Now that we’re back in Florida, it was time to get a new pet sitter. We had an awesome one in Las Vegas (Shadow so misses Scott), but it can be a challenge to find somebody you trust and the cats like. Daisy hides, Shadow likes male sitters, but Chip seems to love everybody. They all warmed up to Julie and Chip seems to really be into her.

We booked a 2-night stay at Port Orleans. We don’t really like Moderate resorts at WDW, but since this was just a pet sitter test trip, and not the main event, we were a bit more budget-conscious.

This was our first time at Port Orleans and it surprised us in a good way. Thankfully, they got rid of those bathroom curtain doorway separators and the bathroom remodel is a big improvement.

Not only do we need to test out a pet sitter but we obviously needed to test our own process. We were almost to Orlando when Rich realized he’d left our suitcase in the garage at home. He pulled over and, since he was on the busy side of the road, I jumped out to take a peek and, yep, no suitcase in the trunk.

Eventually, we made it back to Port Orleans and checked into our room. Then we took Disney transportation (bus) to Animal Kingdom. Last time we lived in Florida we loved to hang out at Nomad Lounge, chat with the CMs and other guests and were excited to return.

It was odd. Everything about it was odd. The person who seated us, the small table we were given, and the lame service throughout. No awesome CM chat. No guest chat (have noticed this seems to be normal post-Pandemic. People are more insular).

The only good part was the food. It was amazing. Especially the “Chicken Manchurian Nomad Bowl.” Rich had a charcuterie plate but also raved about the Chicken Manchurian. I had the Bolo Rita Cocktail and Rich had the Spice Trader Classic. Churros for dessert were pretty special, too.