DAY 4 – Friday 4/16/21
Who: Sue (62), DVC Member

Plan: Pool, Boathouse lunch, maybe Epcot

Actual: I was in bed (lights out) around 10 last night, and although I woke up at 3:30 thinking it was morning, I slept another couple hours before getting up at 5:30. Since showers are expected today I figured my planned morning at the pool was not
likely to happen, so I moved my lunch reservation up from 1:45 to 11:45. That will give me more flexibility for the rest of the day, and increase the odds that I’ll get into Gideon’s if I decide to join that virtual queue.

I made my cappuccino and brought it back to bed, where I did online stuff while listening to the local news for a while. Around 7:30 I moved out to the living room, and made my breakfast – an egg and slice of bacon but no half bagel since I moved
lunch up earlier. Since it looked like Gideon’s was in my future I ate another piece of yesterday’s cookie – I’m really liking this one.

I noticed on the app that Amanda had moved tomorrow’s lunch up from 12:45 to 11:40. That works for me, as tomorrow afternoon looks like pool weather. I can spend the morning with them and after lunch head to the pool. I’m not sure what time they’
re heading home, so meeting back up with them later may be a possibility. If not, we’ll see them in a couple weeks when we’re all at Hilton Head.

Around 9 I got up and took my shower and was walking over to Disney Springs by just after 10. The cloudy morning ended up being bright sunshine – oh well. My plan was to wander around, maybe sit & read my kindle, but join the virtual queue at Gideon�
�s in hopes that my time would match up with the end of my lunch. Based on how my plans have been working this trip, I should have known that wasn’t going to happen.

Walking over to Disney Springs was easy, and there was no line to get in from this end. There were quite a few people inside, but it wasn’t what I’d consider crowded at all. I walked through the old Marketplace and tried to decipher the directory/
map to see where Gideon’s was located since I couldn’t remember. It’s hard for me to make sense of the map – it would be so much easier if they’d have kept the old names of Marketplace, Pleasure Island & West Side! Gideon’s is in Pleasure
Island, close to where Mannequins used to be, across from Raglan Road. It’s actually very close to the Boathouse, where I was having lunch in 1.5 hours.

At Gideon’s the line was down the block and around the corner. I asked the employee at the door how long the wait was, and she said she didn’t know because she can’t see the end. I walked around the corner and found a couple more Gideon’s staff
who told me the wait at this point was 45 minutes. I asked about the virtual queue and they said it hadn’t opened, and might not since it hadn’t opened all week. They only do that if the line gets longer than a certain point. So, my choices were
wait in line or skip it. I had my kindle in my bag, so I decided to get in line and read while standing there.

It got pretty warm in the sun, but when I was almost to the front of the line it got very overcast and I wondered if it was going to rain. Overcast felt better than sunny! When it was my turn I was let inside – they have 3 stations where you can buy
your stuff, and a short queue where another 3 parties can be waiting. I got 2 of the cookies – the special one for April, which is orange pecan chocolate chip, and the pistachio toffee chocolate chip. They’re very big, and they should be since they�
��re $6 each (plus tax). They do take Disney gift cards here, but there are no discounts for passholder or dvc. I was back outside 45 minutes after I’d joined the line, so it was pretty accurate.

I had 30 minutes until my lunch reservation so I sat in a cushioned chair facing the water and did some more reading. At 11:40 I went inside the Boathouse and was seated for lunch – I chose inside and was at a window next to the boat/car ramp. I like
the feel of the restaurant, and would definitely come here again – even just sitting at the bar would be fine, or sitting outside on the deck in cooler weather.

They had my cruise buddy Fran’s favorite sauvignon blanc on the menu so I ordered a glass of that, and the filet mignon sliders. My waiter said they came with fries and asked if that was ok. I said fine, but I think next time I’ll ask what my
options are since I barely made a dent in the fries and I didn’t find them all that great. Simple cole slaw would have been more to my liking. The sliders were very good – the meat was a good portion and it was incredibly tender. These beat the
filet mignon sliders at Wise Guys last December.

While at lunch the sun came back out, and stayed out the rest of the day. So much for rain today! At Boathouse I got the passholder discount on the sliders (not the wine), and once I settled the check I wandered around to find the new M&M store. This
is located in the West Side, and it’s a cute & colorful store but I can’t see paying $17/pound for a plastic bag of M&Ms or even more for some of them in a plastic container.

At this point I headed back through Disney Springs and walked back to Saratoga Springs, getting there a little after 1. I took a photo of my cookies, and used a fork to cut a small bite from each one – both are very good. I think it’ll take a while
to eat them, but no doubt SB will help. I sat down at the table and updated the report, then did some other online stuff.

Around 2:30 I started thinking about what to do next, since it wasn’t expected to rain until possibly this evening. That Epcot front entrance is still a major turnoff, so I decided to catch a bus to Hollywood Studios and then ride the Skyliner over to
Epcot for a bit. I was out the door around 2:45 and had a short wait at the bus stop for a Hollywood Studios bus (about 4-5 minutes). We sat there while the driver unhooked a couple who were both in rental scooters. At the Springs we discharged the
only other party, and then I had a solo ride to the Studios.

I checked out the location of the Saratoga Springs bus stop in case I decided to reverse my trip later, and it’s very convenient to the Skyliner. The Skyliner had no wait, so I basically walked right onto a gondola. In no time I was at Caribbean
beach, where I was behind 1 other guy in line. The Skyliner stopped for less than a minute but when it started up again I was permitted to board my gondola. When it stops, they stop loading even though you’re right there and doors are open.

It was a nice ride to International Gateway and I had no wait anywhere to enter Epcot. It was busy, but didn’t seem any busier than it had been yesterday in the first hour it was open! I checked wait times later, and they were a little bit shorter
than yesterday morning – go figure. I did one loop around the countries, starting with France. After the sliders for lunch I was not hungry at all, which is just as well since most of the booths I would have been interested had fairly long lines.
Oddly enough, Canada had no line at all. They also had several portions of the food plated up and sitting under the warming lamps – no thanks! That was probably the problem with my crunchy chicken flatbread the other day – it dried out sitting
there.

I didn’t stop in any shops either, and certainly not in Germany for another cookie! On a future trip, definitely, but not when I have Gideon’s cookies too. Today ended up being warmer than expected – mid 80’s instead of 81. In the sun it felt
hot, but without the awful humidity we’ll have by next month. It will be unbearable during my next few trips, but that means I’ll enjoy more pool time.

When I came back around to International Gateway I exited the park and walked over to Beach Club. Right now it’s still only the dvc portion that’s open, but the regular resort opens May 30th. That’s a shame, as it’s been nice with the smaller
crowds – especially if Stormalong Bay is a priority.

At the bus stop I could see I’d recently missed the Disney Springs bus, as the board was showing it would be about 15 minutes for the next one. That was pretty accurate, so I did some emails to pass the time. Once it arrived it was more than half
full from Yacht Club, but the 3 parties here were all able to get on.

Surprisingly, Disney Springs wasn’t a mob scene. It was busy, but I expected it to be much worse. The major stores had people queued up waiting for their turn to get in, and I have no idea how the virtual queue was at Gideon’s. I assume at least 2-
3 hours, and I knew I wasn’t going to be waiting around. I continued to the exit and made the short walk back to my villa. Much of the walkway is shaded, which made it especially nice. By 5 I was back in the villa, and turned on the local news while
updating the report. They’re still expecting rain tonight, but not much tomorrow. It’ll be another 88 degree day tomorrow, unfortunately.

The rest of the night I’ll just be hanging out in the villa, relaxing “at home”. I don’t know if I’ll feel hungry later, but if so I still have some crackers and cheese – and cookies, lol! More importantly, I have wine and a nice
comfortable place to kick back and relax.

Today was a really nice day. I’m somewhat surprised I waited at Gideon’s, but now that it’s done I’m glad I did. Lunch at the Boathouse was very nice, and I’ll definitely do that again. Planet Hollywood, Boathouse, Gideon’s – I need to
stop finding good places because they’re only really convenient from Saratoga Springs and I don’t stay there often!

Tomorrow Chris, Ari & Amanda are planning to arrive at Magic Kingdom by 8. I’m assuming the park will open by 7:15 so I plan to head over there early (if the buses cooperate) and do a few things I know they won’t be interested in (like Space
Mountain). It’ll be nice spending the morning with them, and getting some pool time in the afternoon.

Sue/WDW1972

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On 4/16/2021 4:28 PM, Sue/WDW1972 wrote:

I walked through the old
Marketplace and tried to decipher the directory/map to see where
Gideon’s was located since I couldn’t remember. It’s hard for me to make sense of the map – it would be so much easier if they’d have
kept the old names of Marketplace, Pleasure Island & West Side!
Gideon’s is in Pleasure Island, close to where Mannequins used to be, across from Raglan Road.

Bu Sue, change is GOOD! :-P I really don't get the whole change to
"Disney Springs". I found no problems with "Downtown Disney". I guess
if they wanted to get rid of Pleasure Island, they could have re-themed
that, but I don't see a reason to rename the whole place.

At Gideon’s the line was down the block and around the corner. I
asked the employee at the door how long the wait was, and she said
she didn’t know because she can’t see the end. I walked around the corner and found a couple more Gideon’s staff who told me the wait at
this point was 45 minutes. I asked about the virtual queue and they
said it hadn’t opened, and might not since it hadn’t opened all week. They only do that if the line gets longer than a certain point. So,
my choices were wait in line or skip it. I had my kindle in my bag,
so I decided to get in line and read while standing there.

It got pretty warm in the sun, but when I was almost to the front of
the line it got very overcast and I wondered if it was going to rain. Overcast felt better than sunny! When it was my turn I was let
inside – they have 3 stations where you can buy your stuff, and a
short queue where another 3 parties can be waiting. I got 2 of the
cookies – the special one for April, which is orange pecan chocolate
chip, and the pistachio toffee chocolate chip. They’re very big, and
they should be since they’re $6 each (plus tax). They do take Disney
gift cards here, but there are no discounts for passholder or dvc. I
was back outside 45 minutes after I’d joined the line, so it was
pretty accurate.

Hmm, I don't think Id wait 45 minutes un the heat for cookies. A really super-good steak maybe, but not cookies.

I wandered around to find the new M&M store. This is located in the
West Side, and it’s a cute & colorful store but I can’t see paying $17/pound for a plastic bag of M&Ms or even more for some of them in
a plastic container.

Yeah, I've been in a few of those brand-themed stores in Las Vegas and I
was underwhelmed by the high prices.

The Skyliner had no wait, so I basically walked right onto a gondola.
In no time I was at Caribbean beach, where I was behind 1 other guy
in line. The Skyliner stopped for less than a minute but when it
started up again I was permitted to board my gondola. When it stops,
they stop loading even though you’re right there and doors are open.

I suppose they do that in case it shuts down for a long time, that way
they don't have to go around and get people to unload.

The rest of the night I’ll just be hanging out in the villa, relaxing
“at home”. I don’t know if I’ll feel hungry later, but if so I still have some crackers and cheese – and cookies, lol! More importantly,
I have wine and a nice comfortable place to kick back and relax.

The necessities are covered!




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