We broke away from the monotony and cold, gray (fickle) Michigan weather a couple of weeks ago and headed to Disney. The last time we were that way was for Ash’s third birthday. He’ll be six in five months.
As I wrote before, I have a very biased, warm, and fuzzy blanket of nostalgia for Disney, so it felt befitting when I walked up to our resort and saw “Welcome Home” autographed across the top of the entrance.
We nixed Epcot on our last visit. But this time, Epcot territory was said home. The Riviera Resort is beautiful. And honestly, the Riviera will probably be where we stay again if, or should I more accurately say, when, we return. It gives European vibes with a Disney spin, smells like tranquility, and the staff—kind beyond measure. It is now nestled into a corner of my mind as one of my happy places.
Our one-bedroom villa was perfectly spacious. The kitchen left nothing to be needed—dinnerware, silverware, and complete cookware. There was plenty of storage throughout the villa for whatever purposes. There was this one ottoman that Ash kept fancying, trying to hide in for play. It was just the three of us, but the space could easily sleep five or six; that faux T.V. console—a pullout twin bed. Ash found that quite amusing too. It was all so lovely.
There have been a few changes to the scene since our last magical voyage. For one, as of January first of this year, the Magical Express—that convenient complimentary shuttle bus from the airport to the resorts is gone. We decided not to Lyft and just rent a car since it was about a twenty-mile drive to the resort. We also thought this would offer the convenience of stopping at a local grocery store for snacks, water, and juice for the room (which, go figure, we never did). Our flight was an evening flight on that Wednesday, and so by the time we got in the car, we were just tired from traveling and ready to be there.
I ditched my Athleta puffer vest before we could make it out of the car rental garage. Ash pulled off his hoodie. That balmy weather hugging us as we walked up to the resort from the car was the loveliest thing. We checked in, dropped our luggage in our room, and headed straight to Primo Piatto–quick boutique dining on the lower level of the resort (which also has a small bakery section and an assortment of cold beverages to stock up on if desired). It was almost closing time, but we were able to get in a late dinner order for some very yummy pizza and bacon cheeseburgers. La Boutique, an apparel and gift shop in the lobby, was also open, and I later learned it also has a small section of more assorted groceries.
The complimentary “magic bands” are also now not complimentary. But honestly, we did not need them because of the new “magical” phone app. The last time we were there, that waterproof watch wristband made everything so convenient; it was the park ticket, room key, and your credit card—basically, a bracelet that helped make the experience seem more carefree; just scan the band. Unbeknownst to me, magic bands are transferable to each trip so I could have just used the ones given to us in 2019 for this trip.
But that’s ok; I still did not purchase any new ones because there was a big push from cast members to “use the Disney app,” which, in my opinion, leaves a little to be desired in terms of functionality and appreciable convenience. Or maybe it was just user error. To its credit, though, it did help us navigate the day at Hollywood studios since we could look up stand-by times in real enough time for certain attractions. Otherwise, we may not have been able to squeeze in the Slinky Dog Dash, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run in the final hour and a half to park closing. Also, because there were not many physical maps readily available, the “Find on Map” icon under each attraction on the app was super helpful.
And now, since COVID, in addition to purchasing your park ticket, you must make a reservation for the park you want to visit on the day you want to visit. There were no reservations available for Magic Kingdom during our visit, which was fine. We stayed within literally walking distance of Magic Kingdom last time, and I don’t think they’ve added any new attractions since then.
Last time I added Park Hopper and Fast Pass to our tickets—this time, neither. We had no time (or energy) to hop parks and found it way more enjoyable to dedicate one day to each park reservation. I forgot to add the Fast Pass until I was knee-deep in line at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. It’s something like fifteen dollars per ticket to add the “Fast Pass feature,” with the pay-off of a shorter wait time in line; however, from my understanding, the Fast Pass still requires an extra reservation for certain attractions like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After. You can add Fast Pass at any time (supposedly through the “handy dandy app”); however, after lucking up on shorter than expected waits for most of the things we wanted to do, I never added the feature.
Day one was Epcot. I, unfortunately, didn’t take many pictures at Epcot. But our first stop was the Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure which was utterly adorable and a great opening act. Ash wanted to swim at the hotel pool, so we left mid-day to indulge his request. We came back for the 9 o’clock fireworks and did a simulated hang-glide adventure called Soarin’ Around the World right before, which was so good. We stopped twice for Pineapple ice cream (a.k.a a Dole Whip). Day one was a good day.
Day two was Animal Kingdom. This is one of my favorites. Our first stop here was Avatar Flight of passage, a simulated flight on the back of a mountain banshee—totally awesome. We then walked over to Dino land, passing some familiar landmarks and one of my faves, the ViVa Gaia Street band (because they make you want to dance), and boarded “a rugged Time Rover vehicle.” We “traveled” through a forest filled with dinosaurs to find an Iguanodon to bring back to the present time before a giant meteor hit, wiping out life on Earth. So that was that.
After, we ate pulled pork sandwiches at Flame Tree Barbecue, again shooing away the same obnoxious birds from 2019 trying to steal food under the Pavilion, and then headed to Africa for a Kilimanjaro Safari ride. And then, as the sun began to set, I rooted for one final Animal Kingdom hoorah, the Kali River Rapids in Asia. After noticing how many people got off the ride drenched, Brian was not feeling it, but I talked him into living a little (he barely got wet). On the way out of the park, I stopped for one of those lemon slushy things that I love.
Day three was at Hollywood Studios. Ash loves those classic animated Mickey short films on Disney Plus. So, our first stop at Hollywood Studios was Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and it was so good. After that, we headed over to the Toy Story Land for the Slinky Dog Dash, and right when we had gotten close and had made our last twists and zags in the line, a thunderstorm dashed our way and shut it down. So, everyone hurried toward the exit. And this was yet another one of the times when we were so glad that we brought Ash’s stroller from home. We nestled him in, pulled down his canopy as far as it would go, and made a run for it. Luckily, I had brought an umbrella, just in case, because the sky had already looked promising for a storm that morning.
We headed back to the resort (via the magic bus because the skyline was temporarily shut down) to change into dry clothes. While it rained, Ash played around the villa, and I washed and dried all our clothes from over the past few days and began packing (it was incredibly nice not to have to do a ton of dirty laundry after such a lovely trip). And when the storm let up, and only sparse droplets tapped the ground, we got on the skyline and headed back. The crowd was light, so it was perfect timing in checking off our final to-dos with Slinky and Star Wars.
In 2019 Ash was riding Dumbo, the flying elephant, and Swirling Alien Saucers. This time he was the pilot in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, and riding on the back of a Banshee. He was all the way excited about it.
And that was our spring break in a nutshell. It took me a few days to recover. And I’m still trying to work off blueberry-lemon pancakes and Dole Whips. And it took me forever to write this post.
But at last, and as before—to my Ash, I hope you had a wonderful time. Disney, thanks again for all the magic, past, present, and future. Xo
