It was Thursday, November 30th. Ah, the dreaded day we had to return our beloved golf cart! Boo hoo! Just kidding! No big deal as we had pretty much exhausted everything we had wanted to do driving around Fort Wilderness.

Dropping off the golf cart was easy peasy – no need to see anyone, just drive the cart (I followed in the car) to the Reception Outpost near the entrance to the campground, drop the keys in the Key Dropoff Box and that’s it.

With that task done, after running a quick errand, we were ready for our next Disney adventure. It required us to drive to Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside where, after admiring the lobby Christmas tree and a little wait at the boat dock, we boarded the free Sassagoula River Cruise boat for a picturesque, very relaxing 2-1/2 mile, 20 minute ride to Disney Springs, a 120 acre outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex.

As we left the dock, we had lovely views of some of the stately white-column mansions of Magnolia Bend, all part of the Port of Orleans – Riverside.

Lots to see along the way – lush woods, other cruise boats,  the very unique Disney Vacation Club Treehouse Villas, and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. It sure was a perfect and beautiful day for a boat ride!

We had taken this boat ride to the shopping area over the years when it used to be called Downtown Disney. With the change in name in 2015 came a major expansion. Disney Springs is divided into four areas: Marketplace, The Landing, Town Center, and West Side and is bordered by Lake Buena Vista to the north and the parking garages and surface lots to the south.

Once we disembarked, it was time to explore. With 95 shops, 69 dining establishments and 25 entertainment venues, there was a lot to see and do! And a lot of walking!

After roaming around for awhile, we were hungry! Time for lunch! Oh, no, too many choices. We considered Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant where we had eaten before but we didn’t want a big meal. Perhaps Cookes of Dublin might be good but this is a quick service, order at the counter, very small with not a lot of seating so we quickly ruled that out.

Long story short, we ended up at D-luxe Burger, located in the Town Center.

I had the Bacon & Blue Cheese Burger ($14.99) which was two-pressed Signature-blend Patties with Bacon, Onion Jam, Blue Cheese, Lettuce, and Tomato and Rob had the Beef Wellington Burger ($13.99) which was two-pressed Signature-blend Patties, Crispy Prosciutto, Mushroom Duxelles, Gruyère, and Horseradish Aïoli on an Herbed Puff Pastry Bun. We shared an order of fries ($5.49). So much for not having a big meal but wow, it was really good!

After lunch, we continued walking around, making our way from the Town Center to the West Side. Oh, my, this place is huge!

We passed by Aerophile Orlando, the world’s largest tethered helium balloon. Custom-built for Disney World by Aerophile S.A.S., a Paris France headquartered company, the Balloon is filled with 210,000 cubic feet of Helium. The balloon’s basket / gondola is 19 feet in diameter and holds up to 29 people plus one Aérophile-certified Pilot per flight. Because it is tethered, it will not travel beyond 400 feet at any time but will offer spectacular views up to 20 miles away to guests.

This looks like a fun adventure! At the Boathouse Restaurant, a 20 minute guided tour of Lake Buena Vista in a vintage Amphicar with a captain. At $125 per car, it seems a little pricey but maybe it’s worth it. We enjoyed just watching the cars entering the water for free! These cars can achieve speeds of seven knots in the water and 70 mph on land. Only 3,878 Amphicars were manufactured in Germany from 1961 to 1968. During that time 3,046 were imported into the United States. Two American Presidents owned Amphicars; Jimmy Carter and Lyndon B. Johnson. Less than 400 of these cars exist today. Check out this video.

Because it was getting late and we were tired of walking around, we headed back to the boat dock where after a brief wait, we enjoyed a quiet and relaxing cruise back to Port Orleans. Back at the coach, it was a quiet evening! And a quiet day the next day as we prepared for our departure.

Bye, bye, Mickey and Minnie!