Trip Report Florida Fresh Spring March 2018

Hello all and welcome to my trip report! I've been back for about a week but I've been slow to upload pictures and I actually caught a pretty nasty cold that has had me down the last couple of days.

So here's the intro:

Who: Me (Amy) and my husband (Brad)
Where are we from?: Northern Wisconsin (So were were definitely in need of some Florida sun.)
When: March 10-17, 2018
Resort: All Star Sports (we stay value because it is the cheapest and we can use that extra $$ for good food and drinks)

Start of the journey:

We actually started our trip on Friday March 9 and drove up to Minneapolis and stayed at a hotel near the airport. Our flight was leaving early in the morning and we didn't want to have drive early in the morning to the airport. So we relaxed at the Hilton by the airport and had a nice dinner at the Mall of America. We did have a crazy experience at the pool area here...we were just getting into the pool and we saw a pre-teen girl get out of the hot tub and was walking quickly (not running) towards the pool and she slipped and her head banged like a basketball on the pool area floor. It was pretty horrifying. I was about to get out of the pool and go help her but her parents were there and helped her and got medical help. So that put a little bit of a damper on what turned out to be our only pool time of the trip but I'm sure the girl had a worse time of it then we did.

Me with my first beer of the trip at the Mall of America. It was a Surly Furious, a local brew.

Relaxing at the Hilton with a drink. A fancy rum and Coke for hubs and a Grain Belt (another Minnesota beer) for me. This was at about 7:30-8pm and we were basically falling asleep.

At the airport bright and early for our flight! The Caribou coffee place wasn't open yet, but I like their coffee so much better than Dunkin', Starbucks, or even McDonald's so I waited about 15 minutes for it to open before heading to the gate.

All aboard! We splurge a little bit and always get the big front seat when we fly with Spirit, it is almost like first class but without the booze and the meal.

Bye bye!

 

[Songbird76]

It was time to head into World Showcase and start some munching. As we entered we started hearing loud music and saw a stage set up. The Steve Harvey show was filming episodes and it was the last day of filming. It was interesting to see set up, I guess, but I had no interest in attending the filming. I don't watch the show and we had some Flower and Garden food and drinks to try!

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Our first stop at Flower and Garden for food was La Isla Fresca, and what a great stop it was! We got the Jamaican-braised Beef with Pigeon Pea Rice and Micro Cilantro which we enjoyed a lot but I let Brad eat over half of it because I got the cake which he had no interest in. The cake was Tropical Mousse Cake: Layers of Passion Fruit Cake, Coconut Mousse and a Tropical Fruit Glaze with Fresh Pineapple, and this was fantastic and a new favorite of mine.

To drink Brad got the Tropical Freeze with Cruzan Mango Rum, he liked this a lot because he really likes mango drinks. I thought it was good too. It did have pineapple chunks on the top as a decoration and he was getting frustrated with them so I fished them out and ate them so he could drink freely. I also almost got Brad to try my beer here. My beer was Golden Road Brewing Tart Mango Cart Wheat Ale, and it had a very strong and pleasant mango flavor. I really couldn't tell it was beer at all and when I told him that he was tempted to try but then chickened out. Fine by me as I didn't have to share!
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Even though the above picture shows the food on a table we actually ate it on a bench across from the character meet and greet that used to have Duffy Bear.
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Next stop was Mexico!
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We got:
Pork Taco: Slow-braised Pork Taco served with Apple Relish, Goat Cheese and Chile de Árbol Sauce
Chilaquiles: Chilaquiles served with Chorizo, Mexican Cream and Cotija Cheese

Both were good, the apple really shown through on the tacos and Brad didn't care for that so I got to eat most of that. The Chilaquiles were really good. We planned an getting more another day but didn't. Now that makes me a little sad.
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Then we went down what we call the tropics path and where the orchids are during F&G. There weren't as many orchids there are I remember there being last year, but perhaps they just needed a little more time to bloom. It was still lovely though.
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The Jamaican-braised beef and the Chilaquiles look delicious!! I wouldn't have touched the cake or the drinks, because I can't stand mango or pineapple, but glad you enjoyed them! What is in the chilaquiles? Is it shredded chicken?

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

OMG--so much to say--more later. But while I have a minute here, I thought it was so much fun that you and Brad picked out 2 of the Dapper Dans in the Voice of Liberty group! I mean--who else would have spotted them in the group?!

Ha! And since we didn't sit together, once we joined back up the first thing we said together (almost at the same time) was "did you see the Dapper Dan!?"

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Paris in general is known for pick-pockets. Someone tried to open my bag when we were in Paris a few years ago, but I was aware and thought it was weird that there was a huge wide staircase and there was no one around except for us and these 2 young guys, but instead of walking around us, they stayed in back of me, so I was paying close attention and I felt the zipper on my backpack. I turned around and off they ran. The pocket they got partially unzipped only had my guidebook and a little noteblock that I had phone numbers in, which they didn't want, so they got nothing from me. I was glad that I was smart enough not to keep anything valuable in the backpack and that was paying attention and followed my intuition that told me it was odd behavior for them to stay so close to me when there was so much room. Paris is known for stuff like that. That and street performers, where they will gather a crowd and while the crowd is watching, someone else goes and picks the pockets. Never stop for street performers there!!

Yeah, I read all about the pick pockets and scams before we left. I am always hyper-vigilant anywhere (even at home) and suspicious that people are going to steal my stuff so I took measures to protect my stuff. Hubby on the other hand is very trusting of people, probably a good attribute for his profession, and he just laughed at me for all my preparations against theft. But now I laugh at him for being the one that was (probably) pick pocketed. At least the pick pockets only got his glasses and not something more important. Sounds like you were vigilant and lucky too.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

The Jamaican-braised beef and the Chilaquiles look delicious!! I wouldn't have touched the cake or the drinks, because I can't stand mango or pineapple, but glad you enjoyed them! What is in the chilaquiles? Is it shredded chicken?

It was layers of tortillas in some sort of sauce I believe and then the chorizo and cheese on top. There were good!

 

[Songbird76]

After meeting Mickey we took pictures up to the hub. I think we hit almost every photopass photographer with no wait.
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And that's the end of Sunday March 11! Up next more Studios and Star Wars!

Aw that one where you are sitting on the street in front of the castle is adorable!! Was that a photopass stop?

 

[Songbird76]

Yeah, I read all about the pick pockets and scams before we left. I am always hyper-vigilant anywhere (even at home) and suspicious that people are going to steal my stuff so I took measures to protect my stuff. Hubby on the other hand is very trusting of people, probably a good attribute for his profession, and he just laughed at me for all my preparations against theft. But now I laugh at him for being the one that was (probably) pick pocketed. At least the pick pockets only got his glasses and not something more important. Sounds like you were vigilant and lucky too.

Yep, I'm hyper-vigilent, too. Big crowds make me uncomfortable and nervous in any case, but in a place like that, I really pay attention. My husband laughed and called me paranoid the whole trip, but obviously it was not without reason!!

 

[susan lees]

Really enjoying your report. I like your idea of swapping the sprite for soda. I'm not a sprite can and would otherwise have skipped that drink
We are going to skip housekeeping in November. We are going for 10 nights and I am going to pack a roll of paper towel and some disinfectant wipes and we will just call for towels and removal of trash.
Looking forward to hearing more

 

[LeighM]

I'm still craving the sugar cane shrimp and coconut rice from La Isla Fresca. It was soooo good. The Edison still looks so cool. I'll take your suggestion and next trip, we'll just stop by for some drinks and appetizers. Maybe see a late night show.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Aw that one where you are sitting on the street in front of the castle is adorable!! Was that a photopass stop?

The one of me sitting in the street was not a Photopass photo. I thought it would be neat since there weren't a lot of people around and Brad just took it with his phone.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Really enjoying your report. I like your idea of swapping the sprite for soda. I'm not a sprite can and would otherwise have skipped that drink
We are going to skip housekeeping in November. We are going for 10 nights and I am going to pack a roll of paper towel and some disinfectant wipes and we will just call for towels and removal of trash.
Looking forward to hearing more

Thanks! I was just trying to cut down on some of the sugar, which is why I usually bypass drinks like that. But for some reason the idea popped into my head and I never missed the Sprite taste, so I might do that for more drinks like that.

The paper towels and wipes isn't a bad idea. My husband was talking about how much he hated the toilet paper there so he wants to bring our own TP next time!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I'm still craving the sugar cane shrimp and coconut rice from La Isla Fresca. It was soooo good. The Edison still looks so cool. I'll take your suggestion and next trip, we'll just stop by for some drinks and appetizers. Maybe see a late night show.

Weren't you supposed to be going to the Edison too? Maybe you had to drop it and I missed that in your report. Next time we go we were thinking of doing a appetizer and drink crawl to a few restaurants in the Springs.

 

[susan lees]

Thanks! I was just trying to cut down on some of the sugar, which is why I usually bypass drinks like that. But for some reason the idea popped into my head and I never missed the Sprite taste, so I might do that for more drinks like that.

The paper towels and wipes isn't a bad idea. My husband was talking about how much he hated the toilet paper there so he wants to bring our own TP next time!

We usually stop at publix and by some toilet paper. I have this irrational fear that we run out of loo roll in the middle of the night . This of course has never happened

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Monday March 12!

We decided to head to the Studios today, it opened at 9am so we got to "sleep" in a bit. We did start our day with Mickey waffles!

While the herd headed to the rope in the middle of Hollywood Blvd we met up with Donald and browsed the shops.

Super cute, but just a photograph.

At rope drop we were going to head to Toy Story but we had a fast pass for it, which started at 9:05 am, so we cut off from the herd and headed to Launch Bay and did all the meet and greets. There was only one family ahead of us for all of the characters.

We started with this handsome fella.

Then went to Kylo, Brad is a little spooked by him. I agree he is spooky, but also kind of awkward too.

Then we met up with BB8.

 

[LeighM]

Weren't you supposed to be going to the Edison too? Maybe you had to drop it and I missed that in your report. Next time we go we were thinking of doing a appetizer and drink crawl to a few restaurants in the Springs.

I think I mentioned it in my trip report but not positive. We were supposed to be there the same time as you for dinner on Sunday but no one was really feeling it. At the time, we agreed to cancel so we could spend the evening at MK instead but that didn't work out either LOL. I was able to snag an 8:30pm dinner ADR at Be Our Guest, which I wanted to experience one more time before they changed their menu and cost. However, my husband complained about not being able to eat dinner that late and wanted me to cancel it. Luckily, I was able to get a last minute lunch reservation instead.

Your trip report totally reminded me that I wanted to meet Donald in his typical garb. Shoot! I forgot all about it Next time though! And I thought meeting Kylo Ren was very awkward!! No respect of the personal space bubble at all....

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

After are Star Wars meets we used our Toy Story fast pass and as it should be I won!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I think I mentioned it in my trip report but not positive. We were supposed to be there the same time as you for dinner on Sunday but no one was really feeling it. At the time, we agreed to cancel so we could spend the evening at MK instead but that didn't work out either LOL. I was able to snag an 8:30pm dinner ADR at Be Our Guest, which I wanted to experience one more time before they changed their menu and cost. However, my husband complained about not being able to eat dinner that late and wanted me to cancel it. Luckily, I was able to get a last minute lunch reservation instead.

Your trip report totally reminded me that I wanted to meet Donald in his typical garb. Shoot! I forgot all about it Next time though! And I thought meeting Kylo Ren was very awkward!! No respect of the personal space bubble at all....

Well, you probably didn't miss much by missing the Edison, but too bad about Be Our Guest. I haven't done dinner there but I heard it is or was pretty good.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

After Toy we headed over to Tower! I think it was still running at half capacity because the fast pass line was long but I think turned out to be 15 minutes until the library. We made friends with the people behind us, I guess we looked like frequent guests because they kept asking us for touring tips.

Look a little DCA in Hollywood Studios!

After Tower we decided it was time for a snack. I like the whoopie pies at Sweet Spells so that's what we got. A cookies and cream and a maple bacon. There used to be an orange flavored one that was fantastic, but not any more.

We met Olaf.

Then a little Muppets and Star Tours.

 

[LeighM]

Well, you probably didn't miss much by missing the Edison, but too bad about Be Our Guest. I haven't done dinner there but I heard it is or was pretty good.

We always enjoyed dinner at Be Our Guest, even though I had heard mixed reviews from others. But I loved their steak and pomme frites (even though I don't often eat beef) and their seafood entree was fantastic when it was served in the bread bowl. I think the menu change that upset me the most was dinner at Sanaa. My second favorite dessert in all of WDW was removed from their menu. And they removed something else, which I can't remember now. I'm too upset about the tapioca pudding to recall lol. I won't complain too much as long as they never change 'Ohana dinner

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

A little Star Tours!

Before we got to Star Tours it was raining a bit and dripping a bit after. So we reworked our plan. Originally the plan was to have lunch at the Flower and Garden booths but that didn't seem like so much fun if it was going to be raining. So I looked up restaurant availability and there was an opening at the Brown Derby. We have done the Derby Lounge frequently and I did Dine with an Imagineer there but we have never eaten in the main part of the restaurant. So that eased the pain of missing Flower and Garden for lunch today.

Brown Derby

Mango margaritas and bread!

Being in the misty rain had made me chilly so even though we weren't planning on appetizers the tomato soup sounded so good. And it was.

Since I got soup Brad ordered the tuna appetizer. He enjoyed it.

We both got the Derby Burger, and it filled us up. We totally could have shared it. We were both shocked that the burger came with only 4 potato wedges but it was more than enough. And "Mr. I Hate Avocado" seemed to enjoy the avocado on the burger.

I love all the caricatures on the wall. I didn't notice until I got home that Bing Crosby and Bob Hope were in the lower right corner when I took the picture. Very cool!

After lunch we headed over to the Boardwalk. Because by the time we would get there, we might (definitely would) have room for ice cream!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Actually we were also headed to the Dolphin to pick up a car rental. We were going to visit my dad the next day who lives about 1 1/2 hours north of Orlando. But Ample Hills is so close to the Dolphin, how could we not stop?

A couple pictures of construction while we were waiting for the boat.

And a cool little duck.

On the boat!

And by the time we got to the Boardwalk, there was room for ice cream. We tried a few flavors at Ample Hills but I knew all along what I wanted.

The Oatmeal Lace ice cream. Oh so delicious! I might have done a little happy dance after tasting it. I have done my research and I see I can order it on line from Ample Hills, but there is a $50 delivery charge. I haven't hit the point yet where I need to order it...yet. But it is nice to know that it is an option.

Look, it is so beautiful!