A Salute to AK but mostly Dinosaur! TR 9/5-9/14/24! Update 10/30**

[suse66]

I know! Your prices are crazy, they got a nice 3 bedroom home with a deck and decent yard for under $300,000

That's incredible! I told the boys that Andi bought a house and all they could say was how???? So exciting for her and Kait!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Didn't... want... to... rush...

Haha you should know having 20 something girls! Sleep is so important

next time bring your own. Just carry it around in your pocket (on those super hot Florida days) until needed. Perfect solution.

Perfect suggestions those little butter packets would be perfect in the heat an humidity

Did it though? Did it really??

As many times as I have done RD it actually was nice to enjoy the breakfast and not rush!

I wouldn't know. I've never done that!

Haha try it sometime, RD nowadays isn’t all it is chalked up to be with the 30 minutes!

Well... he didn't lie.

No but a little frustrating when you send your luggage at 8am to a resort just down the road that it can’t be there quicker!

I hope not too... but... muppets are not well known amongst the younger generations, are they?

Sad Andi loves them and she is young lol

You can always ask. They'll accommodate. I did that last time I was there.

We will do that next time especially after using the FP

Wow, it's been a hot minute since I've been in there.

It is dead in there but the characters in there are great ones to see!

Of this, I have no doubt!

Yes I knew exactly what BB8 was saying

Nice shot of the happy couple.

I agree, it was nice they were celebrating the engagement except they didn’t want me to put it on the reservation at all. Shy girls

Oh dear. Well... start cheating.

I need to try looking up the secrets and cheat except, as you said below my arm gets so sore!

I love it too, but 2 times is pretty much max. Your arm hurts after!

Once we did it like 3x in a row years ago and my arm was so sore, lol

You paid money......... for Aliens????

Well @pkondz we paid for FP and it is a selection with a very slow moving SB line so yes we did. Andi and I love this one. Honestly if Kait was able to do more rides we could have easily had SDD, RnRc, and ST added to the day in our line up. All were available at some point!

Sorry to hear, but glad she recovered quickly.

Yes she has some real motion sickness issues

That's really quick!

The SB line for Rise was crazy short, loved it

Not a fan of drops?

Again her motion sickness was a concern

They are??? I'm surprised at that.

Yes shows are in there but I don’t think a good use of the FP. I think character meets make more sense and a better use of FP for cash! I should be making these decisions for Disney

yeah... if it's not available to me, don't show it as being available.

Exactly quit showing it on my app.

Oh? Is this new?

Yes I think it may have something to do with the Skyliner?? It closed up a few years ago really dumb, just say boats this way!

Hmmm... I usually do get what I ask for... but it's been a long time since I've used it.

I use to have pretty good success with TP but not lately.

Wow! That's big news! Congrats to them both!

I’m so proud of the gorls very responsible with their money!

 

[pkondz]

Haha you should know having 20 something girls! Sleep is so important

Perfect suggestions those little butter packets would be perfect in the heat an humidity

As many times as I have done RD it actually was nice to enjoy the breakfast and not rush!

Then I'll consider that a win.

Haha try it sometime, RD nowadays isn’t all it is chalked up to be with the 30 minutes!

Yeah... Bring back the hour! No... Make it two hours. Three!!!

Sad Andi loves them and she is young lol

Then there is hope.

Yes I knew exactly what BB8 was saying

Of course you did. I never doubted you for a second.

I agree, it was nice they were celebrating the engagement except they didn’t want me to put it on the reservation at all. Shy girls

Awww... They should have.

Once we did it like 3x in a row years ago and my arm was so sore, lol

There's no way on the third trip that you could have improved your score.

Well @pkondz we paid for FP and it is a selection with a very slow moving SB line so yes we did.

Yes shows are in there but I don’t think a good use of the FP. I think character meets make more sense and a better use of FP for cash! I should be making these decisions for Disney

I'm shocked Disney hasn't called you yet, begging you to work for them. Shocked!

 

[disneyAndi14]

A Pleasant Surprise

We arrived at BWI and I was dreading checking out our room location. The lobby is lovely. We took the elevators close to the little lounge in the lobby down to the 1st floor and started walking and walking. Our room was way down the hall but the closer we got to our room, the quieter the area became.

We opened the door and loved the room. The refurbished rooms are very nice. The artwork in the room was beautiful and focused on the fab 5. I loved it. We had a room with the couch in it and such a cute chair, check out the design on the chair.



More beautiful artwork

The room was spacious and tons of storage between the big closet in the entry, dresser, and under the bed, it was really nice.


The bathroom had the vanity with 2 sinks outside of the toilet and tub room.


The only let down was the ground floor patio, it was like an afterthought with very uncomfortable furniture and no privacy between the other rooms, just a big row of patios.

One thing we noticed several times was people walking on our patio, it was weird because they were literally right there by the patio door. I don’t know if they were looking for a way to get out to the Boardwalk or the quiet pool.

The quiet pool was right by us passed the massive hedges but I have no idea how you got to it, lol

There was a little water fountain straight ahead of our patio.

We learned quickly you cannot get to anywhere going out on your patio or out the exit door closest to our room. It was like the hedge maze in the Shining, haha

We called to get our bags and they weren’t here yet per bell services. It was like 4:15. Our groceries arrived around this time and the girls went to get those. They were able to use a luggage cart which really helped with all the water.

We unpacked some and put away the groceries, I quickly went out in the hall to find the ice machine. I love having ice at all times. It was further away than some but not terrible.

I called again around 5pm and our luggage had arrived yay. Bell service brought it up quickly. We continued to unpack with all our luggage and the room was great for this. I loved the closet and drawer space.


We did not have a connecting room, yay, Spoiler we loved the room location for the wonderful quiet space and beds are super comfortable. We never heard a peep from anyone around us, blissful for me! I didn’t even wear my earplugs the whole time here.

Was our room far down the hall? Yes it was, so some may not like that. This didn’t bother us at all. We did have to exit through the lobby each time we left but overall for us this walk was not bad!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Here are some more fun pictures of the hallway, the coffee bar area, and the little fountain outside of our patio, the lobby carousel and of course the creepy nanny chair, again think The Shining
Hallway and by the elevators




Lobby ceiling carousel and creepy nanny chair



The coffee bar area with the little fridge underneath


This artwork was in the bathroom area, I loved it

This was our lamp, so cute, the curtains had silhouettes of the fab 5


The little fountain we could see in front of our patio

Stay tuned for our dinner and lounge review coming up very soon!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I'm shocked Disney hasn't called you yet, begging you to work for them. Shocked!

Right? If I was on the team making decisions we would all be trying to book a trip every week!

Yeah... Bring back the hour! No... Make it two hours. Three!!!

I would love to have the return of the extra hour each morning at different parks each day. I think this helped to disperse crowds!

There's no way on the third trip that you could have improved your score.

My arms after riding multiple times

 

[pkondz]

Our room was way down the hall but the closer we got to our room, the quieter the area became.

Quiet is good. But far is not... but it's all relative. Far down a hallway is nothing compared to far down at a distant building!

check out the design on the chair.

I'm seeing the Mickey head, but am I missing something else? Or just a nice pattern?

The only let down was the ground floor patio, it was like an afterthought with very uncomfortable furniture and no privacy between the other rooms, just a big row of patios.

Unfortunate. Would be nice to relax out there.

One thing we noticed several times was people walking on our patio, it was weird because they were literally right there by the patio door. I don’t know if they were looking for a way to get out to the Boardwalk or the quiet pool.

That's a bit... odd...

The quiet pool was right by us passed the massive hedges but I have no idea how you got to it, lol

We learned quickly you cannot get to anywhere going out on your patio or out the exit door closest to our room. It was like the hedge maze in the Shining, haha

Now you know why people were walking on your patio!

We called to get our bags and they weren’t here yet per bell services.

They were probably stuck on the other side of the hedge.

Like this shot of Andi.

This chair is famous! Don't knock it!


(but yes... it's creepy)

 

[pkondz]

Right? If I was on the team making decisions we would all be trying to book a trip every week!

I would love to have the return of the extra hour each morning at different parks each day. I think this helped to disperse crowds!

I loved that perk.

My arms after riding multiple times

I overheard someone the other day commenting "Have you seen Caroline's arms? She's ripped!"

So I'm not surprised at all.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The only let down was the ground floor patio, it was like an afterthought with very uncomfortable furniture and no privacy between the other rooms, just a big row of patios.

There are ground floor rooms at the Beach Club with patios like that. There is no separation between the patios.

Spoiler we loved the room location for the wonderful quiet space and beds are super comfortable. We never heard a peep from anyone around us, blissful for me! I didn’t even wear my earplugs the whole time here.

I love all the special touches. I'm glad that Disney is bringing them back. The room looks very spacious.

 

[vamassey1]

I have only tried right at the 60 day mark not even thinking about 60+10. I would try it, and the further out in your reservation is the best chance of getting a time. I had to keep checking the last time and finally one popped up. It ended being our last full day of vacation when I found a reservation.

Thanks for the tips. I waiting to find out if FoARTS will be going on while we're there before planning out days at parks. I hope we get this info before I hit my 60 day mark.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Margarita Time

We had dining reservations for 7:15 at a new to us restaurant. Rosa Mexicano in the Dolphin resort.

We walked over to the Dolphin. It had rained some earlier and it did look like it was going to rain again.

The walk from BWI to the Dolphin is a short one.

We made it over to the resort without rain, yay!

The restaurant is on the lower level past The Fountains QS spot.

We checked in and only waited about 5 minutes before being seated. Our table was by a window. The tables are pretty close together here and it was pretty busy.

We ordered a pitcher of regular lime margaritas to share.

The margarita was very tasty and strong! Just how I like my drink

The girls and I decided to share some appetizers for our dinner.

Our choices:

Chicken Flautas
Fried Corn Tortilla filled with Pulled All-Natural Chicken, Shaved Cabbage, Crema, Queso Fresco, Tomatillo & Avocado Salsa


Queso
Three-Cheese Blend, Roasted Tomato, Pickled Jalapeño, with Warm Corn Tortilla Chips. We got it without chorizo


Rosa’s Signature Nachos
Chihuahua Cheese, Black Beans, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Crema, Cotija Cheese. We added Red Chile Chicken
You could have added shrimp, chicken or steak.

Everything was pretty good. I have to say Frontera Cocina in DS is better in my opinion. This was good but not sure we would run back here, well maybe for the margaritas. I didn’t love the salsa here, it was more smoky with a sweet undertone. I think Frontera and Antojitos at Universal have much better salsa. It was still a very enjoyable dinner.

It was raining ️ when we headed out of the Dolphin. We put on our ponchos and walked quickly to the Yacht Club.

I really wanted to visit the Crew Cup lounge for a special dessert cocktail. The Key Lime Pie martini. I had read about this on the Dis and I love Key Lime Pie so I needed to try this! The Crew Cup lounge is close to the Yachtsman Steakhouse. This was our first visit here.

The martini wasn’t on the menu anymore but our server said I could still order it, yay

I loved this drink, it tasted amazing and you guessed it, just like a Key Lime Pie, yummy

The girls each had a beer I am excited to revisit this lounge.

Susan and I are planning a Skyliner crawl in December and this needs to be on our list for sure.

They also have food and the prime rib sliders get really good reviews. I want to try those out at some point.

We finished our drinks and walked back to the BWI. The rain was ending and the walk back was very nice.

Once back in the room, we settled in and watched some senseless TV. The beds were super comfortable and no hall or neighbor noise!

Day 2 in the books!

Stay tuned for Day 3

It’s time for a trans dimensional joy ride folks!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Quiet is good. But far is not... but it's all relative. Far down a hallway is nothing compared to far down at a distant building!

I have been in further away rooms at CSR, PoP, and AS. BWI was not bad compared to the outer buildings!

I'm seeing the Mickey head, but am I missing something else? Or just a nice pattern?

Haha no just that, I liked the chairs were a material now that is easily wipeable!

Unfortunate. Would be nice to relax out there.

Disney has never made the balcony/patios very comfortable for what we pay it should be much nicer!

Now you know why people were walking on your patio!

Haha Yes once we went out and saw the no escape maze we realized it. One of the people however, just kept walking back and forth stopping on ours a couple times as she talked on her cell phone! Oblivious of us in our room!

They were probably stuck on the other side of the hedge.

They were! No way out back there

This chair is famous! Don't knock it!

Every time I see the nanny chairs I think of the Shining! I read the book, scariest book I ever read!

I overheard someone the other day commenting "Have you seen Caroline's arms? She's ripped!"

Yes, thank you all my fans, I need to thank TSM for my ripped arms!

 

[disneyAndi14]

There are ground floor rooms at the Beach Club with patios like that. There is no separation between the patios.

Big negative for me, another reason I do not like ground floor rooms!

I love all the special touches. I'm glad that Disney is bringing them back. The room looks very spacious.

I have to say after being let down with the location and floor we were pleasantly surprised and loved all the Disney touches and a really good refurbishment here!

Thanks for the tips. I waiting to find out if FoARTS will be going on while we're there before planning out days at parks. I hope we get this info before I hit my 60 day mark.

I hope it works out, this is a great tour for couples! I’m sure Dennis will love it Have you done this one? I can’t remember if not you will see why I hype it up so much!

 

[Wood Nymph]

They also have food and the prime rib sliders get really good reviews. I want to try those out at some point.

It's good to hear that Crews Cup has added more food options to their menu. We were disappointed that some of our favorites were missing from their menu the last time we were there.

 

[pkondz]

Rosa Mexicano in the Dolphin resort.

I must admit that I have never set foot in either Swan or Dolphin.

It had rained some earlier

I prefer that to having it rained some later.

The walk from BWI to the Dolphin is a short one.

And yet... I've never done it.

The tables are pretty close together here and it was pretty busy.

Too close? Did you feel packed in? Or okay?

The margarita was very tasty and strong! Just how I like my drink

Chicken Flautas
Fried Corn Tortilla filled with Pulled All-Natural Chicken, Shaved Cabbage, Crema, Queso Fresco, Tomatillo & Avocado Salsa

yes

Queso
Three-Cheese Blend, Roasted Tomato, Pickled Jalapeño, with Warm Corn Tortilla Chips. We got it without chorizo

yes

Rosa’s Signature Nachos
Chihuahua Cheese, Black Beans, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Crema, Cotija Cheese. We added Red Chile Chicken
You could have added shrimp, chicken or steak.

yes

Okay... not sure why I'm hungry all of a sudden...

I have to say Frontera Cocina in DS is better in my opinion.

Then I won't pencil this one in as a must do.

The Key Lime Pie martini. I had read about this on the Dis and I love Key Lime Pie so I needed to try this!

Hello!!!!!!!

Except... I looked and there's various recipes for this. I like this one (at least it sounds good)
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/key-lime-pie-martini-3645521
But there are others with rum and that's a nope for me.

Lovely shot of them.

Susan and I are planning a Skyliner crawl in December and this needs to be on our list for sure.

They also have food and the prime rib sliders get really good reviews. I want to try those out at some point.

Prime rib sliders and key lime pie martinis?!?!?

I need to get back to WDW soon.

Once back in the room, we settled in and watched some senseless TV.

That's the best kind!

The beds were super comfortable and no hall or neighbor noise!

It’s time for a trans dimensional joy ride folks!

I wonder what that could be?

 

[pkondz]

I have been in further away rooms at CSR, PoP, and AS. BWI was not bad compared to the outer buildings!

I remember staying at ASMu in the Country Fair... that was in another county!

Haha no just that, I liked the chairs were a material now that is easily wipeable!

Ah!

One of the people however, just kept walking back and forth stopping on ours a couple times as she talked on her cell phone! Oblivious of us in our room!

She's lucky that wasn't my room. I would've pretended to be on my phone, stepped out... ON MY OWN PATIO... and started talking in a really loud voice. I'm sure she wouldn't mind.

Every time I see the nanny chairs I think of the Shining! I read the book, scariest book I ever read!

Hmmm... I've read a few of his books, but don't think I've ever read that one. Huh.

es, thank you all my fans, I need to thank TSM for my ripped arms!

 

[suse66]

Everything was pretty good. I have to say Frontera Cocina in DS is better in my opinion. This was good but not sure we would run back here, well maybe for the margaritas. I didn’t love the salsa here, it was more smoky with a sweet undertone. I think Frontera and Antojitos at Universal have much better salsa. It was still a very enjoyable dinner.

I really love Frontera but I wouldn't mind trying Rosa Mexicana sometime

I really wanted to visit the Crew Cup lounge for a special dessert cocktail. The Key Lime Pie martini. I had read about this on the Dis and I love Key Lime Pie so I needed to try this! The Crew Cup lounge is close to the Yachtsman Steakhouse. This was our first visit here.

Love Crew Cup! I can't wait to have the pull apart rolls with roasted garlic.

Susan and I are planning a Sk.yliner crawl in December and this needs to be on our list for sure.

100%! It's a great spot!

 

[vamassey1]

I hope it works out, this is a great tour for couples! I’m sure Dennis will love it Have you done this one? I can’t remember if not you will see why I hype it up so much!

I've never been so I'm looking forward to it too.

Your room is so lovely. I like the new decor too.

It's always good to try something new in Disney. The apps do look, thanks for sharing.

 

[schumigirl]

Catching up……

What in the name of all that is decent is that nanny chair???? Creepy and could have been in HHN!!!

Congratulations to Andi and Kait purchasing their home! Always exciting, I hope they’re very happy there, they certainly look very happy!

I do like the look of that Key Lime Martini, I love key lime anything! And yes, that hotel is beautiful, I did have to Google what BWI was though, but lovely!

I daren’t show Tom the pictures of your doggies, if we were ever to get a dog (not a chance from me) that’s exactly the breed he wants. Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs, but on a cold wet winters morning the last thing I want to do is get up to take a dog out a walk…..lol…..

Will be keeping up with this one for sure, always enjoy reading your reports Caroline

 

[Steppesister]

He has a ton of ribbons and statues. He is retired now!

A well-earned retirement, I'd say.

Many of you have read my reports in the past and know I travel with my daughter Andi! We have been doing trips together for 14 years to WDW. To say we became obsessed with Disney travel is putting it lightly! We love it!

I'm starting to travel a bit more with my daughter Anara and sure love it.

So awesome!! Love this shot of you three.

They really like the town Eau Claire and can buy a nice house for a decent price. They had thought about moving to Orlando in 2025, however, cost of living and the good jobs they have now won out to staying in WI.

WOOT!!!

We used FP for cash every day at Disney

I'm on the fence with this, but I'm pretty cash poor right now.

I use my Disney Visa card all the time (pay off each month) and accumulate $$ rewards and also use the reward $$ every trip

Yes, that's the way to do it.

My silly selfie I do before each trip. I’m so old now I need a filter, lol

Stawp, you're beautiful.

Our seats are in comfort+ but because we were one of the last people on the plane most of the overhead space was gone now, even though comfort+ is guaranteed overhead space. We maneuvered everything to fit under our seats, it was tight but worked. Thank goodness for extra leg room and a larger area under the seats.

That really frosts me. I wish they'd enforce that. But glad it worked out.

We ordered 3 vodka cranberry drinks, the flight attendant said oh she is sleeping and I said “she will wake up for alcohol” Andi actually had the two cocktails. Kait was out! We both had snacks, and I ended up with two vodka cranberry drinks as well. I watched The Quiet Place Day 1

Now that's the way to properly travel.

We chose the West side for drop off since it is closer to The Summer House.

Good to know!

I was bummed the drone show had just ended in DS. I would have liked to see it.

Me too.

I guess the Summer House is known for this. The wine was very good.

Such a shame that I'll have to drive right after our (Kari and mine's) visit there. Okay, maybe ONE glass.

The girls really loved the breakfast bowl. Disney knows how to do tots and breakfast bowls.

Yes, they do. My fave it at Woody's- both bowls are amazing! And big enough to split.

Most of you witty readers and Disney veterans know my TR title is not only a nod to Dinosaur but also to The Muppets! You have to love Sam Eagle, it’s a glorious 3 hour show, you got 3 minutes, lol I was able to get a quick picture of the crabby old guys in the balcony before the show started.

I just love that cute little show. So funny!

Our ride on MMRR was very enjoyable. I like it more and more each time I ride. I do still miss GMR mostly for all the memories of our mother/daughter trips. We rode GMR so many times, I bet close to a 100 times.

This ride has really grown on me too. I love the little song- so catchy.

Daisy looked like she was having a seizure, lol she froze in the dancing room and her eyes were so creepy. We hadn’t even started our Horror portion of the trip yet.

I literally laughed so hard out loud at this.

We decided to hit up launch bay, that place is pretty deserted nowadays. Andi and Kait stopped for a blue milk before we went in to visit with BB8.

I really enjoy the fare there. I had a really nice salad last time and there's a corner by the exit that's actually really quiet.

This ride is one of my least favorite attractions unless we get pilot.

I like it mostly for the theming and queue. The ride? Meh.

Baseline Tap house for a little snack.

I"m devastated they ttook the roast beef wellington thingy away. Such sadness. It was often my lunch in DHS.

I love having ice at all times. It was further away than some but not terrible.

THIS.

Rosa Mexicano in the Dolphin resort.

Oh doesn't this sound so yummy! I"m excited to finally try the Cucina Frontera.

margarita was very tasty and strong! Just how I like my drink

YES!

Three-Cheese Blend, Roasted Tomato, Pickled Jalapeño, with Warm Corn Tortilla Chips. We got it without chorizo

The Key Lime Pie martini. I had read about this on the Dis and I love Key Lime Pie so I needed to try this! The Crew Cup lounge is close to the Yachtsman Steakhouse. This was our first visit here.

I'm dying to try this particular drink so much! I do love this lounge so much.

Susan and I are planning a Skyliner crawl in December and this needs to be on our list for sure.

They also have food and the prime rib sliders get really good reviews. I want to try those out at some point.

I'm soooooo excited to join you ladies in Dec. I'm going to start a PTR of sorts for the Dec. trip now that school is behind me and I have a bit more time.