Trip Report Cycling through Celebration, a cream cheese covered remote and the Closed Wallet Rebellion of 2016.

So last week we spent seven nights in a one-bedroom at Saratoga Springs Resort in the Congress Park section. We like Congress Park and have stayed in that section before. The walk over to Disney Springs is fun and since the new section just opened with several new shops and restaurants, we walked over several times during the week.
I think the first evening there is when I declared the wallet closed and decided to try to save a dollar or two this trip. What started it was sticker shock at some of the prices I was seeing.
But let's start at the beginning and I'll go into more detail later.
We got an early start and arrived to WDW via the 535 entrance to Hotel Plaza Blvd.:

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epcotisbest

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It was early in the day and we figured on just parking and heading over to DS for lunch and some sightseeing then coming back later to check-in, but upon arrival a little after noon, the young lady at the desk said she would check to see if there was anything available in Congress Park. I don't do online check-in partly out of stubbornness and partly because I actually enjoy the interaction with hotel cast members, and made the CP request after we got there.
She said there was availability in the CP section and the room was ready if we wanted to go ahead and check in. Well OK, you talked me into it. Unloaded and in the room before 1 p.m. Score.

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MinnieM123

MinnieM123

Premium Member
epcotisbest said:
What started it was sticker shock at some of the prices I was seeing.
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Having visited WDW (and the newest section of Disney Springs) in mid-May, I wasn't impressed with the new store lineup. Seemed like all of them were stores you could find in any big city mall, and the stores were pricey.. It just wasn't the "experience" I wanted. I far preferred the older side (Marketplace) for the stores that were a bit more fun and unique, with better prices as well.

The only positive thing I could say about Disney Springs is the new restaurants they've added. Those all looked interesting, even though I didn't have any meals down there.
 
epcotisbest

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Tiggerish said:
Sounds like his is going to be a good one. Following!!

It's rare for a DVC villa to be ready for check-in so early in the day.
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We have gotten lucky with early check-in four times now. The other three were WLV, BLT and Kidani. At Kidani, we showed up a little before 9 a.m. with the plan to hang by the pool until check-in, and they had a room ready and said we could go ahead and check in if we would like. Of course, we took them up on it. We have also had to wait until after 5 p.m. one time too, so it is not always peaches and cream.
 
epcotisbest

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
MinnieM123 said:
Having visited WDW (and the newest section of Disney Springs) in mid-May, I wasn't impressed with the new store lineup. Seemed like all of them were stores you could find in any big city mall, and the stores were pricey.. It just wasn't the "experience" I wanted. I far preferred the older side (Marketplace) for the stores that were a bit more fun and unique, with better prices as well.

The only positive thing I could say about Disney Springs is the new restaurants they've added. Those all looked interesting, even though I didn't have any meals down there.
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Yeah, I have some comments and reflections about Disney Springs I'll bring up later. I will say, for us, it has lost some of its charm. It is certainly no longer the quaint diversion it used to be.
 
epcotisbest

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So on over to DS and the first stop, which has become kinda a tradition, lunch at Earl of Sandwich. I am gonna start sounding whiny, but it was not as good as it used to be. Now, it could just be an off day, but both our sandwiches had crumbly, cracking bread that did not hold together, and the fillings seemed skimpier than in the past. Now that could just be my hungry imagination, I don't know. I do know my sandwich (Full Montagu) simply fell apart in my hands. I took it back and they made me another without question when I showed them the pile of what used to be a sandwich. The second one held together a bit better, but for sandwiches, chips and drinks at close to $25 it could have been better.

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epcotisbest

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So after lunch at Earl, we headed over to the new section for dessert at the new Amorette's Patisserie. Had read about it and seen some pics and thought it would be wonderful.
OK, here is where the Closed Wallet Rebellion of 2016 took shape. It is a lovely building with even more lovely pastries and cakes. Their specialty mini cake was $15, which I passed on. Then on to the lovely, pastry-filled glass display cases that contained some real works of art.

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epcotisbest

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Oh, I forgot to mention, regular sized cakes were $65 to $95 and up. The lovely little pastries I looked at and drooled over were $9 and they were kinda small. I decided right then and there I just was not going to carelessly spend $9 for three bites worth of sugary goodness. Being a country boy, before my sugar numbers went up, I used to get a box of Little Debbie snacks 10-12 per box on sale for $1.29 and they made me happy. Guess I am a simple guy who is easy to please, and since I have given them up, I really miss Little Debbie a lot.
So, we would head back out and debate about if we would try some of those wonderful looking items later in the week.
 
epcotisbest

epcotisbest

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Original Poster
I had to see what the new springs area looked like and I have to say, it is beautiful. I have dove in some of the freshwater springs in Northern Florida including Ginnie Springs, Troy Springs, Itchtucknee Springs and more, and they do look like this. This area is very well done. I hope it stays this pristine looking and well maintained.

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epcotisbest

epcotisbest

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Original Poster
We would go on to some more of the new shops including Sephora, Alex and Ani, Vera Bradley and Tommy Bahama. The very first shirt I looked at in Tommy Bahama was $128. I slowly put it back on the rack and looked around a bit more, marveling at the people in there buying up stuff like it was a bargain or something. I was able to resist temptation and left empty-handed, but if I had a lot of cash I wanted to get rid of, I can see leaving a lot of it behind at the Tommy Bahama store. We walked around for awhile longer and wound up over at House of Blues, where I was going to actually open the wallet back up and get tickets for the HOB Gospel Brunch on Sunday. It is one of our favorite things in all of WDW. Great food, great entertainment, just an all around fun experience. At the box office, the gentleman there informed us there was a private event Sunday and the Gospel Brunch was not happening while we were there. Oh well, next time.
 

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