Sue's Hot Hot Boulder Ridge Trip (June/July 2023)

We are BRV lovers also, glad you're having a good time. We haven't been to Hoop-de-doo in quite a while but we did learn something during our last family dinner there. I and DS, and DSiL all love chicken wings. If you ask, your server will bring you a bucket(s) of just wings!

DAY 3 – Saturday 7/01/23
Who: Sue (64), DVC Member
Holli (58), friend

Plan: Pool, Some Lounge (Trader Sam’s?)

Actual: Last night after posting the report I poured a glass of wine and went down to the pool. I found Holli & SB in the usual spot and sat on the chaise lounge to chat with them while they enjoyed the water. I could hear fireworks at one point, but it had to be Epcot. They were distant, and the timing was right for that park. At 9:20 the Magic Kingdom fireworks started and were much louder. I decided to walk over to the lake and see if they would be visible.

When I got out near the lake (between the movie playing and Geyser Point) I had a great view of the fireworks! Lots of people were watching, and this will work perfectly for me on July 3rd. There’s no need to deal with inconvenient and lengthy Disney transportation to see them from Bay Lake Tower. I could also see the Electrical Water Pageant floats were in place, and as soon as the fireworks ended the pageant started.

SB & Holli were still at the pool but heard the music and got out to dry off. They joined me partway through and we all enjoyed it. While at the pool we’d been talking about Pusser’s Painkiller (a cocktail) and Holli was saying that although they were good on the HAL ships and somewhere in St Augustine, SB’s were the best. After Electrical Water Pageant we went up to the villa and Holli suggested we go for painkillers – her treat.

We went back down to Geyser Point and sat at the bar drinking painkillers. They were good, but not as good as SB’s. They didn’t include nutmeg as one of the ingredients. Geyser Point was great at night, and I think Holli & I will be back some evening. Around 11 we headed back up to the villa, so once again it was a late night! It was a wonderful time though.

We both slept well this time – no snoring on SB’s part so we both got uninterrupted sleep. We were awake by 5 and up doing online stuff in bed by 5:30. I made my cappuccino, using the hot pot I’d brought from home and was keeping in the master bathroom. This way Holli can use the kitchen coffee maker for her coffee. She was up by 7, so I put SB’s wet swim trunks into the dryer at that time.

Around 7:20 I got up and made my egg and bacon slice for breakfast. SB had said he didn’t want a big breakfast again today, so we’ll see what he comes up with. By 8 we headed down to the pool. We got the same cabana as yesterday, with the same party as yesterday next door. I think they spend the entire day there, with lots of family members (grands, parents, kids, etc).

The pool wasn’t overly busy and except for when the 2 young kids from the next cabana thought doing cannonballs was ok. Thankfully the mom and grandmom didn’t let them do that near other guests. We spent most of the time in the pool again, since it was so warm outside. I did manage more time than the others on my chaise lounge but there was no way I could avoid going in the pool. At one point Holli went over to the jacuzzi and SB spent some time in the dry sauna inside Sturdy Branches (fitness center).

SB decided to hit the road at 11 and Holli & I moved into the cabana to check the status of a rocket launch scheduled for 11:12am. We thought maybe we’d see it from here but never did. We did watch it live on my phone, with the countdown and commentary to make it interesting. From that point we stayed in the cabana until deciding to go back to the villa for showers just before noon.

I took mine first, while Holli enjoyed the balcony. Once she was done, we sat around the living room for a while. We headed out around 1pm to once again take the boat to Magic Kingdom so we could transfer to the monorail. We had a short wait for the boat, which was one of the big ones with really uncomfortable seats. We sat outside in the back, to be under shade.

At Magic Kingdom I think I set off the alarm but wasn’t sure. They herded all of us over to get wanded and have our bags checked – not sure what was up with that. It took enough time that we got to the top of the monorail ramp in time to see the monorail pull away. It was hot up there, even under a fan. Blowing 97-degree air around isn’t refreshing! Eventually we saw the next monorail exit Grand Floridian and head our way.

We rode to the Contemporary and got off there to look for the new calendar in the shops there. At each location the cast members said they used to have them, but they’re gone. We went back through security without tripping the alarm and found the monorail waiting. The monorail was packed, but we found room to stand. A young couple with a daughter in a stroller got up and offered us their seats but we declined. It was very thoughtful of them, but I still am of the opinion that whoever gets the seat should keep the seat – my old age doesn’t make me in need of someone else’s seat.

We got off at the Polynesian and checked the shops again but were told the calendar was sold out. It was 2:15 at this point so we went to see how the line looked for Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. There was no line, and I foolishly was thinking the novelty had worn off and people weren’t lining up anymore, lol! The cast member at the door asked if we were there to join the waitlist. I looked at her like a dummy (blank stare) and said “waitlist?” She said we’d probably get in by 2 hours from now. Then it was Holli’s turn – “two hours?” We’re not deaf, just taken aback, lol. We weren’t sure about waiting 2 hours but had nothing to lose by going on the waitlist. We were told when we get the text we have 15 minutes to show up at the door. I asked if they started taking names at 2pm and she said that’s usually what they do but today the line was so long she started earlier. So much for the novelty wearing off!

Holli suggested dole whip so we went over there and joined that queue. We had maybe 6-8 parties ahead of us, so it took a little while. We each got a pineapple & vanilla swirl, then found seats inside the Polynesian lobby to enjoy our treat. It was very good! We sat there a while watching some of the more interesting wardrobe choices on our fellow guests. We had one little boy with parents who thought it was fine for him to be running around in circles in the middle of the lobby where people were passing through with luggage and other stuff. Thankfully they didn’t stay long. After a while we decided to get up and walk around – we were tired of sitting there.

We stopped at Trader Sam’s to see if they could give us any idea where we were on the waitlist and learned there were 10 or so parties still ahead of us. However, she seemed to take pity on us and since we’re just 2 people we might get in sooner than the “hour” she anticipated. We went outside and had barely gone 20 steps when I got the notification we were being seated early! We rushed back and were taken to 2 empty seats at the surfboard (it seats 10) in the center of the room.

Holli loved this place, and thought it was a lot of fun. There are special effects that occur – I think they’re each triggered by someone ordering a specific drink or some such thing. Across from us was a window that looked to a couple volcanos. Blue sky with white puffy clouds floated by. I think someone ordered the Dark & Stormy drink, which then caused the blue sky to turn dark and the volcanos were erupting. Another time the Tiki god up in near the ceiling came to life, with lights flashing and he made it rain inside the bar! Holli ordered the Hippopotamus Mai Tai, which is delivered along with a chance to meet a toy hippo and the bartenders yelling “two shots of rum”. I got the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum, which tasted a lot like the dole whip we’d eaten earlier.

We shared an appetizer – the thai bbq chicken flatbread, which also has bacon and peanut sauce. This was bigger than expected and it was delicious! It was also more than enough for the two of us. We decided to skip a second round and head out to make room for two other people to come in. There were still people joining the waitlist as we exited – not sure how long the wait would be now.

We went upstairs to the monorail and were pleased to see it sitting there. We managed to get through security without having to be wanded or searched, but then noticed nobody was boarding the monorail. Evidently something was wrong as they made everyone get off and then it eventually rode away empty. As soon as it was out of the way the next monorail pulled in and filled up quickly. We got off at Magic Kingdom and walked onto the waiting boat to Fort Wilderness.

The boat looked like it was ready to depart, with the cast member standing by to pull up the rope. We were trapped behind this large party of people who were the slowest walking people I’ve ever seen! Hello – do you not see the boat waiting and think maybe we should hurry up a little to not miss it? Then once onboard they were creeping and crawling down the aisle – it was unbelievable. They were all younger than us, appeared to be fit, no mobility problems so we couldn’t figure out what their problem was.

On the way to Ft Wilderness we sailed into rain – torrential at one point but it was still raining steadily when we docked. My umbrella was in the bedroom of the villa since there was no chance of rain today and I would have had to take it out of my bag at every security stop. I did have a Disney plastic bag so I kind of held that over my head like a poor-man’s umbrella.

We walked quickly over to the Settlement Trading Post where lots of guests were huddled avoiding the rain. I got the calendar and asked the cast member for an extra plastic bag (for Holli) and we headed outside to find it had stopped raining. Steam was literally rising up off the pavement due to it being so humid. We went to the bus stop, which was uncomfortably hot & humid. A bus pulled in from Wilderness Lodge and would be driving throughout the campground before returning here to pick up guests to go back to the Lodge. We decided sitting in air conditioning beats sitting outside and we had no pressing plans so we got on the bus. Before it pulled away the cast member popped in told us another Wilderness Lodge bus was right behind us so we got off this bus and when it departed got on the bus behind it and rode back to our resort.

Some of my stuff was damp so I laid it in the sunshine on the bedroom carpet. We poured some wine and hung out in the living room. Holli discovered a drop of water, or something must have gotten into the charging port of her phone, as it would not charge. Eventually she used a blow dryer to try to dry it and it would start charging but then quit. She ended up just turning it off to preserve the battery and will try again later.

Good news on the phone – Holli tried again just before 7:30 and it started charging without the error message, so hopefully it’s dried out. I decided to wrap up the report early figuring we’ll be out later to watch the Electrical Water Pageant and fireworks and I want to be able to just go to bed after that.

Today was another wonderful day. SB really enjoyed his portion of the trip and we both enjoyed having him here. The mornings by the pool are so nice and relaxing – wouldn’t it be great to just live here and do it every day??? Holli loved Trader Sam’s and getting the dole whip was a bonus! I’m glad I finally got the calendar. I’m loving being here!

Tomorrow is Holli’s last full day. We’re going to do the 9am walking tour at Wilderness Lodge and then will head to the pool despite knowing the cabanas will all be taken by then. We’re not going to be “those” people who lay out towels and personal items to save our space. Later we’ll spend time at Territory Lounge – should be a nice day.

Glad you got to see David and Rosie. Wonderful people, indeed. You never know when they’ll appear!

Enjoy Territory Lounge today, one of my favorites (amongst many).

It's hard sometimes, but I try to not get too bothered by things I can't control!  Life's too short.

Great report - your trip sounds so relaxing! You even make the 90+ degree heat sound appealing, or at least do-able.

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Thanks, Sue for another great trip report. I’m staying in a one bedroom BR in December this year and your wonderfully detailed TR made me so happy that I chose this resort for my annual Christmas trip. Like you, I very much love hanging by the pool, so I hope the weather cooperates in December.