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

 

[MinnieM123]

I want to go into that house on LWTL!!!! I know its not real but still

I've often had that same thought myself! By the way, I like the dog., too.

 

[DisSplash]

Memory from waaayyyy back ~

If you pushed floor buttons #2 and #3 at the same time while in the Land elevator, it would take you up to the Passholder lounge (which is above the Garden Grill.)

I have video footage of the lounge on some VHS tape somewhere....now if I only had a VCR!

The more you know! I don't think I'll ever see that lounge in person … *sigh*

 

[bee]

I love those monorail photos! I need to get to the flower and garden festival at some point- the park looks beautiful!

Thank you! I think F&G is my favorite time of year at Epcot, through of course the holiday season is beautiful as well!

Just saying what everybody else has said in way too few words, I'm so sorry you were injured, glad you're on the mend and at least were able to go. It's end of the school year and I'll try and ketchup asap. I'm sorry I haven't been able to keep up here. GWS xoxo

Thank you, Figgy! You can read whenever you want and have time, and when you catch up if you like a bunch of posts you'll just put a smile on my face!

I want to go into that house on LWTL!!!! I know its not real but still

I've often had that same thought myself! By the way, I like the dog., too.

Yes!

Memory from waaayyyy back ~

If you pushed floor buttons #2 and #3 at the same time while in the Land elevator, it would take you up to the Passholder lounge (which is above the Garden Grill.)

I have video footage of the lounge on some VHS tape somewhere....now if I only had a VCR!

Whaaaat? So cool!

The more you know! I don't think I'll ever see that lounge in person … *sigh*

Same!

 

[Tuvalu]

I’ve had the privilege of being in several Future World lounges....The Land, Spaceship Earth, Wonders of Life, Mission:Space, Test Track....in addition to American Adventure.

Shortly after AK opened, a Passholder lounge adjacent to Pizzafari was announced. Since we were vacationing in July (and AK is always brutally hot!) we were excited to take the kids to a place where we could cool off and recharge. Imagine our disappointment (actually disgust!) when the “lounge” turned out to be a screened-in porch with a couple of pinball machines and picnic tables, with a water cooler the only option for a beverage (the other lounges had soda machines in addition to water.)

And people wonder why I dislike AK.....

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

We decided to start making our way toward the International Gateway for a break in the room, but first we had a dessert mission!

Can you see where this is going??

I actually only had one bite because I was still full, and this was more for M's birthday anyway.

But that didn't stop me from enjoying a beer!

Orange Blossom Brewing Co. Orange Blossom Pilsner, Orlando, FL – $4.25

This was refreshing on a hot day. I wouldn't necessarily seek it out on my own but it was a good Disney beer!

Up next: More flowers, and more COFFEE!

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

After the cheesecake break we continued on our way toward the Swan.

But first, I HAD to stop and admire the Victoria Gardens in Canada!

M wanted more coffee, so we stopped at Joffrey's on the way out.

Cold brew, this time with half and half but no syrups. Also yummy!

Up next: "BROOM BROOM!"

 

[DisSplash]

Love all of the flower pictures - You are getting some great shots from that scooter! And that Cheesecake looked divine ...

 

[ScarletBegonias]

That coffee looks SO GOOD. I want it! ( I am obsessed with coffee). I love Joffrey's.

 

[fractal]

Nice pics - love the Imagination Building reflection one!

 

[Tuvalu]

Thanks @bee for the new genteel avatar ~ the old one freaked me out a little.

 

[bee]

Love all of the flower pictures - You are getting some great shots from that scooter! And that Cheesecake looked divine ...

Thank you! The park is just so photogenic during F&G.

That coffee looks SO GOOD. I want it! ( I am obsessed with coffee). I love Joffrey's.

It WAS good!

Nice pics - love the Imagination Building reflection one!

Thank you! I liked that one too!

Thanks @bee for the new genteel avatar ~ the old one freaked me out a little.

Haha! You're welcome. While I did like the real bee, I agree it was a little scary, and I think of myself as more of a happy Bee than a scary Bee.

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

We exited the park, coffee in hand, and followed the boardwalk toward the Swan. No one else was on the bridge over Crescent Lake, so I took the opportunity to test the maximum speed of the scooter. The website says they can go up to 6mph, which is pretty fast compared to normal human walking speed!

And here's where the title comes from:

​

Whenever I saw an empty space ahead I would say, "BROOM BROOM!" to let M know I was about to zoom ahead of her.

(Side note: My scooter made a quacky-squeaking noise whenever I drove it slowly, but it didn't when I went fast! So naturally I took every opportunity possible to go fast!)

Disney Duck!

I liked these shadows

Flying Fish! Maybe we'll see you later on this trip...

M: Why are you taking a picture of these flowers? They're not special Flower and Garden flowers.
Me: They are special to MEEEE!

Up next: More photos on the way to the Swan

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Day 2, cont.

We exited the park, coffee in hand, and followed the boardwalk toward the Swan. No one else was on the bridge over Crescent Lake, so I took the opportunity to test the maximum speed of the scooter. The website says they can go up to 6mph, which is pretty fast compared to normal human walking speed!

And here's where the title comes from:

​

Whenever I saw an empty space ahead I would say, "BROOM BROOM!" to let M know I was about to zoom ahead of her.

(Side note: My scooter made a quacky-squeaking noise whenever I drove it slowly, but it didn't when I went fast! So naturally I took every opportunity possible to go fast!)

Disney Duck!

I liked these shadows

Flying Fish! Maybe we'll see you later on this trip...

M: Why are you taking a picture of these flowers? They're not special Flower and Garden flowers.
Me: They are special to MEEEE!

Up next: More photos on the way to the Swan

I bought that type of flower, and in that color, when we got home.

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

Almost there...

Dock construction

And back inside the Swan...

While I like most of the common areas of the hotel, we both remarked how they seem overdue for a refurb. The rooms are done, the Dolphin lobby is done...it's time!

We arrived back in the room and had about two hours until our dinner reservation. We took showers, relaxed in the air conditioning, and changed into signature restaurant-appropriate clothing.

Up next: M's birthday dinner at Flying Fish! Will it be as good as last time??

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

We left our room around 6:40 for our 6:45 reservation at Flying Fish. Another thing we love about staying at the Swolphin: We are so close to not only our own restaurants, but those of the Boardwalk and Yacht/Beach Club as well!

We arrived right on time and checked in. The staff was a little confused about what to do with my scooter but eventually a manager of some kind asked me to just park it right in the lobby and someone would move it outside. She asked if I wanted to ride all the way to my table but I said I preferred to walk with my cane, so that's what we did. We asked for vegetarian menus at checkin and the host who seated us found them for us.

We had just a minute or two to look over the menu before our server, Erika, greeted us. She brought us the BIG wine list as well as the by the glass list to look over.

Wines by the glass

I ordered the Catena Malbec and enjoyed it very much! Apparently I didn't take any photos of either of our drinks, and my memory is fuzzy as to what M had. I think it was beer but I'll try to ask her later! When Erika checked our IDs, she noticed that it was M's birthday and wished her a happy birthday.

We ordered the cheese plate, and while we waited Erika brought us the famous seaweed bread.

If I had one little complaint about the bread service, it was that they replaced the sea-salted butter with ricotta and pesto (above). The pesto was just overwhelming and overpowered the seaweed flavor to the point where all I could taste was pesto. I tried to put just the cheese without the pesto on my bread.

Before the cheese came our Erika brought us the little plates and utensils we'd need to share everything.

And, now, for the CHEESE itself...

The mozzarella curd is at the top of the photo, and the list above takes you clockwise around the plate, ending with the bleu in the middle.

The cheese also came with these crackers:

(and yes, that looks like a beer. BUT WHAT KIND???)

I can't say enough good things about the cheese plate. First, the portions were pretty substantial compared to other cheese plates we've had. As you can see there were bits of complementary spices, herbs, etc., in between the cheeses themselves, which each added a new "zing" to the cheeses. The sesame crackers were a nice addition, too. And of course the information card was great instead of having the server recite all the cheeses and then us forgetting everything they just said. I honestly liked all of them but my favorite was the gouda, which happened to go GREAT with my wine!

And now for the entrees...

M's Roasted Tofu

My Roasted Portobello

These were both outstanding. It's hard to tell but my portobello and veggies were a TON of food and I only ended up eating about half of it. It was too good to waste, though, so I had the rest boxed to go!

But the meal wasn't quite finished! Remember that Erika noticed it was M's birthday?

She brought out a birthday dessert to share, along with two glasses of Prosecco! The chocolate mousse in the middle was AMAZING.

It was another excellent FF dinner for us, and we will definitely be back!

Up next: Back to Epcot!

 

[dizfan917]

Being a Wisconsin boy, that cheese plate looks mighty delicious!! And it does seem more substantial then most I've enjoyed at WDW. yum!

 

[Tuvalu]

So bummed neither of you had the Grilled Avocado and Tomato. That sounded delish and I would have loved to see a pic and review.

 

[bee]

Being a Wisconsin boy, that cheese plate looks mighty delicious!! And it does seem more substantial then most I've enjoyed at WDW. yum!

It was the best cheese plate we've had at WDW...so far!

So bummed neither of you had the Grilled Avocado and Tomato. That sounded delish and I would have loved to see a pic and review.

WELL WOULDN'T YOU KNOW...

We went to Flying Fish in September last year and M did have the Grilled Avocado and Tomato! It was great and the only reason we didn't get it again this time was we prefer to try new things when given the option. My dinner review begins here and that dish appears in the next post:

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...d-and-whine-report.932474/page-4#post-7895360

 

[Tuvalu]

WELL WOULDN'T YOU KNOW...
We went to Flying Fish in September last year and M did have the Grilled Avocado and Tomato! It was great and the only reason we didn't get it again this time was we prefer to try new things when given the option. My dinner review begins here and that dish appears in the next post:
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...d-and-whine-report.932474/page-4#post-7895360

Yes it appears I even commented it on it then..........

I am coveting all of Ms grilled food.....

Apparently I need to get my you-know-what to Flying Fish!

 

[RememberWhen]

I’m late, but caught up. So glad you’re ok and got to enjoy your Disney vacation. Fires are scary. Super Bee forever!
Loving all the vegetarian food options. We’re going in December with my vegetarian sister. She is also allergic to cow milk, eggs and gluten. Here’s hoping Disney can feed her! We keep joking that we can just fill ziploc bags with quinoa so she has something to eat.