AZeno
04-28-2008, 02:55 AM
DW is an avid gardener, planning and thinking about her garden during the harsh Michigan winters is probably the only thing that helps her through the cold winter months. So a visit to the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival was highly anticipated this year. Normally when we visit Disney we plan to arrive on a Sunday and return home on Friday, but this year, our oldest son and his wife are expecting their first child, and our first grandchild (I’m sure we’ll be needing more points fairly soon) so we wanted to keep the trip short, just in case DIL went into labor early. So as a result, we planned on arriving on Tuesday, April 15 and returning home Friday, April 18. My wife’s dear friend Pam is also a gardener so we invited her to accompany us for this short visit.
We checked into a one bedroom at SSR on Tuesday. The check in process went extremely smooth. When I initially made the reservation I requested Congress Park (our favorite location) with DTD view and a view of the quiet pool. Surprisingly this is what we got, we were assigned room 1603. We checked in around 3:00pm, but the room was not ready yet. We had decided that since this was Pam’s first visit to Disney we should do the DDP. I think this helps out a little with sticker shock when eating at the Disney restaurants, it may not be a cost savings, but somehow paying for meals up front helps smooth over the cost. Since we were doing the DDP after checking in, we went over to Artist Palette for a nice counter service lunch, both girls had one of those yummy salads, while I had the Beef sandwich with blue cheese. By the time we finished our lunch our room was ready.
I should also mention that this was our first visit to Disney as Owners Locker members, so when we checked in, there was a note in our reservation that there was a package waiting for us. The CM stepped away and returned with our big purple plastic empty tote.
The one bedroom villa was very nice, everything seemed to be in working order, however, later we learned that the dishwasher was a little touchy. We found the layout of the one bedroom to be nice, except for the bathroom area. First, since we were staying with another adult that wasn’t a family member, a second water closest would have been nice. Second, the layout of the shower and water closest were very bizarre. We couldn’t quite figure out what was bothering us, but there seemed to be too many doors, leading into each other. We later walked through the model at BWV which is also a one-bedroom and immediately realized that the doors at SSR could be organized better. We really like SSR, but the next time we need a one bedroom we’ll be staying at BWV. Overall we liked the one bedroom, but DW and I decided that if it us just the two of us and we were staying one week or less, we would just need a studio.
After we got settled in, we took a drive out to Winn Dixie which is on Apopka Vineland road, just a few short miles from DTD. Unlike some of the grocery stores closer to Disney, the pricing at the Winn Dixie is very reasonable. When we first visited Winn Dixie a few years back we enrolled in their frequent flyer program, and when we check out, we get the really low sale prices on the items that we buy. I keep the Winn Dixie card with our AP’s so that we don’t have to keep asking for a new card every time we visit. We also made a stop at the ABC liquor store right in front of the Winn Dixie to pick up some provisions.
Our first evening we had a 7:10pm ADR for Kona Café, we arrived about 5-minutes early but were not seated until 7:50pm, both Kona and O’hana’s seemed to be very busy. After splitting an order of the lump crab cakes (not included with the DDP, but well worth the cost) DW and Pam both ordered the shrimp and scallops, which is always one of my favorites. I ordered the Tuna Oscar and requested the tuna medium rare. If you like tuna, this was a great choice. The tuna was sashimi grade, served with a very nice wasabi cream sauce on top of fried green tomatoes. Resting on top of the tuna was several large pieces of tempura battered crab meat. I have to admit this was my favorite meal of the trip.
Day 2 found us visiting Epcot for the F&G show. The exhibits were beautiful as always, but a little disappointing, since it looked like the majority of the displays were recycled from the previous year. DW and I unofficially decided that we would start visiting the F&G show on an every other year basis. We’ll see if we feel the same way next April.
We didn’t do many of the regular attractions, but did manage to ride Soarin, Finding Nemo and Test Track before leaving around 3pm. The weather was a little on the cool side, but we did manage to sit out in the sun for about an hour once we retuned to the room. We had an ADR for dinner at Teppan Edo, our chef was great and did the usual tricks, but threw in a few extra pranks to keep everyone fully entertained and of course well fed. The ADR was just right to allow us to catch the evening performance of the “Happenings” at the Flower Power Concert Series and then get a nice spot back at Japan to watch Illuminations.
Day 3 saw us splitting up, the girls went back to Epcot to continue their garden tour, while I took off for a 10am Tee time at the Palms GC. This was my first time playing this course, which I found to be very challenging; your tee shot will pretty much set you up for either disaster or happiness. Since I was a solo player, the starter put a foursome together. I’m not sure if he was kidding, but the starter warned us to stay out of the water hazards and to keep an eye out for gators. The really nice part about this course, has nothing to do with golf, the course is part of the grounds for the “Shades of Green” resort which is allocated for those in the armed forces (active and retired). So you get a very nice golf cart tour of the resort, which looks very nice. The first Tee box is right outside one of the hotel wings and we had a nice gallery cheering us on from their balconies.
Our dinner ADR was for 4:30pm at Boma, but by the time we all got together it was already 4pm and we all wanted to head back to the room to freshen up. I stopped by the concierge desk at BWV to reschedule out ADR but was told that there wasn’t anything available until after 9:30pm, but the CM gave me the direct number to Boma and suggested that I contact them directly. I’m glad that they did, the person at Boma told me that since they were a buffet type restaurant, that they would honor our ADR for up to 4-hours. We arrived at 6pm and had a wonderful meal. The food at Boma is very unique with a variety of different flavors and spices. Definitely a good choice for any foody, with plenty to choose from including vegan choices, or just plain chicken planks and French fries for the squeamish. Following the meal we strolled out to the night vision goggle viewing station. As we walked around the AKL, the idea started forming that I may need to contact my vacation guide Nickie to see what the recent incentives are to purchase some points at AKL.
We had a 7:20am flight out of Sanford on Friday, so on day 4 we were up at four o’clock and on the road by 4:30 in order to catch our flight. On our way out of SSR I dropped off our purple owners locker back off at the front desk. We didn’t plan well enough to leave anything in it, but when we visit the next time we’ll be sure to use it.
I should also mention that we had a great flight on Allegiant Air, our flight attendant was named Agnes and she was a real hoot. In fact, after some kidding around and joking, the next thing I knew I was walking up and down the aisle collecting everyone’s service items (trash). So sorry if you were on the flight and I woke you up to take your empty coffee cup, but hey, I had a job to do.
This is only my second trip report so I would welcome any feedback, to me it may seem like the report is longer than the trip, but we did have a great visit.
We checked into a one bedroom at SSR on Tuesday. The check in process went extremely smooth. When I initially made the reservation I requested Congress Park (our favorite location) with DTD view and a view of the quiet pool. Surprisingly this is what we got, we were assigned room 1603. We checked in around 3:00pm, but the room was not ready yet. We had decided that since this was Pam’s first visit to Disney we should do the DDP. I think this helps out a little with sticker shock when eating at the Disney restaurants, it may not be a cost savings, but somehow paying for meals up front helps smooth over the cost. Since we were doing the DDP after checking in, we went over to Artist Palette for a nice counter service lunch, both girls had one of those yummy salads, while I had the Beef sandwich with blue cheese. By the time we finished our lunch our room was ready.
I should also mention that this was our first visit to Disney as Owners Locker members, so when we checked in, there was a note in our reservation that there was a package waiting for us. The CM stepped away and returned with our big purple plastic empty tote.
The one bedroom villa was very nice, everything seemed to be in working order, however, later we learned that the dishwasher was a little touchy. We found the layout of the one bedroom to be nice, except for the bathroom area. First, since we were staying with another adult that wasn’t a family member, a second water closest would have been nice. Second, the layout of the shower and water closest were very bizarre. We couldn’t quite figure out what was bothering us, but there seemed to be too many doors, leading into each other. We later walked through the model at BWV which is also a one-bedroom and immediately realized that the doors at SSR could be organized better. We really like SSR, but the next time we need a one bedroom we’ll be staying at BWV. Overall we liked the one bedroom, but DW and I decided that if it us just the two of us and we were staying one week or less, we would just need a studio.
After we got settled in, we took a drive out to Winn Dixie which is on Apopka Vineland road, just a few short miles from DTD. Unlike some of the grocery stores closer to Disney, the pricing at the Winn Dixie is very reasonable. When we first visited Winn Dixie a few years back we enrolled in their frequent flyer program, and when we check out, we get the really low sale prices on the items that we buy. I keep the Winn Dixie card with our AP’s so that we don’t have to keep asking for a new card every time we visit. We also made a stop at the ABC liquor store right in front of the Winn Dixie to pick up some provisions.
Our first evening we had a 7:10pm ADR for Kona Café, we arrived about 5-minutes early but were not seated until 7:50pm, both Kona and O’hana’s seemed to be very busy. After splitting an order of the lump crab cakes (not included with the DDP, but well worth the cost) DW and Pam both ordered the shrimp and scallops, which is always one of my favorites. I ordered the Tuna Oscar and requested the tuna medium rare. If you like tuna, this was a great choice. The tuna was sashimi grade, served with a very nice wasabi cream sauce on top of fried green tomatoes. Resting on top of the tuna was several large pieces of tempura battered crab meat. I have to admit this was my favorite meal of the trip.
Day 2 found us visiting Epcot for the F&G show. The exhibits were beautiful as always, but a little disappointing, since it looked like the majority of the displays were recycled from the previous year. DW and I unofficially decided that we would start visiting the F&G show on an every other year basis. We’ll see if we feel the same way next April.
We didn’t do many of the regular attractions, but did manage to ride Soarin, Finding Nemo and Test Track before leaving around 3pm. The weather was a little on the cool side, but we did manage to sit out in the sun for about an hour once we retuned to the room. We had an ADR for dinner at Teppan Edo, our chef was great and did the usual tricks, but threw in a few extra pranks to keep everyone fully entertained and of course well fed. The ADR was just right to allow us to catch the evening performance of the “Happenings” at the Flower Power Concert Series and then get a nice spot back at Japan to watch Illuminations.
Day 3 saw us splitting up, the girls went back to Epcot to continue their garden tour, while I took off for a 10am Tee time at the Palms GC. This was my first time playing this course, which I found to be very challenging; your tee shot will pretty much set you up for either disaster or happiness. Since I was a solo player, the starter put a foursome together. I’m not sure if he was kidding, but the starter warned us to stay out of the water hazards and to keep an eye out for gators. The really nice part about this course, has nothing to do with golf, the course is part of the grounds for the “Shades of Green” resort which is allocated for those in the armed forces (active and retired). So you get a very nice golf cart tour of the resort, which looks very nice. The first Tee box is right outside one of the hotel wings and we had a nice gallery cheering us on from their balconies.
Our dinner ADR was for 4:30pm at Boma, but by the time we all got together it was already 4pm and we all wanted to head back to the room to freshen up. I stopped by the concierge desk at BWV to reschedule out ADR but was told that there wasn’t anything available until after 9:30pm, but the CM gave me the direct number to Boma and suggested that I contact them directly. I’m glad that they did, the person at Boma told me that since they were a buffet type restaurant, that they would honor our ADR for up to 4-hours. We arrived at 6pm and had a wonderful meal. The food at Boma is very unique with a variety of different flavors and spices. Definitely a good choice for any foody, with plenty to choose from including vegan choices, or just plain chicken planks and French fries for the squeamish. Following the meal we strolled out to the night vision goggle viewing station. As we walked around the AKL, the idea started forming that I may need to contact my vacation guide Nickie to see what the recent incentives are to purchase some points at AKL.
We had a 7:20am flight out of Sanford on Friday, so on day 4 we were up at four o’clock and on the road by 4:30 in order to catch our flight. On our way out of SSR I dropped off our purple owners locker back off at the front desk. We didn’t plan well enough to leave anything in it, but when we visit the next time we’ll be sure to use it.
I should also mention that we had a great flight on Allegiant Air, our flight attendant was named Agnes and she was a real hoot. In fact, after some kidding around and joking, the next thing I knew I was walking up and down the aisle collecting everyone’s service items (trash). So sorry if you were on the flight and I woke you up to take your empty coffee cup, but hey, I had a job to do.
This is only my second trip report so I would welcome any feedback, to me it may seem like the report is longer than the trip, but we did have a great visit.