She's A Disney Adult and Feeling Artsy, a February 2020 Trip Report (Updated 6/15)

When we left off, we were headed back to the resort on our "off day" to hang out and relax.


After leaving the park at 2:50, the Fair Winds mid-size boat arrived at 2:57, and headed out at 3:01 after a driver change. We arrived back at WL at 3:12.

There was only one thing on the kids agenda when we got back to the resort, they both wanted to swim!


It was finally warm enough, and it was something they had been asking to do all trip.


We made it to the pool at 3:30 and swam for almost an hour.

Marshall is so brave and is able to go down the slide on his own, we just hang out at the bottom to pull him to the side but he takes care of the rest

That was really neat, and he enjoyed it, probably even more than the splash area, which he got to play in as well.

We actually pushed back our dinner ADR to give the kids more time to swim before we headed over to Fort Wilderness.

I'm glad the weather warmed up enough to make swimming comfortable for us Californians. You won't find us in the pool if it's colder than about 75.

Yeah, the image of the lifeguards in parkas from earlier in the trip was stuck in our heads. The weather was much more pleasant this time, and we had a good swim.

Afterwards,we went back to the room and got dressed for dinner. We got to the boat dock at 5:15 just as the Fort Wilderness boat left but was very full.


So we waited for the next boat which was heading over to the Contemporary first.



We left the dock at 5:25, and arrived at the CR at 5:28. We stayed on the boat, and left there at 5:35.



There was a training boat driver, and as we got to Fort Wilderness she hit the dock a little hard, so the supervising captain had her back up and do it again. We got off the boat right at 5:45 and made the short walk up to the porch at Trail's End.

I felt a little bad for her, it's hard to learn a new job with 30 people watching you.

We checked in at Trail's End and had just sat down outside when our pager went off. We got a table right in the middle upstairs. We love how easy it is to get in to this spot, which is one of our favorites.

We were super close to the buffet which made things easy with the kids.

I was happy with the Ribs, which are my favorite here. I also enjoyed the beans and potatoes.


We were disappointed that they didn't have the pizza that they usually do, and the carved beef wasn't that great.

The pasta was pretty good too and as always desert was on point.


Yes, the desserts were great as always. I went with cobbler and a brownie covered in soft serve ice cream. Mmmmm!

While we ate we chatted with a family next to us from Louisville Ky, who were there for their daughter's twirling competition and have come at this same time for many years in a row.

Oh that's right, they were so sweet.

After we were stuffed full, we migrated outside to the new playground. The kids always want to go outside and play after dinner, so we sat on the benches and let them play, while overhearing the friendly conversation between campers sitting at the other tables.



A regular old playground is great for kids brains. They really need time for open ended active play especially on a long trip. When we talk to them when we get home often they say that's their favorite part of the trip.

That's part of why we were so happy to see that they put in this playground. We love coming over here to play. While the kids played I walked over and checked out the settlement gift shop. They always have unique things, and I love Mickey camping stuff, but we didn't wind up buying anything.

After about 40 minutes at the playground, we all walked through the store. We saw some bunnies on the grass outside.


The bunnies were really cute in the mist eating the grass.

Then we headed back to the boat dock at 7:45.


We didn’t have to wait long for a boat, and the first one to arrive had WL as the next stop. Even better it was piloted by Marty, the singing boat captain.


We’ve been on a boat with him before and he’s a great singer. We could hardly contain the giggles though when he started singing Brandy.

It was great, and we all got a kick out of it. When we got off the boat Brandy told him his name and they all laughed.


The MK fireworks started right as we got to the dock, and we watched them a bit from the dock before heading towards the room.


There’s a decent view of the fireworks from the end of the dock. The kids were restless and I had work to do so I headed up to the room.

We all walked together to the end of the South Wing, then I went with Jon and Brandy towards Geyser Point. They ordered drinks and I watched the end of the fireworks from there.


I felt that the view was definitely better than from the transportation boat dock, and you could hear the piped in music.

I went back to the room after they finished and helped get the kids ready for bed. Marshall asked to watch the Duffy story channel which was really cute.


They watched a couple stories an I was proud to get them in bed so early.

Yeah they were in bed happily by 9:00, and I headed up to the Mercantile to get a DVC sweatshirt while Melissa finished her work. Unfortunately the only one they had didn’t fit well, so I didn’t get it. Then I went down to Roaring Fork for a mug refill and took some long exposure shots in the courtyard.



I didn’t wait for him to go to bed. I was so tired.

I got back to the room about 10:00 as she went to bed, and I had my leftover birthday cupcake from Artist Point. It was really good, way better than the apple cupcake we had at Roaring Fork a couple of years ago.

I went to bed by 10:40, ending a nice relaxing day.

Stay tuned for a special Valentines Day episode!
 
Nice job on your bathroom! I don't know anything about home improvement other than basics like painting and replacing air filters lol, so I'm very impressed when non professionals do such a great job!
 
Thanks for the update. It made my morning to come here and read it. (I needed some Disney joy today!)

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
 
Fun "off" day! I'm sure your kids were loving getting some pool and playground time. Love Trails End! My favorite is the fried chicken and cobbler. Maybe early to bed means an early morning?
 


We made it to the pool at 3:30 and swam for almost an hour.
The nice thing about swimming in February, when it is warm enough, is that it usually doesn't rain in the late afternoon. :)
We got to the boat dock at 5:15 just as the Fort Wilderness boat left but was very full.
.....
We got off the boat right at 5:45 and made the short walk up to the porch at Trail's End.
That is just about how long it would have taken to walk to FW. We really miss the nature trail.
Yes, the desserts were great as always
I like how they made the dessert table a lot nicer.

I'm surprised that they stopped serving the pizza since it is a relatively inexpensive meal to serve. My favorite is the fried chicken.
A regular old playground is great for kids brains. They really need time for open ended active play especially on a long trip. When we talk to them when we get home often they say that's their favorite part of the trip.
The playground is great. All of the playgrounds in our area have been closed for two months because of the pandemic, which is very sad.
We didn’t have to wait long for a boat, and the first one to arrive had WL as the next stop. Even better it was piloted by Marty, the singing boat captain.
It looks like you made it out of there before the crowd from Hoop Dee Doo hit the boat dock. Timing is everything. :) We haven't experienced the singing boat captain. I would love to try and ride one of his boats. :)
I felt that the view was definitely better than from the transportation boat dock, and you could hear the piped in music.
Geyser Point is my favorite place to watch the fireworks because you can hear the music from there. :)
 
No Disney Day is better than a swim at WL followed by a trip over to Fort Wilderness! We had a great meal at Trails End last trip! Super curious how the buffets will reopen. Maybe with CMs serving? Time will tell I guess.
 
Nice job on your bathroom! I don't know anything about home improvement other than basics like painting and replacing air filters lol, so I'm very impressed when non professionals do such a great job!
Thanks! I am pretty good with mechanical stuff, and I do a lot on our cars, but home improvement stuff is much more rare for me. Tile was new to both of us, and is definitely an art, but we got it done.

Thanks for the update. It made my morning to come here and read it. (I needed some Disney joy today!)

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
Thanks! We love looking back on our trips anytime, but it is even better at times like this. With all the Disney news this week we want to get another update done, but we have been really busy with work stuff and the short week. We will get another one done soon though, and it is a fun day that is coming up.

Fun "off" day! I'm sure your kids were loving getting some pool and playground time. Love Trails End! My favorite is the fried chicken and cobbler. Maybe early to bed means an early morning?
Yes, at least for me. I wound up getting up early and heading to MK on my own, which will be fun to write about.

The nice thing about swimming in February, when it is warm enough, is that it usually doesn't rain in the late afternoon. :)
Yes, we often seem to get rained out of our afternoon swims in September, but didn't have that issue in February.

That is just about how long it would have taken to walk to FW. We really miss the nature trail.
Yeah, we used to love that walk, especially in the morning. We don't often do it later in the day, but that's usually because of the September heat.

I like how they made the dessert table a lot nicer.

I'm surprised that they stopped serving the pizza since it is a relatively inexpensive meal to serve. My favorite is the fried chicken.
Yeah, there was a lot of good stuff, but we were surprised at the lack of pizza. It was the first time we haven't seen it there.

The playground is great. All of the playgrounds in our area have been closed for two months because of the pandemic, which is very sad.
Our kids really miss the play areas and playgrounds that are shut down now. Fortunately we have a playhouse and swings in the back yard, but it isn't the same as goign to a park or restaurant with a cool play area.

It looks like you made it out of there before the crowd from Hoop Dee Doo hit the boat dock. Timing is everything. :) We haven't experienced the singing boat captain. I would love to try and ride one of his boats. :)
Yes, it is all about luck and timing catching the boats. Marty seemed to work during the evenings on Bay Lake. We saw him in September and February, and sure hope to see him again.

Geyser Point is my favorite place to watch the fireworks because you can hear the music from there. :)
Yeah, it is pretty nice. I like the less obstructed view from the bend in the North Wing, but it is missing the music.

No Disney Day is better than a swim at WL followed by a trip over to Fort Wilderness! We had a great meal at Trails End last trip! Super curious how the buffets will reopen. Maybe with CMs serving? Time will tell I guess.
Yeah, we love our time in the DIsney Wilderness. All it iwas missing was a rental boat ride on Bay Lake to round it out. We too are wondering about the future of DIsney Buffets, and Trail's ENd in particular. I see a lot of places goign to family style where they bring it all to your table, but having CMs serve you food might work well at TE. Time will tell indeed.
 


On Friday, I got up at 5:30 and headed out to take some pictures.
I got some pictures of the courtyard, then of an empty Roaring Fork before I went up to the lobby.





Since it was Valentines Day I also wanted to run over to MK and get some earrings that Allie has seen the day before and that they didn’t have at the WL gift shop. I figured I had plenty of time to explore before they got up.
Around the resort there were some special things for Valentines Day, like heart donuts and a list of activities in the lobby.



I went up to the 5th floor bear face overlook and made it there in time for the 7 am Geyser, and of course took pictures of it.



Then I made my way back down to the boat dock, arriving at 7:13 as a big boat was getting ready to leave. I hopped on and we left at 7:15 and arrived at MK at 7:22.


There was quite a crowd gathering outside of MK, and they were checking Magic Bands for Extra Magic Hours before the tapstyles.



I was able to get in, and at 7:46 they started letting people through and into the park. I got a few pics, and saw a cat escaping from the incoming crowd.



Then I went to the emporium and went to where the earrings were the day before but couldn’t find them. They were gone, and something else was in their place.


Fortunately I decided to look across the street, and not only found them but also saw that they had released a new Dooney and Bourke bag that day.



I remembered Melissa had mentioned it, and I checked it out but just bought the earrings.

Then I went to Starbucks and enjoyed the surprisingly short line to get a drink for me and one to take back to Melissa.



I kept thinking about the bag though, and went back to look again. I texted Melissa to see if she was excited about it, but she said she didn’t need it. I thought about it a little more, but decided to give it a shot. I bought the bag and enjoyed the AP discount.

I was really surprised that he bought the bag, it was one I had completely talked myself out of. I really love it though and have been carrying it almost every day since the trip. I get a ton of complements on it. Paul is such a sweet guy.
He's good at spoiling me.

Awww...

While I was there a blogger was taking pictures of the bags on the shelf, and I asked him if he wanted to get pictures of the one I bought.


He appreciated it, and they were online later that day.

Then I headed out of the park at 8:41 and saw a big boat leaving. The Fair Winds arrived at 8:47, and there were only three passengers on the boat for the trip to WL. I chatted with Rob and Ron, the captains, and they let me sit up front.



They explained how those boats belong to the entertainment division but are operated by transportation cast members. Rob used to do film work for Disney, and worked on Copper Creek promotional videos that showed the boats going by WL. I got to take some pictures, but really loved the conversation. It was a highlight of the trip for me.

As I got off the boat I placed a mobile order for some breakfast from Roaring Fork that I took to the room. It worked out well and we ate as the kids got up and ready.

We enjoyed breakfast in the room and Allie was surprised and loved her earings.


Jon and Brandy weren't up and ready to go yet, but we had fast passes at HS and the kids were up so we headed out on our own. We agreed we'd meet them later for lunch.

It started sprinkling as we left the room at 9:52. When we got to the bus stop there was a special event bus, and the driver said it was going to Hollywood Studios. It stopped at CR at 9:58, then the Poly at 10:05, then went on to HS, arriving at 10:20. It was raining pretty good as we walked in, but we made it in the park by 10:29.



Our first fastpass was star tours but we made a potty stop first.

It was our first time riding Star Tours with all of us. We had to talk the kids into it, but it was neat to go together.



Marshall seemed fine with it but Allie didn't like it much at all. The motion bothered her. It was one of my favorite rides when I was little. I remember riding it at Disneyland with my dad.

I have ridden it a bunch of times too, but it does tend to give me a little motion sickness. Nothing too bad, but it isn't one I'd mins sitting out from, so perhaps next time Allie and I will go check out something else.

After Star Tours it was time for Slinky Dog! Luckily the rain let up so we weren't gonna get soaked.

Marshall had been looking forward to this one for so long. He enjoyed it last time, and was excited to do it again. He clearly was tall enough to do it now.


Having a Fastpass for it saved us a bunch of time, which was really nice.





He really loves Slinky Dog, it's his favorite.

I was glad that we finally got to ride it this trip. After that we were pretty much done at Hollywood Studios, so we left the park at 11:40.

Check out more of our last full day in the next update...
 
I got a few pics, and saw a cat escaping from the incoming crowd.
I've heard that Disney uses cats to help with the rodent problem, but we haven't seen one.
I was really surprised that he bought the bag, it was one I had completely talked myself out of. I really love it though and have been carrying it almost every day since the trip.
The design doesn't look like a typical D&B design. I really like it. :) I can see why you have received so many compliments.
They explained how those boats belong to the entertainment division but are operated by transportation cast members. Rob used to do film work for Disney, and worked on Copper Creek promotional videos that showed the boats going by WL. I got to take some pictures, but really loved the conversation. It was a highlight of the trip for me.
Was it the boat that is usually used for the Pirate's Cruise?
The boat captains have some of the best stories.
It was raining pretty good as we walked in, but we made it in the park by 10:29.
I like the picture of the kid walking in the water.
It looks like a cold rain.
Marshall seemed fine with it but Allie didn't like it much at all. The motion bothered her. It was one of my favorite rides when I was little. I remember riding it at Disneyland with my dad.
That sounds like a nice memory with your dad. :)
 
I absolutely love the photo on Slinky Dog where you all are coming down the hill. Such a FUN shot! Thanks for the update!
 
I've heard that Disney uses cats to help with the rodent problem, but we haven't seen one.
We had seen some at Disneyland before, but this was my first time seeing one at WDW.

The design doesn't look like a typical D&B design. I really like it. :) I can see why you have received so many compliments.
Melissa has quite a few D&B bags, and usually print placement is a big deal but on these they are all laid out the same, so everything is perfect. It is cute and she likes it.

Was it the boat that is usually used for the Pirate's Cruise?
The boat captains have some of the best stories.
Yes, it was one of the mid-sized pirate cruise boats. I asked about it because this was the first trip I had seen them in use for transportation. They explained that they drive just like the Friendship boats, which is different than any of the other boats on Bay Lake. The steering wheel controls the position of the propeller pod under the boat, and it can rotate 360 degrees, making them very maneuverable. They keep people trained on them so they are ready to use.

I like the picture of the kid walking in the water.
It looks like a cold rain.
It wasn't super chilly, but was cooler than we are used to in September.

That sounds like a nice memory with your dad. :)
Yeah, it was one of few times they went to Disney together when she was little, but is one she definitely remembers. Her Dad isn't as into Disney as the rest of us, but they may got to WDW someday.

I absolutely love the photo on Slinky Dog where you all are coming down the hill. Such a FUN shot! Thanks for the update!
That's great. I'm glad you commented on it, because I had to lobby for it to be included after the editing. Melissa didn't like that the focus wasn't great, focusing on the front of the dog instead of the crowd below. I figured it wasn't bad for holding the camera and shooting from a moving roller coaster, and I kind of liked the effect. I'm glad you liked it too.
 
When we left off, we were just headed out of HS after a couple of fastpass rides. As we left the park we could see that there was a friendship boat at the dock, and we got right on it at 11:43.


We decided we wanted a mug refill so we got off at Beach Club to find a snack and get some much needed Diet Coke. We passed a super judgmental Seagull on the dock.


We got to Beach Club at 11:57, and filled our mugs at Hurricane Hannah's.


Then we went and checked out Beach Club marketplace and topped them off again.


We then made the short walk over to Epcot. This is one of the nicest parts of Beach Club, and a reason we'd love to stay here sometime.


The weather was super nice, it was cool but the rain cleared. It made for a nice day.

We made it in the park at 12:35, making it my third park of the day. We started our walk towards Italy, but took time to check out festival booths on the way.


We stopped and spent a long time watching Tim Rogerson painting an adorable Mickey and Minnie.


It was my favorite piece of the festival for sure. It's probably a good thing it wasn't done yet because I probably would have blown the budget on it.


He's a really nice guy and it was fun to chat and watch him work.

He was so nice chatting with us and especially Allie while he worked. We definitely would love to get one of his paintings someday.


We texted back and forth with Brandy and Jon and met them outside Via Napoli just in time for our lunch ADR.


I was excited to give it a second shot because I feel like it was unfairly judged last time.


We got to Italy at 1:30, and they arrived shortly after. I checked in at Via Napoli, and we got a table soon after.

Our server was Marco and he was adorable. I wanted to bring him home with me.

We got a table right in the middle of the restaurant, just about the same spot as when we were there six years ago. Marco was very Italian (accent and all) but super nice.

We decided to order a mixture of pizza and pasta for variety. Paul and I split a pizza and lasagna and Brandy and Jon did the same.

We ordered focaccia and calamari for appetizers, and they were all good.

Both kids went with spaghetti and meatballs, it's hard to go wrong with spaghetti.

The lasagna arrived first since they were running behind on pizzas, but it was incredible, and among the best lasagna I have ever had.


Timing worked out just fine because we had decided to split by the time we were done with the lasagna it the pizza came out, made it like a multicourse meal.


The pizza was great too, with a unique crust. We continued the multi-course meal with dessert, Brandy ordered tiramisu, and I got a vanilla cookie and cream dessert for my birthday.

They came and sang to him too. Lunch was a huge hit. I think it redeamed itself for sure.


It was a great meal. It helped knowing what to expect, because it still wasn't a quiet place, but getting the lasagna was a great call. Jon and Brandy loved it too, and it was one of their favorite meals of the trip. We definitely will be back next trip.

After lunch we continued our way around World Showcase counter-clockwise, checking out more art booths.


We stopped to pickup a snack we wanted to try. The paint brush churros were so cute and I thought the kids would enjoy them.



They weren't really a hit for us at all. The "paint" I had thought was going to be a more solid white chocolate but it was soupy and the curros tasted stale maybe. I know they're gluten free so maybe that was part of the issue. They were just a big miss.

It was one of those cute things that photographs well and looks neat online, but was nothing special at all. We continued on towards Mexico, and rode the boat ride.



It was cute and we discussed the posibility of eating at the restaurant there. I don't think it made the list for next trip though.

No, we've just heard too many negative things about Florida Mexican food compared to what we have at home.

We do have great Mexican food at home.

We continued our way around World Showcase, and went to check out the new Canada video.



The new Canada video was cute but I don't know, the first one really made me want to visit Canada, this one didn't have the same effect. I liked it though and they let us push the stroller in which was really nice because Marshall was snoozin.

He must have fallen asleep after Mexico, so he just hung out in the stroller.

We then went on towards UK, and took the time to check out some of those stores, which we rarely wind up doing.

We found the most adorable shirt for Allie and I had to buy it even though I had declared her out of souvenier money. It has Minnie Mouse on it with a Corgi. We have two Corgi's at home and the shirt was too cute.


Allie wore her shirt last week and loves it.

We then completed the loop and made it back to the International Gateway entrance.

It is the first time I can remember doing the entire loop of World Showcase in one day like that.


It was time to get on the Skyliner to head to the Riviera to check it out before our dinner reservation.

It really is an efficient form of transportation, and since it was still light out we got some nice pictures on the way.




While the Skyliner is efficient and convienent it's not my favorite form of transport but I was brave.


We got off at Riviera and got to enjoy checking out a new resort. We had quite a while before our ADR, but we were really looking forward to checking it out.

Our first impression getting off the Skyliner was how close Carribean Beach is to the resort. Some of the Caribean Beach rooms are closer to the Riviera Skyliner station then most of the rooms at the Riviera resort. It surprised me a little.

It really has the feel to me of being the DVC tower at Caribbean Beach, not a completely separate resort. That is fine, but they definitely don't market it that way.

We started by walking under the mosaics that we had heard about, and they are pretty cool.




The mosaics are beatiful and after doing all of the tile in our new bathroom I have even more of an appreciation for them.

That is very true!

We noticed they were doing some filming in one of the rooms and they had another room set up with snacks and such for the film crew. It was interesting to watch from a distance.


You could definitely tell it was going to be a DVC promotional video. We haven't seen it yet, but may someday.

Check out the rest of the resort in our next update, which starts right now...
 
When we just left off, we had arrived at the new Riviera resort.

We then continued through the courtyard and wound up at Bar Riva. Jon and Brandy ordered some drinks, and we got mug refills. We got to sit in the open seating area, and enjoyed chatting for a bit.



We didn't get a super Disney themed vibe, the little touches were cute but it really felt like the resort could be anywhere. Jon made a comment about it feeling like a resort in Las Vegas and honestly it really did.


That description really nailed it for me. It feels like a nice Las Vegas resort, but didn't have a super Disney feel to me either. We did get to check out the nice pool area after our drinks, and a nice lifeguard let us in to take some pictures.




The kids splash area is adorable with the elephants and hippos from Fantasia.


After the pool we continued exploring in search of the lobby. We finally found it on the second floor, and it was quite small like we had heard.


It took forever for us to find the elevator to the lobby, it really shouldn't have been that hard.


The decor of the resort is beautiful, lots of marble and Disney artwork and there's a cute little pastry shop in the lobby.



In the lobby we found the gift shop, which wasn't huge but did have some unique DVC merchandise, including a different spirit jersey, but we didn't buy anything.


It seemed to have the essentials, even a kiosk to buy Disney art which was nice with the art pieces scattered around the resort.


We found a spot to chill and chat in the lobby while we killed some time waiting for our dinner ADR.


While we waited I walked around the front of the resort, and found the bus stops. They are quite a long walk form the lobby, but at least there is a nice covered walkway the whole way.


I also found a nice balcony that overlooks the courtyard off of the lobby. Once it was almost 7:00, we headed to the elevators and went up to the top floor.


Dinner tonight was at Topolino! We heard it was a great date night spot it just so happened we made our ADR on Valentines day. Sorry to everyone else who was there on a date and we crashed it with our crazy kiddos.


As we got off the elevator it definitely felt like California Grill, with the wind behind the host stand.


We were seated very quickly, at a table in the corner by the open kitchen.


I thoroughly enjoyed watching the kitchen work. Our waiter was super friendly and brought us bread and olive oil for dipping. The oils were so good I made Paul take a picture of them so I could find them when we got home.



The waiter seemed very familiar to us, and after chatting with him we figured out that he was probably our waiter at Be Our Guest for dinner in 2017, where he did a great job as well.

We got escargot as an appetizer.



It was fun to try and Allie was a great sport and really enjoyed it.



Marshall just wanted to take home all the shells for his hermit crabs.


It was a great fun meal, with an atmosphere that was fun for the kids too. It is neat to look back at the pictures and see that everyone looked so happy. It was a very nice meal, and we haven't even gotten to our entrees yet. I ordered the Filet Mignon, and Melissa got the chicken Rigatoni.

We both ate half and split. Both entrees were delicious. Allie got a steak off the kids menu which left alot to be desired. She was not a fan and wished she could have Dad's steak.



The steak was amazing. I really enjoyed it and felt it was a real contender for best steak of the trip. The presentation was quite fancy, but it was super flavorful and tender. I gave Allie a piece and she agreed that there was a huge difference between "steaks".


Marshall fell asleep before dessert.


We ordered the Valentines love letter dessert and pistachio mousse. Allie even tried pistachio ice cream, but didn't like it and switched to chocolate.




The special Valentine's desert was cute and super yummy with a couple different types of chocolate.


We finished dinner at about 8:45, and decided to hang out to catch the 9:00 Epcot fireworks. They have a nice outside balcony, but it was a little chilly that night so we wound up leaving a few minutes after they started.


It was cold, not just a little chilly. Also I'd like to take a moment to pause right here and acknowledge my husband and his efforts to document our trips and take pictures for these trip reports.

I do tend to take a lot of pics, thinking I might want to show something in a trip report.

He does a fantastic job of capturing EVERY detail of our trip. While editing pictures I found this gem . It's a bathroom stall for your viewing pleasure.



I have no explanation. I did take a picture of the 2x4 propping up the sink, but I have no recollection of what the stall was of note.


So since it was so cold outside Brandy, Jon, Allie and I left him to take pictures while we went inside to warm up.



After a potty break we found you could see fireworks very well from the elevator lobby window.


We then headed down to the buses.


We got to the stop at 9:13, and the sign showed 9:19 for a MK bus. It arrived at 9:22, left at 9:24, and got to MK at 9:42. We then walked to a WL bus that was waiting. That almost never happens.


It really doesn't but it made for a nice easy trip back to the resort.


We got back to WL at 9:55, and stopped by the Mercantile to pick up packages that we had shipped to the resort.

We all hung out and talked for a bit in the room, since we were all avoiding packing. At about 10:45 Jon and Brandy headed to the bar, and I went and got mug refills. Then we packed for about an hour, and got our big bag to right at 50 lbs with both droids, some clothes, and the few things we couldn't carry in a carry-on bag.


It was sad packing up to go home but it was a fantastically full day. It was a great last whole day of our trip.


We made it to bed before midnight, and we had the hard packing done so we both felt good. Check out our departure day exploration in our next update.
 
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We then made the short walk over to Epcot. This is one of the nicest parts of Beach Club, and a reason we'd love to stay here sometime.
The location can't be beat. :)
He's a really nice guy and it was fun to chat and watch him work.
I know that some artists don't like having people ask questions or watch them paint. It is nice that he didn't mind at all. :)
The pizza was great too, with a unique crust.
There was an awful lot of crust on that pizza.
It was a great meal. It helped knowing what to expect, because it still wasn't a quiet place, but getting the lasagna was a great call.
If we go back there then DH will get the lasagna and I'll get the ravioli. We had them last time we ate there and they were both really good.
The new Canada video was cute but I don't know, the first one really made me want to visit Canada, this one didn't have the same effect.
We weren't too impressed with the new Canada film. It wasn't very interesting.
Allie wore her shirt last week and loves it.
Of course you had to buy that shirt. It was perfect. :)
Our first impression getting off the Skyliner was how close Carribean Beach is to the resort.
I couldn't believe how close together the two resorts were. It would be easy for guests of the CBR to visit Riviera, and vice versa.
It feels like a nice Las Vegas resort, but didn't have a super Disney feel to me either.
It just needed a dancing fountain to fit on the strip. :)
We got escargot as an appetizer.
Those look really big.
He does a fantastic job of capturing EVERY detail of our trip. While editing pictures I found this gem . It's a bathroom stall for your viewing pleasure.
People want to know these things. :)
 
The location can't be beat. :)
We totally agree, and are still hoping to try for a split stay between there and WL for our Jan-Feb 2021 trip. With the high DVC demand though it might not be possible, and once again we'll just spend the whole trip at WiIderness Lodge. Someday sooner than later we will get to stay at Beach Club...

I know that some artists don't like having people ask questions or watch them paint. It is nice that he didn't mind at all. :)
Yes, he was definitely "on stage" and knew he was there to interact with the visitors, but he really seemed to enjoy it more than some others. He was a super nice guy, and was fun to talk to. We did hear that Disney even had to approve the concept art of what he was going to paint, even though it was an original.

There was an awful lot of crust on that pizza.
If we go back there then DH will get the lasagna and I'll get the ravioli. We had them last time we ate there and they were both really good.
We were super impressed with the lasagna. THe pizza was good too, and the crust had a good flavor, which was good because as you noticed there was a lot of it...

We weren't too impressed with the new Canada film. It wasn't very interesting.
That's pretty much exactly how we felt.

Of course you had to buy that shirt. It was perfect. :)
It was (and is) so cute. She loves it.

I couldn't believe how close together the two resorts were. It would be easy for guests of the CBR to visit Riviera, and vice versa.
Yeah, and as big as CBR is it is nice to have another Skyliner stop at the other end of the resort. Whether marketing agrees or not, those two resorts definitely share a location.

It just needed a dancing fountain to fit on the strip. :)
Exactly! Not that it is a bad thing, but that is exactly how it felt to us. Probably not exactly what they were going for, unless the Vegas resorts copied the same resorts on the RIviera that Disney was trying to emulate.

Those look really big.
They were quite large, and tasted fine. They were better than the ones we got at FOod and WIne a couple of years ago. They didn't compare with the steak though.

People want to know these things. :)

Do they? :tongue: I am curious what the restroom stall pic was for, and all I can think of is that it wasn't quite as fancy inside as the ones at California Grill. Maybe I'll have to dig up that picture for comparison...
 
On our last morning of the trip, I got up just after 5:00 and got ready, then left the room right at 6:00. I went outside and then went back to the room for my sweatshirt because it was chilly.






I spent an hour and a half wondering around the resort taking pictures, including a nice sunrise.





I got up and finished packing up and getting the bags ready to take down to airline checkin.

I went back to the room about 7:40 and finished packing. We had done well the night before and were done early.

We are really getting better at this.


We just hung out sitting in the room and talking from 9:00 on, and finally left the room about 9:45 after having Bell Services come get our carry on bags to hold for the day.

The resort airline checkin went really easy, then we walked down to the buses. We had the day to do whatever we wanted, and decided to go check out Old Key West on our way to Disney Springs.


While we waited for a bus, Jon was able to get an Open Table reservation for Boathouse at 12:15.

We were tossing around the idea of a split stay for our next trip and Jon and Brandy had never been overthere so we wanted to check it out.

We got on the MK bus at 10:24, and got to MK at 10:32. We talked about the great food we had this trip while we waited for the bus. The OKW bus came at 10:45, and we got to OKW at 11:00.


We walked around and explored the area around some of the rooms, and then went to the lobby and gift shop.




It was all pretty busy since it was Saturday of Presidents Day weekend.


There were quite a few people in the Community Hall and check in area. It had a much busier vibe than when we had visited previously.



We got mug refills, and Jon got a Mimosa. We checked out the pool area, and then worked our way to the boats.

So a super weird embarassing thing happened to me in the restroom there. I somehow cut my finger on the trashcan in the bathroom stall. The cut was pretty bad and bleeding quite a bit so I wanted a band aid. Just a single bandaid and apparently you can't get just a single bandaid anywhere at the resort.

What surprised me is the Cast Members weren't as helpful as you'd expect.

You have to buy a whole box, since I didn't want to carry a whole box of bandaids on the plane with me I just used a papertowel until it stopped bleeding, sprayed it with some hand sanitizer and thank goodness I didn't pick up any flesh eating bacteria or anything.

We hopped on a boat to head to Disney Springs for lunch, we were all excited about Boathouse.


Our boat for Disney Springs came at 11:38, and left at 11:40. It was a nice cruise, which is a huge benefit of this resort.



We got to Disney Springs at 11:56, and did some shopping and walked around the Sanuk store.


We wandered over to Boathouse and got there right on time for our reservation.


We were seated at a high table in the corner in the bar area, not super practical for our group but it worked out ok.


It was in the corner by where the amphicars launch, which was kind of cool. The high table was odd though, and Marshall fell off his seat at one point and completely disappeared. He landed on Melissa's bag and was fine, but he about gave our waitress a heart attack.
It took a long time to get our food, since it arrived at 1:09. My burger was excellent, and still is my favorite burger anywhere. I didn't think I was going to get to eat here this trip, but I'm glad we did.


I had the pulled pork and it was divine. I would love to make pulled pork that good at home.

We really love the food here, and it can be very reasonable price wise.


On the way out Marshall checked out the little boat motors. They are insanely expensive, but he knew exactly what they were and was sure he would enjoy one. Maybe someday buddy...


We skipped dessert at Boathouse, but stopped at Sprinkles cupcakes on our way out and Jon got some mini cupcakes to enjoy later on our trip home.


Since we didn't want to be late, we then headed to the buses at 2:04.

Check out the conclusion of our trip and the flight home in the next update...
 
We enjoyed our stay in a 2 bedroom villa at OKW. The rooms are huge and the buses were pretty good.

We were seated at a high table in the corner in the bar area, not super practical for our group but it worked out ok.
I don't like high top tables and usually ask to sit at a regular table if possible. I like to have my feet on the floor.

I'm surprised that they seated you at a high with a young child. Everyone knows that they can be very wiggly. :)
I had the pulled pork and it was divine. I would love to make pulled pork that good at home.
I love a good pulled pork sandwich. We need to check this place out. :)
 
We enjoyed our stay in a 2 bedroom villa at OKW. The rooms are huge and the buses were pretty good.
Yeah, we like the feel of Old Key West and the similarity in location to Port Orleans. It tends to have decent availability for DVC rooms, so we could wind up here at some point. The boats to Disney Springs are really nice.

I don't like high top tables and usually ask to sit at a regular table if possible. I like to have my feet on the floor.

I'm surprised that they seated you at a high with a young child. Everyone knows that they can be very wiggly. :)
We could have waited for a different table, but went with it. It was fine, but Marshall is definitely wiggly.

I love a good pulled pork sandwich. We need to check this place out. :)
It has tray become one of our favorites, and I didn’t expect it to be. It is definitely way more than a fish place or a steakhouse, and the lower cost options really taste great. The BBQ sauce has a great flavor, and is used on the burger and the pulled pork. The location and view are nice too.
 

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