She's Surprised to be back to Disney World, a May 2021 Yacht Club Girl's Trip (Updated 9/8)

[GDubDIS]

Love following along with your trip reports and so happy that you were able to pull off this fun surprise! Looks like a wonderful trip so far and looking forward to hearing about the rest!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Hey everyone! We're kicking off a super surprise extra trip report today.

Yes, for those of you who haven’t been following our prior trip report, Melissa planned a surprise trip for Allie to mark the end of her home school year.

This was the most epic surprise that I've ever pulled off. I still can't believe I didn't blow it before we got to Orlando.

We did all the planning in secret, and got ADRs and called for Magical Express when she wasn’t around, which was extra tough with home school.

We did it though and it was an incredible surprise to pull off.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves we should introduce ourselves, I'm Melissa, I'll be writing in orange.


I am Paul, the Dad and usual primary trip planner for our trips, but this time I stayed home and worked and took care of Marshall, our five year old so that the girls could have a special trip. I’ll be writing my comments in blue.

This trip report is going to be a little different because Paul wasn't on the trip with us. It was just me and Allison who is 11 and very much a tween.

She loves Disney though and this was a great trip for her.

So a little backstory on the trip. When we started homeschooling in the fall I thought it would be nice to take a trip to Washington DC because she was learning about American History. My sister lives in Norfolk Virginia so I thought great, by the spring we should be able to make something happen. Well fast forward to February after we got back from our last trip to Disney. I was looking at airfare to Virginia and what might be open to do in DC and was a little disappointed in what we could see and do.

So instead of DC I thought heck, why don't we check out Disney.

We were also heavily involved in looking at room options for our trip next January, since we had to rent points to supplement our DVC contract due to the borrowing restrictions. We hoped to have some points left over from a point transfer to cover a May trip, but that didn’t happen.

After figuring out what dates worked to visit my sister for a bit I added a couple days onto the trip and planned a 5 day layover in Orlando on the way home.

Since the extra point option didn't work out I was able to book Yacht Club using an AP discount and got a really good deal. I also considered Carribean Beach but really couldn't resist being able to walk to Epcot and checking out Stormalong Bay before our next trip.

The discount made the Deluxe a more appealing way to go, and they got to try out the location before we stay there in January.

We looked at having the boys join us for the Disney portion of the vacation but ultimately decided that it was going to be too much to board the dogs and cost quite a bit extra in airfare and food.

So Marshall and I decided to sit this one out, which is funny because we still haven’t directly told him that they were there.

Eh what he doesn't know won't make him mad.

We didn’t want him to blow the secret, and then we didn’t want him to be jealous, so we just didn’t talk about what they were doing for so long.

To make it up to Marshall and give him something to look forward to we did tell him that we would go to Legoland while the girls were gone.

So right before we are set to leave we decide that we're going to buy a house and sell our house all at the same time, life got a little crazy and we didn't end up telling Allie about any of the trip until the week before we were set to leave. BUT we only told her about the first 4 days in Virginia.

It was nice to have me home to deal with some house stuff, since they did the appraisal and buyers inspections on the day Melissa left.

So our trip started off with a wonderful visit with my sister in Virginia. We got to see the Chesapeake Bay, toured a couple really neat old houses, checked out the Battleship Wisconsin, and even went up to Colonial Williamsburg which Allison loved.

It made it a somewhat educational trip, and Allie loved the time there.

Somehow I completely strung her along and she thought we were headed home via a wierd 5 hour layover in Orlando where since we were switching airlines we had to go get our bag and recheck it and go back through security. I told her it was how I got a cheap flight and she completly bought it.

That way we didn’t have to tell her about the secret until she was actually in Orlando. I was sad about missing out on telling her, so we decided to do it together over FaceTime.

After we got off the plane I told her we needed to call dad now because he had a meeting in a bit and I wanted to talk to him before he got tied up with it.

We totally had her because she started the call telling me about how it wasn’t fair that they were that close to Disney and couldn’t even go see Disney Springs or anything.


So then I told her that I lied, our 5 hour layover was actually a 5 day layover. For some reason she immedeatly thought that meant we had to stay in the airport for 5 days.

She just started crying. Then she kept crying as she figured out where they were going.



I had to pull magic bands out of my bag to convince her I wasn't kidding. She was so surprised.

She didn’t know what to believe at that point. She was really excited though.

So excited, she pretty much cried all the way down to the Magical Express line.


I recorded the FaceTime call, but it didn’t get the audio, which was a bummer but we still got some great screenshots.

The pictures they sent as she got closer to the busses were more animated, and I could see she was getting excited.


So I'm not going to have all of the times and stuff like Paul normally does, I didn't take notes like we normally do for our trips but I'll do my best.

You didn’t even take the big camera, but you did take a lot of pics on your phone and we will share them here.

All of the pictures I took were with my phone.

You guys were traveling light, which had to be great.

So here we go, after we got off the phone with dad we wen't down to grab our bag at baggage claim to pick up our suitcase and head to Magical Express.

We got in line about 1:15 the earliest we've EVER arrived in Orlando, except for that time we took the red eye. Maybe I should rephrase that to the earliest and most awake we've arrived in Orlando.

You were excited and ready to go, but the room wasn’t ready yet.

Yeah and we did have a little wait to get on a bus.

Oh I didn't tell Allie where we were staying until we checked in for the bus too. She cried again.


Awww

So according to my pictures we got on the bus at 1:40 so a little shy of the 35 minute wait we were promised.

That’s way better than people had been posting about around that time.

I really think we got lucky because there were for sure people that waited longer than us. Allie cried some more on the bus while she let it sink in that we were actually going to Disney. And that we were going without the boys.

I don’t think she was too sad about that.

I'm pretty sure they were happy tears.
Our first stop was Boardwalk but then we were the next one so the bus ride itself wasn't bad.


That’s cool. It had to be neat to get to stay in the Epcot resort area.

Yes the strangest part was that I'm so used to the drive to Wilderness Lodge it just felt different.

I bet. We have talked about staying over there since our honeymoon, but this was the first time.

So since our room wasn't ready we left all of our stuff with bell services and went in search of lunch. Allison's original plan was chinese food in the airport but then decided she'd rather just get to Disney instead.

So we headed over to Beach Club Marketplace to grab some lunch.


This is a spot that we frequently visit during our trips, despite never having stayed there.

We do like it alot. We decided to go ahead and get mugs which worked out great during the trip. I got a chili cheese hot dog and Allie got bacon topped macaroni and cheese which she raved about.


While we were eating outside we got attacked by these insane biting flies.

I appreciated that you got a green mug so I’d have a souvenir when you got home. I use these mugs for the water cooler at home.

And he won't drink out of one unless it's green but he's weird.

They’re the best.

I'm the best.

True, you brought me a green mug.

So the flies were different, we've never had that happen before. I didn't think much of it at the time.

Since it was only about 3:00 and our room still wasn't ready we decided to head into Epcot! It was super exciting.

Aww neat!

Read about the rest of their evening in the next update...

I cannot wait to continue reading about this awesome surprise! Also when the kids are a little older you should totally go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. Also all of the historical sites from Colonial Williamsburg to Yorktown to Jamestown-also has an awesome outlet and a Ripley's museum and many a great hotel!

 

[elsbit]

I was inspired by your trip report and have now planned a surprise birthday trip for my daughter, who will be 10. I am so excited! Ours will be in September and just a weekend trip (fly in Friday, leave Monday). I look forward to reading more!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Hi everyone. We apologize for being away from here the last week, but things got really busy as we closed escrow and got access to our new house. Every spare minute has been spent moving, packing, or cleaning. We are all so excited about the new place and can’t wait to give it our Disney touches, and share it with you all.

Great update!

I just have to mention that I read "Facetimed" as "Fascinated" above...I was like you go with your storytelling master skills lady! Yes I giggled at myself because I am that goofy.

And congrats on the sale of your house and the new home. Can't wait to see some Disney art walls!

Lynn

FaceTimed is just a weird word. It is always fun to amuse yourself. We are looking forward to seeing Disney art at the new place too. The new snack print made it here, but isn’t up just yet. Most of the other stuff is still in the storage unit, but we will fix that soon.

They are cute. Do they have accessories to buy?

Yes they do, and the clothes and stuff are interchangeable between all of them. I guess they are willing to share some outfits, but Allie says they each need their own special ones...

Is this the first time she had them? That was nice of the waiter to give her a compliment.

She had the Oysters Rocafellar for the first time during our trip in February when Jon ordered them.

It's a good thing it fit in the suitcase. I would be worried about carrying it through the airport if it wasn't hidden in a bag. It looks like a great toy for Marshall.

He does love it, and was so excited to have it coming for him. He was a little disappointed that they weren’t holding it when we picked them up at the airport though.

Candy Cauldron sounds a little like Honeydukes.

We haven’t been to one but yeah it is along those lines. It just is fun to see the different things Disney does with theming a simple candy store.

You got a lot done that day. No wonder you were ready to go back to the resort early.
It looks like a great day. I love Allie's new shirt. Does she wear it at home?

Yes it was a busy day, and resting sounded like a good option. She does love the shirt and has worn it quite a bit at home.

Love following along with your trip reports and so happy that you were able to pull off this fun surprise! Looks like a wonderful trip so far and looking forward to hearing about the rest!

Thanks! It was a neat trip and we can’t wait to share the rest of it. We should be able to write more this week.

I cannot wait to continue reading about this awesome surprise! Also when the kids are a little older you should totally go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. Also all of the historical sites from Colonial Williamsburg to Yorktown to Jamestown-also has an awesome outlet and a Ripley's museum and many a great hotel!

Thanks for the tip about Busch Gardens. It will be fun when Marshall is a little older, and we figure Allie will be excited to go back to the area again to show us around.

I was inspired by your trip report and have now planned a surprise birthday trip for my daughter, who will be 10. I am so excited! Ours will be in September and just a weekend trip (fly in Friday, leave Monday). I look forward to reading more!

Congratulations! That is going to be a great trip. We love going in September. Will it just be the two of you? That will make for a fun summer of planning, and you won’t have to keep the secret for too long. We can’t wait to hear about it.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Congratulations on getting access to your new house! What an exciting time for you all.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We apologize for being away from here the last week, but things got really busy as we closed escrow and got access to our new house. Every spare minute has been spent moving, packing, or cleaning. We are all so excited about the new place and can’t wait to give it our Disney touches, and share it with you all.

Your house is very cute. There is plenty of room for both kids and pets to run around your new house. There is always a lot to do when moving in. At least you have the summer to get it all ready. Will Allie be going to a new school?

 

[footballmouse]

Your dogs look adorable!

 

[amberdc1987]

Just found your report! Loving it! Planning a Mommy/Daughter trip next year for my oldest 13th birthday. Just the two of us. Can't wait to hear more about y'all's trip.

Y'all's new house is super cute! And i'm more jealous of the fact you have 2 corgis , than anything else!! I love Corgi's, maybe one day i'll have one.

Keep it coming!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Congratulations on getting access to your new house! What an exciting time for you all.

Thanks! It is an exciting and busy time, especially since we had a 11 day annual RV trip planned for a few weeks after we moved in. We just got back from that, so now we can settle in.

Your house is very cute. There is plenty of room for both kids and pets to run around your new house. There is always a lot to do when moving in. At least you have the summer to get it all ready. Will Allie be going to a new school?

Thanks. We have a lot more space both inside and out. We are only about 10 minutes from our old house, but yes Allie will be going to a new school. She is excited about it, and going back to real school again.

Your dogs look adorable!

Thanks. We have a 9 year old Shepherd mix who now is our old lady, and the Corgis who are related to each other. They each have their unique personalities.

Just found your report! Loving it! Planning a Mommy/Daughter trip next year for my oldest 13th birthday. Just the two of us. Can't wait to hear more about y'all's trip.

Y'all's new house is super cute! And i'm more jealous of the fact you have 2 corgis , than anything else!! I love Corgi's, maybe one day i'll have one.

Keep it coming!

Awesome! That will be a great time for a trip with your daughter. You both will love it.

We will get back to writing up the rest of this trip now that we are home and things are settling down. It was an awesome trip and we are so glad we did it.

Our Corgis are fun, and are sassy potatoes. Ratchet, our male, is 5, and Allie’s dog. Socket is 3, and is the daughter of Ratchet’s sister and litter mate. She is the baby, and Melissa’s dog. They are great dogs, and are actually pretty big, they just don’t have any legs.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Thank you so much for being patient with us this time with this trip report! Things around here are wild right now but we are loving life in the new house and just got home from our annual trip to Utah.

We are also under 180 days till we all get to go back to WDW in January.

Without further ado, we left you on a cliffhanger so lets talk you all off that ledge.

Ahh yes, the drama of Rise of the Resistance

So Allie and I had a chat about whether or not I should wake up early and try and get a boarding group. I'm not a fan of alarm clocks and our Master planner wasn't with us so I was keen to just skip it but Allie informed me that I would be trying.

So guess who set the alarm for 6:45 and tried to be awake enough to figure out how to snag a boarding group?

This girl.

Hey, you couldn’t do any worse than I did in February.

Well I actually could, because when 7 o clock rolled around and I was finally able to try for a boarding group I pushed the back button instead of the forward button and totally blew our chances. Everything was full in seconds.

So I just went back to bed.

I know that feeling.

We knew the park would be busy though so we didn't sleep in super late.

Originally we thought about taking the skyliner over to the park but after some consideration we decided on the boat.



I really think that was the better call and something to note for the next trip.


Skyliner to Hollywood Studios in the morning is just cumbersome.

That stop to change Skyliner lines adds complexity.

Not only that but there are three more resorts that add congestion.

I suppose walking is quickest, but who needs more of that.

Oh there's no way I was starting off with that walk. Allie wore me out.

It was a pretty overcast morning and Allie thought she might freeze in her new shirt.

We made it in the park at about 9:40 and all Allie wanted to do was shop. So we cruised the shops on the way in the park.


We didn't buy anything though, just window shopped.

I figured she had Rockin Roller Coaster on her mind.


She did. The wait times for everything in the park were pretty high but we decided we'd just wait for Rockin Roller Coaster so we hopped in line. It was long and I think the wait was about an hour. It wound around in the Fantasmic queue area though that was a little wild.


Wow

We had a super fun group of college boys behind us in line. I was giving them a hard time about their taste in music. One of them had never heard of Aerosmith and I was appalled.

That’s pretty bad.

It was, so while we were in line I gave him some suggestions for a spotify playlist. When we finally got to the front of the line one of the guys chickened out!
Allie thought that was so funny.


That’s great, getting shown up by an 11 year old girl.


She thought so. His friends were good about it though, they were good kids.

Next up we headed over to Mickey and Minnie's runaway railway. It was just another long line but we really enjoyed the ride.






It was a hit for us last trip.

We looked up the pre-show on Youtube while we were in line because we'd never seen it. I'm looking forward to seeing that in person someday.

When we got off we decided we were hungry and wanted a snack. I had heard good things about the Wookie Cookie so I placed a mobile order for Backlot Express.


Unfortunately our little snack was going to take almost an hour but we decided it was worth it.

That is crazy. There’s no spontaneous snacking.

Very few that's for sure, our lunch was later too, not until 2ish so we could have starved.

I remember talking to you while you were waiting for food.

While we waited we went to the Mickey Shorts theater and watched that short. It was cute and had AC.


The movie memorabilia inside is cool, they had costumes from the Decendent's movie and live action Mulan.

I bet Allie liked that.

She did! After that was done we STILL had some time to kill so we walked into Galaxy's Edge. We watched some character interaction with Chewbaca and some guests which was really cute and then Allie decided she wanted a coke in one of the fancy bottles. I really couldn't say no.


It’s a souvenir and a drink.

Right after we got the coke I realized I had like two minutes until we could try again for a boarding group. It was crazy because I totally forgot all about it and wasn't watching the clock but happened to notice the time.

Again you did better than me. We ate right through it last trip.

Only barely and by accident. I was able to get a boarding group with a return time in about 180 minutes.


Nice, it all works.

As soon as I got the boarding group I got a notice that we could go towards Backlot Express to pick up our food so we headed that way.


We got the Wookie Cookie (which was SOOOO good) a paint pail cake, a diet coke and a bottle of water.



We were able to eat inside which was nice and we Facetimed Paul. I had to because I couldn't figure out what time it was going to be in 180 minutes.

That was fun. I helped with the maths.

That's why I married my math tutor. We had fun chatting though.

I don’t even remember what I was up to that day, but HS sounded way more fun.

For sure. We sat inside in the AC for a long time enjoyed our snack and then guess what, it was time for lunch! So my original plan for lunch was Sci Fi Dine-In but I couldn't get a reservation.

It wasn’t bad to have our HS standby to fall back on though.

I went with a tried and true favorite 50s Prime Time.


We both ordered the sampler and cleaned our plates.


Allie really enjoyed sitting at a TV table. We normally have to big of a group to sit at one of these tables.


That had to be a cool new thing.

It was alot of fun, and the TV loop is about as long as lunch should take.

Check back for the update on the rest of our day soon. ( I promise...)

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Yay for getting a ROTR boarding group!

 

[elsbit]

I have never heard of the Wookie Cookie. It looks like an oatmeal cream pie. I love oatmeal cookies. We love the carrot cake one in HS. Now I have a new cookie to try! But hopefully not with that long of a snack wait, geesh!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Originally we thought about taking the skyliner over to the park but after some consideration we decided on the boat.

It is a good thing you didn't take the Skyliner near park opening time. The line at the Caribbean Beach transfer station gets extremely long from resort guests at CB, Pop and AoA. We made the mistake of taking the Skyliner to return to the YC around 10:30 am and hit a 30 minute wait time for the Epcot line. We had forgotten about Epcot opening at 11am. We quickly went back to HS and walked to the YC. But the Skyliner has been great at all times except park opening and close.

Only barely and by accident. I was able to get a boarding group with a return time in about 180 minutes.

That was lucky. I have a feeling that Allie would have been a little unhappy if you forgot.

Allie really enjoyed sitting at a TV table. We normally have to big of a group to sit at one of these tables.

The TV tables are fun and the AC was very welcome, I'm sure. It looks like you had a good meal. We were there in May and went to every air conditioned ride and show that we could. You won't have that problem in January.

 

[cajunfan]

Whoo hoo on the boarding group!

And great trip reporting as usual!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Yay for getting a ROTR boarding group!

Yes, finally!

I have never heard of the Wookie Cookie. It looks like an oatmeal cream pie. I love oatmeal cookies. We love the carrot cake one in HS. Now I have a new cookie to try! But hopefully not with that long of a snack wait, geesh!!

Yeah, we had heard about it on DFB, and it looked good, but probably wasn't worth that wait...

It is a good thing you didn't take the Skyliner near park opening time. The line at the Caribbean Beach transfer station gets extremely long from resort guests at CB, Pop and AoA. We made the mistake of taking the Skyliner to return to the YC around 10:30 am and hit a 30 minute wait time for the Epcot line. We had forgotten about Epcot opening at 11am. We quickly went back to HS and walked to the YC. But the Skyliner has been great at all times except park opening and close.

Yeah, the transfer and wait are a significant obstacle in the morning at peak times. We will remember to avoid it then next trip, and it worked out well this time.

That was lucky. I have a feeling that Allie would have been a little unhappy if you forgot.

Yeah, she was pretty excited about it, after being a good sport about not getting to do it last trip.

The TV tables are fun and the AC was very welcome, I'm sure. It looks like you had a good meal. We were there in May and went to every air conditioned ride and show that we could. You won't have that problem in January.

Yeah, the return to "hot Disney" felt normal for us. All of us but Allie prefer going in the winter, but she likes the hotter times.

Whoo hoo on the boarding group!

And great trip reporting as usual!

Yes, it came together. Thanks, it is better to cover it late than never... Now let's do some more of that reporting and get to the ride!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off, we were just finishing up unch at 50's Prime Time.


After lunch we were really full and had a weird amount of time to fill so we went over to check out One Man's Dream. Allie didn't remember it and REALLY enjoyed the museum part.



She was pretty small last time we did it.

She was. I enjoyed the seat in the AC during the video. We timed it all perfectly because after the video was over it was time to head over to ride Rise of the Resistance!


Nicely done!

Even with the boarding group we still had about a half hour line.



And then I'm not sure if it was a Covid adaptation or just what was happening that day but we didn't do the pre-show and we walked into the room with the Storm Troopers from backstage. It was all very strange.


It must have been odd to see changes to such a great ride.


It was, but the ride was still incredible. After that we were pretty much done in the park. We had swimming to do.

At least you didn’t have far to go.

On the way out we stopped at First Aid for some more Calagel for my bites. Allie's were fine but mine were flaring up pretty bad.



That’s right, the bug bites were still an issue.

Yes, they took forever to get better. We decided to try a different form of transportation and take the Skyliner back to the resort.


And still saving steps by not walking.

Just outside the line we met a new turtle friend. He was drawing quite the crowd.


Well once we got on the Skyliner I kinda wished we had walked because the wind picked up. It was pretty darned strong wind too. It was not pleasant. At the Carribean Beach transfer station I talked to a CM and he said that they won't shut it down until it is blowing 40mph! That's insane, it was gusting at about 25mph that night and it's about as windy as I'm willing to deal with in them.


I read online about how bad the wind was that day

It was gusty for sure. We stopped for mug refills at Beach Club on the way back to our room. It's totally something you would do and something we only did that one time.


Ahh, well I’m glad you thought of me.

I did. We got back to the room and then headed out to the pool. We spent quite a bit of time at Storm Along Bay before I convinced Allie we should check out the hot tub at the pool near our room. That is when I discovered that there was a laundry room right there at the pool!

That had to come in handy.

It was VERY nice. I felt comfortable enough leaving Allie in the room by herself to go switch loads around. We were getting hungry but we didn't have dinner plans and we were tired. I was browsing availability and saw we could mobile order from Ale and Compass.


I ordered a BBQ Chicken Flatbread, the Ale and Compass Salad, and Parker House Rolls.




So you took it to go to eat in the room?

Yeah I went to pick it up and they had accidentaly deleted my order. But it was totally worth the wait. We had a little feast in the room.

It is a restaurant we hadn’t eaten at before, but became a strong favorite

And those rolls..... SO so so so good.

I heard the rolls were pretty good, but Allie doesn't rave about them like she still does the bread at Skipper Canteen.

ohhh yeah that's tough, the bread at Skpper Canteen was also amazing. These rolls are just really regular rolls, it's the spreads that make them spectacular.

I also got a load of laundry done. Our room was so close to the pool where the laundry room was it was quick and easy to go move stuff around and pick it up when it was done.


We had a great day and really were able to do everything we wanted.


Next up our day in Epcot with our most expensive meal of the trip!

Oooh, but was it the best, we will see...

Check back for more in the next update...

 

[elsbit]

It is so nice to be able to do laundry on vacation like that where it's simple and easy and you won't have to return home with a suitcase full of dirty clothes.

What are the circular big things in your salad? I know the small ones are radishes. Is it some sort of fruit. It looks familiar to me but I cannot place it.

On one of my last trips to Disney I got the dreaded Disney rash on the back of my legs. Your trip report is the second one to mention that calagel. I may look into it and pack some just in case I get that rash again. Do you feel like it provided your relief from the bug bites?

 

[GrandCalifornian]

It is so nice to be able to do laundry on vacation like that where it's simple and easy and you won't have to return home with a suitcase full of dirty clothes.

We have been spoiled by the 2 bedroom DVC rooms and having laundry in the room. It changes how we pack, and is so nice to not come home with a bunch of laundry to do. It was nice to still be able to easily do laundry this time, since laundry was kind of important on this trip because Allie thought we were only going to be gone for half of the trip.

What are the circular big things in your salad? I know the small ones are radishes. Is it some sort of fruit. It looks familiar to me but I cannot place it.

This is the list of things that were on the salad:
Watercress, Sorghum, Pumpkin Seeds, Rainbow Carrots, Beets, and Radish with Lemon-Balsamic Vinaigrette.
It was an ok salad, it looks and sounds a lot better than it turned out to be.

On one of my last trips to Disney I got the dreaded Disney rash on the back of my legs. Your trip report is the second one to mention that calagel. I may look into it and pack some just in case I get that rash again. Do you feel like it provided your relief from the bug bites?

The calagel was amazing. The nurse described it as a topical benadryl. It really helped, if we go again in the spring I'll pack some but the nurses at first aid are also super helpful with the little packets. We also tend to bring Hydrocortizone, which helps as well.

 

[Wood Nymph]

And then I'm not sure if it was a Covid adaptation or just what was happening that day but we didn't do the pre-show and we walked into the room with the Storm Troopers from backstage. It was all very strange.

We rode RotR several times since Covid restrictions were in place and it wasn't until our trip in May that they had guests walk past certain elements of the ride. It may have been a crowd control thing - who knows. Disney never tells why it does something.

it was gusting at about 25mph that night and it's about as windy as I'm willing to deal with in them.

The gusty wind would be a little scary. Allie seems to be enjoying the ride. It is a cute picture of her.

That is when I discovered that there was a laundry room right there at the pool!

That is a very convenient laundry room. It is also one of my favorite quiet pools. It is never busy and large enough to actually swim.

And those rolls..... SO so so so good.

We only discovered how good these rolls when the Covid shutdowns closed some of the restaurants we usually went to for dinner. Now the Ale and Compass is on our restaurant rotation when we are staying at the BC/YC.

What are the circular big things in your salad?

I'm glad you asked because I was wondering the same thing. From the ingredient list I would guess that they are really big carrots.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We rode RotR several times since Covid restrictions were in place and it wasn't until our trip in May that they had guests walk past certain elements of the ride. It may have been a crowd control thing - who knows. Disney never tells why it does something.

Exactly, whatever they decide is what we get to do, and that was what we got this time. We were glad to get it though.

The gusty wind would be a little scary. Allie seems to be enjoying the ride. It is a cute picture of her.

Melissa isn't a big fan of the gondolas anyway, and having them move in the wind was definitely not her favorite thing.

That is a very convenient laundry room. It is also one of my favorite quiet pools. It is never busy and large enough to actually swim.

It was perfect for this trip, and made the room location even better.

We only discovered how good these rolls when the Covid shutdowns closed some of the restaurants we usually went to for dinner. Now the Ale and Compass is on our restaurant rotation when we are staying at the BC/YC.

They were really good and I bet we get them some time next trip.

I'm glad you asked because I was wondering the same thing. From the ingredient list I would guess that they are really big carrots.

I think they were some kind of radish, they didn't taste like the carrots. It was ok, but not a favorite.