Trip Report "BROOM BROOM!" A trip from a DIFFERENT perspective

Introduction

WARNING: The first three posts will be very text-heavy. I promise there will be many photos after that!

We just got back from another wonderful trip! We attended the Flower and Garden Festival, enjoyed much food and beverage, celebrated a birthday, visited family, and had a fabulous time! This trip was different from all previous trips for one significant reason, which will be revealed later.

WHO: Bee (me) and M (my DW)...and surprise guests
WHERE: The WDW Swan, with a quick trip to visit M's parents in Jacksonville
WHEN: May 22-27, 2018
WHY: To celebrate M's birthday, to enjoy one last trip before our APs expire, and...because we wanted to go!

The original version of this trip was to occur in July to take advantage of M having PTO for July 4. It was all booked and ready to go, and we were able to use points for half of the flights and a third of the hotel nights. However, I got offered an ensemble role in The Hunchback of Notre Dame in New Jersey in July shortly after we booked the original trip, so we had to adjust our plans.

And here is the PTR link: One La-ast Ti-ime (Another Swolphin Sandwich!) (This time with POINTS!)

To be continued

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

Around 2:00, while M was ordering the second margarita, I got the room-ready text from the Swan! In case you've never stayed at the Swolphin, when you get the text you must go to either the front desk or concierge to pick up your keys as they don't use MagicBands and they don't use mobile key (yet).

Earlier in the day I realized I had left all my sunglasses at home ( ) even though I usually end up bringing two pairs. Boooo. So we stopped at the Boardwalk for a little souvenir:

Soon we arrived back at the hotel, picked up our keys, and had our first scooter-in-elevator experience! It was easy to get in and out of the elevators, though the size of the elevators required me to either pull in forward and reverse out, or vice versa.

And the grand reveal of room 968...

I didn't actually take that many photos of the room as I have stayed there multiple times before and took plenty of photos then. If you want to see more click one of my TRs from the Swan in my signature. I was mainly interested in documenting the accessible parts of the room. The handlebars in the bathtub and by the toilet were helpful since I still get sore in my abdomen after a long day. The biggest difference to me was that the bathroom was larger than a typical Swan bathroom, and the bed part of the room was smaller as a result. There was also no second sink outside of the bathroom, which didn't bother me since the priority was accessibility.

And as for the view out the windows...

Not bad! Not the best views we've ever had from the Swan, but of course it's hard to compete with a balcony with a perfect view of DHS fireworks, or a room facing the Dolphin with gorgeous views of the waterways.

We took a significant break in the room as we wanted to stay all the way through IllumiNations and possibly a little later for night EMH. We set up my wedge pillow and turned on Food Network to watch some Chopped. I closed my eyes and the next thing I knew it was 5:00 and I had slept for almost two hours!

After I woke up from my epic nap we were ready to go back to the park.

Up next: BEES!

 

[fractal]

I miss going during F&G festival. This is making me miss it more.

That margarita sounds devine!

 

[LeighM]

Oh my gosh, what a scary experience!!! I have a complete and total phobia of fire and that is one of my worst nightmares. I'm so glad you're doing okay.

 

[melmel89]

My goodness what a start to your TR! hope you are healing well I'm responsible for helping with evacuations at work and just the drills scare the living daylights out of me! you must have shown an awful lot of courage to get through it.

 

[MinnieM123]

And as for the view out the windows...

Oh yah! The crane! Do you know why it was there? I'll tell you, if you don't know.

It was because they were powerwashing the huge Swan at the top of the hotel. While waiting for the bus one morning I watched the crane lift a cage thing with a guy in it and he was doing the powerwashing way up high--a fun diversion to watch while waiting for the bus! (Another morning I saw them put up one of the smaller swans (perhaps they clean the smaller ones by taking them off the building, and then putting them back.)

 

[dclfan]

Super bee another epic trip report as always. I’m glad to see your review of the rose margarita. We were there this past weekend to get the Rosé margarita and I waited in a VERY long windy line at the La Cava de Tequilla only to realize the Rosé margarita was outside. . Rookie Mistake. I had to drown my sorrows in an Avocado Margarita instead. Glad to hear it wasn’t so great though. Now I don’t feel so bad.

 

[bee]

I miss going during F&G festival. This is making me miss it more.

That margarita sounds devine!

I could go for one right now! I hope you make it back to F&G sooner rather than later!

Oh my gosh, what a scary experience!!! I have a complete and total phobia of fire and that is one of my worst nightmares. I'm so glad you're doing okay.

Thank you!

My goodness what a start to your TR! hope you are healing well I'm responsible for helping with evacuations at work and just the drills scare the living daylights out of me! you must have shown an awful lot of courage to get through it.

Thank you!

Oh yah! The crane! Do you know why it was there? I'll tell you, if you don't know.

It was because they were powerwashing the huge Swan at the top of the hotel. While waiting for the bus one morning I watched the crane lift a cage thing with a guy in it and he was doing the powerwashing way up high--a fun diversion to watch while waiting for the bus! (Another morning I saw them put up one of the smaller swans (perhaps they clean the smaller ones by taking them off the building, and then putting them back.)

Good to know, thanks!

Super bee another epic trip report as always. I’m glad to see your review of the rose margarita. We were there this past weekend to get the Rosé margarita and I waited in a VERY long windy line at the La Cava de Tequilla only to realize the Rosé margarita was outside. . Rookie Mistake. I had to drown my sorrows in an Avocado Margarita instead. Glad to hear it wasn’t so great though. Now I don’t feel so bad.

I'd go for the avocado margarita over the rose any day!

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

We were on a mission to try a few more kiosk foods this evening. Our first stop was The Honey Bee-Stro!

Roasted Cauliflower with Buckwheat Honey Carrot Puree, Wild Rice Pilaf, Asparagus, Honey Blistered Grapes and Sunflower Brittle (GF) (V) – $4.50
Local Wildflower Honey-Mascarpone Cheesecake with Orange Blossom Honey Ice Cream garnished with Fennel Pollen Meringue Kisses (V) – $4.75

The cauliflower was just okay. It was too sweet without having other flavors to balance the sweetness. The cheesecake, however.

WOW.

It was just perfect. The texture, the flavor, the balance of sweetness to tartness to creaminess... And that magical little fluff of ice cream cream. We knew this would be an item to repeat!

We enjoyed the views...

M headed to The Berry Basket to make a purchase while I enjoyed just being there and taking it all in. While she was on line Pluto and his attendant appeared for a M&G.

I could tell by watching from afar that this was a great Pluto! At one point he saw some ducks on the sidewalk and started to chase them and the attendant had to go bring him back.

Field Greens with fresh Strawberries, Crisp Quinoa, Strawberry Vinaigrette and Spiced Pecans (V) – $5.00

Sadly this salad wasn't great. It was missing something, maybe a crunchy element or some tartness in the dressing. I don't know if it's just that it was the end of the festival and they weren't really trying anymore, but everything was kind of mushy and the pecans lost what crunch they may have had because they were placed on the bottom. We have had MUCH better salads at previous festivals.

MORE MONORAIL!!!

Our next mission was to obtain our Passholder Minnie magnets! So we entered Innoventions, which was BLASTING AC, thank goodness! There was no line and we were in and out within a minute or two.

Up next: A return to an old QS favorite, and A LOT of flower and plant photos

 

[Gurt]

That cheesecake looks and sounds amazing!

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

M and I have been going to Disney together for almost twelve years. One of our favorite QS restaurants in the early days was Tangierine Cafe, but we haven't eaten there in several years. It was time to change that!

We shared the veggie platter and it was delicious! It was just as good as we remembered and was plenty to share (especially after we had all those F&G snacks!).

Morocco bathroom flowers

We noticed a nice little path of flowers and other plants nearby and decided to explore it.

Up next: MORE FLOWERS!

 

[LeighM]

We loved that cheesecake!!! I hope to try to make it later this summer. I asked Disney for the recipe and they sent it to me. I included it in my trip report for those who asked (page 4 and 5): https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/shake-it-off-march-2018-wdw-trip-report.939084/page-4

 

[dizfan917]

We never missed a lunch at the Tangierine Café for about 14 trips... then I decided instead of a "tradition" I should branch out and try something NEW. It might be time to revisit an old favorite.

 

[bee]

You guys...I just spent entirely too much time making this with an online generator...

 

[hanwill]

I am so glad you and all of those children are safe! You should have had a badge on the back of your scooter that said,"real life hero!" Glad you were still able to go celebrate Disney! Hope you fully recover very soon. Thanks for writing a trip report!

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

After dinner and a stroll through the flowers we were ready for dessert. I once again looked for and secured a spot while M obtained the goods.

Key Lime Tart with Toasted Meringue – $4.50
First Magnitude Brewing Co. Monarch Milk Stout, Gainesville, FL – $4.25

The key lime tart was great! I liked the beer but M didn't care for it. Oh well, more for me!

On the way to our first FP of the day in Future World...

AKA the photo where @Tuvalu almost spoiled what made this trip so different in my PTR

The Morocco buildings just looked so perfect against the colors of the sky.

We took this little path over to The Land...

...and decided it would be better to just take the wide middle path in the future with the scooter!

Daisy! Miss Duck if you're nasty...

Up next: A new experience on a favorite Epcot ride!

 

[MinnieM123]

We never missed a lunch at the Tangierine Café for about 14 trips... then I decided instead of a "tradition" I should branch out and try something NEW. It might be time to revisit an old favorite.

Tangierine Cafe (schwarma plate--yum!!) ties for me with some of the food options at Sunshine Seasons (The Land). Love both places.

 

[bee]

That cheesecake looks and sounds amazing!

It was!!

We loved that cheesecake!!! I hope to try to make it later this summer. I asked Disney for the recipe and they sent it to me. I included it in my trip report for those who asked (page 4 and 5): https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/shake-it-off-march-2018-wdw-trip-report.939084/page-4

Thank you! This is amazing!

We never missed a lunch at the Tangierine Café for about 14 trips... then I decided instead of a "tradition" I should branch out and try something NEW. It might be time to revisit an old favorite.

I think it's time!

Tangierine Cafe (schwarma plate--yum!!) ties for me with some of the food options at Sunshine Seasons (The Land). Love both places.

Yes! They both have consistently high quality QS options for decent prices.

I am so glad you and all of those children are safe! You should have had a badge on the back of your scooter that said,"real life hero!" Glad you were still able to go celebrate Disney! Hope you fully recover very soon. Thanks for writing a trip report!

Thank you! My recovery has been slow and at times it feels like it's taking FOR. EV. ER. But it's coming along and one day I'll be back to normal.

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

It was time for our first FP of the trip: Living with the Land, AKA the Vegetable Boat Ride, AKA the Farm Ride, AKA the Alligator Ride, etc.

If you've read my previous TRs you know that M and I LOVE this ride and usually ride it multiple times per trip, or even multiple times per day! For me, it feels like I am really, truly on vacation once I get on LWTL.

We decided to park the scooter near the entrance of the pavilion and slowly walk downstairs with my cane, rather than ride the scooter all the way down the elevator and through the queue. For the first time in recent memory (and maybe EVER), we got to ride in the front row!

It was really cool to ride this both in the front row and in the dark (although many of my photos are blurry or just didn't turn out well at all because of the lighting). As many times as we have ridden this (A LOT) it can be different every time depending on the time of day, the rotation of the crops, etc., and that's one of the reasons we ride it over and over again and still love it.

I did okay without the scooter but we decided that next time I would just ride it all the way to the ride next time in case we got stuck standing for a long time.

Our next and final FP of the day was for IllumiNations. Before this trip we had actually never used a FP for this show, preferring instead to either watch from wherever we happen to be, plan a meal around the fireworks time, or do a dessert party (RIP Sparkling Dessert Party ). But first we had to stop for beers!

Playalinda Brewing Company Violet Lemonade Ale, Titusville, FL – $4.25
Maui Brewing Co. Pineapple Mana Wheat, Kihei, HI – $4.25

I didn't take great notes so I don't remember a whole lot about these but I think we liked them both.

We arrived near the end of the FP arrival window so we didn't get the BEST spot for the show, but it wasn't bad.

In fact, even though there was a big column in the way we still had a great view of the globe and the lower-level effects.

Side note: some people in real life have asked me how I'm coping mentally and emotionally post-fire. Overall I am doing really well considering what happened to me. Occasionally I have had to turn off a movie/video or look away when there is fire on-screen. The torches around the lagoon didn't bother me, but I did have to look above the big fire in the middle because the color and smoke were a little too similar to "THE FIRE." I was okay otherwise.

After the show the park had EMH until 11:00pm. We checked out wait times but ultimately decided there wasn't anything we were dying to do, so we just took our time waiting for the masses to leave and enjoyed a slow walk/ride out of the park.

On our way back to the Swan we saw some of the DHS fireworks. No photos this evening as my phone was dying, but maaaaaaaaybe this wouldn't be the last time we saw them!

We got back to the room, watched a little TV, got ready for bed, and called it a night.

Up next: Day 2! M's birthday, more snacks, more drinks, and yes-MORE CHEESECAKE!

 

[krause]

Side note: some people in real life have asked me how I'm coping mentally and emotionally post-fire. Overall I am doing really well considering what happened to me. Occasionally I have had to turn off a movie/video or look away when there is fire on-screen. The torches around the lagoon didn't bother me, but I did have to look above the big fire in the middle because the color and smoke were a little too similar to "THE FIRE." I was okay otherwise.

Our detached garage burned down a few years ago in the middle of the night. I wear strong glasses but obviously didn’t have them on at night so I woke up and the inside of our house was like glowing orange through the windows and I didn’t know what was going on. I still get nervous if I see any kind of orange light through the trees or anywhere where I don’t know the source, and I prefer to close the curtains and stay inside if my husband is having a big bonfire outside I’m okay with little fires outside though or in our wood fireplace (as long as it is completely out when I go to bed ).

I’m really enjoying your trip report, as always! It’s nice to have a new perspective on things!

 

[DisSplash]

I have not been on this site for a while, but we are headed to WDW again in August and so I am refreshing. I am really enjoying your trip report, complete with your backstory - so glad you are OK and getting to normal, by the way. Cannot wait to hear about all of the new scooter experiences.
By the way, I LOVE your close-up picture of EPCOT with the flowers on the pond ... very symmetrically pleasing!