Bringing Mom to WDW for MY bday, Sept '09! Day 4 Part 1..AK and Tusker House 12/30!

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Yay!!! Have so much fun!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!

[disneygirlinnj]

Sooooooo exciiiiiiiting!!! :yay::yay:

I don't even know where Fire & Oak is! :laughing: Really, I gotta go to places other than diners.

Have a wonderful wonderful time!

and I'm excited for you too, Dawn!!! Can't wait to heat/tweet all about all of your adventures! :goodvibes:goodvibes

It's the old South City Prime...owned by the same people that own the whole South City Grill restaurants. A little pricey but fun for a special occasion. :) And you can NEVER go wrong with diners! mmmmm!

Yay for leaving tomorrow! I'm ready to start reading some tweets! :)

WOOHOO!! :)

Happy Days for Jenn!!!!

Less than 24hrs and you will be on your way to Disney!!!!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME DISNEY!!!! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Got the UberTwitter fired up... start posting those tweets!

Have a great time Jenn!!

Gene

Thank you Gene!

OMG You leave tomorrow! I'm so jealous! Have a great time! I can't wait to read all about it. Tell Mickey we'll see him soon!

I'll definitely pass along the message to the Mouse! :)

Yay!!! Have so much fun!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!

Thank you!!! :) :banana:

[disneygirlinnj]

OK so packing has STARTED! :) All my clothes are laid out, pretty much all my toiletries are all in order in the bathroom, all the electronics are either ready or charging. :)

Mom is pretty much all packed and organized too. We just looked through the photos from our 2007 trip to try to help her jog her memory. Don't think I ever mentioned it but when I was in high school, she had a stroke and has since had a problem remembering a lot of things. Pictures are her friend and she loves going through them to remember things. It's fun to see her getting all excited today :)

Right now taking a break to watch the Yankee/Red Sox game :) Go yanks! :banana: (Mom is SO not enjoying the game...she hates baseball but sucks it up for yanks/sox games for me lol)

[scoot241]

I was about to doubt your committment to this trip if you hadn't started packing by now. :rotfl:

We are watching the Braves/Nationals game at my wife's parents house (father-in-law is a Braves fan). Not surprising that the Braves are winning.

[disneygirlinnj]

I was about to doubt your committment to this trip if you hadn't started packing by now. :rotfl:

We are watching the Braves/Nationals game at my wife's parents house (father-in-law is a Braves fan). Not surprising that the Braves are winning.

Haha...sadly though the Yanks game is still in the bottom of the 6th... I REALLLY wanna stay and watch the game (don't have a tv in my room) but I REALLY need to finish up all this packing and shower. :( Decisions decisions!

[scoot241]

Haha...sadly though the Yanks game is still in the bottom of the 6th... I REALLLY wanna stay and watch the game (don't have a tv in my room) but I REALLY need to finish up all this packing and shower. :( Decisions decisions!

lol... finish packing!!

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Jen, I'm glad that you mom was excited when she was looking at the pictures! I didn't know that happened to her. :(

Have a WONDERFUL trip!!!! :)

[disneygirlinnj]

lol... finish packing!!

I'm done! I swear!

Jen, I'm glad that you mom was excited when she was looking at the pictures! I didn't know that happened to her. :(

Have a WONDERFUL trip!!!! :)

Thank you Amy! :love:

[disneygirlinnj]

Ok so I'm finally DONE packing! Now I just have to try to go to sleep for 5 hours. I highly doubt that's going to happen. I'm wide awake :(

I also rigged my LGMH and taped two of them back to back and punched a hole in the corner. I found an old bottle opener key chain and took the ring off that and will be attaching them to my camera or bag or something. :)

Camera bag is all packed... batteries are charged... ipod is charging now, as is the blackberry. The tripod actually does fit in the camping chair bag, and I was able to remove the ball head so now I'm hoping it'll fit in a locker when we're there. Plus it fits in the suitcase. Since my mom is using the bigger suitcase I brought it into her room so she can throw it in there and she looked at me like I'm crazy... 'You're bringing THAT?!' hahaha :)

All documents are accounted for and are already in my laptop pouch, which fits in my huge purse.

Clothes are laid out...

and I'm READY!

Thanks everyone for sticking around and listening to me babble! Again, I'll be twittering, just follow the link in my sig. I'll also try getting internet a day or two in the room. Hopefully I can pop in and say hi. Updating posts on my blackberry is just a PAIN so that's highly unlikely.

And if a mod finds this thread.... don't close it! I'm going to be using the same thread for the trip report too. :) Thank ya!

I'm going to Disney World! :banana:

[MyMuse]

Jenn sent a tweet that she went through security and boarded the plane! She should be landing shortly. Whoo-hooooo! :woohoo:

[annnewjerz]

:banana: :banana:

If you aren't there already---you should be soon! I'm going to sign-up to follow you on Twitter right now. Have a great trip and can't wait to hear all about it when you get home!!

[MyMuse]

Th eagle has landed and she is now at MK being sung to by the mayor. :goodvibes:goodvibes

[stacikristine]

I'm sure you're having an incredible trip!!! Can't wait to hear about it when you get back! :thumbsup2

[disneygirlinnj]

Jenn sent a tweet that she went through security and boarded the plane! She should be landing shortly. Whoo-hooooo! :woohoo:

Haha, thanks for keeping everyone up to date! :)

:banana: :banana:

If you aren't there already---you should be soon! I'm going to sign-up to follow you on Twitter right now. Have a great trip and can't wait to hear all about it when you get home!!

Thank you! I'm still trying to recover!

Th eagle has landed and she is now at MK being sung to by the mayor. :goodvibes:goodvibes

Definitely the highlight of my day!

I'm sure you're having an incredible trip!!! Can't wait to hear about it when you get back! :thumbsup2

Thank you! Trying to go through all the photos but should start the TR soon!

[scoot241]

It's about time you got around to posting. ;)

[disneygirlinnj]

We're back!!!

Hey everyone! :)

We survived and made it home in one piece! Had a great time and now just have to go through a bunch of photos and start the TR. Didn't take as many photos as I wanted but oh well. I do have pics of almost every item of food we ate though. :lmao: So get ready for some serious food porn! Holy amounts of food on the deluxe plan!! :sad2:

Was it the best trip ever? For mom, definitely. For me? Ehhhhhh... Don't get me wrong, I loved it and had a good time.... After all, how can you have a bad time at Disney?! But I was stressing for a bit about mom and stuff. She got tired really quickly every day so I was worried about that, plus trying to do what she'd enjoy. She got stubborn a few times and I just bit my tongue and dealt with it. I'm looking forward to my trip in January so I can run around the parks with my friends and then have a few solo days after they leave. I did love seeing her enjoying everything though. That can't be beat. :thumbsup2

OK... I'll try gathering all my thoughts for this TR and hopefully start in a day or two. I have SO much catching up to do on the DIS! (and at work....which is what I should be doing!)

[stacikristine]

Yay! Welcome home! I'm excited to read about everything!! Sorry it was kinda stressful... I'm sure we'll hear more about that. And I can't even imagine how stuffed you are on the Deluxe plan--we were stuffed on the regular! :upsidedow

[MyMuse]

Welcome Home!
party:

[annnewjerz]

Welcome back to good ol' NJ! I have been looking at your pics on Flickr---loving the emptry Main Street for an early am Crystal Palace breakfast. Definitely make sure to post a link to your TR here when you start one so we can all come over and join you.

Let the food porn begin!! :yay:

[jenny105]

Welcome back! Can't wait to read all about it!

[disneygirlinnj]

Thanks guys! The TR will stay in this thread... I like to keep everything together for when i want to look back and reminice :)

[ILuvCrush]

Hi Jen!!

Welcome back! I'm so Glad that you had a nice trip:goodvibes

Sorry we didn't run into each other:confused3 Maybe next time;)

Can't wait to read all about your adventures!

Paula

[jordanyosh]

welcome home

[Lynn5700]

Hey!!! Welcome back!!!! I can't wait to see all the food porn!!! YUM!

I bet you can't wait for Jan!! It's going to be so nice then. Jan is one of the best times to go.

[disneygirlinnj]

Hi Jen!!

Welcome back! I'm so Glad that you had a nice trip:goodvibes

Sorry we didn't run into each other:confused3 Maybe next time;)

Can't wait to read all about your adventures!

Paula

Hey Paula! Hope you had a great time too! Have to make it over to your trippie... it's been so crazy here Ive hardly been able to check the DIS.

welcome home

Thanks Jordan! glad to see you got around during Toni's trip :) ahahaha

Hey!!! Welcome back!!!! I can't wait to see all the food porn!!! YUM!

I bet you can't wait for Jan!! It's going to be so nice then. Jan is one of the best times to go.

thanks Lynn! Hopefully tomorrow I can start with an update. I gathered all my receipts and stuff and now just have to organize. lol And I make my ADRs for my Jan trip TOMORROW! EEK!!! So excited about that one!

[jenjolt]

Welcome home Jen!!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip!!! YAY!!!!! I always love some good food porn!!!

[micandminforever]

Welcome home I look forward to your report.

[disneygirlinnj]

September Trip Report

Hey everyone!! I think I can actually start this trip report tonight! Shocking, I know. I tried starting it four times on Friday but work was so crazy that I didn't leave to go home until 8pm (normal time is 5). Then this weekend has been just as crazy and even had to throw some more work into the schedule.

Hm...so still trying to figure out the best way to go about the report. Loved how Scott has been incorporating his Tweets into his TR so I'm going to try doing that. When possible I'll give prices and stuff for the dining plan and how much we would have spent. Also going to try to lay off the smileys since they count as an image. It's gonna be hard for me since I'm so addicted to them.

Ok so lets get this show on the road...shall we?

I finally finished packing around 11 or 11:30pm the night before. Oh...and remember how we had a 7am flight? YEAHHHHH.... which means we had to leave our house at 5am. My friend Christina was up bright and early with us to take us to Newark. AND she was right on time! I almost fell over when she pulled up. Packed the car and we were off! Didn't take long to get there...we were there in about 20 mins, give or take. Pull up to the JetBlue terminal and you would think it's mid-day. It wasn't wall to wall people, but there was definitely a good number. Looking around I saw a LOT of them had yellow DME tags on their bags. Packed flight? You bet!

We first went inside to try dropping off our bags and the line was crazy. I ran to an open kiosk and printed out our boarding passes. Now all I had to do was get in line and just hand in our bags. Saw the outside curbside express bag drop off and quickly decided it was worth the $2 per bag to avoid the inside line. Dropped them off without a hitch and headed back inside to security. Got through without a problem, stopped by Starbucks for a little coffee (mine), tea (mom), and banana nut muffin (originally all moms but the other kiosk I went to had register problems so we shared).... and then went to sit by the gate.

Tweet Update, 6:18 AM Sep 26th: At newark...checked in...passed security..and now enjoying some starbucks =) board in 15 mins!

The flight was on time and pretty uneventful, minus the incompetent parents and their three kids sitting across the aisle from us. The kids were pretty well behaved, two girls under 10 and a poor 2 year old son who sat on the moms lap the whole flight. BUT... she didn't give the poor kid anything to do while on the flight so about 30 mins into it, he was already getting antsy. Kicking the seat in front of him (she did nothing about it...felt so bad for the old man sitting in that seat), screaming, screetching, etc. When he started wiggling and writhing on the floor and pounding his fists, she FINALLY stood up and got some toys and games from the overhead compartment...an hour and a half into a 2 hour flight!!! I wanted to flat out ask her "Wait... you've had these toys THE WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDNT GIVE THEM TO HIM?!" Seriously...this poor kid was losing his mind he was so bored, so I don't blame him for having a mental breakdown. Did she really expect a two year old to sit on someones lap like an angel for 2 hours?! Poor kid wailed the whole decent and landing to...which totally caused me to get a headache and mom a migrane! NOT a good start to the trip but I will say the headache/migrane went away very shortly after we got off the plane. Oh...that was the worst meltdown we saw all trip, all other children were pretty well behaved and parents all knew how to parent. hahaha

Whew...ok, rambled on a little too long about that! We quickly deplaned at around 10am (yay for being in the first 10 rows!) and made our way to the monorail. Followed signs and headed to Magical Express. It was still pretty quiet down there, so we were pointed towards the correct line and saw that there was maybe 5 people in front of us. Score for having choice of a great seat!

Tweet Update, 10:05 AM Sep 26th: Landed on time...on line for dme...not many in front of us! Good flight minus the screaming 2 year old next to us =(

By 10:10am we were on the bus, and were lucky enough to get the very front seats on the right side of the bus. I wanted to make sure I got a good shot of the welcome gates. I totally expected to sit there for a bit until the bus filled up. Luckily, the bus was MAYBE half full and we were on our way!

Tweet Update, 10:16 AM Sep 26th : Wow..got on line for dme at 10am...on the bus and already on the road by 10:15!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/3977900685_dc7bafe1ea.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977900685)

And finally we see....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2565/3977901277_066240c074.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977901277)

Happy dance!!!

We were the second stop on DME, Saratoga Springs was the first. We would have stopped at Old Key West first, but luckily, there was no one that needed to stop there. Quickly walked into the resort and immediately knew I'd love it. It was so cute and quaint, and... I don't even know how to describe it. Not too gaudy, not over the top. Just really nice.

There were a few people on line already but I saw the Online Check-In line was completely empty. Walked right up and it was the easiest check-in ever. All I had to do was hand over my ID and after a few keystrokes, the CM went in the back and came right back out with a folder that contained everything..maps, keys, birthday button already filled in, etc. Sadly the CM told us that our room wasn't ready yet. Not sure when it would be ready but he told me that they would call my cell phone to tell me when it is. He mentioned that we'd be in Building 4, but there MIGHT be a room in Building 7 available now. After talking to mom, we agreed to wait for the 4 room since it's so close to everything. I was happy because I hadn't sent in any room request and we got a great location! Yay for a little pixie dust for my bday!

At 11:11am (according to our receipt), Mom and I were pretty hungry but didn't want to have a full meal so we headed over to Sassagoula Food Court (which the WHOLE trip I totally called Sassalouga until I sat and read the sign on the last day...oops!). Decided to just share a cheese pizza and pick up our mugs so we have drinks.

We were given a buzzer and then went to fill our mugs while we waited. Picked up the pizza at the pizza window when it was ready and dug in!


The pizza was typical Disney pizza, but we enjoyed it. Mom really liked the pizza around the World....she hates when the cheese is realllly stringy and doesn't break. Disney cheese apparently is exactly what she's looking for. Score! I think I'm just a snobby NY/NJer and wish all pizza could be thin crust NY pizza. I'm just not usually a huge fan of the Domino's style pizza but I will eat it if I'm in the mood. I will say that this pizza was a very good Domino's style pizza. The sauce had flavor, wasn't bland, and actually had some seasonings in it. The crust was crispy yet chewy, and the cheese....like mom said....wasn't too stringy and broke off right as you bit into it, even when it was still really hot.

Oh...and apparently there is no way to actually cut this pizza with the plastic forks and knives they provide. We mutilated one slice while we attempted (mom likes to cut her pizza) but finally gave up after awhile. If anyone knows the trick on how to cut this pizza, let us know! :lmao:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3495/3977902305_1517a91cc6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977902305)

2 Refillable Mugs:
If OOP: $12.99 each, $27.67 total after tax
With DDP: FREE!

Personal Cheese Pizza:
Paid OOP: $6.38

At that point I decided to Tweet and give an update...
Tweet Update, 11:44 AM Sep 26th: Room not ready yet but we'll be in building 4!

We finished eating but decided to relax at the table for a bit and go through the folder they gave us. Just as we started to go through everything, my phone rang and it was a random (407) phone number.

It was a recording telling us that our room was ready and that we were in Room 4143. We gathered everything up and headed out into the heat to put some stuff down. It took us a few days to finally figure out the fastest way to get to our room but it was definitely close to everything. The buses were practically right outside our doorway, which was perfect.

When we got to our room, we realized we got a corner room with two windows. Definitely made the room brighter, even when we had the shades drawn. Waiting patiently for us were a few friends...


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2601/3977904163_2442eb3737.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977904163)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2486/3978663772_32dbb1856c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3978663772)

There MIGHT have been one more animal lying around the TV but I don't remember!

And our favorite mouse....
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/3977905335_b5cfcf721b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977905335)

Dropped some stuff off, freshened up a little bit, and then decided to just head directly to the MK, with a quick stop in the gift shop in POFQ first. Tried to fit the laptop in the safe but it was one of the REALLLY small thin safes so I just hid the laptop under all my clothes. Problem solved.



Tweet Update, 12:11 PM Sep 26th: Spoke too soon. Just as I tweeted...got a call our room is ready! Settled and slowly heading to mk with a stop at the gift shop to browse

We just did a quick walk through of the store to get a feel for what was for sale. We knew we wanted a photo album, picture frame, and Christmas ornament to bring home. Saw some options but wanted to see what else was out there. Then we headed out to the bus stop for the MK.

Can I point out that our plane landed at 10am...and we took DME, checked in, eaten, gotten into our room, and were at the bus stop by 12:15pm? That's a serious record I think!

OK...time to get ready for bed so I'm going to pause this here. Hopefully I can get some more posted soon! If I remember anything I left out, I'll add it in the next installment!

[jordanyosh]

How nice your room was ready so quickly!

The DME and online check in and other enhancements over the last few years have made things go much more smoothly..in general....

[dawnbu40]

That plane ride did not sound fun! Some people just don't think!

Anyway, :yay: for arriving and getting checked in! Looking forward to hearing more!

[annnewjerz]

Yayyyy for updates. :yay: I think Scott struck gold when he decided to incorporate his tweets into his TR. I'll be doing the same for our October TR---it just seems like a really easy way to keep a TR on track if you have a tendency to ramble a bit (which I totally do).

2.5 hours(ish) MUST be some kind of record. For our trip in December I estimated 2 hours just from the plane landing to arriving and checking in at our resort. :rotfl: Hopefully it'll be just as quick and painless for us this weekend. :thumbsup2

ITA about the pizza. Being from NJ (even if I am from the dreaded Southern half)---any time we go out of state, it seems that pizza is something I know will be a bit of a disappointment.

Can't wait to hear more! :hyper:

[scoot241]

Yayyyy for updates. :yay: I think Scott struck gold when he decided to incorporate his tweets into his TR. I'll be doing the same for our October TR---it just seems like a really easy way to keep a TR on track if you have a tendency to ramble a bit (which I totally do).

2.5 hours(ish) MUST be some kind of record. For our trip in December I estimated 2 hours just from the plane landing to arriving and checking in at our resort. :rotfl: Hopefully it'll be just as quick and painless for us this weekend. :thumbsup2

ITA about the pizza. Being from NJ (even if I am from the dreaded Southern half)---any time we go out of state, it seems that pizza is something I know will be a bit of a disappointment.

Can't wait to hear more! :hyper:

I still tend to ramble a bit. :) Between pictures and tweets, it really helps to keep track of what you were doing when though.

Yay for online check-in. That's very similar to how our check-in went. We went to the desk, they gave us our folders, we went to eat, and then I got a text saying my room was ready. My parents didn't get theirs until much later, but their room was also ready at the same time; they just tried their key in the room next door since we had connecting rooms. Between it and DME, it was great not fooling around with getting all the bags to the room, etc.

Sassalouga... :rotfl: I was trying to find the origin of Sassagoula, but the only thing I can find is a miniature golf course in West Monroe, LA. Oh well...

Can't wait to read more!

[Lynn5700]

HEY!!!!!! Glad to see you started! You and your mom are so cute. Your pictures look great! Can't wait for more :)

[jenny105]

Yay! You started! You and your mom are so cute!!! Great start so far. Sorry to hear about your flight though, we had a screaming kid on our return flight.

[KatGarcia]

I'm going to try and stay caught up...but life keeps taking me away from the DIS but I need to live vicariously thru peoples TR's so I can get my fix!

[disneygirlinnj]

How nice your room was ready so quickly!

The DME and online check in and other enhancements over the last few years have made things go much more smoothly..in general....

I was very surprised..pleasantly surprised :)

That plane ride did not sound fun! Some people just don't think!

Anyway, :yay: for arriving and getting checked in! Looking forward to hearing more!

It definitely wasn't but the rest of the trip made up for it!

Yayyyy for updates. :yay: I think Scott struck gold when he decided to incorporate his tweets into his TR. I'll be doing the same for our October TR---it just seems like a really easy way to keep a TR on track if you have a tendency to ramble a bit (which I totally do).

2.5 hours(ish) MUST be some kind of record. For our trip in December I estimated 2 hours just from the plane landing to arriving and checking in at our resort. :rotfl: Hopefully it'll be just as quick and painless for us this weekend. :thumbsup2

ITA about the pizza. Being from NJ (even if I am from the dreaded Southern half)---any time we go out of state, it seems that pizza is something I know will be a bit of a disappointment.

Can't wait to hear more! :hyper:

Scott definitely had a great idea with the tweets :) He started a trend! They've already helped me remember a few things I forgot.

I still tend to ramble a bit. :) Between pictures and tweets, it really helps to keep track of what you were doing when though.

Yay for online check-in. That's very similar to how our check-in went. We went to the desk, they gave us our folders, we went to eat, and then I got a text saying my room was ready. My parents didn't get theirs until much later, but their room was also ready at the same time; they just tried their key in the room next door since we had connecting rooms. Between it and DME, it was great not fooling around with getting all the bags to the room, etc.

Sassalouga... :rotfl: I was trying to find the origin of Sassagoula, but the only thing I can find is a miniature golf course in West Monroe, LA. Oh well...

Can't wait to read more!

I'm a huge fan of online check in now. I won't do the normal way ever again! So there is no Sassagoula?! It's supposed to be Sassalouga, right? I'm not losing my mind? Disney is the one with the huge typo? :rotfl:

HEY!!!!!! Glad to see you started! You and your mom are so cute. Your pictures look great! Can't wait for more :)

Thank you Lynn!!

Yay! You started! You and your mom are so cute!!! Great start so far. Sorry to hear about your flight though, we had a screaming kid on our return flight.

Thank you!! Luckily every single child on the flight home was an angel. Small crying but understandable, even my ears hurt! I wanted to go thank every parent for doing a good job..haha!

I'm going to try and stay caught up...but life keeps taking me away from the DIS but I need to live vicariously thru peoples TR's so I can get my fix!

Life's been getting in everyone's way! Glad to see you over here though Kat! And I think I owe you and email..hmm.... I'll have to go check!

[scoot241]

I'm a huge fan of online check in now. I won't do the normal way ever again! So there is no Sassagoula?! It's supposed to be Sassalouga, right? I'm not losing my mind? Disney is the one with the huge typo? :rotfl:

No it's Sassagoula. I just don't know why. It sounds a lot like Pascagoula, MS, but I tried to Google Sassagoula and most everything that came up was Disney-related. Sassalouga comes up with only Disney-related stuff where people had typos lol.

[jordanyosh]

A pleasant surprise is always a good one, especially at WDW...:thumbsup2

[tarak]

Glad to hear things went so well when you first got there! I didn't even think of tweeting on my trip - that's a great idea.

[disneygirlinnj]

I'm back! Thanks everyone for keeping up with me! So now on with the show...

Last I left you guys, we were heading to the bus stop to head over to the Magic Kingdom for the first time of the trip. We honestly had really great luck with the transportation system at Disney on this trip. I was worried because before we left I had read some horror stories about the buses at POFQ. The bus was just pulling up as we walked out of the front door so we hopped right on.

Almost every bus we took to the MK went directly there and didn't stop at POR. I timed it, and it takes 13 mins from POFQ to MK. So much for allowing 90 mins to get to your destination! We got through the gates and just tried to take it all in. We were at Disney!!! I saw a photopass photographer in front of the train station so we quickly got our first official photo and headed towards Main Street.

Now...it was HOT! DAMN HOT!! I was already dripping sweat just from walking from the bus stop to the train station. I could tell today was going to be a nice short and sweet trip to MK and probably just down Main Street and back. We wandered around the lower half of Main Street for a few mins and then quickly jumped into Crystal Arts for some air condition. Lucky for us though we found this guy performing his magic...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3977906131_a1c28a4c84.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977906131)

He was creating a glass castle it seemed. When we went on the other side we saw more of the finished product. The things in this store are amazing. When I win the lottery I WILL buy this $37,500 crystal Cinderella's Castle! I drool over it every time I walk into this store.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3450/3977907253_1f58d83ed2.jpg

We heard the Main Street Trolley Parade so we stepped outside for a little bit to watch. Love watching them and love the song...even if I did hear it 45 times when I was on hold for ADRs!

After watching for a few minutes, we turned towards the Ice Cream Parlor and I spot the Mayor from the corner of my eye. Before I can even turn around completely he starts belting out the 'Happy Birthday' song to me! Seriously, I melted. He's such a sweet guy and he was making everyone around him smile. I got all mushy when he finished the song and he gave me a big hug. We chit chatted for a few minutes...including his horrible 'howyouuudoin' imitation after I told him we were from Jersey...haha! Of course I had to grab a quick photo with him and then he continued down Main Street to cheer up other guests.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/3977909155_3499692a43.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977909155)

Tweet Update, 1:05 PM Sep 26th At the mk...just got serenaded by the mayor of main street =)

Just as we parted ways, the Celebrate Today parade was going through. Mom stepped into the shade and air condition while I took a few shots... It was a cute little parade but hearing that song was my downfall. For the rest of the week I had it in my head!!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/3977910009_2de25ed295.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977910009)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2603/3977910881_bb4b6619a6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977910881)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/3977911727_6e6c953e1a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977911727)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/3978672938_7b4f0a68d6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3978672938)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3978673644_dd1ca803ef.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3978673644)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2556/3977914669_3046ce2530.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977914669)

After the parade went by, we crossed the street to browse through the other shops and head towards the exit to start making our way over to the GF. I also wanted to upgrade my park pass to an annual and pick up the TIW card.

Leaving the Emporium, we ran into my favorite barbershop quartet, the Dapper Dan's!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3979154467_5b592cd511.jpg

We only watched for a few minutes because I swear it was 15 degrees warmer on this side of the street! When we got back towards the gates, I ran over to guest relations to do the ticket upgrade. The CM knew exactly what to do and I had my annual pass (happy dance!) and TIW card all within 5 minutes.

Even though it was hot, I saw the boat pulling up to the MK for the GF and Poly so we headed over and grabbed a seat in the shade. The ride over was nice and relaxing and nice and cool from the breeze. As we got off the boat, the captain made sure to announce to everyone that it was my birthday... I could tell that this whole birthday thing is going to be entertaining...or get very annoying! Luckily it just stayed entertaining!

I love love love the Grand Floridian! I've been lucky enough to stay there two or three times and think it's just gorgeous. It's just so elegant and I love the time period the resort is designed after. We quickly walked to the main lobby and loved the air condition the minute we stepped in.

Since we had some time to kill we wandered through all the stores. Basin is my favorite at the GF so we took some time going through all of the soaps and stuff they have. Most of the things haven't changed since we were there last time but they did have a few Halloween soaps that were really cute and smelled great. Sadly I didn't get a chance to buy anything though!

Took a few shots around the hotel too...


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/3979155067_7d05508874.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979155067)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2581/3979917358_054f03acbc.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979917358/)

After taking our time and looking around, we headed downstairs to the Garden View Lounge. There was a bride taking her wedding photos so there were a bunch of people around admiring. Reminded me of my friend Lisa's wedding last year. We checked in at the hostess stand and were told to go sit by the couches for about ten minutes because we were early for our reservation. I quickly took a peek into the tea room and there were very few tables sat already. Oh well...mom and I headed over to sit. About 15 minutes later, we were called over to be seated.

We were seated on the right of the tea room as you walk in, right by the windows. My back was to the rest of the room but it was beautiful. The sunlight was just coming through the windows and it was what i would think a typical tea should look like!

The view out the window...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/3979917770_1d58e4a89b.jpg

Our server and at first I thought was going to be pretty cold but she warmed up throughout the tea. She had a really large table with a few little girls so I think she might have been a little overwhelmed at first with them and her other tables. But she was pretty helpful and around if we needed anything. She explained the different teas and gave us some recommendations. Also explained the different meals you can get or that it can all be ordered a la carte too.

Mom chose the Chamomile, which on the receipt is Herbal Rooibos, and on the allears menu is: Chamomile Flowers - A tranquil and calming herbal infusion of sweet and fragrant golden chamomile blossoms combined for a mild and sweet taste. Soft and musty aroma combined with a smooth, apple-like finish.

I chose the Eros, which was recommended by our server.... Eros - Medium bodied Ceylon: Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish.

Mom enjoyed her tea and said it was very good chamomile. I thought the Eros was delicious! You could taste the mandarin and vanilla but neither overpowering.

The presentation of the tea was beautiful as well. The china used was gorgeous and dainty, for lack of a better word. I did find it odd though that my tea was brought out in a normal classy tea pot, while my mothers was brought out in a regular coffee french press pot. Does anyone know why they do this and how they pick which teas will be served how?

My Eros (and you can slightly see moms Chamomile in the background):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2533/3979919874_dd41f1102f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979919874)

We decided to just order a la carte off the menu because we wanted a little bit of everything. Ordering everything we wanted separately was actually cheaper than choosing one of the meals and not eating some stuff. And we ordered a LOT I feel! Sadly I TOTALLY forgot to take a photo of most of moms choices, but they're typical so you can imagine what they look like.

Mom ordered the Lemon Pound Cake for one option. It came out as two one inch thick pieces of typical lemon pound cake. She enjoyed it and ate every last bite. I tried a piece and thought it was kinda dry and nothing special.

We also ordered the strawberries and cream, with the cream on the side. It came out in separate bowls so we obviously lost a little in the presentation but the girls next to us also ordered and it looks YUMMY when combined together. The strawberries were ripe and sweet, not mushy or bruised at all. The sweet cream was definitely made in house and was delicious. I'm usually not a fan of whipped cream but could have eaten this alone with a spoon. Light, airy, and perfect.

I ordered the Freshly Baked Scones with Devonshire Cream and Preserves. Now you'd think when it says 'scones'... it would mean more than one, right? Well when I ordered she asked me if I wanted one or two, so naturally I said two. Little did I know that there was an extra charge for the second one! I didn't mind though because they were seriously the best things I had the whole tea. Wow, I could have eaten 5 more. They were sweet enough, moist, and with the Devonshire Cream? Heaven. I even forgot to try them with the preserves! I was upset when the girls next to me pulled out the preserves. I was tempted to order another one just to try it all together.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3494/3979158355_96c80b2af3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979158355)

In the photo is also a Jam Tart and this is where it gets a little fuzzy. I remember asking for them, but they're not on the receipt and there's supposed to be two of them, according to the menu. So I'm thinking our server might have just thrown one in complimentary OR the 'extra scone' on my receipt is actually the jam tart...and the two scones I got were the correct number. Does that make sense?

Anyways...the Jam Tart was just that... a raspberry (or strawberry) jam tart. It was good, but I took two bites and left the rest. The scones were just calling my name.

For the next round of food, we both ordered from the pastry tray. You were allowed two per order. Mom was eyeing the white chocolate covered strawberries so she had two of those. She devoured them, which meant she loved them. I didn't try them since I'm not a fan of white chocolate.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/3979159641_e51005cc73.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979159641)

For my two pastries I chose the hazelnut mousse and the raspberry mousse. The hazelnut was good, but nothing that amazed me. The raspberry mousse, on the other hand, was delicious! Again, I wished I ordered two of these instead. Light and creamy and just all around great!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3979921014_571a58e511.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979921014)

After we were done, the server came by and took my TIW card and brought the bill.

Here's the breakdown:
Eros Tea: $6.29
Herbal Rooibos: $6.29
Pound Cake: $3.50
Strawberries/Cream: $6.95
English Scone: $3.50
One Scone (or jam tart?): $1.75
Pastries 2@2.75: $5.50
Subtotal: $33.78
TIW Discount: -$6.76
Total OOP after tax/tip: $34.86

Overall we really enjoyed the tea and I can't wait to go again. It was relaxing and something different to do at Disney, but still had the Disney magic. The atmosphere was just what we needed after traveling all day. And where else can you go for such a nice tea? Other than having Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel in NYC, I can't think of a better place. If any of you get the time and chance to go, please do. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

After we finished the tea, the piano player was playing so we stopped and listened for a little bit. On the way back up to the monorail to head back to the MK I snapped this photo..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2609/3979922548_95eac22329.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979922548)

The monorail came in a few minutes and the but to POFQ I'm pretty sure was either waiting for us or we waited less than 5 mins for it to come.

Oh...and Scott's favorite stickers...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/3979164215_bb800e0d4b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979164215)

When I checked Twitter, there were a ton of you guys wishing me a great trip!

Tweet Update, 3:45 PM Sep 26th: Thank you everyone! Hard to reply to everyone. Just had a lovely afternoon tea at the gf. Now back to the room to rest before citricos

We got back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit before heading back out... which will have to be another post! :)

[MyMuse]

Wonderful updates!! :goodvibes:goodvibes

I didn't hav any major troubles with disney transport when I was at POFQ either. I'm glad you didn't.

I really is nice to read up with your tweets; I was following, but I like seeing it all again.

The mayor singing to you was so cute and I can't wait to do a tea at the GF someday. Sounds marvelous!!

[scoot241]

My grandmother has the same china.

Yes, I dislike those balloon stickers! I had to crouch down and position myself in between them to get the shots of Space Mountain and the GF from the monorail.

Really like the character closeups from the parade. Very colorful shots.

[jordanyosh]

1) You took great pictures.

2) I'm NOT a tea lover, but dang, that all looks sooo good. Were there any men there?

3) How nice to wet your appetite with a taste of MK, but not overdoing it!:thumbsup2

[dawnbu40]

I am so glad you didn't have the bus issues that we did in May! I love your pictures and the attention to detail! We have talked about trying out the GF Tea for some time but after reading your report I'm finally sold!

[stacikristine]

Yay! Your TR has started. Let me say, I'm loving your TR! :goodvibes You take great pictures. How awesome that the Mayor sang Happy Birthday to you, and that you were "Happy Birthday-ed" everywhere. Oh my! The GF Tea looks amazing. I just texted my mom and told her that the next time we all go, the women/girls HAVE to go to tea at the GF! :goodvibes My mom and I used to do a mom/daughter tea at a retreat we went to each year when I was little, and it was one of the highlights of the weekend!

[jenjolt]

What great updates!!!! How awesome that you got to do so much just on Main Street!! One day I'm going to go and just hang out there all day long!! I bet there is a ton of cool stuff to do including see the Dapper Dans...oh I'm envious I want to see them so bad!! LOL!!!

Okay I had the same tea as you at the GF Garden Lounge..wasn't it delicious!! I really enjoyed my tea there it was GREAT!!!!!

Loving your pictures and anxiously awaiting more!

[LouDisney]

Loving your TR!! Great pics too.

[disneygirlinnj]

Wonderful updates!! :goodvibes:goodvibes

I didn't hav any major troubles with disney transport when I was at POFQ either. I'm glad you didn't.

I really is nice to read up with your tweets; I was following, but I like seeing it all again.

The mayor singing to you was so cute and I can't wait to do a tea at the GF someday. Sounds marvelous!!

It was completely mahhhhhhvelousss! :) There was only once or twice where we just missed the bus (saw it pulling away) and had to wait about 15 mins. Very happy with the transport!

My grandmother has the same china.

Yes, I dislike those balloon stickers! I had to crouch down and position myself in between them to get the shots of Space Mountain and the GF from the monorail.

Really like the character closeups from the parade. Very colorful shots.

Thank you! I wish I used my 70-300mm more often but it was such a pain to switch lenses all the time. Switching from the 50mm to the 17-55mm wasn't too bad. I could do that one handed.

1) You took great pictures.

2) I'm NOT a tea lover, but dang, that all looks sooo good. Were there any men there?

3) How nice to wet your appetite with a taste of MK, but not overdoing it!:thumbsup2

1. Thank you! :)
2. It was delicious! they also had coffee, as well as champagne, beer, and hard alcohol. Yup! There were a few men there. They were the minority but they all seemed comfortable
3. It was just enough MK to start the trip!

I am so glad you didn't have the bus issues that we did in May! I love your pictures and the attention to detail! We have talked about trying out the GF Tea for some time but after reading your report I'm finally sold!

Thanks! I definitely recommend it! I'm debating going solo when I go in January too.

Yay! Your TR has started. Let me say, I'm loving your TR! :goodvibes You take great pictures. How awesome that the Mayor sang Happy Birthday to you, and that you were "Happy Birthday-ed" everywhere. Oh my! The GF Tea looks amazing. I just texted my mom and told her that the next time we all go, the women/girls HAVE to go to tea at the GF! :goodvibes My mom and I used to do a mom/daughter tea at a retreat we went to each year when I was little, and it was one of the highlights of the weekend!

Thank you! :love: You and your mom (and the other ladies) will love it!

What great updates!!!! How awesome that you got to do so much just on Main Street!! One day I'm going to go and just hang out there all day long!! I bet there is a ton of cool stuff to do including see the Dapper Dans...oh I'm envious I want to see them so bad!! LOL!!!

Okay I had the same tea as you at the GF Garden Lounge..wasn't it delicious!! I really enjoyed my tea there it was GREAT!!!!!

Loving your pictures and anxiously awaiting more!

Hopefully next time I go, I'm going to bring my ipod with me to the MK. I downloaded Lou Mongello's walking tour of Main Street (as well as Fantasyland and Adventureland) and I want to press play at the beginning of the street and take my time and walk and listen to all the info he talks about. And try to see the Dapper Dan's next time you go! I love them!

Loving your TR!! Great pics too.

Thank you! :thumbsup2



OK guys... was going to start the final part of Day 1 but I have to go wedding dress/bridesmaid dress shopping with my cousin for her wedding!

[jordanyosh]

IF I ever went, I wouldn't want to be the only guy.

[disneygirlinnj]

Hey guys!! I'm going to try to finish Day 1 today...it's just pretty much dinner at Citricos...aka the most amazing dinner on all of Disney property!

So my mom and I headed back to POFQ to relax a bit in between Tea at the GF and dinner. We were TIRED! When we got back our luggage was waiting for us so we quickly unpacked and got comfortable. After watching some tv and changing into a sundress, we headed back out to the bus stop and immediately caught a bus to MK directly there. Still no stops at POR...score!

At the MK, I saw that the boat was just pulling up so we quickly headed over there and jumped on. The sun was just starting to set and we got some beautiful views of the GF.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2517/3979926926_f03d6d94e7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979926926)

Was Tweeting back and forth with Ekkirt, who was also down in the World...and obviously we were complaining about how hot it was!

Tweet Update, 6:04 PM Sep 26th: @Ekkirt just boarding a boat at mk to the gf...omg its hot! Make this heat wave go away!

Headed upstairs and checked in and were told it would be a few minutes. I think that's when I sent this next tweet...

Tweet Update, 6:24 PM Sep 26th: And I'm sorry I know I might get flamed...but can we enforce the dress code at signature places just a little bit?

While we were waiting we saw them seat two tables where the guests were completely not dressed per the dress code. I know Disney is lenient with this because they are mainly a theme park but still. I personally think it takes away from the meal. And is it that hard to change out of your $1.99 Old Navy flip flops and NY Giants teeshirt? I'm not the best dresser but there's a time and place for every outfit. Ok just my two cents... lol

As we were walking towards our table, two of the chefs looked up and both said Happy Birthday as I walked by. The head chef (the one standing on the outside of the kitchen to make sure things go out correctly) also wished me a happy bday. We were seated right next to the open kitchen, against the dividing wall. At first I was disappointed because I was hoping for a window seat but now I'm glad we sat where we did. I loved watching the chefs prepare all of the food. And we also got a little attention from the chefs since we were so close. When we were seated I noticed that my menu was personalized specifically to me and across the top of the menu it said "Happy 29th Birthday Jennifer!" Cute touch and we were allowed to take the menu home. Stephanie was our server and she was great throughout the whole meal.

To start off, I ordered a glass of Kings Estate Pinot Noir (From Oregon) and it was perfect. It has officially become my favorite wine EVER and I need to find out where it's sold in NJ. I went to their website and see that you can order it online so if all else fails, I'll do that. But seriously...amazing wine.

Our server then came to take our orders and answered any questions we had.

A few minutes later, compliments of the chef, she brought out this amuse-bouche...Moroccan couscous with squid, oysters, and another seafood.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3501/3982369052_73f70445a4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982369052/)

Now I think I mentioned this earlier but...we're NOT seafood people. Mom eats shrimp, sole, and flounder. I eat NOTHING that swam. Just don't like it. So when this came out we were kind of a bind. I took one for the team though and sucked it up and figured I could just eat the couscous.

Well? That couscous was delicious. Perfectly cooked, not mushy or crunchy, and had a nice mild seasoned flavor. Didn't taste the seafood at all. Then I got adventurous and a piece of the seafood. I really couldn't tell you what the heck it was I tried but it wasn't half bad. It was a small piece of 'meat' and I mixed it in with the couscous. I finished up my plate (leaving the rest of the seafood) and then decided that we couldn't just send back my mom's without a few bites taken out either so I ate her couscous as well. Mom's not adventurous...wouldn't even touch it.

Our appetizers then arrived....

Mom chose the Salad of Romaine Lettuce - Fresh Hearts of Palm, Maytag Blue Cheese, and Late Harvest Riesling Vinaigrette $9.00

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3982365668_aaf230b0f0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982365668)

Not included in the description were marinated roasted peppers. Mom loved this and ate every last bite. I tried a bite and ate all the peppers and it was a delicious salad! The dressing was light and slightly sweet due to the riesling. Perfect proportion of salad/dressing. It was also a perfect size.

I decided on the Arancini Crispy Risotto - Italian Sausage, Quaitro Formaggi, and White Truffle Aioli $10.00

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3528/3982363540_dbe8817ac9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982363540)

I know Arancini to be Sicilian rice balls...filled with parmesan cheese, mozzarella, ground meat, and tomato sauce. These were a GREAT take on them. Definitely different than typical arancini but wow. I could have made a complete meal out of these if they doubled it. I wanted to take a photo of these cut in half but I couldn't put my fork down, sorry! The greens they were plated on were drizzled with a balsamic glaze and it made them even better. They weren't greasy at all, and had a perfect combination of ingredients. Not sure exactly which four cheeses were included but nothing was overpowering. The head chef stopped by to ask how things were and I should have asked. I think I was just too enthralled in what I was eating, my brain wasn't working. I tried to slowly savor them...didn't do so well though. Went perfect with the wine.

Now on to the entrees....

Mom, the picky eater? Didn't see anything on the entree section that she wanted. I knew this was a possibility here so I suggested the shrimp appetizer to her. We asked the server and she mentioned that people ask for that as an entree all the time and they actually put the whole thing over angel hair to make it a meal.

Sauteed Shrimp - Lemon, White Wine, Tomatoes, and Feta Cheese $28.00

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2582/3982371246_29ab4b5214.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982371246)

Another winner for mom. She really enjoyed this but it was a HUGE portion. She ate almost all of the shrimp and every piece of feta. A few huge bites of angel hair and she was full. I sucked it up for the review and tried everything but the shrimp. The sauce was light and lemony, with a hint of wine. Not too heavy...and the dish wasn't oily at all.

I chose the Filet Sicilian - Oak grilled filet of beef with sweet vidalia onions and banana peppers, quattro formaggi crushed potatoes, and veal glace de vinade $41.00


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/3981605541_221ef5d611.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981605541)

The filet was a little different this time than what I've been reading on old menus. I was torn between the short ribs and the filet and I'm glad I chose this. The veal glace, banana peppers, and potatoes are what sold me. I could have cut the filet with my fork. I love food with a little kick and the banana peppers gave just a hint of heat. The potatoes and veal glace were fabulous. I really dont even know what other adjectives to use on this meal anymore!

Towards the end of our entrees I was seriously getting full. Like ridiculously full. I sadly had to leave the last few bites of my meal or else I would have exploded.

Our server came by and reminded us there was dessert! EEK!!

Mom ordered the Gelato Trio $8.00... the flavors of the day were raspberry, almond, and coffee. I sadly forgot to take a photo!! Mom really liked the raspberry, said it was nice and light. But she was too full to try any other flavors. I tried the coffee and it was delicious, surprise surprise. The poor almond I think went untouched.

I had the most scrumptious dessert... Warm Chocolate Banana Tart - vanilla ice cream and caramelized bananas $9.00

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/3982361170_a3d52909ab.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982361170)

Wow...that's about all I can say. PLUS I was horribly nauseous full and I still thought this was amazing. I was actually MAD at myself for being so full and not being able to enjoy this. It reminded me of a flourless cake a bit, with caramelized bananas in it. Wish I could write more about it! The head chef stopped by again when he saw I wasn't eating much of the dessert to make sure it was ok. We actually brought the dessert back to the room but were SO full the whole week we never even touched it.

After dessert we asked for the check and quickly paid. I totally forgot to use TIW on the wine but oh well. And again, as we left, every CM we saw wished me a happy birthday.

Here's the breakdown:
Pinot Noir - $13.00
Amuse-bouche - compliments of the chef
Romaine Salad - $9.00
Arancini - $10.00
Shrimp Entree - $28.00
Beef - $41.00
Gelato - $8.00
Choc Tort - $9.00
Total - $125.67
OOP - $13 plus tip

Would I eat here again? I'm already counting down the days. I squeezed it in during my solo trip because I loved it so much. Already planning out what I'm going to order. haha!

After leaving the GF, we quickly made our way back to POFQ. When we got back to the hotel, I went to Sassagoula Food Court quickly to pick up mom a banana for the morning when she wakes up. Idiot me assumed we'd eat all our snacks so I paid OOP for it. $1.06...not worth using a snack credit if you eat all your snacks! Quickly passed out. Big day tomorrow at the MK!!!

Oh and of course, I had to gush on twitter...


Tweet Update, 8:52 PM Sep 26th: Citricos by far my new fave restaurant here. Every single bite was amazing, fab service, atmosphere...wow. Heading to rest up for tom!

Oh and...

Tweet Update, 9:13 PM Sep 26th: And this heat is making me want to hibernate in alaska. I lack photo motivation when its this hot

It really was... if it was a little cooler I would have been in a better picture taking mood. Looking through my photos now I realize I didn't take a bunch of photos in spots I wanted to. I'll have to make a list next time!

[racefanof88]

All caught up :thumbsup2. I hate that we didn't get to meet up while at Disney. You are soooooooo right, the heat was horrible. I think it was hotter than when we were there in July :scared1:. We had a great time anyway. I'm not sure if you read in my report or not that we had to cut our trip short by one day? Dallas and I both came down with the Swine Flu :scared1:. Yeah, what a fun Disney souvenir.

Anyway, I am loving your report :thumbsup2. I think the best restaurants at Disney must be at the GF. We ate at Grand Floridian Cafe and it was fantastic :love::cloud9:.

[Lynn5700]

You take awesome photos!!!!!!!

Citricos seems like it was a lovely meal! That dessert looks sooooo stinking good!

[dawnbu40]

As a fellow picky eater I am so glad your mom found food to enjoy at Citricos! :) It really looks like a lovely meal!

[Kurby]

just saw your tweet about your tr - i've got a lot of reading to do but looking forward to it.

:)

[Kurby]

is it just me or is $9 for 7 lettuce leaves some blue cheese and dressing a little much???

the rest looks yummy but i can't get over that salad and the price - you're totally paying for location on that one.


waiting for more :)

[scoot241]

Citricos looks quite excellent. I think next time we go we will try to eat somewhere in the GF. We've eaten at the other two monorail resorts, so now we need to complete the loop.

[jordanyosh]

1) I don't think I've ever read a review of Citricos. So thanks. Where is it located in the GF?

2) You take AMAZING pics! The pic of the GF is just stunning.

3) The food looks awesome. That steak...mmmmmm

4) You said it's signature dining so I'm assuming it's a 2 TS restaurant....

[disneygirlinnj]

All caught up :thumbsup2. I hate that we didn't get to meet up while at Disney. You are soooooooo right, the heat was horrible. I think it was hotter than when we were there in July :scared1:. We had a great time anyway. I'm not sure if you read in my report or not that we had to cut our trip short by one day? Dallas and I both came down with the Swine Flu :scared1:. Yeah, what a fun Disney souvenir.

Anyway, I am loving your report :thumbsup2. I think the best restaurants at Disney must be at the GF. We ate at Grand Floridian Cafe and it was fantastic :love::cloud9:.

I still have to go catch up on yours! I've only been able to just reply to comments on my TR! I did read about your swine flu debacle...that's horrible! :( I've never been disappointed by a GF restaurant. I love the GFC for breakfast, haven't eaten there for dinner yet!

You take awesome photos!!!!!!!

Citricos seems like it was a lovely meal! That dessert looks sooooo stinking good!

Thank you! OMG the dessert was pure heaven!

As a fellow picky eater I am so glad your mom found food to enjoy at Citricos! :) It really looks like a lovely meal!

I'm glad she did too :) It was definitely by far my favorite meal of the trip.

just saw your tweet about your tr - i've got a lot of reading to do but looking forward to it.

:)

is it just me or is $9 for 7 lettuce leaves some blue cheese and dressing a little much???

the rest looks yummy but i can't get over that salad and the price - you're totally paying for location on that one.

waiting for more :)

Welcome over here! The salad was slightly steep in price considering what you got but the quality was excellent. Mom said it was creamy blue cheese and loved it. I wouldn't touch the blue cheese if my life depended on it. :) Everything else was fairly priced for a signature restaurant though.

Citricos looks quite excellent. I think next time we go we will try to eat somewhere in the GF. We've eaten at the other two monorail resorts, so now we need to complete the loop.

Definitely try somewhere in the GF. I think Hailey would love 1900 with the characters!

1) I don't think I've ever read a review of Citricos. So thanks. Where is it located in the GF?

2) You take AMAZING pics! The pic of the GF is just stunning.

3) The food looks awesome. That steak...mmmmmm

4) You said it's signature dining so I'm assuming it's a 2 TS restaurant....

It's upstairs by Victoria & Alberts, you have to walk down the same hallway to get there. Same side of the building as the salon and Basin, etc. Thanks again for the pic compliments! MMMmmmmmm that steak was delicious. And yup, it's a 2TS restaurant. I forgot to mention that in my review!

[scoot241]

Definitely try somewhere in the GF. I think Hailey would love 1900 with the characters!

That's what I was thinking too. :)

[jordanyosh]

It's upstairs by Victoria & Alberts, you have to walk down the same hallway to get there. Same side of the building as the salon and Basin, etc. Thanks again for the pic compliments! MMMmmmmmm that steak was delicious. And yup, it's a 2TS restaurant. I forgot to mention that in my review!

Thanks for all the good info!

[lacrosse_lady72]

Yummmmmm... I LOVED Citricos also. And the arancini crispy risotto OMG, I loved those things. It's crazy because I told my mom I wish they'd just give me another plate of the risotto and I would be happy without the entree... unfortunately, that would have been true because I really disliked the filet I had.

But I definitely agree, Citricos is very yummy and glad we went. Apparently, you feel similarly :)

Good intentions but seafood... yuck! Good thing the couscous was good though and kudos to slaming down something fishy, idk if I could do it. I'm with you on the non-seafoodness (I know, not a word) I tried a lot of it during our Sept 2008 trip but I'm OK with never eating seafood again it just grosses me out too much and I love my land-based food.

And even more crazy, at every single signature meal I kept complaining to my mom about people who aren't dressed appropriately. It just kept getting worse and worse. I'm not saying people should dress in wedding-like attire but no screened shirts or ratty old sneakers... I mean come on.

[lacrosse_lady72]

Oh yeah, I'm with you on blue cheese... that's right up there with shrimp and mushrooms for me, :scared:

I'm glad to read you've had great luck with transportation thus far, I hope to read that keeps up for the rest of the trip.

[jenny105]

Citricos looks awesome! The pictures were making me hungry!

Oh yeah, I'm with you on blue cheese... that's right up there with shrimp and mushrooms for me, :scared:


I love all 3. I'll take whatever you don't want! ;)

[stacikristine]

Oh WOW! Citricos looks amazing! I really might have to try it next time :thumbsup2

[MyMuse]

Wonderful review; jut the kind of pick-me-up I needed! :goodvibes

I am always a little afraid to go to signature restaraunts on-site, because of the dress code. I feel like I don't have enough fancy things to wear while I'm on vaca.

I did do 1900 Park Fare for breakfast and it was WONDERFUL! I did manage to wear appripo clothing there since we were leaving that day.

Hoepfully, next trip, I will slow down and not be so park crazy. :laughing:

A friend of mine refuses to go to the Grand Floridian Cafe again since her experience was lousy service and lousy food. :sad2:

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

[disneygirlinnj]

Yummmmmm... I LOVED Citricos also. And the arancini crispy risotto OMG, I loved those things. It's crazy because I told my mom I wish they'd just give me another plate of the risotto and I would be happy without the entree... unfortunately, that would have been true because I really disliked the filet I had.

But I definitely agree, Citricos is very yummy and glad we went. Apparently, you feel similarly :)

Good intentions but seafood... yuck! Good thing the couscous was good though and kudos to slaming down something fishy, idk if I could do it. I'm with you on the non-seafoodness (I know, not a word) I tried a lot of it during our Sept 2008 trip but I'm OK with never eating seafood again it just grosses me out too much and I love my land-based food.

And even more crazy, at every single signature meal I kept complaining to my mom about people who aren't dressed appropriately. It just kept getting worse and worse. I'm not saying people should dress in wedding-like attire but no screened shirts or ratty old sneakers... I mean come on.

Yeah, I keep trying seafood all the time but it just doesn't do it for me :( Bleh! And the signature dress code...ughhhhh!

Oh yeah, I'm with you on blue cheese... that's right up there with shrimp and mushrooms for me, :scared:

I'm glad to read you've had great luck with transportation thus far, I hope to read that keeps up for the rest of the trip.

haha those three are my least favorite too..ugh! and yup! transportation was pretty decent for us. Only once we waited a little bit but even then it wasn't horrible.

Citricos looks awesome! The pictures were making me hungry!

I love all 3. I'll take whatever you don't want! ;)

Haha, you can have all three of mine too! I don't like any of them.

Oh WOW! Citricos looks amazing! I really might have to try it next time :thumbsup2

Definitely try it if you get a chance!

Wonderful review; jut the kind of pick-me-up I needed! :goodvibes

I am always a little afraid to go to signature restaraunts on-site, because of the dress code. I feel like I don't have enough fancy things to wear while I'm on vaca.

I did do 1900 Park Fare for breakfast and it was WONDERFUL! I did manage to wear appripo clothing there since we were leaving that day.

Hoepfully, next trip, I will slow down and not be so park crazy. :laughing:

A friend of mine refuses to go to the Grand Floridian Cafe again since her experience was lousy service and lousy food. :sad2:

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

Glad I can cheer up the day a little bit :) And I think you'll be totally fine with the dress code! I remember your TR with your niece and if I remember right, all the outfits you wore were definitely appropriate! I saw people there that almost definitely came right from the pool. I didn't get it! I can't wait to try 1900 Park Fare when I go in January! Haven't eaten there since I was a kid. And that sucks your friend didn't like the GFC. I've only had breakfast there though and we loved it.

[disneygirlinnj]

On to Day 2!

So we woke up bright and early and mom gave me a birthday card before I even got out of bed. Can't believe I was finally spending my bday at Disney!

Quickly got ready and headed to the bus stop. Again, don't think we waited long before we were on our way.

Tweet Update, 7:28 AM Sep 27th: Up and out...on the way to mk for breakfast with pooh! Cloudy day tho so mk pics won't be as fun

It was a dreary day when we left the hotel and the whole time we were at breakfast. Kept it somewhat cool though in the early morning. We got to the MK and the line was already getting pretty long for the CP breakfast. They let us in about 7:45 or 7:50 and everyone started wandering down Main Street. I officially will try to get 8am breakfasts ALL the time! I LOVED the park so empty!!! If we weren't trying to eat breakfast and be out by 9am, I would have stayed on Main St. and kept taking photos...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2584/3981740349_65a2f57045.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981740349)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/3981754367_82a3ea885d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981754367)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2576/3981743249_5eef4e5b57.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981743249)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2656/3981760137_69910f08ee.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981760137)

I loved all the pumpkins everywhere!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2533/3981757683_7477beb9ed.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981757683)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2621/3982525386_97d5bc61f7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982525386)

We tried to take our time walking down Main Street but the food was calling our name. When we got to the Partners Statue...there were a bunch of families trying to take photos. The family behind us offered to take our photo for us and we took theirs...

When editing this I accidentally made it a tad too blue.... grrr... Our skin looks funny! But they sky looks nice and blue..haha!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/3982519776_3364d752e8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982519776)

When the other family left I tried to take as many photos as I could before another family showed up. Didn't last long..boo.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/3982516366_d545e1a500.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982516366)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3489/3981730393_abc08e617d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981730393)

LOVE how empty is was!
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I saw the line getting pretty long at CP so we paused on photos for a bit and went to check in. Seated within 10 mins and got this cute surprise on our table...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/3981978933_df3d67c1fd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981978933)

Our server came over and took our drink order and sent us on our way to get food. He said all the characters won't be out for awhile though so we have time. Sadly though we missed Pooh on his first run through the restaurant!

I honestly don't remember the coffee here. I kind of want to say that it wasn't the horrible Nescafe stuff? But I could totally be wrong. I remember clearly getting the gross coffee at Tusker House but don't remember it anywhere else! We also got freshly squeezed orange juice which mom loved and I definitely enjoyed as well.

My plate of yumminess...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3982732470_c70deb162c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982732470)

Mom and I both got omelets to order and they were cooked perfectly. Mom just had plain cheese and I had ham and cheese with tomatoes. Possibly peppers too but I don't see any in the photo. I HATE when my eggs are even the slightest bit runny and these passed my test. Next to the omelet is the breakfast pizza. It wasn't too bad, but I expected there to be some kind of meat on it? Didn't finish the whole thing. In the back are the biscuits and gravy. I felt like these tasted like nothing. The gravy was bland. Biscuits were good by themselves though. Hiding under the grapes were potatoes, must have been decent but I can't remember. And the infamous Disney bacon. I personally love the bacon there but I HATE greasy fatty bacon. This bacon is usually crisp.

I forgot what else mom got but I remember it being a LOT of food and I 'scolded' her for taking so much. Mom usually eats NOTHING when we go out to eat. She'll eat a quarter of her meal and be full. Surprisingly she ate like a HOUSE this whole week. We were both amazed. I have NO idea how she did it. Me, on the other hand, ate barely anything. Very sad. The heat and my nerves got the best of me I think. So yup...mom ate everything on her plate. Pretty sure she had fruit, croissants, waffles, etc.

As we started eating, a few of the characters came out...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2644/3982733750_074f4b79c1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982733750)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2439/3982739900_2460cb7bf7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982739900)

By the time we were finished, we had only seen Piglet and Tigger. Slightly disappointed. The server came by with the bill, a birthday cupcake, and a card signed by all the characters at CP. Cute touch!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2584/3981972975_b437a3fff1.jpg

Oh! Before I forget.... Ekkirt and I had been Tweeting back and forth to each other. He and his family were also having 8am breakfast at CP! We both tweeted what we were wearing and sure enough I see him and his granddaughter making our way to our table. It was great to finally put a face to a name! Sadly though we both totally forgot to take photos!

Mom then headed to the restroom and of course that's when Eeyore showed up..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3982734416_09ec525d2b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982734416)

My day was made....Eeyore is my favorite Pooh character so I was happy! Mom came back and we decided not to wait for Pooh. He wasn't anywhere in sight so it would have taken him a while to get to us anyways.

Overall we really enjoyed Crystal Palace. Some food was hit or miss but that was just personal taste. Mom loved every bite and I really enjoyed what I liked. It was better than Tusker House's breakfast (although we liked TH too) and I love the atmosphere. Would we eat here again? Definitely! I tried to book ADRs for my trip in January but they're closing for renovations.

The breakdown:
Two Adult Breakfasts: 2 @ $18.99 each
Total before tip: $40.45
TS Credits Used: 2
OOP: Just tip

The rest of our MK day will have to be continued later on...time to head to work!

[scoot241]

Crystal Palace might have driven my mom insane. She has an inexplicable dislike for Winnie the Pooh. :confused3 We did ride the Pooh ride twice though, so maybe she would survive. :rotfl:

Wasn't being on an empty Main Street great? I felt a bit rushed too, even though we got there way before our ADR time. We had 8:20 ADRs and we were able to walk right into the park at around 7:50. Were there PhotoPass photographers out? We had a bunch already lined up and down Main Street including one in front of the Partners statue.

[disneygirlinnj]

Crystal Palace might have driven my mom insane. She has an inexplicable dislike for Winnie the Pooh. :confused3 We did ride the Pooh ride twice though, so maybe she would survive. :rotfl:

Wasn't being on an empty Main Street great? I felt a bit rushed too, even though we got there way before our ADR time. We had 8:20 ADRs and we were able to walk right into the park at around 7:50. Were there PhotoPass photographers out? We had a bunch already lined up and down Main Street including one in front of the Partners statue.

Nope :( NO photopass photographers AT ALL! I was pretty bummed about it. i wanted a pic of my mom and I on an empty Main Street. Just didn't feel like asking a normal person to take it, ya know? I tried to find someone with a DSLR but surprisingly couldn't find anyone!

oh...but yes...an empty main street was amazing! I wish i could see all the parks like this :) Tusker House was similar but they roped off everything and there were CM's pointing you towards the right direction. Couldn't do any fun wandering really.

[tarak]

I love your report so far. I really hope to eat at either Citricos or V&A next year for our trip (which will be an anniversary dinner sans kids!). That food looks wonderful. I'll take the shrimp, mushrooms and blue cheese as well (DH would eat the shrimp, but agrees that mushrooms and blue cheese aren't food worth eating).

[Lynn5700]

OOH CP brakfast is the best!!

Beautiful pics of Main St and the Castle! You are so talented!!!

You look adorable with the characters :)

I'm surprised they didn't have photopass photogs out! Oh well, your pics turned out great....probably better that what the photopass pictures would have turned out to be. lol

[jenjolt]

Great Early morning pictures of MK and what a great review of CP! I'm going to miss eating breakfast there in January! I'm not as big of fan of eating there later in the day but I do enjoy CP in the morning!!

WOW may I ask what editing program you use on your photos they turned out amazing!!! Very nicely done!!

So happy you were able to see Eeyore!!

[stacikristine]

Wow--your pictures of Main Street and the Castle are gorgeous! You take wonderful pictures. Do you use Photoshop? And do you put any filters on them, or just mess with the levels/balance? They look fantastic! :thumbsup2

[disneygirlinnj]

I love your report so far. I really hope to eat at either Citricos or V&A next year for our trip (which will be an anniversary dinner sans kids!). That food looks wonderful. I'll take the shrimp, mushrooms and blue cheese as well (DH would eat the shrimp, but agrees that mushrooms and blue cheese aren't food worth eating).

Thank you! I would LOVE to eat at V&A one day! Haha... I'll make sure to save you the yucky trio :)

OOH CP brakfast is the best!!

Beautiful pics of Main St and the Castle! You are so talented!!!

You look adorable with the characters :)

I'm surprised they didn't have photopass photogs out! Oh well, your pics turned out great....probably better that what the photopass pictures would have turned out to be. lol

Thank you Lynn! I was kinda surprised too. Not sure if maybe we just missed them? They were no where to be seen.

Great Early morning pictures of MK and what a great review of CP! I'm going to miss eating breakfast there in January! I'm not as big of fan of eating there later in the day but I do enjoy CP in the morning!!

WOW may I ask what editing program you use on your photos they turned out amazing!!! Very nicely done!!

So happy you were able to see Eeyore!!

I'm upset they're renovating in January! :( I wanted to bring my friend Chrisitna there since she's never been. We're settling for 1900 PF instead :)

I use Adobe Lightroom to edit all my photos. Just playing around with the levels and stuff and clarity. Thank you for the compliment! :)

Wow--your pictures of Main Street and the Castle are gorgeous! You take wonderful pictures. Do you use Photoshop? And do you put any filters on them, or just mess with the levels/balance? They look fantastic! :thumbsup2

Thank you! I mentioned it right above this but I use Adobe Lightroom to edit all my pics. I do use Photoshop every once in awhile but I didn't on any of my Disney pics this trip. I only use Photoshop if I want to do serious editing and remove things from the photos. And no filters on these either..just playing around with clarity, levels, balance, saturation, etc.

[LouDisney]

Your pics are beautiful!
I'm SO ready to be there. I leave Sunday :)

[jordanyosh]

Isn't there something just extra magical about being at an empty theme park first thing in the morning?

Kinda bummed that you didn't get to see all the characters...:confused3

[LouDisney]

I have the same pirate costume, that you are wearing in your pic. I'm wearing it Halloween night, for MNSSHP. It was a toss up between a pirate or Alice in Wonderland. I want my pic made with Capt. Hook. I would love one made with Capt. Jack, but didn't they have him out only during the Pirate and Princess's parties?

[jenny105]

Cute pictures! I'm sorry you missed out on Pooh though, bummer. CP looks really nice. I've never been inside. I'll have to try that breakfast on one of my next trips!

[annnewjerz]

Alright I was a little behind since we were in WDW for the weekend, but I'm all caught up now.

Empty Main Street looks wonderful. We'll be doing that in December and I can't wait, especially since I got no pictures of Main Street this past weekend due to all of the people entering for MNSSHP. It was a mob scene. :headache:

The breakfast looks yummy. I'm not a big fan of buffets, but I'm looking forward to the puffed french toast, I keep reading such good things about it. Mmmmm.

Looking forward to reading/seeing more! :thumbsup2

[disneygirlinnj]

Your pics are beautiful!
I'm SO ready to be there. I leave Sunday :)

Thanks! I hope you had a great time!!!

Isn't there something just extra magical about being at an empty theme park first thing in the morning?

Kinda bummed that you didn't get to see all the characters...:confused3

There definitely is! Hopefully next time I go I'll be able to see Pooh. I was kinda bummed but at least I got to see Eeyore.

I have the same pirate costume, that you are wearing in your pic. I'm wearing it Halloween night, for MNSSHP. It was a toss up between a pirate or Alice in Wonderland. I want my pic made with Capt. Hook. I would love one made with Capt. Jack, but didn't they have him out only during the Pirate and Princess's parties?

I love that costume. If I could I'd wear it every year! And yup... Jack was only out for Pirate/Princess Parties. I wish they would bring him and the parties back!

Cute pictures! I'm sorry you missed out on Pooh though, bummer. CP looks really nice. I've never been inside. I'll have to try that breakfast on one of my next trips!

CP is really pretty inside! And a pretty well organized buffet! So far the best breakfast buffet we've had on property.

Alright I was a little behind since we were in WDW for the weekend, but I'm all caught up now.

Empty Main Street looks wonderful. We'll be doing that in December and I can't wait, especially since I got no pictures of Main Street this past weekend due to all of the people entering for MNSSHP. It was a mob scene. :headache:

The breakfast looks yummy. I'm not a big fan of buffets, but I'm looking forward to the puffed french toast, I keep reading such good things about it. Mmmmm.

Looking forward to reading/seeing more! :thumbsup2

Welcome back! I have to go catch up on your report too but I've been so crazy over here. :(

[disneygirlinnj]

Hey everyone! I'm back for another update!

But before I start...quick Disney update NOT related to this TR! My dad and I have been dying to see a shuttle launch before they retire the fleet in 2010. So we just booked a quick trip down to Florida for the Nov 16th launch. Cross your fingers that the launch doesn't get scrubbed!!! And since we'll be down in Florida... dad wanted to stay at..... AKL....woohoo! We got a pretty sweet discount with my AP rate so we figured why not? Never stayed there and I even convinced him and Stepmom to try Jiko. Should be interesting b/c they are NOT adventurous eaters. If the shuttle goes up on time, we'll have 2 full days and 1 half day in the parks....plus a full day at Kennedy Space Center. If the launch gets delayed to the next day... how much time we'll have depends on if we actually get all the way out to KSC before they decide to scrub it. I'll probably just throw that mini trip report and stuff into my January trip report so keep an eye out....eventually. Who knows if I'll ever make it over to that PTR to actually update it anytime soon.

But anyways....

So after our yummy Pooh-less breakfast at Crystal Palace, I wanted to head to Fantasyland and knock out as many of the big rides as possible before the masses showed up. It was a little after 9am when we left. CP check-in was a MADHOUSE. Glad we got the 8am slot!

On our way to Fantasyland...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/3983699732_9a80dbea8e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3983699732)

We also ran into the Fairy Godmother but the line was already too long so we decided to skip her. Sadly that was the trend all week. We always caught most of the characters after the lines to see them were crazy long. We met SO many more characters on our last trip!

The first ride we did was Snow White, with no line whatsoever, which we haven't done in YEARS! The past few trips I've kinda skipped most of Fantasyland just due to the lines.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2450/3982930483_d88d7c55f5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982930483)

It was cute to see again. After that we jumped over to Peter Pan, which stated that there was a 10 minute wait but I highly doubt that's how long we waited for it.

Tweet Update, 9:21 AM Sep 27th: Just met @Ekkirt at cp..always nice to put a face with a name =) on line for peter pan now!

I tried to get some photos in here but the black light and the darkness just wasn't agreeing with my camera.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3488/3982932543_8a3196dec6.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982932543)

I think this is definitely one of the cutest rides in Fantasyland..just don't understand how the line is always SO long! It's nuts!

Up next? Small World! Mom LOVES this ride. She thinks is the cutest thing ever. But umm...can someone tell us which dolls are supposed to be from Greece? I swear they used to be there but...I couldn't find them this time.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/3982931093_3427c2e956.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982931093)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2487/3982929737_3dc9574d0d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982929737)

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2594/3982934377_77d5274321.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982934377)

Ok I think that's enough SW photos for today.... hope you guys didn't start singing the song! Between Small World, Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, and the Celebrate Today song... I was trying to think of ANY way to force a new song into my brain!

By the time we finished up SW, there were decent lines forming in Fantasyland so we high tailed it out of there towards Liberty Square. Saw the line for Haunted Mansion said 10 mins but it looked much shorter so we jumped on line. After only waiting for one other group to go into the stretching room before us, we were inside.

Is this room actually stretching...?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3982947923_1313028bc6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982947923)

They might be 'dusty' but I totally want these in my house...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2469/3982947145_547f42b706.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982947145/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2438/3982948365_591523960c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982948365)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2489/3982948621_a5414ce71e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982948621)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/3983709138_778b0ce2e9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3983709138)

After getting out of HM, it was time to rest the feet for a bit. What better place than the Hall of Presidents? I was excited to see the new version with Obama. I enjoyed the new show and think they did a great job with the additions and changes. I don't think Obama looks 100% like himself but...then again I was looking at both George Bush's in HOP and they look kinda funny too.

Tweet Update, 10:43 AM Sep 27th: Since when is there no photos allowed at all in hop?

We were sitting in the very front row and I had my camera in my hand getting ready to take photos when the CM announced that there were NO photos allowed. I swear he was looking straight at me. ***?! I was kinda pissed. I had NEVER heard of such a thing! I later found out in the week that this CM was probably just having a crappy day because the other CM that spoke the 2nd time said no flash photography and was totally cool with normal photos sans flash. Go figure.

Wandered a few stores afterwards in Liberty Square as we walked towards Frontierland.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2461/3986383182_4ddd2c5f40.jpg

Ok, I'm getting sleepy so I'm going to end here for now. :)

[scoot241]

We were sitting in the very front row and I had my camera in my hand getting ready to take photos when the CM announced that there were NO photos allowed. I swear he was looking straight at me. ***?! I was kinda pissed. I had NEVER heard of such a thing! I later found out in the week that this CM was probably just having a crappy day because the other CM that spoke the 2nd time said no flash photography and was totally cool with normal photos sans flash. Go figure.

I had a crappy CM tell me at Soarin' "I'm gonna let you keep your camera out, but you better not take any pictures" in a ridiculous tone. I was holding the camera because I wasn't going to trust the net underneath to hold it for me; I had no intentions of taking pictures in the first place. At that point, I thought "she would never know if I took a picture or not". Still didn't take any though; how boring would those pictures be? Oh look, the screen.

This was the only real incident I had as far as photography went my entire week, though. Most of the CMs seem to realize that it's the flashes that cause problems, not the cameras themselves.

[jenny105]

That picture of the castle is beautiful!

I never understand why there's such a huge line for Peter Pan all the time. The other dark rides could be 15 minutes and Peter Pan is like 50 minutes. It's the same thing. What gives? Because it looks like you're flying? Is that why it's more popular? :confused3

I love HM! That part with the bride creeps me out though. So do the doors!

[dawnbu40]

I love all the pics they are all great! I really liked the new Hall of Presidents too! I think they did a great with it :thumbsup2

[Chelley00]

Hey everyone! I'm back for another update!

But before I start...quick Disney update NOT related to this TR! My dad and I have been dying to see a shuttle launch before they retire the fleet in 2010. So we just booked a quick trip down to Florida for the Nov 16th launch. Cross your fingers that the launch doesn't get scrubbed!!! And since we'll be down in Florida... dad wanted to stay at..... AKL....woohoo!



R and I will be at AKL that week!!! We'll have to accidentally run into each other!

[racefanof88]

We had the same experience at CP, NO Pooh. I love your pictures they are so sharp and clear. What type of camera do you have and what settings do you use?

[jordanyosh]

I love your pix. I know people have asked..but what kind of camera do you use? Did you take photography classes or just pick it up

[MyMuse]

Very nice, indeed!

With your tweets, it's like reliving the trip! :thumbsup2

I can't wait to see HOP as well; I don't think I've ever been. Loved the pictures from Haunted Mansion. I like that ride alot, but my littl 'ol camera will have nothing to do with it.

FYI...pumpkin menu only at BlvdFive72! :banana:

[disneygirlinnj]

I had a crappy CM tell me at Soarin' "I'm gonna let you keep your camera out, but you better not take any pictures" in a ridiculous tone. I was holding the camera because I wasn't going to trust the net underneath to hold it for me; I had no intentions of taking pictures in the first place. At that point, I thought "she would never know if I took a picture or not". Still didn't take any though; how boring would those pictures be? Oh look, the screen.

This was the only real incident I had as far as photography went my entire week, though. Most of the CMs seem to realize that it's the flashes that cause problems, not the cameras themselves.

Ugh...I really think some CM's take their power a little too seriously. Does she really think good photos could be taken on Soarin? Lucky the HOP incident was my only one as well. :)

That picture of the castle is beautiful!

I never understand why there's such a huge line for Peter Pan all the time. The other dark rides could be 15 minutes and Peter Pan is like 50 minutes. It's the same thing. What gives? Because it looks like you're flying? Is that why it's more popular? :confused3

I love HM! That part with the bride creeps me out though. So do the doors!

I think the Peter Pan line will always be a mystery to me. And Pooh!

Aww... I LOVE the part with the bride on HM. I think they did an awesome job with all the updates :)

I love all the pics they are all great! I really liked the new Hall of Presidents too! I think they did a great with it :thumbsup2

I remember when HOP used to bore me to death. It was my attraction that I could catch some extra zzzz's!

R and I will be at AKL that week!!! We'll have to accidentally run into each other!

Ohhhhh! YES! We'll definitely have to 'accidentally' run into each other. We'll have to keep each other updated!

We had the same experience at CP, NO Pooh. I love your pictures they are so sharp and clear. What type of camera do you have and what settings do you use?

I still love that Dallas was considerate and said you guys can skip Pooh! I'll answer the camera question during Jordan's response below... :)

I love your pix. I know people have asked..but what kind of camera do you use? Did you take photography classes or just pick it up

I use a Canon Rebel Xti. I have a few lenses that I use with it but all the dark rides I used a 50mm f/1.4. During the day I used a 17-55mm f/2.8. And for the closeups of the parade I used a 70-300mm f/4. If anyone wants to know the actual settings I took each shot at... you can click on the photo and it'll bring you to the Flickr page. Then on the bottom right you can click on 'more properties' and it should bring you to the detail of the settings used. I tried to shoot a lot in manual mode and tweak the settings as I go but I'm still learning so it was tedious.

I've been learning on my own by trial and error. Still a lot I still have to learn though! I've been debating taking classes but haven't yet!

Very nice, indeed!

With your tweets, it's like reliving the trip! :thumbsup2

I can't wait to see HOP as well; I don't think I've ever been. Loved the pictures from Haunted Mansion. I like that ride alot, but my littl 'ol camera will have nothing to do with it.

FYI...pumpkin menu only at BlvdFive72! :banana:

MMMMMMM Went to look at their site and it looks amazing! I think it's gonna be too far away though :(

[disneygirlinnj]

Alrighty...lets continue on with Day 2!!

We had just finished up with Liberty Square and we heading towards Frontierland... on our way to Country Bear Jamboree we saw the street show they were having with Brer Fox and Bear...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/3985630039_9741ed0e8b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985630039)

CBJ was FREEZING in the waiting room so we hung around outside for a bit until the show was about to start.

Country Bears is one of those attractions that I love for sentimental reasons. They seriously need to update it though! Gotta love Big Al no matter how outdated he is...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2536/3985628471_1e0a7824b0.jpg

Since mom wasn't about to to Thunder and Splash... we meandered over to Adventureland. At this point we were getting kinda tired so we decided to just do Pirates and then make our way to lunch at Tony's to relax for a bit. Hoping they'd take us early.

Before heading into Pirates though we ran into this crazy fellow...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2609/3985625885_a249658f68.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985625885)

It was pretty crowded though so we didn't watch for long...went right into Pirates and there was MAYBE a 5-8 minute wait. Time for one of my favorite rides!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2565/3986382490_60dcdc468c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3986382490)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2608/3985635757_2fb06d30bd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985635757)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3985629455_a436f4178b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3985640123_df3bb74883.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985640123)

Headed towards Main Street and had a nice little talk with this awesome CM..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3520/3985636393_1199f80a70.jpg

The Main Street trolley parade was going on again so of course we had to stop to catch a few minutes. We saw this couple every time we saw the parade..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2498/3986392586_23dc8f3bef.jpg

Finally we made it to Tony's! We were about a half hour early and when I tried to check in, the CM pretty much told me she isn't going to check me in and that I have to come give our name again in 20 mins. Hmph! NOT off to a good start guys! I was already iffy about eating here since we only had so-so experiences in the past. Oh well. So mom sat in the waiting area and I just wandered the store for a little bit. We were trying to find a cool picture frame and photo album and we found them there. Didn't want to buy them yet though so I just made a mental note. Then it hit me! I NEVER picked up my birthday fun card!! EEK! I went over to mom and told her I'd be right back and headed out to Guest Realations. It was a quick transaction and in minutes I had $79 to spend however my heart desired.

By the time I got back to Tony's it was time to check in for real this time. We went into the waiting area and had a seat and only waited a few minutes for our name to be called. We were sat all the way in the back in a comfy booth kinda by the kitchen. It wasn't a problem though because we were out of everyone's way and it was crowded in there!

We did get more confetti...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2498/3985635007_5bcea9dc30.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985635007)

Now I was seriously pretty full from breakfast and made a promise to myself that I wouldn't make myself sick by forcing food. But I WAS going to try things!

Our waitress came out and was pretty friendly. She made some suggestions about what she liked and took our drink orders. I think it was water for me and soda for mom.

Now onto the food!

We decided to try something that was new on the menu... Breaded Zucchini Sticks. I forgot to write down the price of these but I'm thinking they were around $7.99. They were pretty decent! Not too greasy and were nice and crunchy yet the zucchini was soft inside. The marinara sauce tasted better than what I remember at Tony's so not sure if they changed it slightly? I tried a few pieces and mom ate the rest. She really enjoyed it (are you sensing a trend?).

Sorry...we ate a few before taking the pic..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2575/3985642689_50bb347ae0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985642689)

I decided on the Insalata Alla Caprese...on allears it's called...Tomato and Mozzarella Salad - Tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, and Red Onions tossed with Roasted Garlic, Shallots, and Balsamic Dressing $8.69

Now I think the description on allears is slightly different than what we had. The description sounds like what I had a few years back... tiny mozz balls tossed with grape tomatoes and dressing. What we were served today was a million times better! This was a large piece of mozz cut into slices with a large ripe tomato...all drizzled with oil and balsamic glaze, topped with sliced raw onions and served with large garlic croutons/bread.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/3985633763_5b6ac19401.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985633763/)

This was also tasty and good. The mozz was pretty fresh and the tomatoes were definitely ripe. They went well with the balsamic glaze. I was pleasantly surprised with it. Sadly I could only have a piece or piece and a half of both tomato and mozz. Mom tried it too and enjoyed.

I think that's when I sent this Tweet...

Tweet Update, 1:17 PM Sep 27th: I think deluxe dining is already defeating us. At tonys and I'm dreading dinner lol

For entrees mom chose the Eggplant Catasta (Stack) - Layers of Eggplant, Caramelized Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, and Parmesan with Marinara Sauce over penne pasta $14.99

To me this looked like some kind of version of eggplant parmesan... I don't really think their fresh mozz was the same that they had on the appetizer. This was definitely grated mozz that you get from a bag it seemed. And didnt see any caramelized onions but that's ok because mom isn't a huge fan of them. And umm... where's the sauce on the pasta?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3499/3985643595_4046712a2f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985643595)

Turns out the sauce was hiding under everything. Mom said if she was going to have more pasta, she would have asked for more sauce but she mainly ate just the eggplant. She said it wasn't mushy like sometimes fried eggplant can get and said she'd get it again.

I was really indecisive on my entree. I didn't want a sandwich, or a ceasar salad, or a full pasta dish. I was FULL already!! So against my better judgment, I listened to the waitress and ordered the Chicken Parmigiana - Lightly breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce, melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti $16.99.

Figured I could just eat the chicken and not the pasta. Last time I had the chicken parm though, it was sub par and NOT that great at all. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

Now I know the photo doesn't look too appetizing but here it is.. (I was too lazy to change lenses or push the plate further away..sorry!)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3985638959_852b46199e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985638959)

How was it? I was pleasantly surprised again! The sauce wasn't runny like last time...the same marinara from the zucchini sticks. The chicken was well seasoned and moist. The pasta I honestly don't remember too much about. It wasn't mushy though, that I would remember! After a few bites though, I was ridiculously full.

Dessert time...really? MORE food?

Mom chose the Spumoni - layers of ice cream with pistachio nuts and cherries $4.99

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2454/3985638185_394f3d8898.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985638185)

It was typical spumoni...the ice cream wasn't anything AMAZING but mom enjoyed it. She ate all the pistachio and chocolate and left the vanilla.

I was going to pass on dessert until I heard the dessert of the day...Chef's Signature Cheesecake - $5.49 and it was.....Pumpkin Cheesecake!!!!! I LOVE anything pumpkin and this got me excited. I also ordered a coffee. I asked before ordering and the waitress said that the coffee is fresh brewed. Nice! Yet another surprise because last trip there it was still that gross Nescafe stuff.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/3986387614_174b607083.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3986387614)

This was... delicious! I actually barely ate the crust on the bottom but that was also very good. I just really wanted to savor the cheesecake part. Not too overpowering on the spices and just sweet enough. I could have this dessert every day. MMMMMM!!

Oh...we also got a bottle of Evian included with the dining plan. After we agreed to it I realized that this is just the server's ploy all around Disney to get more tip money. No one really NEEDS the bottle of Evian but..it's an extra dollar tip for them, right? I noticed servers all around us throughout the whole week pushing the bottles of water and bottles of juices. Smart move on their part...but we fell for it a few times. Oh well.

I didn't write down the final total, but I know it was about $70 by looking at the tip we gave.

We were pleasantly surprised with Tony's this time around. It still isn't real authentic Italian food but it's finally starting to compete with the Olive Garden's and Macaroni Grill's of the world. We'd definitely eat here again...but sadly only because we're not that blown away by any other TS in the MK either. This is the best of the bunch that we've found.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/3985641587_ac97bb723f.jpg


Tweet Update, 2:25 PM Sep 27th: Ok survived tonys and didnt explode. Must have self control and only have a few bites of each thing unless its amazing. Heading back to pofq

Tweet Update, 2:28 PM Sep 27th: Oh and pumpkin cheesecake at tonys fell into the awesome category lol

After lunch we decided to head back to the room for a little bit and relax.

[scoot241]

We were pleasantly surprised with Tony's this time around. It still isn't real authentic Italian food but it's finally starting to compete with the Olive Garden's and Macaroni Grill's of the world. We'd definitely eat here again...but sadly only because we're not that blown away by any other TS in the MK either. This is the best of the bunch that we've found.

It's reviews like this that made me decide not to eat at Tony's and go to Mama Melrose instead. Yes, there were mixed reviews about Mama Melrose also, but I found the reviews about Tony's consistently underwhelming.

Loving the photos; the Big Al one is great. Country Bear Jamboree is one of those ones we never seem to get to.

[Lynn5700]

Okay seriously awesome pics!!! What camera do you use, and what lens??? I want awesome pics inside Pirates and HM.

[dawnbu40]

I love the POTC pics! And :yay: for getting the birthday gift card! Nothing better than getting something for free!

[disneygirlinnj]

It's reviews like this that made me decide not to eat at Tony's and go to Mama Melrose instead. Yes, there were mixed reviews about Mama Melrose also, but I found the reviews about Tony's consistently underwhelming.

Loving the photos; the Big Al one is great. Country Bear Jamboree is one of those ones we never seem to get to.

To me Tony's and Mama are a tossup. Two years ago Tony's was better than Mama's when we ate at both. Still not good but Tony's barely won that fight. This year I was pleasantly surprised by Tony's. Definitely better than the last time I ate there. I'm not a huge fan of Macaroni Grill/Olive Garden and I know some people love it. I've heard Mama's has gotten better since our last trip too so one day I'll have to try it again!

Okay seriously awesome pics!!! What camera do you use, and what lens??? I want awesome pics inside Pirates and HM.

Thanks Lynn!

I use a Canon Rebel Xti. I have a few lenses that I use with it but all the dark rides I used a 50mm f/1.4. During the day I used a 17-55mm f/2.8. And for the closeups of the parade I used a 70-300mm f/4. If anyone wants to know the actual settings I took each shot at... you can click on the photo and it'll bring you to the Flickr page. Then on the bottom right you can click on 'more properties' and it should bring you to the detail of the settings used. I tried to shoot a lot in manual mode and tweak the settings as I go but I'm still learning so it was tedious.

I've been learning on my own by trial and error. Still a lot I still have to learn though! I've been debating taking classes but haven't yet!


I love the POTC pics! And :yay: for getting the birthday gift card! Nothing better than getting something for free!

Thanks Dawn! The bday fun card bought us a LOT of stuff! :)

[racefanof88]

Another great update and perfect pictures :thumbsup2. I have thought about taking a class in photography too, but my schedule wouldn't allow unless they were on Monday. I really need to invest in a better camera. Mine is OK, but it doesn't take good night pictures no matter what settings I use.

[scoot241]

To me Tony's and Mama are a tossup. Two years ago Tony's was better than Mama's when we ate at both. Still not good but Tony's barely won that fight. This year I was pleasantly surprised by Tony's. Definitely better than the last time I ate there. I'm not a huge fan of Macaroni Grill/Olive Garden and I know some people love it. I've heard Mama's has gotten better since our last trip too so one day I'll have to try it again!

I can do Macaroni Grill, but I can't stand Olive Garden. Everything there just seems like they put it in the microwave. To me, a frozen Stouffer's lasagna tastes better. My grandmother is 100% Italian though, so I guess I'm a bit of an Italian food snob.

[jenny105]

Jack Sparrow! :love: Did you see the beach towels they had of him in the stores? My bf was like do you really want a towel with a giant picture of his face on it? Um, yes, yes I do! I will be picking that up on my next trip! :thumbsup2

Great pictures! I've never tried Tony's. I've never been to any TS in MK now that I think of it...

[stacikristine]

Oh, yum! Your meal looks really good!! I went to Tony's a few years ago, and wasn't unhappy, but not impressed either. But we might have to give it another try :thumbsup2 Oh--and your castle picture was gorgeous on your last post! Oh--and one more thing :) ...do you remember your settings for your camera for the dark rides? Your pics turned out so much clearer than mine did! :thumbsup2

[disneygirlinnj]

Another great update and perfect pictures :thumbsup2. I have thought about taking a class in photography too, but my schedule wouldn't allow unless they were on Monday. I really need to invest in a better camera. Mine is OK, but it doesn't take good night pictures no matter what settings I use.

Have you tried looking at a community college for photo classes? I know the ones by me offer them for a decent price. Also there's a few camera stores that also offer classes. I still have to look into them!

I can do Macaroni Grill, but I can't stand Olive Garden. Everything there just seems like they put it in the microwave. To me, a frozen Stouffer's lasagna tastes better. My grandmother is 100% Italian though, so I guess I'm a bit of an Italian food snob.

I really think it IS all microwaved! When I worked at Friday's half the stuff was too! I'm a complete Italian food snob... and proud of it :) The mention of Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill causes my family to pray and cross themselves. hahaha

Jack Sparrow! :love: Did you see the beach towels they had of him in the stores? My bf was like do you really want a towel with a giant picture of his face on it? Um, yes, yes I do! I will be picking that up on my next trip! :thumbsup2

Great pictures! I've never tried Tony's. I've never been to any TS in MK now that I think of it...

OMG NO...I didn't see the towels!! I'll have to look next time! Definitely try some TS in MK... some people LOVE them! I just ehhh...don't LOVE them.

Oh, yum! Your meal looks really good!! I went to Tony's a few years ago, and wasn't unhappy, but not impressed either. But we might have to give it another try :thumbsup2 Oh--and your castle picture was gorgeous on your last post! Oh--and one more thing :) ...do you remember your settings for your camera for the dark rides? Your pics turned out so much clearer than mine did! :thumbsup2

Thank you! For most of my dark ride shots I took Scott's advice... I put the camera at ISO 800 or 1600, set the camera on Shutter Priority, set it at 1/50 shutter, and let the camera choose the rest.

[disneygirlinnj]

So last update mom and I headed back to the room to rest and relax. Before we got in the room we were greeted by this cute little guy.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2585/3985632885_130e4f4138.jpg

Lucky for me, the lizards don't freak me out. They were EVERYWHERE around POFQ. So adorable. :)

At about 4:30 or 5pm we headed back out to get to the Poly. Jumped on a bus and then a monorail and were in the hotel really early. My friend Sarah, who lives in Florida, along with her friends Holly and Mike were in the World for the weekend and we all planned to have dinner together. I texted her saying we were on our way and she said they were just finishing up playing some mini golf and would head over too.

We planned it this way though because we wanted to stop by the Wyland Gallery to look for jewelry. When mom and I came two years ago, mom bought me my Christmas gift there. I LOVE plumeria flowers and there was a beautiful sterling silver necklace that she bought me. Which reminds me, I need to get it cleaned!

Anyways...since it was my bday, mom wanted to get me something again. We went in and looked at all the jewelry and again, I really liked a starfish necklace and pair of earrings. I decided to hold off and wait a bit and we wandered the store drooling over all the paintings and sculptures. I wish I could decorate my house in half of this stuff...amazing! So finally I decided that I really did want the necklace and earrings so mom bought it for me. :) You'll see me wearing them in all the photos from here on out. So pretty!

It was still a little early so we wandered through all the other stores and sat and watched the waterfall for a bit. Finally headed upstairs around 6:10pm (for our 6:35pm ADR) to check in. We were given a pager and told to wait. Sarah said that they were heading towards the monorail. They all showed up and it was really great to see them! They're all so much fun and were great company during dinner. We had a ton of catching up to do. :)

Ok so this is where the update might get short. Why, you ask? Cause it's the Kona dinner update. The Kona dinner that I was SO looking forward to. The Kona dinner that I assumed would be JUST like the AMAZING Kona dinner we had two years ago.

Umm...it wasn't. It was by far the worst meal of the trip. The food itself was decent and of course I loved having dinner with Sarah and gang, but everything else put SUCH a damper on it that I just wanted to get the heck out of there and go back to the room.

And? No photos :( Sorry guys. The little annoyances started before we even sat down so by the time we DID sit down, I was in NO mood to take out the camera.

So when Sarah got off the monorail, it was our ADR time...6:30ish. It was REALLLLYYYYY crowded up there though so I knew it might take slightly longer. I also just assumed that the crowd was up there for Ohana. I thought wrong. By 6:45pm we still hadn't called up so I went to go check. The CM was pretty nice...and actually went to go check with other CMs to see why we weren't sat yet. He came back and said it should be a few more mins. I ask exactly how long and he says fifteen. Hm....OK. Whatever. I understand how restaurants can get behind so I let it go. About 20 mins later we finally were seated.

Our waitress was decent in the beginning. Then I'm not sure if she got frazzled or just gave up but we lost her for LONG periods of time. A few times she was sitting in a booth talking to other guests. But would sit in that booth for ten minutes at a time. If the restaurant wasn't crowded, go right ahead and shmooze. But this place was PACKED. Every table was seated and all her tables wanted something. She just didn't seem to care.

We explained to her that my mom and I were on the DxDP and Sarah and the gang would be using TIW. She seemed OK with it so we started to order. The macadamia nut bread was brought to the table and everyone attacked, except me. :(

I was REALLY NOT that hungry. Since the waiting debacle, I was starting to get nervous. I knew my mom was already tired and she was showing it. The standing around and waiting only made it worse. She wanted to be home by 8pm-ish so she can wash and do her hair for tomorrow and it was already 7pm. We weren't making that deadline! And the way it was going, we were going to be REALLLY late.

Since I wasn't hungry I offered my appetizer to Sarah and the gang. They decided on the Pot Stickers - wok-seared duck dumplings with creamy ginger soy sauce $7.49.

Mom chose the Kona Salad - Mixed greens, Maytag blue cheese, fresh fruit, red onions, and smoked almonds with a citrus vinaigrette $7.99.

Mom took one bite of her salad and hated it. :( She didn't like the mixed greens at all. So we offered the salad to the gang and they finished it off. The pot stickers were decent...but slightly dry as if they'd been sitting out for a while. Also smaller than what I remembered. The flavor wasn't as good either. Kinda disappointed. I only had half of one and the gang finished the rest.

For entrees, mom chose the Shrimp and Scallops - panko breaded shrimp and pan-seared scallops with sticky rice and ponzu, spicy guava-passion fruit and wasabi cream sauces $20.99

But she asked for all shrimp and all the sauces on the side and they gladly obliged. We asked for lemons to squeeze on the shrimp when the CM's brought the food. And we waited....and waited.. and no lemons. We saw the CM we asked running around bringing out more food, and no lemons. Looked for our server and thats when we saw her in the booth. Finally the CM we asked came running over and finally brought the lemon, but it was honestly 10 mins later. Mom enjoyed the shrimp after that though, thankfully. The shrimp were smaller than last meal but there were definitely more of them.

I ordered the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop served on pan-roasted fingerling potatoes and applewood smoked bacon braised Swiss chard $21.99

This was actually pretty good! The chop was cooked perfectly and was still moist. However I didn't taste ANY pomegranate bbq? the potatoes were also pretty good and well seasoned. Sadly though I only had 5 bites. I honestly just couldn't eat any more.

Oh...Holly had the Coconut Almond Chicken and said it was OK, nothing great. Sarah had the Pan Asian Noodles with Shrimp and said it was good, typical lo mein.

So now time for dessert! EEK! I was sooo full and hurried but I didn't want to rush anyone else. So I made them pick two desserts. We chose the Kilauea Torte a la mode $7.28 and the Chocolate Fondue $6.99. Mom doesn't like vanilla ice cream all that much so I asked for chocolate for the kilauea torte. Now... you would have thought I told her that I wanted anchovies on it. She looked at me like I was crazy...rolled her eyes... and said 'You do realize that's going to be a lot of chocolate?! It's MUCH better with vanilla' I'm pretty sure I spat something back and then realized I should get both flavors and she rolled her eyes AGAIN and said 'fine but I have to charge you for the other flavor'. I never said I didn't want to pay for it. So I told her OK and to put it on MY bill. Off she went...

Another ten minute wait and the desserts finally arrived. The kilauea torte was good. Nice, warm, ooey, and gooey. Just how it's supposed to be. It was good with the vanilla. Mom decided she didn't want any and all she wanted was her chocolate ice cream so she ate that. :) The chocolate fondue was also pretty good. If I remember right though, the fondue was kinda like Hershey's syrup? I know it came with strawberries... and I honestly can NOT think of what else. Sorry guys.

We had asked for our checks before and I gave her my card and then Sarah gave her the TIW card to split everything up. My bill came right back. Sarah's on the other hand? We have NO idea what happened. We saw our server walk back and forth a million times, with the bill in her hand and just NEVER came by. She also gave Sarah a huge attitude because Sarah didn't tell her prior about TIW....which is a lie. Then to make it worse, poor Sarah just wanted the bill split onto 3 cards... and the lady pretty much flipped out and was horrible. Again...another ten mins of watching her wander the restaurant holding all 3 credit card slips. UGH!

Oh! To make it even worse? She put the ice cream on Sarah's bill and flat out said 'Well since you paid for their appetizers and desserts, I put the ice cream on their bill' Umm...??? I told her to put it on MINE. It wasn't about who paid for more food. We were all taken aback but considering how long it took already, we just gave up.

So if you haven't picked up... Kona was a bust. The food was decent (not as good as last time though) but the server totally put a damper on EVERYTHING. And I SO wanted to enjoy my real bday dinner! I was so disappointed. I felt bad for dragging everyone there so that made it worse. Would I eat there again? Probably...but definitely not during free dining or a busy time. They just can NOT handle the crowds for some reason. :( And the service was horrendous. Last time it was the BEST service of the trip. I have no idea how it can be SUCH a difference. :confused3

The Breakdown:
Coke: $2.69
Diet Coke: $2.69
Pot Stickers: $7.49
Kona Salad: $7.99
Shrimp Scallops: $20.99
Pork Chops: $21.99
Chocolate Fondue: $6.99
Kilauhea Torte a la Mode: $7.28
Total before tip: $83.19
DDP Credits Used: 2
OOP: Just tip

By the time it was all said and done... it was past 8:45pm. I was SO annoyed. My mom was EXHAUSTED. I felt bad but had to say a quick goodbye to Sarah and the gang and head back to POFQ. We decided to cab it instead of go to the MK and then bus it back b/c it would have taken FOREVER!

Headed out to the front and the bellhop waived a cab down for us. Luckily it only took a few mins and $20 later, we were back in the room.

Tweet Update, 9:45 PM Sep 27th: Back in the room after a decent meal at Kona but the server sucked! =( totally dampered and lengthened the meal so we cabbed it to pofq

[hlrababy]

Hey girl!!! I am caught up now!!! Sorry about Kona! :(

We have never ate at Tony's and its one of the places I really want to try! :goodvibes

[jordanyosh]

That food at Tony's look so good. I love Eggplant and it looks very good from the picture you took.

Sorry about Kona. Sometimes your whole experience can be ruined by bad service. Add a special occasion and bad service makes the meal worse. Add high expectations and bad service makes a meal worse. Sometimes bad service deserves a call to the manager. Having worked in restaurants for 17 years, I definitely would want to know if a server was treating guests in that manner!

The b word comes to mind, but I'm a gentleman...;)

[scoot241]

I know you were concerned about getting back to the room and everything, but had that happened to us, there might have been a scene. I can let many things go, but the repeated slow service, stopping to talk at another table, etc. and I probably would have finally said something or gotten a manager involved because I wouldn't pay the tip. My dad, who has a bit less patience with such things, probably would have had a manager at the table in the middle of the meal. Either way, it wouldn't have been pretty.

Between you mentioning Friday's and this incident, it reminds me of a time that a big group of my friends and I went to Friday's and had absolutely deplorable service and they tried to bill us the gratuity automatically. The manager ended up coming over, gave us all coupons free stuff, and we paid very little of the gratuity. That location closed a couple of years later; I have no idea why... ;)

[Lynn5700]

I have a Canon Rebel XS.... I think the nifty fifty lens can take the pics inside the dark rides right? You are awesome, you have a great eye. I would go to classes if I were you.

I'm sorry about Kona. :(

[dawnbu40]

So sorry to hear about your bad service at Kona! The service can certainly make or break a meal!

[scoot241]

I have a Canon Rebel XS.... I think the nifty fifty lens can take the pics inside the dark rides right? You are awesome, you have a great eye. I would go to classes if I were you.

I'm sorry about Kona. :(

The nifty fifty should do pretty well in dark rides. You'll also need to bump up the ISO to 800 or 1600 depending on the ride.

[disneygirlinnj]

Hey girl!!! I am caught up now!!! Sorry about Kona! :(

We have never ate at Tony's and its one of the places I really want to try! :goodvibes

I would definitely give Tony's a shot! And I will be trying Kona again...I think I just need a cooling off period! :rotfl:

That food at Tony's look so good. I love Eggplant and it looks very good from the picture you took.

Sorry about Kona. Sometimes your whole experience can be ruined by bad service. Add a special occasion and bad service makes the meal worse. Add high expectations and bad service makes a meal worse. Sometimes bad service deserves a call to the manager. Having worked in restaurants for 17 years, I definitely would want to know if a server was treating guests in that manner!

The b word comes to mind, but I'm a gentleman...;)

haha..yes...the b word definitely came to mind a few times when we were ther :) I really did want to call a manager and if I was just with mom I probably would have. I just felt awkward with Sarah and the gang. I didn't know one of their friends, etc. The true Jersey girl attitude wanted to break free though!

I know you were concerned about getting back to the room and everything, but had that happened to us, there might have been a scene. I can let many things go, but the repeated slow service, stopping to talk at another table, etc. and I probably would have finally said something or gotten a manager involved because I wouldn't pay the tip. My dad, who has a bit less patience with such things, probably would have had a manager at the table in the middle of the meal. Either way, it wouldn't have been pretty.

Between you mentioning Friday's and this incident, it reminds me of a time that a big group of my friends and I went to Friday's and had absolutely deplorable service and they tried to bill us the gratuity automatically. The manager ended up coming over, gave us all coupons free stuff, and we paid very little of the gratuity. That location closed a couple of years later; I have no idea why... ;)

Ohhh.. I know if I was with my dad, all hell would have broken loose too. And like I told Jordan above, if I wasn't with Sarah and the gang, I would have definitely said something. But you know...kinda wanted to keep the Jersey girl stereotype kinda bottled up for a bit. I didn't want to make them feel uncomfortable. I'm going to have my little cooling off period from Kona and will return again on a future trip. Sadly it doesn't fit into my plans for the next two though. Guess that's a good thing!

I have a Canon Rebel XS.... I think the nifty fifty lens can take the pics inside the dark rides right? You are awesome, you have a great eye. I would go to classes if I were you.

I'm sorry about Kona. :(

Yup! The nifty fifty is EXACTLY what I used! :) if you click on any of the photos of dark rides on this trip report, it will bring you to the flickr page. Then at the bottom right where it says 'Taken with a Canon Rebel Xti' or whatever it says, just click on 'more properties' and you'll get ALL the information about what settings I used. I took Scott's advice...set the camera on Shutter Priority, set the shutter at 1/50, ISO at 800 or 1600, and started shooting. HM, Peter Pan, Snow White i think I used 1600. Pirates, Pooh, adn a few others I got away with 800.

So sorry to hear about your bad service at Kona! The service can certainly make or break a meal!

It definitely can :( But I'm not sworn off Kona yet... I need a few more bad meals before I never go again. I will be eating there eventually!

The nifty fifty should do pretty well in dark rides. You'll also need to bump up the ISO to 800 or 1600 depending on the ride.

yup...what he said :)

[jenny105]

OMG NO...I didn't see the towels!! I'll have to look next time! Definitely try some TS in MK... some people LOVE them! I just ehhh...don't LOVE them.

They definitely have them in the POTC store and even the store in the airport has them. I definitely am going to buy one next trip.

Sorry to hear about Kona! :sad2:

[MyMuse]

So sorry about Kona! :sad2:

I probably would have made my annoyance known just tapered down a bit - an eye glare mayhaps. lol A prior FL time at my timeshare I got "oh, you Jersey girls, I don't know what to do with you"...I thought my head would implode!

If you didn't want to deal with it then, I would write a letter now explaining the good and the bad during your trip. Just copy parts of your TR. :thumbsup2

I usually give places about 3 tries before I don't go back. I hope breakfast is better! I'm still deciding whether to keep the ADR.

I hope your mom had a good night's sleep?

I loved your dark ride pics. I'm going to try taking pics with my schmucky point & shoot and see how it comes out. :lmao:

[tarak]

That really stinks about Kona. I think both Ohana's and Kona get insanely busy - we ended up getting seated 45 minutes late for our Ohana breakfast. I guess they overbook thinking people will cancel and they don't.

We had the Deluxe Dining Plan last December. And I was sick of food by the time we left. :) I would have been all over that cheesecake, though. I'll eat just about anything with pumpkin in it.

And I agree, your pictures are amazing.

[stacikristine]

I'm so sorry about Kona! It was by far our favorite meal of the trip--and we just went a week before you! That really stinks. And your waitress sounds just horrible... :headache:

[disneygirlinnj]

I'll write back to you guys in a bit but I had to come report... it made me giggle.

I just read Mocharilla's Kona dinner review and she complained that their waitress took forever with the bill and sat and talked to tables for LONG periods of time. I went and checked my receipt? Same waitress!

[scoot241]

I'll write back to you guys in a bit but I had to come report... it made me giggle.

I just read Mocharilla's Kona dinner review and she complained that their waitress took forever with the bill and sat and talked to tables for LONG periods of time. I went and checked my receipt? Same waitress!

:rotfl: Did she tell anyone?

[disneygirlinnj]

:rotfl: Did she tell anyone?

haha nope lol the rest of her meal was fine except the bill. and the waitress was actually nice other than that! hahahah

[OhMari]

I'm going to move t his to our regular boar.
:) OhMari

[disneygirlinnj]

They definitely have them in the POTC store and even the store in the airport has them. I definitely am going to buy one next trip.

Sorry to hear about Kona! :sad2:

definitely going to look for the towels! :)

So sorry about Kona! :sad2:

I probably would have made my annoyance known just tapered down a bit - an eye glare mayhaps. lol A prior FL time at my timeshare I got "oh, you Jersey girls, I don't know what to do with you"...I thought my head would implode!

If you didn't want to deal with it then, I would write a letter now explaining the good and the bad during your trip. Just copy parts of your TR. :thumbsup2

I usually give places about 3 tries before I don't go back. I hope breakfast is better! I'm still deciding whether to keep the ADR.

I hope your mom had a good night's sleep?

I loved your dark ride pics. I'm going to try taking pics with my schmucky point & shoot and see how it comes out. :lmao:

ohhhh....do NOT talk about Jersey girls! hahahaha, I probably would have exploded too :) I think I will send an email. I know it won't have the same effect and it's always best to say something at the time but just to let them know.

I really enjoyed breakfast there...we even ate breakfast there after our crappy dinner and enjoyed it.

And yup! I think mom had a good nights sleep :)

That really stinks about Kona. I think both Ohana's and Kona get insanely busy - we ended up getting seated 45 minutes late for our Ohana breakfast. I guess they overbook thinking people will cancel and they don't.

We had the Deluxe Dining Plan last December. And I was sick of food by the time we left. :) I would have been all over that cheesecake, though. I'll eat just about anything with pumpkin in it.

And I agree, your pictures are amazing.

Thank you! Omg and I'm addicted to anything pumpkin...mmmm!!!

I'm so sorry about Kona! It was by far our favorite meal of the trip--and we just went a week before you! That really stinks. And your waitress sounds just horrible... :headache:

I know, I hate how it's so hit and miss with people! And next time BETTER be better! :)

[disneygirlinnj]

Hey guys!! I'm still alive, I promise! :) It's been seriously crazy lately at work and I don't even want to look at a computer when I get home. This TR is NOT dead, it will get completed eventually. I'm hoping to add another day to it tonight or tomorrow.

And next Sat I'm heading back down for the shuttle launch! EEEK! Still so much to do! :(

[Dizneydawn]

Hi! Thanks for all the good info and great pics! WE are doing Ohanna's this trip - Did Kona's last time and might do breakfast there - but not dinner anytime soon!

[Kurby]

wow - what a horrible experience at Kona - i can't believe you still tipped her. i know it was your birthday but i would have asked to speak to the manager - i'm totally understanding when a restaurant is busy but that was totally uncalled for and down right rude.

i would not have tipped for such poor service.

what a shame it was on your birthday too :(

[jordanyosh]

Hey guys!! I'm still alive, I promise! :) It's been seriously crazy lately at work and I don't even want to look at a computer when I get home. This TR is NOT dead, it will get completed eventually. I'm hoping to add another day to it tonight or tomorrow.

And next Sat I'm heading back down for the shuttle launch! EEEK! Still so much to do! :(

No worries take your time

[disneygirlinnj]

Hi! Thanks for all the good info and great pics! WE are doing Ohanna's this trip - Did Kona's last time and might do breakfast there - but not dinner anytime soon!

We really enjoyed breakfast! Hope you like it too!

wow - what a horrible experience at Kona - i can't believe you still tipped her. i know it was your birthday but i would have asked to speak to the manager - i'm totally understanding when a restaurant is busy but that was totally uncalled for and down right rude.

i would not have tipped for such poor service.

what a shame it was on your birthday too :(

ugh..I know. The more I think about it, the more upset I get with myself for NOT saying something at the time. :(

No worries take your time

New installment hopefully going up by 5pm today!!! :)

[Kurby]

ahhhh i'm just in time for the new installment

[disneygirlinnj]

Hey everyone! I'm back from my mini hiatus! Hope I didn't lose all of you along the way.

So I can proudly say that we put the worst of trip behind us. Everything from here on out went fairly well.

We woke up bright and early Monday morning and realized we never bought a banana so my mom can take her medication in the morning. Half asleep and still in my PJ's, I wasn't sure what time Sassagoula opened. I think the first time I stumbled out there it was about 5:45am. Closed. Figures! Headed back over there at 6am and by 6:03, I had purchased a banana using a snack credit. I know it's only 99 cents or something but we ended up with so many snack credits by the end of the trip!

Breakfast today was at the Wave, which I was really looking forward to.

Tweet Update, 7:37 AM Sep 28th: Heading to breakfast at the wave...then off to epcot!

Mom and I got ready and headed to the bus stop for the MK. When we got there we heard a family ask the bus driver about going to Chef Mickey's. He said he'd see what he can do about dropping them directly off at the Contemporary...sweet! Sure enough, after dropping a few people off at MK, we got door to door service right to the Contemp. This day was already looking up!

Tweet Update, 8:34 AM Sep 28th: Bus driver was awesome and took a few families right to the contemporary instead of having us take the monorail from mk

The new updates to the Contemporary are BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait to get a chance to stay here one day. It's just what I thought it should look like. Dark wood, modern, etc.

We headed over to the Wave and found it was pretty empty! Maybe 10-15 tables were seated. We were shown to our seats right away and Lisa was our server. Just what we needed after our Kona fiasco! Lisa went above and beyond a few times and I couldn't thank her enough. I was in desperate need of some good coffee and the Wave didn't disappoint. Mom ordered at tea as her drink.

When Lisa found out it was my birthday, she brought out a cinnamon danish with the drinks. It was delicious but too sweet for me so early in the morning! We only had a few bites.

For my meal I had the American - two eggs (over medium for me!) with breakfast potatoes and choice of bacon, pork sausage or chicken sausage $11.99. I chose the chicken sausage since I've never actually had it out before.

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The eggs were cooked perfectly. I HATE when any part of the white is runny. But I LOVE runny egg yolks. The potatoes were very good as well, perfectly seasoned. The chicken sausage I wasn't too thrilled with, but it wasn't bad. Just not my favorite. If it was more well done I might have liked it better. I'd rather some really good bacon!

Mom chose the BYO Omelette - $11.49. I don't see it on any menu but it's on the receipt! I don't even think it was on the menu that they gave us. Mom saw the feta cheese scrambled eggs but hates scrambled eggs. They gladly made her a feta and tomato omelette, with potatoes.

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Mom loved it. Perfectly cooked, and enough feta. Some places jip you on the cheese!

We both forgot that we didn't really want the biscuits, although they were good. I just like dipping real toast into the egg yolks, and mom just likes toast better. So we asked if we can get a side of rye toast and Lisa gladly brought some over free of charge.

We quickly ate our breakfast and asked for the bill. When Lisa came to bring it over, she also gave me a signed birthday card from the whole staff at the Wave. SO cute!

The breakdown:
BYO Omelette: $11.49
Tea: $2.19
American w/Chk Saus: $11.99
Organic Columbian Coffee: $2.19
Total before tip: $29.68
DDP credits used: 2
OOP: tip

Would we eat there again? DEFINITELY! I loved it and it was nice and relaxing. We actually had breakfast there again on our last day. The service was amazing, the decor was beautiful...couldn't ask for much more.

On our way out we stopped in the bar area and I was in heaven. It was a beautiful bar with TV's to watch sports, etc. On the sides was a little lounge area with couches, etc. Perfect place to go without the kids after a long day in the parks! Sadly I didn't take any photos though :(

We made our way upstairs to the monorail and walked right on to head to the TTC and then switched to get to Epcot. After getting into the park, we took a few photos with Photopass and took in everything.

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We decided to start our day by going counterclockwise starting with the Character Spot. A quick check for the wait and noticed it was only 20 mins but the line seemed a little less than that. We decided to suck it up and got on line.

I know some people don't like the character spot but it's a great way to knock out the Fab 5 quickly and painlessly.

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After meeting all our faves, we headed out towards Nemo. I know some people don't like the ride but I think it's adorable!! It's also a great ride to test out your dark ride photo skills. Not impossible to take photos, but not the easiest either.

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We then spent some time admiring all our swimming friends. Don't think I got any decent photos though...I can also sit and watch the manatee's all day. They're so cute and graceful even though they're HUGE!

We decided to skip the Land Pavillion and kept on going. Mom wouldn't go on Soarin' and the only other thing we liked is Living with the Land. Since that wasn't running, we saved some time and went right to Journey Into Imagination to get my Figment fix. I really think that was the last time I willingly ride this ride. It sucks. I'm sorry!! Totally miss Dreamfinder!! I will go on it though in January just to show my newbie friend Figment. Mom was NOT a fan either. She said 'never again!' after the skunk smell!

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We browsed around in the store for a bit because I needed to start using my Birthday Gift Card and wanted some Figment memorabilia, and I found some! Found the cutest little Figment plush magnet thing. He's about 4 inches tall and has magnets on his hands and feet. He's now clinging on for dear life on my cabinet at work. Let me tell you...so many people have walked by and gone 'OMG! Figment!'. Here...I'll take a pic with my blackberry and post it on here lol

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After my little purchase, we continued on our way.

It was 11:15am by then and I wanted to see the Voices of Liberty before we had to go to lunch. We walked into the World Showcase and saw some of the food booths for Food and Wine. Could not WAIT to try them! Unfortunately I didn't try nearly as many as I wanted though. We walked a little bit just to see some of the booths and then decided to head to the boats and take a boat over to the other side.

A lovely Happy Birthday wish from the boat captain, and we disembarked on the other side of the lake. Walked right in to the American Pavilion and grabbed a seat next to this really nice older couple. It was their first time at Epcot and they wanted to see the American Adventure. We told them about Voices of Liberty and how they were one of my all time favorite things to see while at Disney. After waiting only a few minutes, the singers came out and wowed the couple (as well as mom and I)...


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After it was over, the couple thanked us for convincing them to stay and listen. We then all headed into the theater to watch the show.

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This show seriously makes me get all teary eyed every single time. I have the Golden Dream song on my iPod and LOVE it!

We were starting to get hungry (wow...finally!) so we took our time heading over to Italy. When we got there we were greeted by Sergio! The kid that he had picked was hilarious.

I think this is a cute shot even though there's a shoulder in my way!

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Tweet Update, 1:00 PM Sep 28th: Fabulous gorgeous day at epcot. Got teary eyes listening to voices of liberty. Now enjoying lunch at tutto italia

Ok, time to take a break..it's almost 5 and I have to run to a physical therapy appointment for my knee! EEK!!! Up next? Our fabulous lunch at Tutto!

[jenny105]

I don't get why people don't like the Nemo ride. It's super cute! The Seas pavilion was a bit boring until they re-did it with the Nemo theme. What's not to like???

Can't wait to read more about your Epcot day!

[stacikristine]

YAY! Great update :) What a great morning! I'm glad that your breakfast was fantastic--especially since your dinner was so horrible. Gorgeous pictures of "the ball". I just love it against the blue sky. I'm so sad we didn't get to listen to the Voices of Liberty. I'm anxious to hear about the rest of your day!

[annnewjerz]

Great update---definitely worth waiting for. :thumbsup2

It's a shame, but I usually just skip right by America in the World Showcase. I have seen the Voices of Liberty, but never gone inside for the movie. :guilty: Horrible, I know. I think I'll have to watch it this trip.

[scoot241]

We always seem to shortchange World Showcase; next time we should really spend more time there. I can't think of the last time I heard Voices of Liberty. I know we saw The British Invasion in 2003; that and Maelstrom are about all I remember us doing in WS on that trip.

That Figment plush is great! I don't recall seeing it when I was there though.

[dawnbu40]

Great update! I love the Voices of Liberty and always tear up too!

[disneygirlinnj]

Hey guys!

I'm alive! I have the GMATs on Saturday so i haven't had ANY time to get on here :( I will soon though to finish this crazy TR!!

Miss you :(

[dawnbu40]

Still here and looking forward to more when your schedule allows! :goodvibes

[Lynn5700]

Hey girl! I've been thinking about you! I loved the update. How is your training going? Can you believe it's almost here? So excited!

[disneygirlinnj]

Hey girl! I've been thinking about you! I loved the update. How is your training going? Can you believe it's almost here? So excited!

OMG I'm alive!!! :) I'm going to try writing an update tonight or tomorrow at work.

I can't believe the half marathon is less than THREE weeks away!!! OMG!

[disneygirlinnj]

OK! I'm back! And I'm going to get a TR in if it kills me today. The trip details are starting to get fuzzy and it's making me upset!

So I left you guys off on a beautiful Epcot morning...and mom and I were just making our way around the world showcase and were heading to Italy for lunch at Tutto.

Our reservation was for 1pm and looking at our receipt as well as my tweet, I believe we were there right on time. We were seated right next to the tiny 'patio' area closest to the outside tables. It was a slightly tiny two person table but not too bad. Our waitress was Rena and she was delightful. She was very friendly and always made sure that we had everything we needed and that our glasses (mom had a soda, I had iced tea....both $3) were full.

To start off, they brought a basket of different types of bread and breadsticks, along with a plate of olive oil and a tiny bowl of olives. Yummy start!

For appetizers, I started off with my usual... Prosciutto di Parma - Prosciutto ham, seasonal melon $16

I'm pretty sure I can be considered a prosciutto snob. I can live on good prosciutto for the rest of my life. I might be bloated from salt overload, but it's a risk I'd take. I know a lot of people hate it since it's so salty...but if you find quality prosciutto, it's not as salty as most. Growing up with all these great Italian deli's in my area, I've had my share of the good and bad. This prosciutto? Perfect! Yes, it's very expensive for an appetizer, but even if I was paying OOP, I'd order it. Freshly sliced, not too fatty, not too salty. The melon was perfectly ripe and a great compliment to the meat. I'm definitely glad my mom doesn't eat it...more for me!

The melon is hiding under there somewhere...

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Mom chose the "Bufala" Mozzarella - tomatoes, basil and Tuscan olive oil $12
Not sure why Bufala is in quotes but it's made from water buffalo milk instead of cow. It's softer/creamier than cow mozzarella. This didn't disappoint either.

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I forgot to take an 'after' photo but after, the waitress came by and supplied us with olive oil to drizzle over the whole plate. This was delicious as well. Perfectly fresh mozz and the olive oil was a perfect compliment. The tomatoes could have been slightly riper but I know they weren't in season any more.

Needless to say, both our plates were completely bare by the time they came to clean the table!

Mom was excited when she saw filet of sole on the menu. It's her favorite fish so she ordered that... Sogliola in Tecia - saute breaded filet of Sole, lemon, caper relish $24

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She LOVED this! Didn't eat the greens or anything but pretty sure she ate every last bite of the fish. It smelled actually good to me, and I hate seafood. I didn't smell the typical seafood smell. She said it was very light and had a perfect lemon flavor.

I couldn't really make up my mind so asked for a pasta recommendation. Rena suggested the Casarecci - Cavatelli pasta, sweet sausage ragu, tomatoes, pecorino romano $21

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YUM! I devoured every last bite of this too. Cavatelli, if made wrong, can be way too heavy and pastey. This was fairly light and not horribly filling. The sauce wasn't too heavy either and the sausage flavor really stood out in the dish. I sopped up every last drop of sauce with some crusty Italian bread at the end. Ok...must stop talking about it..my mouth is watering!

I think it was around here when I tweeted about 'part' of my Tutto experience...

Tweet Update, 1:31 PM Sep 28th: It must be a requirement that if you're a male waiter at tutto...you must be beautiful lol

I'm sorry to all the guys reading this (Scott!) but it's true. There ratio of good looking men to not-so-good-looking men in there was staggering. Obviously I wasn't complaining...haha! And pretty sure Scott has been making fun of me ever since whenever I mention Tutto!

We were pretty much stuffed to the gills after eating every last bite of both appetizers and entrees but of course we couldn't turn down yummy Italian desserts, right?

I ordered the Cannoli - crisp pastry filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate and candied orange $6.50. The allears menu says it's $12 but not on my receipt!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3448/3987090904_5ff99e9c68.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3987090904)

This was a fairly decent cannoli. Not the best I've ever had but it ranked up there. Again, I'm pretty picky with my Italian food! The cannolis are definitely filled with cream to order and aren't just sitting around getting soggy. Bonus points for that!

Mom chose the Copetta Sotto Bosco - berries, zabaglione cream gelato and chocolate sauce $14

She did make a slight change though and asked for the dark chocolate gelato instead of the zabaglione gelato.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2472/3987090704_b2bc8653a4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3987090704)

The berries were all very fresh and ripe, and the chocolate gelato went well with all of them. I forget what berries were included but definitely strawberries, raspberries, bananas (?) and possibly blueberries?

Oh! Before they brought out the normal desserts... I heard a slight commotion behind me. A few of the waiters all got together and sang 'Happy Birthday' to me in Italian. Very cute! They also presented me with this yummy dessert:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2457/3986336261_1a02e9d9a6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3986336261)

It was chocolate mouse in a chocolate shell with raspberry drizzle. Not too heavy or sweet..just right!

I think I can confidently say that Tutto was the second best meal after Citricos. I loved every single thing about it and wouldn't change a thing. The service was great, as well as the food. Liked it so much that you'll be seeing it again in this TR at some point, haha! Yes, it's expensive but they use quality ingredients and I think it's worth it.

The Breakdown:
Iced Tea: $3
Soda: $3
Prosciutto: $16
Bufala Mozz: $12
Casarecci: $21
Sogliola: $24
Cannoli: $6.50
Copetta Sottobosco: $14
Subtotal: $99.50
Tax: $6.47
Total before tip: $105.97

We paid the bill, thanked everyone, and made our way back out into the gorgeous Florida weather.

Of course we had to stop for a few minutes and enjoy the view!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3514/3988305701_be8bbe94e9.jpg

Alrighty...gotta stop here for a bit, time to head home from work!! :woohoo:

[scoot241]

Me? Make fun? Never... ;)

[jordanyosh]

That meal looks absolutely delicious!

I'm glad I booked an ADR for Tutto in Feb..

I chuckled when you "cleaned" the bowl with bread....I do the same thing....

[disneygirlinnj]

Me? Make fun? Never... ;)

Haha...you? NEVER! Don't worry...you'll have another chance in Jan...it's our pasta meal before the half marathon! :thumbsup2

That meal looks absolutely delicious!

I'm glad I booked an ADR for Tutto in Feb..

I chuckled when you "cleaned" the bowl with bread....I do the same thing....

Haha...are you sure you're not part Italian? All (most?!) Italians do that! I can make a whole meal of just good yummy bread and a bowl of sauce. My dad and I usually just sit in front of the stove 'testing' the sauce with the bread to make sure it's warm enough...LOL

Theres another meal at Tutto coming up too so get ready!

[stacikristine]

Oh my. My stomach was already growling, but now it REALLY is! That food looks absolutely delicious! Italian food is my favorite (well, besides my grandma's and mom's Brazilian food :cloud9:) and I think Tutto is going to have to be on our list for next time! Everything looked so, so good! :goodvibes

[disneygirlinnj]

Oh my. My stomach was already growling, but now it REALLY is! That food looks absolutely delicious! Italian food is my favorite (well, besides my grandma's and mom's Brazilian food :cloud9:) and I think Tutto is going to have to be on our list for next time! Everything looked so, so good! :goodvibes

I hear a lot of mixed reviews about Tutto saying that it's not authentic, etc and that service isnt the best but we've NEVER had any problem with anything. I want to see what people who say it's not authentic really think authentic is? I would even possibly consider some Tutto dishes on par with food I had in Italy and Sicily. But then again...what do those Italians and Sicilians know? :rotfl: I hope you love it as much as we do!

[disneygirlinnj]

Alright...I'm determined to finish the TR before my trip in NINE DAYS if it kills me!

Last I left you, mom and I had just finished a fabulous lunch at Tutto and had just walked out of the restaurant.

Umm... I think I had tape worm or something this afternoon. Or the Food & Wine bug attacked me and I was determined to at least try a few things even if my stomach exploded.

We decided to head back to POFQ and take a little rest but wanted to see a few things along the way so we headed in the direction of Mexico.

first stop along the way was the Germany Bierline at F&W. I was craving a good yummy beer and what better place, right? I quickly ran over and got a Spaten Oktoberfest ($8) and we continued on our way. I'm pretty sure we wandered a little bit into the store and looked at all of the Hummel's. My grandmother used to be a HUGE Hummel collector and when she passed away, I was able to keep a few of them. There were a few really cute Disney Hummel's but they were definitely out of my price range. :(

Forward with our journey, I walked past the Australia kiosk by the Africa Outpost and the smell of the lamb chops stopped me dead in my tracks. I'm half Greek...we love our lamb! I quickly ran over there too while mom sat on a bench waiting and grabbed a chop using a snack credit.

Grilled Lamb Chop, Red Wine Sauce, Murray River Sea Salt $5.50

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2426/3989063422_760cdbbfc0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3989063422)

Headed over to mom and relaxed for a few minutes. The lamb chop was delicious!! Slightly fatty but nothing horrible. Cooked perfectly medium and had great flavor. I really don't see or remember any red wine sauce though. They could have used slightly more seasoning but I was still happy.

We continued on our way, skipped China for now (I think..at least I have no photos of it), and quickly stopped by Norway for a few minutes. I've actually never been in the Stave church so we went inside to take a peek. Cute little museum in there! The woodwork on the outside though is what was really interesting though!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2435/3989065556_886941a64e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3989065556)

We stopped in the store to look around and I yet again fell in love with sweaters that I couldn't afford. Also saw a pair of Helly Hanson snow boots that I LOVED but again, didn't feel like parting with that kind of money at the time.

Heading by Mexico, I wanted to go check out the new tequila bar so mom and I ventured in. I also knew that she'd enjoy the theming inside, which she did. We wandered for a little bit, watched the glass maker at work, and then took a peek into the tequila bar. Definitely have added it to my list of things I have to do in January!

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And of course we couldn't leave Mexico without a ride with the Three Caballeros!! Granted the line was only 5 minutes long or we would have definitely bypassed it!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/3988318059_105b4d7cd2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3988318059)

After Mexico we decided to head back to the buses to POFQ... got on a bus fairly quickly and we in the room in no time.

Tweet Update, 4:15 PM Sep 28th: Back at pofq from epcot for a bit...I need to be hungrier for food and wine but was able to try lamb in melbourne and spaten in munich..yum

As we were sitting in the room, we decided that our 8pm ADR at Teppan Edo was too late for mom so I put out a call to all my tweeters..

Tweet Update, 5:03 PM Sep 28th: Thinking about canceling teppan edo for 8pm... For 4 people...anyone want it?

Sadly no one took it so i called and cancelled. Instead of heading back to Epcot, mom and I wanted to go check out Downtown Disney for a little bit. I haven't been there in AGES so I didnt even really remember what it looked like.

Sadly don't have any photos for the rest of the night though but we headed over to the dock at POFQ and took a leisurely boat ride over to DTD. I wanted to definitely go to the World of Disney and grab a few souvenirs for myself and friends so we headed that way first. Luckily I also had my Birthday Fun Card so I had a bunch of money to burn through! :)

We ended up getting 3 mugs (mine, my friends, moms friend), a frame for the house, and a photo album.

Then we wanted a 2009 Christmas ornament so we headed over to the Christmas store and bought one as well as a reusable shopping bag.

By now it was about 6:30pm and mom was getting a little hungry. I had NO idea what mom would like to eat at DTD so we wandered a little bit. I think she was getting tired and cranky though because NOTHING appealed to her. AT ALL! :( I was trying for Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgangs but she wasn't having it. Ugh. So we headed back to the boat to get back to POFQ and eat at Sassagoula. The boat ride was fun since the captain kept making fun of me for my bday. :)

Back at POFQ, I reeeeallly wasn't hungry and mom never eats too much so we actually split one CS meal.

I got a Powerade, Banana (for the morning snack), and a Personalized Cheese Pizza with side salad. All for one CS credit. Nothing really to review here. The pizza wasn't as good as our arrival day, but it was still decent. I stole a slice from mom and ate the side salad. The salad was fresh but OMG the dressing was sooooo gross. I kinda ruined the salad with it. I grabbed the french dressing and THOUGHT I had mixed it enough in the package but when i tried to pour it on the salad, only the greasy oil poured out. Needless to say I was skeeved out so didn't eat much of it.

We then called it an early night and headed back to the room. :)

[disneygirlinnj]

Morning everyone! Hope I can get another update in before I have to get ready for work...

Today was our AK day with breakfast at Tusker House... so we were up and out pretty early.

Tweet Update, 7:22 AM Sep 29th: Waiting for a bus to ak for breakfast with donald. Bus stop is empty so I'm guessing we just missed the bus...boo!

It was probably the longest time we had to wait for a bus, but still wasn't more than 15 mins. When we got to AK, they were already letting people with ADRs into the park. The CM had a clipboard but wasn't checking anyone. These two poor girls apparently thought that they could just walk up for the ADR and the CM politely told them that there are no walk ups. They looked defeated! They trekked all the way to AK and couldn't even get in. Sad, lol.

I wish I had more time to take in AK when it was pretty empty. It was beautiful but we were so hungry that we didn't even stop for any photos. We went up to the hostess stand, gave our name, and were quickly told to wait in line to be seated. We bypassed the group photo and were quickly brought to our table.

Our waitress was friendly, although she disappeared for a few times throughout the meal. Nothing horrible though. She brought us out their fabulous juice (which I can NOT remember what was in it!) and then took our drink order and explained the buffet.

Mom and I headed up to get food while she brought us the drinks. The selection of food was decent but I wasn't blown away, as you can see by my plate...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3990003292_4d61d94fc3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3990003292)

The ham was fresh and moist, and the waffle was the usual yummy Mickey waffle all over property. Potatoes were cooked well and crispy...The ham and cheese fritatta was just ok. The beef bobtie quiche was also good, but not great.

I also tried the bread pudding and it was a little too dry for me but I didnt want to put the vanilla sauce on it. Mom ate all the pecans and crunchy stuff on top and enjoyed it! She enjoyed breakfast here, I think mainly because she ate a million Mickey waffles and fruit!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3535/3990003718_88e64014a9.jpg

Oh...the one thing that was really crappy about Tusker House? Their COFFEE!!! They serve the gross Nescafe stuff and I couldn't even drink it. Vile!

Tweet Update, 8:37 AM Sep 29th: Only problem with tusker house? Crappy nescafe coffee!

When the waitress came by once I asked her where in the park I can get real brewed coffee but I don't think she understood me well. She's the only CM we encountered that didn't joke and laugh about the crappy coffee that's sold around the parks!

So we had finished eating and still hadn't had any characters come around. I saw a few walking around but every time they came to our room, they would do a few tables and then walk out for their breaks.

Tweet Update, 9:02 AM Sep 29th: Tusker house was decent. Waiting for the characters...none came by yet..hmph! Donald was in the room and walked out!

While waiting I noticed the cool ceiling decorations

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Finally The Mouse walked into the room! Score!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2545/3989248969_9a24d2b3ca.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3989248969)

And Mr. Duck was right behind him...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3515/3990004702_106dd3761e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3990004702)

Tweet Update, 9:07 AM Sep 29th: Yay just got mickey and donald...daisy and goofy are in the room

After waiting a few more minutes and making sure the bill was paid, Goofy made his way over to our table

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2654/3990005410_7effa1bb03.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3990005410)

Daisy was also there and of course right when she was supposed to come to our table, she went on a break. We decided not to wait anymore and headed out into the park.

So overall review? Tusker House was good, nothing amazing. Crystal Palace was much better by far. The character interaction was pretty much the same as CP, but a little more rushed. They would come and take a photo with me but some started walking away before my mom could get a pic with them. She wanted photos too! You have to somehow plan to be in their starting room if you have the first ADR of the day. We were towards the back of the restaurant so it took them a long time to get to us.

I would probably eat here again though. Definitely if I had kids with me. It was cute and I liked how the characters were all dressed for their safari. Service was friendly as well. Now if only they could fix that gross coffee!!

The Breakdown:
2 Adult Buffet: $41.98
OOP: tip

OK...if I don't end it here and get ready for work, I'll be REALLY late! I'll try to add another piece when I'm at work today :)

[jenny105]

The jungle juice at tusker house is so good. I think it's orange and passion fruit juice?

I liked TH when I went but the characters definitely took a lot of breaks! They would be out for 5-10 minutes and then disappear again. We eventually got everyone but they were happy to take a picture with both me and Joe. They didn't try to rush us or walk away after we had only taken one picture. Our waitress even offered to take a picture of the both of us. Bummer you had a less than spectacular experience there!

I don't know what happened with my TR but they placed it in the completed forum and I can't post to it. It's not completed! I have days 8 thru 10 to still post!

[disneygirlinnj]

The jungle juice at tusker house is so good. I think it's orange and passion fruit juice?

I liked TH when I went but the characters definitely took a lot of breaks! They would be out for 5-10 minutes and then disappear again. We eventually got everyone but they were happy to take a picture with both me and Joe. They didn't try to rush us or walk away after we had only taken one picture. Our waitress even offered to take a picture of the both of us. Bummer you had a less than spectacular experience there!

I don't know what happened with my TR but they placed it in the completed forum and I can't post to it. It's not completed! I have days 8 thru 10 to still post!

PM the mod and tell them to put it back. They did that with mine once too! :( That stinks!

[jenny105]

PM the mod and tell them to put it back. They did that with mine once too! :( That stinks!

I did. I have posting access again, yay!

[disneygirlinnj]

Ohhhh do you think I can actually finish a whole entire day in 24 hours? We'll see!

After leaving Tusker House, the logical thing to do was head towards the Safari. The park had just barely opened so I knew there shouldn't be too long of a line there. After waiting 10 mins in a '20 minute standby' line, we were boarding our jeep! Asked for the front row and the CM gladly let us on line. I really enjoy this ride, even if it's just to drive around and see animals! Plus it lets me practice my photography on moving targets lol I think we finally got a decent glimpse of the lions too.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3424/3991813796_9af4fc734d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3991813796)

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The driver did the typical spiel and was fun with the whole gang. Even wished me a happy birthday a few times and kept asking over the microphone if the Birthday Girl got her photo or not! haha!

We continued through Africa and headed over to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trails. All I really wanted to see were the gorillas. They seriously amaze me and I could sit and watch them for long periods of time. Definitely some of the coolest animals out there! We were lucky and found a few close to the viewing area who were just hanging out....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3489/3991068199_e86aa9f3bd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3991068199)

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Up next on the agenda was finding some water. It was HOT...like REALLLLLY hot that day in AK. I knew we'd definitely be going back for a rest around lunch. Used a snack credit at the Harambe Fruit Market and headed towards the Tree of Life.

We wandered around the Discovery Island Trails for a little bit and made some more friends.. lol

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/3994625224_7c3b3a4741.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3994625224)

By now we were both getting really hot and cranky. I had to do some convincing but mom finally agreed to go back to the hotel and relax and rest for a little bit. There was no need for us to both be hot, cranky, and tired...we'd both just end up making each other miserable! So we headed back to the buses and were soon on our way back to POFQ for a few hours.

While on the bus I saw that people were asking about the crowds...
Tweet Update, 12:07 PM Sep 29th: Crowds def picking up. CM at epcot yest said predictions that this week & next week will be much busier than rest of sept....f&w + ddp boo

Back at POFQ I noticed my tummy was grumbling a little bit. Before heading back to the room we stopped in Sassagoula to see what they had for lunch. Now I've been hearing about these muffaletta sandwiches so I decided to try em.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/3993865903_d8d67c0097.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3993865903)

This was pretty tasty! It had melted cheese, ham, pepperoni or salami, and an olive spread. It was slightly too salty, and I had to take out some ham, but I would definitely order this again. Not sure how authentic it is to the real ones in the Big Easy but I enjoyed it. I also had a choice about what side I wanted, so I chose the pasta salad which was just ehhh. Pretty sure I didn't eat much of that at all.

Mom wasn't too hungry but wanted a snack so she used my dessert option and got ice cream in a cup. She either got butter pecan or chocolate.....really don't remember which! I think she ate the whole thing though.

The Breakdown:
Fuze Green Tea: $?
Muffaletta w/Pasta Side: $8.09
Single Scoop Cone: $2.69
DDP: 1 CS/TS Credit

After our 'lunch' we headed back to the room. Pretty sure I napped for a little bit and mom watched tv/napped. It felt so good to be laying down in air condition! Whew!

Okie... I'll continue with the last part of day 4 tonight! Getting there slowly but surely :)

[dawnbu40]

Great animal pics! They almost look as though they were posing for you :thumbsup2

[disneygirlinnj]

Great animal pics! They almost look as though they were posing for you :thumbsup2

Thanks Dawn! Ohh...I see a TR in your sig! :) I'll have to head over there and subscribe so I can catch up when I have time

[KatGarcia]

All caught up!

I could live on good prosciutto too!!! LOVE IT. your meal at Tutto made me actually wanna go there, and I never have before! I am an Italian food snob usually because of eating such good food in NYC.

Your Tusker Character pics were adorable!

The juice is POG juice. Pineapple, Orange and Guava. We make our own at home and it's soooooo good! I could drink an IV drip of that stuff.

Way to make headway on the report, i should do that as well but have been super lazy with mine!

[jordanyosh]

Great pix of the animals at AK!

Wow! Multiple updates!

I can't believe your next trip is coming up so quickly.

[stacikristine]

Wow!! So many updates! :thumbsup2 It sounds like a great ending to your Epcot day! And your safari pictures are incredible! We made a bad decision and sat in the back instead of the front--it was way too bumpy to get anything worth keeping. :sad2: That sandwich looks sooooo yummy! I'm starving right now, and I could really go for one. The gorillas are so fascinating. Michael and I went to the zoo back in December, and just sat watching the gorillas and chimps for almost 30 minutes! :)

[scoot241]

Back at POFQ I noticed my tummy was grumbling a little bit. Before heading back to the room we stopped in Sassagoula to see what they had for lunch. Now I've been hearing about these muffaletta sandwiches so I decided to try em.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/3993865903_d8d67c0097.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3993865903)

This was pretty tasty! It had melted cheese, ham, pepperoni or salami, and an olive spread. It was slightly too salty, and I had to take out some ham, but I would definitely order this again. Not sure how authentic it is to the real ones in the Big Easy but I enjoyed it.

The bread looks a little unusual but that's a muffaletta. Salami is the traditional meat, but people also use turkey for a "healthier" sandwich.

[OhMari]

Bump to the front to finish.