Post-Trip Report: Amy’s Spring Break at the Boardwalk (April 2025)

00:00:12.309 --> 00:00:18.549
VIRGINIA: Welcome back to another Post Trip Report episode of Where I Long To Be, A Magical Trip Report Podcast.

00:00:18.549 --> 00:00:20.369
VIRGINIA: I'm your host, Virginia.

00:00:20.369 --> 00:00:22.609
VIRGINIA: Thank you all for tuning in today.

00:00:22.609 --> 00:00:29.529
VIRGINIA: If you have not yet left a review for the show on the podcast app you're listening on now, please consider doing that today.

00:00:29.529 --> 00:00:32.609
VIRGINIA: It helps the show to be found by others.

00:00:32.609 --> 00:00:40.789
VIRGINIA: On today's show, I am welcoming back Amy, who recently traveled to Walt Disney World with her husband, Joe, April 22nd through 26th.

00:00:41.509 --> 00:00:45.049
VIRGINIA: Amy and Joe are DVC members and annual pass holders.

00:00:45.049 --> 00:00:49.869
VIRGINIA: And for this vacation, they chose to stay at Disney's Boardwalk Villas.

00:00:49.869 --> 00:00:54.029
VIRGINIA: That's enough to get you going if you didn't listen to the boot trip report just before this.

00:00:54.029 --> 00:00:56.289
VIRGINIA: So now on with the show.

00:00:56.289 --> 00:00:58.669
VIRGINIA: Here's Amy.

00:00:58.669 --> 00:01:00.909
VIRGINIA: Welcome back, Amy.

00:01:00.909 --> 00:01:02.789
AMY: Thank you.

00:01:02.789 --> 00:01:04.189
VIRGINIA: How are you doing?

00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:08.229
VIRGINIA: Your trip is over by a couple of weeks now.

00:01:08.229 --> 00:01:11.849
VIRGINIA: So are you still feeling the effects of having had a vacation?

00:01:12.909 --> 00:01:13.229
AMY: Yes.

00:01:13.229 --> 00:01:19.509
AMY: We had such a great trip and we are in the process of trying to buy some more DVC points.

00:01:19.509 --> 00:01:22.089
AMY: So we really enjoyed our trip.

00:01:22.089 --> 00:01:23.409
VIRGINIA: Oh, you are.

00:01:23.409 --> 00:01:24.229
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:01:24.229 --> 00:01:28.089
VIRGINIA: Is this something you've been discussing for a while now?

00:01:28.089 --> 00:01:28.749
AMY: Yes.

00:01:28.929 --> 00:01:37.429
AMY: We went around with different resorts and we're actually trying to buy some more of the Grand Floridian points.

00:01:37.429 --> 00:01:38.469
VIRGINIA: Oh, okay.

00:01:38.469 --> 00:01:39.489
VIRGINIA: Direct or resale?

00:01:39.669 --> 00:01:41.089
AMY: Resale.

00:01:41.089 --> 00:01:41.889
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:01:41.889 --> 00:01:48.409
VIRGINIA: Did you pull the trigger on this trip or is it in the works?

00:01:48.409 --> 00:01:49.249
AMY: It's in the work.

00:01:49.249 --> 00:01:53.169
AMY: So we made the offer and the seller accepted.

00:01:53.169 --> 00:01:59.029
AMY: But now we have to wait for Disney because they have right of first refusal.

00:01:59.029 --> 00:02:01.069
AMY: So we're waiting to hear back.

00:02:01.069 --> 00:02:03.809
VIRGINIA: Do you have any sense of how long you might have to wait?

00:02:05.249 --> 00:02:11.929
AMY: So they're saying around 30 days, it might be a little bit less.

00:02:11.929 --> 00:02:12.689
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:02:12.689 --> 00:02:30.569
VIRGINIA: So for listeners who are not familiar, when you are buying resale points, Disney has the right of first refusal meaning they get to take a look at what was offered and either let the sellers sell the points or they can choose to purchase them back themselves.

00:02:30.629 --> 00:02:34.569
VIRGINIA: So either way, the person selling the contract is going to get money.

00:02:34.569 --> 00:02:41.449
VIRGINIA: It's just a question of whether Disney thinks they are trying to sell it for too little in amount.

00:02:41.449 --> 00:02:48.069
VIRGINIA: Sometimes Disney will do that just because they want to keep the value at a certain price, so they will do it for price reasons.

00:02:48.069 --> 00:03:04.609
VIRGINIA: Other times, it might be because they are working with someone who would like to purchase direct, but they don't happen to have any of the points for that resort available, so they'll purchase them back because they know they have somebody on the back burner who is waiting for a Grand Floridian contract to come up or something like that.

00:03:04.609 --> 00:03:07.709
VIRGINIA: So I've crossed my fingers for you.

00:03:07.709 --> 00:03:18.169
AMY: We're excited because it would enable us to bring my family, bring my brother and his wife and my mother, do some extended family trips.

00:03:18.169 --> 00:03:26.569
VIRGINIA: Did you, this is a little insider baseball, but did you get a contract that you made the offer on for the same use year that you already have?

00:03:26.569 --> 00:03:27.609
AMY: Yes, yes.

00:03:27.849 --> 00:03:28.569
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:03:28.569 --> 00:03:29.209
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:03:29.209 --> 00:03:36.129
VIRGINIA: That's always the question to me because it seems like it might be challenging to juggle more than one use year.

00:03:36.129 --> 00:03:47.009
VIRGINIA: I already with only one contract have to think like, oh, I have to bank by this date or these points within this use year need to be used by X date or whatever.

00:03:47.009 --> 00:03:47.469
AMY: Yes.

00:03:47.929 --> 00:03:51.229
AMY: I would not want to manage more than one use year.

00:03:51.229 --> 00:03:55.249
AMY: Our use year is December, which is confusing.

00:03:55.249 --> 00:03:56.369
AMY: It's very confusing.

00:03:56.609 --> 00:04:01.729
AMY: I want to just stick with that and not try to add on to that.

00:04:01.729 --> 00:04:08.949
VIRGINIA: It comes into play when you really, like if you're using your points at a similar time every year, it's easier to keep track.

00:04:08.949 --> 00:04:21.529
VIRGINIA: But the reason I started to look into it the other day was because there's a possibility that my normal February trip will need to be moved, in which case I was like, oh gosh, what am I going to do?

00:04:22.929 --> 00:04:40.089
VIRGINIA: It would have to be at a time after the banking deadline, so it's like at that point, if anything happens and we couldn't go for some reason, then we would have to rent the points out to somebody else, because the ones that are within that use year, it would be too late to bank them.

00:04:40.469 --> 00:04:52.129
VIRGINIA: It puts you in a precarious position, whereas traveling in February with the use year that we have, which is October, if something happens, I still have time to book another trip and make it work.

00:04:52.449 --> 00:04:57.069
VIRGINIA: Anyway, it's all worth it for anybody who's like, why would anybody do this?

00:04:57.069 --> 00:04:58.289
VIRGINIA: This sounds crazy.

00:04:58.489 --> 00:05:07.229
VIRGINIA: It's all worth it, especially when you think, okay, I'm going to go on a trip and I do not have to pay for my hotel because that was paid for longer ago.

00:05:08.109 --> 00:05:14.189
VIRGINIA: But yeah, you have to learn all the ins and outs when you become a DVC member.

00:05:14.189 --> 00:05:17.289
VIRGINIA: Speaking of DVC, I'm taking a look back at your plans.

00:05:17.289 --> 00:05:20.829
VIRGINIA: You did not plan any time at Magic Kingdom for this trip.

00:05:21.229 --> 00:05:22.909
AMY: We really did not.

00:05:22.989 --> 00:05:26.829
AMY: We basically only spent time at Epcot and Animal Kingdom.

00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:30.909
AMY: We did not go to Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom.

00:05:30.909 --> 00:05:35.369
VIRGINIA: Yeah, I was just thinking about the fact that the new DVC Lounge opened in Magic Kingdom.

00:05:35.569 --> 00:05:41.049
VIRGINIA: So I was thinking, I wonder if she went and then I was scanning through and realizing, no, I don't think that happened.

00:05:41.049 --> 00:05:48.969
AMY: But we did get up to the DVC Lounge and the Bay Lake Tower, which we have never been to before and you had told me to go.

00:05:49.769 --> 00:05:53.669
AMY: So we did get up there and watch the fireworks, which was so much fun.

00:05:53.669 --> 00:05:54.309
VIRGINIA: Oh, good.

00:05:54.309 --> 00:05:54.989
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:05:54.989 --> 00:05:56.669
VIRGINIA: Well, we will get to that part.

00:05:56.929 --> 00:05:59.109
VIRGINIA: Let's just dive right in then.

00:05:59.109 --> 00:06:06.689
VIRGINIA: So you left on Tuesday, April 22nd and you had an early morning flight out of Manchester, New Hampshire.

00:06:06.689 --> 00:06:07.569
VIRGINIA: How was your flight?

00:06:07.569 --> 00:06:09.109
VIRGINIA: Was it on time?

00:06:09.109 --> 00:06:10.089
AMY: The flight was fine.

00:06:10.089 --> 00:06:11.149
AMY: It was on time.

00:06:11.149 --> 00:06:13.249
AMY: We landed about 1020.

00:06:14.749 --> 00:06:19.009
AMY: We got picked up right away by a driver from Gear Fusion.

00:06:19.009 --> 00:06:25.249
AMY: We were in the car by 1050 and we were at the Boardwalk by 1115.

00:06:25.249 --> 00:06:26.029
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:06:26.029 --> 00:06:28.929
VIRGINIA: I know that you had a lunch reservation at Cake Bake Shop.

00:06:28.929 --> 00:06:31.589
VIRGINIA: I did not write down what time that reservation was.

00:06:31.589 --> 00:06:37.989
VIRGINIA: So what did you do once you arrived up until when you needed to check in for your lunch?

00:06:38.789 --> 00:06:39.149
AMY: Okay.

00:06:39.149 --> 00:06:42.969
AMY: So we got to Boardwalk and our room was ready.

00:06:42.969 --> 00:06:45.009
AMY: That never ever happens to me.

00:06:45.009 --> 00:06:46.609
AMY: I was so excited.

00:06:46.609 --> 00:06:54.989
AMY: So we went into the room and we unpacked and we actually did not have a reservation at Cake Bake, but we wanted to go and eat at the bar.

00:06:55.069 --> 00:06:56.649
AMY: So we got there.

00:06:56.649 --> 00:07:09.589
AMY: We got there about 1210 and they were able to see this at the bar, which I think is a great hack if there are just two people to not worry about a reservation and just have them seat you at the bar.

00:07:09.589 --> 00:07:11.949
AMY: There seemed to be plenty of seating there.

00:07:11.949 --> 00:07:13.829
VIRGINIA: How was your room location?

00:07:13.829 --> 00:07:18.289
VIRGINIA: Had you gotten a boardwalk view or were you in a standard view?

00:07:18.289 --> 00:07:25.729
AMY: We were in a standard room and I had never stayed a boardwalk before, so I didn't really know what to ask for.

00:07:25.729 --> 00:07:28.669
AMY: We were like three miles from the elevator.

00:07:30.069 --> 00:07:32.889
AMY: So I don't know that I can recommend our location.

00:07:34.129 --> 00:07:47.069
VIRGINIA: Well, but depending on which direction you're talking about, which I think would be in the direction of the swan and dolphin, it does make it an easier walk to Hollywood Studios because you're right by the path.

00:07:47.329 --> 00:07:49.129
AMY: Yes, I guess so.

00:07:49.129 --> 00:07:53.629
AMY: We were so far from the elevator and then our balcony was hilarious.

00:07:53.629 --> 00:07:59.489
AMY: We would sit on the balcony and there were just two gigantic trees blocking the view of anything.

00:08:00.989 --> 00:08:03.809
AMY: So it wasn't our best view.

00:08:03.809 --> 00:08:05.649
VIRGINIA: But was the room nice?

00:08:05.649 --> 00:08:07.449
AMY: Yes, it was very nice.

00:08:07.449 --> 00:08:09.069
AMY: Yes, I don't have any complaints.

00:08:09.069 --> 00:08:12.909
AMY: And I'm not even really complaining about where the room was located.

00:08:12.909 --> 00:08:19.709
AMY: I think you learn when you stay in a resort what you might want to ask for the next time.

00:08:19.709 --> 00:08:29.969
VIRGINIA: I tend to go on to the Touring Plans website because they have the room finder and you can kind of get a sense of what the view from different floors and locations.

00:08:29.969 --> 00:08:34.049
VIRGINIA: And it just gives you a general sense of what you might want to look at.

00:08:34.049 --> 00:08:37.289
VIRGINIA: I can put a link to that in the show notes for anybody who's curious.

00:08:37.289 --> 00:08:39.069
VIRGINIA: And then it just gives you an idea.

00:08:39.069 --> 00:08:42.009
VIRGINIA: Obviously, room requests are not guaranteed.

00:08:42.929 --> 00:08:48.609
VIRGINIA: But I find it helpful to see a photo that someone took from a particular room number.

00:08:48.609 --> 00:08:49.509
AMY: I agree.

00:08:49.509 --> 00:08:53.369
AMY: And I liked Boardwalk, but my husband and I talked about this.

00:08:53.549 --> 00:08:57.929
AMY: I think we would have loved it when our kids were little.

00:08:59.149 --> 00:09:06.989
AMY: To go there as two people in our late 50s, we enjoyed it and we loved being able to walk right into Epcot.

00:09:06.989 --> 00:09:08.629
AMY: That was amazing.

00:09:08.629 --> 00:09:15.949
AMY: But I don't know how much we enjoyed the footlong, fried cheese sticks and the jugglers.

00:09:15.949 --> 00:09:20.529
AMY: I think we would have enjoyed that more with children.

00:09:20.589 --> 00:09:20.989
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:09:20.989 --> 00:09:21.909
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:09:21.909 --> 00:09:22.209
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:09:22.509 --> 00:09:24.769
VIRGINIA: Let's get back over to the cake bake shop.

00:09:24.769 --> 00:09:28.329
VIRGINIA: So walking in, getting to sit at the bar.

00:09:28.329 --> 00:09:37.209
VIRGINIA: Now, what we all hear about when it comes to cake bake shop is, A, how much glitter there is, and B, the pricing.

00:09:37.209 --> 00:09:45.909
VIRGINIA: So how was the food that you ate and did you feel like the price was justified by the quality?

00:09:47.209 --> 00:09:58.169
AMY: Okay, so I had the Broccoli Quiche and Joe had a half of Chicken Salad, Croissant and Gumbo.

00:09:58.169 --> 00:10:05.769
AMY: We really did enjoy our food, but I did want to say that only at lunch they have a DVC discount.

00:10:05.769 --> 00:10:08.549
AMY: They do not offer the discount at dinner.

00:10:08.549 --> 00:10:18.749
AMY: So I think if you want to try it, again, a great thing to do is just to walk over, get seated in the bar, at lunch time to try out the food.

00:10:18.749 --> 00:10:20.509
AMY: I enjoyed the food.

00:10:20.509 --> 00:10:24.709
AMY: I don't think it was worth the price, but we just had our lunch.

00:10:24.709 --> 00:10:25.709
AMY: We drank water.

00:10:25.709 --> 00:10:27.589
AMY: We didn't have any alcoholic beverages.

00:10:27.589 --> 00:10:29.009
AMY: We didn't have dessert.

00:10:29.009 --> 00:10:35.869
AMY: So I felt we really enjoyed it and it was worth it for what we paid for it with the discount.

00:10:35.869 --> 00:10:38.509
VIRGINIA: Okay, was that a 10% discount?

00:10:38.509 --> 00:10:39.509
AMY: Yes.

00:10:39.509 --> 00:10:40.709
VIRGINIA: Okay, all right.

00:10:40.709 --> 00:10:43.649
VIRGINIA: I wonder if they do something similar for annual pass holders.

00:10:44.849 --> 00:10:45.749
AMY: I'm not sure.

00:10:45.749 --> 00:10:52.529
AMY: That's a good question because I mentioned that we had both and he seemed to lock on to the DVC.

00:10:53.709 --> 00:10:57.329
AMY: I'm thinking that they do it for both but I'm really not sure.

00:10:57.329 --> 00:11:05.329
VIRGINIA: We will find out and I will put in the show notes I have an app that I tend to use for like all of the different kinds of discounts to keep track of it.

00:11:05.329 --> 00:11:10.569
VIRGINIA: All right, so this day in particular was an Epcot day which makes sense.

00:11:10.569 --> 00:11:18.129
VIRGINIA: You checked in, you're ready to hit up the closest park there that you're most excited for.

00:11:18.129 --> 00:11:21.469
VIRGINIA: I know that you were using Multipass Lightning Lane for this day.

00:11:21.469 --> 00:11:23.609
VIRGINIA: So how did the day pan out?

00:11:23.609 --> 00:11:29.149
VIRGINIA: What time did you make it into the park and walk me through what you did?

00:11:29.149 --> 00:11:33.129
AMY: Okay, so we left Cake Bake Shop and we walked right into Epcot.

00:11:33.129 --> 00:11:35.809
AMY: We got right on Remy Ratatouille.

00:11:35.809 --> 00:11:36.549
AMY: That was great.

00:11:37.269 --> 00:11:43.969
AMY: From there, we walked over to the other side of the park and went on Living With The Land and Soaring.

00:11:43.969 --> 00:11:46.129
AMY: So again, we were using the Multipass.

00:11:46.129 --> 00:11:49.109
AMY: We were getting right onto the rides.

00:11:49.109 --> 00:11:53.349
AMY: And then from there, I went on to Guardians.

00:11:53.349 --> 00:11:58.029
AMY: And my first song was Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

00:11:58.029 --> 00:12:00.329
AMY: As you know, Joe likes to sit on a bench.

00:12:00.409 --> 00:12:03.309
AMY: Yes, while I'm on Guardians.

00:12:03.309 --> 00:12:07.009
AMY: And then my second song was I Ran.

00:12:07.009 --> 00:12:17.109
AMY: And it took me about an hour, even with the individual lightning lane, it seems to take about a half hour to go through the line and the pre-show and the ride.

00:12:17.109 --> 00:12:20.469
AMY: So it took me about an hour to ride twice.

00:12:20.469 --> 00:12:25.629
AMY: So I think I was coming out of Guardians by about four o'clock.

00:12:25.629 --> 00:12:32.689
VIRGINIA: Okay, so what you were doing was riding standby and a single pass lightning lane back to back.

00:12:32.689 --> 00:12:39.189
AMY: No, I actually, I had my own lightning pass and Joe's individual lightning pass.

00:12:39.409 --> 00:12:40.389
VIRGINIA: Got it.

00:12:40.389 --> 00:12:41.489
VIRGINIA: Got it.

00:12:41.489 --> 00:12:47.009
VIRGINIA: Excellent hack for someone who has a partner who's not going to use theirs.

00:12:47.009 --> 00:12:50.769
VIRGINIA: Just take their band or their card and go back in.

00:12:50.789 --> 00:12:51.389
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:12:51.389 --> 00:12:57.849
AMY: And I think he maybe walked around a little bit and then he actually went back to the room and was relaxing.

00:12:58.569 --> 00:13:07.529
AMY: So at four o'clock, I got off Guardians for the second time and I walked back to the room and we had some groceries that were delivered.

00:13:07.529 --> 00:13:08.749
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:13:08.749 --> 00:13:09.409
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:13:09.409 --> 00:13:12.549
VIRGINIA: Did you end up going back into Epcot this day?

00:13:13.889 --> 00:13:15.109
AMY: I did.

00:13:15.109 --> 00:13:25.169
AMY: So from there, we unloaded the groceries, we got showered and then we went over to Amare, which is at the Swan Reserve.

00:13:25.169 --> 00:13:25.449
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:13:25.449 --> 00:13:27.669
VIRGINIA: And I keep hearing people talk about this.

00:13:27.789 --> 00:13:30.349
VIRGINIA: It keeps coming up for some reason.

00:13:30.349 --> 00:13:33.589
VIRGINIA: I have not even looked at the menu yet.

00:13:33.589 --> 00:13:40.749
VIRGINIA: So tell me a little bit about the kind of food and what is the atmosphere like?

00:13:40.749 --> 00:13:41.089
AMY: Okay.

00:13:41.089 --> 00:13:44.809
AMY: So it is a Mediterranean restaurant.

00:13:44.809 --> 00:13:50.429
AMY: It's just a very high level of service, but yet very relaxed.

00:13:50.429 --> 00:13:55.549
AMY: I think the prices are reasonable compared to like Disney dining.

00:13:55.549 --> 00:13:56.809
AMY: The food is excellent.

00:13:56.889 --> 00:13:59.529
AMY: They have an excellent wine list.

00:13:59.529 --> 00:14:07.189
AMY: Joe and I both had, I had chicken skewers with like hummus and tabbouleh and a cucumber salad and homemade pita.

00:14:07.189 --> 00:14:08.669
AMY: It was amazing.

00:14:08.669 --> 00:14:11.169
AMY: Joe had the same dish, but with beef.

00:14:11.169 --> 00:14:13.469
AMY: We ordered a really nice bottle of wine.

00:14:13.469 --> 00:14:15.809
AMY: Our server was amazing.

00:14:15.809 --> 00:14:19.129
AMY: It was just such a nice relaxing evening.

00:14:20.269 --> 00:14:20.789
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:14:20.789 --> 00:14:22.369
VIRGINIA: That sounds right up my alley.

00:14:22.369 --> 00:14:26.769
VIRGINIA: All of those foods that you mentioned sound like things I would be into.

00:14:26.769 --> 00:14:30.649
VIRGINIA: So what did you end up doing after dinner?

00:14:30.649 --> 00:14:32.449
AMY: So we walked back to Boardwalk.

00:14:32.449 --> 00:14:36.049
AMY: I literally tucked Joe into bed.

00:14:36.049 --> 00:14:37.969
AMY: I said goodbye.

00:14:37.969 --> 00:14:38.329
AMY: I did.

00:14:38.329 --> 00:14:44.049
AMY: I pulled the covers up and then I left and walked as fast as I possibly could.

00:14:44.049 --> 00:14:47.209
AMY: And I stopped and got my ice cream in France.

00:14:47.209 --> 00:14:49.989
AMY: I love that little ice cream shop in France.

00:14:50.029 --> 00:14:54.269
AMY: And I walked over, I think it was in front of Morocco.

00:14:54.269 --> 00:14:57.229
AMY: And there was a really nice couple there from Texas.

00:14:57.229 --> 00:15:02.029
AMY: And I chatted with them and ate my ice cream and watched the Epcot fireworks.

00:15:02.029 --> 00:15:06.349
VIRGINIA: Now, I remember the last time you and I spoke, you did something similar.

00:15:06.349 --> 00:15:12.609
VIRGINIA: So it seems to me like Epcot fireworks are your me time, which I love.

00:15:12.609 --> 00:15:13.529
AMY: Yes.

00:15:13.529 --> 00:15:14.629
VIRGINIA: You're starting your tradition.

00:15:17.649 --> 00:15:18.349
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:15:18.349 --> 00:15:22.049
VIRGINIA: From there, was it just back to bed for you too?

00:15:22.049 --> 00:15:22.429
AMY: Yes.

00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:26.129
AMY: And I walked back to the room, and it was so funny.

00:15:26.129 --> 00:15:29.809
AMY: For that first day, there were so many people on VIP tours.

00:15:29.809 --> 00:15:34.169
AMY: I don't think I've ever noticed so many plaid vests before.

00:15:34.169 --> 00:15:45.809
AMY: And so many people, like you could see that, that were clearly making some kind of Disney video, which I thought was interesting, like talking into their phones about what they were seeing.

00:15:45.809 --> 00:15:47.089
AMY: So I thought that was interesting.

00:15:47.089 --> 00:15:58.869
AMY: But I was back to the room by 934, and yes, definitely just got ready for bed, because we had been up since probably, you know, 330 in the morning.

00:15:58.869 --> 00:16:01.329
VIRGINIA: Right, because your flight was at 730 a.m.

00:16:01.329 --> 00:16:02.029
VIRGINIA: So that's...

00:16:02.029 --> 00:16:03.089
AMY: Exactly.

00:16:03.089 --> 00:16:04.509
VIRGINIA: Understandable.

00:16:04.509 --> 00:16:11.309
VIRGINIA: All right, Wednesday, April 23rd, another Epcot day, but this day you had a behind the scenes tour booked.

00:16:11.309 --> 00:16:12.589
VIRGINIA: Was that for first thing in the morning?

00:16:14.409 --> 00:16:18.549
AMY: Yes, I was, I believe it was at 1015.

00:16:18.549 --> 00:16:26.029
AMY: So that was nice, where we could just kind of, you know, sleep in, relax, get up and shower.

00:16:26.029 --> 00:16:31.789
AMY: We walked into Epcot and we did the behind the scenes tour.

00:16:31.789 --> 00:16:33.269
AMY: And I've never done it before.

00:16:33.269 --> 00:16:38.309
AMY: And it was just really like interesting and relaxing.

00:16:38.309 --> 00:16:39.729
AMY: We had a nice group of people.

00:16:40.829 --> 00:16:50.689
AMY: It was very interesting to learn about how they grow all the different fruit and vegetables, how they use them at the festivals and restaurants.

00:16:50.689 --> 00:16:53.609
AMY: So we really enjoyed that.

00:16:53.609 --> 00:16:57.729
VIRGINIA: I think it is a fantastic value for what you're getting.

00:16:57.729 --> 00:16:58.209
AMY: Yes.

00:16:58.209 --> 00:17:02.649
VIRGINIA: Because I don't remember how much it is without a discount.

00:17:02.649 --> 00:17:08.709
VIRGINIA: I feel like with a DVC discount, it was something like $30 a person, maybe.

00:17:09.369 --> 00:17:11.229
AMY: Yes, yes, yes.

00:17:11.229 --> 00:17:16.469
VIRGINIA: So I think it's got to be like $40 at regular price, something similar to that.

00:17:16.469 --> 00:17:21.669
VIRGINIA: So an easy one for people to budget for.

00:17:21.669 --> 00:17:23.009
VIRGINIA: What did you think of Stanley?

00:17:23.009 --> 00:17:28.529
AMY: Definitely touched Stanley and his little leaves wrapped around my finger.

00:17:28.529 --> 00:17:37.909
AMY: But it was just so interesting to see again how they grow the fruit and vegetables, how they grow like Mickey shaped pumpkins and cucumbers.

00:17:38.829 --> 00:17:47.389
AMY: I learned a lot about fruit and vegetables and again, some of the unique ways that they grow fruit and vegetables like without soil.

00:17:47.389 --> 00:17:53.989
AMY: So it was very interesting and we just had nice people on the tour and a nice tour guide.

00:17:53.989 --> 00:18:02.249
AMY: I really think it's a very relaxing, enjoyable, educational, informative thing to do.

00:18:02.249 --> 00:18:04.349
VIRGINIA: Yeah, I would 100 percent do it again.

00:18:04.749 --> 00:18:05.069
AMY: Yes.

00:18:05.069 --> 00:18:06.529
AMY: Oh, I would too.

00:18:06.529 --> 00:18:09.029
AMY: My husband really enjoyed it too.

00:18:09.029 --> 00:18:10.109
VIRGINIA: Yep.

00:18:10.109 --> 00:18:10.949
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:18:10.949 --> 00:18:16.829
VIRGINIA: So after that, you did have a lunch reservation at Chikisai.

00:18:16.829 --> 00:18:22.929
VIRGINIA: Did you do anything between your tour and making your way over to Japan?

00:18:22.929 --> 00:18:27.229
AMY: No, we just kind of headed over and we were seated right away at Chikisai.

00:18:27.229 --> 00:18:30.869
AMY: They sat us right in the window.

00:18:30.869 --> 00:18:33.849
AMY: It's just such a nice restaurant.

00:18:34.309 --> 00:18:36.509
AMY: Again, you have beautiful views of Epcot.

00:18:36.509 --> 00:18:39.269
AMY: The service there is phenomenal.

00:18:39.269 --> 00:18:40.589
AMY: We love the food.

00:18:40.589 --> 00:18:42.909
AMY: We just really had a great time there.

00:18:42.909 --> 00:18:43.669
VIRGINIA: Good.

00:18:43.669 --> 00:18:43.929
AMY: Yeah.

00:18:43.929 --> 00:18:47.049
AMY: We got the dragon roll, which was really good.

00:18:47.049 --> 00:18:48.729
AMY: That's a little bit different for us.

00:18:48.729 --> 00:18:49.609
AMY: It was something different.

00:18:49.609 --> 00:18:55.249
AMY: It has eel on the top and shrimp tempura in the roll.

00:18:55.249 --> 00:18:56.669
AMY: But that was phenomenal.

00:18:56.669 --> 00:19:01.429
AMY: Then we had, it's usually made with beef, but we ordered it with chicken.

00:19:01.509 --> 00:19:05.709
AMY: It was a hot stone bowl with spinach.

00:19:05.709 --> 00:19:09.529
AMY: They come over and prepare it at the table.

00:19:09.529 --> 00:19:11.029
AMY: The food was excellent.

00:19:11.029 --> 00:19:12.949
AMY: Again, the service was phenomenal.

00:19:12.949 --> 00:19:21.709
VIRGINIA: After lunch, I know that you had plans to do Guardians of the Galaxy, and because you're crazy about that ride as well.

00:19:21.709 --> 00:19:22.989
VIRGINIA: What songs did you get?

00:19:22.989 --> 00:19:23.949
AMY: It's so funny.

00:19:23.949 --> 00:19:26.489
AMY: Joe grew up in Cleveland.

00:19:26.529 --> 00:19:32.509
AMY: The Guardians were on that day, so he was so happy to head back to the room and watch a little baseball.

00:19:32.689 --> 00:19:38.349
AMY: I went back to Guardians and I got one way or another twice.

00:19:38.349 --> 00:19:41.369
AMY: I wrote it twice and both times I got one way or another.

00:19:41.369 --> 00:19:46.089
VIRGINIA: I cannot recall if I've ever asked you this before, but what is your favorite song on Guardians?

00:19:47.549 --> 00:19:51.569
AMY: I do love, what is the song that you like?

00:19:51.609 --> 00:19:53.129
VIRGINIA: Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

00:19:53.129 --> 00:19:54.929
AMY: Yes, I do like that one.

00:19:54.929 --> 00:20:00.529
AMY: But I love September and I've only had September twice out of like 25 rides.

00:20:00.529 --> 00:20:03.249
AMY: So I would have to say September is my favorite.

00:20:03.249 --> 00:20:06.069
AMY: But I do like Everyone Wants To Rule The World.

00:20:06.069 --> 00:20:06.789
AMY: What about you?

00:20:06.789 --> 00:20:08.749
AMY: What is your favorite?

00:20:08.749 --> 00:20:12.449
VIRGINIA: Everybody wants to rule the world for sentimental reasons.

00:20:12.529 --> 00:20:24.549
VIRGINIA: But I don't know, I'm sort of torn between one way or another and Disco Inferno just because I feel like they're both so fun.

00:20:24.549 --> 00:20:26.469
VIRGINIA: Sure, sure.

00:20:26.469 --> 00:20:27.169
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:20:27.169 --> 00:20:32.749
VIRGINIA: So Conga, I really don't love, but I will sing and dance along with it.

00:20:32.749 --> 00:20:34.989
VIRGINIA: It's sort of like middle of the road for me.

00:20:34.989 --> 00:20:39.229
VIRGINIA: And then September and then my last is I Ran.

00:20:40.449 --> 00:20:42.889
VIRGINIA: Yes, I understand.

00:20:42.889 --> 00:20:49.129
VIRGINIA: But I mean, I could write it every single time, get I Ran and I still would enjoy the ride.

00:20:49.129 --> 00:20:52.689
VIRGINIA: So like I'm not really losing no matter what happens.

00:20:53.449 --> 00:20:53.789
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:20:53.789 --> 00:20:55.929
VIRGINIA: Did you do anything else this day?

00:20:55.929 --> 00:21:01.249
VIRGINIA: Because this, if I'm correct, was not a day that you chose to do multi-pass.

00:21:01.249 --> 00:21:02.289
AMY: No, no.

00:21:02.289 --> 00:21:04.069
AMY: I walked back from Guardians.

00:21:04.069 --> 00:21:05.869
AMY: I got my ice cream in France.

00:21:05.869 --> 00:21:07.169
AMY: That's very important to me.

00:21:08.349 --> 00:21:15.869
AMY: And then I went back to the room, relaxed, showered, and then that night we did our monorail crawl.

00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:16.569
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:21:16.569 --> 00:21:19.509
VIRGINIA: Where did you stop on your monorail crawl?

00:21:19.509 --> 00:21:19.989
AMY: Oh my gosh.

00:21:19.989 --> 00:21:21.089
AMY: It was so much fun.

00:21:21.089 --> 00:21:26.329
AMY: So we started at the Enchanted Rose, which is in the Grand Floridian.

00:21:26.329 --> 00:21:27.649
VIRGINIA: What did you get?

00:21:27.649 --> 00:21:29.669
AMY: I got Rosé.

00:21:29.669 --> 00:21:31.929
AMY: And what did Joe get?

00:21:31.929 --> 00:21:34.589
AMY: He also got a glass of wine, I think Pinot Noir.

00:21:35.829 --> 00:21:37.669
AMY: And we got hummus.

00:21:37.669 --> 00:21:41.589
AMY: We ate some hummus and we just enjoyed the beautiful views.

00:21:41.589 --> 00:21:48.389
AMY: And it was so funny because I felt like everyone around us was also on a monorail crawl.

00:21:48.389 --> 00:21:50.109
AMY: So it was really funny.

00:21:50.109 --> 00:21:55.089
AMY: So there was like two families near us and they were doing the same thing.

00:21:55.089 --> 00:22:00.969
AMY: So from there, we walked to Polynesian and we went to Wailulu.

00:22:00.969 --> 00:22:02.709
VIRGINIA: This was your first time at Wailulu, right?

00:22:03.689 --> 00:22:06.469
AMY: No, it was Joe's first time at Wailulu.

00:22:06.469 --> 00:22:09.149
AMY: I had eaten there in January with my son.

00:22:09.149 --> 00:22:11.209
VIRGINIA: So what did you get at Wailulu?

00:22:11.209 --> 00:22:13.649
VIRGINIA: And did you sit at the bar?

00:22:13.649 --> 00:22:17.349
AMY: We sat at that, like the outdoor seating.

00:22:17.349 --> 00:22:18.849
AMY: So we had a beautiful view.

00:22:18.849 --> 00:22:23.709
AMY: You can see kind of the infinity pool and then the Bay Lake.

00:22:23.709 --> 00:22:25.549
AMY: And then the, you can see the castle.

00:22:25.549 --> 00:22:27.689
AMY: It's really pretty.

00:22:27.689 --> 00:22:30.669
AMY: I had fish of the day and Joe had the short rib.

00:22:31.409 --> 00:22:32.669
AMY: We loved our food.

00:22:32.669 --> 00:22:34.049
AMY: We had a great server.

00:22:34.049 --> 00:22:37.349
AMY: It was just, it was really nice.

00:22:37.349 --> 00:22:41.389
VIRGINIA: Did you end up doing any Dolip or anything there?

00:22:41.389 --> 00:22:44.189
AMY: No, just we had a great meal.

00:22:44.189 --> 00:22:50.809
AMY: And then from there, we got on the monorail and we went over to the Contemporary.

00:22:50.809 --> 00:22:54.669
AMY: And we had never been up to the DVC lounge.

00:22:54.669 --> 00:22:55.609
AMY: And it was really funny.

00:22:55.609 --> 00:23:04.009
AMY: We went to the lobby and asked the DVC rep that was there, how to get up to the DVC lounge.

00:23:04.009 --> 00:23:05.489
AMY: And he explained it.

00:23:05.489 --> 00:23:10.209
AMY: And of course, when we tried to get in, that elevator was closed and we walked all around.

00:23:10.209 --> 00:23:11.929
AMY: But we figured it out.

00:23:11.929 --> 00:23:17.849
AMY: Got up there, we got a glass of wine, and we watched the fireworks outside.

00:23:17.849 --> 00:23:19.369
AMY: And it was spectacular.

00:23:19.369 --> 00:23:22.049
AMY: It was really fun.

00:23:22.049 --> 00:23:28.609
AMY: So yeah, I'm not saying I need to do that every time, but it was really, it was a lot of fun.

00:23:28.609 --> 00:23:30.669
AMY: And we had great views of the fireworks.

00:23:30.669 --> 00:23:33.369
AMY: And we were just there with some really nice people.

00:23:33.369 --> 00:23:35.209
AMY: There were some nice families around us.

00:23:35.209 --> 00:23:38.049
AMY: So we really enjoyed it.

00:23:38.049 --> 00:23:50.629
VIRGINIA: What did you think of, I'm gonna use air quotes, the villain theming, because I think it is a very light hand with theming to the point where it makes me wonder why they did it.

00:23:51.009 --> 00:23:54.489
AMY: I have to be honest, that was the first time I was ever there.

00:23:54.489 --> 00:23:58.069
AMY: We went inside and got a glass of wine and came right back outside.

00:23:58.169 --> 00:24:05.989
AMY: So I can't even say that I noticed the villain's theming, so clearly it is very subtle.

00:24:06.149 --> 00:24:38.249
VIRGINIA: I will tell you, what I recall of seeing the villain's theming is simply right by where you walk in, there is sort of like either some hooks on the wall or like a clothing rack and there's like some villain's clothing items as if they've just parked themselves there and they're off and like maybe like Cruella's Coat or Captain Hook's Capelet or whatever, is just like that is it.

00:24:38.249 --> 00:24:41.509
VIRGINIA: I don't recall anything else special that made it villain's theme.

00:24:41.509 --> 00:24:46.849
VIRGINIA: I think there might be some names of some things you can order that might be in the villain's realm.

00:24:46.849 --> 00:24:51.229
VIRGINIA: But I just think it's really funny, like why even bother?

00:24:51.289 --> 00:24:53.289
VIRGINIA: Just like keep it Top of the World Lounge.

00:24:53.289 --> 00:24:55.169
AMY: I agree, I agree.

00:24:55.169 --> 00:25:00.749
AMY: And I really, to be honest with you, I don't want to pay $55 and make a reservation.

00:25:00.749 --> 00:25:05.249
AMY: It's just fun at Disney to have some things that are just spontaneous.

00:25:05.249 --> 00:25:13.669
AMY: So just head up there and order a drink and watch the fireworks and not have to plan ahead.

00:25:13.669 --> 00:25:14.509
VIRGINIA: Right, right.

00:25:14.509 --> 00:25:21.329
VIRGINIA: And I think sometimes they do have some events and stuff that you do have to make a reservation for.

00:25:21.329 --> 00:25:29.549
VIRGINIA: But in general, if it's not a super busy time of year, then I think it's easy to do a walk up to it.

00:25:29.549 --> 00:25:39.409
VIRGINIA: And based on the dates that you went, I am wondering whether you hit up against any one spring break because of how late it was in April.

00:25:39.409 --> 00:25:43.889
AMY: Well, it was definitely Massachusetts spring break because I am a teacher.

00:25:44.889 --> 00:25:54.409
AMY: I think it was maybe 6, 7, 8 even as far as crowds on touring plans.

00:25:54.409 --> 00:25:57.849
AMY: So yeah, I would say we had some pretty good crowds.

00:25:57.849 --> 00:26:01.609
AMY: I think we were lucky to get in the night that we went up there.

00:26:01.609 --> 00:26:09.009
AMY: We were kind of waiting outside and then we were led in to get the glass of wine and then we were able to get back outside.

00:26:09.009 --> 00:26:12.969
AMY: But it was fairly full inside.

00:26:13.369 --> 00:26:14.069
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:26:14.069 --> 00:26:18.129
VIRGINIA: Well, let's move in to Thursday, April 24th.

00:26:18.129 --> 00:26:20.869
VIRGINIA: And this was not really a park day.

00:26:20.869 --> 00:26:27.589
VIRGINIA: You didn't have any specific plans because you had a wine bar, George, wine tasting.

00:26:27.589 --> 00:26:28.729
VIRGINIA: So tell me about that.

00:26:28.729 --> 00:26:31.929
AMY: So that morning, again, we kind of got up.

00:26:31.929 --> 00:26:35.289
AMY: We had a leisurely morning in the room.

00:26:35.289 --> 00:26:38.569
AMY: I did go over and ride Guardians.

00:26:38.569 --> 00:26:39.889
AMY: I know that is shocking to you.

00:26:40.889 --> 00:26:43.169
AMY: So it was so funny.

00:26:43.169 --> 00:26:48.949
AMY: I got up and I got dressed and I basically walked as fast as I could over to Guardians.

00:26:48.949 --> 00:26:51.529
AMY: I left the room at 940.

00:26:51.529 --> 00:26:55.429
AMY: And I was in line at about 10 o'clock over at Guardians.

00:26:55.429 --> 00:26:58.589
AMY: And it was kind of hot and humid that day.

00:26:58.589 --> 00:27:00.669
AMY: And I have naturally curly hair.

00:27:00.669 --> 00:27:05.249
AMY: So by the time I got off Guardians, my hair just looked crazy.

00:27:05.249 --> 00:27:08.689
AMY: That morning, there was no song on Guardians.

00:27:09.949 --> 00:27:14.089
AMY: So, and I'm sure everyone is saying, you know, did I complain?

00:27:14.089 --> 00:27:15.409
AMY: Did I go to the Blue Umbrellas?

00:27:15.409 --> 00:27:18.049
AMY: But I did not have time to deal with it.

00:27:18.049 --> 00:27:19.729
AMY: So it was really funny.

00:27:19.729 --> 00:27:23.609
AMY: I'm getting on the ride and I'm with all these young men.

00:27:23.609 --> 00:27:27.409
AMY: It's their bachelor party.

00:27:27.409 --> 00:27:30.749
AMY: So there's all these young men in me and we're all getting onto the ride.

00:27:30.749 --> 00:27:32.669
AMY: No, it's hilarious.

00:27:32.669 --> 00:27:40.829
AMY: So we ride the ride and I felt terrible because the young man I was with had never been on the ride before and then there's no song.

00:27:40.829 --> 00:27:43.669
AMY: And it's not fun without the song.

00:27:43.669 --> 00:27:46.049
AMY: It's completely different.

00:27:46.049 --> 00:27:52.249
AMY: And I wish that I had said to the people who work there, we didn't get a song.

00:27:52.249 --> 00:27:57.129
AMY: But you know, you don't think of that until you're off the ride and like walking away.

00:27:57.169 --> 00:28:02.209
AMY: But I'm sure they knew, I just didn't have time to.

00:28:02.209 --> 00:28:16.889
AMY: Yeah, I didn't have time to deal with it, though, because I had to walk as fast as I could back to the room to shower because I did not want to go to Wine Bar George with my crazy guardians, humidity, curly hair.

00:28:17.909 --> 00:28:42.709
VIRGINIA: Yeah, I'm sure they knew, there is a person, a cast member, who typically is sitting at a console at the exit to the ride, and one time I was riding it, and I was doing a single rider situation, and the three people that I was in the car with were intimately familiar with the ride and exactly how it should feel and whatever.

00:28:42.889 --> 00:28:45.689
VIRGINIA: I've ridden it a bunch of times.

00:28:45.689 --> 00:28:51.269
VIRGINIA: It felt fine to me, but they were aware that it didn't turn as much as it normally would.

00:28:51.269 --> 00:28:52.969
VIRGINIA: I would not have picked up on it.

00:28:52.969 --> 00:28:54.769
VIRGINIA: I was having a great time regardless.

00:28:54.769 --> 00:28:58.849
VIRGINIA: But they said something to the person at the console.

00:28:58.849 --> 00:29:07.269
VIRGINIA: The person at the console looked down, was able to confirm that that indeed was the case, that they weren't just making it up.

00:29:08.229 --> 00:29:16.769
VIRGINIA: There's a door right there next to the console that basically you walk through and you're at the loading spot again.

00:29:16.769 --> 00:29:23.189
VIRGINIA: They opened that door for us, sent us through, and we immediately got to get on and have a second go at it.

00:29:25.389 --> 00:29:33.389
VIRGINIA: If something happens on Guardians in particular, like really, there's no song or don't just try to pull something.

00:29:33.389 --> 00:29:39.909
VIRGINIA: But if you say it to the person at the console, then it's possible you might get to ride right there.

00:29:39.969 --> 00:29:43.089
VIRGINIA: You don't need to wait to go out to the Blue Umbrella or anything like that.

00:29:43.089 --> 00:29:50.929
VIRGINIA: But I mean, I understand you didn't have time, but I would feel so bad if it were somebody I was with and it was their first time.

00:29:50.929 --> 00:29:52.309
AMY: Yes.

00:29:52.309 --> 00:29:54.409
AMY: I'm not upset for myself.

00:29:54.409 --> 00:30:01.569
AMY: I wish I had said something because again, this group of men who are so nice and it was their first time.

00:30:01.569 --> 00:30:04.029
AMY: I wish I had spoken up for them.

00:30:04.029 --> 00:30:12.249
AMY: But to be honest with you, I honestly didn't really think of it until I was walking away what I should have done.

00:30:12.249 --> 00:30:16.489
AMY: I was just so concerned about my crazy curly hair.

00:30:16.489 --> 00:30:18.749
AMY: So I did walk back.

00:30:18.749 --> 00:30:32.489
AMY: I took a shower and we took a bus over to Disney Springs and checked into Wine Bar George by 1145, which was perfect because the wine tasting started at noon.

00:30:32.489 --> 00:30:34.589
VIRGINIA: I've never done the wine tasting there before.

00:30:34.829 --> 00:30:44.249
VIRGINIA: Is it something where you get a mix of reds, whites, rosé, that sort of thing, or can you specify, I prefer red, I prefer white?

00:30:44.249 --> 00:30:44.749
AMY: Okay.

00:30:44.749 --> 00:30:49.789
AMY: So it is George and he is the master.

00:30:49.789 --> 00:30:51.489
AMY: I'm going to say this correctly.

00:30:51.489 --> 00:31:02.509
AMY: So Malye, so you go into like a private room upstairs and they have poured six glasses, so three whites and three reds.

00:31:02.569 --> 00:31:06.569
AMY: And there's like beautiful charcuterie board set up.

00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:11.049
AMY: And he is just the nicest, warmest person.

00:31:11.049 --> 00:31:15.709
AMY: He talked for two hours, like it was supposed to be 90 minutes.

00:31:15.709 --> 00:31:17.729
AMY: He talked for two hours.

00:31:17.729 --> 00:31:23.029
AMY: He tells you about his experience, how he became a master.

00:31:23.029 --> 00:31:29.789
AMY: So Malye, what the tests were like, you know, he teaches you about wine and tasting.

00:31:31.129 --> 00:31:34.849
AMY: It was just so interesting.

00:31:34.849 --> 00:31:39.189
AMY: People that were there with us had been there multiple times.

00:31:39.189 --> 00:31:40.369
AMY: So I think that's interesting.

00:31:40.369 --> 00:31:44.929
AMY: It's not like he's giving the same talk over and over and over again.

00:31:44.929 --> 00:31:46.849
AMY: He's pouring different wines.

00:31:46.849 --> 00:31:50.409
AMY: So every time you would go, it could be a different experience.

00:31:50.409 --> 00:31:57.209
AMY: But I, like if you're even just the slightest bit interested in wine, I would highly recommend it.

00:31:57.209 --> 00:31:58.929
AMY: It was the highlight of our trip.

00:31:59.429 --> 00:32:02.369
AMY: We could not have enjoyed it anymore.

00:32:02.369 --> 00:32:08.009
VIRGINIA: Did you discover any new wines that you now know you love?

00:32:09.289 --> 00:32:09.689
AMY: Yes.

00:32:09.689 --> 00:32:11.489
AMY: And I can't tell you those wines.

00:32:11.489 --> 00:32:15.069
AMY: I took pictures of all the bottles.

00:32:15.069 --> 00:32:21.509
AMY: So we will definitely try some different wines because, you know, I know the basics.

00:32:21.509 --> 00:32:25.009
AMY: There's Rosé, there's Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.

00:32:25.009 --> 00:32:30.769
AMY: You know, I know my basics, but he was mentioning wines that I had not heard of before.

00:32:30.769 --> 00:32:37.089
AMY: So I would definitely, you know, broaden my horizons a little bit and try some of the wines he mentioned.

00:32:37.089 --> 00:32:43.329
AMY: Also, he pours some, you know, very expensive wines, but he also pours some less expensive wines.

00:32:43.329 --> 00:32:48.389
AMY: And I think he's trying to show you that there are so many good wines.

00:32:48.389 --> 00:32:53.709
AMY: You know, just because a wine is expensive doesn't mean it's going to be wonderful.

00:32:53.869 --> 00:32:57.929
AMY: And just because a wine is inexpensive doesn't mean it doesn't have value.

00:32:57.929 --> 00:33:04.149
AMY: So again, I don't know if I'm explaining it well, but it was fascinating.

00:33:04.149 --> 00:33:05.189
AMY: We loved it.

00:33:05.189 --> 00:33:06.549
AMY: It was so interesting.

00:33:06.549 --> 00:33:08.389
AMY: We couldn't have enjoyed it anymore.

00:33:08.709 --> 00:33:11.249
AMY: I can't recommend it any more highly.

00:33:11.249 --> 00:33:12.449
AMY: We loved it.

00:33:12.449 --> 00:33:14.849
AMY: It was definitely the highlight of the trip.

00:33:14.849 --> 00:33:17.789
VIRGINIA: I think when it comes to wines, what you like is what you like.

00:33:17.789 --> 00:33:20.409
VIRGINIA: And it does not matter what the price is.

00:33:20.409 --> 00:33:22.969
VIRGINIA: It's just, you know, you can like a wide variety of things.

00:33:23.069 --> 00:33:27.489
VIRGINIA: And I do the trick with the taking the photos because I can never remember.

00:33:27.489 --> 00:33:34.089
VIRGINIA: Like I remember the general types of wine I like, but I cannot remember brands to save my life.

00:33:34.089 --> 00:33:39.269
VIRGINIA: And so I started taking photos of the bottles if I have one that I really like.

00:33:39.269 --> 00:33:43.789
VIRGINIA: And then I have an album in my iPhone called Wine.

00:33:43.789 --> 00:33:48.129
VIRGINIA: And that way, when I go to the wine store, I just open up my little folder.

00:33:48.129 --> 00:33:49.689
VIRGINIA: I'm like, oh yeah, these are the ones I like.

00:33:49.689 --> 00:33:50.749
VIRGINIA: Let me see if they have those.

00:33:52.069 --> 00:33:56.349
VIRGINIA: So pro tip, don't let those photos get lost in your photo roll.

00:33:56.349 --> 00:33:57.909
VIRGINIA: Make an album for them.

00:33:57.909 --> 00:33:58.409
AMY: Thank you.

00:33:58.409 --> 00:34:00.049
AMY: I will.

00:34:00.349 --> 00:34:12.709
AMY: And one thing I wanted to say, like not only does he have an amazing palette, but he knows so much about the different regions of the world and the wine making process.

00:34:12.709 --> 00:34:24.389
AMY: He can sniff a wine and look at it and then tell you, like, you know, he could talk to you for 15 minutes about it just by sniffing it and looking at the color.

00:34:24.389 --> 00:34:25.729
AMY: I just thought it was amazing.

00:34:25.729 --> 00:34:26.509
VIRGINIA: Wow.

00:34:26.509 --> 00:34:28.229
VIRGINIA: Yeah, I've heard about people like that.

00:34:28.229 --> 00:34:37.029
VIRGINIA: I cannot say that my sense of smell is strong enough to think that I would ever have that ability, even if I did take the time to learn about wines.

00:34:37.029 --> 00:34:38.689
VIRGINIA: I hear he's so nice.

00:34:38.689 --> 00:34:39.909
AMY: He's so nice.

00:34:39.909 --> 00:34:42.469
AMY: And again, so laid back.

00:34:42.469 --> 00:34:43.709
AMY: It was so much fun.

00:34:43.709 --> 00:34:48.489
AMY: And Joe and I tried so hard, like he would say, sniff it, what do you smell?

00:34:48.489 --> 00:34:50.289
AMY: And we were trying so hard.

00:34:50.289 --> 00:34:55.509
AMY: And we were with, there were two other women at our table and they were like, I smell fennel.

00:34:55.509 --> 00:34:58.709
AMY: Like, oh my gosh, I don't smell fennel.

00:34:58.709 --> 00:35:02.109
VIRGINIA: Really, I smell wine.

00:35:02.109 --> 00:35:02.749
AMY: Exactly.

00:35:02.749 --> 00:35:04.209
AMY: I smell wine.

00:35:06.349 --> 00:35:07.709
AMY: So we tried very hard.

00:35:07.709 --> 00:35:10.549
AMY: But again, we learned so much.

00:35:10.549 --> 00:35:13.869
AMY: We enjoyed it and we will definitely do that again.

00:35:13.869 --> 00:35:15.269
VIRGINIA: Where did you head after that?

00:35:15.329 --> 00:35:17.149
VIRGINIA: Because I think you were going to try to get some lunch.

00:35:17.149 --> 00:35:21.509
VIRGINIA: And I imagine after drinking a bunch of wine, you probably needed a little something to eat.

00:35:21.509 --> 00:35:21.849
AMY: Yeah.

00:35:21.849 --> 00:35:23.889
AMY: So we actually went over to Jaleo.

00:35:23.889 --> 00:35:27.429
AMY: I have wanted to go to Jaleo for years.

00:35:27.429 --> 00:35:34.709
AMY: So we had, it was kind of like a lunch where you pick three different courses.

00:35:34.709 --> 00:35:36.569
AMY: So we got, I'm going to look at this.

00:35:36.569 --> 00:35:43.769
AMY: We got endives that had orange and goat cheese and almonds.

00:35:44.329 --> 00:35:57.709
AMY: We had a bread with tomato and cheese and ham, potato, patatas, bravas, chicken fritters, shrimp and then sausage with white beans.

00:35:57.709 --> 00:36:02.149
AMY: So we just had a variety of small plates and the food was excellent.

00:36:02.149 --> 00:36:04.209
AMY: We had a really nice lunch.

00:36:05.349 --> 00:36:07.609
VIRGINIA: That sounds delicious.

00:36:07.669 --> 00:36:08.089
AMY: It really was.

00:36:08.089 --> 00:36:13.229
VIRGINIA: Did you end up doing any part time at all on this day?

00:36:13.229 --> 00:36:16.669
VIRGINIA: Because you had mentioned maybe trying to do Fantasmic.

00:36:17.809 --> 00:36:18.549
AMY: Oh my gosh.

00:36:18.549 --> 00:36:28.809
AMY: OK, so from there, again, Joe is on this kick of we need to figure out which resort we want to buy some more DVC points.

00:36:28.809 --> 00:36:33.809
AMY: So we actually went over to Wilderness Lodge and we sat at the territory lounge.

00:36:33.809 --> 00:36:36.529
AMY: And at that point, I'm like, I cannot drink any more alcohol.

00:36:36.689 --> 00:36:39.629
AMY: It's like 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

00:36:40.989 --> 00:36:43.629
AMY: So I got like a sparkling water.

00:36:43.629 --> 00:36:49.149
AMY: He had a beer and we kind of walked around Wilderness Lodge a little bit.

00:36:49.149 --> 00:36:51.529
AMY: And then what did we do?

00:36:51.529 --> 00:36:53.889
AMY: We took a bus back to the resort.

00:36:53.929 --> 00:36:57.849
AMY: It was really funny because the bus took forever.

00:36:57.849 --> 00:37:05.989
AMY: We took a boat to Magic Kingdom and then we took a bus back to Boardwalk and it took forever to get the bus.

00:37:06.109 --> 00:37:15.249
AMY: And it was so funny, Joe said, this is a sign that we don't want to be at a resort that only has buses for transportation.

00:37:15.249 --> 00:37:17.309
AMY: So again, I love Wilderness Lodge.

00:37:17.309 --> 00:37:19.849
AMY: No disrespect towards Wilderness Lodge.

00:37:19.849 --> 00:37:21.349
AMY: I love it.

00:37:21.349 --> 00:37:22.669
AMY: But it is a good point.

00:37:22.669 --> 00:37:28.429
AMY: You only have the boat to Magic Kingdom and you do need to take the bus to the other resorts.

00:37:28.489 --> 00:37:31.049
AMY: So that night, we went back and again, we showered.

00:37:31.049 --> 00:37:35.989
AMY: We got ready and I really wanted to go to Barriva.

00:37:35.989 --> 00:37:39.429
AMY: But Joe is having issues with his knees.

00:37:39.429 --> 00:37:41.429
AMY: He didn't want to walk.

00:37:41.429 --> 00:37:46.949
AMY: So we just went downstairs and we ate at that Trattoria El Forno.

00:37:46.949 --> 00:37:50.489
AMY: It's an Italian restaurant right there on the boardwalk.

00:37:50.489 --> 00:37:51.749
VIRGINIA: How was that?

00:37:51.749 --> 00:37:53.229
AMY: It was okay.

00:37:54.429 --> 00:38:02.149
AMY: I think for us where we had eaten at Amare, and Chikisai, and we had gone to Wine Bar George, and Halea.

00:38:02.149 --> 00:38:13.609
AMY: We had all these really adult, quiet experiences and then we were thrust back into Disney with kids and it was loud.

00:38:13.609 --> 00:38:14.549
AMY: It was really funny.

00:38:14.549 --> 00:38:16.389
AMY: We were like, Oh my gosh.

00:38:16.389 --> 00:38:17.889
AMY: This was our first experience.

00:38:18.369 --> 00:38:20.589
AMY: Oh my God, we're at Disney.

00:38:20.589 --> 00:38:21.389
AMY: It's loud here.

00:38:21.389 --> 00:38:23.889
AMY: There's a lot of children.

00:38:23.889 --> 00:38:25.289
AMY: So it was fine.

00:38:25.409 --> 00:38:25.989
AMY: It was fine.

00:38:25.989 --> 00:38:32.229
AMY: I think if you're there and you had your children and you wanted to take a break from a park, it would be a great place to go.

00:38:32.229 --> 00:38:34.349
AMY: So it was decent food.

00:38:34.349 --> 00:38:35.849
AMY: It was fine.

00:38:35.849 --> 00:38:40.229
AMY: But it paled in comparison to some of the other places we had been.

00:38:40.229 --> 00:38:45.969
AMY: And then in my notes, I have, we went to bed early and Joe watched the NFL draft.

00:38:46.069 --> 00:38:47.429
VIRGINIA: Oh, okay.

00:38:49.149 --> 00:38:54.269
AMY: And that was the night we were supposed to go to Fantasmic.

00:38:54.269 --> 00:39:00.709
AMY: But I'm going to be honest with you, you know, when you just hit the wall, I was exhausted and I wasn't feeling great.

00:39:00.709 --> 00:39:03.009
AMY: Like my stomach was bothering me.

00:39:03.009 --> 00:39:05.289
AMY: We just needed a good night's sleep.

00:39:05.289 --> 00:39:07.049
AMY: So we just went to bed early.

00:39:07.049 --> 00:39:07.369
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:39:07.369 --> 00:39:09.529
VIRGINIA: You got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them.

00:39:10.329 --> 00:39:10.769
VIRGINIA: Yes.

00:39:10.769 --> 00:39:17.589
AMY: And again, I swear we're going to get to Fantasmic, but it just wasn't the night for it.

00:39:17.589 --> 00:39:18.609
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:39:18.609 --> 00:39:18.969
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:39:18.969 --> 00:39:24.849
VIRGINIA: Well, let's move into Friday, April 25th, and this was an Animal Kingdom Day.

00:39:24.849 --> 00:39:28.129
VIRGINIA: So that park opens the earliest.

00:39:28.129 --> 00:39:37.589
VIRGINIA: After the day you had on Thursday, what time did you actually get out and begin your fun for Thursday, excuse me, for Friday?

00:39:38.389 --> 00:39:38.729
AMY: All right.

00:39:38.729 --> 00:39:42.949
AMY: So for Friday, we got on the Animal Kingdom Bus around 8.50.

00:39:42.949 --> 00:39:45.349
AMY: We arrived at the park at 9.10.

00:39:48.049 --> 00:39:56.729
AMY: We had the multi-pass that day, so I wasn't that concerned about getting there the minute it opened.

00:39:56.729 --> 00:39:59.069
AMY: We got on the Safari at 9.25.

00:40:00.689 --> 00:40:03.949
AMY: I did the little gorilla falls walk, which I love.

00:40:04.049 --> 00:40:09.469
AMY: I saw the deer, cats and the gorillas and zebras.

00:40:10.589 --> 00:40:16.389
AMY: From there, we went over and rode Avatar, and then we did Navi River Journey.

00:40:18.269 --> 00:40:23.929
AMY: And we had an early lunch at Setule Canteen, which was great.

00:40:23.929 --> 00:40:28.149
AMY: And then we went over and did Nemo, which I really enjoyed.

00:40:28.149 --> 00:40:35.029
AMY: We always do the Lion King Show, but I really wanted to try Nemo, and I really enjoyed it a lot.

00:40:35.029 --> 00:40:37.269
VIRGINIA: I love that Nemo stage show.

00:40:37.269 --> 00:40:38.669
VIRGINIA: I think it's so good.

00:40:38.669 --> 00:40:40.629
AMY: It was really good.

00:40:40.629 --> 00:40:43.349
AMY: Yeah, it was a really good show.

00:40:43.349 --> 00:40:47.969
AMY: And then from there, we just took the bus back to the resort.

00:40:47.969 --> 00:40:51.809
AMY: Joe stayed in the resort, and I went over to Epcot.

00:40:51.809 --> 00:40:53.269
VIRGINIA: To guess what?

00:40:53.269 --> 00:40:53.849
AMY: Yeah, exactly.

00:40:53.889 --> 00:40:56.069
VIRGINIA: Say it together, Ride Guardians.

00:40:56.069 --> 00:40:59.589
AMY: Ride Guardians, and eat the ice cream in France, yes.

00:41:00.729 --> 00:41:12.489
AMY: So I got some ice cream in France, and I actually took the boat over, which I never do, but it was just really hot, and I just wanted like a little break from the sun.

00:41:12.489 --> 00:41:20.329
AMY: So I took the boat over, and I got off, and I did the little Nemo ride, and I went into the aquarium.

00:41:20.329 --> 00:41:27.929
AMY: And the last, I think, two times I went, they didn't have the manatees, but they have new manatees that were there.

00:41:27.929 --> 00:41:32.869
AMY: So I just spent so much time, I looked at the manatees, I saw stingrays.

00:41:32.869 --> 00:41:35.769
AMY: I just really enjoyed the aquarium.

00:41:35.769 --> 00:41:44.809
AMY: And then I went over, and I rode Guardians once, and I got September, which I felt like was my reward because I didn't have a song the day before.

00:41:47.049 --> 00:41:58.349
AMY: And then I went back to the room, I took a shower, and we took a lift over to the Four Seasons Orlando because we had a dining reservation at Ravello.

00:41:58.349 --> 00:42:01.729
VIRGINIA: Can you remind me if you have been to Ravello before?

00:42:01.729 --> 00:42:10.989
AMY: I have been to Ravello, or Joe and I had been to Ravello before, about a year and a half before October 2023.

00:42:10.989 --> 00:42:22.149
AMY: And I mention that because both our server and the young man whose job it is to basically pour your water remembered us and came over and talked to us.

00:42:22.149 --> 00:42:22.569
VIRGINIA: Wow.

00:42:22.569 --> 00:42:26.689
AMY: From being there a year and a half before, yes.

00:42:26.689 --> 00:42:30.169
AMY: Everyone there was so nice.

00:42:30.169 --> 00:42:30.709
VIRGINIA: That's crazy.

00:42:30.709 --> 00:42:33.549
AMY: The service was phenomenal.

00:42:33.549 --> 00:42:36.169
AMY: We just had a great night there.

00:42:36.169 --> 00:42:43.989
VIRGINIA: I just don't feel like I would do anything memorable enough for someone to remember me several years later at a restaurant.

00:42:45.269 --> 00:42:49.689
VIRGINIA: I mean, I think I'm pretty captivating or whatever.

00:42:50.369 --> 00:42:55.349
VIRGINIA: I'm not boring, but I also would be shocked if so.

00:42:55.349 --> 00:42:59.589
VIRGINIA: I would be shocked if somebody remembered me a week later, much less years later.

00:42:59.589 --> 00:43:00.229
AMY: I know.

00:43:00.229 --> 00:43:01.609
AMY: It is so funny.

00:43:01.769 --> 00:43:05.989
AMY: I think both times we've been to Ravello, we've enjoyed it so much.

00:43:05.989 --> 00:43:09.629
AMY: We've been engaged with the people that work there.

00:43:09.629 --> 00:43:13.049
AMY: When the waitress walked by, Joe said, I think she was our server.

00:43:13.869 --> 00:43:16.289
AMY: And then she did come over and say hello.

00:43:17.469 --> 00:43:19.929
AMY: To be honest, I'm equally as shocked.

00:43:19.929 --> 00:43:28.269
AMY: And then the young man who was coming to our table and pouring the water, he said to us, I remember you, honestly, a year and a half before.

00:43:29.329 --> 00:43:33.849
AMY: So again, we could not have had a nicer time at the Four Seasons.

00:43:33.849 --> 00:43:35.769
AMY: It is absolutely gorgeous.

00:43:35.769 --> 00:43:38.469
AMY: I know you have been there.

00:43:39.169 --> 00:43:41.809
AMY: I don't want anyone to be intimidated going there.

00:43:41.889 --> 00:43:49.109
AMY: You think it's the Four Seasons and it's stuffy, but I find it very approachable, very relaxed.

00:43:49.109 --> 00:43:51.369
AMY: The staff is phenomenal.

00:43:51.369 --> 00:43:54.809
AMY: The food was great and we just we couldn't have enjoyed it more.

00:43:54.809 --> 00:43:56.609
AMY: It was great.

00:43:56.609 --> 00:43:57.509
VIRGINIA: Yeah, I agree.

00:43:57.509 --> 00:44:08.529
VIRGINIA: I think that when you hear Four Seasons, it makes it seem like it's going to be, you know, something where you might feel out of place or that you have to be super dressed up.

00:44:08.609 --> 00:44:13.009
VIRGINIA: And I think they do have a fancier restaurant over there.

00:44:13.009 --> 00:44:15.429
VIRGINIA: I can't recall what it's called right this second.

00:44:15.429 --> 00:44:16.969
VIRGINIA: But Ravello was not it.

00:44:16.969 --> 00:44:19.529
VIRGINIA: Ravello, yes.

00:44:19.529 --> 00:44:20.189
VIRGINIA: Kappa.

00:44:20.749 --> 00:44:21.469
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:44:21.909 --> 00:44:24.909
VIRGINIA: But Ravello is very casual.

00:44:24.909 --> 00:44:27.849
AMY: I guess it's very casual, very approachable.

00:44:27.849 --> 00:44:31.629
AMY: There are kids in there eating pizza, very relaxed.

00:44:31.629 --> 00:44:32.869
VIRGINIA: Yeah.

00:44:32.869 --> 00:44:33.389
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:44:33.849 --> 00:44:40.269
VIRGINIA: Well, did you make it over to any kind of fireworks after Ravello?

00:44:40.269 --> 00:44:41.049
AMY: Oh my gosh.

00:44:41.049 --> 00:44:43.829
AMY: So we left Ravello.

00:44:43.829 --> 00:44:45.489
AMY: We went back to the resort.

00:44:45.489 --> 00:44:50.649
AMY: And again, I left Joe and I went into Epcot and watched the fireworks.

00:44:50.649 --> 00:44:53.989
AMY: And Joe is not a party pooper or anti-fireworks.

00:44:53.989 --> 00:44:56.729
AMY: He's just having a lot of issues with his knees right now.

00:44:56.729 --> 00:45:00.089
AMY: So he enjoyed kind of relaxing back at the room.

00:45:00.089 --> 00:45:07.249
AMY: And it's so easy when you're at Boardwalk to just walk in, watch the fireworks and come back.

00:45:07.249 --> 00:45:12.049
VIRGINIA: Can you imagine if you were anti-fireworks and that was the thing he chose to protest?

00:45:15.689 --> 00:45:17.569
AMY: That's funny.

00:45:17.569 --> 00:45:24.629
AMY: No, so we got back and then, you know, Saturday we had to check out, unfortunately.

00:45:25.929 --> 00:45:29.869
VIRGINIA: So you were getting picked up Saturday morning at 8 a.m.

00:45:30.029 --> 00:45:32.209
VIRGINIA: So pretty early pickup.

00:45:32.209 --> 00:45:32.449
AMY: Yes.

00:45:32.449 --> 00:45:35.629
VIRGINIA: Did everything go okay with your flight?

00:45:35.629 --> 00:45:36.649
AMY: Yes.

00:45:36.649 --> 00:45:39.549
AMY: We were picked up on time, our flight left on time.

00:45:39.549 --> 00:45:51.229
AMY: We had a great flight and we were back home in Massachusetts by 3 o'clock in the afternoon, which was nice to get back on Saturday at 3.

00:45:51.229 --> 00:45:56.749
AMY: You know, you had Sunday to do laundry and groceries and then I was back at school on Monday.

00:45:57.109 --> 00:46:01.089
AMY: And my students were very jealous that I went to Disney.

00:46:01.089 --> 00:46:01.989
VIRGINIA: Oh, I'm sure.

00:46:01.989 --> 00:46:03.369
VIRGINIA: I'm sure.

00:46:03.369 --> 00:46:04.569
VIRGINIA: I'm jealous.

00:46:06.569 --> 00:46:08.949
VIRGINIA: So when are you heading back?

00:46:08.949 --> 00:46:10.269
AMY: That is a great question.

00:46:10.269 --> 00:46:22.249
AMY: We do have a trip planned in November and just 3 nights, and staying at the Polynesian, and we've never stayed at the Polynesian before, so I'm very excited about that.

00:46:22.289 --> 00:46:23.169
VIRGINIA: Oh, fun.

00:46:23.169 --> 00:46:24.649
VIRGINIA: Okay.

00:46:24.649 --> 00:46:35.229
VIRGINIA: I love the Polynesian, so I can't wait to hear what you think of it as an actual resort guest and not somebody just hopping over for a dining reservation.

00:46:35.229 --> 00:46:35.869
AMY: Exactly.

00:46:35.869 --> 00:46:38.149
AMY: Yes, I'm excited about that.

00:46:39.209 --> 00:46:39.909
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:46:39.909 --> 00:46:42.989
VIRGINIA: Amy, it has been a pleasure as always.

00:46:44.369 --> 00:46:46.129
AMY: It's been so nice talking with you.

00:46:46.129 --> 00:46:49.929
AMY: It's so much fun to relive all those fun memories.

00:46:49.929 --> 00:46:50.969
VIRGINIA: Oh, yeah, for sure.

00:46:51.189 --> 00:46:59.609
VIRGINIA: And I hope that you will give me an update when you hear back about your DVC contract that you are waiting to hear about.

00:46:59.609 --> 00:47:00.269
AMY: I will.

00:47:00.269 --> 00:47:01.329
AMY: I promise.

00:47:01.329 --> 00:47:02.029
VIRGINIA: All right.

00:47:02.029 --> 00:47:03.289
VIRGINIA: Well, take care.

00:47:03.289 --> 00:47:05.189
VIRGINIA: Thank you so much for being here with me again.

00:47:05.189 --> 00:47:07.669
VIRGINIA: And I hope you will continue to come back.

00:47:07.669 --> 00:47:09.389
AMY: Thank you so much.

00:47:10.589 --> 00:47:13.429
VIRGINIA: Thank you again, Amy, for coming back to the podcast.

00:47:13.429 --> 00:47:21.229
VIRGINIA: Amy was on the show previously for her November, 2024 trip, so that will be linked in the show notes in case you're interested in checking it out.

00:47:21.229 --> 00:47:27.929
VIRGINIA: As a reminder, I am currently looking for future guests who have trips planned for September through the end of the year.

00:47:27.929 --> 00:47:33.349
VIRGINIA: Your trip could be to any Disney or Universal or similar destination worldwide.

00:47:33.349 --> 00:47:37.229
VIRGINIA: All you need is enthusiasm to talk about your trip plans.

00:47:37.229 --> 00:47:41.989
VIRGINIA: If you know someone who might make a great guest, please send them my way.

00:47:41.989 --> 00:47:43.229
VIRGINIA: That is all for today.

00:47:43.749 --> 00:47:49.269
VIRGINIA: I hope everyone has a magical week and that you'll continue to keep daydreaming about where you long to be.