Trip Report From Batuu to the Boardwalk...and Beyond!

We're back from an absolutely wonderful trip that involved many firsts! As many times as we have been to Disney, we are always looking to try new things and find new favorites, and this trip was no exception! If you read my PTR (here) you will know that we actually went on two trips back-to-back; many of you questioned my sanity when I posted about the short trip, but you'll have to keep reading to find out exactly how crazy it was. If you're ready for food, drinks, and DRAMMA, you have come to the right place!

 

[Tuvalu]

That Boardwalk veggie sub looks delish!

Yes, you got a DOUBLE flight at Ample Hills!

You were in the Atlanta airport and didn’t call? (We were home by then!) Oh wait....just read you were busy RUNNING to make your connection.

My favorite Boardwalk souvenir:

Sorry, you can’t have it!

 

[bee]

Just an FYI, that flight attendant flat out LIED to you...it's very rare that airlines hold connecting flights, unless a TON of people are getting on that connecting flight. (and by a ton I mean at least 20)

It WAS over 20, and I am pretty sure it was the last flight from Atlanta to NYC of the night.

 

[Rista1313]

It WAS over 20, and I am pretty sure it was the last flight from Atlanta to NYC of the night.

Then I'm surprised the gate agent didn't pay attention to that... she was missing that many passengers...

 

[krisri18]

2-8, cont.

We aren't big souvenir people. I think it's a combination of moving so many times in our adult lives, living in small apartments for most of our adult lives, and having relatives on both sides who are borderline hoarders, but we just are not that into STUFF. However, we do like to find small things to remember our trips that either a) we will get some use out of (like a coffee mug or pen), and/or b) are very small and don't take up a lot of space (like a magnet or postcard). We really wanted something that said "Disney's Boardwalk" since this was our first and perhaps only stay there.

Why do I always think of @lostpro9het and @Tuvalu when I see these??

Sadly, the General Store didn't have anything we liked with the name or logo of the resort.

We even asked for help since this sign seems to indicate there is a Boardwalk postcard somewhere out there!

We also tried the small shop on the Villas side, but again found nothing we liked.

U ok?

Up next: Goodbye to the Boardwalk (and my brother)

I've stayed at the Boardwalk a few times now, they always seem to be out of the resort magnets. So I bought a keychain and turned it into a fridge magnet. Problem solved!

 

[bee]

Final Thoughts

• First of all, we had a truly wonderful trip. Yes, there were little things that went wrong or didn't quite go our way, but overall we had a GREAT time.
• I was nervous about planning for so many different people at different times in different family/friend units. It turned out to be pretty easy and not as stressful as I thought. To be fair, we didn't have a bunch of demanding people with specific requests, so everyone was happy with the FPs I picked for them and the meals we planned.
• The crowds were overall very light. It was actually a little weird.
• We loved meeting several Magicians and some Magic spouses! @Tuvalu @Tony the Tigger @Nunu @DisneyGigi @Darstarr
• Resorts/Hotels
  • Quality Inn: NO. I wish I'd spent $50 more for a Disney value resort that night. It really made me appreciate the values for the VALUE (ha) they are.
  • All-Star Sports: Fine. It will never be my first choice but it's a solid choice for a cheaper room and we really appreciated it after the offsite night.
  • Pop: Fun! It was our first time staying there in awhile and the first time in a refurbed room. We really liked the new room design and upgrades. Now that the Skyliner has opened the prices are getting higher than I'd like to pay for a Disney value room, and the Skyliner itself is NOT a big draw for me personally (you'll see why in the next TR), so I don't know when we'll stay here again. Therefore I'm glad we got in one last (?) trip and we enjoyed our stay there.
  • Boardwalk: Nice. Crescent Lake is our favorite area of WDW after spending many nights at the Swan and Dolphin. In many ways it was an upgrade from the Swolphin, the main one being that the walk to Epcot is soooooo short. Having DME access and being in a very "Disney" resort were nice as well. However, there are actually things I like better about the Swolphin. For one thing, the rooms were remodeled very recently so right now they are nicer than the Boardwalk rooms, IMO. For another, I prefer the layout of the Swan and Dolphin, where everything is compact and easier to navigate. It also seems that the Swolphin has better customer service; for instance I And personally I like that the Swolphin feels more upscale and adult. So, unless I find another AMAZING rate for the Boardwalk, I'm not sure when or if we'll be back.
  • Split stays: This trip showed us we aren't big fans of split stays. The only way we'll do it in the future is if we arrive late and stay the first night somewhere cheap to save money and then spend the rest of the trip at the main resort. Moving in the middle was inconvenient and took away from the relaxation element of our vacation.
• Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
  • It was really cool to be able to attend the preview event for the low crowds, low ride wait times, and exclusivity.
  • It was ALSO really cool to attend opening day! The energy was completely different. I've never done an opening day event like that before, and I don't think I ever will again, so I'm glad I got to do it for STAR WARS!
  • I really like the land, the ride, the shops, the atmosphere, etc.
  • The food choices are "meh" to me.
  • Oga's is fun but I won't rush to go back.
  • I'm excited for Rise of the Resistance!
• Favorite Meals
  • Celebration at the Top, for service, food, drinks, and views (in that order)
  • IllumiNations Dining Package for food, service, views, drinks, and overall value (in that order)
  • Le Cellier, for food, service, and COLD AIR CONDITIONING!
  • Biergarten, for food, service, and atmosphere (and being able to sit with our whole large party at one table!)
• Food and Wine
  • We've attended on opening day a few times now and it's pretty fun. If it hadn't been for SWGE opening on the same day we would have arrived earlier to F&W and gotten a head start on trying everything, but we still had fun.
  • Favorite items: Ireland cheddar dip, Impossible slider, Cheese souffle, Belgian waffle with berries
• Fireworks
  • IllumiNations:
  • Happily Ever After: Great as always!

Up next: The Hat Epilogue

 

[bee]

Epilogue

Remember how I lost my hat somewhere in or near Epcot? After I filed the lost item report I kept getting email updates that all said something along the lines of "we haven't found it, but we're still looking for it!" A few days after we got home I got another email that said they hadn't found it and had closed the report. Then that same day a few hours later I got ANOTHER email that said they HAD found it and either they could mail it to me or I could pick it up in the parks. Obviously I requested that they mail it to me, since I wouldn't be back to Disney for a few months.

The box arrived and I opened it to find...

...not my hat. A very SIMILAR hat (black with a white embroidered Mickey) but not MY hat.

When I opened the box and showed M we just looked at each other like "What do we do now?" I considered sending it back but there were no instructions for how to do so. In the end I decided to just keep it and wear it (AFTER washing it), because the likelihood it would actually get back to its original owner is next to nothing. It's a weird situation but what can you do but laugh?

Thank you to everyone who read, reacted, commented, and relived my trip with me! As always it was so much fun to write and it's even more fun to share with friends! And now I can get started on a report for the next trip, which is already in the past!

 

[Darstarr]

Loved it all. Especially the part where I interrupted your dinner
But seriously, it was fabulous meeting you and M and I hope to see you real soon
(And I cant wait for the next TR!)

 

[DisneyGigi]

Great report as always @bee ! After missing each other even though we were at the same places just different times that year- (I cant remember which trip lol) It was great to finally meet and put a face with you & M. Both B and I enjoyed it very much!

Wait, you have already been back?? I am sick for a week and I missed that?? Can’t wait to hear all about it.

 

[bee]

NEW Trip Report ALERT!!!​

(Nothing is really there yet, but here's the link if you want to jump right from one Bee TR to another!)

 

[Nunu]

I'm also very happy to have met you and M.
Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. Great TR!

 

[MinnieM123]

Final Thoughts

• First of all, we had a truly wonderful trip. Yes, there were little things that went wrong or didn't quite go our way, but overall we had a GREAT time.
• I was nervous about planning for so many different people at different times in different family/friend units. It turned out to be pretty easy and not as stressful as I thought. To be fair, we didn't have a bunch of demanding people with specific requests, so everyone was happy with the FPs I picked for them and the meals we planned.
• The crowds were overall very light. It was actually a little weird.
• We loved meeting several Magicians and some Magic spouses! @Tuvalu @Tony the Tigger @Nunu @DisneyGigi @Darstarr
• Resorts/Hotels
  • Quality Inn: NO. I wish I'd spent $50 more for a Disney value resort that night. It really made me appreciate the values for the VALUE (ha) they are.
  • All-Star Sports: Fine. It will never be my first choice but it's a solid choice for a cheaper room and we really appreciated it after the offsite night.
  • Pop: Fun! It was our first time staying there in awhile and the first time in a refurbed room. We really liked the new room design and upgrades. Now that the Skyliner has opened the prices are getting higher than I'd like to pay for a Disney value room, and the Skyliner itself is NOT a big draw for me personally (you'll see why in the next TR), so I don't know when we'll stay here again. Therefore I'm glad we got in one last (?) trip and we enjoyed our stay there.
  • Boardwalk: Nice. Crescent Lake is our favorite area of WDW after spending many nights at the Swan and Dolphin. In many ways it was an upgrade from the Swolphin, the main one being that the walk to Epcot is soooooo short. Having DME access and being in a very "Disney" resort were nice as well. However, there are actually things I like better about the Swolphin. For one thing, the rooms were remodeled very recently so right now they are nicer than the Boardwalk rooms, IMO. For another, I prefer the layout of the Swan and Dolphin, where everything is compact and easier to navigate. It also seems that the Swolphin has better customer service; for instance I And personally I like that the Swolphin feels more upscale and adult. So, unless I find another AMAZING rate for the Boardwalk, I'm not sure when or if we'll be back.
  • Split stays: This trip showed us we aren't big fans of split stays. The only way we'll do it in the future is if we arrive late and stay the first night somewhere cheap to save money and then spend the rest of the trip at the main resort. Moving in the middle was inconvenient and took away from the relaxation element of our vacation.
• Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
  • It was really cool to be able to attend the preview event for the low crowds, low ride wait times, and exclusivity.
  • It was ALSO really cool to attend opening day! The energy was completely different. I've never done an opening day event like that before, and I don't think I ever will again, so I'm glad I got to do it for STAR WARS!
  • I really like the land, the ride, the shops, the atmosphere, etc.
  • The food choices are "meh" to me.
  • Oga's is fun but I won't rush to go back.
  • I'm excited for Rise of the Resistance!
• Favorite Meals
  • Celebration at the Top, for service, food, drinks, and views (in that order)
  • IllumiNations Dining Package for food, service, views, drinks, and overall value (in that order)
  • Le Cellier, for food, service, and COLD AIR CONDITIONING!
  • Biergarten, for food, service, and atmosphere (and being able to sit with our whole large party at one table!)
• Food and Wine
  • We've attended on opening day a few times now and it's pretty fun. If it hadn't been for SWGE opening on the same day we would have arrived earlier to F&W and gotten a head start on trying everything, but we still had fun.
  • Favorite items: Ireland cheddar dip, Impossible slider, Cheese souffle, Belgian waffle with berries
• Fireworks
  • IllumiNations:
  • Happily Ever After: Great as always!

Up next: The Hat Epilogue

Very good recap, bee. Great TR as always!! Thank you.

 

[riverside]

Thanks for sharing!! Looking forward to the next one!!

 

[Laura Loves Tigger]

Enjoyed your report! Your sunset pictures are beautiful. I agree with you on the Morocco pavilion. It is one of my favorites to wander through. It is usually so peaceful, and interesting. I seem to find something new to look at each time I visit. Now off to join the new trip report!