Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures

Tales from my (mostly Disney) travels!
Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures
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    • A Day at Epcot – Part 1

      Posted at 9:46 am by taryngirl, on December 1, 2020

      11/14/2020

      Recapping a little bit from my previous post, Disney After Covid (which focused mostly on safety and Covid procedures)…

      I was presented an amazing opportunity to visit both Disney World and Universal Orlando. I am a Disney Vacation Club member and had several points available to use thanks to a canceled trip back in May, I’m an Annual Passholder, and had a free flight thanks to Southwest Airlines points. That covered the Disney portion of my trip. Universal Orlando invited me to stay on property and experience the parks for a few days, so I could see how they are keeping guests safe while still having loads of fun!

      My travel day started off with a 2:50 a.m. alarm to wake up. (I am NOT a morning person unless I’m traveling!). My cousin Alex was my travel partner. We left around 3:40 a.m., and drove to the Philadelphia Airport, arriving around 5:10 a.m. at our parking lot. We went with Smart Park on this trip. I really just look around to see who is cheapest! Upon arriving at the parking lot, we were picked up in a shuttle with two other travel parties. We felt very safe. Everyone was wearing masks and the driver was wearing gloves.

      Once at the airport, security was a breeze. Everything is still normal…shoes and coats off, everything on the belt and through the scanner. Everyone in the seating area was social distancing. Our flight was scheduled for 7:05 a.m. and we landed and had our luggage by 9:45 a.m. A note about Disney’s Magical Express…it is not the same! They no longer send you yellow tags in the mail or get your luggage and deliver it to the resort. YOU must get your own luggage from Baggage Claim and take it to the Magical Express with you. We flew Southwest, so our terminal was the A Terminal. We had to get our luggage from there and head over to the B Terminal to get on the Magical Express.

      A fun thing I overheard at the Magical Express desk while we were heading to check in…they were expecting 6,458 passengers on the Magical Express on this particular day. The supervisor I guess?? was filling in the workers behind the desk so they knew what to expect. We got in line at 9:57 a.m. Be aware that they are using assigned seating from back to front, and using only every other row. The person checking us in told us where to sit. We were on the bus by 10:08 a.m. and departed at 10:20 a.m.

      We arrived at Bay Lake Tower at 10:48 a.m. and were the first stop. We may have actually been the only stop as it seems everyone got off here… We headed into the lobby. We wanted to check our luggage with Bell Services and head to Epcot. We also wanted to change into our shorts because it was hot!

      This is one thing I did comment on the survey they gave me. Because there is no luggage delivery anymore, Bell Services is CRAZY! Be prepared for longer than usual waits to actually check the luggage with them.

      Bell Services line

      We finished changing and got organized, checked our luggage, and then were at the bus stop at 11:35 a.m. There is no monorail to Epcot at the moment. The bus arrived at 11:45 a.m., and we made it to Epcot at 11:55 a.m. We were hungry for lunch and decided to start with some food booths! We decided to go counter-clockwise starting in Canada because we knew we wanted to eat something from there!

      One of my favorite restaurants is Le Cellier (in Canada), but it’s on the pricey side. The items at this food booth are some of my favorites!

      These did not disappoint and were tasty as usual. I absolutely LOVE the soup with the pretzel bread dipper! We continued on and our next stop was the World Showplace Events Pavilion, located between Canada and the UK. I have never seen this open for this particular event, but they do have other events there. I was interested to check it out, and it housed several food booths!

      The Liquid Nitro Cake Pops came highly recommended to me from friends who had already been there, so of course I had to try one! I went with the Twix version.

      This was really good and different! By this point I was already full, but I still had some items on my list that I wanted to try. Here are some pics from along our way.

      France
      View from between France and Morocco
      Morocco

      Our next stop was in Germany at the little caramel store, Karamell-Kuche. This is a must do for me every trip! It has some of the best snacks. There were some new offerings this trip, possibly just seasonal? I had to have the Gingerbread Salted Caramel Buttercream Cookie Sandwich!

      IT WAS AMAZING! My favorite snack from anywhere in the world. And possibly the single best thing I have ever tasted! The cookie was soft, but had a crispyish layer outside. It was perfect. The buttercream and caramel was so good together! I wished I would have bought more to bring home. We found a table next to Mexico in the area where the band usually performs so we could stand and eat our snacks.

      What you can see in this picture is the line just to get inside the Mexico pavilion. The man holding the sign actually had to cut off the line because it was too long. The wait from here was about a half hour. I think they cut it off because they didn’t want too big of a crowd blocking the sidewalk.

      While we were standing there, some cast members came rushing by telling everyone to get to the side, and that a horse and carriage were coming. We had no idea what was going on! All of a sudden, this went by:

      It was brief, but exciting to see! We decided that they do not announce times for these little cavalcades because they don’t want people gathering and lining up. We were just out of Mexico when this one came by:

      Short and sweet! It was nice to see the characters out and about since there are no real meet and greet experiences at the moment.

      Next up will be the rest of our day at Epcot with dinner at Coral Reef!

      Posted in Dining Review, Disney, Epcot, Food & Wine, Karamell-Kuche, Uncategorized, World Showcase | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Epcot, Food & Wine, Karamell-Kuche, Walt Disney World
    • Disney After Covid–Safety Precautions

      Posted at 8:08 pm by taryngirl, on November 23, 2020

      11/14/20

      An opportunity arose for me to do a quick trip to Florida to visit both Disney World and Universal Orlando, and I couldn’t resist! Several things fell into place…I had DVC points to use from a canceled trip in May, my Annual Pass was expiring on November 17th, and Universal Orlando offered me an amazing deal that I couldn’t pass up! Throw in the free flight I was able to get with my Southwest points, and that was just the cherry on top. I was excited to check out how things are running post-Covid since I have clients scheduled to travel within the next couple of months.

      This post is going to deal with everything specific to Disney World and the protocols in place at the resorts, the parks and the restaurants, as far as my personal trip is concerned. My cousin Alex traveled with me.

      We started off with a a 7:00 a.m. flight on Southwest from the Philadelphia Airport. We booked offsite airport parking at Smart Park. Starting there, the attendant at the booth was wearing a mask. The shuttle bus driver was wearing gloves and a mask. There were two other parties on the shuttle with us.

      Once at the airport, we did the self-service check in. The workers behind the counters were wearing masks. All security workers were also wearing masks. They still are doing regular security. Shoes off, coats off, and everything goes on the belt through the scanner. Once we got to our gate, people were definitely social distancing and not sitting next to one another. There were constant announcements about mandatory mask wearing, and what types of masks were permitted. They did have some available if needed. Southwest is currently not utilizing the middle seats on their planes, unless there are family members that sit right next to each other. They are seating every row.

      As always (pre-Covid I did these things!), I had my Clorox wipes to wipe down my seat, tray, etc., and my hand sanitizer. The only beverage available on the flight was water, and they had prepackaged snacks.

      In summary, I felt super safe in the airport and on the flight! Everyone was being respectful, wearing masks and social distancing.

      Once in Orlando, we were using Disney’s Magical Express transportation from the airport to our resort. This service has changed! They no longer send you the yellow tags in the mail to attach to your luggage. You are responsible for getting your own luggage from baggage claim and taking it with you to the Magical Express bus! They do not deliver the luggage to your room anymore! Since we flew on Southwest, we arrived on the A side. The Magical Express is located on the B side. This means that we had to go to baggage claim on the A side, then go back up and across the entire airport to the B side and downstairs to the Magical Express location. (They also are not doing airline check in at the resorts. So you also bring your luggage with you when leaving the resort and getting on the Magical Express.)

      Here you can see the plexiglass up at the counters, as well as some signage.

      The lanes are numbered and the cast member will tell you which lane to enter. There are signs all along the lanes with these social distance markers.

      The cast member scanning our bands to enter the bus assigned us specific seat numbers. He had a map of the bus with a dry erase marker, and was marking off the seats he assigned. They are utilizing only every other row and are filling the bus from back to front. We were first in line so got the very last seats! (As a side not, there was a girl next to us who was assigned to another bus. She asked if she could sit near the front, and the cast member told her she could sit on a bench until the bus filled up and then could sit in the front. She didn’t like that answer and proceeded to the bus.)

      The Magical Express delivered us to Bay Lake Tower with our luggage. The lobby is small and it was chaotic! This was mostly due to Bell Services and luggage. People who did not have a room ready or were checking out but not yet leaving the resort had to check their luggage with Bell Services. Our room was not ready (as indicated by the text we had received while at the airport). So our plan was to check our luggage with Bell Services and then head to Epcot. A note! The monorail to Epcot was not running at the time so we had to take a bus.

      We waited for a bus and once it arrived, the bus driver assigned us seats using a seat number. He was wearing a mask.

      There are dividers up between seat numbers.

      Standing is not permitted so the handles were zip tied up.

      None of our buses were ever even nearly full. I felt very safe on the Disney bus transportation!

      Once we arrived at Epcot, signs were everywhere!

      Everyone has to pass through a temperature screening.

      They used handheld thermometers.

      Everyone also has to pass through security which is very different! They no longer go through your bags. You walk through a metal detector with your bag on you.

      These signs on the ground are EVERYWHERE! Spaced 6 feet apart! Every ride, every kiosk, every store check out, EVERYWHERE!

      Up next are attraction queues. The above signs are all along the ground/floor. Also, they are not using every seat/row! This is Journey Into Imagination with Figment. They did only one row per car. This was the same for Pirates, Mine Train and Small World as well.

      You know the fun area once you exit the Figment ride? It’s CLOSED! It was so quiet. Normally it’s chaotic with people everywhere. We found this to be a trend for every interactive attraction. (At the end of Spaceship Earth, all activities closed. Pretty much any interactive piece at any attraction is inaccessible.)

      This is the queue for Living with the Land. Barriers are up between the rows of the queue.

      On the boats, you can see the dividers up between seats. They also were not seating every row on this ride, but there was no line so they were spacing us out.

      Here you can see Soarin’.

      These signs are all around the popular photo taking areas. There are also cast members carrying handheld signs that say this same thing. They were approaching people who were removing masks for pictures.

      Moving onto dining now…

      This is Coral Reef Restaurant, which is a table service location. Everything is one way in, one way out. Every dining location, shopping location, etc. Doors are specifically marked ENTER or EXIT only. They have limited indoor seating and are not using every table. If you want a table service meal, it’s very important that you have a reservation! I saw them turning people away if they didn’t have a reservation.

      Another very important note, all quick service locations are MOBILE ORDER ONLY! This includes resorts and parks. Even if you only want a muffin or an orange juice. It’s all on the My Disney Experience app, or you scan a bar code located at the location.

      There is no grab and go section that is self-serve at the moment. Drinks are not self-serve either. Once you scan the QR code, it takes you right to the menu for the dining location. Here you choose your pick up time. You do not have to be AT the location to order. You can be in your room, somewhere around the resort, in a ride line, etc.

      After that, the menu will pop up and you can scroll through and click on what you would like. You pay right through the app with either you credit card on file or you can add a different card.

      Once you arrive at the location you can click that you are here and they will begin preparing your food. Just a note…we found that it took a good 10 minutes or longer for the food to be ready once we clicked we are here. So we began clicking it as we were walking on our way before we got there. Once the food is ready for pick up, the notification changes and it tells you what number table to go to to pick it up. They have multiple stations so people aren’t picking up at the same station at the same time. They are marked with big numbers on the floor.

      After you pick up your food, if you ordered a drink, you move to a different station, and someone will get it for you. This is the Contempo Cafe drink station area:

      The food is served in bags that are sealed, and packaging that is sealed. I removed my sticker before I remembered to take a picture!

      Next up is the resorts. This was in our Villa at Bay Lake Tower.

      You will notice that they are back to individual serving sizes of the toiletry items.

      The remotes are packaged in plastic stating that they have been sanitized.

      One last picture I took was at the monorail located inside the Contemporary Resort.

      We did have our temperature screening and security done here on our way to the Magic Kingdom. This allowed us to bypass those things at the Magic Kingdom.

      Overall, we felt very safe during our entire stay. There are hand sanitizer stations everywhere for use at your discretion. No one is spraying it on you. I was pleasantly surprised that everyone was complying with the mask mandate and social distancing. The only time you could remove your mask was if you were stationary off to the side eating or drinking. If a cast member saw someone walking and eating or drinking, they did remind them of the rule.

      Capacity at the moment is maybe 1/4 of what it is normally. So there were so many less people. Many of the ride queues went way out onto the walkways. Adding to capacity will definitely affect this. What seems like a crowded area really isn’t, because the line is continuously moving. It will be interesting to see what happens once they expand the capacity!

      Posted in Disney, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Bay Lake Tower, Covid, Disney, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort
    • A Day Trip to Disney Part 1

      Posted at 11:21 am by taryngirl, on October 29, 2020

      March 10, 2020

      Call us crazy, but everything fell into place perfectly for a day trip to Disney! Super cheap flights on Frontier Airlines out of Philadelphia, an existing Annual Pass for the Disney parks, a fun group of agents that also can fly by the seat of their travel pants, great weather, and MY BIRTHDAY! all led to the booking of a quick day trip. I drove to our office which is kind of close to the airport, and we all drove to the airport in one car.

      My flight was $60 total, but had I booked sooner, it would have been cheaper! Our flight down was 5:50 a.m., which had us landing at 8:30 a.m. (Traveling is probably the only reason I ever set my alarm!)

      I also want to note, it was around this time that Covid was starting to explode around the country. There weren’t restrictions in place yet for anything, so we felt completely safe going.

      We met up with a few other agents at the airport, and upon landing in Orlando, we rented a car to drive directly to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

      Because we had an Annual Pass, parking was free at the theme park.

      Our goal as soon as we got there was to meet up with a few agents that live in Florida. One of the main reasons we were taking this trip was to check out the new Minnie and Mickey’s Runaway Railway attraction that had replaced The Great Movie Ride. Everyone was hungry so the first thing we did was find some food!

      The Baseline Taphouse is one of my favorite places to grab a snack and just sit. The outdoor seating atmosphere is really neat. It was close to opening time there, so we grabbed a seat and waited, then ordered this!

      I have to add this because it was so funny to me! My daughter was messaging me on Snapchat and wanted to know everything I was doing. She does not look thrilled that she was missing this trip!

      This is my true partner and crime! This is the last day I’ve seen her because of the virus and quarantining, etc.

      It was finally time to check out the ride! I was a little bit cautious, because to me, The Great Movie Ride was iconic for this park. I don’t like change, so I didn’t know how to feel!

      My opinion…it was fantastic! I was pleasantly surprised! It was so much fun!

      We also decided to meet Darth Vader since there was little to no wait time.

      From there, we headed out to Epcot to check out the Flower and Garden Festival. On the way out of Hollywood Studios, this sign was already out.

      Up next, Epcot!

      Posted in Disney, Hollywood Studios | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Hollywood Studios, Minnie and Mickey's Runaway Railway, Walt Disney World
    • An Evening at Magic Kingdom

      Posted at 12:10 pm by taryngirl, on September 21, 2020

      1/29/20

      From Disney Springs, we took the bus to the Grand Floridian and then the monorail to Magic Kingdom. I think it’s super important to know your options for transportation ahead of time. Sometimes there is more than one option, sometimes things are not operating, etc. Also, don’t underestimate how long it will actually take you!

      This is the view of the train station from just inside the entrance gates.
      Getting ready to walk down Main Street U.S.A.
      One of my favorite sites!
      Main Street Philharmonic Band

      I can honestly say in all of my trips to Magic Kingdom, I have never seen the Main Street Philharmonic band performing! This was quite a treat. Maybe because we always hit rope drop at Magic Kingdom, and they don’t perform until the afternoon? We are usually heading back to room at this time or busy on rides. This was a pleasant surprise!

      If you have Snapchat, be sure to check out your place on the map if you have your location turned on!

      We had a FP+ for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so headed there first thing. That’s my favorite ride in Magic Kingdom! From there we headed to Country Bear Jamboree since we had to wait a little bit for our next FP+ at Pirates of the Caribbean.

      Country Bear Jamboree–corny, but classic Disney!
      Dance party in the street!

      When we exited the show, these characters were all out on the street having a dance party! I have never seen this happening, but have seen just random bear characters walking down the street.

      Our next stop was the Enchanted Tiki Room. Also a Disney classic! A great spot during a rain shower or a super hot day!

      Have I mentioned that I LOVE my iPhone 11? These pics were taken in very dark conditions with no flash. From there we headed to our Pirates of the Caribbean FP+. After leaving Pirates, we made our way toward Tomorrowland. The Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! Street Party was going on.

      We had a FP+ at Peter Pan, so I think we rode on the People Mover then made our way to Fantasyland. After Peter Pan, we went to the Haunted Mansion. I just LOVE how my pictures turned out here!

      After that, it was time to make our way to a spot to watch the Happily Ever After fireworks. Of course we had to walk past the Tangled bathrooms! This area is so gorgeous at night!

      Our view for the fireworks!

      Fireworks tip…to start, people seem to stay on the sidewalks and out of the streets. You CAN stand in the street. My tip is to stand either to the right or left of the castle on the street about mid-hub. Make yourself big, because people will start filling in and you don’t want to be squished! (Although with Covid right now we don’t really have to worry about this…but when things return to normal!). If you know you want to go to a ride in Tomorrowland, stand to the right. If you want to go to Adventureland stand to the left. It’s a complete mob scene right when they are over. We tend to stand still for a little bit until the crowd starts to disperse.

      After this amazing display, we did head back to our resort. We were checking out from All Star Movies and heading to the Contemporary Club Level! <—————–Up Next!

      Posted in Disney, Magic Kingdom, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Happily Ever After, Magic Kingdom, Touring Plan, Walt Disney World
    • Disney Fantasy – Palo Brunch Review

      Posted at 12:38 pm by taryngirl, on October 9, 2019

      Combining from my June and September 2019 cruises!

      Palo is a specialty restaurant serving brunch on sea days, and nightly dinners for guests ages 18 and older only.  You must have reservations to dine here, and those can be made online during your check-in process for the cruise itself.  I’m not going to lie…these reservations sell out quickly and are hard to get!  But are TOTALLY worth it!  (If you cannot make a reservation online, upon embarking, you can head directly to Palo and try to make reservations then.  I’ve done this twice successfully.). There is a dress code, as this is more upscale than the main dining rooms.  Be sure to check that when you are packing for the cruise!

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      The view!

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      Included are mimosas or a glass of champagne.

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      After being led to our table, the waiter explained the dining process.  There is a menu to order from, as well as a “buffet” style set up.  The meal is slowwwwww.  You are not rushed and can spend as much time as you need.

      Here’s my first plate from the buffet section:

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      The cinnamon roll was SO GOOD!  Warm and gooey.  And the parmesan cheese…I couldn’t get enough of it!

      The first table…filled with delicious fruit, breads and pastries.  The almond croissant was one of my favorites!

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      The next table was full of seafood offerings, caviar, vegetables, and more!

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      The third table had a variety of cheeses, olives, meats, etc.

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      You may make as many trips up to these tables as you wish!

      Here is the menu we ordered from for made to order items:

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      Heirloom Tomato and Basil Soup:

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      Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast:  This is my favorite food on any of the Disney Cruise ships!  It’s SO GOOD!  And the Risotto is perfect with this.  This is 80% why I schedule this brunch on every cruise.

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      Celery Soup:

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      Roasted Red Snapper Filet:

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      Lasagna Bolognaise:  I also was able to taste this.  It was good but I feel like since we were one of the last tables for the day, it was sitting for awhile maybe??  It’s a good shareable option though!

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      The dessert table:

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      I love that the portions are small so we can try a bunch of different things!

      June cruise:

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      Our waiter also brought us several of these lava cakes to share.  They were good but we were SO FULL!

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      September cruise:

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      (Apparently I have my favorites!)

      It was my niece’s graduation celebration on this cruise and they brought here this:

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      If I didn’t comment on the food, that means it was someone else’s but I just took a picture to share!

      This is hands down one of my favorite parts of the cruise!  It’s $40 per person, and that is charged to your stateroom account.  I highly suggest trying it at least once!

      Posted in Cruise, Dining Review, Disney Cruise, Disney Cruise Line, Palo Brunch, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Dining Review, Disney, Disney Cruise, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Fantasy, Palo Brunch
    • A Glimpse Inside Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

      Posted at 1:57 pm by taryngirl, on July 9, 2019

      Arrival at this resort was very easy.  There is a guard to enter the parking lot.  We parked at lobby area to unload and to check in.  Parking spots for those staying in the Inn building are underneath this building.

      Here is the check-in desk.  (I was able to get pictures of a nearly deserted lobby when my daughter and I woke up super early to walk on the beach.)

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      These are the doors to exit out the back of the property.  This can lead to the pool or beach, or the Villa buildings.  Above the doors you can see the Green Cabin Room where they serve cocktails and lighter snacks.  This was closed for a private event the night that we were here.

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      More of the waiting area and Island Grove Packing Company, which is the shop.  They also have DVD movies here that you can borrow, which we did because it rained during the afternoon!

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      This is a fun area for the kids!  There are video games, tablets, tv, and smaller chairs.

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      This little area dedicated to Disney Vacation Club (we are members) is nice!

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      Inside the glass containers are shells past guests have found on the beach.  You can write on them and stick them in the jars!

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      Looking up from the lobby.

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      From the 3rd floor balcony.

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      They have this fun photo opp. near the entrance to the restaurant.  (I told my kids to act like they were on the beach…apparently this is what they do??!!)

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      This sign was also posted in the lobby.  And it is in fact true!  We ended up with a few bites from our morning walk on the beach but didn’t see them until the next day.

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      Another thing I LOVE about this resort, is how it caters to families!  This area is through the lobby and on the way to the spa.  It has a lending library, where you can take/leave a book, puzzles, and tables with game boards on them.  To play the games, just visit the front desk for the pieces!

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      I worked on a puzzle, while my family played Jenga and made some new friends.  There were several other families hanging out in this area.

      Inside the shop, and in the quick service food area, they had boards like this for pin trading like you can do in the parks!

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      Also snapped a quick pic of the Little Mermaid Dooney & Bourke that were available here.fullsizeoutput_3d2f

      Onto the beach!  There are chair/umbrella rentals, as well as some water sport rentals.

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      We spent most of our time during this trip at the pool.

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      It has a really fun slide that is the same as the one at Old Key West!

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      I’ll say it again…WE LOVE IT HERE!  And I can’t wait to get back with some family and friends!

      Posted in Disney, Disney's Vero Beach, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Disney Vacation Club, Resort, Vero Beach
    • 13th Birthday Getaway! Boardwalk Villas Studio

      Posted at 8:01 pm by taryngirl, on May 29, 2019

      Back during our August trip, my oldest could not go along with us due to her soccer schedule.  I felt terrible about it!  Sooooo, we had some DVC points left and I scheduled a quick Friday through Monday trip with her best friend for her 13th birthday in November.  It was a total surprise!  Here is the reveal:

      I should have kept taping, they were crying tears of joy!

      11/23/18

      Our flight was the day after Thanksgiving.  We were staying at the Boardwalk Villas in a Studio the first night, and then a 1 Bedroom for the next two nights.  A quick trip on the Magical Express…

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      We arrived around 6:30 p.m. to our resort.  We had dinner reservations at Ale & Compass, so the plan was to drop things off in the room and freshen up some.

      I have a subscription to Touring Plans, and through that had requested a specific room.  I requested 4055 and we got:

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      All Studio Villas have a small kitchenette area that includes a coffee maker, microwave, small fridge, toaster and sink.  This is super convenient for quick breakfasts in the room.

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      One Queen bed with a pull out sofa.

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      And a twin size bed pulls down underneath the t.v.  The table collapses.  This is big enough for a small adult to sleep on!

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      Here’s a quick video of the view from our balcony!

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      I love this view!  This is considered a Garden/Pool View, but as you can see, we can see the boardwalk and the lake.  We also could see the fireworks perfectly from here which you will see in a future post!

       

       

      Posted in Boardwalk Villas, Disney, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Boardwalk Villas, Disney, Disney Vacation Club, Walt Disney World Resort
    • An Afternoon at Hollywood Studios–The Incredibles at Pixar Place, Baseline Tap House

      Posted at 12:00 pm by taryngirl, on April 12, 2019

      2/27/19

      Because we were near the front of Epcot, we opted for the bus to take us to Hollywood Studios vs. walking to the back of Epcot and getting on the boat to DHS.  So we waited, and waited, and waited.  A bus finally came!  It was also raining at this point.  BUT…we were headed to ride Slinky Dog!

      Here you can see the Disney Skyliner system that is under construction.  It is scheduled to open this fall!

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      Once inside we headed directly to Slinky Dog Dash to use our FP+.    From there, we stood in line for 20-30 minutes so I could do Toy Story Midway Mania!  On the way out of Toy Story Land, we stopped to check out The Incredibles at Pixar Place.  This is set to be in place on Pixar Place until September 30th.  There’s a dance party, character meet and greets including Edna Mode, and some special treats for purchase.  They also have a really awesome “Wall of Disney!” IMG_4244IMG_4249IMG_4246IMG_4245IMG_4226 2

      You can see they do have some items that are snacks on the Dining Plan.

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      Chrissy was getting hungry, so we made our way to Baseline Tap House.  Neither of us had ever been here!

      (The currently closed ride.)

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      They have a limited food menu here.  But all options that pair nicely with beer!

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      Chrissy ordered a beer flight.  And I ordered the Black Cherry Soda, which apparently I forgot to take a picture of!IMG_4255IMG_4256IMG_4257

      This was all REALLY GOOD!  And I would definitely come here for a quick snack and drink.  The outdoor seating is really nice and the atmosphere cozy.

      There was one more show for the Frozen Sing Along, and we decided to hit it on the way out!  We were almost in the front row and the show was less than half full.  Our favorite actor was there so that definitely made it fun!

      Posted in Dining Review, Disney, Hollywood Studios, Snacks, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Baseline Tap House, Disney, Hollywood Studios, Pixar Place, Snacks, The Incredibles
    • Breakfast at Disney’s All Star Movies

      Posted at 2:42 pm by taryngirl, on March 19, 2019

      2/27/19

      I really try to eat Mickey waffles every time I go to Disney.  This trip was no different!  I checked the online menus before staying here and was super happy to see them listed!

      We were heading to Epcot today and weren’t in a super hurry.  We had some FP+, but they were for later and we weren’t planning on rope dropping anything.

      We stopped at the food court on the way to the bus stop.

      Here are the various menus for the different “windows.”

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      There really is something for everyone.  They also have the grab and go cases available, cereal, bagels, pastries, etc.

      Chrissy opted for one of the Breakfast Flatbread Pizzas and a side of Potato Barrels.  I tried a bite and it was yummy!  IMG_4154

      This is my go-to meal.  Mickey Waffles with Sausage (no bacon, so extra sausage) and Breakfast Potatoes.  SO GOOD!  I don’t know what it is about Disney sausage, but it’s my absolute favorite.  Especially with the waffles.

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      I would also have this the next day for breakfast…

      Posted in All Star Movies, Dining Review, Disney, Quick Service, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged All Star Movies, Dining Review, Disney, Foodie, Quick, Walt Disney World
    • Magic Kingdom V.I.Passholder Event

      Posted at 9:29 am by taryngirl, on March 12, 2019

      2/26/19

      The V.I.Passholder Event is the entire reason we took this quick trip!  It was advertised we could check in from 6:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.  However, we noticed this set up in Fantasyland and had a chat with the Cast Members.  They said we could check in starting at 5:00 p.m.  So we did!  There were a few different check in areas around the park so we didn’t have to go all the way out to the entrance to get our wristbands.

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      They actually were having technical difficulties with the iPads that were scanning our Annual Passes or MagicBands.  She ended up having to manually input our numbers.

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      You can see the time of the even was 10:00 p.m. until midnight officially.

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      After we got our wristbands, we headed to use our next FP+ that Chrissy secured immediately after Winnie the Pooh.  This would make FP+ #5 for the day.  It’s a Small World!

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      I swear I see something different every time I ride this!

      Right after we scanned in to the ride, my friend secured our 6th FP+…Pirates of the Caribbean.

      We were getting hungry for dinner, and we had discussed previously that neither of us had ever eaten at Casey’s Corner!  So that’s where we decided to go.  It’s located on the corner at the end of Main Street, and you can definitely smell it when you walk past!  We knew we were going to share something and decided on…

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      Buffalo Chicken Loaded Fries (These were AMAZING!  I loved them!)

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      Footlong Chili Cheese Dog (Also AMAZING!)

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      The fries were so good.  I can’t imagine Buffalo chicken on a hot dog though!  I despise the yellow squeeze cheese.  So was super happy that this was shredded cheese on the top!  This was plenty of food for two of us.  They did allow us to upgrade from regular fries that come with the meal, to the specialty fries for a slight uncharge.

      From dinner we headed to Adventureland.  We had a little bit of time to kill before our FP+ at Pirates, so we went into Tortuga Tavern to have a seat and do some work on our phones.  It was starting to become a more regular rain so we had to poncho up!  (I never take a Disney vacation without a poncho.)

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      After Pirates, we hit our 7th FP+ Splash Mountain.  It had started raining and we were wet anyway, and we had ponchos to wear the entire time!  So off we went.

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      After Splash Mountain, we headed towards the castle.  We had reservations for the After Fireworks Dessert Party, so we had to check in first at Tomorrowland Terrace.

      We received our wristbands and were escorted to one of the grassy areas.

       

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      Even though it was raining, the fireworks were still amazing!

      Posted in Disney, Magic Kingdom, Quick Service, Touring Plan, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Annual Passholder, Casey's Corner, Disney, Event, Magic Kingdom, Quick Service, Touring Plan, Walt Disney World
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