Trip Report *COMPLETED* A Swolphin Sandwich (Thanksgiving Week 2017)

My DW M and I have returned from a wonderful week of Disney, family, and more Disney! I can make no guarantees for fast or frequent updates, but I'll do my best!

Introduction

Here's the PTR: ProcrastiNations: Deflections of Work. There you can read all about the cast and plans. We decided to take it easy on this trip as we've just gotten through an extremely stressful few months relating to our living situation. I've posted bits and pieces about it in various TRs/PTRs recently, but to make a long story short our building was purchased and our lease wasn't renewed, but we couldn't move into our new place until eleven days after we moved out and didn't find out until the day before we were supposed to move in. We had to put all our stuff in storage and stay in temporary housing during that time. Luckily the new landlord has done their best to make up for the financial strain of paying for last-minute temporary housing (they delayed our official lease date to December 1 so we didn't have to pay anything for the 2/3 of November we lived here). That said, this was a pretty horrible chapter of our lives and we lost a lot of sleep and got behind in work and...cried a lot!*

The biggest change to the trip was the decision not to do any early mornings at parks in an effort to catch up on sleep. This meant changing and canceling some ADRs, and only visiting two of the parks. We spent more time in the room than we typically do and chose rest time over busy park time when presented with the decision.

So, if you're ready for a million photos (mostly of food...and beverages... ) keep reading!

*Lest you worry about us, we are VERY happy in our new place now that the garbage of November is behind us. It is the biggest and nicest place we have ever lived in. We have a beautiful kitchen with a dishwasher AND we have our own washer and dryer in-unit, which is almost unheard of in this area! We are still waiting on two chairs to arrive but once they do and we have everything set up I'll post photos here.

Up next: The flight to Orlando!

 

[Songbird76]

"In Freezing Winter Night" (the movement in 5/4) was so stressful. I could never get into a groove of feeling the downbeat and instead had to focus on one quarter note at a time! We barely made it through that one in the concert!

I HATE those odd times. We did Deck the Halls in 7/8 once for vocal jazz...1-2-1-2-1-2-3...how are you supposed to count and sing at the same time! You have to concentrate so hard on the timing that it's hard to do anything else. Glad you mad it through the difficult part though!! I don't know that I would have. Do you play an instrument? I only have the basics on flute and piano (from elementary school...I remember NOTHING from all the other instruments we had to learn for music pedagogy in college) and our instruction was very sporadic with teachers who left after only a couple of weeks, waiting until a new one could be found, etc...I never got theory until college. I didn't know my key signatures, didn't understand how you could tell what time signature a piece was in...I was so behind. People say instrumentalists are better at theory...you don't need key signatures to sing. And they are definitely better counters than I!!

 

[bee]

I HATE those odd times. We did Deck the Halls in 7/8 once for vocal jazz...1-2-1-2-1-2-3...how are you supposed to count and sing at the same time! You have to concentrate so hard on the timing that it's hard to do anything else. Glad you mad it through the difficult part though!! I don't know that I would have. Do you play an instrument? I only have the basics on flute and piano (from elementary school...I remember NOTHING from all the other instruments we had to learn for music pedagogy in college) and our instruction was very sporadic with teachers who left after only a couple of weeks, waiting until a new one could be found, etc...I never got theory until college. I didn't know my key signatures, didn't understand how you could tell what time signature a piece was in...I was so behind. People say instrumentalists are better at theory...you don't need key signatures to sing. And they are definitely better counters than I!!

I do play piano and took lessons on and off from age 7 through college, but my degrees are in voice and not piano. I am a total theory nerd. Though my performing career has lead me to mostly singing engagements, I am the designated pianist for my school's voice recitals and I occasionally play for other little things here and there. I have to practice a lot more than someone who is primarily a pianist but I've gotten pretty good at accompanying singers since I am listening as a singer.

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

Shortly after we returned from lunch MIL texted to tell us they were almost to the Dolphin. M met them as they pulled up to the front so she could give them their keys to access the parking lot. It was the moment of truth: would they like the hotel??

MIL was instantly in love with the lobby. She couldn't stop raving about the giant crystal chandelier and the fountain and the Christmas tree and EVERYTHING. She asked me to take lots of pictures (since I have a better phone camera and know how to use it to make decent pictures) so she could show her friends later. I'll post what I took in a later post.

On the way to the room MIL kept saying how much she loved the carpet and the walls and everything in the hallways too! I was so happy she was happy, and hoped they would enjoy the room too. When we got there she was floored at how nice the room was. Remember, they typically stay offsite or at the value resorts so this was a huge upgrade for them. I should note that my father-in-law is much more quiet and not so quick to come out and say what he thinks, but I could tell by his smile that he was enjoying the hotel as well (and I know he was happy his wife was happy!).

We tested the phones to make sure we could call each others' rooms and M and I went back to our room to give them time to rest and unpack. After a short time they were ready to go to Epcot, so we met them by the elevators and headed toward the water taxi.

A boat was just leaving as we approached the dock so I was worried we'd be stuck waiting for twenty minutes, but another showed up about five minutes later. M's parents were so cute asking questions about the resorts and the boats (How can you tell which boat to take? Are those actual hotel rooms or just a facade? Does this one have timeshare rooms? etc.) and we were happy to share our knowledge. It wasn't long before we were all going through the Passholder line at Epcot.

I'd made a few FPs for us all, the first of which was LWTL. On the way M and I shared another frozen coffee with whiskey from the Yukon booth.

Then we arrived at The Land!

Flash failure!

Up next: Food time!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

After the ride the parents were hungry so we all stopped at Sunshine Seasons. M and I weren't particularly hungry since we'd had a late lunch but FIL insisted we try the pumpkin soup and bought us a cup to share. We sat in the winter seating area.

Pumpkin soup topped with pumpkin seeds

Everyone enjoyed their meals (I don't remember what everyone got and I didn't want to bother the parents by taking photos of their food!) and then we headed to World Showcase to use another FP.

Since we had some time to spare we stopped in the Mexico pyramid.

The line for Gran Fiesta Tour was short so we hopped on.

Up next: It isn't a Bee TR without Viking Coffee!

 

[bee]

Where were we??

Day 6, cont.

After some time with the Three Caballeros we exited the Mexico pavilion via a less-used side door and walked through a little jungle to get out...

We passed by one of the storytellers but didn't stop because we were on a mission...

U ok??

Viking Coffee!! This was the first time we'd tried it hot. We both preferred the iced version but I still liked this one.

Soon it was time for our Frozen FP.

Up next: Frozen, Finally!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

Frozen time!

Hmmm, certainly these lights weren't supposed to come on??

Why aren't Anna and Kristoff moving?

That's right, we experienced our very first Frozen evacuation!

On the way our a CM scanned our bands to add a free FP for that night in Epcot.

Closed for the night!

We didn't want to wait around for Frozen to reopen so we all decided to use our FP for Soarin'!

Same photo as before, but walking the other way!

Up next: Accidental Fireworks Viewing #3 (with decent pics this time!)

 

[Figgy1]

Day 6, cont.

Frozen time!

Hmmm, certainly these lights weren't supposed to come on??

Why aren't Anna and Kristoff moving?

That's right, we experienced our very first Frozen evacuation!

On the way our a CM scanned our bands to add a free FP for that night in Epcot.

Closed for the night!

We didn't want to wait around for Frozen to reopen so we all decided to use our FP for Soarin'!

Same photo as before, but walking the other way!

Up next: Accidental Fireworks Viewing #3 (with decent pics this time!)

r sympathy like.

 

[bee]

r sympathy like.

Thank you, @figmentfan423!

PS I'm gone for a week and suddenly the site is all shiny and new!

I am going to try to finish this in the next few days!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

After Soarin' we decided to split up. MIL and FIL went to the UK to have some fish and chips, and M and I exited the park via the IG to try a new restaurant. On our way we enjoyed a THIRD unintentional viewing of DHS fireworks!

Soon we made it to our destination:

We'd never tried Big River before so we decided to give it a shot. M and I aren't big beer drinkers (give me red wine any day...and every day!) but you can't go to a Brewery and not have a beer or two!

It took quite awhile for our server, Annette, to greet us. The restaurant was very busy and seemed understaffed. It was also just plain LOUD. I understand it's casual and it's a brewery, but this was excessive.

Most of the beers were pretty "meh" to us, but I did end up getting a full size Oktoberfest.

We ordered the jalapeno spinach cheese dip, and nachos with a side of guac.

Some sort of globby cheese concoction...no resemblance whatsoever to spinach.

Mediocre nachos...and no side of guac in sight!

We actually didn't realize until near the end of the meal that we hadn't received guacamole because we'd gotten so hungry we just wanted to eat! We told Annette and she was super apologetic and offered to bring us both guac and salsa to go. We had a bunch of leftover chips from the dip too so we took it all to have another time. When the bill came we saw that Annette had taken off the guac entirely. We also accidentally left our credit card inside the restaurant and she came running after us to give it back, so props to Annette for good service.

As you may have guessed from reading this, we are not likely to return to Big River. The food was mediocre at best, the beer wasn't anything special to me, and it was unpleasantly LOUD inside. I don't think I've ever been this unimpressed by a Disney (or not Disney but on Disney property) restaurant. The one bright spot was Annette's service.

With our to go back in hand, we made our way back to the Dolphin.

I swear I wasn't trying to creepily take a photo of these people, I just liked how the lake looked!

Uhhhhh...

The rest of the photos from this night are super blurry. Like, worse than the Christmas tree one above. I wasn't THAT drunk!

Up next: Our last full day. It's a good one!

 

[Figgy1]

Day 6, cont.

After Soarin' we decided to split up. MIL and FIL went to the UK to have some fish and chips, and M and I exited the park via the IG to try a new restaurant. On our way we enjoyed a THIRD unintentional viewing of DHS fireworks!

Soon we made it to our destination:

We'd never tried Big River before so we decided to give it a shot. M and I aren't big beer drinkers (give me red wine any day...and every day!) but you can't go to a Brewery and not have a beer or two!

It took quite awhile for our server, Annette, to greet us. The restaurant was very busy and seemed understaffed. It was also just plain LOUD. I understand it's casual and it's a brewery, but this was excessive.

Most of the beers were pretty "meh" to us, but I did end up getting a full size Oktoberfest.

We ordered the jalapeno spinach cheese dip, and nachos with a side of guac.

Some sort of globby cheese concoction...no resemblance whatsoever to spinach.

Mediocre nachos...and no side of guac in sight!

We actually didn't realize until near the end of the meal that we hadn't received guacamole because we'd gotten so hungry we just wanted to eat! We told Annette and she was super apologetic and offered to bring us both guac and salsa to go. We had a bunch of leftover chips from the dip too so we took it all to have another time. When the bill came we saw that Annette had taken off the guac entirely. We also accidentally left our credit card inside the restaurant and she came running after us to give it back, so props to Annette for good service.

As you may have guessed from reading this, we are not likely to return to Big River. The food was mediocre at best, the beer wasn't anything special to me, and it was unpleasantly LOUD inside. I don't think I've ever been this unimpressed by a Disney (or not Disney but on Disney property) restaurant. The one bright spot was Annette's service.

With our to go back in hand, we made our way back to the Dolphin.

I swear I wasn't trying to creepily take a photo of these people, I just liked how the lake looked!

Uhhhhh...

The rest of the photos from this night are super blurry. Like, worse than the Christmas tree one above. I wasn't THAT drunk!

Up next: Our last full day. It's a good one!

Sure and sorry to hear about BRBC it was a once and done for us also and at the time my dh drank beer

 

[riverside]

Sorry the experience at Big River Grille wasn't better. We had plans to eat there last month & ended up getting a last minute reservation to 50's(one of our favs) so we skipped it. I was looking forward to trying something new but now I'm kind of glad we didn't.

 

[bee]

Sure and sorry to hear about BRBC it was a once and done for us also and at the time my dh drank beer

Thanks! I'm glad we tried it because now we know!

Sorry the experience at Big River Grille wasn't better. We had plans to eat there last month & ended up getting a last minute reservation to 50's(one of our favs) so we skipped it. I was looking forward to trying something new but now I'm kind of glad we didn't.

Glad you were able to get a 50's reservation!

 

[bee]

Day 7: Sunday, November 26

This morning we had a reservation for all four of us at Boma. M and I like to treat everyone to one nice meal per trip and this time we let the parents decide where. Our reservation was for 10:45 but we left the Dolphin around 10:00 since everyone likes walking around the Lodge and seeing the animals.

Last time we took everyone to Boma we waited almost 20 minutes past our reservation time and everyone was a little hangry by the time we sat down. Luckily it didn't happen this time!

I didn't take many food photos but this is what I started with. Salads, fruit, and a mini croissant with African Nutella-esque spread. And of course, we had Jungle Juice, which MIL remembered from the previous time and still raves about!

My favorite part of the meal and what makes Boma special IMO...the grilled veggies! I also had some scrambled eggs with goat cheese and potatoes, but again I didn't take many photos.

As always we enjoyed our meal at Boma and will certainly return. We find it to be a great value for the variety and quality of food available, and the fact that coffee and juice are included is a great bonus!

We were in no rush to leave as we didn't have official plans until the afternoon. Not to mention we were all stuffed! So we spent a little more time exploring and relaxing at Jambo House.

Up next: Onward to Animal Kingdom!

 

[12in12]

I love the food at Boma, actually all the restaurants at AKL offer delicious options even the QS imho.

 

[MinnieM123]

Day 7: Sunday, November 26

This morning we had a reservation for all four of us at Boma. M and I like to treat everyone to one nice meal per trip and this time we let the parents decide where. Our reservation was for 10:45 but we left the Dolphin around 10:00 since everyone likes walking around the Lodge and seeing the animals.

Last time we took everyone to Boma we waited almost 20 minutes past our reservation time and everyone was a little hangry by the time we sat down. Luckily it didn't happen this time!

I didn't take many food photos but this is what I started with. Salads, fruit, and a mini croissant with African Nutella-esque spread. And of course, we had Jungle Juice, which MIL remembered from the previous time and still raves about!

My favorite part of the meal and what makes Boma special IMO...the grilled veggies! I also had some scrambled eggs with goat cheese and potatoes, but again I didn't take many photos.

As always we enjoyed our meal at Boma and will certainly return. We find it to be a great value for the variety and quality of food available, and the fact that coffee and juice are included is a great bonus!

We were in no rush to leave as we didn't have official plans until the afternoon. Not to mention we were all stuffed! So we spent a little more time exploring and relaxing at Jambo House.

Up next: Onward to Animal Kingdom!

Beautiful photos of AKL at Christmastime! That has got to be one of the best themed resorts in all of WDW, whether during the holiday season or not. Haven't stayed there in a number of years now due to the high price of rooms, but in the past, I stayed a few times. It's just such a beautiful, immersive environment throughout Jambo House, and having the animals right outside is so special.

Glad you enjoyed your meal at Boma. (Did you also indulge in Zebra Domes for dessert? )

 

[bee]

I love the food at Boma, actually all the restaurants at AKL offer delicious options even the QS imho.

I agree! We have enjoyed all the AKL restaurants and would return to any and all of them!

Beautiful photos of AKL at Christmastime! That has got to be one of the best themed resorts in all of WDW, whether during the holiday season or not. Haven't stayed there in a number of years now due to the high price of rooms, but in the past, I stayed a few times. It's just such a beautiful, immersive environment throughout Jambo House, and having the animals right outside is so special.

Glad you enjoyed your meal at Boma. (Did you also indulge in Zebra Domes for dessert? )

Thank you! We've never stayed there but it's one of my dream resorts.

Boma doesn't have Zebra Domes at breakfast BUT we've had dinner there and were definitely fans!

 

[bee]

Day 7, cont.

After a bit of relaxing exploration we made the short drive to Animal Kingdom.

We parked close enough to the entrance to not need to wait for a tram.

(pls don't ban me for this)

The AP line was too long so we used a peasant line!

Once inside we took it easy and did whatever we felt like in the moment. It was a nice feeling!

Up next: More AK!

 

[becca_]

(pls don't ban me for this)

Hahahahahaha

 

[bee]

Day 7, cont.

MIL wanted to shop so we checked out one of the stores in Discovery Island.

I decided it was time for a treat so I took a quick trip to Isle of Java (say it out loud!) while M and her mom were still shopping. I'm not sure where FIL disappeared to during this time haha...

Looking at this menu, what do you think we had?

If you guessed "Island Cappuccino," well, you must be a Bee Trip Report reader!!

Some interesting tiles...

Up next: A trip back in time

 

[Rista1313]

If you guessed "Island Cappuccino," well, you must be a Bee Trip Report reader!!

I haven't read you before... but I had a feeling!