Pre-Trip Report: Morgan’s Sun-Filled Triple Split Stay (May 2026)

[00:00:11] Welcome to Where I Long To Be, a Magical Trip Report Podcast. My name is Virginia and I am your host. Thanks for tuning in with me today. I am excited to say that I have opened up my voicemail inbox through my website. Do you have a question you want answered, a hot take, a tip or a recommendation for me? Go to my website, which is whereilongtobepodcast.com and you can click the Send Virginia a Voice Message button that is on the bottom right side of your screen. As a heads up, your message might be played on the show.

[00:00:41] Please go ahead and get those messages flowing because I would love to hear from you all. And now it's time to hear from our latest Trip Report guest. Today's guest joining me to share all of her upcoming trip plans is Morgan. Welcome to the podcast, Morgan. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Where are you right now that I'm talking to you from? I am right in the smack middle of Alabama. So it's a little town you've probably never heard of, but it's right in the middle of Alabama.

[00:01:11] We're out in the middle of Birmingham and Montgomery. Okay. I have been to Alabama a couple of times. In fact, I have family, more distant family that is from Alabama, but I'm ashamed to say I don't know exactly where they are all located. I do know that some of them were in Floribama. Yeah. And I don't, is that a real, yeah. So is that a town name or is that like the area? Yeah.

[00:01:35] Um, I don't think it's a town name. Um, it sounds like it's the Gulf Shores region and like there's a bar called the Floribama. Okay. But that's the only Floribama I know. Yeah. And I've been to Alabama also when I was on tour with a show once and I remember we drove past space camp. Hunt's Full, yes. And we got so excited because all of us remembered there was some movie in the 80s and it was about going to space camp.

[00:02:03] And that seemed so thrilling at the time. And now as an adult, I'm like, space is scary. I would not want to go there. It's no, thank you. Not for me. No. So for the listeners where I live on the main interstate in Alabama is I-65 and our national monument for our little bitty town is a huge giant peach tower. Because we're known for peaches in Chilton County. So that's how you could tell where I'm from because it's just a huge giant peach tower right off the interstate.

[00:02:32] Very cool. I love peaches. Me too. Well, thank you so much for being willing to be on the show. And I'm excited to get to know a little bit about you before we talk about your trip. So you're from Alabama. What is your Disney history? So I went to Disney for the first time in 2007 with my mom and dad and we stayed at all our movies. And then I seriously fell in love with it. And I was just so obsessed with planning it.

[00:03:01] I had like my trip organized in the fifth grade, like typed out and organized before we went of everything I wanted to do and everything we wanted to see. And that's just kind of how I've been since then. And then now I've been going with my husband and my family. We have started going in 2021 and we have gone 10. This will be our 10th trip since 2021. That's a lot of trips.

[00:03:22] Yes. And most of them have happened. Half of those have happened since last year, since my daughter was born because we became annual pass holders and we've gone a lot. Okay. Now, what about your husband? Is he did he grow up liking Disney? How does he feel about it now?

[00:03:39] So the first time we went in 2021, he was like, this is one and done. This is all for our son who was three at the time. He was like, this is all for him. Like, I'm not really that excited about it. And we got there. And I was taking pictures of him. And he just casually kept adding more Disney attire on his outfits every day. At the end of the day, he had his popcorn bucket strapped to him, his goofy hat on him, his light up necklace. And he was like, you know, I think I kind of like this.

[00:04:06] Because my son had taken naps in the stroller through the day. And so we had a lot of adult time, like just hanging out and getting some drinks and stuff. And he loved it. And I was like, well, let's come back next year. And he said, we're not going back every year. This is not an every year thing. And then we've gone back every year since then. In your mind, you're like, want to bet? Yeah. I'm like, we'll see.

[00:04:28] That's funny. So I'm taking in the story you just told. And I'm thinking to the Coco Chanel mantra of always remove one accessory. And so it sounds like every day he was like, I'm going to add an accessory. That's what he did. Yes. Yeah. That's what he did. And now he gets stuff every time we go. I mean, he has to either get a Star Wars helmet, something every time we go.

[00:04:54] So now when you when you go, what are the typical lengths of your trip if you're going as often as you are? So the first day we went 2021, 22, 23 and 24. And those were all a week long at a time. And then when we became annual pass holders lately, they've just been like three, four day trips. So this will be the first long, like really long trip we've done since 2020, like New Year's 2024.

[00:05:20] Okay. And where do you typically stay when you go on these trips? Have you always stayed at the same category or that you bounce around between value, moderate and deluxe? We bounce around. We stayed deluxe. We stayed moderate. We stayed value. We stayed all of them. So I kind of just try to find the best deals for like what I'm feeling. If we're going on a longer trip, I'd like to stay at a nicer, like a deluxe hotel.

[00:05:46] But if so, for instance, we went spring break and that was the last minute for the moment three night trip. We just went to pop just because it was going to be convenient and cheaper. So we'd like to stay everywhere. We're trying to knock off all of them off our list. Right. Yeah. And they had some really good annual pass holder deals recently. So that's how I ended up at All-Star Sports last week was might as well. Might as well. Yeah. And it's interesting you say that because originally when we had planned this, we were supposed to go to Holiday Inn.

[00:06:16] And then when I decided to add one more night on, I looked and I booked All-Star Sports and we've never stayed there. So my son is super excited about that because I asked him, I said, would you rather go to Holiday Inn or try All-Star Sports? And he said he wanted to try All-Star Sports. And after the resort fees that the Holiday Inn was packing on and we were going to have to pay like $30 a night resort fee and $30 a night parking fee. And it was cheaper to stay on property.

[00:06:46] Yeah. I think it's the same Holiday Inn that my friend Danielle, who's Ask the Mouse, likes. And she stayed there multiple times. And I've asked her the question before, like, is it worth it compared to a Disney value resort? And for her, the math works out. She's like, yes, it's a better value for us. That being said, I know she doesn't have parking fees because she usually flies and then is using either their shuttle transportation or using Uber or Lyft or those sorts of things.

[00:07:16] Yeah. I mean, it barely, like, it was like, maybe it was $50 that it saved us. But then I was like, well, you know, we've never stayed here and we could check another one off of our list of hotels. And I think dollar amount is one thing. You also have to take into consideration the convenience of whatever your particular plans are. It probably makes a big difference that you have two younger children. You know, like for her, it's an adult only trip. So it's a little bit different.

[00:07:45] So I think that's one of the things that when people are planning their own trips, they have to take into consideration is if you are planning to stay off property, you need to consider those extra things because you will Google or use Expedia or whatever to look for a deal. And you're like, this is a really good bargain. Look, you know, it comes with this. It comes with this. But then always ask, is there a resort fee? Is there a parking fee if you happen to have a car with you? Because sometimes that makes it not as good a deal as you thought it was going to be.

[00:08:14] And for only $50 difference, I feel like I would rather, you know, have the convenience of already being at a Disney resort, being able to, you know, if you're going to get a refillable mug, you can go ahead and activate that and those sorts of things. Especially like in a case like this, where I think you're just doing one night off property before you move into your own property stay. Yeah, well, it's actually going to turn into two knots, but I mean, really a knot and a half because we really want to get there until about probably 1.30 or 2 in the morning. Oh, okay.

[00:08:42] But I mean, really, we are hardly going to be there because the reason we decided to do this is because I saw Blizzard Beach open back up. And my little girl is obsessed with Frozen. She's almost two and she loves Frozen. And I was like, we have to take her to this. And all star sports is right there, right beside Blizzard Beach. Oh, yeah. And so that was another factor. I was like, we, this will probably be a better idea to do this. And we stayed at Holiday Inn.

[00:09:09] We have added like an extra night onto our trips and did the first night there, drove in and stayed there and did Disney Springs. And we loved it. But I did know about the resort fee and the parking fee. And so I've calculated that in and I said, you know, the deal that's coming up on my phone is not that great when you add those in there, personally for me. Right. Right. Yeah. And if you're getting an annual pass holder discount on your room and everything, that makes a big difference.

[00:09:34] Sadly, I was just looking up yesterday when I was talking to somebody else, the deal where you get the water park on your check-in day. It's coming back. It starts at 26. I know. It's like you're missing it by a couple of weeks. I know. That's too bad. Barely missing it. But I mean, we do get a discount with our annual passes. That's good. It's like $43. It's only going to be $43 per person. And we only have to pay for myself, my husband, and my seven-year-old.

[00:10:00] So, I mean, we honestly probably won't stay there all day. We'll probably only be there for a few hours. But to see her face, to see the frozen stuff, I think she's just going to love it. Yeah. And to do something a little bit different. That's fun. I think it's fun to see all of the different things, like the water parks. Something I haven't done yet is the mini golf. I know people really enjoy the mini golf for the theming for both of those courses. And I'll make my way over there eventually.

[00:10:28] I can't seem to convince myself to do it when it's, you know, the heat of a thousand suns. So I need to find a time of year when I'm there. It would be more comfortable. My husband wanted to do it this year on this trip. And I said, do you know how hot it's going to be? I just don't. That doesn't sound fun, having the kids out there in the heat. Yeah. It just doesn't sound that fun to me. So maybe we should do that, like when we're there in December or we're there in January or something. Yeah. All right. Let's talk about your family that's going on this trip.

[00:10:58] So we know your husband's going. What is his name? His name is Paul. Okay. And you have an older son. What is his name? And how old is he? Okay. So his name is also Paul, but he's Paul V. And we have a nickname for him, Cinco. So Spanish for five. So I'll probably refer to him as Cinco. And he's seven. He'll be eight in July. Okay. All right. And your daughter? Yes. Her name is Lexi.

[00:11:28] And she will be two in July. So both their birthdays are in July. I love that you call your son Cinco. That is so much fun. Do all his friends and everybody calls him Cinco? Yes. He plays baseball. He loves baseball. And so his whole team, that's what his team calls him. And his walkout song says Cinco Levering. That's what everybody calls him. Wait. Is his jersey number five? Yes. Yes. It is. That's so cool. That is really cool. Alex also plays baseball.

[00:11:57] In fact, he should be doing his laundry right at this moment because he has another game tomorrow. They got three games this week. And when you have one uniform, that's a ton of laundry. That's how we are. And he doesn't do his own laundry. My son doesn't. So it's us trying to make sure that the laundry is done before the next game, the next day. Alex did not do his own laundry until recently. And I said, I cannot do this anymore. I've got too much going on with work and whatnot. So I taught him how. And now he knows how.

[00:12:26] And, you know, I reminded him, like, if you're taking your uniform down, you should do some of your other clothes, too, because you shouldn't just have the one thing in there. So he's like, oh, yeah, I do need to do laundry. Okay. There you go. Let's get him to be able to take care of himself before he goes off to college. I'm independent, yes. And I don't know what he's going to do if he gets a big stain in those pants because they're white. That's what ours are. And they slide. They're like, slide, slide. And I'm like, no. No, please don't. Yeah. I don't want to soak these overnight.

[00:12:54] I mean, thankfully, his whole youth baseball, tee ball, all of those things, we lucked out and we never had white pants. And I used to always see the teams that had the white pants. And I was like, oh, thank God that's not us. And this year, we did not. I was like, I guess I've had it coming now that he's a sophomore in high school. It's time for the white pants. It's coming eventually, yeah. Yeah. All right. So we've got the four of you.

[00:13:20] And you are staying at All-Star Sports for two nights, kind of like one and a half. Where are you staying for a majority of your stay? So we're actually staying at three places. So All-Star Sports for two nights. And then we will check into the beach club Sunday. So we'll be there for five nights. And then the two days I tacked on at the end of the trip was, you know, doing as one does.

[00:13:44] I was looking on the DVC rental webpage and just found a deal I couldn't pass up for a Polynesian for two nights. And we've never stayed there. So I'm so excited to stay there. Nice. Do you know, are you going to be in one of the original rooms or in the tower? The original room, not the tower. Okay. That will be so nice. All right. So Polynesian, have you considered DVC? I would love to. Just trying to convince my husband is a different story.

[00:14:12] I mean, I think the more we go, and especially after getting annual passes, he's more open to it. But we just built a house. So we are trying to, you know, financially recover from that first before we make any other decisions. But it will probably happen in the next few years because I rent DVC points a lot. This is not my first time doing it. And, you know, we just love those properties so much.

[00:14:37] And you can get a less expensive annual pass as an out-of-stater with DVC. Which would be amazing. Just tell him it's an accessory. It's one he doesn't have yet. It pays for itself. It pays for itself. That's how I talked him into the annual passes. I said, it just pays for itself. I mean, it does. If you go often, it really does. If you do not go often enough, I would not recommend it. As much as I love the product and am so happy with our purchase, I recognize it's not for everybody.

[00:15:06] You really have to use it to make it worthwhile. But if you're using it, it really does save you a lot of money in the long run. And that's what I felt like this long trip. So, well, it's like total nine nights. And I just don't feel like we're spending that much money because I already paid for the annual passes in August. And so I'm like, I've already paid that credit card statement. I mean, this is basically a free trip. I know. That's how I feel when we always do one big week long trip with our DVC points.

[00:15:35] And, you know, between that and the annual passes, it's like, well, all we have to pay for is food. Yeah. This summer is a different story because we're tacking on some universal time because Alex is dying to go. So it's feeling a lot more expensive. But in general, I love that free feeling, even if you're like, no, I paid for this, you know, six months ago or however long. Right. Whatever. It's still a good feeling. All right. So coming in on May the 15th, are you driving? You said you'd have a car. So it'll be your own car. Okay.

[00:16:05] It's about a seven and a half hour drive. And so my husband refuses to pay the money to fly. He says that is just way too expensive. And really, there's only one airport where we're from. And there's like one flight, maybe two flights a day that are direct out of that airport. And so it costs us like, you know, $1,400 as a family in Florida fly. And he's like, we can just, you know, save that money and drive. And it really only saves us like probably two hours flying.

[00:16:33] By the time we drove to the airport, which is an hour away, you know, got there early, took the flight and got from NCO to property and then paid for a car. It really does. It just doesn't match for us to do it, especially for a long trip. Now, are you, based on when you said that you would be arriving or you anticipated arriving, that makes me wonder, are you doing this drive after a full work day? No. So this was my last day of work for the week. So I won't go back until the 26th, the day after Memorial Day.

[00:17:03] And then my husband's also off for about two weeks too, thankfully, with his schedule. We are, my son at his school, they are doing a special party for everybody that has a summer birthday. And he doesn't want, we don't want him to miss it. Right. So we're, I'll probably check him out at like one o'clock and we'll try to get on the road by three. And I feel like if we get on the road by three, we'll get there about one or one 30. All right.

[00:17:28] That, I mean, seven and a half is, is a long drive, but I feel like you could do half of that, take a nice dinner break, get back on the road, do the rest of it. And it's totally doable. Do you both share the driving or does one of you drive? We usually share. I mean, usually my husband starts out because we usually will leave at like three, two o'clock in the morning. But since we're leaving in the afternoon, I don't see that well at night. I mean, like, I just don't like to drive it not that much and I'm only 31.

[00:17:57] I just hate driving it up. So I'll start the drive and then he'll drop the second half. I mean, probably Tallahassee is about a little over halfway. So we'll probably switch there. Okay. Yeah. I also do not love to drive at night. And part of it is because I have an astigmatism. That's why I wear glasses when I wear. Yeah. I was going to add, like, I'm, I'm sitting here looking at you. You have blonde hair. I assume maybe blue eyes. I can't see that well because I'm not wearing my glasses and they're far away on the computer screen.

[00:18:27] But everything, like the lights of cars coming at me, it's like. It blends. I feel like everybody has their brights on. It's really not safe. I will stay in the slow lane if I'm driving at night just because I'm like, I need to be as far away from the people coming towards me as possible. That's what I do. So, yeah, I'm not a big fan of night driving. All right. Tallahassee for maybe a switch and dinner break. All right.

[00:18:56] Saturday, May the 16th. Do you have any plans that day? We do. So I had to change our, we're doing a stroller delivery, stroller pickup with Kingdom Strollers. And originally I had it scheduled to pick up that afternoon. But now I've got it scheduled to pick up about 8.45, 9.15 in the morning. So we'll sleep. I don't know how well my daughter will sleep after getting in at one o'clock in the morning. She might be a little wired.

[00:19:24] But we're going to sleep in as long as we can and then meet them for the stroller around 8.45. Okay. Is there a reason you're not bringing a stroller that you already own? What made you decide to rent? Well, I still do a stroller for my 7-year-old because it's just a lot of walking and it's really hot. And we don't have a double stroller. So I do a double stroller. Okay. Yeah. The first time Alex went to Disney World, he was 5. But he was a very tall 5-year-old. And I was like, he needs a stroller. And I remember it was kind of like, really?

[00:19:53] Does he really need it? And I was like, I think it's going to be a ton of walking. I don't think he's going to be able to do that. So I think as long as you can get a stroller that will still fit them, I'm all for getting a stroller. Yes. And he's right under the weight limit for it. So I told him this is probably the last trip he'll get to do it. But my husband likes to do the double stroller for the storage. We have a little bit more storage. So when we went for a spring break, my 7-year-old ended up walking a lot more.

[00:20:22] So he has started to get used to it. But my husband likes to have the stroller for the storage. Yeah. That makes sense. All right. Are you going to a park this day? We are going to go to Blizzard Beach this day. Oh, you're doing that on the first day. Okay. Blizzard Beach. All right. Are the kids into swimming? Yes. They love the water. This will be a common theme of the trip is pool time and water. They're going to be doing a lot of swimming.

[00:20:48] I need to pack a lot of sunscreen because they're going to be in that pool a lot. Have either of them ever been to any other water parks in their lives? Yes. So last year, this time last year, actually, we were down. We went and we stayed two nights at the Grand Floridian before a cruise, before our first cruise. And that was when you got free water park on your check-in day. And we did Typhoon Lagoon that time. And so they have been to Typhoon Lagoon.

[00:21:15] My daughter did not like it, but she was, I mean, not even one at the time. So she really wasn't into it. And my son loved it, though. So yeah, Blizzard Beach, it seems to be more geared towards the younger set, like more for them to do. So between that and the Frozen stuff, I think, I think she'll like it this time. I think so. And like I said, we're not expecting to spend the whole day there. I'll be happy if we're even there like two hours. I think it'll be worth it just to see your face at the Frozen playground for a little bit and let my son do a few of the rides.

[00:21:45] And then we'll probably come back to the room around two, probably for them to rest, maybe take a small nap. Because we have dinner reservations at the boathouse at five. So that's kind of our tradition of kicking off our Disney trip. Like especially along when we love going to the boathouse and we only get oysters and the lobster bisque and some drinks and get the kids meals, some stuff and that we love to kick it off that way. Love having those traditions.

[00:22:11] Now, do you think after dinner, you'll do any dessert in the Disney Springs area? I want to go to Summer House when I like to get some cookies. Oh, you better. Yes. After listening to your podcast for so long, like I'm like, we have to go get those cookies because I hate spending in my Gideon's lawn and I like them. They're really good. But I'm like, I'm not, I'm not waiting this long for that. Right. They have so many flavors to choose from. So everybody will be able to find something they like. Didn't you say there was a lemon, was there a lemon one there?

[00:22:41] The banana bread, is that what you like? There's a banana one. I'm not sure if it's actually called banana bread. It might just be called banana cookie. It's really good. It does, you know, they're good sized cookies. And so you can kind of like pick at it, close back up the bag and eat it over the course of a few days. The banana one does get greasy though. So if you do continue to eat it over the course of a few days, just don't have it sitting on something that you don't want to get a grease stain.

[00:23:10] Set it away from your clothing items. Okay. Any other plans for Disney Springs that night? No, I think we're just going to walk around because this will probably be the only night we're going to do Disney Springs. So we'll probably just shop around and stuff and then go back to the hotel. So the next morning you'll be checking into the beach club. What are your plans for Sunday, May the 17th? Well, we originally had brunch reservations at Chef Art Smith because we love that brunch.

[00:23:36] But my husband has seen a TikTok of the quick service at the Riviera and the lemon blueberry pancakes. And he's now obsessed with getting those. So we will check into the beach club and we're going to take the Skyliner to the Riviera and eat breakfast over there. Okay. You need to get your coffee from upstairs before you go down and eat the breakfast service. Yes. Yes. And as an Alabaman, is that a word? Alabamian. As an Alabamian, are you a fan of grits?

[00:24:06] And I ask because they have polenta there, which I know is not the exact same thing. This is very, very, very similar. And the polenta at Premium Piato is so good. It comes with one of the entrees, but you can walk up and order it as a side. You just have to do it in person at the cash register thing. You can't do it on the app for whatever reason. I'll have to try that because my husband's a sweet breakfast person, but I like a more savory breakfast.

[00:24:33] I like a salty, like sausage and biscuits and gravy kind of breakfast. And he likes more of the pancakes and French toast. So I'll have to try that. I'm trying to remember what. I think the one that comes with the polenta is, it's like more of a traditional sort of like bacon, like whatever the bounty kind of platter that they usually, I think it might be that one that comes with it. But the polenta is so good because it's cheesy and it's just delicious. I'll have to try that.

[00:25:01] And I'm a huge fan of both grits and polenta. Yeah. I think you're really going to like that. And then from there, where are you going? Well, I know that our room is not going to be ready because it's going to be super early, like 10 in the morning. So we're going to change and probably go to the pool at the beach club and spend some time at the pool until our room is ready. I'll probably order some groceries and schedule that to be delivered like around four when the room should be ready. So we're just going to spend time at the pool, let the kids swim and then go check in our

[00:25:31] room whenever it's ready. And then we plan to go to Epcot around like 5, 530 ish. Okay. Have you stayed at the beach club before? Yes. We stayed in 2022 and we loved it. It's still my husband's favorite place to stay because of the proximity to Epcot. Yeah. No, it's nice to have that proximity. And so you know what you're getting in terms of Stormalong Bay and et cetera, all of that. I think they are still doing construction at the beach club right now. Yeah.

[00:25:59] I'm on a few Facebook groups and I think they are still doing that exterior construction, which is fun. I mean, at least the pool is open. Like it wasn't open last year. Right. I'm glad that it's open now. I really don't think it's going to matter to us that much. I think it'll be fun. As long as we can walk to Epcot, we'll be happy. What are you planning on doing in Epcot? Okay. So we have a Guardians Lightning Lane for just my husband and my son. I love Guardians, but it makes me really sick.

[00:26:26] I've started to get motion sickness in my older age. So they're going to do that. And I will probably take Lexi to do Figment or Nemo or something. Me and her will just hang out. So that Lightning Lane is 605 to 705. And we don't really have anything else planned except we have the Rose and Crown fireworks dining package at 8 p.m. And I'm excited about that. We've never eaten at Rose and Crown. And we've never watched the Epcot, the new fireworks at Epcot, Luminous.

[00:26:56] We've never seen that. Oh, okay. I also have never eaten at Rose and Crown. I've had a drink in the bar, but never gone into the dining room. So I'll be interested to hear how you like that. Yeah. And I think the package, I mean, it includes an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. And also unlimited beverages. So that will be nice. Unlimited alcoholic beverages? Interesting. All right. That is something to note for the future. Yes. I'll report back on how it is.

[00:27:26] Okay. And if it's truly unlimited or if it's like a two per person kind of thing. Right. And is it any kind of, like, does it have to be beer? Does it have to be draft beer? I'm not a beer drinker, so that would not benefit me. I think it's probably beer and wine. Yeah. I mean, I could do wine, I guess. But I would also be very sleepy probably after two glasses even. All right. Monday, May the 18th. What are the plans? So we're planning to rope drop Animal Kingdom. And I say that lightly.

[00:27:57] We try to rope drop, but, I mean, it's really hard to get my kids up and moving. And who am I getting? It's hard to get my husband up and moving to. So we'll be pushing everybody to get out. I mean, I'm not going to be upset if we're there past rope drop because the theme of this trip is going to be kind of taking it easy and to relax more than anything. But we do have a lightning lane for Everest at 810. And I know we don't need that. I know it's going to be pretty much a walk-on at that point. But it was the earliest one I could get.

[00:28:25] And I just wanted to get that done in Scandinavia so we could start booking lot and lanes for Epcot that evening. Right. Okay. So you only booked the one initial multi-pass? No, I did book all three for Animal Kingdom. But that was just the earliest one. Okay. What are the other two choices you made? I did Navi River Journey at 930 and then the Safari at 1030. Okay. Do you do the shows when you're at Animal Kingdom? We haven't done Lion King in a couple trips. So my daughter really likes music and dancing and all that.

[00:28:55] So I think we are going to try to prioritize that just depending on time. And we did Zootopia the last time we were there in March. And my kids love that. And we liked it so much too. So I'm sure we'll stop and watch the Zootopia show. But that's probably all the shows we will watch because our main priority at Animal Kingdom is the cheeseburger pods. And that is the top priority for my husband and my son there. So as long as we get cheeseburger pods and see the Safari, everybody will be happy. Are you all foodies?

[00:29:24] Yes, we are foodies. We love to eat and we love to try the drink too. So I would like to make time for Nomad because I love Nomad. I love the churros there. I love the cheese boards there. But we'll just see how long the wait is because we are going to try to get back to the beach club for pool time. Like I would like to be back by like 1230 and get a couple hours at the pool in before we go to Epcot that night. Okay. Because you're so close to Epcot, is your plan to go to Epcot most nights? Most nights, yeah. Okay.

[00:29:53] And I will be buying standby skipper. So I've had really good luck with that in the past. Mainly because I just don't have to be on my phone. And historically on all my trips, it has gotten me everything that I wanted, even on the crowded trips like spring break and Christmas. So after I scan into Everest, we will all start getting it to look for a frozen line in lane or Remy or test track. Okay.

[00:30:18] I have not used it since the switch to Multipass from Genie+. So I know people who have used it or similar services. And I think there are varying results because I think, you know, if you're wanting to tweak everything that how, you know, to be in the time frame that you want it to be in. And like, even when I've used it in the past, I'm constantly modifying. Like, I'm a big modifier. And so I find that I'm still in my phone just as much.

[00:30:48] Well, ever since, okay. So ever since I found out about like the three hour window that Disney doesn't want you to know about, but we tested and have done in the last few trips. Like, I haven't really modified so much because I'm like, okay, I have pretty much three hours to get to this ride. Yeah. And I will tell you that made my life so much easier and the trip so much less chaotic because I was not trying to run to get there within an hour time frame. I was like, okay, I have really two more hours after this expires to get in. So far, it's always worked for us. Yeah.

[00:31:18] I mean, I don't ever push it to like almost being over, but I do push it to about two hours. Yeah. I would say most of my modifications are to get things earlier than I was able to get them. Usually it's like, oh, I got this like harder to get one. And I know that at some point in the afternoon, it's going to sell out and I'm not ready to go there until much later in the day. And so I will just constantly kick it later and later and later. So it is what it is. All right. Tuesday, May the 19th.

[00:31:48] Sorry, I forgot to tell you. I do have another Guardians pass for the boys at 710 at Epcot that night. And that night is extended evening hours. So we will try to do that depending on how the kids are. Well, because you're staying right at Beach Club, that's an easy out if they're starting to get tired. And I have found that the extended evening hours at Epcot are not as valuable as extended hours at Magic Kingdom.

[00:32:15] So I think you will probably reach a point where you're like, we're good. And then move along. Well, since they have the Guardians pass, they're not going to try to do it again. They're not like they ride it multiple times in one day. But they like to do it a couple of times a trip. I think our priorities are probably going to be to do Frozen if we haven't gotten a lot in Lane for That and Remy's, which we can hit on the way out. Because both the kids can ride that and they both love those rides. So those will be the only two we actually try to ride during extended evening hours.

[00:32:43] And that's only if we haven't gotten a lot in Lane for them earlier. Right. Okay. All right. Tuesday, May the night. Okay. That is going to be our Hollywood Studios day. We are going to try to rope drop. Again, say that loosely. We'll see. I would like to rope drop McGinn Minis. We'll just have to see how that goes. I do have a lightning lane for Frozen from 905 to 920. Again, that's so unnecessary. But I just wanted to get it as early as possible to start booking more throughout the day.

[00:33:11] We have Toy Story Mania from 945 to 1045. Rise of the Resistance just for the boys at 1030. I'm not a huge Star Wars person, so I could take it or leave it. So I'll just hang out with Lexi during that. Maybe go watch the Little Mermaid show while the boys are doing that. Did you get a third lightning lane for yourself and Lexi? No. No, because that's the single pass. The Rise of the Resistance. I bought the single pass. Oh, they're doing it. Yeah. Got it. Yes.

[00:33:39] So wait, what was your third lightning lane? Oh, Slinky Dog at 845 that night. Ah, okay. Because the earliest I could get for that was like 130. And I was really trying to go back to the pool that day around that time. So I didn't want to have a lightning lane during that time. So we did 845, which we've never ridden at night. So I think that would be fun. I think it's better at night. Yeah, I've heard that. And so I want to try that. Other than that, we want to go. We love baseline top house.

[00:34:05] We go there every single trip for like a beer and the pretzel and the cheese board. So we'll stop there for lunch and then go back to the beach club for some pool time. And then I do have dinner reservations at Rosa Mexicana, which we've never eaten at, at 615. All right. I have not been to that location, but we have a location here in New York that I've been to multiple times. And it's really good. That's what I've heard. I've heard on a previous podcast, it was delicious.

[00:34:34] And we love like fresh guacamole and margaritas. So I just can't wait for that. I think it'll be really good. And it's really convenient, you know, right on the way to Hollywood Studios from the beach club, because we'll probably walk to Hollywood Studios every day. We like that walking path. So I'm sure that's what we'll do. Okay. Yeah. So after your pool break, when you're ready to head out to dinner slash go back to Hollywood Studios for your lightning lanes, just a little stroll. Okay. All right. Wednesday, May the 20th. Okay. So we have Magic Kingdom that day.

[00:35:05] We'll rope drop-ish, you know, we'll see how everybody is. I have lightning lanes for Pirates at 930, Seven Dwarfs for 955, and then Buzz Lightyear at 1045. Tron is not going to be until 850 because my husband likes to ride that at night. I did buy one for both him and my son. My son may not be tall enough, so I might have to go to a blue umbrella and get that refunded.

[00:35:32] He's like barely at the high requirement, so we'll just have to see. And what was your third regular lightning lane? Um, Big Thunder at 925 because I'd rather ride that at night. Okay. I mean, there's so many things that it makes a difference when you're running it at night, and Big Thunder is definitely one of those. It's so special. I feel like it's so special at night. Where, again, we'll probably take a break and go back to the pool or take a nap that day. Um, and then I have a reservation at Steakhouse 71 right now at 7.

[00:36:01] I'm trying to modify that up to, like, 6. I'd like a little bit earlier. Um, but we'll just see. We love Steakhouse 71, though. Okay. Yeah, I just, I just ate at their lounge on this trip last week. Sort of spur of the moment. And that was really nice. I'd never eaten at the bar slash lounge before. I'd only eaten in the dining room. We've eaten at the lounge a few times and really have enjoyed it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, our waiter was so nice.

[00:36:26] I mean, I thought that, you know, I was special because he was, like, calling me young lady and things like that. And I was like, I must look really young today. Yeah. And then I heard him saying that to all the other ladies at the bar, and I was like, oh, you're just good. Yeah. Wow. What a trick. Yeah. That's how I feel every time I get ID'd now. I'm like, oh, wow. You need to see my ID. Oh, goodness. Yeah.

[00:36:54] But then that night, they have extended evening hours at Magic Kingdom. We're going to try to stay for that. But like I said, we'll see how the kids are. All right. And the good thing is, is your annual pass holder. So if you're not feeling it, do you just come back another time? Exactly. All right. Thursday, May the 21st. Okay. So from here, it's kind of more, like, relaxing for the rest of the trip. We don't really have strict plans, but I'll tell you what our ideas are. Okay.

[00:37:22] I'm really excited about this. So on Thursday, the 21st, we have rented a cabana at the beach club at Storm Long Bay. So we'll have that from 10 to 7. Have you done that before? No. This will be the first time that we've done that. That is a, do they, is it a whole day or nothing kind of situation? Or do you get to choose? No. You have to rent it for the whole day. Okay. Yeah. That's a nice, long, long day. All right. What are your other thoughts? I mean, we'll really just probably be at the pool all day.

[00:37:50] They have a TV in the cabana and they have couches and fans and like a refrigerator and a speaker. So I hope that Lexi might take a nap down there. And I have heard on some of the Facebook groups I'm in that you can request a pack and play down there. So that would be even better if I could get a pack and play in the cabana and maybe get her and take a nap. But really we'll just be there all day. I do have a beaches and cream reservation at 8 p.m. So you might get some ice cream after being at the pool all day.

[00:38:19] Or we may cancel that and go to Epcot for some food booth. We'll just have to see how we. Okay. So really just taking advantage of this resort all day this day. Yeah. Okay. And I cannot recall how long Flower and Garden goes on. Do you know what the last day of it is off the top of your head? I think it's like right after Memorial Day. I think it's. So you get to experience it the entire time. Yeah. Okay. I believe so. There was something else, you know, the annual pass holder previewed for Sorin.

[00:38:48] I think they're supposed to be Tuesday and Wednesday. So I'm sorry, I'm backtracking. We will probably try to go to Epcot and do that for the Sorin across America. I'd like to see that. And my son loves Sorin. That's one of his favorite rides. So I would like to try to get in line to see that preview. So Tuesday and Wednesday are the options. I believe it's the 19th and 20th. Okay. I hope you get on it. I'm very interested to hear what that is all going to look like. The Soarin’ across America.

[00:39:18] I'm dying to incorporate the Muppets into it with Sam Eagle introducing it or something. Oh, yeah. Well, that one you don't have to get the virtual queue for so we can just get in line. So maybe it won't be too bad. We'll try to maybe towards the end of the day it won't be too bad. I don't know. We'll just have to check on the wait times. We they're doing the rock and roller coaster preview, I think, on like either Thursday or Friday or Friday and Saturday.

[00:39:44] I don't know if we're going to try to do the virtual queue for that just because we're not really planning to head to Hollywood Studios anytime soon. We're going to go back. So we may just wait until we go back to try to do that. Okay. Yeah, that's another one I'm excited about because I love the Muppets. Those are my childhood friends. All right. So that brings us to Friday, May 22nd. What are you doing this day? So we're going to check out of the Beach Club and we will check into the Polynesian.

[00:40:13] And we have breakfast at Ohana at 1035. Have you done breakfast there before? Yes. That's one of our favorites. Just the vibes there. We like the food and that welcome bread that you get. I mean, we just love the vibes. My son loves Stitch and all the characters. So and I was like, we're checking in to the Poly anyway. We might as well. Right. Do Ohana. Take advantage. What will you do with the rest of your day?

[00:40:41] Because I know that Beach Club slash Yacht Club are known for their pool. But I really love the pool at Poly too. That's our plan is to take advantage of the Poly pool. I want to experience it. You know, we just want that we're going to relax a lot at the Poly. And really, just because we've never stayed there, going to enjoy the resort a lot. So, you know, we'll I really want to watch the fireworks from the pool. I heard you can do that. Is that right? Can you see the fireworks? I'm trying to think if you can see them from the pool.

[00:41:10] I'm sure you can. But a lot of people go down to the beach to watch them like a little bit better. And then somebody was saying that there is a secret spot that they like to watch them from that is farther down, not on the beach, kind of up a little hill. And I'm trying to remember if this is someone that I interviewed or some other podcast I listened to. No, I think it's somebody you. I think so. I don't remember who it was, but I know what you're talking about.

[00:41:35] Well, also the room we booked, we booked the DVC studio preferred view and things that were was looking up at it. We could see the castle possibly depending on what room we got. So I would really like it if we couldn't do that and just watch them from the balcony. But we're really just going to take advantage of the poly and all the things that it has to offer the Dole Whip. I really want to do the Dole Whip Margarita and the nachos at Captain Cook's. We love those.

[00:42:05] I love. I dream about those. I dream about them. I truly dream about those too. And now I'm like, I haven't had dinner yet and all I can think about is nachos. All right. Dole Whip Margarita. Are you going to try to do Trader Sam's? I don't know. It just depends. We may try to, but it's not a priority for me. We've never done it. I just don't know if I want to try it with the kids. I mean, maybe it wouldn't be too bad to put our name on the list since we're staying there and just go and experience it.

[00:42:32] And if it comes up and you're ready to go, do it. And if not, you just do it another time. Yeah, we might. I'm not saying no. We'll just say, like I said, I'm trying not to have too much, too many concrete plans during this time. Okay. All right. Saturday, May the 23rd. The only plans we have are another pool day to be at the pool if the weather permits. We'll be at the pool all day. And then I do have Wai Lulu booked at 410 because we love Wai Lulu.

[00:43:02] We love that burger there. Mm-hmm. We may. I really like Enchanted Rose at the Grand Floridians. We may walk over there and get their cheese plate, cheese board because I love that so much. And I love their espresso martini. So we'll just see. We make it to do that. Everybody talks about that espresso martini. Oh, good. I've got to try it. It's the best one I've ever had in my life. Really? So good. Okay. No, it's on my list. I need to try it.

[00:43:28] I am just so drawn in if anything has the word gin in it or elderflower or things like that. So that's what I gravitate towards. And sometimes it prevents me from trying other things. You get the lavender fog. Is that what you get there? Yeah. I've gotten the lavender fog. Yeah, it is good. There's another one, though, that's like, I think there's one that's like a play on the French 75. Mm-hmm. I have only ever gotten the espresso martini. Okay. Well, so then you have the same problem I do.

[00:43:58] Like, you like this one thing. I'm a creature of habit. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So the one, I do like the lavender fog. I do. But it's very foggy, meaning it's got that taste to it, which is, it's interesting. I'm looking at it now. And the lavender fog has English breakfast tea. And I could have sworn it was an Earl Grey note. I think that was like... Yeah. Because usually when you order like a London fog latte, it's Earl Grey with milk.

[00:44:27] But it says right here, English breakfast. Okay. So I have gotten that more than once and do like it. But I would say the thing that I have gotten more often is the floral bitter beauty. Mm-hmm. So I have a Hendrix gin, St. Germain elderflower, Campari liqueur, Aperol liqueur, lemon, and soda. I could have sworn they had something else too that I really liked. Yeah. I thought there was something like a French 75 that had a different name to it.

[00:44:56] And I do not see it here on the list. But maybe it's something that's on their menu that's not online. Okay. All right. And that unfortunately brings us to your departure day, Sunday, May 24th, which I know it's sad. But, you know, I know from when we spoke leading up to getting started recording that you originally were not going to have the two extra days. So you added on. Right.

[00:45:25] So, I mean, I think you can't be too sad about it because you really are maximizing your time while you're there. We'll be. I'm sure at that point we'll probably be ready to come home. I mean, I'm never ready to leave Disney, but I'll be kind of ready to get back into a routine again. Yeah. But know that we don't have anything planned that day. We'll head out super early, like 4 or 5 in the morning because we like to get back home around lunchtime. Mm-hmm. So that gives us plenty of time to catch up. And then we're both off the next day because that's Memorial Day.

[00:45:54] So we'll have a day to catch our breath before we have to go back to work. Okay. Catch up on laundry. Maybe just nap. Yes. Get ready for, you know, Memorial Day barbecue that we'll have to do the next day. And it'll be good. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, I have all of the notes so that we'll be ready to talk after you get back from your trip. I cannot wait to hear all about it. And I'm looking forward to hearing, especially if Cinco is tall enough to ride Tron.

[00:46:22] I don't think he will be. I'm hopeful. I just don't know just because he's barely there. And I feel like Disney, you have to be a little bit over, but we'll see. Yeah. I also have noticed that sometimes when something has a height requirement, you can go to one ride and be measured and then go to another one with the exact same height requirement and meet it. And it's really very dependent on whatever they're measuring you with. And he may end up chickening out anyway because he gets a little scared.

[00:46:51] Like, he will not ride Tiana's with me anymore. He rides it every trip, but it's like an act of God to get him to get on there for some reason. I don't know why. And then he refuses to ride Tower of Terror because we traumatized him when he was five and he refuses to go back on. Well, I did the same with Alex, so there's hope. Yeah. I hope he will eventually because we both like that ride, but he just, like, absolutely not will not try it again. I mean, in reality, we should not have made him do that at that time.

[00:47:21] But, you know, oh, well. And he doesn't want to do Everest. He's scared of Everest. He's scared of the Yeti, he says. So we'll see. I mean, it's not going to be the end of the world if he does it. Yeah. It'll be fun. Yeah. Well, because he watches the videos and all he's seen is the scary Yeti. He doesn't want to do that. So he said that me and Daddy can ride it and he'll sit with Lexi. And I'm like, well, no, we're not doing that. But. Nice try. Yeah. No, not happening. Yeah.

[00:47:50] With Tower of Terror, you know, he did it when he was five. We totally traumatized him. He would not go on. Now it's his favorite ride. But I will tell you, the first time I got him to go back on it after all of those years, I had to bribe him. That's what I'll have to do. I mean, I think I was like, I was like, you can have $50 to spend or something. It was something crazy where it was like, really? But I desperately wanted him to go back on because I knew based on knowing him that he was actually going to really love it now. That's what I had to do. I had to do that with him with Sianna's the last trip.

[00:48:20] I had to bribe him with a new stuffed animal or a new toy, even though I know he loves it. And we will get, like, he'll have to ride it twice. One time with me, one time with my husband. And he just cries with me. But then when he goes to ride it right after that, he loves it. I know he loves the ride. He just psychs himself up for no reason and will not do it. Right. Maybe he psychs himself up or maybe he's, like, really mastered this game of making you buy him a toy. You know what? That's what my husband does. So maybe I'm just a sucker.

[00:48:49] I told him I was not forcing him this time, though. Right. No robbing. Yeah. Let's not focus on you being a sucker. Let's focus on him being a smart kid. Yeah. He's figured it out. Yeah, he's going places. He's going places. Maybe not Tower of Terror, but he's going places. Yeah, definitely not Tower. All right, Morgan. This has been so much fun. And I will chat with you when you get back. All right. Thank you so much for having me. Thanks again to Morgan for being on the podcast. If you liked what you heard, don't forget to leave a review.

[00:49:18] And don't forget to submit your questions, hot takes, and tips through the voice message link on my website. Just go to whereilongtobepodcast.com and click Send Virginia a voice message on the bottom right side of the screen. Your message might be played on the show. That is all for now. Make sure you check out Morgan's post-trip report, which is up and ready for you. Until next time, keep daydreaming about where you long to be.