Sailormoon2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
We love TL too!! And we only ever do a morning there, becasue inevitably the rains move in. LOL!
The Florida Project! 12 Days @ WDW for our 10th Anniversary! UPDATED 9/23
- Thread starter AAshleySEG
- Start date
dmea10
Dmea10
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2016
I really enjoyed your report! I read the entire thing at work tonight. (we were pretty slow) I have 79 days until my next trip and I cannot wait. Reading trip reports helps the days go by faster
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
Love Typhoon Lagoon too! Although I have yet to make it over to Blizzard Beach.
I'm glad we aren't the only ones! Typhoon Lagoon is such a great water park! Blizzard Beach has some pretty cool themeing and definitely interesting with the chair-lift and things like that! We have been to BB a few times and it is a fun place to go, we just love Typhoon so much...haha!
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
We did actually get a decent amount of stuff done! For the price we we paid I definitely feel like we got our money's worth, had we paid the full admission price, not so sure, actually scratch that, yeah I think we did! I mean we didn't have to wait in hardly any lines at all, they were all super short, the only thing that had a line at all really was the newest attraction Miss Adventure Falls, but we expected it, and it still wasn't that bad. So with everything we did, I think we had a pretty good amount of time spent there.
We had only been to Artist Point one other time and that was on our 1st Anniversary...lol. It actually gets a lot of not so good reviews...one because it looks a little outdated, and 2 because it is pretty dark in there if you go once it is dark outside, but both times we have been it was excellent! I bet they have plans for it too because of all of the new stuff they are doing at Wilderness Lodge with the DVC villas and stuff, so it might actually get an overhaul pretty soon! Hopefully I will have a chance to get the AP part of the night up tomorrow morning!! That way you won't have to wait too long to read it...LOL!
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
Awesome!! Yep, that Florida rain! We have been very fortunate in the past with it not raining there, but we still love it, even though this time we did only get a half day! I remember one time we spent from open to close there, we got one of the premium seating things with lounge chairs and an umbrella, and took a nap in the middle of the day...haha! Spending a lot of time in the sun always makes us tired...haha! But that was such a good day, I think they raised the prices on that stuff though because when we did it I don't remember it being as expensive as it is now...lol!
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
I really enjoyed your report! I read the entire thing at work tonight. (we were pretty slow) I have 79 days until my next trip and I cannot wait. Reading trip reports helps the days go by faster
Thank you!! I am so glad you are enjoying the TR! Countdowns are always so much fun with all of the anticipation!! I love reading stuff before I go to, so I totally get it! It always makes me so much more excited for my trip!! Hopefully I will have you a little bit more to read here before you go!! Fall is my favorite time at Walt Disney World, so I am jealous!!
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
Wednesday, June 14, 2017 - Part Two - Cookies, Milk, and Sunsets
Our good friend Viviana was waiting for us at the host stand when we arrived at Artist Point. We all hugged and she seated us at our table which she considered the best in the restaurant. It was in the corner by the window, overlooking the resort, and we had to agree, it was an awesome table!
We chatted for quite a little while and then Andres our server came over to tell us about the menu. We hadn't been to Artist Point in about 8 years, and so we definitely needed a refresher, even though we read the menu online before we came...lol! We looked over a couple of the menus before he came over and we were still not sure what we wanted to have for dinner, but as soon as he said one of the specials was Copper River Salmon, we both knew exactly what we were going to get! To start off with we also ordered some Pacific Rim Sweet, wine and the cheese board. For our Anniversary which was in a few days, they brought us complementary glasses of champagne to toast with!
Originally our reservation was for here on our Anniversary, but Viviana wasn't going to be working that day and we definitely wanted to see her, it is why we came to this restaurant in particular. So we changed it to this day. She is so wonderful, one of the best Disney friends we have ever made, it is so great to be able to see her every time we come, and even follow her around to all the great restaurants. We first met her when she was the manager at Victoria and Albert's, and we have since gone to see her at Narcoossee's, and now at Artist Point. She commented on how my hair had gotten less purple over the trip, and it was definitely much more subtle now...
The cheese board was so good, I forgot to take a photos of it, but it was fantastic, we actually might have even liked it more than the cheese selections at Victoria and Albert's, which was definitely something! Dinner soon came out after and geez..if you like Salmon...you should try Copper River Salmon if you have not had it. It is only available at certain times of the year, but oh my goodness, when it is fresh, it is so delicious!!
After we finished our main courses, it was time for some dessert, and we were having trouble choosing between two, so we ended up getting both! We tried the Fruit Cobbler and the Almond Butter Cookies and Milk(shake). Both of these were really good...but the cookies...oh man...those cookies!!! I want some right now, they were so delicious!!!!
As we were finishing up everything the sky turned blue and the sun came out and we joked that it was because of the lucky rock that came out with the cheese board...basically it was a rock that held the cheese card, which told us all about the cheeses, and we kept the rock with us on the table the entire meal, so Andres called it our lucky rock! We were also given a chocolate ganache and a pate de fruit on a stick, which was always my favorite. These were made at the Ganachery at Disney Springs.
This complete meal made us the most full we have been the entire trip so far. We said goodbye to Vivana and headed back out the front of the resort to the car. When we walked outside, we saw one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ver seen was just over the trees. I took tons of photos and we just stood there and admired it with the greeter of the Wilderness Lodge.
We finally made it back to the car after admiring that for so long, we made it back to Grand Floridian and relaxed watching a little baseball before bed! It was a really good meal, and later one we found out that we had ordered the last of the Copper River Salmon, so no one else in the restaurant that night got to order that. The restaurant was pretty empty the majority of the time that we were there. Like I said, there have been lots of negative reviews of Artist Point, but we had a fantastic meal, and all of the cast members there are amazing! The bartenders and servers we met the other night in the Territory Lounge all remembered us and everyone was very welcoming! I would say, if you have not tried it...go for it! We had a great night!
Our good friend Viviana was waiting for us at the host stand when we arrived at Artist Point. We all hugged and she seated us at our table which she considered the best in the restaurant. It was in the corner by the window, overlooking the resort, and we had to agree, it was an awesome table!
We chatted for quite a little while and then Andres our server came over to tell us about the menu. We hadn't been to Artist Point in about 8 years, and so we definitely needed a refresher, even though we read the menu online before we came...lol! We looked over a couple of the menus before he came over and we were still not sure what we wanted to have for dinner, but as soon as he said one of the specials was Copper River Salmon, we both knew exactly what we were going to get! To start off with we also ordered some Pacific Rim Sweet, wine and the cheese board. For our Anniversary which was in a few days, they brought us complementary glasses of champagne to toast with!
Originally our reservation was for here on our Anniversary, but Viviana wasn't going to be working that day and we definitely wanted to see her, it is why we came to this restaurant in particular. So we changed it to this day. She is so wonderful, one of the best Disney friends we have ever made, it is so great to be able to see her every time we come, and even follow her around to all the great restaurants. We first met her when she was the manager at Victoria and Albert's, and we have since gone to see her at Narcoossee's, and now at Artist Point. She commented on how my hair had gotten less purple over the trip, and it was definitely much more subtle now...
The cheese board was so good, I forgot to take a photos of it, but it was fantastic, we actually might have even liked it more than the cheese selections at Victoria and Albert's, which was definitely something! Dinner soon came out after and geez..if you like Salmon...you should try Copper River Salmon if you have not had it. It is only available at certain times of the year, but oh my goodness, when it is fresh, it is so delicious!!
After we finished our main courses, it was time for some dessert, and we were having trouble choosing between two, so we ended up getting both! We tried the Fruit Cobbler and the Almond Butter Cookies and Milk(shake). Both of these were really good...but the cookies...oh man...those cookies!!! I want some right now, they were so delicious!!!!
As we were finishing up everything the sky turned blue and the sun came out and we joked that it was because of the lucky rock that came out with the cheese board...basically it was a rock that held the cheese card, which told us all about the cheeses, and we kept the rock with us on the table the entire meal, so Andres called it our lucky rock! We were also given a chocolate ganache and a pate de fruit on a stick, which was always my favorite. These were made at the Ganachery at Disney Springs.
This complete meal made us the most full we have been the entire trip so far. We said goodbye to Vivana and headed back out the front of the resort to the car. When we walked outside, we saw one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ver seen was just over the trees. I took tons of photos and we just stood there and admired it with the greeter of the Wilderness Lodge.
We finally made it back to the car after admiring that for so long, we made it back to Grand Floridian and relaxed watching a little baseball before bed! It was a really good meal, and later one we found out that we had ordered the last of the Copper River Salmon, so no one else in the restaurant that night got to order that. The restaurant was pretty empty the majority of the time that we were there. Like I said, there have been lots of negative reviews of Artist Point, but we had a fantastic meal, and all of the cast members there are amazing! The bartenders and servers we met the other night in the Territory Lounge all remembered us and everyone was very welcoming! I would say, if you have not tried it...go for it! We had a great night!
I haven't been to Typhoon Lagoon since the 90's. Disney did such a great job with their waterparks.
How sweet of Viviana to change her schedule so she could see you!
That meal looked fantastic and I love how the cookie and milk were served.
WL is on my bucket list. Such a beautiful resort!
How sweet of Viviana to change her schedule so she could see you!
That meal looked fantastic and I love how the cookie and milk were served.
WL is on my bucket list. Such a beautiful resort!
rdkeim
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
Your meal looks wonderful! I order salmon a lot so I'm sure I would have loved it. And those desserts - yum. The cookies and shake - what a cute presentation. I think you've convinced me to give it a try. We just love the WL so it would be an excuse to go for a visit. Right now we're booked at POFQ but if I get a discount code, I would consider switching to WL. The sunset - spectacular!
Teetah
I LOVE IT HERE SO MUCH!
- Joined
- May 17, 2013
Finally catching up! As usual, work has been nutso! And we are supposed to be slow in the summer...pshaw.
Mind sharing where you went? I am living vicariously through everyone else's vacations right now lol.
Wow - what a beautiful meal!!!! I definitely need to remember this! That salmon looks fantastic. I get fish when we eat out quite a bit since Tim isn't a huge fan - he likes crustaceans and some sushi, but not regular fish. However, as he gets older and has fresh fish prepared properly, he does like it more often than not now! I am hoping having fish in HI changes his mind permanently!
I am so glad you got to go there on your 10 year trip! So fun! And I like it when the hair colors fade a little - I am HOPING to get a little strand of light blue or lavender soon...have to ask at work, I guess. Bleh.
Catching up from your other posts - we need to make it to a water park down there! They always look so fun! We are skipping F&W this year (SADS) but if we go next year during September, we should do water parks during the day (since it always ends up so hot then too!) and F&W at night.
Love Epcot when it's empty! We have been in that position a couple of times, too - just awesome to be there like that. FYI if you ever do miss the bus - you can get an Uber!
Mind sharing where you went? I am living vicariously through everyone else's vacations right now lol.
Wednesday, June 14, 2017 - Part Two - Cookies, Milk, and Sunsets
Our good friend Viviana was waiting for us at the host stand when we arrived at Artist Point. We all hugged and she seated us at our table which she considered the best in the restaurant. It was in the corner by the window, overlooking the resort, and we had to agree, it was an awesome table!
We chatted for quite a little while and then Andres our server came over to tell us about the menu. We hadn't been to Artist Point in about 8 years, and so we definitely needed a refresher, even though we read the menu online before we came...lol! We looked over a couple of the menus before he came over and we were still not sure what we wanted to have for dinner, but as soon as he said one of the specials was Copper River Salmon, we both knew exactly what we were going to get! To start off with we also ordered some Pacific Rim Sweet, wine and the cheese board. For our Anniversary which was in a few days, they brought us complementary glasses of champagne to toast with!
Originally our reservation was for here on our Anniversary, but Viviana wasn't going to be working that day and we definitely wanted to see her, it is why we came to this restaurant in particular. So we changed it to this day. She is so wonderful, one of the best Disney friends we have ever made, it is so great to be able to see her every time we come, and even follow her around to all the great restaurants. We first met her when she was the manager at Victoria and Albert's, and we have since gone to see her at Narcoossee's, and now at Artist Point. She commented on how my hair had gotten less purple over the trip, and it was definitely much more subtle now...
The cheese board was so good, I forgot to take a photos of it, but it was fantastic, we actually might have even liked it more than the cheese selections at Victoria and Albert's, which was definitely something! Dinner soon came out after and geez..if you like Salmon...you should try Copper River Salmon if you have not had it. It is only available at certain times of the year, but oh my goodness, when it is fresh, it is so delicious!!
After we finished our main courses, it was time for some dessert, and we were having trouble choosing between two, so we ended up getting both! We tried the Fruit Cobbler and the Almond Butter Cookies and Milk(shake). Both of these were really good...but the cookies...oh man...those cookies!!! I want some right now, they were so delicious!!!!
As we were finishing up everything the sky turned blue and the sun came out and we joked that it was because of the lucky rock that came out with the cheese board...basically it was a rock that held the cheese card, which told us all about the cheeses, and we kept the rock with us on the table the entire meal, so Andres called it our lucky rock! We were also given a chocolate ganache and a pate de fruit on a stick, which was always my favorite. These were made at the Ganachery at Disney Springs.
This complete meal made us the most full we have been the entire trip so far. We said goodbye to Vivana and headed back out the front of the resort to the car. When we walked outside, we saw one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ver seen was just over the trees. I took tons of photos and we just stood there and admired it with the greeter of the Wilderness Lodge.
We finally made it back to the car after admiring that for so long, we made it back to Grand Floridian and relaxed watching a little baseball before bed! It was a really good meal, and later one we found out that we had ordered the last of the Copper River Salmon, so no one else in the restaurant that night got to order that. The restaurant was pretty empty the majority of the time that we were there. Like I said, there have been lots of negative reviews of Artist Point, but we had a fantastic meal, and all of the cast members there are amazing! The bartenders and servers we met the other night in the Territory Lounge all remembered us and everyone was very welcoming! I would say, if you have not tried it...go for it! We had a great night!
Wow - what a beautiful meal!!!! I definitely need to remember this! That salmon looks fantastic. I get fish when we eat out quite a bit since Tim isn't a huge fan - he likes crustaceans and some sushi, but not regular fish. However, as he gets older and has fresh fish prepared properly, he does like it more often than not now! I am hoping having fish in HI changes his mind permanently!
I am so glad you got to go there on your 10 year trip! So fun! And I like it when the hair colors fade a little - I am HOPING to get a little strand of light blue or lavender soon...have to ask at work, I guess. Bleh.
Catching up from your other posts - we need to make it to a water park down there! They always look so fun! We are skipping F&W this year (SADS) but if we go next year during September, we should do water parks during the day (since it always ends up so hot then too!) and F&W at night.
Love Epcot when it's empty! We have been in that position a couple of times, too - just awesome to be there like that. FYI if you ever do miss the bus - you can get an Uber!
Sailormoon2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
Incredible meal!! What a lovely evening!
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
They have added a few more things since then! Crush N Gusher is like our absolute favorite thing to do there, well other than the lazy river...haha!
Those cookies and milkshake were so good! It was such a simple sounding dessert for it to be as good as it was, and when it got delivered I loved how cute it was in the little bag and basket!
Yeah, it is a great bucket list resort, we definitely have it on our radar to go back to in the near future!
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
That meal was really great! All around, the restaurant didn't disappoint and I was worried because of everything I have heard about it lately, I'm really glad that it was so good! Wilderness Lodge is pretty great especially now with all of the updates and new places to go and see, the new villas, the new pool area, we can't wait to go back and see everything!! That sunset was such a surprise and pretty much the cherry on top of that great night!
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
Aww man, work can be a bummer, I know luckily Jeremy's schedule is pretty slow in the summer, it is the dark springs/falls we have to worry about!
This past weekend we went to Stone Mountain State Park, and then drove down a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains of NC. We wanted to get a break from the hot and the temp there was like in the 60's at night, so it was wonderful!!
Yeah, definitely having fish prepared the correct way, and the freshness of it make a HUGE difference to whether we like it or not...haha! I guess for us that goes with most things though, Jeremy used to only pretty much eat meat and potatoes...and now he will try almost anything, he has come a long way since I have been cooking for him and showing him how good a lot of different foods can be!!
I hope work says yes!! I think that would be awesome for you to get a strand of color!! It really is pretty fun, I still love the purple, I need get my hair a bit more blonde, like a platinum color before I put more in so I can get the perfect tint that I want...and then I am still contemplating doing silver/purple..both really light tones of course not violet or anything.
The water parks are a definite favorite of ours, we try to go to them any chance we get, and now with Volcano Bay open at Universal, we have another whole park we need to try out! I just saw a lot of the new food for this year at F&W and we are trying to figure out some way to go, we haven't been in what 2 or 3 years, I think 2014 was the last one we went to?? I don't know but I miss my Fall at Disney, it is just getting so dark busy at that time now, way more than it used to be back in the day!
Or now we might even be able to take one of those awesome Minnie Vans!! I think they are so adorable, and I think they are operated by Lyft, I think you may actually be able to request them through that..but anyway, they are pretty cool! Expensive for two people...but cool!
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
Last Trip Report I did a budget post so we could see how we did in relation to how much I budgeted for our trip. We got a lot of positive feedback on it, so I am going to do the same thing this time, only a tad differently. Instead of doing a budget post at the end of each post, I am going to do one for an entire day once I am finished with it. That way, with it being in a separate post, if someone wants to read it they can, and if not they can just skip over it!
Our total budget we have saved for this vacation is $3500.00 in the savings account, the day we left we transferred that to checking and kept all of our receipts along the way, we also tallied everything up for each day at the end. Anytime we would have additional cash from other sources we would add that to a vacation envelope and we also always toss all change into a jar and so the change was converted into cash too, we were thinking we would use the cash for anything not budgeted for, souvenirs, snacks, things of that nature, in total we ended up with $578.00 in our cash envelope to take with us! So the totals at the bottom represent how we are doing as far as budgeted vs actual, and then below that, the cash is what we have left of the original $578.00. If you have any questions about how we budgeted for the trip or anything, just let me know!
Wednesday, June 14, 2017 Budget
Our total budget we have saved for this vacation is $3500.00 in the savings account, the day we left we transferred that to checking and kept all of our receipts along the way, we also tallied everything up for each day at the end. Anytime we would have additional cash from other sources we would add that to a vacation envelope and we also always toss all change into a jar and so the change was converted into cash too, we were thinking we would use the cash for anything not budgeted for, souvenirs, snacks, things of that nature, in total we ended up with $578.00 in our cash envelope to take with us! So the totals at the bottom represent how we are doing as far as budgeted vs actual, and then below that, the cash is what we have left of the original $578.00. If you have any questions about how we budgeted for the trip or anything, just let me know!
Wednesday, June 14, 2017 Budget
Budgeted Amounts
Breakfast - $45 - Kona Cafe
Typhoon Lagoon Tickets $100
Lunch - $30 - Quick Service
Dinner - $150 - Artist Point
Total: $325.00
Breakfast - $45 - Kona Cafe
Typhoon Lagoon Tickets $100
Lunch - $30 - Quick Service
Dinner - $150 - Artist Point
Total: $325.00
Actual Spent
Breakfast McDonald's - $13.18
Typhoon Lagoon DVC Tickets - $95.86
Towels/Locker - $52.59
Lunch at Leaning Palms - $22.97
Dinner at Artist Point - $200.00
Total: $384.60
Typhoon Lagoon DVC Tickets - $95.86
Towels/Locker - $52.59
Lunch at Leaning Palms - $22.97
Dinner at Artist Point - $200.00
Total: $384.60
Budget Status
$59.60 Over For Today
(Accidentally Bought Towels/Locker with Debit instead of the Cash for Extras. We still would have been a tad over for this day, but it wouldn't have made a big dent or anything in the budget!)
$59.60 Over For Today
(Accidentally Bought Towels/Locker with Debit instead of the Cash for Extras. We still would have been a tad over for this day, but it wouldn't have made a big dent or anything in the budget!)
$235.46 Under Budget Overall 
($343.33) Remaining In Saved Up Cash for Extras
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
Hey everybody! Sorry it has taken a bit to get this next chapter up. My dad had a triple bypass and carotid artery surgery two days apart so we have been taking care of him and then Jeremy had to go out of town for meetings so a lot has been going on but I finally have a chance to get the next installment up on Eclipse Day...lol!
Thursday, June 15, 2017 - Miniature Golf Tournament - Part One
We woke up this morning early as our usual, even though we had no plans for early in the morning. We got ready and decided to head over to Disney Springs to have a little Starbucks for breakfast. We both ended up getting croissants and I had a Caramel Frap and Jeremy a Large Shaken Sweet Tea. Pretty much our order every time we go there. We ate our food by the new kiosk area while checking out all of the changes that had happened since the last time we were here. Next we drove over to the gas station by the Boardwalk to check our tires before heading to Fantasia Gardens for the first match of our Miniature Golf Tournament!
We arrived just before opening and there were already quite a few groups of people there. Yet another thing that was never busy and over the years more and more people are starting to find out about all of these great things to do on property that are usually not busy.
For our first course, we chose the most difficult of them all! The Fairways Course! It also had a shorter wait time than the Gardens Course so it was sort of a win-win for us! The weather was really great today, some of the nicest weather out of anytime we have ever played here too. We had one group ahead of us to wait for so they gave us our score sheet and got ready!
If you have never played the Fairways Course it is definitely our favorite out of all the Disney courses. It is laid out like a regular gold course in miniature size. There are "sand" traps, water hazards, and slopes just like a regular golf course would be, I think at one time it was rated by Golf Digest as the most challenging miniature gold course in the country? Not sure if it still is, but it definitely is pretty difficult, I think that is why we love it so much!
By the half way point the competition was heating up! So basically to give you guys an idea of how our tournament works it goes like this. There are 4 Courses at Walt Disney World. Fairways Course and Gardens Course at Fantasia Gardens, and then the Winter and Summer Courses over at Winter Summerland. We play all four courses and the lowest cumulative score at the end wins, it isn't based on how many matches we each win, only score, pretty much like a regular golf tournament, how may strokes under par overall we are at the end type of deal.
We were so close by the half way point, it looked like that might be a preview of how the entire competition would go! When we finally made it to the finish, for the first time ever Jeremy got to put his name on the leaderboard with the lowest score of the day! Granted, we were like some of the first people to play that day, but it was still pretty awesome!
So, final scores for Round One were Jeremy, 67, Andrea 71. Jeremy had a fantastic round and we couldn't wait to get to the next one. It had gotten really busy here by now and there was quite a long wait for the Gardens Course, so we decided that we would come back and try it again later and started making our way over to Winter Summerland to see if there was and/or how long of a wait there was there.
When we pulled into the parking lot there were only a few cars which was a really good sign! Winter Summerland is right next to and in the parking lot of Blizzard Beach Water Park, so as you get out of your car and walk along the path toward it, you can definitely smell the water park in the air!
Once we arrived at the desk we asked if there was a wait and there was only one for the summer course, so we decieded to do the winter and were able to go straight to the first hole! This course here is pretty cool too, as you would imagine its sort of santa/elf themed so the story goes...
'Late one Christmas Eve Santa was flying back to the North Pole and he discovered snow over Florida. After surveying the situation he decided to make an off duty vacation site for his off-duty elves, a Winter Summerland. Santa decided the only thing it was missing was a golf course. He split his elves into two camps, one that enjoyed the Florida Sun and the other which enjoyed the snow and cold of the North Pole. The camps built two distinctly different 18 Hole Golf Courses, a sand course named "Summer" and a snow course named "Winter".' Wikipedia
We were playing the Winter this time around, so everything is very snowy!
We grabbed our score card and were ready to get Round Two started!
Jeremy said it was night and day for me on this course. I sort of felt the rhythm and was hitting putt after putt! So many really cool holes here I love the snow castle hole, it is one of my absolute favorites!
This time by the halfway point I think I was 5 strokes ahead of Jeremy, maybe this time I could hold the lead or maybe even extend it to have a better position for the remaining two rounds!
We kept going for the next nine holes. Jeremy said once I pulled ahead I never looked back. The temperature has gotten quite a bit higher while we were here so we were getting pretty hot, sweaty and tired by the end of the second course. There were a lot more trees here blocking the breeze and it had definitely gotten more humid throughout the later morning. We each got a couple of hole in ones but in the end on this course, I had beaten him by 5 strokes! I was one stroke away from the best of the day score so no board for me, but I beat Jeremy so I was still pretty happy. I think the fact that I was now leading overall was icing on top of the cake!
Once we were finished with this round it was starting to get close to the time we were supposed to be at Afternoon Tea, so we hopped back in the car and headed back over to the Grand to freshen up before our reservation!
Thursday, June 15, 2017 - Miniature Golf Tournament - Part One
We woke up this morning early as our usual, even though we had no plans for early in the morning. We got ready and decided to head over to Disney Springs to have a little Starbucks for breakfast. We both ended up getting croissants and I had a Caramel Frap and Jeremy a Large Shaken Sweet Tea. Pretty much our order every time we go there. We ate our food by the new kiosk area while checking out all of the changes that had happened since the last time we were here. Next we drove over to the gas station by the Boardwalk to check our tires before heading to Fantasia Gardens for the first match of our Miniature Golf Tournament!
We arrived just before opening and there were already quite a few groups of people there. Yet another thing that was never busy and over the years more and more people are starting to find out about all of these great things to do on property that are usually not busy.
For our first course, we chose the most difficult of them all! The Fairways Course! It also had a shorter wait time than the Gardens Course so it was sort of a win-win for us! The weather was really great today, some of the nicest weather out of anytime we have ever played here too. We had one group ahead of us to wait for so they gave us our score sheet and got ready!
If you have never played the Fairways Course it is definitely our favorite out of all the Disney courses. It is laid out like a regular gold course in miniature size. There are "sand" traps, water hazards, and slopes just like a regular golf course would be, I think at one time it was rated by Golf Digest as the most challenging miniature gold course in the country? Not sure if it still is, but it definitely is pretty difficult, I think that is why we love it so much!
By the half way point the competition was heating up! So basically to give you guys an idea of how our tournament works it goes like this. There are 4 Courses at Walt Disney World. Fairways Course and Gardens Course at Fantasia Gardens, and then the Winter and Summer Courses over at Winter Summerland. We play all four courses and the lowest cumulative score at the end wins, it isn't based on how many matches we each win, only score, pretty much like a regular golf tournament, how may strokes under par overall we are at the end type of deal.
We were so close by the half way point, it looked like that might be a preview of how the entire competition would go! When we finally made it to the finish, for the first time ever Jeremy got to put his name on the leaderboard with the lowest score of the day! Granted, we were like some of the first people to play that day, but it was still pretty awesome!
So, final scores for Round One were Jeremy, 67, Andrea 71. Jeremy had a fantastic round and we couldn't wait to get to the next one. It had gotten really busy here by now and there was quite a long wait for the Gardens Course, so we decided that we would come back and try it again later and started making our way over to Winter Summerland to see if there was and/or how long of a wait there was there.
When we pulled into the parking lot there were only a few cars which was a really good sign! Winter Summerland is right next to and in the parking lot of Blizzard Beach Water Park, so as you get out of your car and walk along the path toward it, you can definitely smell the water park in the air!
Once we arrived at the desk we asked if there was a wait and there was only one for the summer course, so we decieded to do the winter and were able to go straight to the first hole! This course here is pretty cool too, as you would imagine its sort of santa/elf themed so the story goes...
'Late one Christmas Eve Santa was flying back to the North Pole and he discovered snow over Florida. After surveying the situation he decided to make an off duty vacation site for his off-duty elves, a Winter Summerland. Santa decided the only thing it was missing was a golf course. He split his elves into two camps, one that enjoyed the Florida Sun and the other which enjoyed the snow and cold of the North Pole. The camps built two distinctly different 18 Hole Golf Courses, a sand course named "Summer" and a snow course named "Winter".' Wikipedia
We were playing the Winter this time around, so everything is very snowy!
We grabbed our score card and were ready to get Round Two started!
Jeremy said it was night and day for me on this course. I sort of felt the rhythm and was hitting putt after putt! So many really cool holes here I love the snow castle hole, it is one of my absolute favorites!
This time by the halfway point I think I was 5 strokes ahead of Jeremy, maybe this time I could hold the lead or maybe even extend it to have a better position for the remaining two rounds!
We kept going for the next nine holes. Jeremy said once I pulled ahead I never looked back. The temperature has gotten quite a bit higher while we were here so we were getting pretty hot, sweaty and tired by the end of the second course. There were a lot more trees here blocking the breeze and it had definitely gotten more humid throughout the later morning. We each got a couple of hole in ones but in the end on this course, I had beaten him by 5 strokes! I was one stroke away from the best of the day score so no board for me, but I beat Jeremy so I was still pretty happy. I think the fact that I was now leading overall was icing on top of the cake!
Once we were finished with this round it was starting to get close to the time we were supposed to be at Afternoon Tea, so we hopped back in the car and headed back over to the Grand to freshen up before our reservation!
Sailormoon2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
I love mini golf!! I didn't realize there were 4 courses!! Are they all in the same area? Or did you drive from Fantasia over to Winter/Summer (sorry if specifically said it and I missed it!)
AAshleySEG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
We love mini-golf too!! Yes so four 18-hole courses. There are 2 courses at Fantasia Gardens (Fairways and Gardens) it is located behind the Swan and Dolphin Resorts, basically if you are taking Disney transportation you can go to Disney Springs and take the bus to those resorts and walk around to it, or any of the Boardwalk resorts really, those two are just the closest. The other two courses are at Winter Summerland (Winter and Summer), those are located out front of the Blizzard Beach Water Park, so if you are trying to get to those via Disney transport, you would need to take a bus to Blizzard Beach! We always have such a good time playing them, we try to play every time we go, we love them!
I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he is doing well now.
Our trips have never been long enough to take advantage of the miniature golf courses. I really wish we could go more often or have more days to do something like this.
Looking forward to hearing about Afternoon Tea! That's something I would love to do!
Our trips have never been long enough to take advantage of the miniature golf courses. I really wish we could go more often or have more days to do something like this.
Looking forward to hearing about Afternoon Tea! That's something I would love to do!
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