Rise of the DDP Resistance January 12 - 21, 2020 - COMPLETED: Final day-final thoughts

So I'm not sure why in the world after such a long travel day I would schedule a BOG breakfast the very next day.

This is me all the time lol. I think it doesn't sound bad when it's on paper and then when it's actually time to do it you're like :confused3 :confused3 :confused3

Sad you couldn't get on 7DMT but sounds like a good morning otherwise!
 
Awwwww, love all your pictures, particularly the one Alice took of you two, Rowan with his Dole Whip and the Castle picture---so beautiful. Glad you got to see the Peter Pan line; those mermaids are so cute! Also, hope you got to have that peanut-butter cookie you enjoyed last trip at some point, I still remember the picture, num!!
😉
 
I remember my husbands joy when we were done with the strollers way back when too!
Now we are going through the grandkids and we are dealing with it again, but this time the parents lug most of it, he says he's semi-retired so he doesn't have to help too much, :)

We are from South Florida and the heat can get you 12 months a year!!!!
We try very hard not to visit in the summer months, its a heat nightmare.
 
Strollerless trips are amazing! I look back and wonder why I ever took them in a stroller! lol

Last trip it was just DD12 and myself and I planned an early day on day 2, like you did.. Arrival day was a 6 am flight, in MK by 11 am, full day at MK, HEA dessert party and in our room by midnight. I ran it by DD to do AK on day 2 but it was an 8 am EMH day. She said to do it. She was so excited....but I should have known better. We got to AK at opening, rode EE about 5 times and about an hour in DD was dragging. She exclaimed she hated AK and she didn't even know why we went there! I aborted mission, went back to the room, she napped for a few hours and we were back in AK by noon. Next trip day 2 will be a sleep in day.
 


Joining in. Your poor steak and potatoes just makes me sad for you butr at least you had some booze. That popcorn and beer sound so good. I've never tried that popcorn as I always get my cheddar cheese from Imagination.
It was very sad indeed. It was one of my only steaks that entire trip too :(
We actually stopped at the Imagination Popcorn stand but Alice was not interested in those flavors. She's a weirdo.

This is me all the time lol. I think it doesn't sound bad when it's on paper and then when it's actually time to do it you're like :confused3 :confused3 :confused3

Sad you couldn't get on 7DMT but sounds like a good morning otherwise!
If I could tell you how many times I looked at my planning spreadsheet and never once did it occur to me that might be a risky move to plan that breakfast so early! lol. I think I was just pumped to get the reservation.

It really was a great day! We got a ton of rides under our belts.
Awwwww, love all your pictures, particularly the one Alice took of you two, Rowan with his Dole Whip and the Castle picture---so beautiful. Glad you got to see the Peter Pan line; those mermaids are so cute! Also, hope you got to have that peanut-butter cookie you enjoyed last trip at some point, I still remember the picture, num!!
Ha! I did actually see those cookies and I almost got one but decided to skip it and helped Rowan eat his monster caramel apple instead!

I remember my husbands joy when we were done with the strollers way back when too!
Now we are going through the grandkids and we are dealing with it again, but this time the parents lug most of it, he says he's semi-retired so he doesn't have to help too much, :)

We are from South Florida and the heat can get you 12 months a year!!!!
We try very hard not to visit in the summer months, its a heat nightmare.
I have to say, we did miss the stroller when we were lugging around all our bags and refillable mugs. But each day when we saw these families loading giant strollers on the bus we gave each other a little high five lol. We paid our dues for sure!


Strollerless trips are amazing! I look back and wonder why I ever took them in a stroller! lol

Last trip it was just DD12 and myself and I planned an early day on day 2, like you did.. Arrival day was a 6 am flight, in MK by 11 am, full day at MK, HEA dessert party and in our room by midnight. I ran it by DD to do AK on day 2 but it was an 8 am EMH day. She said to do it. She was so excited....but I should have known better. We got to AK at opening, rode EE about 5 times and about an hour in DD was dragging. She exclaimed she hated AK and she didn't even know why we went there! I aborted mission, went back to the room, she napped for a few hours and we were back in AK by noon. Next trip day 2 will be a sleep in day.

This sounds like something I would do lol! I definitely pushed my kids in the first half of the trip knowing that the crowds were going to be insane for MLK weekend. We did get some R&R eventually!

Disney adrenaline is SO REAL and I'm surprised they haven't figured out a way to bottle and sell it! Day 1 we were up for like, 18hrs.
 
Following along! As a mom with kids of the similar age (your kids are so cute by the way) and going to Disney for the first time using the QS dining plan, I'm very curious to hear all about your dining adventures.
 
Day 2 (cont.) - Crews Cup and Grand Floridian Cafe Dinner

Thanks to everyone following along and for all the kind words! It's snowing here and every morning while I'm brushing 6in of snow off my car, I mutter to myself about being in Disney the week before 😂 Writing this trip report is helping to remember what it feels like to see the sun! Ok, so we left off with my very hot and tired family heading back to Beach Club for a swim and a rest.

I have to say, we had really good luck with the buses during our trip. We didn't wait very long for them, and although it was crowded and standing room only people were very kind about offering seats to my kiddos. After a quick bus ride, we ran up to the room, changed into our swim gear and hit up Storm Along Bay.

First stop for Mommy: Hurricane Hanna's for a cocktail. I ordered this delightfully refreshing drink:

Cucumber & Mint Vojito
Kettle One Botanical Cucumber and Mint Vodka, Lime Juice and Pure Cane Sugar topped with Soda Water

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This was VERY refreshing and VERY strong. Thankfully the lime and mint took up a bunch of real estate in that small cup! I pulled up a lounge chair and watched the kids swim in January 🙌 It was very nice and relaxing. After about an hour, I was starving and my blood sugar was majorly crashing. I hadn't really eaten since breakfast and was on the verge of hangry. We decided a visit to Crews Cup was definitely in order.

We arrived at around 4:40pm all set to get some apps and a drink before dinner.....AND THEY DON'T START SERVING UNTIL 5!!!!!!!! I mean, I was like crying to the waitress.

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She was SUPER great and said that she could get us the yummy onion rolls that they serve over at Yachtsman right at 5pm. Praise be! I ordered a Paloma, Tequila and grapefruit juice and Scott ordered the Blood Orange Margarita and to have the Everything Pretzel put in ASAP. The Paloma was actually pretty sweet...which is not typical for a paloma. It's almost like they splashed some sour mix in there? I mean, I drank it. But I had one later in the trip that didn't taste like that at all. Scott's margarita was delicious and strong.

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At exactly 5:02, our server came over with our apps. You get a really big serving of rolls. Onion, plain dinner rolls and a side of roasted garlic. We all DOVE in. I can't believe I even got a pic to be honest. I remembered all of you and knew y'all would appreciate the Yachtsman Onion Roll shot. We were enjoying our rolls when the server came out with literally the biggest pretzel I have ever seen. SO MANY CARBS. I mean, it was delicious, but there was no way we would be able to finish that bad boy after eating 2-3 rolls AND have dinner. I kinda wish the server gave me a heads up but that's ok. I will tell all of you that if there's a pretzel app on a menu---IT WILL BE HUGE. It encompassed the entire kids dinner menu/placemat for reference.

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The pickled veg was awesome, beer cheese was great and so were the two mustards (spicy brown and I think a honey mustard?). Our server was great and gave us a couple of boxes to go. We thought maybe we could have them later in the trip (we did not) so Scott ran to the room and met us over at the bus to MK. We had a tight turnaround for our Grand Floridian Cafe reservation. Our plan was to have dinner from 6:30-7:30pm and then zip over to Main Street to catch our very first Happily Ever After fireworks show. In previous trips our kids were so little we never got past the Electric Light Parade before the kids had mega meltdowns. I couldn't wait for them to experience Magic Kingdom fireworks!

We took the bus and hopped on the monorail to GF and it took longer than I had anticipated. I forgot that you go to all the other resorts first. Rookie mistake lol. We were already cutting it super close, so I was starting to stress a bit about having enough time to eat and then get to MK.

We checked in and waited for another 10min or so. Walked around and enjoyed GF at night. I would LOVE to stay here some day. So posh and fancy!

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GF was jamming that night. Almost every table was occupied. I always read that this was a chill restaurant but that was not the case on this night. We had a fantastic server that night---I told him we were trying to get to the Fireworks and he was great about helping us get out of there in an hour.

Scott ordered the Sirloin and Scallops and a glass of Simi Cabernet Sauvignon, I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken with a glass of Conundrum Chardonnay. I was really surprised to find out that GF allows you to order any wine by the glass along with your meal plan. Conundrum is a nice oaky buttery chardonnay that's usually around $16-18 a glass so I was pretty pumped. Rowan got spag and meatballs and Alice ordered the pizza along with the glowy light drinks (not included in DDP, but I was kinda buzzed at this point and didn't care lol)
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Scott said his scallops were cooked very well (he's super picky about seafood) but his steak was NOT good. Overcooked and not great quality. I really enjoyed my fried chicken--very crispy and it had a really tasty spicy honey glaze on top. The mashed potato and spinach was VERY salty but I was pretty full at that point and just had a bite or two.

The kids enjoyed their standard kid fare, and the real show stopper was the kid dessert! Worms in dirt. They brought out a small flower pot filled with chocolate mousse, cookie crumbs and gummy worms. The kids were very pleased.

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So, we were really itching to get out of there. Server came as soon as he could to ring us out and right about 7:35 we were racing out of the hotel. This is where things went sideways.

I forgot that the monorail hotels have security before you actually get on the monorail. I fully support security efforts and am HAPPY to participate. Scott and the kids didn't have bags so they just kinda sailed on through while the monorail was loading the last of the passengers. I went through the purse line and the metal detector and was rushing to meet my family already on the monorail at this point and another security guard started shouting "MA'AM! MA'AM! YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH SECURITY!! MA'AM STOP!" and I was like "I already went through! My family is already on the monorail!" and she told me I needed to go BACK through. Scott and the kids had to get off and then the monorail took off without us.

Kay....so, here is my emoji that best represents my internal dialogue at this point 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬. I must have looked visibly annoyed because the monorail operator came over and said "I saw that whole thing and I'm really sorry. I saw you go through security. Here is a FP for you guys to use tomorrow" awww! So nice and not necessary and very much appreciated.

The next monorail came pretty quickly and somehow we were through security and half way down Mainstreet and got a great view with only a few minutes missed of the fireworks.

You guys...it was super magical. I cried, Alice cried. Scott and Rowan did NOT cry, lol but they enjoyed them very much. It was just like, a super beautiful moment that I'm glad I really pushed for us all to have.

Amazingly, after the show we were able to get out of MK without too many stepped on toes and our bus was out there waiting for us! We hopped on and all hit the hay as soon as we got to the room. It was a very LONG, wonderful, magical day.

We had a chill morning ahead of us and Animal Kingdom to look forward to!!! That's next :)
 
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That chicken looks really good right now!

I hate when people aren't paying attention and that makes you miss your monorail! Glad you got a FP out of it but yeah my emotions would have been raised too! At least you only missed a little bit of them.
 
I feel your pain with the weather - I'm in Minnesota and would kill to be in the sun and sand and just general vacation mode RIGHT NOW. Speaking of vacation mode, that Cucumber & Mint Vojito looks amazing, and embodies everything delightful about vacation!

:beach:

I've said it before: I just love all of your pictures, they're so beautiful. Also, you can sign me up for the worms & dirt dessert. I have such a sweet tooth and it's calling my name.....
 
Oh my goodness, what a terrible experience with security! I would have been so upset. Glad you were able to see the fireworks!
 
Your report is awesome! I can completely relate to the security failure...🤯. I’m so glad you pretty much made it!
 
So happy to find your report and thanks for the shout-out :drinking1

Sorry to hear that Chefs was so disappointing. I'm not the biggest fan of French food so we haven't eaten there since Jason and I were just out of college and dating other people 😱 Pretty sure that translates to we've never actually eaten there and after seeing your steak experience think we'll just pass.

I cannot believe all the trouble you had with BoG timing. At least you got to see the Peter queue. Its so cute!

As I sit here starving and trying to wait for lunch your Crews Cup bread and pretzel is not doing me any favors. Looks like the perfect meal to me!

Now go through security again :P
 
Day 3: January 14, Animal Kingdom, Flame Tree and Trattoria al Forno

Happy Monday after the Superbowl everyone! Not a huge sports fan, so basically was just watching for the snacks and J.Lo/Shakira 🍑😲

We were all feeling pretty worn out and still trying to recover from our 3am start to our vacation, and originally I thought we might try to rope drop FoP but like, there was no way. I wanted to have a nice leisurely day at Animal Kingdom, walk around, eat some food, chill out.

I woke up to find my babies all snuggled up. GAH! They are so cute.

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We had a 10-11am FP for Navi River Journey which is the earliest FP we had that day. We took our time getting ready, and I went downstairs to Beach Club Marketplace for coffee and some breakfast pastries for the kids. I really should have packed granola bars and mini cereal boxes for breakfasts because I wasted a lot of snack credits on half eaten croissants. Rowan is like me in that we don't like to eat first thing in the morning and Alice doesn't really like to try new things lol. We were buying her Cliff Zbars each morning because they were a waste of a snack credit, but all she wanted to eat.

We hopped on the bus to Animal Kingdom and were lucky enough to see some of the beautiful holiday decor. Now, I know some people do not like to see holiday decor after Christmas, but I liked seeing the trees and the little touches around the parks. But it's definitely true that they're up one minute and then the next day everything is gone!
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We decided to head over to Pandora to check it out and it is really stunning. I still think it was a pretty weird choice for Disney to base an entire "land" around in one of their parks, but it really is a beautiful and immersive place.

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We stayed and watched a little show. Must be covered in the movie, because I didn't really "get it", but it was pretty funny and entertaining.
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We used our Navi River FP and went over into the gift shop which was pretty cool. Rowan got a sword (natch) and Alice got a stuffy annd made a pretty bracelet. By now I was ready to head to one of my favorite spots, Dawa Bar for cocktail and a sit. Lost of Safari of course.

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There was a guy playing this instrument that was kind of a guitar/harp/sittar and singing and there was this beautiful breeze and it was all very peaceful and chill. I swear I could have sat there ALL DAY. But those pesky kids needed to eat lol. I was starting to realize that my kids were not into eating anything remotely adventurous, so as good as the menu looked for Satuli Canteen, I knew they would not be into it. So we went over to our tried and true Flame Tree BBQ. I used mobile ordering and yet again, we got our food in like, 6 minutes without waiting in a line!

I ordered pulled pork sandwich, Scott ordered the 1/2 chicken, Rowan wanted a drum stick and Alice got the hot dog. We all munched away happily outside and watched the birds try to steal everyone's french fries. They seemed to have cut down on their portions significantly. I remember the sandwiches being much bigger and more sides were given automatically. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was able to eat my entire sandwich which I remember not being able to do in years past. But the flavor was delicious as usual and the atmosphere out there can't be beat.

We then did the safari and the giraffes were like, 10ft away from us which was REALLY cool.

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Waited FOREVER to meet Minnie and Mickey, did A Bugs Life which scared Rowan a bit even though he tried to act tough.

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Continued on next post:
 
Day 3: January 14, Animal Kingdom, Flame Tree and Trattoria al Forno (Cont.)

We saw Kevin a couple times and I yelled "KEVIN!!!!!" every time lol. I would want to be one of his handlers. That would be a great job.
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We went over to Dinoland and Scott was like "What the heck is this place" lol. We played a few games (THAT I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR), rode Triceratops Spin and then decided it was time to call it a day at AK. We were headed back at the end of the week and were ready for some pool action.

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Our dinner plans were up in the air that night so after heading back to the room for a rest and to freshen up, we checked out MDE to see if anything was available. Scott wanted something close to the hotel and did NOT want to go into another park that day. When that guy is done, he is DONE. I was able to get us a reservation at Trattoria al Forno over at the Boardwalk. It's a new restaurant for us and I was pretty excited to check it out. Mostly because I knew they would serve an Aperol Spritz!

We were seated rather quickly and our waiter was great. He brought out two loaves of warm, crusty ciabatta loaves with a really delightful tapenade, gave us recommendations and was back in a flash with our drinks which earned him high marks from me! We decided to order the Salumi Italiani and added the housemade mozzarella on the side. The meats were prosciutto, mortadella, soppressada, and capicola and served with olives and pickles. Everything was delightful. The mozz was soft and salty and fresh. We were off to a VERY good start.

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For entrees, I selected the pasta alla carbonara which was...interesting. My mom's side is Italian and I live in NY, so I know that ordering pasta in the south can be a gamble (no offense intended, but lets be real). And while everything tasted good, this was NOT what I would call carbonara. It was more of a cacio e pepe. The sauce was pretty thin and peppery. I enjoyed it, but it's not what I'm used to.
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Scott ordered Pasta alle Vongole without tomatoes(because he's a weirdo that doesn't like tomatoes) and he loved it! The clams were well prepared and the white wine sauce was delicious.
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Alice ordered grilled chicken with a side of pasta alfredo and Rowan ordered a pizza. I didn't get a pic of Alice's dinner because she was mad I made her eat chicken instead of just a big plate of pasta which is what she really wanted. But literally, my kids had been eating a lot of junk and I was really taking a stand for some reason lol. Rowan enjoyed his pizza and broccoli.

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For dessert the kids had gelato included in their kids meals, Scott ordered a cappuccino and I got tiramisu which was FAB. Pillowy layers of cream and espresso...mmmmm.....so good.
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Here's another great pic Alice took!
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Overall, I really really enjoyed our dinner here! I thought the food was great, service was stellar and my aperol spritz hit the spot. It's been a while since I've eaten pasta in WDW, so I can't recommend over Tutto Italia or Via Napoli in terms of taste or quality, but it was a really lovely dinner. The kids wanted to swim and I was dying to sit in the hot tub and soak my achy legs and feet. Got all changed, went to the villa pool and the hot tub was out of service! NOOOOOOOOO! Ugh. So instead I watched the kids swim for a bit and then we all went upstairs to bed for the night. We had to get up early for our Star Wars day!

Next post: All the Star Wars nonsense, dinner at Biergarten, drinks and fireworks at Rose and Crown
 
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I'm surprised the glow cube drinks at the GF Cafe for the kids were not included in the DDP.

Great report BTW and I totally agree from the picture that that was no carbonara!
 
the biggest pretzel I have ever seen. SO MANY CARBS. I mean, it was delicious, but there was no way we would be able to finish that bad boy after eating 2-3 rolls AND have dinner
I LOVE that pretzel! Had it for the first time last summer and then got it again in October when I snuck away from my work group in favor of FOOD lol
Lost of Safari of course.
That always sounds good but I just can't NOT order the Bloody Mary there. One day I'll just get both :thumbsup2
pasta alla carbonara which was...interesting.
Hmm.....Italian from NY here and that description of carbonara does not sound good or correct? We ate at Trattoria a few years ago and found it just ok; we've thought of going back but just haven't yet. I will say you should try Il Mulino in the Swan! Best Italian on property for sure but, not on the dining plan
 
We stayed at the Boardwalk on last stay. My husband had the same mindset if yours. Why travel to a restaurant when we're surrounded by excellent restaurants. I changed our plans, so carefully made at 180 days out, to Boardwalk area restaurants.
 
Also, you can sign me up for the worms & dirt dessert. I have such a sweet tooth and it's calling my name.....

Ha! I definitely stole a few spoonfuls from Rowan although he wasn't very happy about it! We're working on his sharing 😉

Phew, glad you made it for the fireworks! I was getting anxious just reading your post!

Sigh...I really was very anxious about the whole thing. We don't really do the fireworks because of all the people and crowds and with two little kids it just always made me nervous. Like we would never get out alive lololol. So yeah, it was a scene.

Oh my goodness, what a terrible experience with security! I would have been so upset. Glad you were able to see the fireworks!

We made it and they were awesome! Surprisingly not too terrible to leave the park after which has always been a deterrent for me.
Your report is awesome! I can completely relate to the security failure...🤯. I’m so glad you pretty much made it!

Thank you! It took A LOT not to verbalize my frustration. Not interested in visiting Disney jail 😂
Now go through security again :P

Hahahahhha!! This made me laugh so hard. Glad you are here! I am loving your report 🥃🍸🍹🍷

I'm surprised the glow cube drinks at the GF Cafe for the kids were not included in the DDP.

Great report BTW and I totally agree from the picture that that was no carbonara!

ME TOO! It's doubly annoying because one of my children only drinks water and milk so they didn't have a single "specialty drink" the whole time.

Thank you for the validation on the carbonara. I was like...perplexed when they put it in front of me lol

I will say you should try Il Mulino in the Swan! Best Italian on property for sure but, not on the dining plan

We did actually go to Il Mulino this trip!!!!! It was a fantastic meal and I'll review it soon 🍾🍝🍾

My husband had the same mindset if yours. Why travel to a restaurant when we're surrounded by excellent restaurants. I changed our plans, so carefully made at 180 days out, to Boardwalk area restaurants.

Sometimes going back into a park at the end of a long day is just too annoying to think about--especially for a cranky husband lol. We love the Beach Club/Boardwalk area because there are so many dining options!
 
Loved all your reviews so far! We just got back on Sunday. We were there 1/29-2/2 on an adults trip and it was COLD! So funny to see that you were there even before us and it was hot. Oh Florida!

The Beach Club is a great spot to stay with kids. We stayed there with our 3 a few years ago and I can't wait to go back. I'm happy to hear that your travels sans stroller were successful. Our youngest will be 4/5 on our next trip and I'm considering just renting one "as needed."

Interesting to read about Trattoria, we have wanted to try it so I'm putting it on our list after seeing your review. Looking forward to reading more!
 

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