Trip Report April is a Beautiful Time for a Disney Trip

Hello all! It's been a while since I've been able to share a trip with you and as you follow along this report you will quickly see why :)

We had friends from Germany going to WDW, a few other friends from all over, AND our family all also at Disney during our week-long trip. Since I go so often, we basically let everyone else plan the agenda aside from my husband wanting to try Tron and I wanted to see Happily Ever After now that it was back.

What: A Walt Disney World Vacation
Who: Maci (me) and my husband Jimmy - with lots of meetups along the way
Where: Grand Floridian Villas & an offsite rental
When: April 2023
Why: because there's never enough Disney, Tron and a photoshoot

If you saw some of my earlier trip reports, I was a Disney bride in 2021, and you know that old nursery rhyme...

First comes love,
then comes marriage
then comes baby in the baby carriage!


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...okay not quite into the baby carriage yet :)
 
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MagicalMaci

MagicalMaci

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 5 Part 2 - Animal Kingdom

We really just wanted to enjoy being in Animal Kingdom on Earth Day and were in no rush. We couldn't check into the house until 4pm so we were homeless for a few hours and just meandered through the park.

We rode Navi River Journey since that was one of the few things I could do here, and then just went and took a break at some empty tables by Flame Tree BBQ while we waited for our time to meet Mickey and Minnie.

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They are so adorable in their Safari gear! We had a great interaction and then headed on out, catching Pocahontas and Meeko and some really cool petal art on the way out.

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MagicalMaci

MagicalMaci

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 5 Part 3 - Halfway to Halloween!

When we were at the bus stop, we saw a bus for the Contemporary and still had time to kill so hopped on over there. We stopped at the Steakhouse 71 Lounge for some bevvies before heading upstairs to the Contempo Cafe for the Madame Leota cake they had special for Halfway to Halloween.

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We hopped on yet another monorail color - Monorail Green, and made it back to the Grand Floridian to collect our luggage where my uncle picked us up and took us over to the house now that we could check in.

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I didn't take as many photos of the house as I had hoped as I was TIRED, but there was a cute Mickey kids room :) I had my spooky treat while we waited for the rest of the family. It was definitely for Instagram more than for taste, but it was still fun to try.

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We just took it easy the rest of the night, going over to Walmart for some house essentials and we either grilled burgers and hotdogs or ordered pizza. It was so great to see all of my family as I hadn't seen them since December!
 
MagicalMaci

MagicalMaci

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 6 Part 1 - Best Deal in Disney

My family didn't want to go into the parks this weekend so I made us some brunch plans in Disney Springs instead. Let me just make one thing clear, I loveeee brunch! And Disney Springs has a good brunch game. I was able to get a table at House of Blues for us and we headed over to Disney Springs in two cars to fit us all.

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We were a bit early since we made great time and parking was right by Cirque which is right by House of Blues. This was great since my grandpa isn't great at walking the long distances at the parks anymore. They went over to Guest Relations to take care of their annual passes and I sent Jimmy over to Gideon's for a spot in the virtual line. It was already estimated over 3 hour wait at that point, it was early on a Sunday y'all. It was actually the first time I had to get on the virtual line for them.

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Once it was time for our reservation we headed on in and were sat in the back room with lots of natural light with the windows overlooking the water. The live music was in the other room but we could still hear it and the performer was very talented.
I was hungry so we started with an order of BBQ nachos which was a huge portion, great for sharing! Jimmy got what was one of the best deals in Disney, bottomless mimosas for $15!

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BBQ Nachos - Four cheese sauce, avocado, roasted corn salsa, pickled red onion, tomato, Memphis BBQ sauce, cilantro crema, cotija cheese. Chicken, Brisket or Pulled Pork available​

We ordered quite a variety of menu items between us. Everyone enjoyed their meal here, and the prices are honestly really reasonable for Disney's scale. I would say the chicken and donuts don't compare to the ones at Homecoming, but they were still good. The portions were large and everyone was full and happy at the end of our meal.

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Tennessee Toast - country toast, avocado smash, roasted corn salsa, clover honey, sea salt

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Chicken 'n' Donuts - buttermilk-fried chicken, maple-bacon donuts, bourbon & maple syrup, honeyed sriracha sauce, brown butter powder, chives

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Smoked Brisket Sandwich - roasted garlic & herb aioli, crispy onions,
garlic butter, brioche bun. Served with French fries

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BBQ Bacon Burger - double patty, brioche bun, cheddar cheese, Applewood bacon, crispy onions, Memphis BBQ sauce. Served with French fries


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Jambalaya - sautĂ©ed chicken, andouille sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, Cajun rice​
 

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12in12

12in12

Well-Known Member
MagicalMaci said:
Day 6 Part 1 - Best Deal in Disney

My family didn't want to go into the parks this weekend so I made us some brunch plans in Disney Springs instead. Let me just make one thing clear, I loveeee brunch! And Disney Springs has a good brunch game. I was able to get a table at House of Blues for us and we headed over to Disney Springs in two cars to fit us all.

We were a bit early since we made great time and parking was right by Cirque which is right by House of Blues. This was great since my grandpa isn't great at walking the long distances at the parks anymore. They went over to Guest Relations to take care of their annual passes and I sent Jimmy over to Gideon's for a spot in the virtual line. It was already estimated over 3 hour wait at that point, it was early on a Sunday y'all. It was actually the first time I had to get on the virtual line for them.

Once it was time for our reservation we headed on in and were sat in the back room with lots of natural light with the windows overlooking the water. The live music was in the other room but we could still hear it and the performer was very talented.
I was hungry so we started with an order of BBQ nachos which was a huge portion, great for sharing! Jimmy got what was one of the best deals in Disney, bottomless mimosas for $15!

View attachment 743823 View attachment 743824
BBQ Nachos - Four cheese sauce, avocado, roasted corn salsa, pickled red onion, tomato, Memphis BBQ sauce, cilantro crema, cotija cheese. Chicken, Brisket or Pulled Pork available​

We ordered quite a variety of menu items between us. Everyone enjoyed their meal here, and the prices are honestly really reasonable for Disney's scale. I would say the chicken and donuts don't compare to the ones at Homecoming, but they were still good. The portions were large and everyone was full and happy at the end of our meal.

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Tennessee Toast - country toast, avocado smash, roasted corn salsa, clover honey, sea salt

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Chicken 'n' Donuts - buttermilk-fried chicken, maple-bacon donuts, bourbon & maple syrup, honeyed sriracha sauce, brown butter powder, chives

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Smoked Brisket Sandwich - roasted garlic & herb aioli, crispy onions,
garlic butter, brioche bun. Served with French fries

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BBQ Bacon Burger - double patty, brioche bun, cheddar cheese, Applewood bacon, crispy onions, Memphis BBQ sauce. Served with French fries


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Jambalaya - sautĂ©ed chicken, andouille sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, Cajun rice​
Click to expand...
All the food looks delicious, it's making me hungry.
 
MagicalMaci

MagicalMaci

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 6 Part 2 - Disney Springs Delights

After brunch we still had some time before our Gideon's return for cookies, so half the fam went back to the house and Jimmy and I stayed with my aunt and uncle to explore a bit. They wanted to do a little shopping and I of course wanted cookies.

I know I just said how stuffed we were from brunch, but I LOVE Salt and Straw and there it was, with no line when we walked by... so yes I went and got some ice cream. I love that they have different flavors every month so I get to try something new every time. This time it was a smore's inspired flavor and it was delicious!

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The boys went over to Wine Bar George while my aunt and I got into line for Gideon's. It is a bit annoying that even with an hours-long virtual wait, we still had to wait maybe 45 mins in the actual line? Even though they come to Disney a lot she had never been inside here so I was excited for her to see how cool it was!

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They also have unique flavors that rotate monthly so that's another fun thing for me, and they had a special Halfway to Halloween treat here too. I was hoping it would be better than the Madam Leota one. I got my six cookies (one is still in my freezer, yum!) a slice of cake, and their halfway to Halloween treat. BUT when we got inside, it was HOT COOKIE HOUR! This is not something I'd ever experienced and although I was full, I just had to try this time-sensitive treat. So I got a lot more than I planned.

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We took our hot cookie and ice cream over to WBG to share with the boys, it was SO tasty. Did a last round of shopping to walk off some of our treats - I was looking for a Flower and Garden pin since I had forgotten to get one in Epcot. No luck though. Finally we headed on back to the house with our remaining goodies for the family, where I'm pretty sure I promptly took a nap.

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When I woke up I tried the pumpkin cheesecake Halfway to Halloween and it was so tasty! Much better than the dry chocolate cake from Contempo... maybe not as "fun" on the outside, but I'll take tasty over pretty any day.

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MagicalMaci

MagicalMaci

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 7 Part 1 - Back to Hollywood
My aunt, uncle and cousins went back to Tampa for the week and it was just us and my grandparents at the house until we had to fly back later this afternoon, and they wanted us out of their hair lol.

They essentially insisted we go back to the parks so we hopped a Lyft over to Disney's Hollywood Studios, hoping Jimmy could get a ride on Rise of the Resistance before we left. We of course got some photos and then hit the Trolley Car Café on our way into the park for some caffeine and breakfast once again.

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There's still not much I can do in this park while pregnant but we were close to the start of a Beauty and the Beast show so we headed over there since it's been quite a few trips since we watched it. It was cute and enjoyable as always and the perfect spot to sip our drinks and eat our breakfast sammies. Even though we showed up just a few minutes before show time, I was happy with our seats. I don't know that it totally filled up and think it was the first show of the day.

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MagicalMaci

MagicalMaci

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 7 Part 2 - Spaceships to Planes

After the show we made it over to Galaxy’s Edge and ran into Rey and Chewbacca on the way. They drew quite the crowd. We got some photos around the land and were able to do Rise! I went through the first two parts with Jimmy before exiting while he did the actual “ride” part of the attraction.

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Afterwards we headed over to Backlot Express for a Wookie Cookie which I’ve been wanting to try. We heard they were like oatmeal cream pies which were a favorite snack of mine as a child. While this cookie was super cute, I was not impressed. It just tasted like sugar and didn’t really have much to offer at all in our opinion.

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After our snack we headed back to the house, packed up and headed over to the airport. We had an uneventful flight home and my last trip before pregnancy lockdown was complete!
 

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k8einwdw

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
MagicalMaci said:
Afterwards we headed over to Backlot Express for a Wookie Cookie which I’ve been wanting to try. We heard they were like oatmeal cream pies which were a favorite snack of mine as a child. While this cookie was super cute, I was not impressed. It just tasted like sugar and didn’t really have much to offer at all in our opinion.
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Bummer! We were hoping they’d be like a fancy oatmeal cream pie too.
 
MagicalMaci

MagicalMaci

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Wrap Up

This was the last trip I was able to take before I had to stay within distance to the hospital on labor watch. I'm so glad we were able to take it and that I got to meet up with so many wonderful people who are important to me. I'm lucky enough that we get to go to Orlando quite a bit, so not being able to do a lot of the attractions really didn't bother me much at all.

What did surprise me, was just how exhausted I was the whole trip. The pregnancy wasn't easy on me, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but everything was just harder at Disney. I didn't care about the attractions but I did care about the people, and I wanted to be there for all the things with all the friends and family!

Highlights: catching up with old friends, the maternity photoshoot, Happily Ever After's return, hot cookie hour, and spending time with family.

My life has changed in immense ways since this trip, but I'm so excited for the next chapter and to introduce Christopher to Disney and to get back to traveling myself! It has been a whirlwind and he is already 3 months old. It has been amazing to watch him grow, but here are some newborn photos for you :) What do you think, Mouseketeer or Wizard?

Stay tuned for his first Disney trip, coming up soon!

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Thanks for following along, I’m so excited for this next chapter in my life and to experience the parks in a whole new way!
 
k8einwdw

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
MagicalMaci said:
My life has changed in immense ways since this trip, but I'm so excited for the next chapter and to introduce Christopher to Disney and to get back to traveling myself! It has been a whirlwind and he is already 3 months old. It has been amazing to watch him grow, but here are some newborn photos for you :) What do you think, Mouseketeer or Wizard?
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Congratulations!! He is a cutie! 🥰
 
cgersic

cgersic

Well-Known Member
Oh my heavens!!! What a sweet angel! My first nephew is named Christopher and will always remain my first blessing. I'm thinking Mouseketeer, but boy is he a cute little Wizard too - he looks like a little bean. So sweet and thank you so much for sharing. It was a great read along, and your photos are so special! I can't wait for the first trip report!
 

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