u/i_should_b3_working

Visiting again the last weekend in August and planning to hit all my favorite dining spots!

•Ale & Compass at the Yacht Club

•Grand Floridian Cafe (In Citricos now?)

•Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge

•Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant in Disney Hollywood Studios

•Biergarten Restaurant in EPCOT

I have a park hopper for that one Saturday - hoping I have the stamina to jump around to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studios!

It's the little things. The smell. The sound of the lobby. That beautiful landscape painting.

This was always my dream job as a kid. Still love just sitting and listening and taking the whole ambience in.

When I saw they did silhouettes of dogs on Main Street, I had to get one of my sisters' dog. It turned out so perfect.

I had an incredible solo dinner at The Yachtsman at the Yacht Club Resort. Lobster Bisque and a delicious dry aged New York Strip (Oscar style). Highly recommend!

I love the details in this ride. I wonder what that ballroom looks like behind those doors...

I feel so lucky to have been able to visit this incredible park within its first year of opening. Here's to many more trips!

Another full circle moment from my trip to WDW last month. I returned to the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge resort to grab lunch. I had the Bison Burger (delicious) and some very large jars of Coke. 24 years later, it looks the same and I loved it.

Some photos my brother and I shot on our little Kodak disposable cameras back in 1997. My dad even managed to get some video of us taking the photos.

Haven't eaten here in 29 years! Last time I visited was with my family in 1997. Now I'm here on a solo trip, rediscovering my love for this place. It's just as magical as I remember it. Glad I was able to catch one of the last performances of Martin "Marty" Gross before he retires after 40 years. Probably saw him perform here when I was a kid all those years ago. Another full circle moment from my WDW trip.

Small story time.

I recently went back to WDW for the first time in about 12 years. I can barely afford it, but I stayed for one night at the Grand Floridian Resort; the hotel I used to stay at with my family back in the 90s.

The last time I stayed there was about 24 years ago with my dad and my brother. We didn't know it then, but it would be our last vacation together. My dad passed away two years later from cancer. So, as you can imagine, staying even for one night back at that hotel came with a lot of overwhelming happy memories and nostalgia.

When I booked my room this time, I requested to be in the same building and same room we stayed in on that last trip. Thanks to the incredible cast members working in reservations, I got the room directly next to the one I stayed in with my dad and brother 24 years ago.

Needless to say, it was emotional, magical and extremely fulfilling. It felt like a full circle moment and like "touching time." In the end, I'm happy I didn't stay in the exact room we did. It was the same hallway, the same view and it left the past in the past. But, we got to be neighbors.

I can't thank the WDW folks enough for making this happen. I made sure to let them know as I was checking out just how much that meant to me and my whole trip.

I hope to go back again some day and stay at the GF. It's truly one of the best.

I cannot wait to get back to Darkmoor.

It's been about 26 years since I last ate here as a kid with my family. Didn't disappoint. Delicious food. Great service. Impeccable atmosphere. :)