Ceci n'est pas une Trip Report

[wendinator 109]

I saw a plea for trip reports so I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring again. The title of this trip report was inspired by the Festival of Arts, and the fact that this won't be an exact play by play, just some highlights of my recent trip.

The trip started off with the threat of nasty weather for our drive from Toronto to Kissimmee.

We hit the road at 6:15 am. I don't know how we did it but somehow we managed to dodge that big blue blob and just ended up with some rain/snow around Beckley. My husband likes to drive and he'd often thought that he could do this drive in about 20 hours. We pulled into the condo parking lot at 1:30 am. 2160 km in 19 hours and 15 minutes (1342 miles). I didn't drive a single mile. What a nutcase he is!

After a good long sleep we set about on 192 for coffee, provisions, and a car wash. The weather this day was just gorgeous and was pretty much the nicest weather I saw the whole time. Around 4:00 we headed over to the most Magical Place on Earth™. We went to Wilderness Lodge and told the guy at the booth that we were going to Geyser Point for dinner. He said that parking at the resort was not allowed for Geyser Point, but that we could go ahead and park. What the Fort?

He was somewhat correct to be suspicious because after we parked, we wandered the main building a bit (I was scoping out potential places to work), and then hopped a boat to MK. When you arrive at MK you have to go through security, even if all you want to do is turn around and get on another boat, which is what we were doing. Fortunately there weren't a lot of people on the little boat so security didn't take long. We hopped another little boat over to the Poly, where my first stop was to get on the waiting list for Trader Sam's.

Since we had a bit of time to kill, what better way to kill it than with a Dole Whip? The spousal unit wanted one all to himself but I made him share one with me since I knew we had some more eating in our future. In less than an hour we got the notification to return and we enjoyed the theatrics that came with our Uh-Oa! I thought a Nautilus would be too big for two people so this was the compromise.

From Trader Sam's we headed back to Wilderness Lodge for some dinner at Geyser Point (so I wasn't *entirely* lying to the guy in the booth). Unfortunately there was some kind of football game on that people were very excited about so the place was packed. We managed to get two seats at the bar but it was really loud. One of the hazards of not following professional sports is not knowing these kinds of things are happening until it's too late. Anyway, I got the crab cake sandwich.

Spousal unit got the bison burger.

And that's the end of the first day. Thanks for following along.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Can't wait to read more!!!

[Tony 27]

I'm along for the ride, Thanks for sharing! I Love Geyser Point

[wendinator 109]

For a bit of context, last year I bought myself an AP before the October price increase went into effect. My husband joining me on this trip was something of a last minute decision as Disney isn't really his thing, but for some strange reason he likes spending time with me. This meant that during the time he was with me, I wouldn't be going to the parks. Monday night we headed over to Disney Springs to activate the AP and get some dinner. Guest Relations was quite busy - I think we waited almost an hour for my name to be called. But once I was seen it was a speedy process to get the pass activated.

I'd been meaning to check out Jock Lindsay's Hanger Bar but it's more of a bar than a food place, so we gave it a pass. Instead we went to Enzo's Hideaway without an ADR. There was a wait for a table, or we could sit at any of the high top tables in the bar area and order off the full menu. Not waiting seemed like a very good idea, so we grabbed an available high top. And waited. And waited. Nobody came around. Eventually I went to the bar and placed my order. The service was pretty bad so I think we would have been better off waiting for a real table rather than trying to have our meal at the bar.

Here's our drinks (Kraken Stormy on the left, and Scottish Connection on the right) along with the bread they brought.

We shared a caprese salad to start.

I got the chicken saltimboca.

Spouse got the penne rigate.

We felt the food was just OK and the price tag a little steep. It's probably not a place we'd return to.

After dinner we did a little bit of shopping. I couldn't resist adding another mug to my collection.

Tuesday's dinner was at one of my favorites...

I guess this kind of qualifies as Fort content, right?

Good, plentiful food, easy to get a table, plus an AP discount = happy Wendinator.

That coconut carrot salad stuff is so good!

On the way either to or from the Fort parking lot we spotted this Mercedes bicycle. My husband drives Mercedes for work, but with significantly more horsepower than a bike! He still made sure to send the picture to his co-workers.

Wednesday night's dinner was at another one of my favorite's - Jiko. We got to AKL early and wandered around. The African CMs working outside were not enjoying the cold weather.

There have been a couple of little changes since the last time I was at Jiko. They now start you off with a glass of cold Moroccan mint tea.

These were sweet potato buns with cinnamon butter. (And a hidden Mickey?)

We shared this appetizer. "Inguday Tibs in Brik. Mushroom, Spinach, Cheese in crispy Tunisian Filo, Apples, Curry Vinaigrette". They're kind of like a samosa. Our server recommended them and we quite enjoyed them.

I got the filet, which just melts in your mouth.

They're still doing the ridiculous bird nest configuration for the malva pudding, so my protest continues. Until they change it back to something more sensible, I order the Safari Sunset carrot cake.

The Grand Marnier truffles with the bill help the medicine go down.

The end of Wednesday seems like a good place to break.

[Travisma 1,317]

Great start and some fantastic pictures.

I think they might be cracking down on resort parking now, since you can easily bypass the parking lot ticket booth and drive straight to the resorts.

I'm guessing more people are trying to save some $$ on parking by going to a hotel and saying they want to eat.

[wendinator 109]

My parents are snowbirds and spend January & February in Sarasota, so they drove over on Thursday to pick us up and go for afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. There haven't been a lot of changes to this since the last time I went for tea.

The most important thing is that the apricot jam is finally gone and they've returned to strawberry. Thank cod! This was a rather paltry amount of clotted cream but our server was happy to bring more in small ramekin.

The only other thing I thought was new is that I was able to get an AP discount here. I swear they haven't offered that before.

We had a lovely time visiting with my parents and before you knew it they dropped us off back at the condo for their trek back to Sarasota. I contemplated going back again for tea later in my stay... but didn't. I'll be back this summer with my nephews.

The food looks small and dainty but it's deceptively filling, so we had a late dinner that night back at Disney Springs at Blaze Pizza. This was only my second time there but it turns out my opinion is the same... What a ZOO! It's loud and crazy and I think I'm just too old for that kind of chaos with my food. Which seems like a silly thing to say considering it's Disney and almost every place is loud and chaotic.

After dinner we did a bit more browsing. They have some new Disney Snack themed items. I thought these plates were really cute.

Friday morning I drove my husband to the airport for his flight back home since he had to leave the next day for a work trip. I'd picked up a SunPass earlier in the week so that made the trip to/from the airport a speedy affair.

It was a nice day.

Excellent view.

I wandered around a bit. I'd heard a nasty rumor that the party line phone in Le Chapeau was gone, so I made a point to check it out. Nope! Still there!

I was pleased to see the return of the cream cheese pretzel at the Lunching Pad! The salted caramel pretzel just wasn't my thing.

It was a beautiful day! This is 77°F for the metric-challenged.

It was so nice to see things in bloom compared to the gray skies and leafless trees at home.

In the afternoon I headed over to Storybook Treats to try the new Peter Pan float.

The red chocolate feather doesn't really taste like anything, but I liked the sweet/tart of the lime soft serve and Sprite. Would be especially refreshing on a warmer day. Thumbs up to this one.

I'd also heard a rumor that the Sword in the Stone ceremony was gone. I walked past the stone itself and saw it was under wraps. I assume that's to prevent people from damaging it?

The back side of water!

The Haunted Mansion was struggling a bit. I got stopped 3 times.

I'm beginning to think they'll never get that key!

Gotta love mobile order.

 

That was the end of Friday. I left either before or during the fireworks. Tomorrow will be more interesting, I promise!

[Travisma 1,317]

2 minutes ago, wendinator said:

My parents are snowbirds and spend January & February in Sarasota, so they drove over on Thursday to pick us up and go for afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. There haven't been a lot of changes to this since the last time I went for tea.

The most important thing is that the apricot jam is finally gone and they've returned to strawberry. Thank cod! This was a rather paltry amount of clotted cream but our server was happy to bring more in small ramekin.

The only other thing I thought was new is that I was able to get an AP discount here. I swear they haven't offered that before.

We had a lovely time visiting with my parents and before you knew it they dropped us off back at the condo for their trek back to Sarasota. I contemplated going back again for tea later in my stay... but didn't. I'll be back this summer with my nephews.

The food looks small and dainty but it's deceptively filling, so we had a late dinner that night back at Disney Springs at Blaze Pizza. This was only my second time there but it turns out my opinion is the same... What a ZOO! It's loud and crazy and I think I'm just too old for that kind of chaos with my food. Which seems like a silly thing to say considering it's Disney and almost every place is loud and chaotic.

After dinner we did a bit more browsing. They have some new Disney Snack themed items. I thought these plates were really cute.

Friday morning I drove my husband to the airport for his flight back home since he had to leave the next day for a work trip. I'd picked up a SunPass earlier in the week so that made the trip to/from the airport a speedy affair. Here was my commute to my daytime obligation...

It was a nice day at the office.

Excellent view from the cafeteria!

I wandered around a bit on my lunch break. I'd heard a nasty rumor that the party line phone in Le Chapeau was gone, so I made a point to check it out. Nope! Still there!

I was pleased to see the return of the cream cheese pretzel at the Lunching Pad! The salted caramel pretzel just wasn't my thing.

It was a beautiful day! This is 77°F for the metric-challenged.

It was so nice to see things in bloom compared to the gray skies and leafless trees at home.

For my afternoon break I headed over to Storybook Treats to try the new Peter Pan float.

T

The red chocolate feather doesn't really taste like anything, but I liked the sweet/tart of the lime soft serve and Sprite. Would be especially refreshing on a warmer day. Thumbs up to this one.

I'd also heard a rumor that the Sword in the Stone ceremony was gone. I walked past the stone itself and saw it was under wraps. I assume that's to prevent people from damaging it?

It turned out to be a slow Friday afternoon at the office so I begged off a bit early to enjoy some more of the local sights. Like the back side of water!

The Haunted Mansion was struggling a bit. I got stopped 3 times.

I'm beginning to think they'll never get that key!

Gotta love mobile order.

 

That was the end of Friday. I left either before or during the fireworks. Tomorrow will be more interesting, I promise!

We ate at Blaze.  The small pizzas were surprisingly filling.

It was loud inside, but we scored a seat outside in a corner overlooking some water.

I thought it was dumb how the doors going outside opened inward, hard to negotiate with full hands.  But when we were leaving, I found another door that did open outwards.

[slices 16]

Great photos, I've been meaning to look into the afternoon tea at the Grand Florida. Really want to now, I think my Grandma had that tea set.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I’m in!

theres no way my DW would let me drive 19+ hours straight  she’s good for about 4-5 hours max.  

im not seeing the pix.  I’m on my iPhone. I’ll have to check my laptop tomorrow and see if the pix are available on it. 

[wendinator 109]

16 hours ago, slices said:

Great photos, I've been meaning to look into the afternoon tea at the Grand Florida. Really want to now, I think my Grandma had that tea set.

I go pretty much any time I'm at Disney. You can see my previous tea photos here: 

 

[Seals 111]

I can only see 3 pictures in your report -- the pipe and the two snack plates. Weird. 

[wendinator 109]

2 minutes ago, Seals said:

I can only see 3 pictures in your report -- the pipe and the two snack plates. Weird. 

Well that's interesting... The three you can see are hosted in different places than all the rest.

Is everybody having trouble with the pictures? I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this, and rehosting the pictures would be a pretty big pain. 

[jayco1 15]

13 minutes ago, wendinator said:

Well that's interesting... The three you can see are hosted in different places than all the rest.

Is everybody having trouble with the pictures? I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this, and rehosting the pictures would be a pretty big pain. 

 

13 minutes ago, wendinator said:

Well that's interesting... The three you can see are hosted in different places than all the rest.

Is everybody having trouble with the pictures? I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this, and rehosting the pictures would be a pretty big pain. 

 

Probably my lack of IT skills but I also only see 3 pix.

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

I only see 3 pics too. I've tried 2 different phones and 2 browsers on my desktop

[wendinator 109]

Yep, I see the problem. There's no quick fix... Let me contemplate my options here and see if there's a least painful option. Ugh.

[wendinator 109]

OK... New and improved! Now with 100% more pictures! Give it a refresh and pictures should magically appear.

[Travisma 1,317]

1 hour ago, wendinator said:

Yep, I see the problem. There's no quick fix... Let me contemplate my options here and see if there's a least painful option. Ugh.

I had seen all of the pictures earlier, now all I see is the pipe, but that might just be this work PC blocking the images from sharing sites.

[wendinator 109]

Just now, Travisma said:

I had seen all of the pictures earlier, now all I see is the pipe, but that might just be this work PC blocking the images from sharing sites.

Oh jeez. So now I've made it worse?

I'm beginning to see why people don't do trip reports anymore... 

[dblr....Rennie 224]

At first I could only see the pipe but now I see all the pictures and by the way they are wonderful!!!!!!

[Tony 27]

I haven't had a problem since you've started

[jayco1 15]

2 hours ago, jayco1 said:

 

 

Probably my lack of IT skills but I also only see 3 pix.

Perfect Now !!

[Ivy 36]

I am seeing all the pictures,and am enjoying your report! Thanks for sharing!

 

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Great TR. I’m enjoying reading it and the great pictures.  

[ThemeParkCommando 81]

I can see them all now, too.  I figured the reason I didn't see them before was because I didn't have an i-anything.

 

[Seals 111]

Yay! I can see all the photos now. (I was using a desktop both when I couldn't and now that I can see them).   But Boooo because now I'm soooo hungry.  And wishing I could spend my lunch breaks wandering around Disney.  So are you going to drive 19+ hours straight through to go home? That's crazy.