Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures

Category: Walt Disney World Resort

• Whirlwind Universal Orlando Trip–Day 1 Checking In To Bay Lake Tower, Lunch at Contempo Cafe, Monorail Resort Tour

  Posted at 8:42 am by taryngirl, on January 23, 2025

  12/14/24

  This trip came about as a birthday celebration for my youngest daughter. We decided to let her pick a friend to join us. The night before we were flying to Florida, her friend suffered an injury in her high school basketball game. She arrived to our house in the morning on crutches and with ice packs! Ackkkkk! Since we were flying Southwest Airlines, I went into her confirmation and added a wheelchair to it. I had NO idea the extent of the injury, but I knew I wanted her to walk the least amount necessary!

  Southwest was great! We checked in like normal and then went to a “wheelchair assistance” desk. They scanned her boarding pass and we were off to head through security. We went through a special entrance and there was no line. They also wheeled her to the gate and upon boarding, we all were permitted to preboard with her. Our flight was not full.

  

  Once on the plane, she did have to get up every 20 minutes and take a stroll down the aisle to avoid blood clots. (Her crutches fit in the overhead bin.)

  Now, let me do a preview…

  We are Disney Vacation Club members. We had 3 day tickets for Universal Studios Orlando. So for our arrival day, we took a Lyft to Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, which I booked with our DVC points. My plan was to take the monorail around to the resorts and look at the Christmas decorations and gingerbread houses, wake up the next morning and Lyft to Universal.

  Our Lyft from the airport to Bay Lake Tower was $50 plus tip.

  

  We landed around noon and were at our resort by 1:00 p.m. Our room was not ready yet, so we checked our luggage with Bell Services, and went to get something to eat.

  

  

  It was a beautiful day!

  

  Bay Lake Tower is connected to the main Contemporary Resort by a Skybridge walkway. This is located on the 5th floor of BLT. The gingerbread display was located directly inside the Contemporary once crossing the Skybridge walkway.

  

  I loved seeing this:

  

  

  

  It was amazing in person! There also was a little stand set up where they were selling gingerbread goodies.

  For lunch we went to Contempo Cafe, which is one of my FAVORITE quick service locations.

  

  We mobile ordered. The menu:

  

  

  

  

  

  

  If you do not mobile order, you can order at the cashier and then they will deliver the food to your table.

  I ordered the Vegetable Flatbread–Zucchini, Red Onion, Roasted Red Pepper, Roasted Tomato, Asparagus, Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Pistou finished with Balsamic Glaze and Chives $13.29

  

  This was actually amazing! The taste was so good, and it was a good serving size. I could not eat it all.

  Chicago Style Italian Beef Sub–shaved Italian Beef, Mozzarella, Giardiniera, and Seasoned Au Jus $13.99

  

  This was also really good! He ate the whole thing.

  Kids Chicken Strips–Served with 2 sides and a drink $8.49

  

  Fun fact, anyone can really order a kid’s meal at a quick service location. It’s a good portion size and comes with choice of 2 sides and a drink. Both girls got double fries and a water. They loved these!

  Chili-Cheese Fries $6.99

  

  We also ordered a side of the Chili Cheese Fries. These were also really good!

  Here are some of the desserts that were available:

  

  

  Overall, 10/10 meal here! It was super busy and tables were limited.

  From here, we hopped on the monorail and headed out to check out the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. We all four had a backpack because we weren’t able to check into our room yet. So I had my laptop, others had ipads, etc. Security was crazy. All 4 of us were flagged and they had to go through our bags at every single checkpoint during this journey.

  Our first stop was the Polynesian. This is one of my favorite Disney resorts! I love the vibe here!

  

  This is the view walking in from the monorail:

  

  

  The decorations were so pretty!

  

  

  We looked in the shops and then got back on the monorail to go to the Grand Floridian.

  This is the view when walking in from the monorail:

  

  It was bustling with activity in here! The gingerbread house was up and there was a longgggg line waiting to buy some gingerbread goodies.

  

  

  The cast members actually stand INSIDE the gingerbread house to serve the customers. It’s huge!

  

  

  From here we got back onto the monorail to head to our resort. I had received a text that our room was ready!

  Up next…Bay Lake Tour 1 Bedroom Villa, Dinner at Steakhouse 71.

  Posted in Disney, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Bay Lake Tower, Disney, Disney Resort, disney-world, Florida, travel, Walt Disney World

• Morning at Magic Kingdom, Liberty Tree Tavern Lunch!

  Posted at 9:30 am by taryngirl, on October 11, 2023

  9/12/23

  This short trip had been in the works for months. My travel agency owner called an informal meet up to help celebrate the agency’s 10th birthday!

  I left my house at 2:30 a.m. to drive to the Philadelphia Airport. I picked up my travel bestie since she lives about 15 minutes from the airport. Our flight was earlyyyyyyyy on Frontier. We met up with another agent who was flying down just for the day.

  We landed, got our luggage, ordered an Uber, and went to our resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs. We changed, freshened up in the bathroom of the lobby, gave our luggage to bell services, and headed off to the bus stop for Magic Kingdom. We were inside the gates at 9:30 a.m.! Today was a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party event, which meant the park was going to close to regular guests at 6:00 p.m. Those who purchased the event tickets were permitted to enter at 4:00 p.m., while everyone else had to leave by 6:00 p.m.

  

  I was excited to see everything decorated for fall and halloween!

  

  

  We didn’t really have a plan at all for the morning and afternoon. We checked wait times and decided to go directly to Haunted Mansion. It had a 20 minute posted wait time. From there we went to Pirates of the Caribbean. That was down for the entire morning until now. It had just reopened and we only had a 5 minute wait.

  My travel partner got a return time for Tron. So we went over to Tomorrowland. I had a drink break and went on the People Mover while I waited for her. I also decided spur of the moment to make a lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern, which is in my top 3 meals at Disney! There was plenty availability the day of, which is unusual.

  In fact, look at the wait times for the rides at 11:00 a.m.:

  

  

  

  

  

  

  I’ve been saying this for years…Not So Scary Halloween Party dates are GREAT days to visit Magic Kingdom as a park day! Enter at park opening, and be finished sometime between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. You should be able to hit a majority of the rides, and have some table service dining options if you did not plan ahead.

  It was EMPTY!

  Our lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern was at 12:30 p.m.

  

  Liberty Tree Tavern is served family style, all-you-care-to-enjoy. Current pricing is $39 per adult, $21 per child, plus tax and gratuity. All serving sizes shown were for two of us.

  We started off the meal with the delicious rolls. These are served warm, and were slightly different than what I remembered from the last time I ate here. These have some kind of butter mixture on top. Regardless, they were soft and delicious!

  

  Next was the Declaration Salad–Mixed greens, Apples, Cranberries, and Cheese tossed with Housemade Dressing

  This salad was also different than I remember. It was good though. The dressing had a good flavor and was very light. I’m not a huge fan of cranberries, and these were a non-factor really.

  

  After a short while, the main platter and sides came out.

  House-made Macaroni & Cheese

  This was very good! I like it so much better than the Stouffer’s that they used to serve!

  

  Seasonal Vegetables (Green Beans! I have never seen them serve a vegetable that wasn’t green beans…) and Mashed Potatoes

  These were yummy! We did get more of the potatoes. They really are so creamy and good! I personally like to eat the pot roast with them…

  

  Roasted Turkey, Pot Roast, Oven Roasted Pork, Herb Stuffing

  The turkey and pot roast are AMAZING! I don’t know that I even tried the pork because I love the other two so much! We did get more pot roast. The stuffing was okay, but I love the mashed potatoes so much that I don’t waste my time with the stuffing. 🙂

  

  House-made Gravy is also served.

  The grand finale course here is the Oooey Gooey Toffee Cake–Vanilla Toffee Cake, Chocolate Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream

  This is my favorite dessert in alllllll of the land! The cookie part is warm. IT’S SO DANG GOOD!

  

  We were done eating around 1:30 p.m. We had some plans for the evening non-Disney related, and we still had some time before we had to go back to the resort.

  We went to Fantasyland and went on It’s a Small World and Little Mermaid. We walked through the shops on the way out to the bus.

  We were back to the resort before 4:00 p.m. I had received a text that our room was ready. So we went to Bell Services to get our luggage. They gave us three options. We could take our luggage and walk to our room. (Saratoga Springs is HUGE so that was a definite no!) We could go to the room and call for our bags. Or they could drive us on a golf cart with our luggage. Of course we opted for the golf cart! I did tip the cast member who drove us, as he carried our bags to the room for us.

  

  We were staying in a 1 bedroom villa. Here’s a little room tour!

  I absolutely love this resort. It’s been renovated, and I love the pull down bed in the living room vs. the old sofa beds that were not very comfortable. I also love the full kitchen in the villas. It’s nice to have the option for drinks and snacks.

  My friend had scheduled someone to come to the room to give us henna tattoos.

  We loved the final products!

  

  

  After our tattoos, we jumped in an Uber and went to dinner with some friends that live in Windermere. It was a fun night! And we were ready to hit the ground running the next day at Hollywood Studios!

  Posted in Dining Review, Disney, Magic Kingdom, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Dining Review, Liberty Tree Tavern, Magic Kingdom, Room Tour, Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Table Service

• Disney’s Beach Club Villas – Deluxe Studio

  Posted at 11:30 am by taryngirl, on May 10, 2022

  5/1/22

  As I stated in my last post, I used my DVC points to reserve a night at Disney’s Beach Club Villas. This is one of my favorite resorts for several reasons.

  • I love the theming and decor. I am a beach person!
  • The pool is hands down my favorite (Stormalong Bay).
  • The location is perfect for walking into Epcot through the International Gateway, and boating or walking to Hollywood Studios.
  • If you like some downtime, this is right next to the Boardwalk area, that features a few restaurants and some entertainment.
  • I love the dining…Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, Yachtsman Steakhouse, and Ale & Compass Restaurant.

  

  We hadn’t received a text that our room was ready, so I went to the front desk to inquire at about 4:15 p.m. They did give me a room once I went to the front desk.

  

  Walking in the door, there’s a mirror with hooks.

  

  To the left was the vanity/sink area and the closet.

  

  The shower/toilet are separate.

  

  This particular location still has the individual sized toiletries.

  

  The closet has the safe, ironing board, extra bedding for the pullouts, and a luggage rack.

  

  On the right when walking into the room was the kitchenette. This area has a microwave, mini fridge, coffee maker with all of the fixings, paper towels, paper products, a toaster, and a small sink.

  

  

  The bedroom consists of a queen bed, a sofa pull out bed, and a twin sized murphy pull down bed.

  

  The murphy bed pulls down from the table under the television.

  

  

  

  We had a small balcony with a table and two chairs.

  

  Overall, I LOVED this resort and the room. I would definitely stay here again and it’s usually one of the first resorts I look for just because of the pool.

  Posted in Disney, Disney' Beach Club, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Deluxe Studio, Disney, Disney's Beach Club, DVC, Walt Disney World

• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – Nature View Room

  Posted at 1:02 pm by taryngirl, on April 8, 2022

  12/28/2021

  For our big family trip, we were so fortunate to stay at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge! This is hands down my favorite resort during the Christmas holiday season. I LOVE THE LOBBY! The tree, the garland, the wood…it’s all just perfect! I stopped in for a half hour earlier in December when I was in the area, and literally just sat in this lobby and relaxed.

  

  We were booked in a Nature View Room. This room features 2 queen beds. There is an option for a king bed Nature View Room also. These rooms were very recently renovated and I was super excited to check them out!

  This is the view when opening the door to the room:

  

  To the left was our closet area:

  

  There was so much storage space in this closet.

  To the right was the bathroom area:

  

  The double sink and mirror were separate from the toilet and shower.

  

  The shower had a rainshower type faucet, as well as a regular faucet.

  

  Also near the closet area was the coffee station.

  

  Underneath was the mini fridge, and to the left was the hair dryer, safe, and more shelves for storage.

  

  View of the 2 queen beds:

  

  Television, drawer storage, 2 chairs with nesting tables that can be moved around:

  

  

  The view from our balcony:

  

  Overall, I loved the room and my stay here! The location is great for Magic Kingdom, as it’s a quick boat ride away. I love the food options here, the lobby ambiance as I’ve said before, and the outside atmosphere. You forget you are at Disney and think you are at a National Park! I would definitely stay here again. I would love to get into a Copper Creek Cabin with our DVC points sometime!

  Posted in Disney, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort, Wilderness Lodge | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Resort, Resort Review, Walt Disney World, Wilderness Lodge

• Breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace

  Posted at 2:13 pm by taryngirl, on March 24, 2022

  1/3/22

  As my luck would have it for this trip…I was also able to score a reservation for 4 to Topolino’s Terrace, which has been on my bucket list for the last several trips! There was so much going on this day with food, so people had to pick and choose what was important to them. This was first on my list!

  Topolino’s is located at Disney’s Riviera Resort. The easiest way for us to get there for breakfast was to take a Lyft from our resort.

  

  This resort is absolutely gorgeous! It kind of reminds me of a mini Grand Floridian in its style and decor.

  The lobby is kind of on the smaller side.

  

  This is one view out the back from the lobby area.

  

  We took the elevator up to Topolino’s Terrace.

  

  We were seated promptly right in the middle of the restaurant, which was busy, but not too busy.

  We were brought this delicious basket of pastries, and condiments. Crossaints, muffins, and fabulous maple?? turnovers. All of it was SO GOOD!

  

  I had read many different reviews while deciding if I truly wanted to eat here. A majority of them said that they would do this meal again hands down. It also varied on what you could order. Because you are paying a set price per person, it was assumed that you could get one entree, however that is not true. You can order one entree and then ask for sides or small orders of other things if you wish.

  I knew for sure I wanted the Fruit Plate–Seasonal Fruits, Honey Yogurt, Seed Granola, Toasted Sunflower Butter. It arrived and it was fantastic!

  

  

  My daughter chose the Sour Cream Waffle–Roasted Apple, Chantilly, Orange-Maple Syrup, and served with Sausage. I was also torn between this and what I ordered. Luckily I was able to try this, and it was SO GOOD! I would order this again for sure!

  

  My niece ordered the Quiche Gruyere–House-Made Pancetta, Roasted Potatoes, Gruyere, Lemon Vinaigrette, Sausage. She really liked this, especially the potatoes.

  

  I went with the Two Eggs Any Style–Roasted Potatoes served with Sausage. This was your standard (real) scrambled eggs. The potatoes were really good! I knew I was going to be tasting my daughter’s waffles, so I wanted something somewhat “healthy.”

  

  While we were eating, the characters took turns coming around. They did make an announcement with music so you knew someone was coming. They did not get close to the tables, but did stop next to us so we could get pictures or videos. I loved Minnie’s outfit!

  

  

  

  A look inside the restaurant:

  

  

  When we were finished eating, we were able to go outside on the terrace to have a look around. The views were amazing! It was pretty windy, but the weather besides that was perfect.

  

  

  

  I would 100% do this breakfast again, even for the cost. It’s a character meal, with delicious food, a gorgeous resort, and spectacular views. I would try to align it with a Hollywood Studios or Epcot day so you can take the Skyliner after eating.

  Our server here was meh. She wasn’t very personable and didn’t ask if we wanted anything extra. She was also nonexistent for a majority of the time.

  Posted in Breakfast, Dining Review, Disney, Table Service, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Breakfast, Dining Review, Disney, Disney's Riviera Resort, Foodie, Table Service, Topolino's Terrace, Walt Disney World

• Art of Animation–Little Mermaid Room

  Posted at 9:29 am by taryngirl, on December 14, 2021

  10/2/21
  We took a Lyft from Saratoga Springs to Art of Animation first thing in the morning. Our plan was to check in or drop off our bags, and head to Epcot via the Skyliner.  Luckily our room was ready, so we went directly there!

  We chose to stay at Art of Animation because neither of us had ever stayed there in a Little Mermaid room.  The theming is completely on point here as you can see in my photos!  All of the little details were perfect for Disney or Little Mermaid fans.

  

  Directly inside the door, is a table and two chairs with a mirror on the wall above.

  

  The table has some amazing details!

  

  

  

  

  There are 2 queen beds with the cutest bubble lights on the headboard.

  

  

  There’s a curtain to partition off the sink area from the bedroom area.

  

  

  

  The shower area literally makes you feel like you are under the sea!

  

  Overall, the room was clean and a good size for a value level resort. This is the perfect room for a super Disney fan or Little Mermaid lover! The walk to the food court and bus area is a little bit long from the Little Mermaid rooms. The family suites are much closer.

  Up next Epcot!

  Posted in Art of Animation, Disney, Walt Disney World Resort | 1 Comment | Tagged Art of Animation, Disney, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort

• October 1st, Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary

  Posted at 8:41 am by taryngirl, on October 22, 2021

  10/1/21

  Originally our plan for the day was to just wake up leisurely, and not get there for rope drop since we knew it was going to be a late night. We didn’t have any specific shopping we wanted to do as far as the 50th merchandise was concerned. We had no plans to ride anything specific. We were expecting huge crowds and long waits. Our main goal was to just see the new nighttime fireworks show, Enchantment.

  Imagine my surprise when I opened my eyes, and Jamie was already awake and on her phone to absolute craziness! The park was supposed to open at 7:30 a.m. to resort guests, but instead opened much earlier. The lines for merchandise were already hours long with a virtual queue, which also appeared to be full already. It was 8-8:30 a.m.! So we decided to get up and get ready to go! We got to the bus stop at 9:30 a.m. and the bus came right away.

  

  Let the celebration begin!

  

  

  Everyone was given one of these special commemorative guidemaps.

  

  These were a hot commodity, as immediately there were some up on eBay for sale!

  We spent a little bit of time taking some photos around Main Street. It was super crowded right in this area. People were lining up for one of the cavalcades, and the lines for the shops stretched all the way down the sidewalks. It was very organized though.

  

  

  Many views of the castle! (I personally love the colors!)

  

  

  

  

  

  We decided to check wait times for the attractions, and ride a few things with no wait. We were pleasantly surprised that wait times were super low! We did want to check out the Big Top store near Dumbo, as that had special October 1st merchandise only. Once we got back to that area, there was a sign with a bar code that you could scan to get on a virtual waitlist to shop. It was absolute chaos. People were crazy! This is everyone trying to scan the barcode:

  

  Once you scanned the barcode, you were put into a virtual line. We were number 1193, which meant that’s how many people were in front of us.

  From there, we went to Under the Sea–Journey of the Little Mermaid (which was a walk on), It’s a Small World (which was basically a walk on), and then decided it was time to make our way over to the Contemporary Resort for our lunch reservation at Steakhouse 71.

  View looking down Main Street from the castle:

  

  After lunch, we did some more photo taking. These special statues are all over the parks!

  

  

  And we were able to watch one of the special cavalcades.

  

  

  Overall, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I was expecting. Most rides had a maximum 20 minute wait, with many being 5-10 minutes. Everyone was in line for the merchandise or crowding around Main Street and the castle. Some people even had their blankets out and were camping out for the evening fireworks. We decided we were NOT doing that and wasting our whole day!

  Up next, Lunch Review of Steakhouse 71, and more from around the Magic Kingdom!

  Posted in Disney, Magic Kingdom, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 1 Comment | Tagged Disney, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano Dinner Review

  Posted at 12:37 pm by taryngirl, on October 21, 2021

  9/30/21

  It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten at Mama Melrose in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so I wanted to check it out! The last time we ate there, I really wanted to try the famous steak and JUST THAT WEEK they removed it from the menu. After lots of customer complaints, they brought it back, so I was anxious to try it, and honestly, by the time we made reservations, our choices were limited with both location and times.

  We got to Hollywood Studios at around 3:30 p.m. Our reservation was at 4:45 p.m.

  

  We walk through some of the shops on the way in, then checked wait times on the rides. Toy Story Midway Mania only had a 20 minute wait, so we went on that. Once we came out of there, we made our way over to Mama Melrose right on time.

  

  The decor and atmosphere are super cozy and cute inside this restaurant. To access the menu at the table, you scan a barcode and it pops up on your phone.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  To start, they brought us some amazing bread. It was warm and had a great olive oil dip. I also asked for straight up butter.

  

  Jamie ordered the Mama’s Caesar Salad–Fresh Romaine Lettuce, Housemade Caesar Dressing, Herb Croutons, and Parmesan. $11.00.

  

  For her main dish, she ordered the Oven-Baked Chicken alla Parmigiana–Breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce topped with Melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti $25.00.

  

  I ordered the Charred Strip Steak–Four Cheese Macaroni with Pancetta, Aged Balsamic Shallot Butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction $33.00. At Italian restaurants I always order some type of pasta, just because I feel like I should! But I’ve heard so many amazing things about this steak, that I had to give it a try. I LOVED IT! Both the steak and mac and cheese were so good! If I come back here, I 100% will be ordering this again.

  

  We were so full there was no way we could do dessert here. Plus, I still had Gideon’s cookies back in the room!

  After we left here, we went and stood in the standby line for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which had a posted time of 30 minutes I think. We were pretty beat at this point from traveling, so we took some photos and then headed back to the resort.

  Up next…Magic Kingdom for the 50th Anniversary Celebration!

  Posted in Dining Review, Disney, Hollywood Studios, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Dining Review, Disney, Foodie, Hollywood Studios, Mama Melrose, Table Service

• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa – Deluxe Studio

  Posted at 2:35 pm by taryngirl, on October 20, 2021

  9/30/21

  As I stated in an earlier post, I was lucky to score a DVC reservation here on short notice! I kept checking back since things were completely booked immediately for the start of the anniversary celebration. I had stayed here one time before, when Magic Kingdom had the 24 hour party. The rooms had recently been refurbished, and the sofa bed was replaced with a murphy bed, so I was excited to check it out!

  

  After I got back from Disney Springs, I changed (had my swimsuit in my backpack), and headed to the pool to relax and have lunch until my room was ready. I got the text around 12:30 p.m. that my room was ready, and it was super close in The Springs section. Here you can see the pool, where the bus stop is in this section, and the main lobby. My building was where the 4101-4436 rooms are marked. Super convenient! I did reserve a “Preferred’ room. I went to Bell Services first and got my luggage, then headed to the room.

  

  This resort is inspired by a historic New York retreat famous for its horse racing. It’s 65 acres and a short boat ride or walk to Disney Springs. There are 2 feature pools and 3 leisure pools, whirlpool spas and aqua-play areas.

  The Deluxe Studios can accommodate 4 people with a queen bed and a double size pull down bed.

  Here’s the view when entering the room:

  

  

  

  

  

  Here you can see the small sofa with the double pull down bed above it.

  

  

  

  The coffee table also can be raised up if you want to use it as a table while sitting on the sofa.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  I love the Deluxe Studios because they have a microwave, toaster, mini fridge, coffee pot and sink. This is great for quick breakfasts or snacks in the room.

  

  

  I loved our view! We did enjoy sitting out there in the evenings once we were back from the parks.

  

  Overall, I loved the room and the resort, and would definitely stay here again in the preferred section. I love that they are adding the pull down bed. It’s so much more comfortable than the regular sofa bed.

  Up next…Dinner at Mama Melrose and Around Hollywood Studios!

  Posted in Disney, Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Walt Disney World Resort

• Disney 50th Anniversary Trip! Arrival and The Artist’s Palette Breakfast

  Posted at 10:07 am by taryngirl, on October 7, 2021

  9/30/21

  I was so excited to be able to get away during the middle of my daughter’s soccer season, and visit the most magical place on Earth for the 50^th anniversary celebration that was set to officially begin on October 1st! My friend and fellow travel agent Jamie, booked a room the second they were released for our dates.  We knew it would book up quickly.  I was unlucky with trying to make a reservation with my DVC points.  She booked us at Art of Animation in a Little Mermaid room.  Just a few weeks ago, I was browsing the DVC website to see if there was any availability, and Saratoga Springs Resort popped up!  I snagged a Deluxe Studio in the Preferred section.  I was excited to stay here because the rooms have recently been refurbished!

  My flight was SUPER early…5:40 a.m. from Philadelphia.  I was hoping to avoid a crowded airport with this early time, and make the most of my arrival day.

  

  Upon landing at MCO, I was greeted with these cute wraps on the monorail shuttle to the main terminal. 

  

  

  I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as wait times for the Magical Express, but I decided to get my luggage from baggage claim and head that direction before making a decision to Lyft to the resort.

  

  To my surprise, I was the ONLY person there! One person came after me, so there were only 2 people total on my bus besides the driver.

  

  It was a quick trip to our resort, as we were the only stop.  Upon arrival at the resort, there was some construction/refurbishment going on at the main lobby area and around bell services.  This caused a little bit of crowding and confusion, but the bell services cast members were working hard trying to get everyone handled!  There were little kiosks set up outside for those checking in.

  I was starving, so after checking my luggage with bell services (since my room wasn’t ready), I went directly to The Artist’s Palette to check their breakfast options.  You no longer HAVE to mobile order, although it is still an option with signage all over the place telling you how to do it.  You can walk in here and order your food.  I chose to do this so I could take some pictures. 

  There is a grab and go section, which I did not get to experience on my last trips in May and June!  So things are slowly getting back to “normal.”

  

  

  

  

  

  Here is the breakfast menu:

  

  I always order the kid’s meal. It comes with two sides and a drink! (Mickey waffles are my must do breakfast…)

  

  When I was finished eating, my plan was to walk to Disney Springs and check out Gideon’s Bakehouse! That’s up next.

  Posted in Dining Review, Disney, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Dining Review, Disney, Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, The Artist's Palette, Walt Disney World Resort

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