands at both checkpoints of the Mine Train, a CM announced that due to weather the ride would be closed. We were welcome to hold our spots in line or exit the line at that time. We had already redeemed the FP and didn't want to lose out on the ride but we had a reservation at BOG fast approaching. We started to exit and explained the situation to one of the CMs by the FP line and she very kindly gave us a paper FP to redeem later that night. We JUST missed the storm on our way to BOG.

We checked in and had just long enough to explore the lobby area before we were seated. It was a zoo in there! While we waited our host, The Beast, arrived into the ballroom for the first time during our time there.

Waiting!

More waiting!!

Still waiting!!! PS this is the French version of "Be Our Guest" ("C'est la fête" which translates to "It's the party" or "It's party time")from the French version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la bête), in something resembling medieval musical notation. I thought this was a clever addition!

Still waiting!!!!

We were seated in the ballroom and could not believe how immersive the experience was! My pictures don't do it justice. There were so many little touches throughout the restaurant. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu but seemed a little frazzled. Not that I can blame her. That place is loud and at times chaotic and there's a lot to remember!

Rose napkin!

And of course that gorgeous ballroom!

I ordered the wine flight of the two L'ombre de la bête wines (red and white) and the Rose enchatée (rose) wine. I wouldn't get this again as the pours were very skimpy for the price. I did like the red and wouldn't mind getting a regular glass of it next time. Our server also brought us fresh bread which we promptly devoured.

The wine. Nothing special and not worth $18, even at Disney!

There WERE four pieces of bread but we ate two before we could even get a photo. Disney makes me extra hungry.

We decided to each have a soup (French onion for me and potato leek for M--both were, surprisingly, vegetarian!), share the salad trio, and share the ratatouille. It's been FOREVER since I'd had French onion soup since it's traditionally made with beef stock and I was excited to try the BOG version. It did not disappoint! DW enjoyed her potato soup and the three salads were quite good as well. I really liked the ratatouille and quinoa and while my DW liked it she was not a huge fan and would probably not order it again.

French onion soup and it's vegetarian!

Potato leek soup, also vegetarian! Yay!

The salad trio. I don't think the names of the individual salads were actually listed in the menu but the top one had watermelon and was quite sweet, the middle was more savory and had green beans and tomatoes, and the last was semi-sweet with beets and mandarin oranges. M's favorite was the sweet watermelon one and my favorite was the one with green beans.

Ratatouille! I could have eaten like two whole plates of this myself! And it's vegan apparently and a flavorful, interesting vegan choice too!

It was impossible to pass up dessert and we HAD to try the Grey Stuff! We also decided to try the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake. It was tough to choose a favorite from the two but the Grey Stuff won.

The Grey Stuff and the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake

After eating we explored the West Wing and the Rose Gallery. I'm glad we did, not only so we could experience the rooms, but also so we could determine where to sit for our upcoming BOG lunch. Spoiler alert: We picked the Rose Gallery because it was brighter and I don't really like to eat in the dark.

THE ROSE AND THE MIRROR!!!!

Is it a real candlestick or a cursed human servant???

Heeeeeey, the wines I tried. In a box.

There are plenty of reviews out there for Be Our Guest and I imagine most of you have already been there or are at least planning to go in the future so I won't linger on the topic too much. But I have to say how thoroughly impressed I was with the restaurant, from the food to the theming. I don't think I've ever felt so immersed in a movie or story. The restaurant is truly an attraction in and of itself. I hope TDO builds more restaurants like this.

Bonus: Yes, I took a photo of the bathroom wall.

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes!

Will I be back: Yes, for lunch on this trip! Stay tuned...

Next up: Nighttime fun at the Magic Kingdom!

 

[12in12]

Looking forward to your lunch review at BOG as I have a lunch reservation myself next month for my solo trip.

 

[bee]

I have never been able to stay awake during Ellen. Maybe one day I will see all of it.
The naan-wich looks a bit boring compared to some of the other delicious vegetarian meals you have had.

Re: Ellen. I could see why it would be easy to fall asleep in there. It's dark, can be quiet at times, and the movie was filmed almost twenty years ago so it's not that exciting. M really wants to see an update, including Portia and Neil Degrasse Tyson. With a cameo by Jamie Lee Curtis of course.

Re: food. I agree! It wasn't bad by any means and like I said if you MUST eat at that location because you meat-eating party wants to eat there it's a decent option, BUT you can get much more interesting and flavorful options elsewhere.

Looking forward to your lunch review at BOG as I have a lunch reservation myself next month for my solo trip.

I think you'll love it! I think BOG would be one of the best places to eat solo because there is just so much to take in. Spoiler alert we loved the food at lunch too!

 

[bee]

We briefly interrupt this trip report to bring you...

A photo of our new Passholder MagicBand boxes! I don't know why they came in separate boxes when they have always come in the same box. This makes five for each of us: three from resort stays and two from being Passholders at two different points in time.

Edit: The image doesn't seem to be working right now. I'll try again later.

Re-Edit: Now it works!

 

[bee]

Day 3: Saturday, cont.

I mentioned earlier that it was starting to rain as we entered BOG. After dinner it was not only dry outside but also BEAUTIFUL.

The Beast's castle

Cinderella's castle

Look at that sky! The combination of the sunset and the cloud colors from the leftover moisture in the air was stunning!

Splash Mountain in the distance

We had a FP+ for Big Thunder Mountain and the FP line was ABSURDLY long. I think people just don't understand how scanning the bands works. The CMs had to constantly say "Both sides are open" and it just took entirely too long to get past the scanners.

FastPass+? More like SlowPass-! (And a hoard of people got in line behind us right after this too.)

Anyway, the ride was longer and more fun than I remembered. We got into a pattern of scream-->laugh at ourselves for screaming-->laugh at ourselves for laughing-->scream-->etc. It was a blast! Something I noticed on this ride was how many people were taking selfies ON RIDES!!! How can you be okay with possibly dropping and losing your phone forever?? If you like to take ride selfies that's fine and I'm not judging but I personally do not get it! (Side note: the version of MS Word I'm using to type this report is so old it doesn't know the word "selfie!")

We had over an hour until our SM FP and it's a small world had a short wait so we hopped on. M and I decided they should rename it "Stereotypes are Fun: The Ride." While it may have been full of stereotypes it was indeed fun.

Waiting for iasw

I was a fan of this owl.

I liked the last room with everyone singing together!

Since we still had time until Space Mountain we redeemed our paper FP for 7DMT. This time we were in the very back row and it was the best time of the three! Then we rode the Teacups one more time since it was a literal walk-on, and once again spun as fast as we could and probably looked a little crazy to observers. That might have been the most fun ride of the entire trip because we were constantly laughing and were totally unselfconscious and silly!

Almost our turn!

Soon it was time for Space Mountain! We were in the front two seats the first time we rode it and we were in seats 4 and 5 this time. It was way better from further back! The girl behind me in row 6 seemed like a first timer because of her reactions and it was hilarious to ride with her; she too got into the scream-->laugh-->laugh-->scream-->laugh-->laugh cycle.

Originally we had planned to stay for nighttime EMH but by 9:45 we were DONE. We caught a brief moment of Wishes on the way out before being told by a CM that we were not in a viewing area and were in fact blocking an exit path (oops!) so we continued to the exit. We got back to CSR and CRASHED.

Goodbye, Wishes!

A little gecko friend back at Coronado

Next up: Will we get up early enough for morning EMH this time??

 

[Ciara]

LOVE your photos of the sunset! So pretty

 

[bee]

LOVE your photos of the sunset! So pretty

Thank you! It's great when things align just right!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Following!!! Great trip report so far! That Viking drink looks amazing!! I don't drink, but would love the non alcoholic version if there was one. Doubt it though.. LOL

 

[bee]

Following!!! Great trip report so far! That Viking drink looks amazing!! I don't drink, but would love the non alcoholic version if there was one. Doubt it though.. LOL

I think a non alcoholic version would be just a vanilla or mocha iced coffee, which is still probably pretty good! Thanks for following!

 

[bee]

Day 4: Sunday

I am halfway through the trip in terms of the number of days we were at WDW, but almost two-thirds through the Word doc my TR is in. I think it's because we were waaaayyy more excited and had WAAAAYYYYYY more energy at the beginning and did a lot more. The last few days we took it (relatively) easy. Here we go with Day 4!

We finally got up early enough to make planned EMH! We stopped by El Centro for a mugful of coffee before catching the bus to Animal Kingdom.

LOVE the big lake in the middle of the resort! It seemed inconvenient at first for walking purposes but it gave us views like this!!

And like this!!

We arrived just before 8:00 and entered the park immediately. We headed right to the Kilimanjaro Safari and waited about fifteen minutes to board.

M liked these mushrooms we saw at the beginning of the Safari.

A lone croc

I forget what these things are called!

White rhinos!

BIG KITTIES!!!

Another big kitty! I tried to get him from the front when we were on the other side of him but the lighting was all wrong and none of the photos turned out well. Oh well.

And the Tree of Life after the Safari!

We had a FP scheduled for Expedition Everest but the wait was only five minutes so we figured we'd ride once then and once later with the FP. I have very few memories of this ride from past visits so most of the ride was surprise. In the ride picture M and I are both smiling so we must have been having a good time! Unfortunately when I got off I realized I had a horrible pain from the right side of my neck through my right shoulder blade and down to my mid-back on that side. It was worse than any back pain I can ever recall having experienced. In one of the drops of the ride I must have squeezed something the wrong way or jerked my head suddenly in a way that pulled a muscle. I was in so much pain I was near tears and was having trouble balancing to walk. M helped me get to a place to sit and massaged the area that was in pain; after sitting for a bit I felt much better. We decided to change the Everest FP to Festival of the Lion King since I wasn't back to 100% and didn't want to risk hurting myself further.

Festival of the Lion King was very cute! I liked that it restructured the songs of the movie instead of literally retelling the story, and that it incorporated live singing, dance, and gymnastics. Those monkey performers were outstanding! I'm glad we ended up seeing the show despite the circumstances.

Festival of the Lion King

If there are any opera people out there...these bird people reminded me of Papageno and Papagena from The Magic Flute.

It was about 10:30 at this point and we had a FastPass for the 12:00 show of Finding Nemo: The Musical. We decided to take our chances with the Nemo standby line and had no trouble getting seats for the 11:00 show instead. I canceled our other two FastPasses since we were seeing Nemo right then and DINOSAUR would have probably exacerbated my pain. I had heard that Nemo was a really good show but I had no idea it would be that good! The performers were phenomenal as singers, actors, and puppeteers. The only thing that was less good was the guy who sings "Go with the floo-ooo-ooo-oooow" (Crush's song) was really straining to hit those top notes. He clearly had a fantastic voice but it seems the Anderson-Lopez pair just like to write songs that are nearly impossible for humans to sing (*cough* LET IT GO *cough*). Maybe he was just having an off day. I still admire those performers for doing so many shows a day and doing so many things at once on stage! (Edit: I just listened to the New York recording of this musical. Even that guy couldn't quite sing those notes. It's on the songwriters, not the actors.)

Waiting for Nemo!

After Nemo we left the park and headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had originally planned to have dinner at Sanaa but decided the day before to switch to lunch in case we were too tired to stay at AK all day. This proved to be a wise decision!

Sanaa!

A bathroom somewhere at AKL. Roar!

As we were checking in for lunch several CMs congratulated us on our anniversary. Our server, Alyssa, was simply amazing. She even brought us complimentary glasses of sparkling wine to celebrate! We each started with an additional beverage: Merlot for me (sorry, I don't remember what kind exactly, other than it was African and was the only Merlot on the menu) and Tusker beer for M.

Complimentary sparkling wine! I won't say no to that!

All the drinks!

We of course had to start with the Indian Bread Service and all nine accompaniments! My favorite bread was the garlic ginger naan, and my favorite accompaniment was the pickled garlic, closely followed by the hummus. DW also liked the garlic ginger naan and her favorites were the cucumber raita and the tamarind chutney.

BREAD. GO TO SANAA RIGHT NOW AND GET THE BREAD.

We decided to share both the Potato and Pea Samosas and the Potjie Inspired entree with Paneer Tikka Masala and Chickpea Wat. Everything tasted amazing and it was SO MUCH FOOD. We had to take home about half of it. Alyssa boxed up everything, including tiny containers for every single chutney!

Samosas, paneer tikka masala, basmati rice, chickpea wat

After all that food we thought there was no way we could eat dessert but Alyssa convinced us to try the Seasonal Kulfi, which was a type of Indian ice cream. The seasonal flavor was coconut and we were sold! Sanaa is definitely a new favorite for us!

Kulfi! SO GOOD!!!

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes!

Will I be back: Absolutely!

Bonus: a tortoise outside near Sanaa. I took a video of it eating some grass and if I can figure out how to post it I will.

Next up: Relaxation time at Coronado, and a visit to the Rix Lounge!

 

[disneyfirstLJ]

Day 3: Saturday, cont.

Ratatouille! I could have eaten like two whole plates of this myself! And it's vegan apparently and a flavorful, interesting vegan choice too!

I made my own version of this dish. My daughter and I went to BOG for dinner during our Feb. 2014 trip and the folks at the table next to us ordered this. It looked so good that I wished I had ordered it. After we returned home I hosted a get together at my house and served my BOG ratatouille with quinoa. Everyone loved it!

 

[bee]

I made my own version of this dish. My daughter and I went to BOG for dinner during our Feb. 2014 trip and the folks at the table next to us ordered this. It looked so good that I wished I had ordered it. After we returned home I hosted a get together at my house and served my BOG ratatouille with quinoa. Everyone loved it!

That sounds delightful! Would you mind sharing the recipe?

 

[disneyfirstLJ]

That sounds delightful! Would you mind sharing the recipe?

Yes, I will. I will have to look in my recipe box at home. I will post it when I find it.

 

[bee]

Day 4: Sunday, cont.

My back was getting better so we decided to stop at Downtown Disney since we would have to transfer somewhere to get back to Coronado. At DTD we stopped for our traditional Ghiardelli beverage (an iced mocha in this case) and sugar scrub sample at Basin.

Did I enjoy the drink: Yes!

Will I be back: Of course! That's the highlight of Downtown Disney for us!

Traditional Ghirardelli cold beverage!

At Basin M suggested we buy a bath bomb and take baths later. We picked a heart-shaped one called Enchanted Waters that had a sweet vanilla scent. Then we walked back to the bus stop to go back to Coronado.

And a bath bomb! Thanks to DW for remembering to take a photo.

After relaxing for a bit in our room we finished the rest of our Sanaa meal. Then we decided it was time to try Rix Lounge in El Centro. We started with the Margarita Flight, which included Mango Blueberry Basil, Classic, Blood Orange, Pineapple, and Jalapeño. Afterward we each ordered full-size versions of our respective favorites: Mango Blueberry Basil for M and Classic for me.

Did I enjoy the drinks: Yes!

Will I be back: Sure, if we are staying at CSR again. I wouldn't go out of my way to get there, though.

Rix Lounge menu

Margarita Flight! L to R: Mango Blueberry Basil, Classic, Blood Orange, Pineapple, Jalapeño

Full-size MBB and Classic

Though we had intended to only do one park on Sunday, we apparently cannot stay from Epcot for a whole day! We took the bus there and arrived about an hour and a half before park closing. We rode Test Track single rider again and then walked over to The Land hoping to ride the Vegetable Boat Ride. Unfortunately it had closed for the night, but Soarin' had a ten minute posted wait! It actually took us only five minutes to get from the entrance to the boarding area where the video is shown. When we finished it was about 8:45 and the line was still basically nonexistent so we walked on to Soarin' twice in a row! This time it took just a little longer and when we finished Illuminations was already over so we headed back to our resort for an early-ish night in.

We soared twice in a row !

Frozen fireworks (I think) from CSR

Next up: ANOTHER visit to the concierge desk, Be Our Guest lunch

 

[bee]

Day 5: Monday

Before the trip we intended to have an 8:00 breakfast at BOG before park opening. However, a few days into the trip I double checked the MK hours for that day and it was scheduled to open at 8:00, which defeated the purpose of an early breakfast. I checked for a lunch reservation and there were several available, so I canceled breakfast and booked lunch instead.

On Monday morning we slept in. We noticed there was no DME transportation notice on our door so I went down to Concierge to check it out. The Concierge printed out a notice and we were on our way. But then M noticed that the date listed was a day later than our actual departure date. Remember how at check-in the CM thought we were staying an extra night? Apparently the CSR system never updated even though My Disney Experience showed the correct date and I had paid in full for only the five nights. So we got back in line and luckily had the same CM assist us so he knew the situation. He printed a correct DME ticket and called a manager to make sure the reservation was ACTUALLY correct in their system and then we were ACTUALLY on our way.

No Disney trip is complete without skywriting about Jesus

We JUST missed a bus for MK so we took the next bus, which was for Epcot, and took the Monorail to the TTC. The Express Monorail was down when we arrived at the TTC (it seemed to be having problems almost every day of the trip now that I think about it) and we didn't want to wait for the ferry so we took the Resort Monorail instead.

When we arrived at the park we went right to BOG to check in for lunch. There were at least fifty people in line to order and only one person in line to pay for their preordered food. We were glad to have preordered! While we were waiting to confirm and pay a manager asked us how our experience preordering was, if it was easy, if we were happy having had the choice to preorder, etc. He thanked us for our feedback and for preordering and said he hoped eventually everyone would preorder. He also wished us a happy anniversary!

Soon we confirmed and paid for our meal selections and picked a table in the Rose Gallery. It was quieter than the Ballroom but not as dark as the West Wing. We had plenty of room at our table and the restaurant didn't seem crowded at all. It was probably because everyone was still in line ordering their food!

A CM brought our food: the Quinoa Salad for me and the Vegetable Quiche for M. We both ended up liking our lunch food better than the dinner food we had had before. My quinoa was the best quinoa I have EVER had, and I've been a vegetarian for over seven years so I've eaten a LOT of quinoa. Oh, and we both liked the Master's Cupcake better than the dinner Grey Stuff.

Quinoa Salad. Maybe should have been called Quinoa AND Salad? It was SO. GOOD.

DW's Vegetable Quiche. She loved it!

And OF COURSE two Master's Cupcakes!!

Even the self-serve drink refill machines are fancy!

Though we liked the more elegant feel of dinner, we also appreciated the more relaxed feel of lunch. Given the choice between one or the other we would probably pick lunch. We are also open to trying breakfast if it means an early entrance into MK.

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes!

Will I be back: Yes! And side note: DW's parents still live in Florida about a two hour drive away from WDW. They have Annual Passes and go probably once a month for short weekend trips. They have never been able to get a reservation at BOG, however. I am determined to make a reservation for them the next time they go if they'll let me on their MDE account because I am more MDE savvy (and tech savvy in general) than they are. Maybe next time we go down we can even meet up and all eat together! They will LOVE BOG!

Next up: Drinks and an evening at DHS