Trip Report The Day is Hot and Full of Beers *Completed

Winter is not coming (yet), but Summer is here! Lets get right to it!!! This is a TR with my Mother and I at WDW in August. For anyone who did not read my PTR, we planned on 4 days at Bay Lake Tower. My Father was in the original plan but had to stay home for work. My mother ( @luvinthemajik ) was rushed to the hospital for heart problems just days before we were scheduled to leave. She spent two days there and it was bit tense waiting for the test results, but the Dr cleared her for travel as long as she did not drink wine (which she LOVES, especially at WDW) and she had to take it VERY slow since it would be hot.

After my Mom was released and had a few days home to rest,we definitely needed a couple days at WDW to unwind and take it slow. She was also ordered not to drive so I would be manning the wheel. We decided to take her Mini Cooper which is turbo charged and convertible (rain drop). I drove to my parents house at 5 am to pick up Mom and we hit the road!

On our last trip, my parents picked me up and had concerns that I would not be awake at 5 am when they arrived. As you know from my last TR, I was up and ready. I figured I would not have to give my parents the "you better be awake" speech for this trip. I called Mom as I pulled in their subdivision. She was asleep!!! hahahahahaha!!! I was ready to read her the riot act, but then I remembered that it wouldnt be wise to get her heart rate up. Dad woke up and we had her stuff loaded in he car within a few minutes and we hit he road.

Smooth sailing to Florida. We stopped for fuel and that when I realized I Forgot my pith helmet. The gas station had some unique hats, but it didnt feel right.

Some Illuminati one eyed symbolism, lol. Grabbed a quick selfie with Mom and we were back on the road

We were in Florida a few hours later and I realized I had a check in my pocket that a client had written to me. I meant to give my dad to deposit for me but in all the haste of loading the car, I forgot (shocker). We pulled of in the city of Windermere, Fla so I could deposit it. Such a beautiful town to drive through. We left the bank and Mom wanted to go topless!! Of course Im talking about dropping the top on the car....stop with your dirty thoughts, thats my Mom!!!!!

Such a fun car to drive. It hauls serious a$$ with the turbo. I made a quick pit stop for beer near Downtown Disney and soon we were on property!

Mom took the pic of the Disney sign since I was driving. We arrived at BLT and gave the bags to bell hop. She has a handicap plate so I got an excellent parking spot. It was around 130 pm and to my surprise, the room was ready! We headed straight up to unload the bags since we had a 2:25 ADR at BoG.

As @lostpro9het had told me, the lobby smell is AMAZING. Almost as good as YC (IMO). Our room was on the 12th floor. Here is a view from exiting the elevator

That view could never get old!

We had lake view for our room but could still the main building

Mom had decided to get a scooter since walking in the heat would be tiresome. As @fractal mentioned in his current TR, you really get a better understanding of scooters when you visit with someone who needs a scooter. I have a COMPLETELY different and tolerant view of "scooter folk" now.

Up next...waiting on Moms scooter and a completely horrible experience with concierge desk at BLT. Thanks for following along!

@DisneyDogMom57

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 4


I woke up with a swollen eye again. Nothing that would damper my excitement though. I hopped on the Monorail and headed to Epcot!

I mentioned in my PTR that I wasnt sure if the walk from BLT over to the main building (Contemporary) would be annoying but that was not case at all. It is a very short walk and a very pleasant one at that.

Soon I was at Epcot

First up was Soarin

Line was short and I was on in no time

I headed to other side of FW after Soarin.

It was a very nice morning and the weather was still cool so I strolled around for awhile. It was the first day of F&W and the booths would be opening soon....or so I thought. I asked a CM what time they would open the booths and he said 11 am but that some would open earlier. It was only 9 am so I had 2 hours to wait. I decided to just soak in Epcot for awhile.

I walked towards Canada and saw they were filming some type of promo or commercial in front of one of the booths. I think it was Jennifer Fickley-Baker from DPB. Can anybody confirm? I was going to ask but they seemed quite busy

So I had walked around and took pictures for what seemed like an hour. I looked at my phone and only 20 minutes had passed, lol. I continued to walk around and browse in and out of the shops waiting for F&W to start.

Up next....

more waiting for F&W

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 4 cntd.......


I walked back and forth around the front area of WS for what seemed like hours as I kept looking like booths were opening. Especially the craft beer center in Oddesy Building. They had ropes up and I kept seeing them move them and I thought it was open, only to walk up and see they were adjusting them. They must have done it a dozen times and for no apparent reason. It was nerve racking.

Finally I saw the Florida Fresh booth had opened and jumped in line. I got the chicken and cornbread. The only beer options were cider beer so I got one.

It was VERY good. The beer was pretty nice too. Since it was still early it was nice and refreshing. The CM that told me some booths would open early was wrong. By the time Fla Fresh booth opened it was appx 11:15. They finally opened the craft beer center so I headed in.

I ordered the craft beer flight (#2 i think) and the cheeseburger mac and cheese handwich. It was good but pretty difficult to eat.

They were having some serious opening day issues. I am not complaining but the issues they had seemed to be trivial and the CM's should have bee trained better. When I purchased my order I handed the CM a Disney gift card to pay. She did not know how to process a payment with a gift card. After a minute or two of struggling, she called for assistance. The manager couldnt get it to swipe either. Another few minutes go by and the manager said the register was "malfunctioning". He swiped the card on the other register and all was good. Oddly enough, the other register that he said was "malfunctioning" worked just fine when the next customer stepped up. I cant recall exactly what happened but it was obvious they were having issues. As I waited for my order, I watched behind the counter and it was complete chaos. There was little room to move around and they had about ten CM's back there going in and out of the curtained area.

They were bumping into each other and there was no flow. Finally a different manager came out (the lady in the red shirt). She watched for a moment and noticed the issues and put everything to a stop and began giving the CM's instructions on how to make it work better. I caught a picture of her as she was watching them and her face says it all. I was wondering why they didnt have a plan in place since they prep for weeks in advance.

Again, Im not complaining, it just struck me odd that everything was running so sloppy so fast. But the beer and food was good at least.

I made my way over to WS to begin checking out other booths.

I was not very hungry but I was thirsty!!!! So I stopped at Germany of course.
and of course they were having issues too. Instead of using my gift card I tried my magic band and she to manually enter the number form the inside of it for it to work. And they were out of one of the beers on the beer flight. She said they were "out" but they festival had just started so I Figured ti just wasnt working. They should just say that instead of claiming they ran out of beer withing 30 minutes of opening. There was no line there so it I dont see how they could have ran out. But the beer was good.

Next I stopped at America Pavilion. Everything was working just fine there. USA!!!-USA!!!-USA!!!! lol.

After my beer at America, it was getting hot and the crowds were starting to show up for F&W. My plan was not to experience all of F&W but just to check it out. I drank, I ate, and I was done with Food and Wine. I had mentioned in my live-ish report that I had always done F&W with my wife. It didnt feel as exciting without her there to chat with and try stuff out. But I was glad I got experience a little bit. I stopped in the gift shop on my way out of International Gateway and got a F&W coffee mug. I didnt get a photo of it tho. Its really nice and a perfect size. Ill take a pic and post it later.

Up next.....

a stroll to HS with a pit stop for.......beer.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

Not sure I could do a trip to our special place without my DH....he's a big part of what makes it fun for me but glad you enjoyed yourself, nonetheless! Here's hoping you all get a family trip in soon!

 

[fractal]

Day 4 cntd.......


I walked back and forth around the front area of WS for what seemed like hours as I kept looking like booths were opening. Especially the craft beer center in Oddesy Building. They had ropes up and I kept seeing them move them and I thought it was open, only to walk up and see they were adjusting them. They must have done it a dozen times and for no apparent reason. It was nerve racking.

Finally I saw the Florida Fresh booth had opened and jumped in line. I got the chicken and cornbread. The only beer options were cider beer so I got one.

View attachment 236503

It was VERY good. The beer was pretty nice too. Since it was still early it was nice and refreshing. The CM that told me some booths would open early was wrong. By the time Fla Fresh booth opened it was appx 11:15. They finally opened the craft beer center so I headed in.

View attachment 236506

I ordered the craft beer flight (#2 i think) and the cheeseburger mac and cheese handwich. It was good but pretty difficult to eat.

They were having some serious opening day issues. I am not complaining but the issues they had seemed to be trivial and the CM's should have bee trained better. When I purchased my order I handed the CM a Disney gift card to pay. She did not know how to process a payment with a gift card. After a minute or two of struggling, she called for assistance. The manager couldnt get it to swipe either. Another few minutes go by and the manager said the register was "malfunctioning". He swiped the card on the other register and all was good. Oddly enough, the other register that he said was "malfunctioning" worked just fine when the next customer stepped up. I cant recall exactly what happened but it was obvious they were having issues. As I waited for my order, I watched behind the counter and it was complete chaos. There was little room to move around and they had about ten CM's back there going in and out of the curtained area.

View attachment 236507

They were bumping into each other and there was no flow. Finally a different manager came out (the lady in the red shirt). She watched for a moment and noticed the issues and put everything to a stop and began giving the CM's instructions on how to make it work better. I caught a picture of her as she was watching them and her face says it all. I was wondering why they didnt have a plan in place since they prep for weeks in advance.

Again, Im not complaining, it just struck me *** odd that everything was running so sloppy so fast. But the beer and food was good at least.

View attachment 236508

I made my way over to WS to begin checking out other booths.

I was not very hungry but I was thirsty!!!! So I stopped at Germany of course.
and of course they were having issues too. Instead of using my gift card I tried my magic band and she to manually enter the number form the inside of it for it to work. And they were out of one of the beers on the beer flight. She said they were "out" but they festival had just started so I Figured ti just wasnt working. They should just say that instead of claiming they ran out of beer withing 30 minutes of opening. There was no line there so it I dont see how they could have ran out. But the beer was good.

View attachment 236509
View attachment 236510

Next I stopped at America Pavilion. Everything was working just fine there. USA!!!-USA!!!-USA!!!! lol.

View attachment 236511

After my beer at America, it was getting hot and the crowds were starting to show up for F&W. My plan was not to experience all of F&W but just to check it out. I drank, I ate, and I was done with Food and Wine. I had mentioned in my live-ish report that I had always done F&W with my wife. It didnt feel as exciting without her there to chat with and try stuff out. But I was glad I got experience a little bit. I stopped in the gift shop on my way out of International Gateway and got a F&W coffee mug. I didnt get a photo of it tho. Its really nice and a perfect size. Ill take a pic and post it later.

Up next.....

a stroll to HS with a pit stop for.......beer.

enjoying your quest for beer adventures!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Wear it with pride
View attachment 234046

WHAT!!! HOW DO I GET IN

 

[prfctlyximprct]

The amount of selfies with beer I’ve seen so far makes this such an epic report!!! You do disney the right way!!!! Now this is a vacation

So sorry about your BOG experience! I was cringing reading it!! Glad you didn’t let it start you off on a bad foot. I always tell myself to “kill them with kindness” but sometimes people just get under your last nerve!! Glad your reservation came up to switch the supervisors attitude!

That Mac and cheese picture has me drooling on my phone. It looks so good and oddly it looks piping hot in the picture! Wish my phone was scratch and sniff

Enjoying this so much!

 

[lostpro9het]

WHAT!!! HOW DO I GET IN

Ya gotta take the Tamboooooooo lounge oath, but of course,

 

[Zipadeelady]

You fell asleep on a ride?

 

[wdisney9000]

Day 4 contd....


I exited Epcot via the International Gateway. First I grabbed a fresh Fuel Rod to keep my phone charged. I know I keep yapping about the Fuel Rods but they really are awesome and make the day easier since you dont have to worry about keeping your phone charged. I did the one time purchase back in June ($30) and have gotten at least 15 refills over the last two trips.

There was Friend Ship about to depart so I boarded. I hopped off at Boardwalk because I wanted to grab a beer and enjoy the walk to HS. I went to the Screen Door store to see what beer options they had.

I grabbed a Heineken can for my walk. The CM noticed I was from Georgia when she checked my ID and told me she was from Ga. too. She actually grew up a few miles from where I live. We chatted for a moments and then I was off.

I stopped for a picture here and sent it to my wife because the room next to the blue awning was the room my wife and I stayed in a few years ago. When we first checked in on that trip and got our room number we were bummed because it was all the way at the far end of the resort next to the pathway to HS. We soon realized it was perfect for us because when we exited the building on the side entrance it was pretty far down the pathway which made the walk much shorter but it also only took a few minutes to walk towards the main lobby and walk to Epcot.

I finished my beer on the walk and soon entered HS. My first stop....where else but Tune In Lounge!!

I pretty much sat in the same seats as @Ciara and Billy on their recent trip. Im pretty sure the have photo with the same bartender (lady) in one of their photos.

She was great. She has served me several times over my last few trips and she is an absolute hoot! She plays the role for 50s Prime Time perfectly. Ive watched her give several guys a good jab for ordering fruity drinks or not being able to decide fast enough. Every time I sit down an order a beer right away she makes a comment like, "here is a man that KNOWS what he wants!" or "good choice, thats a mans drink!" She is hilarious. Two older men had entered (probly in their 40s) and they were with a very young man (teens or early 20s). One of the older guys tried to order drinks for all three of them and she asked for the younger guys ID. They immediately started the act of searching for the ID but it was apparent they were not going to find it. They were tossing out all the classic excuses (i think he left it at the hotel, or maybe we left it at Epcot at the restaurant). She was hip to the game. She asked the young guy where they were from and the older man said Canada. She asked the younger one if he had a passport and again, the older man answered for him. She cut him off and said why dont you let the kid answer for himself. The kid was obviously nervous now. He fumbled around but couldnt find his passport. She told him they should be more worried about finding his passport than drinking. They went back and forth for a few moments but in the end, she denied the young guy a tasty cold adult beverage.

A guy and woman next to me ordered some fruity drinks a few minutes later and of course she cracked a few jokes to the guy. He did not seem to care for the jokes. I was cracking up tho.

I enjoyed a few beers and then made my over to RnR

Next I went to Star Tours but didnt take any photos. Then I dipped into ABC Comissary. My brother and I ate here countless times when were younger. I dont think the food was much better back then but we were young and LOVED cheeseburgers. I originally went in just to look around and remember the good ol days with my brother but I decided to order a beer and soak up some air conditioning.

After my beer I headed back to the room to clean off all the sweat and change clothes. Then I headed to AK. The few times I was at AK on this trip I wanted to try the mac and cheese with bbq but the one stand that serves it was closed each time for one reason or another. So by the time I got there this time, the stand was closed!!! Access denied!!! So i decided to get the cheesy bbq french fried at Flame Tree. They were very good!

I tossed a few fried to the birds gathering around me and was scolded by the CM who witnessed it.

I decided that with a full belly of cheese and bbq that it would be smart to ride Dinosaur, lol. luckily I had no issues.

Ok, so the above picture was the last picture I took on this trip. For some reason I did not take any other pics the rest of the evening. I rode Everest one last time then got one last ride on FoP. I headed back to the room early because Mom and I decided to leave around 5 am so we could be home before Atlanta traffic got bad. Traffic in Atlanta is always a mess but especially between 3-7pm. It is absolutely BRUTAL. It can easily add an extra hour or more to the ride home if you get stuck in it. Mom was not happy about getting up so early. But we managed to be out of the room a little after 5 am . We made home around 1 pm and she was much happier about getting up early and having most of the day left once we were home.

Well folks, thanks for following along on this trip. Mom , Dad and I are heading back back to Poly Poly in 25 days so I will be updating my PTR next. My sister has decided to join us and it will be her birthday so Im excited to celebrate!!

Thanks again for following along and have a blessed day!!

 

[wdisney9000]

WHAT!!! HOW DO I GET IN

Obtaining membership is pretty easy. Just copy this picture and post it in here but you must tag @Tuvalu .

Beware the Tuvalu snark that may rain down upon you though. Membership comes at a price!!

 

[fractal]

Day 4 contd....


I exited Epcot via the International Gateway. First I grabbed a fresh Fuel Rod to keep my phone charged. I know I keep yapping about the Fuel Rods but they really are awesome and make the day easier since you dont have to worry about keeping your phone charged. I did the one time purchase back in June ($30) and have gotten at least 15 refills over the last two trips.

There was Friend Ship about to depart so I boarded. I hopped off at Boardwalk because I wanted to grab a beer and enjoy the walk to HS. I went to the Screen Door store to see what beer options they had.
View attachment 237614

I grabbed a Heineken can for my walk. The CM noticed I was from Georgia when she checked my ID and told me she was from Ga. too. She actually grew up a few miles from where I live. We chatted for a moments and then I was off.

View attachment 237616

I stopped for a picture here and sent it to my wife because the room next to the blue awning was the room my wife and I stayed in a few years ago. When we first checked in on that trip and got our room number we were bummed because it was all the way at the far end of the resort next to the pathway to HS. We soon realized it was perfect for us because when we exited the building on the side entrance it was pretty far down the pathway which made the walk much shorter but it also only took a few minutes to walk towards the main lobby and walk to Epcot.

I finished my beer on the walk and soon entered HS. My first stop....where else but Tune In Lounge!!

View attachment 237620
I pretty much sat in the same seats as @Ciara and Billy on their recent trip. Im pretty sure the have photo with the same bartender (lady) in one of their photos.

She was great. She has served me several times over my last few trips and she is an absolute hoot! She plays the role for 50s Prime Time perfectly. Ive watched her give several guys a good jab for ordering fruity drinks or not being able to decide fast enough. Every time I sit down an order a beer right away she makes a comment like, "here is a man that KNOWS what he wants!" or "good choice, thats a mans drink!" She is hilarious. Two older men had entered (probly in their 40s) and they were with a very young man (teens or early 20s). One of the older guys tried to order drinks for all three of them and she asked for the younger guys ID. They immediately started the act of searching for the ID but it was apparent they were not going to find it. They were tossing out all the classic excuses (i think he left it at the hotel, or maybe we left it at Epcot at the restaurant). She was hip to the game. She asked the young guy where they were from and the older man said Canada. She asked the younger one if he had a passport and again, the older man answered for him. She cut him off and said why dont you let the kid answer for himself. The kid was obviously nervous now. He fumbled around but couldnt find his passport. She told him they should be more worried about finding his passport than drinking. They went back and forth for a few moments but in the end, she denied the young guy a tasty cold adult beverage.

A guy and woman next to me ordered some fruity drinks a few minutes later and of course she cracked a few jokes to the guy. He did not seem to care for the jokes. I was cracking up tho.

View attachment 237622

I enjoyed a few beers and then made my over to RnR

View attachment 237623

Next I went to Star Tours but didnt take any photos. Then I dipped into ABC Comissary. My brother and I ate here countless times when were younger. I dont think the food was much better back then but we were young and LOVED cheeseburgers. I originally went in just to look around and remember the good ol days with my brother but I decided to order a beer and soak up some air conditioning.

View attachment 237624

After my beer I headed back to the room to clean off all the sweat and change clothes. Then I headed to AK. The few times I was at AK on this trip I wanted to try the mac and cheese with bbq but the one stand that serves it was closed each time for one reason or another. So by the time I got there this time, the stand was closed!!! Access denied!!! So i decided to get the cheesy bbq french fried at Flame Tree. They were very good!

View attachment 237628
I tossed a few fried to the birds gathering around me and was scolded by the CM who witnessed it.

I decided that with a full belly of cheese and bbq that it would be smart to ride Dinosaur, lol. luckily I had no issues.

View attachment 237629
View attachment 237630

Ok, so the above picture was the last picture I took on this trip. For some reason I did not take any other pics the rest of the evening. I rode Everest one last time then got one last ride on FoP. I headed back to the room early because Mom and I decided to leave around 5 am so we could be home before Atlanta traffic got bad. Traffic in Atlanta is always a mess but especially between 3-7pm. It is absolutely BRUTAL. It can easily add an extra hour or more to the ride home if you get stuck in it. Mom was not happy about getting up so early. But we managed to be out of the room a little after 5 am . We made home around 1 pm and she was much happier about getting up early and having most of the day left once we were home.

Well folks, thanks for following along on this trip. Mom , Dad and I are heading back back to Poly Poly in 25 days so I will be updating my PTR next. My sister has decided to join us and it will be her birthday so Im excited to celebrate!!

Thanks again for following along and have a blessed day!!

That's my kind of waitress!

Great report - lot's of Fun! Looking forward to the next one and hoping someday our path's cross at WDW over a beer!

 

[lostpro9het]

Obtaining membership is pretty easy. Just copy this picture and post it in here but you must tag @Tuvalu .
Beware the Tuvalu snark that may rain down upon you though. Membership comes at a price!!

 

[12in12]

Thanks for finishing this trip report, it was a very fun read.
Just my opinion but those fries you had looked horrible. Orange "cheese" sauce on fries? Might be a cultural thing as I don't really understand Americans love of "cheese" sauce on anything.

 

[krause]

I loved this trip report! I was pregnant my last 2 trips but definitely using this TR as a guide to how to better enjoy my trip in February. So many places I never even knew existed

 

[wdisney9000]

That's my kind of waitress!

Great report - lot's of Fun! Looking forward to the next one and hoping someday our path's cross at WDW over a beer!

Only one beer? No, no, no,.....we shall imbibe on a level never before imagined. Plus, your beers tend to create Disney magic... so, the more beer, the more magic!

 

[wdisney9000]

Thanks for finishing this trip report, it was a very fun read.
Just my opinion but those fries you had looked horrible. Orange "cheese" sauce on fries? Might be a cultural thing as I don't really understand Americans love of "cheese" sauce on anything.

Thanks for following along. And I will proudly defend my cheese addiction, hahaha. Cheese just makes stuff better. Bacon too!!!!

 

[wdisney9000]

Not sure I could do a trip to our special place without my DH....he's a big part of what makes it fun for me but glad you enjoyed yourself, nonetheless! Here's hoping you all get a family trip in soon!

I always thought that a trip without my wife would not be enjoyable. It is a different type of experience to visit Disney and go to the parks solo. Different, but good. When you can ride, watch, eat, whatever you want , whenever you want, without having to make a group decision,...it is very fun. Don't get me wrong, I would prefer my wife be with me over anything else. But doing Disney solo is a journey that every WDW fan should experience.

 

[12in12]

Thanks for following along. And I will proudly defend my cheese addiction, hahaha. Cheese just makes stuff better. Bacon too!!!!

I totally agree with you on the bacon!

 

[CtDisneyGuy33]

I clearly need to sign up for the @wdisney9000 beer crawl!! Great choices. Now thats how you enjoy the World...

And headed to WDW in 14 days, I will be looking to join the Tambooo club @lostpro9het

 

[lostpro9het]

I clearly need to sign up for the @wdisney9000 beer crawl!! Great choices. Now thats how you enjoy the World...

And headed to WDW in 14 days, I will be looking to join the Tambooo club @lostpro9het

While you are there be sure to check out the new Poly longhouse. I snapped a pic of the house sign on my last trip...