Tag Archives: Disney World Trip Report

WDW Trip Recap – January 2020

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This particular Disney vacation’s going to stand out in my memory for a number of reasons…all of them great! Our first Dopey Challenge, nearly perfect park-touring weather, new experiences, old favorites – lots to love! I’ll provide tons of details on specific experiences in later posts. Today I want to share the highlights.

WDW Trip Recap – January 2020

First, let me remind you of the reason for this trip – The Dopey Challenge. After The Fam completed the Natchez Trace Ride early last May, Joseph and I started training for Dopey. Having completed several other runDisney challenges, we knew we’d have to plan early dinners and skip evening activities in favor of sleep. I booked dining reservations and FastPasses accordingly.

The Planning Paid Off!

In a nutshell, the Dopey Challenge was a fantastic experience! Worth every bit of effort; we could not have been happier with every magical mile. Unfortunately, the weather for Sunday’s marathon was incredibly warm (especially for January) and made that one event extra difficult. We felt mostly well-rested each morning and still managed to have a great time in the parks.

Dining Pros and Cons

Boy, did we put our Tables in Wonderland card to good use! We may have eaten dinner unusually early every day, but we went all out! Morimoto Asia (Disney Springs), The Wave (Disney’s Contemporary Resort), Il Mulino (Disney’s Swan), Citricos (Disney’s Grand Floridian), California Grill (Contemporary Resort), and Shula’s Steakhouse (Disney’s Dolphin) – all delicious with wonderful service. More details later, but I have to admit…even at 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening, we were often too tired by then (having had to wake up between 2:30 and 3:15 am each morning) to do justice to our excellent meals. Our lunch ADRs at Skipper Canteen (Magic Kingdom), Kona Cafe (Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort), and Yak & Yeti (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) were all outstanding – probably because we were not as tired at lunchtime and extra hungry after all the running.

When We Weren’t Running or Eating…

We used the “keep moving” school of thought. Some runners chose to stay off their feet between races, we opted for park-touring in moderation so our muscles would have less time to stiffen up. We enjoyed plenty of attractions, snacks and beverages. We hung out at Jock Lindsey’s (Disney Springs), the lounge in The Wave (Contemporary) and Enchanted Rose (Grand Floridian) between park touring and dinner reservations. We may have had to turn in early and, in spite of Joseph and I having to cover those 48.6 Dopey miles, we still felt like we were truly enjoying a Disney vacation.

Sure, the weather on Sunday during the marathon felt like we were 7-inches from the sun, but the rest of the time that warm weather was amazing! The sky was unbelievably blue and it made for some beautiful pictures.

Finally, let me mention that we had one day where riding Rise of the Resistance would be possible and we were able to make it happen. Come back tomorrow for the entire (spoiler-free) story, but let me just say…HOLY MOLY! Even if you’re only passingly familiar with Star Wars, this experience is not to be missed! Try it at least one time and tell me it’s not one of Disney’s most unique and special experiences.

If you have any questions about the Dopey Challenge, our touring or dining plans, or anything else, ask away. I still have so much to share about this amazing trip! Please stop by again soon…Lisa

Disney Summer Road Trip Recap

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The Epic Mother/Daughter Disney Summer Road Trip has come and gone.  800 miles to Walt Disney World for four park days and home again.  Did we have a good time?  Oh, you bet we did!  After all the planning and anticipation, we couldn’t have asked for more.

Disney Summer Road Trip Recap

We shared our plans in this post a few weeks ago.  When we hit the road at 8:00 am sharp on June 24th we were excited about our girls-only adventure.  We had our favorite Newk’s chicken salad sandwiches and plenty of drinks in the cooler.  Those snacks I’d bought at the Japan Pavilion back in April were within easy reach in the car.  We had a new podcast recommended by my friend Kelly about Unsolved Murders queued up in iTunes.  Suitcases, rain gear, GPS directions…we were ready!

The weather was great for the drive down.  In Mississippi we saw Lightening McQueen and Mater by the side of the road!  We thought this was both hilarious and appropriate so we stopped for a picture.  After that, it felt like we were on The Autobahn!  Nobody in Mississippi or Alabama seemed to care about the speed limit at all and we had to go kinda fast to keep up with the crowd.  We never once saw any troopers or other law enforcement watching for speeders…vastly different than in Louisiana.

I figured 9-10 hours of shared driving would be the maximum we could handle on day one.  I’d booked a room at the Hampton Inn in Lake City, Florida for Saturday night.  We could get a good night’s rest and tackle the last 2 1/2 hours of the drive on Sunday morning.  Everything went exactly according to plan.  I’d had a recommendation from someone on a Facebook forum to stop in Tallahassee for ice cream at Lofty Pursuits.  We cheered ourselves on by looking forward to stopping there for an afternoon snack and were delighted with the restaurant’s huge menu and quirky décor.  Guinness ice cream is a thing and it is spectacular.  I had warm chocolate ganache on mine, Megan had hers in a cone.

Our room at the Hampton Inn was perfect with super comfortable beds.  After polishing off the last of our sandwiches, we sipped wine and watched a couple of episodes of Outlander before turning in.  Hey, girl trip means we get to do girly stuff.  The next morning’s drive was a breeze and before long we’d arrived at Saratoga Springs.  Our studio was great and very close to a bus stop.  Full review coming soon.

As per our plans, we spent Sunday afternoon and evening in Magic Kingdom with a quick dinner break at the Wilderness Lodge’s new Geyser Point Bar and Grill.  We capped off the day with Happily Ever After and loved it!

Monday was my favorite day of the trip.  We left Saratoga Springs at 6:30 am and didn’t get back until 11:00 pm.  We spent all that time in Animal Kingdom and had a blast!  I’ll write individual posts with more details about Pandora and the Caring for Giants tour, but those were both amazing.  We had FastPasses only for the Na’vi River Journey in Pandora that day with a FastPass to experience Flight of Passage booked for the next morning.  You cannot get FastPasses for both on the same day.

We watched the wait time for Flight of Passage throughout the day and it quickly became 250 minutes before declining during the afternoon hours.  After Caring for Giants, we decided that if the wait time got below 100 minutes between then and our Rivers of Light FastPass, we’d wait in the standby line so we could ride Flight of Passage twice on this trip.  Normally, we will not wait longer than 30-40 minutes for anything except our most favorite attractions and only then if absolutely necessary.  While we were enjoying our Flame Tree Barbeque dinner, Flight of Passage’s wait got to 90 minutes and we had just enough time to do it.  I’ll tell you all about in another post soon, but we were so happy we got in that long line!!!

Tuesday we split between Animal Kingdom and Epcot.  We got to eat lunch at La Cantina de San Angel in the Mexico Pavilion which we hardly ever get to do because we’re the only ones in our family who love Mexican food.  It rained quite a bit that afternoon, but we were prepared.  We rode out the worst of the storm listening to Voices of Liberty in The American Adventure rotunda.  They are so talented and put on a wonderful show!  Once the rain let up a little, we made our way back to Saratoga Springs and then on to our dinner at Paddlefish in Disney Springs that night.

Wednesday we split the day between Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot.  The weather was gorgeous and the Studios didn’t feel as crowded as usual.  We did all our favorite attractions, saw all the characters in the Star Wars Launch Bay, and had time to enjoy a cold beer before we headed to Epcot.  By 4:30, it was time to get back to our already-packed car at Saratoga Springs and head back to the Hampton Inn in Lake City for the night.

The drive home on Thursday was a lot more challenging than on the way down.  We left extra early since we’d seen a sign outside of Lofty Pursuits that they were now serving breakfast.  Strawberry pancakes and coffee…delicious and just the fortification we needed.  We’d been averaging 5 hours of sleep a night since Sunday and were exhausted.  We drove through what felt like a monsoon for hours along the Florida panhandle.  After we got through Mobile, things got better and we made it home safe and sound with lots of souvenirs for Raymond, Joseph, Grant, and Lyndsey.

Success!  We had an excellent trip and accomplished all we’d set out to do.  Plus, we now know about literally dozens of unsolved murders around the world.  Megan and I took on the challenge of a 1600 mile drive to have a mother/daughter adventure.  We rarely get much alone time these days, so having each other’s complete and undivided attention while enjoying our favorite vacation destination was like a dream come true.  And we’d do it again!

 

 

2017 Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend in Review

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Last weekend’s trip to Walt Disney World was brief but packed with fun.  I’ve got so much to tell you, I thought I’d start with this post full of my impressions of the best and not-so-great aspects of our visit.  I’ll follow up with posts on the Star Wars 10K and half marathon and a restaurant review or two.  Here’s the scoop…

2017 Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend in Review

We arrived mid-day Friday.  Our plan was to get to the Grand Floridian (stayed at the DVC Villas), drop off our luggage, grab a bite at the Gasparilla Island Grill (underrated quick-service), then rush over to Wide World Of Sports so Joseph and I could pick up our race packets for the Dark Side Challenge.  This part went off without a hitch.  I was very excited to see Richard (famous greeter at the Grand Floridian) looking well.  If you seen him, say hello and he’ll say, “Welcome to the Grand!”  I love that he’s in his 90’s and still enjoying his job so much.

We wanted to spend a few minutes shopping at the Expo if possible and, thanks to the event buses running often, mission accomplished!  I’d booked Magic Kingdom FastPasses starting at 4:30 (or thereabouts) for Seven Dwarfs, Big Thunder, and Space Mountain and we arrived in plenty of time!  We even managed to squeeze in Pirates and PeopleMover as well.  Dinner was at Narcoossee’s and the 8:30 dining time was my first error of this trip.  WAY too late to eat before having to get up at 3:15 a.m. the next day.

Before dinner, we managed a quick glass of wine in Mizner’s Lounge.  Joseph had never heard the Lobby Society Orchestra play before and they sounded especially great that evening.  We were wishing we’d had more time to relax and enjoy the music.  On the way to Narcoossee’s, we spotted a rather large dark-colored snake on the sidewalk.  As I’ve mentioned before (here), Joseph has an affinity for reptiles.  I wanted to take the snake’s picture, Joseph wanted to pick it up!  Raymond and I, at the exact same time, realized what was about to happen and quietly said, “Don’t do it!” just about the time the snake decided to slither off into the bushes.  I did mention to the hostess that some guests might be alarmed if Mr. Snake decided to move back onto the warmth of the walkway.

Dinner was excellent as was our view of Wishes during our meal.  As we headed to our room to catch what sleep we could, we noticed and Cast Member and a gentleman in a suit holding a flashlight searching for the snake – or at least making sure it stayed off the sidewalk.  Our room (studio #1428) was the biggest disappointment of our stay.  There was no split bathroom, just a plain bathroom with a tub/shower combo.We didn’t even know such a room type existed!  Made getting ready take much longer for the three of us as we are a decidedly anti-bathroom-sharing people.  The room overall was lovely, but felt like a plain hotel room.  If you’ve seen DVC studios at Disney’s Polynesian Village or Bay Lake Tower, you can appreciate how disappointed we were.  There’s a split bathroom at the Poly and Bay Lake Tower’s kitchenette is so large, there’s extra room (with a counter and mirror) for getting ready.

Watch for a full report on the Star Wars 10K in the next few days.  Let me jump straight to our post-race activities…

At 180-days out, I’d booked a reservation for lunch at Beaches & Cream (Beach Club) and then cancelled it the day before we left home.  I should not have done that.  The recently opened Polite Pig in Disney Springs seemed just our type of place and we all wanted to try it.  Arriving at Disney Springs around 10:00 a.m., we had about an hour to shop before the restaurant opened and we were among the first in the door.  The atmosphere is neat and the employees were perfectly polite.  But, in spite of our love for barbecue and smoked meats, we were (all of us) disappointed in our food.  Such unanimous agreement is practically unheard of!  I ended up feeling sorry we didn’t get to try Beaches & Cream.  Next time we visit the Polite Pig, it’ll be for the bar instead of the food – our beers were very delicious and their drink menu is vast.

After lunch we were off to Epcot for the Disney Exchange Podcast Meet-up!  Nick, Dave, and I, (and our families) were excited to see friends of the show and spent an hour visiting and laughing a LOT!  We felt very humbled and special to have listeners willing to interrupt their Disney vacation to spend time with us.  Thanks especially to “Aunt Sandy”, Dave J., Victoria, Olivia, Linda, and Phillip (a.k.a. Duke).  After the meet-up, Raymond, Joseph and I headed off to use our FastPasses.

Frozen was down, so we used our first FastPass for Soarin’ followed by Spaceship Earth (we got stuck for a couple of minutes by the garlic hat guy and it was great!).  Our last FastPass went unused (Nemo) when we realized how nice it would be to go back to our room for a few minutes before dinner at Il Mulino – our now-traditional-pre-half-marathon-go-to restaurant.  If you are not on the Disney Dining Plan, I urge you to give some of the Swan and Dolphin’s restaurants a try!  This was our fourth visit to Il Mulino and our experiences have all been consistently excellent.

Immediately after dinner, we got back to our room as quickly as possible and were out as soon as our heads hit the pillows!

Sunday morning, there was that little matter of the Star Wars Half Marathon.  (Full review soon.)  Raymond was waiting for Joseph and me when we finished the race and the three of us, along with Dave and his wife, Anne, enjoyed a few minutes of the post-race party before getting on with the rest of our day.  Animal Kingdom was on the agenda and by the time we got there, a bad case of “hangry” had struck so we decided to grab some small plates at the Nomad Lounge.And ended up staying for three hours once Nick and Dave (and their wives and friends) found out where we were and joined us.  If you haven’t been to Nomad Lounge, go!  It’s about as perfect a place to relax as exists on Disney property.  The beverage selection is great, the food is yummy, and the atmosphere is tranquil.  Unbelievably, we left Nomad Lounge and spent a few more minutes together at the Dawa Bar.

Eventually we needed to excuse ourselves in favor of FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest.  We strolled along the Gorilla Falls Trail between attractions and then caught a bus for Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village section for dinner at Sanaa.  We were early and spent time out on the savannah overlook sitting in rocking chairs and enjoying the lovely weather.  Sanaa’s manager was kind enough to find us a table about 30 minutes before our reservation and we were delighted to introduce Joseph to the restaurant’s famous bread service.

To wrap up the day, we met our Disney Exchange friends back at Animal Kingdom for Rivers of Light.  It was our first time to see it and typically, Raymond, Joseph and I had completely differing opinions about this new show (more on that at a later date).  By this time, even with all the rest and relaxation, the trackers on our Fitbits had passed 20 miles for the day.  It was time to turn in so we had enough energy to squeeze in a last little bit of Disney in the morning.

We were awake and busy packing by 6:15 a.m.  We had breakfast scheduled at Kona Café (another tradition) followed by one last FastPass in Magic Kingdom for Space Mountain at 9:20.  Our ride to the airport was scheduled to pick us up at 11:00 a.m.  Dave met us in Magic Kingdom and we had time for a last ride around Tomorrowland on the PeopleMover before blasting off into Space.  It was time to go.  One last bit of pixie dust found us as we went back to our room for our luggage – Cinderella’s horses, carriage and footmen were on the path around our building and we got to see them up close as they passed by.  Then we found ourselves leaving Walt Disney World behind to get home for some much needed rest!

For a very short 72 hours, we had an amazing (exhausting) time!  Joseph completed his first runDisney events.  Nick, Dave and I managed (finally!) to have our first podcast meet-up.  Family, friends, and LOTS of Disney magic all around…we could not have asked for a better time.

Magical Memory Monday – Disney Touring ’til We Drop!

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It was Spring, 2005.  Megan was 14 and Joseph nearly 10 – Our Disney World touring plans were simple: Do as much as possible everyday for the five days we’d be there.  We’d hit the ground running and go, go, go for 15 or more hours straight.IMG_2021

Magical Memory Monday – Disney Touring ’til We Drop!

We began in Magic Kingdom, I remember that well because we wanted Space Mountain to be our first and last ride of  the trip.  We were staying at the Contemporary for the first time and were in a garden wing which was a huge splurge for us.  We felt like the luckiest family in the World.IMG_2011

Looking back, I can still recall exactly the excitement of the attractions and the fun we had trying new restaurants and other experiences.  We’d mastered the art of taking turns at being  the runner for getting paper FastPasses and we all felt like the amount of things we saw and did each day was tremendous.  As was, and still is, a much beloved vacation tradition, we paused every evening long enough to enjoy a nice dinner in a table service restaurant where we’d talk about the wonders we’d enjoyed that day and what we were looking forward to for the next.IMG_2069

For the very last day of the trip, we’d made a reservation at the California Grill.  We spent the day at Magic Kingdom and before we walked back to our room to change for dinner, we grabbed some FastPasses for Space Mountain.  The timing couldn’t have been better.  We’d be able to enjoy our nice dinner and have plenty of time to go back to Magic Kingdom and finish our vacation exactly the way we’d planned.RM-Space-Mountain-Sign

California Grill was great!  We were seated near the window and had a wonderful time enjoying the delicious food and wonderful view.  About halfway through our entrees, I noticed our little group had gotten very quiet.  I glanced around the table.  Raymond and Megan were happily eating, but Joseph, who’d leaned his head back onto the window, was sound asleep.  I called to him softly by the nickname I’d given him when he was born, “Sonny?”  Without opening his eyes, he replied, “Ma’am?”  I asked, “We’ve still got our FastPasses for Space Mountain, are you going to be up for that?”  His eyes were still closed, but his answer was firm, “Yes, ma’am.”RM-California-Grill-View

And when dinner was over, he perked right up and we did indeed make our way back to Space Mountain.  Five days of non-stop park touring had certainly worn us out, but we wouldn’t have changed a single moment.  Our family vacation motto was born…We’ll rest when we’re dead.

What’s your favorite Walt Disney World park touring memory?