For some people, there are other important things in life besides Disney. I know, crazy right? Today the New England Patriots would be facing off against the Pittsburg Steelers and Mr. Jones couldn’t imagine not catching it. Being a dutiful wife, I did a little calling ahead to find out where the game might be broadcast. The consensus was that the ESPN Zone at the BoardWalk would be our best bet.
The BoardWalk area resorts. So lovely.
Surprise, Lady! You’re in my blog.
We were running a little close to the bone time-wise. When we arrived, there was a line out the door! Oh, dear.
Guess all these people have their priorities mixed up too,
I had another card up my sleeve. I left Jeff in line, just in case, and booked it over to Big River Grille. This is a brew pub that I had heard a bit about. There was a pretty good chance they at least had a TV at the bar.
Big River
They did indeed have a TV, but I made for dang sure they would be willing to switch over the the Patriots game before alerting Jeff to come meet me. Assurances were made so I made the call!
Big River 90s interior.
The bar area with the brewery vats behind glass.
First, the good: Yay!!! Jeff could watch the game, bullet dodged. The beer was pretty good and the bartender was friendly, that ends the good. The place was long in the tooth and really kind of dirty. There was an old carpet smell right when you stepped in. The decor was not only out of date, but didn’t match up with a Brew Pub theme. I expected rustic woods and leather, but it was more like a 50s diner. I love diners don’t get me wrong, it just to didn’t seem to jibe. The entrance was lined with planters, just like many of the store fronts along the Boardwalk, only all theirs were punky with peeling paint.
Shameful
I was really kind of surprised that Disney has allowed this place to slide so far. The reviews online don’t give them any points for food either. Jeff got some nacho chips to hold him over and even they were pretty shabby. I downed half a beer, but there was no way I could spend four hours sitting in a bar when there was exploring to do. I headed out and took a lap around the BoardWalk.
Surry bikes for rent. Looks like a lot of work.
Margaritas on the go!
I payed a visit to one of the newest additions in the area, Ample Hills Creamery.
Ample Hills. Tee hee
The place was bright and cheery as ice cream parlors are want to be. All the ice cream is made on premises and is rumored to be delectable. I considered asking for samples, but I had no intention of ordering anything. I couldn’t in good conscience.
Clean, open kitchen. Nothing going on right now.
Adorable murals decorate the walls.
Step-by-step instructions in case you don’t know how sundaes work.
I continued around Crescent Lake. It was so pleasant and the sun was starting to dip lower in the sky.
Some sort of pavilion, maybe for weddings?
It was bordering on torture that just down this waterway is World Showcase. I had our park tickets parceled out just so, which made it impossible for me to dip in without messing up the rest of the week.
Water way to Epcot!
There’s France, right there!
In hindsight, it would have been negligible to add and extra day’s tickets onto the package. In this case, I could have spent the afternoon traipsing around the countries taking an obnoxious amount of pictures without feeling like I’m dragging my dear spouse down. Either way, having a little safety zone if there’s a change in plans ain’t a bad idea.
Continuing around the lake…
The Beach Club
Grounds, looking gorgeous.
You guys, remember when we got to stay at the Beach Club and we were upgraded to a suite!? Pretty much one of the best days of my life.
Beautiful fresh flowers
Cape May Cafe, a seafood buffet in the Beach Club. If you’re averse to the smell of boiled lobster, you shouldn’t stay here.
These draperies are new. That’s a sign of multiple trips. Am I proud or ashamed?
The pool here is more like a Water Park. It’s locked down so that you need to use your Magic Band to prove that you’re a guest at the Yacht or Beach Club.
Just a small section of the sand bottomed pool.
Their security was a bit lacking this evening.
More pretty plantings.
A long look down the boardwalk to the Yacht Club.
I made it full circle. The game was just about over so I returned to Big River to polish off my beer and reunite with my husband. The Pats won, by the way.
Back to the beginning.
It was a lovely afternoon.
Now my patience would be rewarded. We called on an Uber and motored over to The Grand Floridian Resort. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that we used the heck out of Uber. Getting from resorts to parks and vice versa via Disney transportation is pretty easy. Getting from resort to resort is not. It saved us so much time going this route. It’s just a few bucks and saved at least an hour each time.
Welcome back!
Tonight we would be embarking on a Monorail Bar Crawl. We started at the Grand Floridian. This place will take your breath away!
The Grand Lobby and Disney’s Signature Resort.
The orchestra serenades us from the mezzanine.
Looking down over the lobby.
Our first stop will be Mizners Lounge. I’ve heard mixed reviews of the service, but I really just wanted to spend some time in the Grand Flo. I wasn’t concerned.
Mizner’s, this way.
I knew something was off as soon as we turned the corner into the lounge. Apparently the hotel’s quick service restaurant was under refurbishment. Mizner’s was being used as a temporary stop gap. Apparently they think pre-wrapped sandwiches and Gatorade are more important than my martini. Fear not, there was a plan B already in place.
You are here.
We bellied up to the bar at Citrico’s. We had dined here as a family a fews years back.
Classy Bar
Another embroidered napkin I didn’t steal.
A perfect glass of cabernet.
We chose a light dinner of Charcuterie.
Prosciutto, Sopressata, Dry Pork Coppa, Duck Confit Rillettes, Domestic Olli Artisanal Salame, Pickled Mustard Seeds, Seasonal Pickled Vegetables, and Marcona Almonds
Some hearty sourdough bread and salted butter.
Disney continues to win with the butter.
We enjoyed a leisurely snack and then hopped on the monorail for our next destination.
Whizzing by the Magic Kingdom on the monorail.
We hopped off to our next stop, the Polynesian. When we visited earlier in the week with Sam and Ashley it was packed with people waiting for dinner reservations at O’hana. A couple hours later and the place was emptee!
No waiting at the Tambu Lounge.
Dranks
I had already crossed one tropical drink off my to-do list. Here comes the second, the Back Scratcher. Yes, that is a full on back scratcher served up with your rum and passionfruit juice. I saved it.
Bacardi Superior Rum, Myers’s Original Dark Rum, and Passion Fruit Juice topped with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and a Bamboo Backscratcher
I mentioned O’hana earlier. This is one of those all-you-care-to-enjoy type places, so we won’t be dining there. They do however serve one of my favorite desserts, bread pudding. More specifically pineapple bread pudding. Thankfully, it was recently made available à la carte right here at the Tambu!
Gorgeous, yes, but wait til we pour on the caramel sauce!
Look at the swirls of vanilla and caramel!
Our light snack at Citrico’s left us perfectly positioned to enjoy this decedent dessert to its fullest. I couldn’t imagine enjoying this after a feast of grilled meats, noodles and pot stickers. Need I remind you of the strawberry shortcake incident at Hoop-Dee-Doo?
As a little bonus, we got to catch a glimpse of Hallowishes once again. We had a great view twice already during the week, so we didn’t need go outside.
Hallowishes from the comfort of the Tambu Lounge.
A true monoril crawl would have finished at the Contemporary Resort, we just didn’t have the steam. We were full and I couldn’t have been happier. Call the Uber!
Goodnight, Poly!
Next Up: We squeeze in some actual educational stuff in at Epcot between stuffing our faces.