Disney Day 1 – Copper Creek Dreams, Hollywood Studios Nightmares, & the Magic Pumpkin
Disney again
We went to Disney World. Again. We do this a lot, although a bit less so since the pandemic. A little background is in order, however. The first time I had ever gone to Walt Disney World coincided with my very first time on an airplane, when my parents and I flew Eastern Airlines from New York for my high school graduation. Rona had been to Disney a few times in her youth.
Once Rona and I got married, and especially once we had kids, we went to Disney virtually every year. Both Scott and Rachel’s birth right has been Walt Disney World. They had been to the resort almost every year since they’ve been alive.
From the early days staying off Disney property to taking advantage of Disney’s Fall Fantasy package, end-of-summer savings with short lines, free dining and excellent deals on the resort and tickets, timing our trips with close friends and family, and then high school marching band trips with some of us non-chaperone parents drinking around Epcot, as a family we’ve been to so many of the resort hotels, and frankly know the location of every bathroom in every park (well, maybe not the water parks).
Our closest friends had been DVC members for many years, and I was just so impressed and a little jealous when we visited them in their Treehouse Villa at Saratoga Springs. Then in 2018, we finally decided to spring for DVC, buying points at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at the Wilderness Lodge right after its debut. This became an excuse to visit Disney even more often, until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. If you’ve read our post on Serene Hilton Head Island, you know that over the summer of 2020 we stayed at the DVC resort on the island, loving it so much we bought DVC points for that resort as well.
The Disney bug is contagious. A few weeks before our trip, Scott brought his fiance Veronica for her birthday to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House, and took advantage of Disney’s special 3-Day, 3-Park ticket much as we did. So yeah, we are a Disney family, and hopefully now you may even understand and accept our sickness, or affliction, or condition or whatever you might want to call it. Moving on…
Travel Choices
On Friday, our flight landed early at Orlando International Airport, right about 5:10 PM. We must have done something right for this to happen, because flying between the New York metrolpolitan area and Orlando usually involves a delay in at least one and sometimes both directions. Because we would be staying at a DVC resort with free laundry, we managed to bring only carry-on, which also saved time coming and going.
Where we live in New Jersey, Newark is our preferred airport, but we occasionally fly out of one of the NYC airports or Trenton-Mercer, with its single gate out of which only Frontier Airlines flies. Trenton is about 70 minutes’ drive, but parking is cheap and right in front of the terminal, and most delays are only related to where the planes are coming from or going to.
With all the hullabaloo about delays in and out of Newark airport, we opted out and chose JetBlue out of Westchester County Airport, which is also about 70 minutes’ drive. Parking is also right in front of the terminal, and while it’s less expensive than doing so at Newark (low bar), it’s not cheap. Delta and American also fly out of this airport, which has up to four active gates at one time. We hadn’t flown out of Westchester since Superstorm Sandy hit the area in 2012, and with flights cancelled for days, we wound up renting a car at Orlando Airport and driving north.
JetBlue flies into the new terminal C at Orlando airport, which means we walked off the plane with our luggage and straight to our waiting rental car in the attached garage. While there are countless transportation options to get to and around Walt Disney World, we always rent a car because of the freedom it affords. That’s just us, and your mileage will vary.
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at the Wilderness Lodge
We used our DVC points to reserve a 1-bedroom villa in Copper Creek at the Wilderness Lodge. We love the lodges, though we don’t stay here very often, preferring either Jambo House or Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and, strangely, the very much non-lodge of Old Key West for its more spacious rooms and laid back vibe.
Earlier in the day, we had checked in using the Disney Experience app, indicating our preference for a villa either on the upper floors or nearer the lobby. Even when you check in using the app, there is still a random chance that you will be “pixie-dusted” into a better room. In the past we avoided checking in via the app because we weren’t sure about the possibility of pixie-dust.
Navigating through Friday evening rush-hour traffic, we pulled into the Wilderness Lodge 90 minutes after our flight landed.
Walking into Disney’s Wilderness Lodge feels like stepping into a grand national park lodge, with towering timber beams, a massive stone fireplace, and the warm scent of wood welcoming you into its rustic grandeur. The restaurants are on the left-hand side, and from front to back they are the lively Whispering Canyon Cafe for family style comfort food, Territory Lounge for cocktails, Storybook Dining at Artists Point for an immersive character dining experience, and Roaring fork for quick service. The front desk and the Mercantile (store) are along the right. The Copper Creek Villas are essentially the entire wing along the right hand side past the Mercantile.
We quickly headed up to our villa, which was both on a higher floor and close to the lobby, and using the Disney App, unlocked the door and went inside. Our older Disney Magic Bands also still worked both in the parks and to unlock the door.
When you walk into a Copper Creek 1-Bedroom Villa, the kitchen area with all the appliances greets you immediately ahead to the left. The key feature for me, of course, is the combination carafe/K-Cup coffee-maker, for which Disney supplies the caffeine. There is a dining table for six with a bench on one side and chairs on the other, and just beyond that is the living room with a queen-sized pull-down bed.
To the right of the door is a large closet and combination washer/dryer. Beyond that is the large bedroom with a king-sized bed and a 2-room bathroom “situation”, in which one room has a sink and full-sized tub, and the other has a shower, toilet and sink.
The shower has a rain shower head with a handheld shower attachment, and comes with Disney branded H2O+ Sea & Salt shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in refillable containers on the wall. In our case, the handheld shower attachment didn’t seem to work, and it took a very long time for the water to warm up in the morning.
A single balcony runs along the back of both the bedroom and living room, and offers a view of the resort, including Boulder Ridge Villas, the original DVC villas at the Wilderness Lodge. At one point I spotted a humongous rabbit in the gardens below that was large enough to look like a baby kangaroo.
After dropping our bags, it was time to kick off the Disney festivities. That said, we wanted to pace ourselves for the next three days’ of non-stop, hard core Disney’ing, so that evening’s plan would only include dinner, a treasure hunt at the nearby Disney Character Warehouse outlet, and laying in some supplies for our stay.
For dinner, we opted to stay at the resort and headed outside just past the huge Copper Creek Springs Pool for some outside seating with views of Bay Lake at the Geyser Point Bar & Grill. When we were still in our villa, we had used the Disney app to get on the “10 minute” wait list, but need not have bothered since we were immediately alerted that our table was ready, and when we got there, the place was more than half-empty.
Tired as we were and with zero imagination, we both ordered the Rib-eye steak sandwich, which was fine, though the french fries were typical of Disney: crispy shoestring’ers and really, really good. With a couple of sodas and gratuities, this cost $68.
The rest of the evening is why we rent a car. First, we drove 20 minutes to the Disney Character Warehouse in the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets. A lot of the Disney outlet stores across the country have closed over the years, but there are still two of them in the Walt Disney World vicinity. The morning of our flight to Orlando, we’d watched a fresh YouTube video from TheTimTracker about what was new at the Character Warehouse, and Rona was hoping we’d find some of the same items they found, including last year’s Haunted Mansion Crocs.
Normally when we go to this outlet, it’s during the day and the traffic getting into the lot and finding a spot can be worthy of Mad Max. Maybe because it was after 8 PM, traffic was super light and we found a spot without too much trouble.
The Character Outlet can have a line outside to get in, but at this time of the evening, there was no wait. A limited supply of the 2024 model Haunted Mansion Crocs was available, but fortunately for Rona she scored one in her size. She also snagged a cool Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway t-shirt we’d not seen before, and did in fact wear it at Hollywood Studios.
Treasure hunt complete, we drove to a nearby Publix for some overpriced supplies with a focus on hydration in the summer Florida heat and quick and/or portable morning food since we had some Disney Park rope drops planned. After paying a king’s ransom for bottled water – Zephyrhills of course, a bottle of Dr. Publix Zero, a.k.a. Store-brand Diet Dr. Pepper, frozen breakfast sandwiches, and granola bars, we drove back to Copper Creek and dropped off the goods.
It was too early for bed, so we decided a nightcap was in order and went down to the Territory Lounge, taking seats at the bar about 15 minutes before its 10 PM closing. We were not alone, so no guilt there. I took a cue from Jerry, a.k.a. Mr. Canuck of the Cruising Canucks, and had a Crown and Diet Coke, so as to compare and contrast with a Jack and Diet Coke, while Rona ordered the S’More Old Fashion. This brought some wobble to her gait when we eventually headed out of the lounge at closing. Our bartender had worked at Disney for 30 years, with the last five at the Territory Lounge, and was super friendly.
Because this was Rona’s birthday weekend, after drinks we stopped by the front desk to ask for her complimentary “Happy Birthday” button she would wear most everywhere, resulting in numerous birthday wishes from cast members and guests alike. After a quick scoping out of the Mercantile, the resort’s main gift shop, we headed up to bed in preparation for an early morning rope drop at Hollywood Studios.
Madness at Hollywood Studios
The next morning was the first planned rope drop of this short vacation, and it dawned hot, hot, hot. Disney was offering a 3-Day, 3-Park ticket for $267 this summer, which is an excellent deal, considering the price of tickets in 2025. The catch is that the Magic Kingdom is excluded, but we were okay with that, since we’d been there the prior year. We got in the car and drove over to Hollywood Studios for the 8:30 AM early entry, which is available only to Disney Resort hotel guests. Parking is also free for Disney hotel guests or annual pass holders.
The parks let folks in at least 30 minutes before that early entry time and the seriously hard core rope droppers show up an hour early and are among the first in line for the most popular rides. Showing up 30 minutes early still lands you a pretty good spot in line. The best we could manage this morning was 10 minutes early, which in retrospect was too late to really take advantage of early entry.
For the uninitiated, when entering the parks at opening, you have voluntarily joined a competition resembling a mix of chess and a brisk walking marathon. There’s no running allowed, but everyone is moving aggressively while constantly calculating the most advantageous path toward their first ride destination. It can be a little much, especially if you were counting on a relaxing vacation.
We went straight to Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This is one of Disney’s most immersive rides, usually offering multiple experiences as you move through. Even though the park had just opened for resort hotel guests, we waited in line for an hour, and then involuntarily skipped the transport sequence, which is where you board a shuttle that simulates travel and capture by the First Order. Supposedly, this can happen for technical reasons or for crowd management purposes. It was a bummer, but we still loved the main part of the ride that involves an immersive escape from the First Order stormtroopers and Kylo Ren.
Afterward, we walked over to Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, the first ever ride that had opened in this part of the park. As if to make up for the lengthy wait at Rise of the Resistance, we walked right onto this ride, though it would be the only short line we experienced today. For the first time ever, Rona and I were both granted the plum jobs on the Millenium Falcon, piloting the ship on the interactive smuggling mission. One of us always seems to wind up as an engineer.
Done with Galaxy’s Edge and in need of caffeine and a breakfast snack, we headed for Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea right outside Toy Story Land. Apparently, a lot of people had the same idea, because it too had a long line. After standing on the non-moving line in the oppressive Florida summer sun for a while, it became apparent that hydration was more important than caffeine, so we bailed and bought a soda and pretzel at the market next door. We’d have to extract whatever caffeine we could from that crispy Coke Zero.
At this point, some shade and air conditioning seemed like a good idea before getting back on a long line in the heat, so we walked over to see the Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After show. It’s tucked in on Sunset Boulevard, past Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, replacing Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, which closed in late 2024. The show was campy and cheesy, not entirely memorable, but comparable to Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents and Epcot’s American Experience if you’re looking for a break… and possibly a nap.
Feeling somewhat refreshed, we went back to Toy Story Land and joined the one hour wait for Toy Story Mania. Fortunately, most of that wait was inside. This “4D shootin’ game” is one of our favorite interactive rides in all the parks, and has been a far better experience than Magic Kingdom’s Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, which is thankfully closed for major refurbishment through 2026.
We intended for a relatively short visit at Hollywood Studios, since we had other plans that afternoon and evening. So before our last ride of the day, and for the first time in forever, or actually for the first time ever, we stopped at the ABC Commissary for quick service lunch. The place was hoppin’, and so it wound up being a good thing we ordered ahead on the Disney Experience App just as we walked out of Toy Story Mania.
Approaching the Commissary’s front door at 1 PM, I pressed the “I’m here” button on the App, and as it then suggested, quite luckily found one of only a few empty tables in this large venue. After about 5-10 minutes, we got the notification that lunch was ready. For $31, we shared Pork Carnitas Tacos and Black Garlic, Truffle and Parmesan Fries. The tacos came with rice and beans, and were huge and really tasty. The idea of garlic and parmesan on the fries blinded me to the fact that I don’t really like the taste of truffle. The tacos were really enough for the both of us, and we wastefully left most of the fries over.
Our last ride of the day was Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, located where The Great Movie Ride used to be in the replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. After a relatively not-too-shabby 35-minute wait behind a wide-range of guests, including a gruff looking military veteran in his motorized scooter, we were off on a wacky adventure aboard Engineer Goofy’s train, a trackless ride in the same vein as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in Epcot’s France Pavilion.
While I do miss the Great Movie Ride, it was remarkably fun to see that gruff military veteran, now joyfully executing a choreographed waltz and cha-cha with Daisy Duck in the dance studio scene. On the way out, he and his partner admitted it was not their first time doing so.
Having ridden the rides we’d planned to, we made our way out of the park, going through as many air-conditioned stores as possible along Hollywood Boulevard. We’d parked too close for the tram out to the parking lot to make sense. Maybe we are getting old, but the walk from the front of the park to our car was like crossing the surface of the sun. As the car slowly cooled down and our sweaty, exposed skin acclimated to the scalding front seats of this rental Nissan, we set off for Disney Springs, sharing second thoughts about not having given Disney more money for Lightning Lanes.
Disney Springs and the Glass Pumpkin
The primary reason for Disney Springs this afternoon was to buy a magical glass pumpkin at Arribas Brothers, where you actually do the glass blowing, and custom design the mix of crystals that fill the pumpkin. Scott had scoped this out for us a few weeks’ prior, so we knew we couldn’t get there too late in the day. You have to make an appointment and pay for it, then you choose the mix of crystals to fill the glass pumpkin.
Rona’s appointment was less than 30 minutes after arriving, so with a quick caffeine break at Starbucks, we were back at Arribas Brothers. The artisan heats up the glass, explaining the process and generally chatted us up. When the magic moment arrived, he attached a tube to the extremely hot glass, and Rona did the glass blowing. Moments later, she had a perfectly shaped pumpkin. Once the pumpkin is formed, the artisan finishes up with it, sets it to cool, and tells you to come back in two hours to pick up the finished product.
We had not planned for the two-hour wait, so we set off for Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar for a drink and snack, given that dinner wasn’t for another four and a half hours. This is one of our favorite places in Disney Springs, with its adventurous vibe and unique drinks. Along the way, we said hello to Brickley, the giant lego sea serpent that has resided at Disney Springs since 1997, when it was called Downtown Disney. When we reached Jock Lindsey’s, however, the line in front of the place snaked all around outside, much like Brickley. Disappointment! It was like Hollywood Studios all over again!
The line wasn’t really moving so we went over to Raglan Road for happy hour and took a couple of seats at one of the indoor bars. With live Irish music in the background, we ordered a couple of beers – Smithwicks Irish Red Ale for Rona and Harp Irish Lager for me. For snick-snack, we went with “An Irish Egg”, a Guinness and onion sausage crusted egg, basically an Irish take on a Scotch Egg. The best $3 investment this trip to Disney was the Comfort Bread, which is a brown soda bread with a Guinness glaze and olive oil for dipping. Overall, this was a nice, air-conditioned respite from the day.
Before returning to Arribas Brother for the finished glass pumpkin, we joined one more line, though it was only for 20 minutes and more importantly it was for cookies. Sometimes you have to wait for the good stuff.
Right across from Raglan Road stands Gideon’s Bakehouse, a must visit, both for the gothic Victorian-era Apothecary ambiance, and of course the enormous cookies, of which I failed to take pictures. Today, we took away a Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip and a Cookies & Cream. Rona also had her favorite Peanut Butter Cold Brew, but it would take the rest of the vacation to finish these lovelies.
Steakhouse 71 at the Contemporary Resort
Later on, after cleaning up and a short rest back at the Copper Creek, we drove over to the Contemporary Resort for a late dinner at the ground floor restaurant Steakhouse 71, so named for the year that the Contemporary first opened. We’d eaten here a couple of times in the past and enjoyed it. It’s by no means at the same level of bougie as the California Grill, but then again it isn’t as expensive.
Full disclosure: we had originally scored a reservation at the California Grill that would have enabled us to stay in the restaurant and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. However, after Scott and Veronica ate dinner at Steakhouse 71 on their visit a few weeks’ prior, their relayed experience and food-porn photos, along with the current menu at California Grill convinced us to save a few dollars and opt to eat downstairs.
Rona wasn’t drinking tonight, so I toasted her diet coke with my properly made old fashioned. We shared an excellent caesar salad to start that was served with whole Romaine leaves beneath croutons, dressing and shaved parmesan cheese.
Rona ordered the filet mignon topped with the signature steakhouse sauce along with red-wine glazed mushrooms, while I asked for the prime rib with au gratin potatoes. My plate arrived with charred asparagus by mistake, but they quickly brought out another plate with the potatoes. The steaks were prepared exactly as ordered, the filet cut like butter, and both were well seasoned and delicious. The sides were tasty, but the au gratin potatoes were the absolute star, cheesy and salty in the best way imaginable.
By the time our entrees and sides had vanished off our plates, we were too full for dessert, but the server wound up bringing a complimentary chocolate bundt birthday cake to help celebrate Rona’s birthday vacation. The entire meal including gratuity cost $138.
We waddled out of Steakhouse 71 hoping to see the Magic Kingdom’s Happily Ever After Fireworks show, but a little too late to make it up to the Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower. Instead, we found a spot to stand on the outdoor 4th floor observation deck, which is on the same level as the shops in the Contemporary Resort and just before the sky bridge to Bay Lake Tower.
At either location, Disney pipes in the same audio that guests at the Magic Kingdom hear. There is some seating on the observation deck, though you would need to arrive earlier than we did. We soaked in the ambiance of the show for a while, but since our view was partially obstructed and we were pretty tired by this point, we left before the show was over and headed back to the Wilderness Lodge. We had another park rope drop planned for tomorrow, this time even earlier!
Check back soon for the final 2 days at Disney, including rope drop at the Animal Kingdom, a visit to Epcot, and dining at Yak & Yeti, Storybook Dining at Artist Point, Space 220, and San Angel Inn.