12 days of Disney Resorts and the Pisgah Inn Road trip

[Dizney73]

Okay, I just went to the Pisgah Inn website. The photos they have on their site - AMAZING! It looks like a beautiful place!

We are hoping it is all the pictures show us! I've really never booked anything simply based on a FB advertisement! hahaha. But it certainly looks like the kind of place that will serve as a stress free stop after lots of Disney resorts! We don't know anyone who has ever visited and reviews are all over the place... so it may be a risk but one we are willing to take!

 

[Dizney73]

Your whole trip sounds great! Totally jealous of your plans.

I have to ask, whatt is See-ums?

We are really just in need of leaving our house these days! We have tons of snow so sleigh riding, shoveling and ordering out are our newest hobbies! Oh... and more snow is in the forecast for tomorrow!

Those little biting bugs that are soooo small you can't see-um are such an annoyance! Last year I read on these boards (an on the Vero FB page) a few bug repellent recommendations. I bought a skin so-so repellent that was suggested and it seemed to work really well! The resort also has repellent all around for guests to use. One day when we went to play mini golf after being in the pool I was attacked by them! I quickly reapplied and the Skin So Soft worked like magic! I'll have to look in my travel bag to see what it was that I bought.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

We are hoping it is all the pictures show us! I've really never booked anything simply based on a FB advertisement! hahaha. But it certainly looks like the kind of place that will serve as a stress free stop after lots of Disney resorts! We don't know anyone who has ever visited and reviews are all over the place... so it may be a risk but one we are willing to take!

I find Trip Advisor to be pretty reliable for hotel reviews, and it seems pretty solid on there, so I'd take the risk if I was in that area.

 

[Dizney73]

I find Trip Advisor to be pretty reliable for hotel reviews, and it seems pretty solid on there, so I'd take the risk if I was in that area.

Haha! We once booked a hotel (in our way younger years) in Sandusky, Ohio for $29 a night! Now that was a risk... the burn holes in the comforter and rug were part of the ambiance! hahaha!
We stay at a lot of National Park hotels/motels... they are always 70's style. The Pigsah Inn room photos look much nicer than the NP rooms! I think it will be just our style!

 

[Dizney73]

What a surprise here in PA again today... It snowed again! This would have been our 11th snow day for our district. The one positive is that our district is calling Remote School days for us vs snow days which are made up at the end of the year! We did have 2 TRUE snow days (added to the end of our school year) but that's 9 days that we don't have to make up in June! It's not a big deal for my 2 classes because I teach two 6th grade ALL Virtual classes... our classes go on as usual! The one exception is that I am teaching from home all day and then I have to shovel all night! Yuck. This is why my husband and I plan to retire to somewhere warm one day!

Tonight when I was out snow blowing a deer walked over to where my husband's truck was parked earlier in the day (he worked night shift) to eat from the only place in our yard with no snow! We have about 9 deer that visit us regularly. I love to watch them and don't mind them hanging out except when they eat ALL OF MY FLOWERS spring through summer!


We are just getting hit with snow nonstop here in northeastern PA. It's great the first time or two... but not anymore! Can't wait for that South Carolina and Florida sunshine this summer!

 

[Dizney73]

A Few Dining Reservations made... Hey, It's a start!

It's hard to get excited about a trip when I can't really plan anymore until 60 days BEFORE departure. Last week it was crazy warm here in PA and we made a few dining reservations for outside tables at some of our local downtown restaurants. Ahhhh... it made us feel so normal for a few hours!
As I checked for reservations on Resy and Open Table Apps I thought "why am I not checking for a few Hilton Head Island reservations?"
So, this weekend I made it a point to check out which restaurants on Hilton Head Island accept reservations and which are available on which app. Another family is joining us in HH so it will be nice to have a few reservations to cut down on the wait times for a large party. I checked my Disney HHI fb group posts for favorite restaurants, checked out menus and decided on a few choices. We decided that we would still prefer outside dining at the HHI restaurants and a few the restaurants didn't offer an outside choice but I was able to make 4 outside reservations... 1 for each night. (All of the adults will be fully vaccinated by our trip but our kids will not be so we still need to be cautious)

We are planning to leave very early in the morning (or possible the night before) on our 12 hour drive from PA to HHI. Hoping that we will have time to check in, rest up and then head out for a late dinner.

Day 1- Disney's HHI Resort- Ombre Cucina Italiana (outside table) @ 8 pm
Day 2- Disney's HHI Resort- Skullcreek Dockside (outside table) @ 4:30 pm Early Bird Dinner
Day 3-Disney's HHI Resort- Crazy Crab Jarvis Creek (outside table) @ 7:30 pm
Day 4- Disney's HHI Resort- Poseidon (outside table) at 4:30 pm Early Bird Dinner

I also made 1 reservation at Disney Springs for the Boathouse! We ate here for the the first time last summer on the outside patio and absolutely loved it!

Day 7- Disney Grand Floridian Resort- The Boathouse (Outside table) @ 4 pm

I have to wait a few more weeks for our Disney reservation day to open up! I'm trying to stay positive and patient but when i look at the app there certainly doesn't look to be a lot of choices for dining. I'll keep watching and stalking and keep my fingers crossed to get a few choice reservations.

We are giving some thought to purchasing a ONE day ticket to go to EPCOT during our WDW stay. Guess we better decide soon before those summer day park reservations get full!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

We are giving some thought to purchasing a ONE day ticket to go to EPCOT during our WDW stay. Guess we better decide soon before those summer day park reservations get full!

For dining?

It's funny - last summer I went to 3 parks, and Epcot was the one I skipped. Between the construction, the lack of the international cast members, and the diminished entertainment, it didn't seem worth it. Now, if it was Flower Festival, I'd go in spite of all that. I love looking at the topiaries and flowers.

 

[Dizney73]

For dining?

It's funny - last summer I went to 3 parks, and Epcot was the one I skipped. Between the construction, the lack of the international cast members, and the diminished entertainment, it didn't seem worth it. Now, if it was Flower Festival, I'd go in spite of all that. I love looking at the topiaries and flowers.

Actually... it IS BECAUSE of Flower and Garden Festival! The festival goes until July 5 this year!

 

[Dizney73]

Little update on our 1 day park ticket...

We have had annual passes for WDW since our daughter was 2 years old. Two summers ago we decided NOT to renew our passes because we didn't want our kids to tire of our favorite place on Earth! We started using our DVC for resort only stays and added in a few new parks, WDW special events and activities. One trip we had a fantastic stay at Beach Club Villas and enjoyed a special night event at Hollywood Studios. On another trip we visited Discovery Cove, Sea World, Busch Gardens and Aquatica... WOW! That was a great trip! And of course, last summer we had a great stay at Saratoga Springs and Vero Beach!

So... after seeing the cost of 4 adults for a one day ticket to a Disney park, we decided to put that money towards an annual pass for Universal for later trips! Right now you get 3 months free. We have two more trips planned this year using our DVC points and now we added on a few nights at the Hard Rock Hotel and the Royal Pacific Hotel! The kids are excited since they have never been to Universal and I can't wait to show them Hogwarts!

Now, we are back to a Grand Floridian Resort only trip this summer for a few days and thinking about adding on some extras, like mini golf and bass fishing.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Little update on our 1 day park ticket...

We have had annual passes for WDW since our daughter was 2 years old. Two summers ago we decided NOT to renew our passes because we didn't want our kids to tire of our favorite place on Earth! We started using our DVC for resort only stays and added in a few new parks, WDW special events and activities. One trip we had a fantastic stay at Beach Club Villas and enjoyed a special night event at Hollywood Studios. On another trip we visited Discovery Cove, Sea World, Busch Gardens and Aquatica... WOW! That was a great trip! And of course, last summer we had a great stay at Saratoga Springs and Vero Beach!

So... after seeing the cost of 4 adults for a one day ticket to a Disney park, we decided to put that money towards an annual pass for Universal for later trips! Right now you get 3 months free. We have two more trips planned this year using our DVC points and now we added on a few nights at the Hard Rock Hotel and the Royal Pacific Hotel! The kids are excited since they have never been to Universal and I can't wait to show them Hogwarts!

Now, we are back to a Grand Floridian Resort only trip this summer for a few days and thinking about adding on some extras, like mini golf and bass fishing.

That's great!

I have an AP voucher sitting in my account that I intend to activate this summer. I also have booked Discovery Cove for a day this summer, and it comes with admission to Sea World and Busch Gardens (and maybe Aquatica too). I am hesitating on the Busch Gardens part since it's over in Tampa, but I might go for a little bit. I'd like to see the animals.

I'm also going to get the UO AP this month to get the bonus 3 months. I haven't been to Universal Orlando before, so this should be excellent. I had intended to go last year, but that got canceled. I do have a night booked at Royal Pacific (and at a Hampton near Busch Gardens), but that creates too many moves. So I think I'm going to stick with just DVC and do day trips to UO and maybe BG. I am planning to get the top tier UO AP that comes with the after-4 express pass. The bottom two tiers appear to be blacked out in July, so that narrows it down to the 3rd and 4th tier for me.

 

[Dizney73]

I'm also going to get the UO AP this month to get the bonus 3 months. I haven't been to Universal Orlando before, so this should be excellent. I had intended to go last year, but that got canceled. I do have a night booked at Royal Pacific (and at a Hampton near Busch Gardens), but that creates too many moves. So I think I'm going to stick with just DVC and do day trips to UO and maybe BG. I am planning to get the top tier UO AP that comes with the after-4 express pass. The bottom two tiers appear to be blacked out in July, so that narrows it down to the 3rd and 4th tier for me.

WE did Busch Gardens 2 summers ago and were hesitant to go because we often visit the Busch Gardens in Virginia. They couldn't be more different! We really loved it there! We had booked the Serengeti Safari tour (not sure if they are doing tours right now?) and it was a family favorite!! We love the tours at these parks and their special experiences! We also added on the all day dining and we surely got our moneys worth! It was an easy drive to Tampa for the day from Disney.
I was going to purchase the Premier vouchers that were good for Express pass after 4 pm but when I asked for opinions on the UO forum I was swayed into the preferred passes since the parks are not guaranteed to be open regular hours currently and we will be using the passes at Thanksgiving and Christmas (very crowded times) and will want to stay at a UO hotel to guarantee entrance to the parks during peak times. I have been to UO a few times with my girlfriends (we do a girls only fun trip every year) but the rest of my family has not yet been there.

I have a really bad habit of watching Vloggers at the WDW parks and still have a hankering to go to a park on our summer stay, maybe MK since we can now walk from GFV... but the cost and the current long lines for rides are making that decision hard to make! uggggg...MK is calling my name this week!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

WE did Busch Gardens 2 summers ago and were hesitant to go because we often visit the Busch Gardens in Virginia. They couldn't be more different! We really loved it there! We had booked the Serengeti Safari tour (not sure if they are doing tours right now?) and it was a family favorite!! We love the tours at these parks and their special experiences! We also added on the all day dining and we surely got our moneys worth! It was an easy drive to Tampa for the day from Disney.
I was going to purchase the Premier vouchers that were good for Express pass after 4 pm but when I asked for opinions on the UO forum I was swayed into the preferred passes since the parks are not guaranteed to be open regular hours currently and we will be using the passes at Thanksgiving and Christmas (very crowded times) and will want to stay at a UO hotel to guarantee entrance to the parks during peak times. I have been to UO a few times with my girlfriends (we do a girls only fun trip every year) but the rest of my family has not yet been there.

I have a really bad habit of watching Vloggers at the WDW parks and still have a hankering to go to a park on our summer stay, maybe MK since we can now walk from GFV... but the cost and the current long lines for rides are making that decision hard to make! uggggg...MK is calling my name this week!

I've never been to either Busch Gardens, so this would be totally new! I do want to do some of the animal tours. They are doing the Serengeti Safari, but you can only book it when you arrive at the park for the day. My concern is that I would linger longer than expected and then need to drive back to Disney at night in an unfamiliar area, and I'm doing a solo trip. I have a Hampton Inn booked near Busch Gardens, but I probably won't stay there because I already have a multiple split stay and that's just too much moving.

I also have Royal Pacific booked and was going to get the 3rd tier AP (without the EP) but again, so much hotel moving. I think with the passes being good for 15 months, the parks might be more normal next year. It's kind of a gamble, especially because if I want to upgrade my pass later, and they don't have the 15-month special at the time, I would lose months when upgrading. Now I'm reconsidering staying at Royal Pacific even though I already have 3 Disney hotels (and a Hampton Tampa) booked. Regardless, I only have a few more days to decide on the UO AP since the 15-month deal ends on Wednesday, 3/31.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Oh, and one other thing about Busch Gardens: They used to have really good reviews on Trip Advisor, but recently, almost all the reviews are very poor. Apparently whatever they are doing during the pandemic is not going particularly well. I still think I might go for the day, but I am keeping an eye on the reviews. However, since I mainly want to do the animal things, that might be less impacted. Most of the reviews mention really long lines at entry, restaurants, and the rides.

 

[martikus]

My son LOVES universal. And the express passes that come with hotel stay are so amazing. He rode several rides 10 times in a row - the one thing Disney lacks is that ability.

And being able to walk over or take the boat from RPR is so fun. While I love a Disney visit the ease of universal (walk back for a pool break) makes it much more relaxing and probably our go to while our son is a teen.

 

[Dizney73]

My son LOVES universal. And the express passes that come with hotel stay are so amazing. He rode several rides 10 times in a row - the one thing Disney lacks is that ability.

And being able to walk over or take the boat from RPR is so fun. While I love a Disney visit the ease of universal (walk back for a pool break) makes it much more relaxing and probably our go to while our son is a teen.

This makes me so happy to hear! My teens are ready for Universal!

 

[Dizney73]

A few more reservations made!
Well... we ended up getting 1 day tickets and reserving the Magic Kingdom for one of our Grand Floridian days! That walking path was the key... we will be able to just walk right over for the magic! We actually decided to grab those tickets and park reservations on Easter weekend and I'm glad we did as Magic Kingdom park reservations are now sold out for our date!

We were also able to make some reservations for the Pisgah Inn dining room for our short stay. We have 2 dinner reservations and 2 breakfast reservations! We are super excited to visit the Pisgah Inn since we have never been there before and love to experience new places!

AND... I was able to grab a dinner reservation for Topolini's Terrace for our 1st night of our Grand Floridian Villas stay! Though it was open last summer when we were at the World , we didn't make a reservation there. This year is was on the top of my list and getting up early to be on the computer right at 6 am was well worth it! (Glad we have that HHI reservation!)

More reservations coming soon! Our Walt Disney World stay dining reservation date is coming soon!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

What a great update!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Well... we ended up getting 1 day tickets and reserving the Magic Kingdom for one of our Grand Floridian days! That walking path was the key... we will be able to just walk right over for the magic!

Sounds perfect!

 

[Dizney73]

Dining Reservations at WDW complete

Finally we were able to book our dining reservations for our Grand Floridian portion of our road trip! This 60 days out booking was killing me! It was so hard to wait! I literally stalked the app and the website each day to check what reservations were available and for what times. I read other people's experiences for booking and was truly nervous about what "leftover" dining reservations we would get stuck with. We didn't have a ton of reservations to make but I just love the whole experience of booking them.

I was already able to book a Topolino's Terrace reservation for our arrival date at 7:45 pm as it was also the last day of our Hilton Head stay. That was my priority... that and Beaches and Cream! We need our No Way Jose'! In all of the times that I checked for reservations I NEVER saw a Beaches and Cream reservation available so I knew I needed to start by booking that one first! I started searching from our last night there for a late night reservation as we knew we just wanted to go for ice cream (truth be told... we aren't super fond of their lunch/dinner food). Nothing.
Searched again for that afternoon around 2 pm... Nothing.
Back it up a night just in case. Nope.
Try again for the afternoon of our departure. There they were like numbers glistening on my screen. I had a choice of a 1:25 pm and a 2:20 pm reservation! Perfect! I took the 1:25 pm time. I felt like luck was certainly on my side.
Next up... the hours for our Magic Kingdom day were extended to 8 am-9 pm. I can guarantee tat we WILL be there from 7 am till 9:30 pm to make the most of our $532 day. We have never eaten at Jungle Skipper Canteen and thought this would be a great time to try it as our one and only meal for the day ( I mean besides all the snacks that we scarf down for "dinner"). We decided a 1:35 pm lunch would work the best for us as we would be starving by then but the meal would definitely keep us filled up for the rest of the night until we want to grab a few of our favorite snacks later that night.
My next reservation to secure was Kona Cafe. This was my daughter's choice as she has recently found her love for sushi. I snagged a 7 pm time for this one to allow for maximum pool time this day (fingers crossed the weather is good this day).
We are staying at the Grand Floridian which just happens to house my favorite breakfast (the eggs Benedict) so I also grabbed two days of reservations there for 8:50 and 8:55 am. I would have loved a bit earlier but my sleepy teens resisted.
Last reservation... my husband's pick, Rix Sports Bar at Coronado Springs because he loves a Nashville Chicken sandwich.

So the days actually look like this...
Wednesday-Topolino's Terrace @ 7:45 pm
Thursday- MK Day- Jungle Skipper Canteen @ 1:35 pm
Friday- GF Cafe @ 8:55 am and The Boathouse @ 4 pm (booked on Open Table)
Saturday- GF Cafe @ 8:50 am and Kona Cafe at 7 pm
Check out day-Sunday- Rix Sports Bar @ 11:15 and Beaches and Cream for ice cream @ 1:25 pm
On to Disney's Vero Beach Resort! Hoping to grab a few Wind ad Waves reservations soon!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

All of your reservations sound great!!!!

Try again for the afternoon of our departure. There they were like numbers glistening on my screen. I had a choice of a 1:25 pm and a 2:20 pm reservation! Perfect! I took the 1:25 pm time. I felt like luck was certainly on my side

I swear there is def some luck involved! Glad you got it!!! Our first time at Beaches, the first thing the waiter asked was if we were getting food or just dessert, so I am sure they are used to people just getting dessert.

My next reservation to secure was Kona Cafe. This was my daughter's choice as she has recently found her love for sushi. I snagged a 7 pm time for this one to allow for maximum pool time this day (fingers crossed the weather is good this day).

Kona is a good one. Good food and very under rated! Pools days do stress me out for the weather. But I hope you get good weather!

Last reservation... my husband's pick, Rix Sports Bar at Coronado Springs because he loves a Nashville Chicken sandwich.

While you are at Coronado, check out 3 Bridges! it is such a nice place to sit and relax. I have never been to Six Sports Bar, I will be interested to hear how you guys like it.