Thursday, April 14, 2022- Disney Resort Hopping- Continued (...sort of)

      We checked out of the hotel a day early.  We didn’t like our roommates- the roaches.  Scott had several confirmed kills and several more got away.  Not gonna lie- we weren’t really happy sharing space with these little friends.  We know that bugs are part of life in Florida, but somehow, we don’t think that this would have happened at a Disney Resort (and if it did, someone would come to fix the problem, and probably smile as they did it). It was cheap enough that even though we paid for four nights, we were still able to leave after three.  We had to grin and bear it while we were here.  We did take precautions to shake out our clothes as we repacked.  (Don’t worry, Emma. your desserts were kept isolated and roach free and are safe and sterile with ice in the cooler.)  This place will always be known kin our memories as the “Roach Motel”- Roaches check in, but we check out.

      We had such a nice time eating a Disney breakfast outdoors yesterday that we decided to do it again.  This time we headed towards the Disney resort called Disney's Port Orleans Resort- French Quarter.  This resort is themed on New Orleans and Mardi Gras.  The pool here, for example, has a giant statue of Neptune riding a sea serpent (which is also a waterslide), like you might see in a Mardi Gras parade.  The three-story buildings with the rooms all have the iron railings and look of some of the buildings in the French Quarter. .Julie had tried to get us to stay here last time, but it was closed because of COVID when we made our reservations.  We had never seen it before, and we decided to try breakfast here.  We were not disappointed.  

     The lobby is small, but looks New Orleans-ish.  It may not have the "wow factor" of the Wilderness Lodge, but it is cute and it has the Disney smell that we've commented on several times while we were touring this week.  (We don't know what the smell is from, but it's quite distinct.)  Like yesterday, we found the quick service restaurant, this time called the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory.  Julie got us breakfasts of eggs, fruit, Mickey waffles and other breakfasty good stuff.  We sat outside, where it was in the low 70s and wonderfully pleasant.  We talked to Anna she said it was snowing and hailing in Buffalo.  We told her to wish Noah a happy birthday from us.  And Julie also got a King's Cake and a macaron to take home for Emma.

     After breakfast, Abby practically ran to the nearby playground and ran herself ragged again, climbing and sliding and making friends.  She was clearly having the best time and didn't want to leave it.  Meanwhile, though, Julie was changing our plans in a big way.  She was checking the Disney website to see if she could get reservations here for tonight.  She succeeded and we will be staying here now.  Is anyone surprised that this was probably her plan all along?  Scott brought in what we needed from the car, including Emma's desserts, and we stored them with the bell service until we could check in. 

     Once we got Abby away from the playground, we went shopping at the shop called Jackson Square.  Then we decided to take a boat.  We just missed that boat to Disney Springs, but we decided take the boat to the neighboring resort called Disney's Port Orleans- Riverside.   It is themed on antebellum mansions and Mississippi River towns.  When we got here, we went shopping at its gift shop, and Scott bought a shirt that he had seen in several other places.  It is a sort of a Hawaiian style shirt (like Tom Corless wears) but it has a single large picture of Cinderella's Castle and the Walt and Mickey statue in front of it.  Since they had it in his size Scott bought it, changed in the fitting room, and wore it out of the store.  

    Meanwhile, Abby was winding down.  She seemed seriously tired after her long adventure on the playground, so Julie found a quiet spot in the Riverside lobby and rocked her to sleep.  Scott went off to the nearby Muddy Rivers bar by the pool there and brought back a raspberry lemonade for Julie and an Abita Purple Haze (a raspberry wheat beer) for himself.  We had time to make some more plans while she was sleeping.  We were going to go to Disney Springs and from there on to maybe Epcot or the Grand Floridian that we had missed yesterday.  But when Abby finally woke up she was not acting like herself and  she ended up changing our plans quiet dramatically.

     Our room was ready at the French Quarter, so we took the boat back and Julie used the app on her phone to check us in and open the keyless door.  The room is very similar to the pirate themed room that we had at Christmas, though without all of the pirate decorations.  There were green, purple and gold Mardi Gras beads on the table in the shape of Mickey Mouse when we entered.  

    Abby was still not feeling well and quite possibly was running a temperature.  We got the checked bags and a few things from the car and gave her the afternoon to rest.  It disappointed us, to be sure, but we used the time to rest too.  Julie said Scott could go off to Disney Springs, but he said he wouldn't enjoy it knowing she was stuck here.  It reminded us of the times that Julie would come to Disney as an advisor on the senior class trips and would invariably have to spend some time back at the hotel with some poor kid that came down with the flu.  We spent a very quiet couple of hours.  Including the time that Abby slept at Port Orleans- Riverside, we figure that she slept five or six hours this afternoon.  That certainly wasn't in any of our plans this morning, but that's no one's fault.  Around 4:00-ish, Scott volunteered to go down to the quick service restaurant that we ate breakfast from and brought back a pizza.  The restaurant is quite close to our room.  He also ran an errand to the Jackson Square gift shop to get some things for Anna and a few other people.  If you have to be stuck somewhere, a Disney hotel is better than most any other place.   

    After a while, Abby awoke again, and she seemed to be acting a little more like herself.  Maybe she just got way overheated on the playground?  We don't know.  But she seemed ready to do something, so we decided to venture out.  We went down to that restaurant again and Scott brought a couple things to them  First, a drink from that restaurant.  Then, a Mickey-shaped beignet covered in powdered sugar, because it seems like a thing you have to get at the Port Orleans French Quarter.  Finally, he got an Abita Amber lager from the pool bar, because it's a New Orleans beer that he had actually had in New Orleans.  

    Abby was looking more like herself, so we decided to venture out further.  We weighed our options and ended up going back to the boat dock and got the transport to the Disney Springs shopping area.  We had a little bit more shopping do.  We went to the World of Disney store, of course, but managed to leave only with a container of Mickey-shaped goldfish crackers for Abby and something for Noah.  We browsed briefly at a few other places but didn't make any more purchases.

     Julie had wanted to go to Jock Lindsey's Hanger Bar.  In the Indiana Jones stories, Jock is his pilot and this bar is supposed to be where he came to retire from flying.  There are lots of Indiana Jones "Easter eggs" hidden throughout, and we spotted a few of them.  There is a large map behind the bar showing the routes from the movies in red arrows.  In one back corner, there was the idol from the opening scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Scott got a Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale, which is brewed exclusively for Disney and is named for the catch phrase at the old Adventurer's Club, an appropriate allusion for the Indiana Jones setting.  But Abby was causing a little bit of chaos of her own now and made it difficult for Julie to enjoy the setting.  Abby knocked over her Coke and then spilled much of her Mickey-shaped goldfish into the mix on the floor.  It was a bigger mess than we usually leave.

     This day hadn't yet finished with us, though, and just as we exited Jock Lindsey's, it started to rain and storm.  The boats back to Port Orleans do not run in the storm, so we had to make our way through the rain to try to catch a bus with everyone else from our hotel who was otherwise stranded at Disney Springs.  This rain was not as bad as the torrential one that we were caught in with baby Anna at Epcot that one year, but it was enough.  

     We can't say that any of us had any idea how this day was going to go.  We expected some time in the pools, another couple of resort visits and maybe even a Monorail ride around Epcot.  It's nobody's fault, but that didn't happen.  There were certainly a lot of twists and turns, highs and lows today.   If we had known how it was going to unfold, we wouldn't have paid so much for the hotel room, but right now, we're happy to be in it.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022- Disney "Hotel Hopping"

      We learned our lesson yesterday and let everyone sleep in as much as they wanted to today.  When we were here last December, we talked about taking an evening and going hotel hopping at Disney, but Emma didn't want to and since it was her graduation trip, we went with her call.  We had done it once before when the girls were little though and wanted to try it again.  Since it's Easter Break for most places, the parks themselves are super-crowded like they were at Christmas and we didn't really want to face that again.  But using Disney transportation to visit different hotels (for basically free, after we paid for parking) sounded like fun, so that was our goal today. "Doing Disney without Disney" is what one of Scott's friends called it, but really, the resorts have almost as much Disney to them as the parks themselves.  Part of the fun of planning today was trying to negotiate the different types of Disney transportation, and we changed our plans several times today as new ideas occurred and opportunities arose.

     We started our day by parking at the shopping area called Disney Springs.  We had heard that we wouldn't be able to enter hotel parking areas unless we had reservations.  (That's why we had dinner reservations before going to the Wilderness Lodge last night.)  We also figured the buses that left from Disney Springs could take us to any of the resorts and we could catch other forms of transportation from those places, like the monorail or the Skyliner.  We were pleasantly surprised that parking is complimentary at the Disney Springs parking ramps, and that saved us what we expected was going to be $25.

     We boarded a bus bound for the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  We had been to this resort once long ago when the girls were both little, but we didn't remember much about it.  We agreed that while the lobby area was impressive, there was something that was just a little bit more impressive about the Wilderness Lodge lobby that we visited last night.  The lobby area is decorated with artifacts and motifs from African cultures.  It always struck Scott as a little strange that "Animal Kingdom" focuses on African and Asian cultures.  We are sure that Disney is NOT trying to imply that Africans and Asians are some how more animal than human, but it does seem to be problematic to decorate the "Animal Kingdom Lodge" with African cultures.  The fact that these cultures are considered "exotic" to us harkens back to the same colonialism that Adventureland has throughout it.

      Anyway, we needed breakfast- or brunch, since it was getting close to 10:00 am.  We found the quick service restaurant called Mala and ate in the breezy shade outdoors.  It was a really pleasant morning to eat outside and we were tucked back in a pretty quiet corner.  After breakfast, we explored the area by the pool and found a flock of flamingos.  There was a small playground, called the Hakuna Matata Playground, and it was tucked back into a shady area.  Abby had gotten the zoomies and was running around and around the playground.  She didn't want to go down the slides.  We think maybe she got burned on one of the slides she tried in Petersburg because she usually goes straight for the slides.  At 11:00, the bar by the pool opened and Scott got a Safari Amber, which is apparently brewed by a Tampa company.  Before we left, we went out behind the lodge to see where the giraffes are supposed to be able to come right up to the balconies of the rooms.  The giraffes and zebras weren't out there at this point, though we did see some pelicans up close.  We did pick up a 50th Anniversary tart for Emma.  She wanted us to bring back desserts for her, so there was an empty cooler waiting in the car to transport some home in.  The trick was going to be getting them successfully through the day to get them to back to the car safely.  

      We wanted to use the gondolas of the Skyliner next, so we took a bus from the Animal Kingdom Lodge to Disney Hollywood Studios which we knew sat at one end of the Skyliner's route.  We rode the Skyliner to the stop for the Caribbean Beach Resort (where we stayed last Christmas Break with Julie's parents), but we continued on the next line to the terminal for the Pop Century Resort and the Art of Animation Resort.  We decided to go to the later because Julie said the Pop Century Resort looked "dookie."  By that, she probably meant that she didn't like the random late 20th Century theming.  The Art of Animation resort is one that we hadn't seen before, even from a distance.  There are four areas that have huge outdoor decorations from four movies- The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, Cars, and the Lion King. We didn't see all of the areas, but we did see the Finding Nemo ones up close as we walked through the center area by the pool.  They were in the process of repainting a lot of the place, it looked like.  Scott got a Sam Adams Summer Ale here and a lemonade for Julie and we went into the main building, called Animation Hall, where we sat in the restaurant, called the Landscape of Flavors, and visited the gift shop.  These areas had cool music playing.  The songs were familiar songs from the movies, but they were done in slightly different pop styles than the soundtracks and they were fun to listen to.  Scott got a 2022 pin for our Disney pin board.  Julie picked up a "Mermaid Tail Cupcake" to bring home to Emma, but Scott thought it looked a little "fishy."  We saw the Cars area from a distance, but we didn't look closely at it or any of the other areas of this hotel because Abby had been sleeping for a while and we didn't want her to overheat.  We agreed, though, that this would be a great hotel to stay at if Abby was just a little bit older. 

     We waited in the Landscape of Flavors restaurant for a while because we wanted to keep Abby cool as she slept.  Julie checked the Disney app on her phone to see if dinner reservations were available anywhere.  She was surprised to she options come up for Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort.  It's a "character dining" experience, so Mickey and his friends come visit you during the meal  We had tried to eat there at Christmas but were unable to get reservations then.  The reservations were for 5:15.  It was only a little after 1:00, so we had time, but we now had to be aware of that reservation as we continued to explore, so we made some changes to our route.

     We got back on the Skyliner and rode it back over Hourglass Lake to the transfer at Caribbean Beach Resort again, and went to the opposite terminal at Disney's Riviera Resort.  Julie wanted to stop here and see it because it is one of the newest resorts.  There wasn't much theming here, but we knew to expect that.  If there is any theme at all, it might be "French" because there are many movie posters and decorations that are in French.  The lobby was very unimpressive and small, but there were some cool mosaic murals of Peter Pan and Tangled that we passed on the way from the Skyliner.  We didn't find much to keep us here long.  Scott got a Kronenbourg 1664, which is the same beer they serve at France in Epcot.  He had to wait for a little bit though, because the barista at le Petite Café had just gotten a half dozen or so orders.  She gave him a free order of brownies for waiting.  Abby enjoyed eating some of the brownies as we waited for the bus, but we still might have some to bring back to Emma.

     From the Riviera, we took a bus to the Magic Kingdom.  We saw the people going in and we had to admit that we were surprised that we would ever be so close to the Magic Kingdom and not go in.  But we went to the Monorail station instead and got on the resort monorail.  It took us clockwise around Seven Seas Lagoon, through the Contemporary Resort, past the Transportation Hub, and to the Polynesian Village Resort.  The Polynesian Village is one of Julie's favorites because her family had stayed here once when she was young.  Scott got a Longboard Lager from Kona, a Hawaiian beer, and Julie went out to get a 50th Anniversary pineapple Dole Whip.  It came with a white chocolate medallion (which Abby ate), a little umbrella, and "EARidescent" shimmer sprinkled on it.  Dole whip is a favorite of Julie's and since she hadn't been able to get any at Christmas time, due to the long lines, she had to wait and get some today.  She did share it with Abby, of course, and its sugar seemed to wake Abby up quite a bit.  She was excitedly playing in the lobby afterwards.  We now hated the idea of going back to our own hotel this evening, so we agreed to see if there were by chance any openings for tomorrow night.  We probably wouldn't have tried but we had gotten lucky with the Chef Mickey reservation.  Julie went to the front desk to ask if they had any rooms.  They aren't set up to make reservations there, but one girl was willing to call the reservation line to see.  She was on hold a very long time- maybe twenty minutes or so.  She was very friendly about it, because it's Disney of course.  She talked with Julie as she was waiting and even gave Abby a coloring book and crayons as we waited, but Abby was pumped up on Dole whip sugar at that point and was dragging Dad around the lobby as Mom waited.  We ended up saying it doesn't seem like it's meant to be.  They were at 99% capacity for tonight anyway.  We thanked her for trying, gave her a tip, and headed on to our last stop.   Before we left, we picked up a Moana cupcake with an edible flower on it for Emma.  Then we got back onto the Monorail and continued around the circle, past the Magic Kingdom to the Contemporary Resort.

     Scott likes the now classic look of the Contemporary Resort, with its A-Frame design and the Monorail lines running right through the middle of it.  We've stopped and shopped here on previous trips.  In the Fantasia gift shop, Abby hugged a stuffed Figment the Dragon, so we paid for him and he is coming home with us.  We also got something for Anna here.  We waited in some chairs by the big windows that face the Magic Kingdom until it was time to go to dinner at Chef Mickey's.  

     The point of the dinner was to see Mickey and his friends.  We knew we were going to pay a lot for that privilege, but it was a bit chaotic to say the least.  Abby was very wound up and wouldn't sit still.  She was kicking her shoes off and was even crawling underneath the highchair, making it very hard for us to eat.  There were five characters- Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald.  They came around one at a time and stood in an area nearby where they would turn and address each table.  The diners were not allowed to approach the characters, and this is a COVID protocol that has not yet been dropped.  (It may be later this month because Disney has announced that they will be having close contact and hugs at the meet and greets with the characters by the end of April, but at this point they are still distanced from guests.)  Abby watched closely as Minnie, Mickey, and the rest interreacted with her, but by the time that they moved on to the next table, she was wriggling all over again.  After the characters had gone through once, we decided we would let her watch Peppa Pig on Julie's phone and that did quiet her down.  It quieted her down so much that she barely noted Minnie and Mickey as they started through on a second round of visits.  The food was supposed to be fancy here, but we didn't care much for it.  There was no menu except for drinks, so everyone gets the same food.  Abby got the best deal with a children's plate that included chicken nuggets, corn dogs, and macaroni and cheese.  She did eat some of it and Dad had the rest.  For the adults, the first course had a chef salad, which Julie liked, bread which Scott enjoyed, and citrus-poached baby shrimp and a "plant-based" salad which neither of us tried.  For the second course, there was prime rib (which was served pretty rare but was good), roasted turkey (which was tasty), roasted garlic gratin potatoes (which were almost like scalloped potatoes), gnocchi (a noodley dish which was kind of sweet) and a few other things that we didn't eat much of.  All of this was served "family style" and it came out just as the characters were starting to appear.  Even if Abby hadn't been as wound up as she was, it would have been difficult to eat, but it was pretty chaotic with her.  The desserts were the best part, though Scott could only try no-thank-you portions.  There were apple crumble tarts, strawberry cream cakes, and Mickey domes.  The Mickey domes were chocolate mousse domes with little chocolate ears and sitting on an Oreo cookie.  Abby loved the mousse and ate several of them, getting all over her face and hands each time.  Scott had a Cigar City Jai Alai IPA from a Tampa brewer, making it his fifth beer at the fifth resort today.

     Abby saw the boats out on Seven Seas Lagoon, and since we hadn't ridden a boat yet, we took the Monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Hub, and got on the ferry there to the Magic Kingdom.  Once again, we were right outside of the Magic Kingdom gates but we were not going in.  We did see a couple get engaged, though.  He popped the question as they were posing for a Disney photographer in front of the Mickey and Minnie topiaries.  We were getting very tired and had some decisions to make.  One plan was to finish the monorail hotels by going to the Grand Floridian, and another plan was to ride the monorail in a loop around Epcot.  Ultimately, we were so tired that we ended up leaving.  It was already after 7:00 and we had a journey just to get back to our crappy little hotel.  We decided it was best to beat the post-fireworks crowd in getting out.  There is no transportation from the parks to Disney Springs, where our car was.  (We wondered if that was because parking is free at Disney Springs.)  Instead, we had to take a bus to a resort first and then catch a different bus there in order to get to Disney Springs, so we ended up going to our car via the Wilderness Lodge.  By the time we got back to International Drive, it was after 8:30.  We decided that its impossible to spend a day at Disney and not leave feeling exhausted but feeling like you missed some things and wanting more.  We knew that it was going to be impossible to see all of the resorts in one day as long as we were taking a leisurely pace, but we were surprised that we only got to five. 

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