She's Adding All The Extras, a January 2022 Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge Split Stay Trip Report (Updated 4/24)

[GrandCalifornian]

Disney has too many things that open at 7am. They need to somehow streamline this process so there aren't long loading times. Genie+ makes me long for the old fastpass days.

Our biggest problem with Genie + is the mad dash for spots at 7 AM. With their inadequate IT systems it isn't a fair competition, and any delay really affects the guest experience negatively. We loved being able to plan the day ahead of time with Fastpasses, but we can't put that kind of thought into what we get with Genie +. Oh well, we just have to deal with what we can get.

We've seen fishing excursions that in that spot. It looks very relaxing but I think I would prefer to fish across the lake where there are only woods and water.

The guide was explaining that the fish like hanging out by the docks, and the results were successful. We like renting a boat to go hang out away from the crowds, and agree that fishing there would be cool, but kids catching fish is really cool.

Do you want to get away from the cold January weather? It has the lowest rates of the year but also the coldest weather.

We have mainly been in search of low crowds, and enjoy trying different times of the year. The crowds were definitely not low this year, and while we kind of enjoy having it cool rather than hot, we are thinking we will mix it up a bit for our next trip. We had great success with September trips, and that's our leading contender for the next one. Going in December to see the Christmas decorations at the lodge is definitely on our bucket list, and Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Jim are going this December, but we probably won't make it on that one.

The People Mover is the best and even more fun with the Tron construction view.

We love getting the sneak peak at Tron, and seeing the bits of all the other rides and the park in general. The Peoplemover is definitely a favorite for us.

Carousel of Progress is a great place to get warm as well as hide from the rain.

I almost stayed awake the whole time, but getting a break where we can sit and rest our eyes for a minute can be perfect. It is all good.

I would love to check this restaurant out some day. It looks like a fun place to eat.

It is fun and unique, and while not a must do every trip for us, it is definitely a place we will be happy to return to.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Our biggest problem with Genie + is the mad dash for spots at 7 AM. With their inadequate IT systems it isn't a fair competition, and any delay really affects the guest experience negatively. We loved being able to plan the day ahead of time with Fastpasses, but we can't put that kind of thought into what we get with Genie +.

Yes, and although you are an early riser, not every traveling party has a member who likes to be awake and ready to compete for spots so early in the morning during vacation. There are so many of us who had been lifelong Disney park fans until recently, but have felt alienated by various changes in recent years and for many, the end of free fastpasses was the last straw. I also plan to take a break from Disney trips for a while and explore some other destinations. When are you guys visiting Utah again?

 

[Wood Nymph]

We had great success with September trips, and that's our leading contender for the next one.

I'd like to go back in September if Disney releases some good AP discounts. We were able to get a good discount at WL last September and I'd love to go back there again.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Yes, and although you are an early riser, not every traveling party has a member who likes to be awake and ready to compete for spots so early in the morning during vacation. There are so many of us who had been lifelong Disney park fans until recently, but have felt alienated by various changes in recent years and for many, the end of free fastpasses was the last straw. I also plan to take a break from Disney trips for a while and explore some other destinations. When are you guys visiting Utah again?

Yeah, Genie + is a definite downgrade for us, and even though I am up early enough for it, it is a lot of pressure to make decisions for everyone that will have an effect on the rest of our day and what we get the opportunity to do. It is a lot of pressure.
We will be back at Disney at some point, but right now we have work obligations to focus on. We have our annual trip to Utah in July, and hope to still make it for part of it this year, despite the changes at work.

I'd like to go back in September if Disney releases some good AP discounts. We were able to get a good discount at WL last September and I'd love to go back there again.

Fingers crossed for you. We love WL in September and are planning it in the back of our minds for September 2023.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

After lunch, Jon and Brandy headed out of the park and back to the hotel, but the kids wanted to do the treehouse so I took them there while Melissa retreived the stroller.


We weren’t ready to call it a Magic Kingdom day yet so we decided to try something we’d never done in Florida, any guesses?

It was a trip over to tomorrowland, and the destination was...

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin! Or is it Astro Blasters?


West coast vs. East coast...

Ahh yes. Either way we had fun and I believe I had the high score.


You did, Marshall LOVED this ride, no surprise.

After that we shopped on the way out of the park.

We picked up some more souveniers, again no surprises there.


Allie tried talking Paul into the 50th jacket which was just too much. She really wanted it though.


We left the park at 5:15, but instead of hopping on a WL boat, I convinced Melissa and the kids that we had time for a quick visit over to Fort Wilderness.


I was super hesitant to go to Ft. Wilderness without the blue flag boats running and just the challenge of getting back to the lodge but it turned out to be one of my favorite nights of the trip. I didn’t think the trip could get better but it was about to.

We always love visiting the Fort, and the kids favorite part is the playground, which we headed for right from the boat.


On the way we were surprised by a gathering of food trucks.



It was a food truck round-up! So fun, we were still so full from lunch but there was a girl walking around with icecream samples and well…. it was sooo goooooood.

It was actually soft serve ice, which was kind of like a snow cone with the consistency of soft serve ice cream. It was good stuff, and after the sample we went and bought some, and a couple of $3 cokes, which were cheaper than Disney prices.



Even better! It was dairy free which our tummies liked.

While we were enjoying our ice, a carriage ride horse pulled up. This has been on our bucket list forever, so I walked over and asked if there was any availability.


He was my knight in shining armor at that point

I discovered that they were open for walk ups, and for $55 we got to have a nice ride around Fort Wilderness in what turned out to be a brand new carriage. It had just been delivered, and we were the first to ride in it.


It was magical guys! Our driver was so sweet and our horse of course was beautiful.



It was a great experience and I can't believe we had never done it before. It actually felt long enough, and we loved seeing the RVs in the campground.




After our ride we let the kids play just a little more before we tried to figure out how to get back home.

We decided to try a bus, and got to the bus stop at 6:55.


We got on an MK bus at 7:05 with hopes that it would stop at WL on the way. Unfortunately it made the left turn in the WL parking lot, and we were along for the ride to MK.

Slightly frustrating but we rolled with it and eventually made it back to the lodge. It just stopped at MK on the way home.

We arrived at MK at 7:14 and got off hthe bus only to discover that it was the bus that went back to WL.

So we got back on and rode it to WL, arriving at 7:24.

So we got back on and rode it to WL, arriving at 7:24.

Allie put on her glowing skirt and Epcot dress, and was excited but wished we had gotten the 50th jacket to go with it.


We chatted with the guys in the room and then we all headed out about 8:00.


We were headed to the Contemporary via our super slick bus that we discovered on our Monorail loop night.

We got to the bus stop at 8:05, and no bus time showed yet but we watched the fireworks over the lodge until 8:20 when a bus arrived. We got to CR at 8:27.


We went upstairs to shop for a minute before our dinner reservation. I had finally decided that I was not going to find the 50th castle Dooney so I was going to get the Dooney duffle that I have wanted for YEARS. Tonight was the night.


Because I am a pushover, I also surprised Allie by buying her the 50th jacket as well, so she had the perfect compliment to her outfit.


She was so excited.

Then we went downstairs for one of our more awaited meals of the trip, Steakhouse 71.


We were really excited about this one. Alle ordered crab cakes, and french onion soup, Paul and I decided to split a wedge salad for an app, and everyone else ordered the filet.



We were really excited about this one. Alle ordered crab cakes, and french onion soup, Paul and I decided to split a wedge salad for an app, and everyone else ordered the filet.

The main difference in our entrees was the way we wanted our potatoes, either mashed or au gratin. We also tried a variety of different sauces as well.

In my opinion, the steak was ok, but not exceptional. It needed the sauce for the flavor, and wasn't as tender as I'd have liked. It was an ok steak, but not a top level steak.

I also wasn’t impressed. It was just so, so. We’ve had some amazing steak dinners at Disney and this one just wasn’t amazing. Brandy had a point too, it’s a steak house without a rib eye on the menu and that struck us all as odd.

It was very much like the Wave, and even still said so on the receipt. We went for desserts though, trying the creme brulee and a 15 layer cake. The cake was just chocolate, and not super impressive.


I did get a birthday cupcake, which I enjoyed more.


It was a lot of chocolate, I imagine if you really liked chocolate it would be perfect. Probably the worst part of the meal was the surprise of the chocolate in the creme brulee.


Looking back on the menu it says right there that there’s chocolate in it, but I mean who does that?

This is the look on Melissa's face when there's chocolate in her creme brulee


It’s not ok to put chocolate in the creme bruelee.

Marshall on the other hand was living his best life. His desert was a build your own sundae and he had a ball decorating his VANILLA icecream.


It was a dessert and an activity to pass the time. He loved it.


We finished up just after 10:00 and were one of the last groups to leave the restaurant. SInce all of the parks were closed, we again went in search of a taxi.

We finished up just after 10:00 and were one of the last groups to leave the restaurant. Since all of the parks were closed, we again went in search of a taxi.


For $7.90 we made the quick trip home, and gave the driver $15 to cover the tip and make up for the short trip. We then walked in the front doors of the lodge and headed up to our room, where we called it a night.


It was a super full day but so fun. Stick around because coming up we have more Wilderness Lodge pictures...

And we make our way back to Epcot...

Where we park hop and have dinner at one of our favorites.

Stay Tuned...

 

[DaisyDuck001]

When Jon and Brandy left the park ahead of you, did they go to Geyser Point? Have you studied any of the tips on how to score high on the Buzz Lightyear ride (and TSMM)? Extra special that you were the first riders in the brand new carriage! Interesting that you bought cokes at the food trucks -- I guess you were too far from the nearest mug refill station? It seems that Steakhouse 71 was underwhelming. I was a big fan of The Wave, and sorry to see it go. Too bad it got replaced by a steakhouse with apparently mediocre steak!

Have you done any Jeep tours or similar on your Utah trips? I'm looking for something like that in the Escalante National Monument area, in case you or your readers know of any good ones. I'll be going in May, and it's been a few years since my last Utah trip. What are some of your favorite experiences in Utah? Have you also been to Alaska?

 

[G719]

For future reference, there is a bus that goes between the fort and wilderness lodge.

Love your trip reports. They are so much fun!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We weren’t ready to call it a Magic Kingdom day yet so we decided to try something we’d never done in Florida, any guesses?

It was a trip over to tomorrowland, and the destination was...

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin! Or is it Astro Blasters?

I am shocked that you have never ridden Buzz Lightyear in WDW. It is a must do for me.

We always love visiting the Fort, and the kids favorite part is the playground, which we headed for right from the boat.

We love visiting the Fort. It is like being somewhere else, and so relaxing.

I discovered that they were open for walk ups, and for $55 we got to have a nice ride around Fort Wilderness in what turned out to be a brand new carriage. It had just been delivered, and we were the first to ride in it.

That is a really good price for Disney. It sounds like a really nice experience.

We got on an MK bus at 7:05 with hopes that it would stop at WL on the way. Unfortunately it made the left turn in the WL parking lot, and we were along for the ride to MK.

They were running a bus between the Settlement depot and WL when we stayed there in September. It was really nice to have that option, especially since they weren't running the blue flag boats.

Allie put on her glowing skirt and Epcot dress, and was excited but wished we had gotten the 50th jacket to go with it.

The skirt is adorable. Was Marshall jealous?

I also wasn’t impressed. It was just so, so. We’ve had some amazing steak dinners at Disney and this one just wasn’t amazing. Brandy had a point too, it’s a steak house without a rib eye on the menu and that struck us all as odd.

The steak should be amazing if they are going to call it a steakhouse. This looks like an overall disappointing meal.

This is the look on Melissa's face when there's chocolate in her creme brulee

I hate when they mess up a classic dessert.

 

[Jabroniville]

Cool stuff! Good photography! I'm really impressed by Wilderness Lodge- now THAT is a well-themed hotel! One of the ones that's out of my price range, but it looks amazing, especially in that main lobby. Wow!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When Jon and Brandy left the park ahead of you, did they go to Geyser Point? Have you studied any of the tips on how to score high on the Buzz Lightyear ride (and TSMM)? Extra special that you were the first riders in the brand new carriage! Interesting that you bought cokes at the food trucks -- I guess you were too far from the nearest mug refill station? It seems that Steakhouse 71 was underwhelming. I was a big fan of The Wave, and sorry to see it go. Too bad it got replaced by a steakhouse with apparently mediocre steak!

Have you done any Jeep tours or similar on your Utah trips? I'm looking for something like that in the Escalante National Monument area, in case you or your readers know of any good ones. I'll be going in May, and it's been a few years since my last Utah trip. What are some of your favorite experiences in Utah? Have you also been to Alaska?

Jon and Brandy did go back to the resort and I think visited Geyser Point for a bit, but may also have taken a nap, or likely both. They enjoy a mid-day resort break, and we often do it too, but we had other adventures to do today.

Our take on Steakhouse 71 is it is still very much still the Wave, with a bit of a change of decor. It is a fine place to eat, but not an exceptional steak house.

We have not done any Jeep tours in Utah, but we definitely would recommend doing one. Southern Utah is beautiful and seeing it from an off road perspective is nice. We love the town of Kanab, which is a little bit south of Escalante but the whole area is very nice to visit. We have some experience with the company behind Forever Adventure Tours, but haven't used them personally. They are who we'd start with, but I think most of their tours are further south near Kanab. Good luck though and have a great time!

We have never been to Alaska or Hawaii, so we are checking one off this spring. We'd love to see Alaska sometime too, but so far our only experience with it is from TV shows like Alaska State Troopers and Air Alaska. It looks like a cool (pun intended) place.

For future reference, there is a bus that goes between the fort and wilderness lodge.

Love your trip reports. They are so much fun!

Yeah, we have ridden the bis from WL to Fort Wilderness direct before, and I even believe the bus we rode had FW as the next stop after WL, but in this case I think what we did was faster than waiting for a bus that was going straight to WL, if they were even running one directly.

Thanks so much for following along and joining in. We sure have fun on the trips, and enjoy writing about them too.

I am shocked that you have never ridden Buzz Lightyear in WDW. It is a must do for me.

Yeah, it is just one ride that we have never made it on in Florida, but we had a good time.

We love visiting the Fort. It is like being somewhere else, and so relaxing.

Yes! Fort Wilderness is part of what we love about WL's neighborhood, and we still love going over there even if it isn't as easy as it used to be.

That is a really good price for Disney. It sounds like a really nice experience.

The carriage ride was very nice, and a comparatively good deal for Disney. I can't believe we never got to do it before. We had tried, but they were all reserved in the past. This time it just worked out perfectly.

They were running a bus between the Settlement depot and WL when we stayed there in September. It was really nice to have that option, especially since they weren't running the blue flag boats.

Yes, this buses are nice, and we do appreciate them, but we didn't want to wait any longer for a bus.

The skirt is adorable. Was Marshall jealous?

The steak should be amazing if they are going to call it a steakhouse. This looks like an overall disappointing meal.

I hate when they mess up a classic dessert.

Allie loved her skirt, and Marshall was content to have his shield that he bought at the same store. He let her have her enjoyment of it.

We felt the same way about Steakhouse 71. We really wanted to have it be a nice steakhouse, and it was a fine restaurant, but for us did not live up to the hype, particularly on the steak side. We'll take Yachtsman or LeCellier over it any day, but that's ok.

The desserts were just a little odd. We are not anti-chocolate, but everything was chocolatey, even things you wouldn't expect, like creme brûlée... Oh well, Marshall loved his.

Cool stuff! Good photography! I'm really impressed by Wilderness Lodge- now THAT is a well-themed hotel! One of the ones that's out of my price range, but it looks amazing, especially in that main lobby. Wow!

Thanks! We love WL, and particularly appreciate that it is one of the least expensive Disney Deluxe resorts. We also always went for the least expensive view option, which can save quite a bit too. When we couldn't afford WL, we found Port Orleans to have a similar quiet rural feel. It is an amazing lobby, and we just love walking into it every time.

 

[Jabroniville]

I hope WL has shorter lines and more concierges than the Value Resorts, lol! Pop & AoA fit my lifestyle and I don't spend much time at hotels anyways, but the MASSIVE lines to check in or to get any help at those always bug me. When I saw the Contemporary they seemed to have a much quicker system with a greater concierge-to-guest ratio.

PS I quickly flipped through your older trip reports- you've been at this a while! I first posted mine on the Mice Chat forums, but with BlackBerry photos, lol. Fun to see a family grow up in rapid time! How have your kids' tastes in Disney changed over the years?

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I hope WL has shorter lines and more concierges than the Value Resorts, lol! Pop & AoA fit my lifestyle and I don't spend much time at hotels anyways, but the MASSIVE lines to check in or to get any help at those always bug me. When I saw the Contemporary they seemed to have a much quicker system with a greater concierge-to-guest ratio.

PS I quickly flipped through your older trip reports- you've been at this a while! I first posted mine on the Mice Chat forums, but with BlackBerry photos, lol. Fun to see a family grow up in rapid time! How have your kids' tastes in Disney changed over the years?

Yeah, there are some advantages of the deluxe resorts, and some waits are shorter, but there are still times it all comes off the rails. Buses are a great example, where people will have a long wait and blame it on the resort, when it could happen anywhere. Overall though we love WL and it is our favorite, and now our DVC home resort.

Thanks for checking out our older reports. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but time flies. Allie has evolved from a two year old who was just along for the ride, then developed an opinion about what she liked, and now has an appreciation for how fortunate she is to go to Disney. Marshall is more consistent, a little more wild, and is always up for anything, but still has his favorites. Buying DVC has been neat for us as a family, with the biggest benefit being we know that we will be back, which makes leaving a little bit easier.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I got up at 5:30 AM, and while playing online I saw that they had charged the room bill to the credit card, which got me concerned about the continuing reservation. I got dressed and went down to the front desk to make sure we didn't have to pack up and switch rooms.

That was probably a good idea, that would not be a fun surprise

Fortunately they did everything right, and we got to stay in the same room with our next reservation, which had the same guests but was made with our other DVC account.

Since I was up early, I took advantage of it and got some great lobby shots, then went out and did some more exploring.








The whole reservation this trip was pretty complicated but our trusty leader kept everything straight.

I'm glad it all worked out, and keeping this room was the last hurdle we had to clear for the trip. I went back up to the room, and everyone got up fairly early so that we could head out of the room at 9:02.


We were headed back to Epcot with the hope of catching Test Track during the what do they call it now? Extra Morning hours or something.

We got to the bus stop at 9:05, and the bus time showed 9:03 so we must have just missed it. Two HS buses showed up, and then a third one came. The driver called dispach and was able to switch to Epcot, and took the crowd that was waiting at the bus stop.


We had a great bus ride, Marshall made friends with another little guy and they chatted all the way to the park.

I sat down on the lower level of the bus with the stroller and saw another three generation family group with kids a little older than Allie. We arrived at Epcot at 9:36.

We made our way into the park, and headed straight for Test Track.


We got in line at 9:52, and the wait time showed 45 minutes.

We decided to go ahead and stick it out. Marshall loves the queue and the ride as do the rest of us. The car design stations were open and they assigned us to two so we let each kid design one.



We made it on the ride at 10:17, which was pretty quick and well worth it.

After the ride we looked at the new mid-engine Corvette, which is on my bucket list. Someday...


After that we walked over to the Wyland art tent, and in particular the bronze tables.


A sales guy was a little sarcastic with Marshall about the cost. Then Brandy wound up seriously looking at one with a different sales guy...


We were not impressed with his attitude towards the kids, Marshall asked a question about how much it cost and I don’t remember the exact words but the connotation was that he couldn’t afford it.

You NEVER know who you are talking to, and at Disney anything is possible, so there's no need to tell a 6 year old he can't afford a table.

After parusing the Wyland tent we headed towards the Creation shope and a little shopping.


It was the first time that Jon and Brandy got to see the new shop, and they liked it. Then we got some popcorn on our way towards Figment.

Popcorn was a hit and gone super fast.


When we got to Figment Jon and Brandy headed straight up to the DVC member lounge, while we waited the 10 minutes to ride the ride first.


It was worth the wait, probably the longest we’ve ever waited for it but still worth it.

Jon and Brandy were able to secure us seats at a table, which are now assigned when you check in. It cut down on the mingling between groups but it did make sure that we had somewhere to sit.



We still got to enjoy free Cokes and snacks, but they are now poured by an attendant.


Overall it was still a nice place to sit and decompress, charge phones and chat. I’m glad they reopened it even with the extra precautions.

It seems odd that you can fill your own mug at the resorts, but they have to fill your cup at the lounge. It's all good though.

We sat at the lounge until we all had to pee then headed out into the world.

We discussed where to go for lunch while we sat. We thought maybe the Land since it was close, but instead we decided on Mexican food. We all walked towards Mexico (after a potty stop) and found a huge line at the QS place outside of the pavillion.


We were all commited at that point and decided to wait despite the line. It was a busy day in the parks and we didn’t think we could do much better without walking all over the park.

We looked at Biergarten, but nothing else had availability so we waited it out. We placed our orders, and got into the inside eating area just before they closed it down for the afternoon.


It turns out that they use the same space for the QS and table service restaurants, and the Table Service place opens up in the afternoon.

It made for an amazingly quiet lunch and the food was so good.

It really was great food. We had some nachos, tacos, and empanadas, and I loved all of it. This is a great spot when it is available, and is one we will return to.

It really was fantastic food and that’s coming from people who know and love Mexican Food.

We still had lots more fun for today though, and we'll cover that in the next update.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Were the snacks in the member lounge the same as last time you had gone, or were there any changes to what was offered?

 

[Wood Nymph]

The whole reservation this trip was pretty complicated but our trusty leader kept everything straight.

Two HS buses showed up, and then a third one came. The driver called dispach and was able to switch to Epcot, and took the crowd that was waiting at the bus stop.

That was crazy to have three HS buses show up, but at least they were able to change it to Epcot.

the car design stations were open and they assigned us to two so we let each kid design one.

They should have opened the design stations a year ago. They are a lot of fun and a key component of the experience.

After perusing the Wyland tent we headed towards the Creation shop and a little shopping.

I like the new Creation shop but the name of the store doesn't really represent what the store is all about.

We all walked towards Mexico (after a potty stop) and found a huge line at the QS place outside of the pavillion.

This is one of our favorite QS places in Epcot. It would be nice if it was mobile order. It would be a lot easier.

 

[suse66]

I got my mug refill then headed to Geyser Point for sunrise. It was cloudy but the sunrise turned them pink for a minute.

Perfect pictures as always! I can't decide if I like the one of the outside of Roaring Forks or the sunrise one the most.

Jon and Brandy headed towards lunch, but we didn't want to skip the trail, and I'm glad we did it. It was pretty normal, until we got to the Gorillas, and we got to see one of them right up against the glass with her baby.

Love that!

We had a front row set to Disney’s new hot mess express. We’d heard about the show but it wasn’t really on our radar. It ended up being comical for how crazy it is.

It really is! We caught a bit of it standing by the railings outside. It was the Jungle Book show and I did really enjoy the music.

We left the room at 5:35 (Paul just told me this while he’s sitting next to me on the couch.) and hopped on a Disney Springs bus because those busses stop at the Contemporary first before heading to the Springs. It’s a good hack while the resort boats aren’t running, or, while it’s raining.

Good tip!

That's true. I got up at 5:45 and left the room just after 6AM. I got pictures in the lobby and down by Roaring Fork.

Perfect way to start the day!

The People Mover was perfect as usual.


After we got off we met back up with Jon and Brandy and then we got back in line because the People Mover is the best.

They wanted to ride it, and we were happy to do it again. After the ride we grabbed the cream cheese pretzels that Garrett from the fireworks cruise recommended.

Nothing better than the People Mover!

After our snack, which was devoured really quickly we decided to visit a classic. Allie voted on Carousel of Progress. Marshall didn’t remember it so it was a perfect new, old thing.

Love CoP so much!

I was super hesitant to go to Ft. Wilderness without the blue flag boats running and just the challenge of getting back to the lodge but it turned out to be one of my favorite nights of the trip. I didn’t think the trip could get better but it was about to.

Yay!

I discovered that they were open for walk ups, and for $55 we got to have a nice ride around Fort Wilderness in what turned out to be a brand new carriage. It had just been delivered, and we were the first to ride in it.

That's awesome! What a fun way to spend your evening!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Were the snacks in the member lounge the same as last time you had gone, or were there any changes to what was offered?

The snacks were slightly different, as there was less variety than before but you didn't have to wait for them to come around with them, since you got them from the same place as the drinks whenever you wanted. There were plain chips and animal cookies this time, but not the other chip flavors or better cookies from the past.

That was crazy to have three HS buses show up, but at least they were able to change it to Epcot.

It was a very strange transportation scheduling cluster, but they did work it out.

They should have opened the design stations a year ago. They are a lot of fun and a key component of the experience.

Yes, like the pre show for other attractions, they are part of what makes Disney attractions more than just a ride. We sure are glad the design stations are back.

I like the new Creation shop but the name of the store doesn't really represent what the store is all about.

We agree. It is way better than the temporary Mouse Gear location, but it is really tough to beat the Mouse Gear name for a good description of what is there. I still love the old "After Market" name as well, but I guess these things need to change perioodically.

This is one of our favorite QS places in Epcot. It would be nice if it was mobile order. It would be a lot easier.

Yes, mobile order would be nice, but it seems that have all the crowd they can handle now. The wait wasn't as bad as we expected based on the line, and the food was totally worth it.

Perfect pictures as always! I can't decide if I like the one of the outside of Roaring Forks or the sunrise one the most.

Aww thanks. We all have our favorites, and it is neat to not have to narrow it down to just one or two.

It really is! We caught a bit of it standing by the railings outside. It was the Jungle Book show and I did really enjoy the music.

It does have potential, I just have my doubts about the jet skis and kites lasting long. We will see.

Perfect way to start the day!

I love waking up at WL, and would much rather go out and take pictures than sleep in. It is my favorite time at my favorite resort.

Nothing better than the People Mover!

It is one of those rides that makes Florida unique now. They used to have it at DL, but took it out for a short lived "Rocket Rods" ride that was cool, but they couldn't keep it running. Now there's nothing in CA, so we fly cross country for our people mover fix.

That's awesome! What a fun way to spend your evening!

The carriage ride was great, and well worth the trip to FW and the $55. We have tried to get this for years, but without a reservation we never were lucky enough to do it before. We would definitely recommend making a reservation for this for anyone.

 

[rdkeim]

Last month we stayed in cabins at Ft. Wilderness. Our first night we made reservations for Whispering Canyon Cafe (2 boats to get there). Wish we would have known about the food trucks but by the time we saw them, it was too late to cancel our reservation. It would have been a much better option especially for the grandkids. My DH and I did the carriage ride one trip in Dec. It was great and fun to see all the campsites that were decorated for Christmas. Well worth the money!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Last month we stayed in cabins at Ft. Wilderness. Our first night we made reservations for Whispering Canyon Cafe (2 boats to get there). Wish we would have known about the food trucks but by the time we saw them, it was too late to cancel our reservation. It would have been a much better option especially for the grandkids. My DH and I did the carriage ride one trip in Dec. It was great and fun to see all the campsites that were decorated for Christmas. Well worth the money!

Yeah, we had no idea about the food trucks, but we would plan to visit them in the future on a night that they are there. Getting to go to WL and WCC is fun too though, even if it did take two boats. Hopefully the blue flag boats will be back soon to make it an easier trip.

I bet the carriage ride was awesome at Christmas. There were a ton of sites decorated in February, and I bet it was even more impressive in December. When we finally do a December trip a carriage ride will be on our must-reserve list.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

So we left off with lunch in Mexico, after we stuffed ourselves...


We headed towards The Seas. On the way we admired some more art.


Jon and Brandy headed out of the park, and we made our way back towards Figment to pick up the stroller, which we had left parked there.

Once we got there, we realized that we didn't have Marshall's jacket, and the pictures showed us we hadn't had it since we got on the bus in the morning.

His little shark puffer coat was gone… it was sad.

After we picked up the stroller we checked out the mosaic mural but we didn’t participate, I did pick up a bookmark though.


We made it to the Nemo ride, somehow we convinced Allison that she was not going to die on the ride and she rode it with me.


I distinctly remember that you traded her the bookmark for being willing to go on the Nemo ride and not complain about it.

Ah yes, she wanted the bookmark. Ya know bribery works.

After the not so scarry ride (at least for most of us), we checked out the aquarium for a while.




I love this part of the parks, the kids love it, it’s just relaxing to watch the fish swim by.

It is something I really remember from WDW as a kid, and our kids love it too. It is a lot like visiting Animal Kingdom, which was next on our agenda... We have never done this particular animal park hop" before, but today was the day. We left Nemo at 2:45 and walked towards the buses.



We got on an AK bus at 3:02, and it left at 3:04.

We shifted gears because we had a dinner reservation at one of our hands down favorite restaurants on property.

It wasn’t quite dinner time though so we killed time by doing something new that we hadn’t done in Florida before.

We had some time to kill while Jon and Brandy were on their way from WL, so we decided to experience It's Tough to be a Bug.


Allie mustve been having a day because she freaked out on us again.

I think it was residual from Nemo, and she released some pent up freak out because we made her have such a terrifying experience with this show. Actually she really hates "jump scares" and this just pushed her too far. She had a cry over it, and we moved on with our night.

As a consolation we went over to Dinoland. I was in the mood for some soft serve so I got a swirl cone. We all kinda shared it but it was mostly mine.


Ice cream was great for everybody, and I miss having soft serve at WL, so it was nice to finally get some. Then we took te kids over to the carnival games and bought them some plays.


Marshall won a dinosaur which he was super excited about.

That was thanks to your skillful choice of when to play and competing against ourselves, so we knew they'd get something.

Yeah it was quiet so he only had to beat me, but he did.

After that, he got to go play for a bit in the dig site, which we were glad to see had reopened since last year.


The kids love this and it’s a great way for them to decompress.

I sat on a bench outside though and did some decompressing of my own, catching up on email, work and such while resting my feets.


Allie and I followed Marshall up and over to the digging area, and we watched him dig for a bit before we had to head for dinner.


We met Jon and Brandy outside Yak and Yeti.


We were so excited for this dinner. Heck, I’m excited remembering this dinner.


Yes, this has become our longest running every trip must do meal, and we finally joined the Landrys club so we were seated more quickly. It worked well and we were called almost immediately to a table upstairs for the six of us.


The food and service as usual did not dissapoint. We ordered two orders of green beans for the table to start.

For entrees I got the ribs, Melissa got Korean Beef, Jon got the burger, and Brandy got his Rib Eye.


We all enjoyed our meals so much. The ribs are an old favorite for me, and they are unique and flavorful.


The Korean Beef is my go to if there’s nothing on the specials that intrigues me. It’s delish.


We all ordered dessert, I got Mango Pie just for me.


Marshall was super excited to have THE BEST dessert he’s ever had.

For those of you who remember last year's trip, Marshall again got his dessert of choice, a Blue Bunny ice cream sandwich in the bag.

I got the cream cheese wontons because they are my favorite.

Do you think it would blow his mind if we got some of them for home?

Probably. He does love them there.

Jon and brandy got a chocolate tart for dessert and it was quite pretty.


After we sufficiently stuffed ourselves we rolled out of the park and to the bus stops.

We got to the bus stop at 6:50, just as the bus was starting to load ECVs. We made it on with standing room only, but made it back to WL at 7:11.

It was a busy bus.


When we got back to WL the guys went to the bar, and we took the kids to the room. I went out for mug refills, and tried to get some pics of the MK fireworks show from in front of the lodge.

The fog didn't cooperate though, but it didn't stop me from trying.



The fog didn't cooperate though, but it didn't stop me from trying.

If at first you don't succeeed, keep trying...

Unfortunately the perfect shot never materialized, but I had fun anyway. Then I went back up to the room where we hung out for a while before bed and wound up on ShopDisney.com.

Oh yes, that was expensive.

We found a Noah print that I really liked and that they didn't have at Festival of the Arts, so I settled on a nice paper print for $40, and we got free shipping, which we would not have in the park...


Melissa and I were in bed by 10, with both kids showered. It was a nice early end to a great day.

Earlier than we’re going to bed tonight.

But tonight we bought no art, which is probably a good thing.

Next up MORE EPCOT, more art, and more food. Come back for more!