Goodbye Splash and "wE hAvE tUrKeY lEgS" - 1/19-1/22 Trip

[DisDreaming4116]

Hello!

DD15, DD9 and I booked a trip shortly after the closing date was announced for Splash Mountain. Hope you enjoy!

1/19 - Flew from Milwaukee to Orlando via Frontier
This wasn't my first time with Frontier so I knew what to expect and enjoy playing their games to make the flight as cheap as possible.
We each carried just a personal item (bag goes under the seat). Bought 3 bags with the exact dimensions to Frontier rules from Amazon for less than $40. Each roundtrip carryon would have been $70. The Frontier agents made each passenger put their personal item in their test box to ensure it fit their sizing requirements.

Took an Uber to the Winn-Dixie near Disney Springs to buy breakfasts, snacks and waters for our hotel room. Not sure why but I really enjoy seeing grocery stores in different parts of the country. The friendliest rideshare driver I've ever had, however, he could have showed us fewer pictures on his phone while driving! We made it safely.
Uber to Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista for our three night trip.
I've stayed here twice before and it still has an incredibly pleasant smell in the lobby. It reminds me a bit of going into an Abercrombie and Fitch during high school but fewer $125 jeans.
Check in was fine but be ready for the timeshare pitch from the desk to the left after you check in. We had a "dining reservation we need to hurry to". Bags were dropped off in our room and we happily changed into shorts (was 25 degrees F in MKE when we left and was 75 F at WDW).

We walked over to Disney Springs (4 minute walk) and directly to Uniqlo. I think my daughters were looking forward to going there more than a WDW park. Believe it or not, they each found a few things they liked so I was mentally arranging how it would all fit into our precisely sized bags on the flight back. Oh well, that can be figured out later.

Next, we went to our favorite QS in Disney Springs...The Polite Pig. I love this place! DD15 had the Polite Caesar, DD9 had the kid's Mac & Cheese with carrot sticks and I had the Crispy Brussels Sprouts and BBQ Cauliflower (minus the sour cream). We shared BBQ Waffle Fries. Great meal and the staff is tremendous. This wouldn't be the last time getting the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts! Despite being quick service, they took finished plates away, asked how our meal was, etc. and not pushy.

It was now 6:45ish and we were headed to the Poly for a Dole Whip and to watch the MK fireworks from the beach. Will we make it?

 

[DLo]

Following along - looking forward to reading more.

 

[footballmouse]

 

[DisDreaming4116]

1/19 (cont)
Hopped on a DS bus to the Poly.
In our three previous experiences watching the fireworks from the beach, it was raining either right up to the fireworks starting or lightly raining during the fireworks. For each of those times, we were able to easily grab a chair to sit. Not so much.

It was, however, still easy to find a seat in the sand, eat our Dole Whips and watch the fireworks.
I'm not sure how frequently Pineapple Lanai changes their menu but they offered a lime that night (a lady in line told us NOT to try the pistachio Dole Whip). DD9 had the lime and vanilla swirl while DD15 had the pineapple float.

We find Disney transportation as a fundamental part of the WDW bubble and will go out of our way to use our favorite options rather than the quickest.

We took the monorail to the Grand Floridian. First time in there for my daughters and even around 9:30pm, the vibe is felt. DD9 pretended to sip tea while watching the tv on tiny chairs.

Now we were headed to the water taxi but with the major construction going on, the walk over felt a bit eerie. After walking for a few minutes and the area getting darker, DD15 was sure we were not supposed to be there.
Eventually, we did find the pier and made our way onto the boat.
After a relaxing ride over to MK (I've never driven a boat in my life but when I retire, I would love to be a water taxi driver).
After the quick walk over to CR and catching a bus back to DS, we were back in our room.
The following day will be long and spent at MK saying goodbye to Splash and overhearing some of the more unique conversations I can remember.