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]

Oops, I try to reply to every comment but sometimes I miss one (or several). Sorry!

Wow...that's some pretty incredible theming with the animal head shape in the tile when it's reflected in the mirror. I never would have thought to do that.

So cool! Disney cleverness and quality at their finest!

Pickled jalapeño is probably tops for me and a tie between the coriander and the ted peoper hummus for the #2 spot. But, yeah, enjoy them all too, as well as the naan.

Can't forget the hummus! I could go for some right now!

This is the only beer I have ever tasted that I enjoyed. Good choice by M!

Personally one sip is enough for me, but that means more for you, M, and the many others who like it.

Thank you for sharing all your great pics. and I may have forgotten sunglasses and had to get a pair at Disney. Accidently of course

Always an "accident"

Thank you doe the after dark pics. For some reason I like WS after dark better than during the day

I just love how everything transforms! You can go right when it opens (or pre-opening for some parts) and have one experience, then have a totally different experience during the afternoon, and yet another in the evening!

Exactly!

dip dye Frisky cat looks so soft and cute

I agree!

Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed all the pix but the night ones were amazing. The food pix made my stomach growl!

Thank you! Oh how I wish I had a plate of those spring rolls right now!

Please sir, may I have some more......


Really far behind on my reading but could not resist quoting your line
I am singing the Oliver song in my head

Max

It wouldn't be a @bee report if at least one song didn't get stuck in your head! Welcome, take your time!

 

[bee]

Day 5, cont.

Remember the "surprise guests" I mentioned in my very first post?

If you haven't guessed already, they were M's parents, whom I will refer to as MIL and FIL respectively. They both have Florida APs with blockout dates and wanted to a) spend more time with us and b) go to the parks before the summer blockout dates began. Of course, this became a "moo point" since WDW lifted a bunch of the blockout dates to try to boost Epcot attendance...but whatever. They drove down separately and would be meeting us later at Epcot.

And in case you don't get the reference and think I'm just a malaprop:

​

Back to the trip! We returned the car to the DoubleTree and called a Lyft to take us back to the Swan.

Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for! ​

I checked in at the front desk and the CM there happened to be Liza, the same one who had checked us in the first time! She recognized us and asked if we had had a flight issue and that was why we were back, but we told her we just went to visit family for a couple days and came back for fun.

She said our room wasn't ready but that it should be ready soon. I gave her my number to get the room-ready text, but before she even finished the checkin process the room was ready! Woohoo!

I present to you: Room 1066.

And the views:

You may remember we were in 968 the first time around. 1066 is (as you can guess) one floor up and one room over. So it was basically the same view, but from a little higher, which was nice.

I managed to get to the room with just my cane but I needed to sit down almost immediately once we got inside. Plus poor M had to carry all of our bags because all my strength was going to just supporting myself. We didn't spend long in the room, and soon went downstairs to pick up Scooter #2 from bell services.

The "moldy" painting in the hall

One of the renovated elevators

I picked up my scooter and we made our way toward Epcot!

Up next: Food and drinks!

 

[AKemily]

It wouldn't be a @bee report if at least one song didn't get stuck in your head! Welcome, take your time!

I can't believe we missed Smash Mouth!!!!!11111 someBODY

I literally still have All Star stuck in my head and that was like 3 weeks ago

Enjoying your report as always, @bee.

 

[fractal]

To live close enough to conveniently drive to Disney...

 

[bee]

I literally still have All Star stuck in my head and that was like 3 weeks ago

Enjoying your report as always, @bee.

Mission accomplished! And thank you!

To live close enough to conveniently drive to Disney...

I'll admit, that IS one of the things I miss about living in Florida!

 

[bee]

Day 5, cont.

BROOM BROOM!

Immediately I noticed this scooter was NOT squeaky like the other one. I guess I got an older or more-used one the first time.

M and I were both hungry, but there were no lunch ADRs available on the app that appealed to us, and we were already hot so we didn't want any kind of outside QS. We decided to check for availability at Tutto Gusto.

Always a bit late...

Luckily there was a table available at TG! I parked my scooter outside and we were seated immediately. Our server was Giulia and she provided excellent service as we have come to expect at TG.

Neither of us wanted beer, but we did want something cold and refreshing, so we shared a bottle of Villa Sandi Prosecco.

We shared La Campagnola and the Ravioli Caprese.

We've had the Campagnola before and it was good as always, but HOLY **** THIS RAVIOLI. This was some of the best ravioli I've ever had. EVER. I could have eaten a bowl of the sauce like soup.

Somehow we managed to save room for (a little) dessert.

Mine was something with Nutella and M's was tiramisu. I love that they have these little desserts because I usually can't eat more than a few bites anyway and I hate to waste food. M's tiramisu must have been really great because I offered her a bite of my dessert and she wouldn't take it because she didn't want to give me a bite of hers!

We can't say enough good things about Tutto Gusto. The food is always excellent, the wine list is great, the service is friendly and prompt, and it's just a great place to relax in the air conditioning in the middle of the day. They don't accept ADRs and we've never had an issue getting a table. I wish there were more unique places like this in the parks for getting a beverage and chilling (literally and figuratively).

Up next: An extended visit to China (you'll see why!)

 

[bee]

Day 5, cont.

We had FP plans but not until later, so we decided it was time for a leisurely stroll around WS. The crowds were MUCH heavier than earlier in the week and we were both glad to have visited all the F&G booths already because the Promenade was a MESS. And here it is folks, the one and only time I bumped into someone with my scooter! It was a teenage girl with (I assume) her preteen sister and dad. They were walking to the right of us at around the same pace, and suddenly she darted in front of me and I couldn't stop in time. I apologized of course, and her dad said to her, "I told you to watch where you're going!" So thanks, dad, for not blaming ME for your kid not paying attention!

As you can possibly guess from the clouds in the above photos, it was starting to rain. M wanted a bubble tea from China so I rolled away in search of an acceptably dry place to drink it.

We waited in a little nook near the store for the rain to calm down a bit.

Seeing these photos again makes me want to live in this building! That second floor corner looks perfect!

When it became clear that the rain wasn't going anywhere, we went inside the store to browse for a bit.

Up next: a bunch of flowers!

 

[MinnieM123]

Those were some really nice photos of the China pavilion--i like some of the angle shots of the outside architecture -- very artsy!

 

[Rista1313]

Day 3, cont.

NON-DISNEY POST

We began the drive to Jacksonville and immediately hit some traffic. It was nothing crazy, but it did slow us down quite a bit.

The Eyesore on I-4! Apparently it is FINALLY going to be completed this year.

SAY NO

And now, the REAL reason you're still reading even though there's no Disney in this post...

FRISKY!!!!

That's the last photo I have from Day 3. We had a little birthday party for M and we all caught up on each other's lives. This was the first time I'd seen the in-laws (who are more like family to me than my own parents) since the fire, so they had lots of questions.

So here we go, Day 4!

Day 4: Friday, May 25

I truly don't remember much of this day.

M's mom wanted to take the two of us to see Solo on this day (the day it came out). Their local cinema has $6 tickets on weekdays, even for new movies. I just paid $17 to see The Incredibles last night (well not really, because I have MoviePass which has a monthly fee of $9.95 so if I only go once a month it's more than worth it for NY/NJ prices!).

We stopped at Donkey Donald's on the way.

The movie was...fine. I wasn't expecting anything great. Some things were fun. But it mostly felt like Disney/Lucasfilm had a checklist of Han Solo life events they were trying to cram into a movie. I don't feel the need to see this one again.

Back at home...

Up next: More of Day 4, and the beginning of Day 5 (the pre-Disney parts)

That's the craziest coloring I've ever seen on a cat! how Cool!

 

[Doc Disney]

On our walk/ride back to Epcot we enjoyed a glimpse of the sunset over Crescent Lake.

I'm still trying to catch up but those pictures were beautiful!!!!!

 

[gsrjedi]

I really enjoy the perspective you have with your photos. Being on the scooter and shooting from a slightly lower angle really changes the views up. I'm not sure if I've already said this or not (because every time I catch up on your TR I think it), but if I have them I must say it again.

 

[Gabe1]

Day 1, cont.

Our first food kiosk stop was Fleur de Lys in France, where I scooted up next to a bench to save it for M while she ordered.

Macaron au Chocolat en Sucette: Large Chocolate Macaron Lollipop (GF) – $4.95
Tarte à la Tomate Provençale: Provencal Tomato Tart with Sautéed Onions, Fresh Thyme and Rosemary on a Flaky Pastry Crust (V) – $5.50

I really wanted to like the tarte but it was just okay. I felt like it was missing something in terms of flavor, although the fresh tomatoes on top were very tasty. The macaron was very good but also very sweet. Even though we shared it we both felt a little chocolate-ed out if that's even possible.

Since I couldn't take as many photos while moving (since my hands were occupied with operating the scooter), I decided to take lots of photos every time we stopped. In this way I was able to document the different perspectives from which I saw the park.

You can see here how cloudy it was. Franco the Lyft driver told us it had been raining for days and today was the first day it wasn't raining. Would the rain-free time continue??

We decided to stop at Taste of Marrakesh in Morocco next.

Fried Cauliflower with Capers, Garlic Parsley and Chili Ranch Sauce – $5.00

The fried cauliflower was yummy! It was a perfect portion to share, and the capers and bits of garlic and parsley gave it a nice flavor boost. We wanted to get it again another time during the trip, but sadly we never made it back.

Next we stopped in America to enjoy some shade...and some drinks from The Smokehouse. I waited by a tree while M secured the beverages.

Central 28 Brewing Company Sunshine Greetings Orange Hibiscus Wheat Ale, DeBary, FL – $4.25
Zen of Zin Old Vine, California – $5.25

We shared these, but M drank most of the beer and I drank most of the wine. I really like the wine as I usually like Zinfandel and it reminded me of our California trip last year. I enjoyed the beer as well; it had a very subtle fruit flavor and was overall very smooth and drinkable.

Next we stopped at Bauernmarkt for another snack.

Blue sky!

Potato Pancakes with House-made Apple Sauce (V) – $4.25

This was surprisingly great. The pancakes were perfectly potato-y and crispy around the edges, and the applesauce had delicious chunks of tart apple in it. It was nothing like the stuff you can get in a jar at the grocery store. I was worried it might be too sweet for me (I usually don't enjoy sweet things in otherwise savory dishes), but this was nicely balanced.

Up next: An old favorite, and multiple margaritas!

Our tastes are similar. I too loved the cauliflower 3x and the potato pancakes too

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Of course, this became a "moo point" since WDW lifted a bunch of the blockout dates to try to boost Epcot attendance...but whatever.

We reference this all the time!!!

And I love your pictures from scooter-level!

 

[bee]

Those were some really nice photos of the China pavilion--i like some of the angle shots of the outside architecture -- very artsy!

Thank you! I never spend that much time there but I'm glad we got stuck there for a few minutes and I got to slow down and admire the architecture back there!

That's the craziest coloring I've ever seen on a cat! how Cool!

M and I were surprised to see it too because she's always been so dark. So funny that only her back half has changed.

I'm still trying to catch up but those pictures were beautiful!!!!!

Thank you! I love that area at any time of day but especially sunset.

I really enjoy the perspective you have with your photos. Being on the scooter and shooting from a slightly lower angle really changes the views up. I'm not sure if I've already said this or not (because every time I catch up on your TR I think it), but if I have them I must say it again.

Thank you! It's funny how the little difference of being seated changed everything.

Our tastes are similar. I too loved the cauliflower 3x and the potato pancakes too

Mmm, now I want that cauliflower!

We reference this all the time!!!

And I love your pictures from scooter-level!

Hehe! And thank you!

 

[bee]

Day 5, cont.

After the rain let up to an acceptable level we headed toward FW for our first FP of the day. But first, we needed to try a certain festival item that I've heard nothing but good things about.

While M obtained the goods, I waited and took more photos.

I watched this PhotoPass guy take a bunch of photos of guests while I waited for M.

Pineapple Beer Flight – $9.50
Consisting of: Coastal Empire Beer Co. Coco Piña Gose, Savannah, GA, Maui Brewing Co. Pineapple Mana Wheat, Kihei, HI, and SweetWater Brewing Company Goin’ Coastal IPA with Pineapple, Atlanta, GA
AND
Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade (Non-alcoholic) – $4.25

WAIT, the lemonade deserves its own picture!!

(Yes, this was after I'd already had some. Don't worry, it did NOT come with this little in the cup)

I don't remember much about the beers, probably because I was busy LOVING THIS LEMONADE. Thanks to everyone who raved about it and made sure I tried it because YUM.

After we enjoyed these beverages, we made our way toward our FP.

Up next: We ride a ride (there's a hint in the photo above) and we meet up with the parents

 

[becca_]

As I was scrolling I thought, "I hope the snack is Violet Lemonade..." and I am pleased to say I was correct!! I still need to try it!!!

 

[bee]

Day 5, cont.

Did you guess where we were going next?

GAY. FIGMENT IS GAY.

This part is terrifying. Every. Time.

Once again the CMs were great about telling me where to park my scooter and having it ready for me at the end of the ride. M secretly hates going on this ride (it's not much of a secret if I know, is it??) but she goes with me because for some reason I enjoy it.

Post-Figment, it was time for a Mickey pretzel. As M ordered the pretzel I witnessed a tragedy:

This kid dropped the entire contents of his cheese and fruit plate before having one bite. The dad came over and said, "I told you to put it down and THEN open it! You never listen!" Oops.

PRETZEL TIME! Ft. a family in crisis in the background

Not sure why I took this one. Maybe I was waiting for monorail to photograph?

Around this time we received a text from the parents saying that they were at the front entrance, so we headed to The Land to meet them.

Very exciting table where we all sat

How many bugs can you spot???

We all sat and talked for a bit. The parents were fascinated to see the scooter in action since they'd never needed or rented one before. I think maybe they had a snack but I don't remember what it was and I don't usually photograph other people's food!

Up next: I hope you're not sick of LWTL photos...

 

[bee]

Happy 4th, friends! I hope you have a relaxing day with friends and family and remember the fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The original version of this trip was supposed to be this week. Thank goodness we changed our dates to NOT JULY!!! We are dying in the NYC heat this week and I can't imagine trying to deal with Florida right now.

Sorry I haven't posted here in awhile. I've been sooo busy with Hunchback rehearsals and preparing to start Così fan tutte rehearsals I have not had time to visit the forums! I'll try to post an actual update today.

 

[LeighM]

Happy 4th, friends! I hope you have a relaxing day with friends and family and remember the fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The original version of this trip was supposed to be this week. Thank goodness we changed our dates to NOT JULY!!! We are dying in the NYC heat this week and I can't imagine trying to deal with Florida right now.

Sorry I haven't posted here in awhile. I've been sooo busy with Hunchback rehearsals and preparing to start Così fan tutte rehearsals I have not had time to visit the forums! I'll try to post an actual update today.

Earlier this week, my weather app let me know it was hotter here in Virginia than it was in Orlando. Not happy about that - suffering thru heat and humidity and I'm not even being rewarded with Disney

 

[bee]

Day 5, cont.

We all had a FP for the Vegetable Boat Ride. I rode my scooter through the queue and once again the CMs were more than helpful about my transfer. We found it odd, however, that they put all four of us in one row. We are not exactly small people so it was a tight fit!

PLUTO!

(not my photo )

SUCCULENTS!

Up next: More LWTL