shoreline99

I meant to comment on this the other day.
We took a Minnie Van last week from the Poly to the Yacht Club. The service runs from 6:30 AM to 12:30 AM, and the information from TCD above is correct. I went to the concierge at the Poly and they were able to have a code sent to my phone that activated the Minnie Van option within the Lyft app. $20 flat fee anywhere on property with unlimited stops. The driver was a CP CM and was very pleasant, he said the service was very popular and they had expanded the fleet already.
I can tell you that it was worth every penny for 4 of us to get back to the Yacht club at midnight after a few drinks at Trader Sam's. I wouldn't use it every day, but for a quick ride I think it's worth it.

I meant to comment on this the other day.
We took a Minnie Van last week from the Poly to the Yacht Club. The service runs from 6:30 AM to 12:30 AM, and the information from TCD above is correct. I went to the concierge at the Poly and they were able to have a code sent to my phone that activated the Minnie Van option within the Lyft app. $20 flat fee anywhere on property with unlimited stops. The driver was a CP CM and was very pleasant, he said the service was very popular and they had expanded the fleet already.
I can tell you that it was worth every penny for 4 of us to get back to the Yacht club at midnight after a few drinks at Trader Sam's. I wouldn't use it every day, but for a quick ride I think it's worth it.

On another note, I finally had the opportunity to ride Flight of Passage last week. We skipped the Navi river ride, even though we had fast passes for it. We arrived about 15 minutes before rope drop (say 8:45) and were on the ride by 10 am, including the walk and wait in line. Honestly, I wouldn't wait any longer than that. It was great, pretty much like soarin' but on an individual ride vehicle and with really ill fitting glasses. I pretty much have an iron stomach, but this ride made even me a bit nauseous. All in our party felt the same way. By the time we exited the ride wait was 150 min.
As I've said before, the land itself is really well done, and the wait really didn't feel like one since there was so much to see. I've never seen the film.
Net/Net, I'd still rather ride Everest than this again, though.

Yes! I forgot about the cheese trio. It was all good, especially the blue cheese with the honey.
We, like you, passed on a lot of items in 'quotations'. Ain't nobody got time for that.

All I can say is wow, we didn't have many misses in the dishes we sampled, and there were a few things we wanted to try but never made it back around to try. I'll try to make up a list later.

No news yet about the fort, but:
 
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/09/breaking-disney-world-announces-reopening-park-hours-following-hurricane-irma/
After being closed for two days, Walt Disney World has announced the reopening of their parks following Hurricane Irma. Hours for Tuesday, September 12th are as follows:
Magic Kingdom
Extra Magic Hours 8AM-9AM Park Hours 9AM-7PM Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party 7PM-12AM Epcot
Park Hours 9AM-9PM Extra Magic Hours 9PM-11PM Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Park Hours 9AM-9PM Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Park Hours 9AM-9PM Disney Springs
Hours 10AM-12AM Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon Water Parks will remain closed until further notice.

It's debatable.

That's why I use flickr.

This one's for TCD. I know HE wants to find out what FUEGO tastes like. I'm sure these will be for sale there.

This one's for TCD. I know HE wants to find out what FUEGO tastes like. I'm sure these will be for sale there.

What?!?! They're getting a Brazilian home base over there! What more do they need? Now they can have the EPCOT Carnivale Festival!
Flags! Vuvuzelas! GooooooooOAoOl!

It's hard to believe that a year and a half has passed since they broke out the chainsaws, but it has, and the new Copper Creek Cabins and Villas are almost done.
In a very odd twist, the TCD gang stayed in one of the Boulder Ridge Deluxe DVC studios for one night this week.  It was the oldest TCD DD's birthday, and Mrs. TCD and I decided that we would drive over and take her out to dinner.  Then we invited the twins, and next thing we knew, we had a plan to visit Disney Springs, and spend the night at Boulder Ridge.
We arrived on Tuesday, June 20th.  I put in a room request for an upper floor room with a view of the pool/lake, and that's what they gave us- 4th floor, second to the last room down the long, long hallway.
This is what we saw from the window in the hallway- the pool has water in it, and the pumps were on, but there were still workers around:

The building I've been wondering about turns out to be the restroom building:

You can see the Shoe Tree from here, which I thought was cool:

The tall chain link fences are all down, but there were signs posted on the sidewalk asking guests to please keep out:

I reckon that the guests in these rooms had to stay on their patios:

The DVC topiary was in its regular place:

This is the view from the back door from the DVC lobby that exits to the pool.  Looks like they have plenty of new trash cans:

All that was keeping me from the pool were those little signs on the sidewalk:


The level of activity was high.  There were workers still working at 4:22 pm:

The new pool is fenced in, and there are Magicband scanners at the gates, along with signage stating that Magicbands must be scanned for access:

The use of Magicband scanners is significant.  They don't have Magicband scanners at the Fort pools, or at the main Lodge pool. They obviously are going to carefully restrict access to this pool.
All of the new landscaping is nice. Not as nice as the trees that used to be here, but it's still nice:

There is a towel return sign on the side of this building.  I'm guessing that all of the pool equipment is in there as well as some laundry facilities for the pool towels and maybe the DVC linens:

It killed me that the gate to the pool was open, but there were too many construction workers and management types roaming around for me to make a run for it:

Since I was an actual guest this time, I used my Magicband to go into the gym. Boy, this is a really nice facility for a hotel gym:


In case you're wondering what the view was like from our room, here's a look to the east- they have a new BBQ pavilion down there next to a new sports court:

And that road you see beyond that is the road that the buses use to travel between the Fort and the Lodge.
Here's the view looking the other way, toward the pool. The preserved swampy area is nice, and so are the bridges they built to cross them.  But, I'm not sure keeping all that swamp so close to guest rooms is a great idea.  Also, as expected, the view from the old DVC rooms is now predominantly a look at the roofs of the cabins which form almost a solid wall visually along the lakeshore:


I also wonder why that new path is so wide- it's like a roadway more than a path.  For our brief visit, it was a roadway, as all types of trucks and construction equipment zipped back and forth on it.
That's all the photos I have of the Lodge from Tuesday.  After this, we headed to Disney Springs where we enjoyed cocktails at Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar, and then went next door to THE BOATHOUSE for dinner.  It was my first time visiting both places, but it ended up being much better than I expected.  The Boathouse has reduced the prices on its menu and has introduced more diverse dining options.  It ended up being a fun evening.
I have a bunch more photos from Wednesday morning which I will share in a separate post.
TCD

After drinks and snacks, we strolled down towards Jock Lindsay's and the Landing area.

"A few years ago, Disney shut down the Pleasure Island nightclubs and bulldozed them. The re-imagined area is now known as The Landing. Located next to the Town Center, Hoffman says that according to the storyline, it serves as the community's transportation hub and has more of an industrial feel.

An old billboard advertises the passenger train that used to stop in the town. There are some stray rails still embedded in the pathways. The former train station now serves as an upscale chophouse, STK (which is so upscale, it has no need for vowels). The elegant paddlewheel riverboat that used to be Fulton's Crab House (and The Empress Lilly before that) will become Paddlefish, while The Boathouse provides upscale meals to compliment the views of the amphi-cars that offer tours of Lake Buena Vista.

Opened in 2015, Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar is named for Indiana Jones' pilot. The whimsical lounge is crammed with vintage airplane parts and other artifacts."















This is probably my favorite area of Disney Springs. Lots of open space, views to the water and activity everywhere.

This building will be the new Edison restaurant, and is supposed to be the old Disney Springs power plant. Adjacent to it will be another establishment, in what is being themed as the old railway terminal for the area.







The re-imagined 'observatory' of Planet Hollywood



It's definitely easier to navigate around this area, with so many landmarks.



We looped back around to the other end of the Springs:





Has anyone tried Blaze pizza yet? I haven't, but have heard great things.



Even the light fixture in the welcome center (guest services) is meant to evoke the water from the springs:



Old equipment and machinery that can be turned to draw up water:



From here we walked through the old 'farmer's market', where there are many retail stores in a covered outdoor mall.







From this area or from the landing, you can head over towards the old West Side. Themed bathrooms:



The new Coca-Cola store



The theme here is supposed to be of an old industrial building surrounded by glass, like a museum. I'll have to see if I can find a night-time photo, it's really quite striking when it's lit up.



"According to Hoffman's story, the leaders of Disney Springs developed The West Side as a town expo in the 1950s. A pedestrian bridge connects the outlying area to the rest of the town. A circus tent (which serves as the theater for Cirque du Soleil's resident production, La Nouba) and hot air balloon remain. The expo buildings now house Splitsville bowling lanes, an AMC movie theater, and a House of Blues, among other venues."

Pedestrian Bridge:





This area is a little narrower, and feels more urban. Portions of the old 'Disney Springs elevated railway' were left in place as shady spots, locations for entertainers, and for future vertical growth. Eventually there may be a walking portion on the upper level like the high line in NYC.





Themed walkways where portions of the old railway were removed:





Disney Quest is still here, for a few more months:











From one end to the other:



More to come, thanks for reading along. Dinner at Disney Springs, Dapper Day, and a Monorail crawl on our last day.

A short update just to finish up our day at EPCOT. Thanks again for following along!
After making a few stops to pick up some gifts for family in a few of the pavilions, we decided to grab a bite in a place in the one pavilion that we had never eaten before - Italy. I know there are people here that love Via Napoli, but that wasn't where we were heading.
We had heard good things about Tutto Italia, and especially the wine cellar, so we stopped there to see if there was a table available. There was, and the a/c was certainly welcome in the heat.
The Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar is a lounge adjacent to Tutto Italia, and even though it's on the same level it feels like you are in the basement. La Cava has a similar feel, but this is definitely more upscale.

Some of the seating is low, and we were brought to a small setee with a low table near a fireplace. It was pretty cozy, and the tables around us filled up quickly.
The menu tends more towards small plates, although some of the same items that they have in the main restaurant are available here. Anyone that likes a charcuterie or cheese plate would definitely enjoy the selections. The offerings are priced about the same as some of the other similar restaurants.

We split a caprese salad (the only disappointment we had with the meal was the tomatoes, as you can see they were not much better than grocery store hothouse tomatoes, but the cheese was creamy and delicious) and one of the cheese plates. All of the cheese we had there was fantastic, and we each had a glass of wine to go with it.

With a great vibe and wonderful service, I definitely think we will be back to try out a few other items and another glass of wine. I'd recommend it for a date or a pre- or post- dinner stop, not really a place for kids though.
from there we made our way around the other pavilions, heading towards Germany and Norway. Glad to see the trolls are still around!

The three caballeros were awash in flowers and all kids of hot peppers, including ghost peppers and carolina reapers. I was surprised that they had those on display, near where someone could effectively reach over and grab one...

The sun was dropping, and as we headed toward the front of the park I was able to grab a couple fo great sunset shots:



One more, I've always liked this canopy by the pin trading booth

We hopped the express bus over to the Magic Kingdom to catch Wishes, as it is ending (tonight, actually).

The park wasn't that crowded, and we were able to walk into the Haunted Mansion, but the ride stopped and it looked like it might be a long delay so we bailed out to watch the fireworks from behind the castle. Glad we didn't wait any longer:




The park was pretty empty, and we strolled back around through Frontierland and into Adventureland. We had paper return passes that we had been gifted for Pirates by some friends that had been there a few weeks prior, so we rode that then headed for the park exit. Sad to report that Johnny Depp was not in Florida that week.

We took the launch back to WL, then a last look at the castle before bed. This week was flying by:

Tomorrow was an early day, and I had a few more interesting tours that I'll share with you in the next post.

Here is the schedule for the express bus service, if it's helpful.

My family and I have been to WDW many times, and with the exception of the first time I went with my wife (then fiancé), we have always stayed at the fort. The first time i went to WDW, we stayed at POFQ, which was great, but with the kids the fort and it's cabins have been the best fit.
We stayed at the cabins back in February, and since I knew I had a convention coming up in Orlando in April, my wife and I upgraded our week-long park hoppers to annual passes. We haven't taken more than a weekend trip away alone since we had kids, so this was a nice break in advance of our upcoming 20th anniversary. I had booked a room at the Wilderness Lodge for our stay, since we wouldn't be bringing the kids along this trip (many thanks to my SIL for staying with them last week). Don't worry, there is a trip to the fort in here too.
At the time, all I could get was a standard room, parking lot view. Meh. I called a few weeks ago to see if we could get a better room, and managed to get a courtyard view, so at least it was an improvement.
Monday morning we saw the kids off to school and headed for the airport. After a speedy flight, we arrived at MCO ahead of schedule.

Picked up our rental car, and off we went. It wasn't long before we were on property and headed to the resort.

Since I had checked in online, and we hadn't received our text yet, we checked our bags with bell services and decided to head out to Geyser Point for lunch. As we were walking through the lobby I got the text that our room was ready, so we headed over to check-in and get our bags, and I also wanted to sign us up for the express transportation.
Well, color me surprised.
Somehow, our standard room got upgraded to a club level room, with a Magic Kingdom fireworks view. Never having stayed in club level before, we had no idea what to expect, and were surprised when the desk said someone would be right down to escort us up.

And, what a view it was.

You'll also notice the new Copper Creek Cabins below. More on those later.
Buttons and the Old Faithful Club hours:

There were some complementary pins in the room as a gift, due to the ongoing construction at the Lodge:


Complementary chocolates, and a 'private dining' menu also:


The room was certainly spacious:


The detail on the headboards was pretty cool:

As we were waiting for our bags to be brought up, we took a walk down to the Club Lounge for a tour:

Snacks!


Beer on tap!

Coffee bar:

Lounge:


Killer view:



Our bags arrived, and we unpacked and headed out to check out the pool and Geyser Point, but not without a last look from the balcony.

LOTS more to come!

My family and I have been to WDW many times, and with the exception of the first time I went with my wife (then fiancé), we have always stayed at the fort. The first time i went to WDW, we stayed at POFQ, which was great, but with the kids the fort and it's cabins have been the best fit.
We stayed at the cabins back in February, and since I knew I had a convention coming up in Orlando in April, my wife and I upgraded our week-long park hoppers to annual passes. We haven't taken more than a weekend trip away alone since we had kids, so this was a nice break in advance of our upcoming 20th anniversary. I had booked a room at the Wilderness Lodge for our stay, since we wouldn't be bringing the kids along this trip (many thanks to my SIL for staying with them last week). Don't worry, there is a trip to the fort in here too.
At the time, all I could get was a standard room, parking lot view. Meh. I called a few weeks ago to see if we could get a better room, and managed to get a courtyard view, so at least it was an improvement.
Monday morning we saw the kids off to school and headed for the airport. After a speedy flight, we arrived at MCO ahead of schedule.

Picked up our rental car, and off we went. It wasn't long before we were on property and headed to the resort.

Since I had checked in online, and we hadn't received our text yet, we checked our bags with bell services and decided to head out to Geyser Point for lunch. As we were walking through the lobby I got the text that our room was ready, so we headed over to check-in and get our bags, and I also wanted to sign us up for the express transportation.
Well, color me surprised.
Somehow, our standard room got upgraded to a club level room, with a Magic Kingdom fireworks view. Never having stayed in club level before, we had no idea what to expect, and were surprised when the desk said someone would be right down to escort us up.

And, what a view it was.

You'll also notice the new Copper Creek Cabins below. More on those later.
Buttons and the Old Faithful Club hours:

There were some complementary pins in the room as a gift, due to the ongoing construction at the Lodge:


Complementary chocolates, and a 'private dining' menu also:


The room was certainly spacious:


The detail on the headboards was pretty cool:

As we were waiting for our bags to be brought up, we took a walk down to the Club Lounge for a tour:

Snacks!


Beer on tap!

Coffee bar:

Lounge:


Killer view:



Our bags arrived, and we unpacked and headed out to check out the pool and Geyser Point, but not without a last look from the balcony.

LOTS more to come!

Here is the schedule for the express bus service, if it's helpful.

We used this service last week while we were at WDW, and I will say it was worth the $$. Once you have the schedule down, it's a great service. Most every time we were just about the only people on the bus, and the cast members could not have been nicer.
We hit all four parks on one day, and multiple parks on several different days.
Not having to go through the security and bag checks each time you went to a different park was fan flippin' tastic.

We used this service last week while we were at WDW, and I will say it was worth the $$. Once you have the schedule down, it's a great service. Most every time we were just about the only people on the bus, and the cast members could not have been nicer.
We hit all four parks on one day, and multiple parks on several different days.
Not having to go through the security and bag checks each time you went to a different park was fan flippin' tastic.

Too bad the real TCD has more than 1 post. 

#thanksshanghai
#thankseurodisney
#thanksDDP

That's an important distinction.  We've had Moms right here on FF or a predecessor forum that have gone through the process trying to get onto the Disney Parks Moms Panel.  I don't want to disparage them.  But some of these Social Media Moms come across to me like Mouse-Eared Kardashians.  I get that, to some of them, it's a business driven by click revenue.  But it just seems so attention focused, like a lot of social media.  Look, I enjoy some of my interactions on FB...keeping up with friends, posting the occasional silly thing, etc.  But these ladies take it to another level.  "Look at me!  I'm important!  And Disney recognizes that I'm important by inviting me to this BIG EVENT!"  Blah blah blah.  Where's my scotch? 

http://www.instantlydelicious.com/blog/corn-and-potato-chowder
This recipe is a hit with the fam.

It would be nice if Disney, some of whose employees we know lurk here, would take action on some of this stuff that comes up repeatedly.