Trip Report *COMPLETED* Flowers, Family, and ??Fireworks?? (and lots of FOOD): A Memorial Week Trip Report

We are back! I am departing from my usual trip report procedure in that I haven't written the entire thing yet, but am instead posting a bit at a time as I go along. Tonight I am starting with introductions of the cast, since there are some additions who haven't previously appeared in my TRs.

The Cast

The cast of this trip of course includes my wife M and me, Bee. There are three new players, however: M’s mom, dad, and brother, all of whom I consider to be my own family as well! For simplicity I will refer to them as MIL (mother-in-law), FIL (father-in-law), and BIL (brother-in-law because his name starts with M as well! Oh and we all have M last names. Even MIL's maiden name starts with M). A little about each of us:

Bee (me)
Age: 27
Occupation: opera singer/voice and piano teacher
Vegetarian, obsessed with Disney, loves seeing Broadway musicals
Married to M for going on two years, honeymooned at WDW
The planner and organizer of the bunch

M (my wife)
Age: 27
Occupation: writer/academic advisor
Vegetarian, smart and funny, not exactly OBSESSED with Disney like I am but still loves going
Married to me for going on two years, honeymooned at WDW

MIL
Occupation: church musician/voice and piano teacher
Obsessed with Disney and giraffes, loves children
Married to FIL for (almost) 32 years, honeymooned at...you guessed it, WDW!

FIL
Occupation: HS guidance counselor
Quiet but secretly hilarious, reads all the time, half Italian
Married to MIL for (almost) 32 years, can you tell where we get our Disney obsession??

BIL
Age: 23
Occupation: HS math teacher
Did not get bitten by the Disney bug like the rest of us! Guessing if he gets married he will NOT honeymoon at WDW!

As you can see education is important to this family! It goes back to the previous generation as well because both of M’s grandfathers were university professors; one has a doctorate and the other was ABD when family circumstances prevented him from finishing. In addition, BIL, M, and I all graduated from the HS where FIL is now a guidance counselor (though he worked at a different school while we were are going there) and BIL now teaches there too.

The Plans

Dates
Saturday, May 28-Thursday, June 2 (Me and M)
Saturday, May 28-Monday, May 30 (MIL, FIL, BIL)

Hotel
Pop Century one night, WDW Swan four nights (Me and M)
Two nights offsite in LBV (MIL, FIL, BIL)

Tickets
Annual Passes (Me, M, MIL, FIL)
FL Resident Park Hopper (BIL)

Flights
Southwest Airlines nonstop (Me and M. The others drove as they live 2.5 hours away)

Transportation
DME and Uber (Me and M)
Rental car (MIL, FIL, BIL)

The week before our trip was busy and we didn’t have much time to pack and prepare for the trip. A few days before I finally dragged out the suitcase and started putting things inside, but it wasn’t until the night before we left that we finally got serious about packing. I had rehearsal in Westchester that evening and got home to NJ around 9:30. M had done a lot of work toward packing and we managed to get in bed before midnight for a brief sleep.

We debated whether to bring a large suitcase or a small one and decided on a small one so it wouldn’t be too much trouble to transfer from Pop to the Swan on Sunday. Since the suitcase was small enough we had the option to check it or carry it on. We decided to put the DME tag on it in case we wanted to check it, but to make the final decision in the morning after we saw the line for Southwest bag check. I had been reading TSA horror stories about crazy long wait times and missed flights and I didn’t want to add any unnecessary time to our pre-security time.

Next up: Day 1

 

[docdebbi]

oh my goodness, I just found your report. I don't know where it (or me) has been hiding. I'm loving it. And please stop posting pictures of the food from F&G, it was the one thing I really wanted to do while there, and just because of some torrential downpours with life threatening lighting strikes my daughter never let us stop. They all look soooo good!!!
and the sunset photos are the bomb! didn't take too many !

 

[bee]

Just caught up on your report. Thanks for the great pics and for making me drool We love staying at the Swan or Dolphin - we stay during Food and Wine and love being able to walk back and forth from Epcot- as well as - Hollywood Studios. Looking forward to more of the report and more pics!!!

Thanks for reading! We stayed at the Dolphin during F&W 2015 and it really made our trip extra special to be able to walk back and forth.

oh my goodness, I just found your report. I don't know where it (or me) has been hiding. I'm loving it. And please stop posting pictures of the food from F&G, it was the one thing I really wanted to do while there, and just because of some torrential downpours with life threatening lighting strikes my daughter never let us stop. They all look soooo good!!!
and the sunset photos are the bomb! didn't take too many !

Thanks for reading! The good news for you is that F&G ended halfway through our trip so I only have a few more food pics.

I'm attempting to post more today. I was supposed to have a lesson with my teacher but she had to reschedule so I have a few unexpected hours off.

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

Since the rain wasn’t hard yet the three of us kept walking and made it to Tangierine Cafe before it got so bad we had to stay inside. MIL texted that they were stuck in France and we said we’d meet them when the rain lessened.

Since we were stuck, I made the best of it and decided to have a drink in Morocco. MISTAKE. At the coffee/beverage counter I asked what kind of wines they had. The CM asked, “Red or white?” I replied, “Red,” thinking she would tell me what reds they have. WRONG. She reached inside the refrigerator and grabbed whatever red wine was CHILLING inside the REFRIGERATOR and poured me a glass. I couldn’t see much of the label but I could see it was in Spanish so it wasn’t even a Moroccan wine! And yes I know some red wines are supposed to be chilled but by the taste this one definitely wasn’t. Pro tip: Morocco is not the place to get stuck if you want a glass of wine!

Chilled red mystery wine

Meanwhile, we kept hearing the announcements over and over that Illuminations was delayed. Shortly before 9:00, FIL decided it wasn’t worth it to keep waiting so he, MIL, and BIL, headed back to their hotel for the night. M and were determined to wait it out, however!

Most Disney veterans know the great thing about rain is it clears out a park. After the storm had mostly passed, M and I made our way to the bridge between France and UK and got a fantastic spot for the fireworks. I’m sure someone staked out the spot previously but so many people left the park that hardly anyone was on the bridge. Finally, the announcement changed and said the fireworks would begin in ten minutes!

From our spot we were able to see parts of both the Star Wars and Fantasmic fireworks at DHS. Soon it was our turn! Illuminations started 51 minutes late, but it was so worth the wait! I love this show so much and cry every time I see it. We’ve seen it from various locations including near Norway, Japan, and the reserved area for the Sparkling Dessert Party, but M and I agreed this was our favorite spot. We had a great view of the water so the “Reflections” part really came into play.

Soon we were heading back to the Swan and we were so glad not to have to wait for a bus at the front of the park. We walked back on the Yacht/Beach Club side and stopped for a few minutes to sit on one of the swings on the beach. I love magical little places like this. We were able to rest our feet for a few minutes and it gave us enough energy to walk the rest of the way.

View from the swing

Anyone up for some DUELIN PIANO??

I'd love to stay at Yacht Club one day.

Finally we made it back to the beautiful Swan and went to bed after a wonderful day.

Swan!

Look, @Tuvalu! Stay at the Swan and you won't have to bring your own!

Next up: Day 3

 

[ScarletBegonias]

My mom and I were discussing this the other day.. since the S&D doesn't use magic bands for room entry, ect.. how does it work when you go in the parks? Do you just buy a MB? can you still charge to your MB in the parks?

 

[bee]

This is my 700th post on the forums!​

Day 3: Monday, May 30

We got to sleep in this morning since our first planned activity was a late breakfast at Boma with the entire crew. M and I had eaten there once before but no one else had, so we wanted to introduce them to a new place and treat them to a delicious breakfast. Plus AKL is a great place to just hang out and observe! MIL and FIL stayed there for a few nights for their (I think) 25th anniversary several years ago but BIL had never even visited.

We waited about 10-15 minutes for a bus to AK, and a bus to AKL was waiting when we arrived at the stop. We got to AKL just after the in-laws and went down to check in at Boma for our 10:50 reservation. Since it was a holiday it was very busy and lots of parties were waiting to be seated. I gave a CM my phone number so I could get a text when the table was ready. While we were waiting I was really nervous that the waiting would ruin the in-laws’ perception of Boma and overall meal experience. You know how you talk up something at Disney and you hope they like it because you like it? That was me.

About 20 minutes after our reservation time I received the text. Our server quickly greeted us and offered POG juice and coffee. Everyone liked the juice (MIL LOVED the juice!) and we all hit the buffet. Boma is my favorite breakfast/brunch buffet I’ve tried on property. Admittedly the list of places I’ve tried is short since I’m not into characters, but Boma wins anyway!

Salads, fruit, and MICKEY!

Goat cheese and chive scrambled eggs (which I like better than the omelet station!), grilled tomatoes (omg I could eat a bucket of these right now), Afritude potatoes (SO GOOD), and that brown stuff in the bottom on the photo is their version of Nutella. It was fine but I like real Nutella better.

Everyone ended up loving the meal! After we were mostly done eating MIL presented me with a Minnie pencil she had bought me in Mouse Gear the previous day. I asked what the occasion was and she said it was to thank me for planning everything and figuring out the FastPasses and such. I LOVE planning for Disney trips and watching them enjoy the trip was enough of a present but then she gave me a super sweet (physical) present on top of it all! I married into such a great family!!

Minnie pencil

Did I enjoy the meal?
SO MUCH

Would I eat there again?
I WOULD EAT THERE RIGHT NOW IF I COULD

After breakfast we all checked out the gift shop, where M and I played tic tac toe.

Guess who was X...me!

We also noticed these kind of creepy princess dolls with multiple heads!

Uhhh...

Next up: Margaritas, Who is Pepe?, and Frozen bathrooms

 

[bee]

My mom and I were discussing this the other day.. since the S&D doesn't use magic bands for room entry, ect.. how does it work when you go in the parks? Do you just buy a MB? can you still charge to your MB in the parks?

We had our purple bands from the one night stay at Pop. You can buy a new MagicBand, but if you have MBs from previous resort stays or APs those will work as well. Also note that you don't NEED a MB as you can use the RFID card that comes with any ticket.

Unfortunately you can only charge purchases from within the Swolphin to your room. It's only a minor disadvantage to us but I know for some it would be an inconvenience.

 

[MinnieM123]

I am so, so saddened by the news of the shooting at Pulse. It is terrifying, yet not surprising, that we, the LGBT community, are still a target of such hate and violence. I feel an emptiness inside. Though I did not know any of the victims personally, at some moments the grief over losing so many in MY community makes me feel like my insides are collapsing into that emptiness. Please be kind to each other and hug your gay friends and family members and take every opportunity to make your life count.

The sad event of this week affected many of us "straight" people, too. The incident at Pulse was an attack on America as well, and we stand in solidarity and compassion with all our fellow citizens who were in that club.

My mom and I were discussing this the other day.. since the S&D doesn't use magic bands for room entry, ect.. how does it work when you go in the parks? Do you just buy a MB?

I've stayed at both Swan and Dolphin, and I don't even bother with the band (I don't like wearing them). You can buy the bands at either hotel, if you like, as they both have Disney desks on site. For myself, however, prior to my trip to WDW, I buy my park ticket at my local AAA office, and I get a discount there as well. They give me a card (like a credit card size) and it has a chip inside. I just tap the turnstyle and wait for the color to turn green.

 

[bee]

The sad event of this week affected many of us "straight" people, too. The incident at Pulse was an attack on America as well, and we stand in solidarity and compassion with all our fellow citizens who were in that club.

Thanks for this. I keep seeing so much hate for one group or another and even victim blaming so it is good to be reminded of solidarity and compassion.

 

[Figgy1]

Tip for TC on your next visit Sultan Colada. Sorry I didn't get a pic last time I had one it went down pretty fast

 

[bee]

Tip for TC on your next visit Sultan Colada. Sorry I didn't get a pic last time I had one it went down pretty fast

Thanks for the tip! Yeah, wine and beer are not their strong points! I would have tried one of the coffee cocktails (LOVE anything coffee-related) but it was late and I didn't want the caffeine.

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

Soon the in-laws were ready to drive back home. We all hugged good-bye and parted. M and I went to the bus stop, where an Epcot bus was already waiting for us! Score!

Empty bus!

Passed the lovely solar panels!

Another experimental gif

We had a Soarin’ FP for later that afternoon but wanted a few drinks first. We stopped in La Cava del Tequila and got what looked like the last available table. Although I usually go for a classic margarita, the last time I had one here I watched the bartender pour a pre-mixed margarita into a glass. So I went with the Wild Passion Fruit Margarita (I do love anything ginger!) and M ordered the Coffee Mezcal. Told you we love coffee ice cream!

Drink menu

Coffee mezcal

Wild passion fruit margarita

Did I enjoy the beverage?
Yes!

Would I drink it again?
Yes! Although I'd probably go for a classic margarita first

We noticed this sign on our table. Are we supposed to know who Adriana and Pepe are??

??

We still had a bit of time until Soarin’ and wanted another drink, so we went for a Viking Coffee from Kringla!

GIVE ME THIS RIGHT NOW

We decided to check out the new Frozen bathrooms next. They were nice! Every bathroom at Epcot needs to be this big!

Bathroom

Next up: MORE spring rolls, butterflies??, and Soarin’ again

 

[MinnieM123]

We decided to check out the new Frozen bathrooms next. They were nice! Every bathroom at Epcot needs to be this big!

Those are really nice. (I can't believe I'm thrilled at seeing new bathrooms! )

 

[TheMouseFan]

I'm finally caught up! Loving your report and can't wait to read more!!

 

[Tuvalu]

@bee ~

I finally have a chance to catch up on your TR! Love all the food pics and mini-reviews . Happy to hear you are a McKenzie's Black Cherry fan! And how appropriate you guys saw BEES!! Donald, Panchito and Jose are from the original Mickey Mouse Revue, an opening day MK attraction and one of my favorites...I was psyched when they were added to the Mexico boat ride.

I have never stayed at the Swan or Dolphin...but thanks to your great photos (and the CLOCK!) I may have to give it a try!

Can't wait to read more. Kona is enjoying it too...well, at least the nap snuggle as I read .

 

[Figgy1]

Day 3, cont.

Soon the in-laws were ready to drive back home. We all hugged good-bye and parted. M and I went to the bus stop, where an Epcot bus was already waiting for us! Score!

Empty bus!

Passed the lovely solar panels!

Another experimental gif

We had a Soarin’ FP for later that afternoon but wanted a few drinks first. We stopped in La Cava del Tequila and got what looked like the last available table. Although I usually go for a classic margarita, the last time I had one here I watched the bartender pour a pre-mixed margarita into a glass. So I went with the Wild Passion Fruit Margarita (I do love anything ginger!) and M ordered the Coffee Mezcal. Told you we love coffee ice cream!

Drink menu

Coffee mezcal

Wild passion fruit margarita

Did I enjoy the beverage?
Yes!

Would I drink it again?
Yes! Although I'd probably go for a classic margarita first

We noticed this sign on our table. Are we supposed to know who Adriana and Pepe are??

??

We still had a bit of time until Soarin’ and wanted another drink, so we went for a Viking Coffee from Kringla!

GIVE ME THIS RIGHT NOW

We decided to check out the new Frozen bathrooms next. They were nice! Every bathroom at Epcot needs to be this big!

Bathroom

Next up: MORE spring rolls, butterflies??, and Soarin’ again

Amazing bathroom but the drinks look great! It's 5 o'clock so why not

 

[Figgy1]

@bee ~

I finally have a chance to catch up on your TR! Love all the food pics and mini-reviews . Happy to hear you are a McKenzie's Black Cherry fan! And how appropriate you guys saw BEES!! Donald, Panchito and Jose are from the original Mickey Mouse Revue, an opening day MK attraction and one of my favorites...I was psyched when they were added to the Mexico boat ride.

I have never stayed at the Swan or Dolphin...but thanks to your great photos (and the CLOCK!) I may have to give it a try!

Can't wait to read more. Kona is enjoying it too...well, at least the nap snuggle as I read .

View attachment 146128

That has got to be one of the cutest kittens ever!

 

[Tuvalu]

That has got to be one of the cutest kittens ever!

Thank you! I agree

 

[bee]

Those are really nice. (I can't believe I'm thrilled at seeing new bathrooms! )

They ARE nice, and huge which will be necessary once Frozen opens. M remarked that they were Magic Kingdom-sized bathrooms.

I'm finally caught up! Loving your report and can't wait to read more!!

Thanks for reading! I am just starting yours as well!

@bee ~

I finally have a chance to catch up on your TR! Love all the food pics and mini-reviews . Happy to hear you are a McKenzie's Black Cherry fan! And how appropriate you guys saw BEES!! Donald, Panchito and Jose are from the original Mickey Mouse Revue, an opening day MK attraction and one of my favorites...I was psyched when they were added to the Mexico boat ride.

I have never stayed at the Swan or Dolphin...but thanks to your great photos (and the CLOCK!) I may have to give it a try!

Can't wait to read more. Kona is enjoying it too...well, at least the nap snuggle as I read .

View attachment 146128

Thanks for reading, and thank you for the animatronics info. I knew I had read they were from something and I too am happy they are being used again!

I may have said it in this thread already (or maybe not?) but the Swan and Dolphin will now be my go-to resort when first researching booking a new trip. We enjoyed the rooms themselves (even the Dolphin one in October that wasn't updated yet, and that's coming), the amenities of the resort, the level of service especially as SPG members, and of course the number one selling point for any Epcot lover, the location and the price compared to similarly-located resorts.

OMG KONA. I love cats and M and I want to adopt one eventually, but right now our apartment is too small for a kitty to be happy and we don't have access to the yard or another outdoor space. So for now I have to settle for seeing cuties like Kona on my screen!

Amazing bathroom but the drinks look great! It's 5 o'clock so why not

Ha! It's always 5 o'clock at Disney...or something!

I'm hoping to get more of Day 3 up today.

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

Somehow, M was hungry for spring rolls again. This time I didn’t order any for myself because I was still so full from Boma. I literally took one bite of hers and it was enough.

Spring rolls

We saw this little bird hanging out by China.

Probably waiting for us to drop some crumbs. Don't feed the wildlife!

But I wasn’t too full for another adult beverage! We stopped at Urban Farm Eats for a pinot noir and a Sierra Nevada Otra Vez. They were both fine.

Did I enjoy the beverage? (wine)
Yes

Would I drink it again?
Sure

Did I enjoy the beverage? (beer)
Yes

Would I drink it again?
Sure

We also needed to see the butterflies at least once so we entered the tent and saw...one single butterfly on the right side near the entrance. The chrysalises/cocoons (not sure which) were all gone too. Not sure if it’s because it was the last day of the festival and the CMs were putting them...away...somewhere...or if (M’s theory) they all got too hot and died.

The lonely butterfly

Some Dr. Seuss-esque flowers near the butterflies

We had another ride on Soarin’ and then headed back to the Swan. A Friendship Boat to Morocco was just arriving so we rode it to cut back a little on the walking. Then we had a pleasant walk back to our resort.

On our way to Morocco

Next up: Moldy paintings and pool time

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

It was around this time that we noticed a large painting in the hallway of the Swan by the elevators. I hate to say it, but it reminded me of Floridian water damage and black mold. Surely that’s not what they were going for, right?

Am I crazy? Does anyone else see the mold resemblance?

We were very hot from the morning and afternoon’s activities so I suggested we go down to check out the pool. We put on our suits and absurd amounts of sunscreen and made our way outside. Our first stop was the Swan lap pool. We didn’t swim in it because there was too much direct sunlight and even with all the SPF 100 sunscreen we applied we knew our translucently pale little selves would not have a good time afterward. I also didn’t take my phone with me so I have no pool photos. Please enjoy this one from StarwoodHotels.com:

Not mine!

Then we kept walking over to the main feature pool. There was more shade here, plus the clouds were moving over us, so we were ready to get in! This was a really nice pool and it never felt too crowded even though it was a holiday. The waterfall was fun to swim under and overall there were lots of little secluded parts to have a quiet moment without kids screaming and splashing. Again please enjoy this photo from the Starwood site:

Picture about 30-40 other people in this section of the pool

We spent around an hour in the main pool and then stopped by the Swan lap pool on our way back inside. The sun was less direct at this point so we spent a few minutes in the spa before heading back up to our room. We took showers and got ready for our California Grill dinner later in the evening.

Next up: A signature dinner, and ??FIREWORKS??