"Space Mountain, Can I Please Have My Glasses Back?" FINAL UPDATE-1/31!

[klacey1]

Hello everyone! I just returned from an event-filled, super tiring, and wonderfully fun seven-night vacation with my darling boyfriend, Zach. We're two twenty-somethings who live together in a suburb of NYC. Our trip was from August 24-31st and we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside with Free Dining. For more information about us and the planning of our trip, check out my PTR in my signature! Here's a picture of us from this trip:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011237.jpg
The night before our trip went by in a blur-- it was a boring night of packing those last minute items. After I got home from work (definitely my least productive day of all time!), we grabbed our things and threw them in my car. We were staying at my dad's house in Bronx since he only lives twenty minutes from LaGuardia, where we were flying out of. After eating some dinner, we passed out-- we had to be up at 4:45 to catch our flight, so I wanted us to be well-rested. We always hit DTD, then a park right after we check-in at our resort!

My dad dropped us off in my car at LaGuardia around 5:40. We had just checked our bags (could do it at the no-line kiosks since I already paid for them and had our boarding passes), which literally took five minutes. As we were walking from the kiosk to the place where we left our bags, I got a phone call that made my stomach drop. Within the seven or so minutes that we had been at the airport, my dad has crashed my car. Drove the driver's side into a tree. He was rambling about how a guy jumped in front of him with no warning, etc. I couldn't believe this was happening on the first day of my vacation...

Zombie-like, I made my way to security, Zach comforting me all the while. I was just so upset. My father drives so erratically-- way too fast, never using his signal, reversing on on-ramps. Driving with him is downright scary. I had had my doubts about letting him drive my car, not to mention drive us to the airport, but...I should have listened.

I got a little teary in the security line-- just so frustrated that I paid all this money for a vacation and now it was going to be ruined because I was going to be thinking about my car the whole time. (Sidenote-- I'm not a horrible, materialistic person, I promise! It was only after I learned that my father nor no one else was hurt in the crash that I questioned the damage to my car. Due to me wanting to see if the damage was minimal enough not to go through insurance—didn't want my premium to go up—and Hurricane Irene, my car is still not fixed, two weeks later. Fortunately, I take the train to work and we have Zach's car. We did have to postpone some Labor Day plans that were pretty long drives-- Zach's car isn't in the best of shape. The damage rang in around $5,700 and my father paid my deductible. I'm praying nothing goes up when I renew the insurance in December.)

After we went through security, I went to the bathroom to compose myself. I told myself that worrying would do nothing, and I couldn't resolve the issue until after vacation, so there was no sense in worrying. When I came out, Zach decided some OJ and coffee might make us feel better, so we settled on Au Bon Pain. This pop-up place was TINY! The path between the register and the pastry counter super narrow, and of course Zach filled his coffee cup to the brim. When we went up to pay, they told us that not only were they out of cup lids, but there was no place to drain some of the coffee out of the cup (??). Of course, someone bumped into Zach while he was walking in between the pastry counter and register and spilled steaming hot coffee all over his hand...

I gasped-- another hit to what was supposed to be our perfect vacation. Zach's hand was bright red and his finger blistered. Since he is completely selfless and knew how upset I already was, he totally downplayed his pain and insisted he only needed to run his hand under some hot pain. I pleaded him to try to find some Solercaine, but he insisted he was fine.

After all of that, we finally boarded our plane and had an uneventful, easy flight. Zach watched WW2 documentaries on his portable DVD player and I read some magazines.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011006.jpg
We had a stopover in Akron, OH, so I got off the plane to stretch my legs and use a real bathroom. Not super exciting, but at least now I can add Ohio to the list of states that I've been to!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011009.jpg

Finally, we landed in MCO. I was doing my best not to think about the car and just revel in the fact that I was at Disney! I have to admit, it was putting a damper on my arriving at MCO excitement, but we were still super jazzed to see the monorail!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011017.jpg
We made our way down to Magical Express-- the counter was empty! I hoped this was a sign of crowds for the week ahead. We showed our tickets to the man at the podium, who waved us through to a line. I was just grabbing my camera to take a picture of the sign that listed the resorts we'd been stopping at when we were called to a bus. I couldn't believe how fast it was!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011037.jpg
Our ride to WDW was short and peaceful. As usual, the video totally made me tear up!
Soon, we were passing under those wonderful gates...
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011043.jpg

The trip gets better from here on out, I promise! I hope you stick around to read about our adventures!

Chapter Links:
Getting there is half the fun (or not...) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42564683&postcount=1)
Letting Disney work its magic (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42609974&postcount=18)
What inspired the trip title (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42713044&postcount=34)
Letting Epcot cheer us up (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42763636&postcount=50)
Stressful and fun morning in DHS! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42859459&postcount=66)
Finishing up DHS! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42891450&postcount=75)
Discovering a love for boat rides (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42962758&postcount=82)
Morning at Animal Kingdom! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43093154&postcount=100)
Resort hopping and bus adventures (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43221620&postcount=125)
Leaving WDW Property! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43332068&postcount=146)
Outside the Disney bubble (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43399011&postcount=154)
A change of plans (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43441184&postcount=162)
A perfect night (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43539222&postcount=180)
Last day :( (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43656818&postcount=191)
Stormy night (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43752049&postcount=201)

[Oliquig]

OMG! Your poor car! What a way to start off a vacation. I can't wait for the rest, and I am (oddly enough) looking forward to taking ME as I have never done it before!

[Queenofallthings]

:woohoo:you started!! Cannot believe what you had to deal with at the beginning of your vacation...the car and poor Zach's hand! I have every confidence things are going to look up! Can't wait to hear all about your trip hon!

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I'm here! Going back to catch up now! So glad you started! :goodvibes

[sstewart]

Subbing! Can't to hear about the rest of your trip! So sorry to hear about your car....that stinks!

[Nermel9]

I'm here! Ugh, not a great start to your vacation, but things can only get better since you finally arrived in Disney World! :woohoo:

[Tracy161]

I'm definitely in, wouldn't miss it!!! :goodvibes Ugh, so sorry to hear about the car! :scared1: What a bad way to start the vacation! But I'm glad to hear that things got so much better after that! Can't wait to read more! :goodvibes

[MEK]

Subbing!

Can't believe your dad crashed your car! :scared1: How distracting and disruptive when you are trying to start your vacation. Ughhhh!

Hope it gets fixed quickly.

Looking forward to your TR!

[jenny105]

Oh no! Sorry to hear about your car. The way your dad drives sounds exactly how Kris drives. Whenever I'm in the car with him, I feel a little bit sick to my stomach. He drives way too fast and is always right on top of people. The other day he went through a red light because he swore it was green. I always feel like were 1 second away from getting into an accident! He's only allowed to drive my car when he's fixing it!

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip. It can only get better from here!

[RachelNinja]

Yay for your TR! I was very excited to start reading, but I hated seeing the stuff about the accident! Then poor Zach and his hand! That stinks that there was so much extra stuff on your plate at the start of your vacation. Hope things start picking up!

[SoonerGirl]

What a bummer about your car! I'm curious about something though, doesn't your dad have car insurance? Since he was the one driving the claim should be filed under his insurance, not yours, right?

And then to have Zach get his hand burned right after that - yikes, not a good start at all!

Things definitely have to get better :thumbsup2

[kokotg]

Oh wow! What a start! Subbing and hoping it got better from there :)

[Joyciemc]

What an annoying way to start your trip! I hope you were able to let Disney wash away your worries about your car. Can't wait to read more!

[Where'sPiglet?]

What a rough start! I would also have a very difficult time focusing on my trip after hearing the news about the car accident AND Zach's coffee burn! I am glad your dad was not hurt!

I am looking forward to hearing about your stay at Riverside and the rest of your trip!

[IheartDDuck]

I'm joining! That really stinks about your car. As I was reading it, I completely understood what you must have been feeling at that moment. I would have felt the same way, don't worry.

It can only look up from here.

[disneybarbie]

subscribing! :goodvibes

Sorry to hear about the car accident.. hope the car and your Dad are ok


Excited to read more about your trip!


Emma princess: x

[klacey1]

OMG! Your poor car! What a way to start off a vacation. I can't wait for the rest, and I am (oddly enough) looking forward to taking ME as I have never done it before!
I love ME on the way to the resort! On the way back, not only is it just sad, but they always mess it up on us!

:woohoo:you started!! Cannot believe what you had to deal with at the beginning of your vacation...the car and poor Zach's hand! I have every confidence things are going to look up! Can't wait to hear all about your trip hon!
Things definitely do look up! I can't wait to hear about yours, too!

I'm here! Going back to catch up now! So glad you started! :goodvibes
Thanks! I hope you enjoy as much as I enjoy your TR! :goodvibes

Subbing! Can't to hear about the rest of your trip! So sorry to hear about your car....that stinks!
Thanks for joining in!

I'm here! Ugh, not a great start to your vacation, but things can only get better since you finally arrived in Disney World! :woohoo:
It was definitely a stressful start!

I'm definitely in, wouldn't miss it!!! :goodvibes Ugh, so sorry to hear about the car! :scared1: What a bad way to start the vacation! But I'm glad to hear that things got so much better after that! Can't wait to read more! :goodvibes
Hey! Thanks-- glad to have you here!

Subbing!

Can't believe your dad crashed your car! :scared1: How distracting and disruptive when you are trying to start your vacation. Ughhhh!

Hope it gets fixed quickly.

Looking forward to your TR!
That was it-- distracting me when all I wanted to think about was WDW. Almost two weeks after we returned home (three weeks from the crash), my car is finally fixed! I got it back today, thank goodness!

Oh no! Sorry to hear about your car. The way your dad drives sounds exactly how Kris drives. Whenever I'm in the car with him, I feel a little bit sick to my stomach. He drives way too fast and is always right on top of people. The other day he went through a red light because he swore it was green. I always feel like were 1 second away from getting into an accident! He's only allowed to drive my car when he's fixing it!

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip. It can only get better from here!
Augh, I hate scary drivers! I never understand how people can drive like that-- I'm not a timid driver, but I'm certainly safe!

Yay for your TR! I was very excited to start reading, but I hated seeing the stuff about the accident! Then poor Zach and his hand! That stinks that there was so much extra stuff on your plate at the start of your vacation. Hope things start picking up!
Hi Rachel! Yeah, it wasn't a picnic to write about-- fun stuff will be coming soon!

Oh wow! What a start! Subbing and hoping it got better from there :)
Yes-- it definitely does!

What an annoying way to start your trip! I hope you were able to let Disney wash away your worries about your car. Can't wait to read more!
Hi Joyce! I was able to let go pretty quickly and enjoy the trip!

What a rough start! I would also have a very difficult time focusing on my trip after hearing the news about the car accident AND Zach's coffee burn! I am glad your dad was not hurt!

I am looking forward to hearing about your stay at Riverside and the rest of your trip!
Yes-- with the trip over and the distance of time, now I can be grateful that no one was hurt and it could have been worse! Obviously, I would have been a wreck if my dad was hurt!

I'm joining! That really stinks about your car. As I was reading it, I completely understood what you must have been feeling at that moment. I would have felt the same way, don't worry.

It can only look up from here.
Hi! It definitely got better soon!

subscribing! :goodvibes

Sorry to hear about the car accident.. hope the car and your Dad are ok


Excited to read more about your trip!


Emma princess: x
Both car and Dad are in 100% working order-- all is well now :thumbsup2

[klacey1]

Even though POR was listed last on the sign at MCO, we were the first stop. Yay! We went right to the online check-in desk. I've heard great things about room requests being met and rooms being ready when you use online check-in. Our experience did not go quite this way.
The Cast Member, Moon, was both earning her ears and learning to speak English. We didn't particularly mind-- we weren't in a huge rush, so if it took a few extra minutes to get sorted, that would be okay. Someone who did not have that kind of mindset was Moon's helper CM, whose name I don't recall. She was very snippy with both us and Moon (who was getting incredibly nervous). It was discovered that whoever had created our online check-in portfolio had forgotten to assign us a room. The whole process of checking in online had been pointless and it took Moon about 20 minutes to get us a room that fulfilled zero of our requests. It was in Acadian house on the outskirts of the property. I had been looking forward to buying refillable mugs and using them in the morning and at night, but with the food court so far away, it wouldn't be a practical purchase.
Of course...room wasn't ready. I headed to the bathroom in River Roost and changed into a sundress that I had brought in my carry-on. I also transferred several items from my carry-on into my park bag-- id, money, etc. We dropped our bags off at luggage services and headed straight to the South Depot to wait for a bus to DTD! One arrived shortly, thank goodness. We were ready to get to a park!
Once on the bus, I went to grab my camera to document the wonderful occasion of our first Disney bus ride of the trip and came up with...no camera. In my rush to transfer my wallet, etc. into my park bag, I totally forgot my camera. The rest of the pictures for the night were taken on my phone, sorry!
We spent about two hours in DTD, hopping around to our favorite stores-- World of Disney, Tren-D, etc. I saw a cute light blue v-neck that I made a note of as a possible souvenir choice!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/photobucket-2916-1315054935705.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/photobucket-5102-1315054736223.jpg
Zach being silly in Once Upon a Toy
Actually, our first stop was Wolfgang Puck Express, to grab some lunch. I'll be doing a full, separate dining report and share the link when I start, so I won't go into a ton of detail here, but I'll just say that this did not live up to the last time we ate here! My pizza was okay, but Zach's chicken fingers and fries were gross.
When we were leaving Basin, the skies just erupted. Zach refuses to wear any kind of hood (I don't know...), so he would have been in the same situation if we had our luggage, but I was cursing that I put my windbreaker in my suitcase instead of my carry-on! It was just pouring!
Because Zach loves the monorail (and a stroll from Beach Club into the World Showcase was NOT sounding very scenic), I decided we'd take a pretty long route to get to Epcot, our park of the night-- take the bus to the Contemporary, monorail to TTC, and monorail to Epcot. It was only around 4:00 by the time we got on the Contemporary bus, and our reservation wasn't until 7:00, so we had plenty of time to travel.
All of the stress of the morning began to melt away when we boarded the monorail...even more when we traveled the loop through Epcot. When we passed through those turnstiles, vacation officially began. Epcot seriously saved this trip for me! There were some other hiccups in the trip, and visiting Epcot always brought me back to my happy place!http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/photobucket-5100-1315054771091.jpg
We started with a classic and personal favorite-- Spaceship Earth!
After our trip through time with Judi Dench (love her!), we checked out the wait on Zach's favorite WDW ride, Test Track! Unfortunately, it was over an hour, so we ducked next store to Mission:Space (five minute wait). Zach does not do well with motion-sickness and gets dizzy pretty easily, so we stick with the green side. I think it's fun enough without spinning, so I don't really mind. One thing we noticed this trip is that your enjoyment of certain rides can really depend on the other people in your ride vehicle. Mission:Space is definitely one of those rides. The people this time were super enthusiastic and really got into their roles, which is exactly the way we like to be on rides!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/photobucket-4385-1315054893158.jpg
We wandered into the World Showcase after these rides and explored a bit of France and the UK. We were probably about a half hour away from checking in at Rose and Crown for dinner, so we wanted to stick close.
Around 6:45, we checked in and watched a crazy number of people try to walk-up reservations. Hello, at prime dinner time during free dining?! One British woman bullied the hostess so much that she was finally like “Okay, okay, I'll put you down.” The woman said “Thanks, love!” with a huge grin and walked back to her family. I'll never understand how people can treat others that way-- probably because she knew she'd get what she wanted!
We were seated on the deck about ten minutes after our ADR time. Dinner was VERY good! I highly recommend Rose and Crown, especially the Sunday Roast. Zach's only complaint was that since we were eating pub food, he wished we could be inside the pub environment. I agreed, since I'm not huge fan of dining al fresco.
Since we're not huge on Illuminations, we didn't try to drag our dinner out or anything. We left around 8:45-- it was a long dinner by Disney standards, we thought-- and headed straight for the buses.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/photobucket-2784-1315055138192.jpg
(I thought this picture quality was pretty good for being taken on my phone!)
It was a long day emotionally and physically and we were excited to get into bed. Fortunately, there was a bus waiting at the POR stop when we walked up. Our ride was uneventful and we were back to the North Depot in no time. I actually grew to appreciate not having to get on and off at the South (main) Depot-- there were always so many people there! North Depot was about two minutes from our room and pretty much dead whenever we were there.
After cleaning up and watching a bit of TV, I know I passed out by 10:30! The next morning was A.M. EMH at the MK and I wanted to be able to enjoy it!

[IheartDDuck]

I'm sorry that online check-in didn't go as planned. I've only done it once and it didn't really expedite the process so I haven't done it again.

I love the first ride on the monorail. It's just so exciting to go around Epcot. Get a nice view of things. Spaceship Earth is my favorite Epcot ride, for sure.

I also agree that your ride partners make things much better, especially on a ride like Mission Space. Last time I rode it was with my dad and two brothers, and we were just crazy in there! Taking our roles very very seriously.

[jenny105]

Sorry the online check in process didn't go smoothly. Bummer :(

Why did Zach pose with Lotso?? I don't like Lotso. Grrrr....
:laughing:

I don't understand the people that don't make ADRs either. Then they get mad they can't get a table anywhere decent. Do your research people!

[SoonerGirl]

Why did Zach pose with Lotso?? I don't like Lotso. Grrrr....


Me either! He's an evil, evil bear! :laughing:

I did online check in one time and found that it didn't really make things go any faster so I've never done it again.

Zach's motion sickness issues must not be as bad as mine, I can't even do the green side of Mission: Space :sick:

[disneybarbie]

looked like a fun first evening!

I always think about buying the Lotso plush toy.. so cute looking (and lovely smelling!) and then I remember what an evil bear he was to Woody & the other toys! :cutie:

Did the CMs at the Rose & Crown say anything about Zach's England football shirt? :goodvibes

It is funny to hear other guests sometimes to try to get walk-up reservations.. knowing that I've booked our meals up to 180 days out! :surfweb: .. I'm sure a quick search on the internet for anyone would make it clear that WDW restaurants need to be booked? hmmm.
One time we were waiting to be seated at the Crystal Palace, and I overheard a guy trying to get a table for his family.. when the CM said she had nothing for a party of four, he said "what about a table for three?" :confused3 - I wondered who wasn't going to get to eat!



Look forward to reading more!


Emma princess: x

[jenny105]

Me either! He's an evil, evil bear! :laughing:


He is! Does he still do the character meet & greets? I want to tell him how evil he is & see how he reacts. :laughing:

[Joyciemc]

When we tried online check in, the website came up with an error message. So when we arrived at the resort, we tried to check in. But the online HAD worked, so it took forever to track down our package. Long story short; it was annoying.

Glad you enjoyed dinner! We love the Rose and Crown!

[MEK]

Well, even though you trip started out a little rough, it sure got a lot better. You needed a limo to take you right from the airport to Epcot - your happy place! :thumbsup2 That would have fixed everything.

I think your cell phone pics turned out pretty well! They are nice and clear (more than I can say about mine). :laughing: Did you start to like the Acadia house better? I used that bus stop when I stayed at POR. My first night there I caught the bus at 7pm and no one was around. It was a little freaky.

Glad you finally got your car back!!!

[Nermel9]

Ugh sorry online check in didn't go very well! I've used it twice and I like it, so I'll probably use it again in a couple weeks. I just REALLY want our rooms to be ready early, and I feel like checking in online kind of helps with that! :cool1:

Yay for Epcot, Epcot is my happy place too! I mean, all of Disney is, but there's just something about Epcot that is so magical! :lovestruc

Yum I love Rose and Crown, glad you guys liked your dinner! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read more!

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I completely agree about the other people on the ride! The right group can definitely make or break the experience.

Glad to hear you enjoyed R&C. I am hoping to try it out on our next trip. And yay for a dining report! I will definitely be following along there! :goodvibes

[Queenofallthings]

I am so happy that I'm not the only one that thought WPE has gone downhill in a big way! I was extremely disappointed! Can't wait for your dining reviews to start too!popcorn::

[klacey1]

I'm sorry that online check-in didn't go as planned. I've only done it once and it didn't really expedite the process so I haven't done it again.

I love the first ride on the monorail. It's just so exciting to go around Epcot. Get a nice view of things. Spaceship Earth is my favorite Epcot ride, for sure.

I also agree that your ride partners make things much better, especially on a ride like Mission Space. Last time I rode it was with my dad and two brothers, and we were just crazy in there! Taking our roles very very seriously.
I think that's the route we're going to take from now on-- checking in at the hotel. Much easier. Haha, I love when people take their roles seriously on MS-- and act like if they DON"T push the buttons, something terrible will go wrong!

Sorry the online check in process didn't go smoothly. Bummer :(

Why did Zach pose with Lotso?? I don't like Lotso. Grrrr....
:laughing:

I don't understand the people that don't make ADRs either. Then they get mad they can't get a table anywhere decent. Do your research people!
Haha, I don't like Lotso either but he's so pretty! When we were shopping for a young cousin of Zach's for Christmas, we saw a deluxe (like $50+) Lotso in a box that was made to look like one the "real" Lotso would have come in. I wanted it so badly until I remembered what a evil bear he is!

Me either! He's an evil, evil bear! :laughing:

I did online check in one time and found that it didn't really make things go any faster so I've never done it again.

Zach's motion sickness issues must not be as bad as mine, I can't even do the green side of Mission: Space :sick:
Oh wow-- I've never had any kind of motion sickness. That must be awful!

looked like a fun first evening!

I always think about buying the Lotso plush toy.. so cute looking (and lovely smelling!) and then I remember what an evil bear he was to Woody & the other toys! :cutie:

Did the CMs at the Rose & Crown say anything about Zach's England football shirt? :goodvibes

It is funny to hear other guests sometimes to try to get walk-up reservations.. knowing that I've booked our meals up to 180 days out! :surfweb: .. I'm sure a quick search on the internet for anyone would make it clear that WDW restaurants need to be booked? hmmm.
One time we were waiting to be seated at the Crystal Palace, and I overheard a guy trying to get a table for his family.. when the CM said she had nothing for a party of four, he said "what about a table for three?" :confused3 - I wondered who wasn't going to get to eat!



Look forward to reading more!


Emma princess: x
You know, only the girl who sat us commented on Zach's jersey and she didn't know it was the national team's. She was just like "that looks like an British jersey." Um...yeah! The waiter and hostesses didn't say anything-- I think Zach was disappointed :rotfl: He loves to talk football (English national team and Arsenal)!
Haha, that story about the Crystal Palace made me laugh! Maybe one of the people in the family was a baby and he figured they didn't really need a seat? Still quite odd!

He is! Does he still do the character meet & greets? I want to tell him how evil he is & see how he reacts. :laughing:
Haha-- it must be hard for him to convey anger without being able to speak!

When we tried online check in, the website came up with an error message. So when we arrived at the resort, we tried to check in. But the online HAD worked, so it took forever to track down our package. Long story short; it was annoying.

Glad you enjoyed dinner! We love the Rose and Crown!
Augh, that is annoying! Yeah, online check in isn't something we need to do again. Rose and Crown was fantastic! Definitely a must-do from now on.

Well, even though you trip started out a little rough, it sure got a lot better. You needed a limo to take you right from the airport to Epcot - your happy place! :thumbsup2 That would have fixed everything.

I think your cell phone pics turned out pretty well! They are nice and clear (more than I can say about mine). :laughing: Did you start to like the Acadia house better? I used that bus stop when I stayed at POR. My first night there I caught the bus at 7pm and no one was around. It was a little freaky.

Glad you finally got your car back!!!
Thanks-- for a camera phone, I thought they were pretty decent! I thought Acadian house was pretty...and I did appreciate the fountains/low crowd levels at the North Depot (although this was a negative later in the trip-- foreshadowing!). However, I was really looking forward to getting the mugs and grabbing snacks in Riverside Mill after the parks, etc. which wasn't practical being so far away. If we stayed at POR again (which won't be for awhile), I'd definitely pay for a preferred location.

Ugh sorry online check in didn't go very well! I've used it twice and I like it, so I'll probably use it again in a couple weeks. I just REALLY want our rooms to be ready early, and I feel like checking in online kind of helps with that! :cool1:

Yay for Epcot, Epcot is my happy place too! I mean, all of Disney is, but there's just something about Epcot that is so magical! :lovestruc

Yum I love Rose and Crown, glad you guys liked your dinner! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read more!
THat's what I was hoping for-- our room being ready early. Oh well, it worked out fine. This trip was just so different from our first together-- that trip, MK was the star and gave us that magical feeling. I obviously still love the MK, but Epcot was more special this trip (I have a feeling why, too, which'll come up later in the TR!)

I completely agree about the other people on the ride! The right group can definitely make or break the experience.

Glad to hear you enjoyed R&C. I am hoping to try it out on our next trip. And yay for a dining report! I will definitely be following along there! :goodvibes
Rose and Crown was delicious! Dining TR is in my signature if you want to follow along! :goodvibes

I am so happy that I'm not the only one that thought WPE has gone downhill in a big way! I was extremely disappointed! Can't wait for your dining reviews to start too!popcorn::
Oh wow, WPE wasn't good for you guys either? I already reviewed it in my dining TR in my signature! I'm curious to hear what you guys thought!

[Aussiesalad]

Joining in! The title of your TR made me laugh as Space Mountain has claimed 3 pairs of my sunglasses over the years. You think I would have learnt my lesson but no.
What a terrible start to a trip! You poor thing!! Glad your dad was ok, but your poor little car. Sorry if you posted this already but what kind of car is it?
And the burning hot coffee as well! Ugh such a bummer!
Yay for starting on spaceship earth! Such a classic!
And I totally agree about having an enthusiastic team on Mission Space, it makes it so much better. It's a serious mission people, none of this slacking off and not pushing the buttons! :goodvibes
Looking forward to the rest of your trip!

[Nairnyn]

Oooh, I love staying in the Acadian house.

Just passing through to subscribe!

[DrMomof3]

Sorry about the car crash. Not a good way to start vacation! :sad2:
How annoying that your online check-in was a waste of time.
Hooray for Epcot!

Amanda

[klacey1]

Joining in! The title of your TR made me laugh as Space Mountain has claimed 3 pairs of my sunglasses over the years. You think I would have learnt my lesson but no.
What a terrible start to a trip! You poor thing!! Glad your dad was ok, but your poor little car. Sorry if you posted this already but what kind of car is it?
And the burning hot coffee as well! Ugh such a bummer!
Yay for starting on spaceship earth! Such a classic!
And I totally agree about having an enthusiastic team on Mission Space, it makes it so much better. It's a serious mission people, none of this slacking off and not pushing the buttons! :goodvibes
Looking forward to the rest of your trip!
My car is Saturn Ion-- which is a problem with it crashing. Saturn is no longer in business, so certain parts can be really expensive. Augh. I finally got it back, though, so all is well.
Thanks! Glad you have joined in!

Oooh, I love staying in the Acadian house.

Just passing through to subscribe!
Acadian House was definitely pretty, but I missed being close to the food court!

Sorry about the car crash. Not a good way to start vacation! :sad2:
How annoying that your online check-in was a waste of time.
Hooray for Epcot!

Amanda
I don't think either of us had fantastic starts to our trips!

[klacey1]

Day 2: I woke up this day feeling refreshed. After all, we were in Disney! Our first full day was going to be spent at MK (AM EMH)-- how could I let a busted car that I could do nothing about (at least at that moment) ruin my trip??
We usually plan to be at the bus stop an hour before park opening-- definitely a good thing this time!
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We watched a ton of Epcot buses go by-- and a ton of people get on them. So many so that I started worrying that I had mixed up our days and maybe it was EMH at Epcot! Nope-- just POR buses being annoying. We made it to the MK about ten minutes before rope drop. Just the sight of the train station gave me a lump in the throat. I was so happy to be there!
As usual, both of us choked up as soon as the fire chief. “Good Morning!” Forget it, I was gone!
Once I got over that and we were let into the MK, I grabbed Zach's hand and practically dragged him to Tomorrowland. We had a mission. My favorite younger-years ride, Space Mountain, was being refurbbed our last trip, so Zach had never ridden it. I hadn't since 2006! Of course, the line was non-existent, so we briskly walked through. I told Zach we'd come back late afternoon to play all of the cool games, when there'd actually be a line. He was a bit nervous (as he is of all unknown rides), but since he's a huge Apollo 13 fan, I knew he'd love the theme!
We got into our rocket and blasted off for our wild ride. I loved it as always, laughing the whole time. As soon as we docked, I put my hands on Zach's shoulders (I was in the back seat), and asked “What'd you think?!” excitedly. The response?
“I lost my glasses.”
My stomach dropped. We hastily searched the car to no avail and alerted the ride attendant, who was GREAT! He said they would shut down the ride for five minutes and was sure they'd find the glasses quickly. I felt a little better until his supervisor showed up and the CM explained where Zach said they fell off. He snorted and replied “Seriously? That's a new one. I can't believe this!” When he realized we were right there, he embarrassingly cleared his throat and said hi.
He asked for a description of the glasses and instructed us to wait in the drop-off area. After a short while, he returned-- no glasses. $500 glasses just disappeared. When we were leaving Space, I glanced at my phone and saw it was 8:35. Half of EMH over.
At this point, I thought our trip was cursed. I couldn't believe how much was going wrong. We had a little fight then-- I wanted to hop in a cab and get to the nearest Lens Crafters. Zach said he was fine and only his distance was a bit blurry. I played mock-eye doctor and made him read me letters from far-off signs. We got over our tiff quickly, but I was still really upset for him. Those were the first glasses he ever enjoyed wearing! Not only were they pretty expensive (even with insurance), but I was afraid he wasn't going to be able to enjoy the trip properly. Despite calling the Lost & Found every day, I knew we'd never find them (no suspense needed-- we've been home for three weeks. They were never found).
To cheer us up, we rode Buzz, always a favorite. Despite compromised vision, Zach still beat me (as always!). Guess he was okay after all!
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This was a re-do of a picture we took in 2009-- this time sans glasses.
I was feeling a bit better after that, but spent most of the morning with a bit of a cloud overhead. Trying not to show it, I suggested we ride Snow White's Scary Adventures before it's closed for good. We only waited about 10 minutes and I was glad. I'm totally okay with them replacing this with the awesome-looking mine coaster! SWSA was just kind of sad to me.
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Check out the view of the Fantasyland construction! It's really moving along!
Next up was HM! This is one of Zach's favorites and I love it too-- the detail and music is just great! The line additions are fun, too-- I liked the musical instruments best.
We then hit BTMRR (in the back-- score!) and the new (old) Tiki Room! I know I'm probably alone here, but I preferred the Under New Management version! I loved Zazu and Iago ribbing each other and the cover of “Never Had a Friend like Me.” This was fun, but I have no need to see it again.
By the time we had done Philharmagic (I always only see this once a trip and always wonder why-- I love it!) IASW, and TTA (a new ride for us that we both found relaxing and fun), we were starving.
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Since we were in Tomorrowland, we decided to eat at Cosmic Rays. You can see my DR for a full review, but this was probably my favorite CS of the trip! The food was fresh, hot, plentiful, and yummy!
Despite just eating half a chocolate cake (dessert at Cosmic Rays), I needed a sweet treat immediately after lunch. Only only dessert could satisfy that craving...a Dole Whip!! At this point, I had totally forgotten about the events of the past few days. I was full, with my favorite person in the world, and in my Disney groove!
After my treat and a spin on Pirates, we decided to visit Tom Sawyer Island. I once took the raft there and then immediately back, but had never really explored the island. I knew Zach would love shooting off the guns, so we lined up for the raft. A PP photographer joined us in line and I asked if he was on duty (he had a camera). He simply shook his head-- no “Sorry, not yet” or “Sorry, I have to take pictures of everyone coming off the raft first.” That he did. Despite there being a couple of minutes between when I asked him to take our picture and a raft coming back, he simply turned his back until guests returned and simply held his camera up in their face. One family handed him their card-- the rest either ignored him or waved him off. Once we were on the raft, he took literally everyone else's picture before finally holding the camera in our faces. Again, most families on the boat waved him off. He took pictures of one family and then handed them a card, at which they looked confusedly. Maybe I wasn't in as good of a mood as I thought I was, because when he held up the camera, I said “Forget it” and turned away. Clearly, I was being a snit. And now, home and not upset about a vacation being potentially ruined, the rational part of me is surprised I let that bother me. However, I'm still as confused as I was then! I just don't get why he totally ignored us twice-- even when he knew we wanted our picture. I also wasn't crazy about his personality. I couldn't get why he didn't politely ask people if they wanted their picture instead of just shoving his camera a foot away from their faces.
TSI was fun-- as predicted, Zach loved the guns!
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It's a nice change of pace, but I can't see us returning trip after trip. By the time we took the raft back, it was 2:00 p.m. and we were both beat. It was time for a midday break to relax and recharge for our night at Epcot!

[SoonerGirl]

Oh no! What a bummer that Zach lost his glasses and never got them back! I sure hope that is the last bad thing to happen on this trip :hug:

I've never been out to TSI, you'd think with 2 boys that it would be something we would do, but we've just never made time for it. :confused3

[MEK]

I am so sorry Zach lost his glasses. That totally stinks. I can definitely see you being a "little" snitty after the events of the past 24 hrs. In fact, I think I would be " a lot" snitty and the PP guy would have gotten under my skin, too. The only thing I can think of is maybe he was new and really not trained well on customer service. Hopefully he gets some experience with that - really soon, too! Because he is selling a product - and not very well!

[Nermel9]

Ughhhh, that's awful how Zach lost his glasses, I would have freaked out!!! :scared1: I'm SO paranoid about losing things on rides, I put everything in my purse and hold it with a death grip the whole time! :laughing:

That PP photographer sounds obnoxious. I've come across a few of them that have bad attitudes, some of them make you feel like you are really bothering them if you want a picture, I don't like that.

TSI is fun once in a while, it's a nice place to relax and escape the crowds, but you're right, it's definitely not something you have to do on every trip! :)

[jenny105]

Oh no! Your vacation got off to quite the rocky start! :( That stinks about his glasses.

It seems like you ran into some snippy CMs. I hate when the photogs MAKE you stop. Just ask. Don't force me to take a picture if I don't want to.

I was thinking of getting the PP cd when we go next year but I never stop to take enough pictures. Maybe I'll stop at every single one I see next year!

[klacey1]

Oh no! What a bummer that Zach lost his glasses and never got them back! I sure hope that is the last bad thing to happen on this trip :hug:

I've never been out to TSI, you'd think with 2 boys that it would be something we would do, but we've just never made time for it. :confused3
Thanks for the sympathy :hug:! It was the last out of the ordinary bad thing, definitely. We had some long lines and bad weather, but that was it! I bet your boys would enjoy TSI-- lots of little nooks to explore!

I am so sorry Zach lost his glasses. That totally stinks. I can definitely see you being a "little" snitty after the events of the past 24 hrs. In fact, I think I would be " a lot" snitty and the PP guy would have gotten under my skin, too. The only thing I can think of is maybe he was new and really not trained well on customer service. Hopefully he gets some experience with that - really soon, too! Because he is selling a product - and not very well!
Honestly, I hope he was new! It's not hard to be polite-- and when that's part of your JOB, it should be a given that that's how you treat people!

Ughhhh, that's awful how Zach lost his glasses, I would have freaked out!!! :scared1: I'm SO paranoid about losing things on rides, I put everything in my purse and hold it with a death grip the whole time! :laughing:

That PP photographer sounds obnoxious. I've come across a few of them that have bad attitudes, some of them make you feel like you are really bothering them if you want a picture, I don't like that.

TSI is fun once in a while, it's a nice place to relax and escape the crowds, but you're right, it's definitely not something you have to do on every trip! :)
I actually lost my wallet on BTMRR our last trip (thankfully just in our car and it was recovered immediately upon me realizing where it was) and that was IT to me-- I wrap my purse strap around my leg three times and check it's zipped 100 times! I never thought we'd have to watch Zach's glasses, though!

Oh no! Your vacation got off to quite the rocky start! :( That stinks about his glasses.

It seems like you ran into some snippy CMs. I hate when the photogs MAKE you stop. Just ask. Don't force me to take a picture if I don't want to.

I was thinking of getting the PP cd when we go next year but I never stop to take enough pictures. Maybe I'll stop at every single one I see next year!
Most of the CMs this trip were great, but the first two days were chockfull of people who were angry at the world! We got the CD this year and I was very proactive in making us stop at every photographer we saw. I especially wanted some "unique" shots-- our ones taken in France are my favorites!

[IheartDDuck]

Nothing worse than lost glasses in Disney World. My brother lost his glasses on the Skyway at Disney World. My fault though. We were kids, and he was messing around and hit me. Well, I couldn't let that stand, so I hit him back and knocked the glasses of his face. Needless to say, they fell to their end on the Tomorrowland Speedway. :lmao:

I love Comic Rays. I think it is definitely one of my favorite CS locations at Disney. I just love the fact that they have so much to choose from. Never been disappointed there.

[Queenofallthings]

I can't believe that he lost his glasses! Poor guy! I think you have a few very good reasons to be in a snit my girl:hug:

[rockin2it]

I'm subscribing!

That really stinks about Zach losing his glasses..hope it didnt ruin the trip.

We went to WDW and stayed at POR from Sept 4-14 and we stayed in Acadian House right on the river. I didn't think it was a long walk to the food court to use our refillable mugs. I really enjoyed where we were actually.

I can't wait to hear more about your trip!!

[dizney chick]

Joining in :thumbsup2 Sorry about all the mishaps so far. But you handled the lost glasses thing really well. I am really cheap and just thinking about replacing them would have ruined my whole trip. So great job on moving on.:worship:

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Oh no! I am so sorry to hear about Zach's glasses! I hate when things go wrong on vacation - I hope they start turning around for you soon! I'm off to go check out your dining review now! :goodvibes

[Aussiesalad]

Awh I like that first photo, you guys are a really cute couple!:)

Oh no! Poor Zach! You guys have had quite the rocky start!
I really hope things get better for you!

Wow the Fantasyland construction really is coming along, when I was last there it was barely over the wall!

yay Philharmagic is always I win! I love how all the kids reach up and grab the air because they think its real. Awwhhhh

Ha that photo of Zach in the rocking chair is too funny!:thumbsup2

Looking forward to hearing about Epcot!

[DrMomof3]

Oh no!!! I can't believe Zach lost his glasses! That totally stinks. :sad1:
We had one obnoxious PP person at Epcot. He was getting impatient with my kids (who were being, um, kids?). I thought to myself - Dude, this is Disney. There are lots of families with kids here. Deal. :rolleyes:

Amanda

[kokotg]

oh no! I'd be completely lost without my glasses (in fact; I almost never wear contacts...except at Disney World--more because of the humidity and not wanting them sliding all over my face, but also because of the fear of losing them). I'm impressed that they shut the ride down to look for them, though. And the photopass guy sounds really annoying!

[jenny105]

Most of the CMs this trip were great, but the first two days were chockfull of people who were angry at the world! We got the CD this year and I was very proactive in making us stop at every photographer we saw. I especially wanted some "unique" shots-- our ones taken in France are my favorites!

In 2009 a bunch of us DISers went in on a share for the PP cd with one person splitting up all of our photos onto personal cds. I hardly took any PP pictures because I think I only paid like $15. If I'm paying $99, I'll be sure to make us stop for photo ops!

[klacey1]

Nothing worse than lost glasses in Disney World. My brother lost his glasses on the Skyway at Disney World. My fault though. We were kids, and he was messing around and hit me. Well, I couldn't let that stand, so I hit him back and knocked the glasses of his face. Needless to say, they fell to their end on the Tomorrowland Speedway. :lmao:

I love Comic Rays. I think it is definitely one of my favorite CS locations at Disney. I just love the fact that they have so much to choose from. Never been disappointed there.
Oh no! At least with the Skyway, you know those babies were gone! We wondered the whole trip if they might be found.
Cosmic Rays was great! I couldn't believe the quality!

I can't believe that he lost his glasses! Poor guy! I think you have a few very good reasons to be in a snit my girl:hug:
Thanks :hug:. I don't like to dwell on the negative, but man was I bummed the beginning of the trip!

I'm subscribing!

That really stinks about Zach losing his glasses..hope it didnt ruin the trip.

We went to WDW and stayed at POR from Sept 4-14 and we stayed in Acadian House right on the river. I didn't think it was a long walk to the food court to use our refillable mugs. I really enjoyed where we were actually.

I can't wait to hear more about your trip!!
We didn't let it ruin our trip, thankfully! He could see well enough-- just distance was blurry.
We weren't near the river in Acadian. It wasn't a SUPER far walk, but we never really passed the food court, so it wasn't convenient for us to get the mugs. Next trip!

Joining in :thumbsup2 Sorry about all the mishaps so far. But you handled the lost glasses thing really well. I am really cheap and just thinking about replacing them would have ruined my whole trip. So great job on moving on.:worship:
Thanks! I tried my best to get over it quickly!

Oh no! I am so sorry to hear about Zach's glasses! I hate when things go wrong on vacation - I hope they start turning around for you soon! I'm off to go check out your dining review now! :goodvibes
Yikes, that reminds me that I need to update my dining report soon!

Awh I like that first photo, you guys are a really cute couple!:)

Oh no! Poor Zach! You guys have had quite the rocky start!
I really hope things get better for you!

Wow the Fantasyland construction really is coming along, when I was last there it was barely over the wall!

yay Philharmagic is always I win! I love how all the kids reach up and grab the air because they think its real. Awwhhhh

Ha that photo of Zach in the rocking chair is too funny!:thumbsup2

Looking forward to hearing about Epcot!
Thank you! I do love Philharmagic-- it's soon great to hear the best of Disney music! Haha, Zach loves taking funny pictures like that!

Oh no!!! I can't believe Zach lost his glasses! That totally stinks. :sad1:
We had one obnoxious PP person at Epcot. He was getting impatient with my kids (who were being, um, kids?). I thought to myself - Dude, this is Disney. There are lots of families with kids here. Deal. :rolleyes:

Amanda
Augh, I hate people who act like having fun in Disney is hard to do! Especially those who are impatient with kids-- look where you are!

oh no! I'd be completely lost without my glasses (in fact; I almost never wear contacts...except at Disney World--more because of the humidity and not wanting them sliding all over my face, but also because of the fear of losing them). I'm impressed that they shut the ride down to look for them, though. And the photopass guy sounds really annoying!
We really appreciated that they shut the ride down, but they made us feel like we were really inconveniencing them. I only felt bad for the guests who were in line-- but fortunately, it was down for less than five minutes.

In 2009 a bunch of us DISers went in on a share for the PP cd with one person splitting up all of our photos onto personal cds. I hardly took any PP pictures because I think I only paid like $15. If I'm paying $99, I'll be sure to make us stop for photo ops!
I did a share on Facebook, actually and paid $16. I still wanted to get my money's worth, though!

[klacey1]

When we got back to our room, we did the usual of changing into nicer clothes for dinner. We're usually (especially Zach) the fanciest people in any given restaurant in Disney, which is fine with us! Zach is just a suit guy/nice dresser, and I like nice pictures. Win-win!
This little guy was greeting us when we got back to the room!
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I don't know whether it was because we tipped or our mousekeeper was just really enthusiastic, but we always had a towel animal waiting for us each afternoon.
Our ADR wasn't until 8:00 p.m., but around 5:00 I was itching to leave the room and do some of our favorite things before dinner. I wanted to ride Test Track and forget about the events of the morning and day before. So, we headed out to the bus stop and waited. And waited. And waited. We waited a good thirty minutes, watching DHS, MK, AK, etc. buses pass us by multiple times. I had it. Eventually, another MK bus approached and I told Zach we'd get on it and take the monorail over to Epcot. I didn't care if that would take much more time-- I was sick of waiting!
So we did just that. On the bus ride over, a Canadian man commented on the symbol on Zach's tie, which was the mark of the British R.A.F. He thought Zach was wearing it for style purposes (which he was) and didn't know anything about what it meant (not true). They chatted about militaries from around the world (a passion of Zach's), while a mom from NY, the Canadian mom, and a British woman and I talked Disney! We all commented on the large number of Brits visiting that week-- the woman speaking with us told us that she had been there for three and a half weeks and was heading home in a few days. I wish Americans had vacation time like that!
When we got to Epcot, our first mission was to ride Test Track. The wait time said sixty minutes, which we'd normally never wait. However, we had the time, and the end of the line was all the way in the spiky room, leading me to believe it was going to be shorter. We got in line behind two woman (one in her forties and one in her twenties) and a little girl who looked to be about five. I only note their ages because I was doing some people watching (one of my favorite in line activities) and despite the fact that the little girl seemed very comfortable with both of the women, neither seemed like her mother. I'm not sure why-- just the way they were interacting.
Despite the fact that it didn't seem like the older woman was her mom, the little girl just continuously struck her hand up the bottom of the woman's sundress. I was aghast. Literally, the woman would be talking to the people in front of her and the girl kept sticking her arm up as far as it would go! The mom never reprimanded her or said anything, just removed her hand and continued talking to the people in front of her. The whole thing weirded me out. I know I don't have children, but I'd think a child like that would need a discussion on inappropriate touching in public! Or just inappropriate touching in general!
Zach works with special needs kids and adults and both agreed that didn't seem to be the issue. She was speaking and acting completely normal-- except for that one weird thing!
Anyway, the line only turned out to be about forty minutes long and totally worth the wait. It definitely brought us both back to our happy places!
Afterward, I wanted to go to Japan and pick a pearl. I had bought a Cinderella coach pearl cage and I wanted to be able to wear it during the trip, so I wanted to be sure and pick the pearl early.
The first time the ceremony was cute, but it's a bit overwhelming! The girls are really enthusiastic and all, it's just a bit much. My pearl was ivory-colored, just like the one I got in 2009. If I do it again, I hope to get a pink one!
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As we walked out of Japan and around the Showcase, we passed Italy, where a father and two daughters (about eight and a teenager) were walking out of. The younger girl stopped dead in her tracks, and as the father and sister turned to look at her, screeched in horror, “ARIEL!”
I lost it. I hope whatever the reason that she was screaming “Ariel” wasn't too serious, but it was hysterical to witness. Even the dad and sister just looked at each other bewildered, especially because it looked to happen completely out of nowhere. Maybe she was collecting princess autographs and forgot Ariel? Who knows! Still, in our twisted sense of humor, totally funny.
We got to the Seas around 7:15 and took a spin on Nemo & Friends. I didn't know it until then, but apparently “Big Blue World” makes Zach emotional! Awww!
I love this pavilion-- I have tons of pictures from 2009, so we didn't take much, just walked around and explored the aquariums. By 7:45, we decided to check into the Coral Reef, where we were informed that they were running a little past reservation times. We waited until 8:15, which was totally worth it. We had the best seats in the house!
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Last time, we were as far from the tank as you can get, which was fine at the time. However, being next to it and getting to see all of the fish and totally soak up the atmosphere is magical. I was so glad we got to have that experience! Fortunately, reports I read of parents allowing their small children to disturb people next to the tank did not affect us!
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What did affect us (well, not really. I just chose to let it agitate me) was the table behind Zach, also along the tank. It seems we had come in on the tail end of what had been a bad dinner for them. The father kept loudly griping to his two kids that the meal cost $180 and he could have bought them an iPod for that much.(I didn't really understand the correlation there.) Their waiter (who would be ours as well) was clearly very nervous when he brought their check and told the man that they had taken his entree off the bill. The guy just grabbed the check and shoved some money in without saying thank you. We did hear him say that he was tipping $20. For a $180 meal. The wife grabbed the bill and looked like she was trying to put more money in, to which he fiercely told her to stop and that “I tip well for good food. This wasn't good food—a couple of appetizers and drinks for $180 is ridiculous.”
I was glad to see them leave-- the guy just seemed like such a jerk. What he was saying really bothered me. First of all, you tip for service, not for whether you feel like you're receiving good value for your food. Secondly, it shouldn't have been a surprise that your meal was expensive if you got some appetizers and drinks. That stuff adds up and hello-- the prices are on the menu! You weren't getting a surprise bill!
I know this update probably makes it seem like I get really wrapped up in people around me, which isn't true. I focus on my boyfriend and the times we have together. If something wacky catches my eye (or ear-- that guy was so loud), I'll definitely see what's going on, though!
Our dinner was just okay-- nothing we need to repeat in the near future. We were sitting next to a lovely couple on their honeymoon, who were really fun to talk to while we were all waiting for our desserts. We traded picture-taking duties with them and lamented on how tough it is to get pictures when it's just the two of you!
Epcot was pretty dead when we left the restaurant, which I loved. It was so peaceful! This day got off to a rocky start, but ended nicely. I was hoping Friday would be incident free!

[IheartDDuck]

I love that you guys get dressed up for dinner. I like getting changed for dinners too when I can. I just like feeling fresh and clean for it. :goodvibes

Boo to the crabby table at the restaurant. People are so entitled sometimes, aren't they? You're absolutely right, you pay for the service that you get, not for the food. That was just unfortunate for the server.

[jenny105]

I did a share on Facebook, actually and paid $16. I still wanted to get my money's worth, though!

I think because we were only there for 4 nights, I just skipped PP because I didn't want to miss anything. I got some shots but not very many. Maybe I'll see if anybody on the Oct 2012 thread wants to do a share.

I went to Coral Reef in 07 or 08. The food was good but I thought the portions were small. Ugh, I would've wanted to smack the guy near you. You're exactly right, you tip based on the service. I used to wait tables so people like that just tick me off. And why he felt the need to broadcast everything...:sad2:

I have to try pick a pearl. Never done it and those coach necklaces are so cute.

Glad the day ended well. Great update!

[MEK]

Wow - I am so glad you didn't let that guy ruin your meal. I can see something like that happening, though, if a person goes to the Coral Reef, didn't do their research, orders a bunch of food thinking its going to be amazing, and it ends up mediocre. Coral Reef is one of those restaurants that seems to have a bad rep for food, although I have always enjoyed it. Still - live and learn and DON'T make a scene like that. His kids and wife probably think he's nuts. Ughhhh - those are the people who go home and tell everyone how much they hate Disney because they had one bad meal.

Anyway - I can't see your pics right now, but I bet your dress is gorgeous and I'm so glad you had a nice evening and got such a wonderful seat at dinner. I, too, love to walk out of an empty park. It's so fun!

[klacey1]

I love that you guys get dressed up for dinner. I like getting changed for dinners too when I can. I just like feeling fresh and clean for it. :goodvibes

Boo to the crabby table at the restaurant. People are so entitled sometimes, aren't they? You're absolutely right, you pay for the service that you get, not for the food. That was just unfortunate for the server.
I felt soooo bad for the server-- you could tell he was a nervous guy in general, and jerk customers don't help!

I think because we were only there for 4 nights, I just skipped PP because I didn't want to miss anything. I got some shots but not very many. Maybe I'll see if anybody on the Oct 2012 thread wants to do a share.

I went to Coral Reef in 07 or 08. The food was good but I thought the portions were small. Ugh, I would've wanted to smack the guy near you. You're exactly right, you tip based on the service. I used to wait tables so people like that just tick me off. And why he felt the need to broadcast everything...:sad2:

I have to try pick a pearl. Never done it and those coach necklaces are so cute.

Glad the day ended well. Great update!
I thought the portions were decent, just not very good. I waitressed in college and also get mad when I see people treat waitstaff like crap. There's just no reason for it. That's another thing-- there were at least four other tables besides us who were staring at this guy. He was SO loud and obnoxious! It was like he wanted people to know he was a jerk!

Wow - I am so glad you didn't let that guy ruin your meal. I can see something like that happening, though, if a person goes to the Coral Reef, didn't do their research, orders a bunch of food thinking its going to be amazing, and it ends up mediocre. Coral Reef is one of those restaurants that seems to have a bad rep for food, although I have always enjoyed it. Still - live and learn and DON'T make a scene like that. His kids and wife probably think he's nuts. Ughhhh - those are the people who go home and tell everyone how much they hate Disney because they had one bad meal.

Anyway - I can't see your pics right now, but I bet your dress is gorgeous and I'm so glad you had a nice evening and got such a wonderful seat at dinner. I, too, love to walk out of an empty park. It's so fun!
I can understand about getting angry about an expensive meal that you didn't like, but you see the prices, you know how much your bill is going to be. He seemed most angry about the prices, which he had no excuse for not knowing!
I love the pictures I get of empty parks! It felt like Epcot belonged to us! :love:

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I absolutely hate to see angry/sad/upset people in Disney, especially if they are complaining. Disney is supposed to be a happy place! I don't like them bursting my happy bubble! :lmao:

You two looked great at dinner, by the way! :goodvibes

[jenny105]

I make a game out of the unhappy people. We take bets on when they're going to have a meltdown whether it be on line for a ride or waiting to be seated at a restaurant. Is that mean? I wouldn't do it if some of them didn't act like they want the whole world to know they're unhappy!

[DrMomof3]

We dress up for dinner, too. Not necessarily shirt and tie dress up but polo shirt and khakis dress up.
I hate when people are rude and cheap in restaurants. It really bothers me!

Amanda

[klacey1]

I absolutely hate to see angry/sad/upset people in Disney, especially if they are complaining. Disney is supposed to be a happy place! I don't like them bursting my happy bubble! :lmao:

You two looked great at dinner, by the way! :goodvibes
Same! I just wanted to jump up and yell-- DUDE, YOU'RE AT DISNEY! GET OVER IT!
Thank you!

I make a game out of the unhappy people. We take bets on when they're going to have a meltdown whether it be on line for a ride or waiting to be seated at a restaurant. Is that mean? I wouldn't do it if some of them didn't act like they want the whole world to know they're unhappy!
Haha-- people like that usually love to have an audience for their ridiculousness!

We dress up for dinner, too. Not necessarily shirt and tie dress up but polo shirt and khakis dress up.
I hate when people are rude and cheap in restaurants. It really bothers me!

Amanda
Zach feels "casual" in a polo/khaki's :rotfl2:. He just loves suits/dressing up-- he loved Frasier in the 90's!

[Aussiesalad]

Woah that pick a pearl lady looks ultra enthusiastic.:eek:

Ughhhh to that guy in the restaurant! What a nutcase! I hate when people act like that! I mean life is expensive... doesn't mean you have to act like a jerk!

You guys are adorable all dressed up!

Fraiser was amazing! I had the biggest crush on Niles even though I was pretty young when it came out. He is just so delightfully awkward!

[Queenofallthings]

You guys look great! We always change our clothes to go for dinner....I love to get a little dressier for a nice dinner out!

Some people, honestly, could they draw any more attention to them? Clearly he had a tough time with the menu or he would have been acutely aware of the prices at the time they ordered:confused3 Glad he didn't ruin your evenig though!!!

[Mrs T 2009]

Hi! :wave2:
Joining in :: :yay:
Sorry to hear about your car! I would worry about something like that as well!!!

My DH and I stayed at POFQ in May and had a nice time; our room was not ready on time either though!

My DH can attest that little things get me down, but walking into a park and riding a favorite ride always gets me back in a good groove :)

I ALWAYS worry about losing things on rides! So sad to hear that some really nice glasses were lost!

We eat at Coral Reef everytime we have gone lately because of the atmosphere and we both love seafood... This past trip, a few weeks ago, we sat close as well ( not right next to the aquarium, but the next seating back) and had people stopping in front our table to see the giant sea turtle. It didn't totally take away from our view, but I could tell other people were bothered. And my goodness to the man gripping about his meal! He seems like that person who needs to complain about everything! Atleast it didn't sound like it took away from your meal time atleast :)

Can not wait to hear more about your trip! :goodvibes

[klacey1]

Woah that pick a pearl lady looks ultra enthusiastic.:eek:

Ughhhh to that guy in the restaurant! What a nutcase! I hate when people act like that! I mean life is expensive... doesn't mean you have to act like a jerk!

You guys are adorable all dressed up!

Fraiser was amazing! I had the biggest crush on Niles even though I was pretty young when it came out. He is just so delightfully awkward!
She was soooooo enthusiastic! Like frighteningly so! I love Niles, too, haha! I really like well-dressed men!

You guys look great! We always change our clothes to go for dinner....I love to get a little dressier for a nice dinner out!

Some people, honestly, could they draw any more attention to them? Clearly he had a tough time with the menu or he would have been acutely aware of the prices at the time they ordered:confused3 Glad he didn't ruin your evenig though!!!
Nope, with everything that had happened before angry guy, he was only a drop in the bucket! We didn't let him get us down!

Hi! :wave2:
Joining in :: :yay:
Sorry to hear about your car! I would worry about something like that as well!!!

My DH and I stayed at POFQ in May and had a nice time; our room was not ready on time either though!

My DH can attest that little things get me down, but walking into a park and riding a favorite ride always gets me back in a good groove :)

I ALWAYS worry about losing things on rides! So sad to hear that some really nice glasses were lost!

We eat at Coral Reef everytime we have gone lately because of the atmosphere and we both love seafood... This past trip, a few weeks ago, we sat close as well ( not right next to the aquarium, but the next seating back) and had people stopping in front our table to see the giant sea turtle. It didn't totally take away from our view, but I could tell other people were bothered. And my goodness to the man gripping about his meal! He seems like that person who needs to complain about everything! Atleast it didn't sound like it took away from your meal time atleast :)

Can not wait to hear more about your trip! :goodvibes

Thanks for joining in! I really like POFQ-- I think we'll end up staying there next trip if we stay at a moderate again. We're definitely done with POR for a little while.
I was worried about people standing by us-- I definitely would have been bothered by people blocking my view! Moreso than not being able to see the turtle-- I don't like people crowding me while I'm eating!

[klacey1]

So I hope everyone had a nice weekend! I'll probably have an update up tomorrow or Wednesday.
We had a pretty Disney-filled weekend-- we went to a Disney store at this random mall in Connecticut. Their selection was pretty limited, but they did have these gorgeous "Designer Disney" princess notebooks/nail polish/compacts. I debated a notebook, but decided it wouldn't get much use. This mall also had a Rainforest Cafe, which made me wistful for Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney. :sad1:
Saturday night, we went to see The Lion King. I don't know how much the 3D added to it, but it was great to see it on the big screen again. As usual, I bawled when Simba finds Mufasa!
It was pretty relaxing-- and will be our last relaxing weekend for awhile! It seems like we have something every weekend from now until Thanksgiving! Christenings, weddings, plans with friends, etc. I'm not a huge fan of fall (except for the abundance of apple cider donuts!), so I'm fine if this time flies by...then the most magical season can begin!

[Joyciemc]

Just got back from our trip, so I am finally getting caught up on TRs!

El stinko about Zach's glasses!

As for people watching... Some people just demand to be watched! :rotfl:

[klacey1]

Just got back from our trip, so I am finally getting caught up on TRs!

El stinko about Zach's glasses!

As for people watching... Some people just demand to be watched! :rotfl:

Hi, Joyce!! How was your trip?! Was it torturous going to the WL for lunch and not going to the parks?

[klacey1]

Upon waking up on our second full day, I tried to be 100% happy. Thoughts of the car and glasses were nagging, but I pushed them aside. Today we were going to DHS, which is not normally either of our favorite park. However, we love TSMM and some other attractions, so we were excited!
While waiting at the bus stop, a cast member pulled up in a golf cart and gave everyone a strands of gold and green Mardi Gras beads. He said he couldn't make any promises, but if we tried to use them, we might get a surprise. Huh?! We never tried using them at the resort at the risk of getting weird looks from CMs who had no idea what the beads were-- we didn't want to be looked at like swindlers! Anyone know what those are supposed to be for?
A DHS bus pulled up quickly and we arrived there about forty minutes before park opening. Ten minutes before rope drop, they let people through the turnstiles. As usual, I picked the slowest line possible! A family in front of us had no idea how to swipe their cards/scan their fingers. Hoards of people swept in through the turnstiles next to us as a sinking family rose in my stomach. Eventually, we got through and were in the middle of the crowd, to the left.
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I really love the DHS opening show. Everytime I go, they pick a couple, not a family with kids, as the park openers. I like this-- keeps variety in the opening shows (since I imagine they always pick families with children at the MK)!
Once they allowed people, the mad dash to TSMM began. Now, it was crazy in 2009, but this was insanity! We watched in horror as a woman pushed a stroller so fast her daughter tipped out of us, face-planted on the path, and got her foot caught on the foot rest. The mom just grabbed the little girl by the shoulders, pushed her back in, said “You're fine!” and continued racing as the little girl burst into hysterics. I couldn't believe it!
I also couldn't believe the craziness of the line, which was posted as 40 minutes. As we waited (about 25 minutes-- still ridiculous for being at the park so early and being three families back at the turnstiles), tons of FP fetchers cut in front of us and joined their family in line. I was pretty agitated-- Zach calmed me down (this is a pretty typical occurrence in our house).
As always, we loved TSMM! I'm pretty pitiful at it, and even without his glasses, Zach killed me!
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We hopped over to Star Tours next-- it's still pretty new, so I was worried crowds would build. We were both a bit nervous about this one-- I loved the “flight” theme of the old ride! I was hoping they didn't change that concept too much. Zach was nervous because he LOVES the old Star Wars movies and was hoping we wouldn't get the scene that portrayed pod-racing...? Apparently this is a new Star Wars thing that he's not a fan of. He had watched something on YouTube that showed pod-racing as a possible outcome and was crossing his fingers this wouldn't happen to us.
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I love how rustic this queue is-- definitely feels like an Ewok could pop out from behind a tree at any time!
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Fortunately, the line was only about ten or fifteen minutes. We loved it! We got, according to Zach, a great scene (don't remember it now-- I think we were on one of Darth Vader's ships). I thought the new ride was much smoother and really fun. The 3D definitely added to the experience, too.
While we were in the gift shop after the ride, my dad called me to talk to me about the car. I immediately tensed up and told him that I did NOT want to deal with this on my vacation. It was his accident and I had spent far too much money and energy planning this trip to worry it away. He apologized to me and said he'd deal with the insurance, repairs, everything. He wouldn't call me until I returned home. It was then that a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I could finally get on with vacation!
Unfortunately, we still had one annoying thing to deal with-- Zach's missing glasses. We sat in the benches outside Writer's Stop (didn't realize that was the smoking section! It was nicely shaded, with lots of benches) and called the Lost and Found. After being on hold for about twenty minutes, we spoke with a CM who checked for the glasses. No luck, unfortunately.
We decided a break was in order, even though it was only a little after 10 at this point. Since we were right there, and find it more more relaxing than the always-hectic Starring Rolls, we decided on Writer's Stop! Zach had coffee and a muffin, and I had milk and a carrot cake cookie. Both were yummy but HUGE! Neither of us came close to finishing either.
After getting some treats in our stomachs, we had to decide what to do next...

[IheartDDuck]

I think I have the same luck as you and always end up picking the slowest line too. I can't win either way. :laughing:

The TSMM dash is just insane, but that lady tipping the stroller over and the little girl falling out is just crazy and unnecessary. I love TSMM, but it's just not that serious people!

Oh, you mentioned carrot cake cookie and I just drooled.....

[Where'sPiglet?]

I've been reading along, but I have not been good at commenting!

I've been to a mall in Connecticut and eaten at a Rainforest Cafe and shopped at a Disney Store. I wonder if it's the same one. I think it was called Westfarms Mall.

I didn't realize the scenes could change at the new Star Tours. That sounds like fun.

I have been given Mardi Gras beads at Port Orleans resort before. I got mine with breakfast. :laughing:

[Aussiesalad]

Ughh I always pick the wrong line too! Even if there is just one person in front of me it will be the one person who accidentally ripped their ticket or got it wet or has some complex question to ask that takes 30 mins to explain. At that point you look at the other lines and contemplate moving but it's usually pride that makes me stand my ground thinking 'No...my original choice is fine, I will stay true to my line and it WILL get better'...sigh at least that's my downfall.

Glad you could get your dad to deal with the car drama. It sounds like a good morning at DHS. Despite the inevitable stampede towards TSM. Seriously people need to calm down...and stop trampling their children...

[Mrs T 2009]

Those mad dashes to TSMM are insane!!! My hubby always runs ahead to just get us FPs when we are there that early. FPs for that ride go super quick and are usually out before noon! I LOVE that ride though :) It's one of my favorites at DHS- next to The Great Movie Ride lol (cheesy, but I ALWAYS have to go on there atleast once).

[SoonerGirl]

Oh, I am the queen of picking the wrong line! My family and friends tease me about it all the time!

I really can't believe the mom that dumped her kid out of her stroller and then wouldn't even slow down to check on her :eek: What is wrong with some people?!

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I always get in the slowest line, too! It is so frustrating! :headache:

I hate that you had to be reminded of your car again, but I'm glad to hear that your dad said that he would take care of it and that you wouldn't have to worry about it on your trip any more. I hope you were able to not think about it! :goodvibes

[Queenofallthings]

People are literally crazy racing there in the mornings! That poor little girl....nuts how getting a FP for a ride is more important than making sure your child is ok:confused3

I can't believe Zach's glasses haven't turned up yet:confused: Poor guy! We prefer Writer's Stop to Starring Rolls too...I find it very cozy in there!!!

[klacey1]

I've been reading along, but I have not been good at commenting!

I've been to a mall in Connecticut and eaten at a Rainforest Cafe and shopped at a Disney Store. I wonder if it's the same one. I think it was called Westfarms Mall.

I didn't realize the scenes could change at the new Star Tours. That sounds like fun.

I have been given Mardi Gras beads at Port Orleans resort before. I got mine with breakfast. :laughing:
Yes-- it was the Westfarms Mall! It was really nice! Haha-- I wonder what the beads are for! I'd just assume they were a souvenir if the CM didn't tell us to try to "use" them somewhere!

I think I have the same luck as you and always end up picking the slowest line too. I can't win either way. :laughing:

The TSMM dash is just insane, but that lady tipping the stroller over and the little girl falling out is just crazy and unnecessary. I love TSMM, but it's just not that serious people!

Oh, you mentioned carrot cake cookie and I just drooled.....
The carrot cake cookie was delicious! So rich, but so yummy! I could have split it in quarters and been full with a fourth!

Ughh I always pick the wrong line too! Even if there is just one person in front of me it will be the one person who accidentally ripped their ticket or got it wet or has some complex question to ask that takes 30 mins to explain. At that point you look at the other lines and contemplate moving but it's usually pride that makes me stand my ground thinking 'No...my original choice is fine, I will stay true to my line and it WILL get better'...sigh at least that's my downfall.

Glad you could get your dad to deal with the car drama. It sounds like a good morning at DHS. Despite the inevitable stampede towards TSM. Seriously people need to calm down...and stop trampling their children...[/QUOTE
Yup-- I do the same thing. You know if you change lines, then the one you were in before will suddenly surge forward and your new one will slow down!

[QUOTE=Mrs T 2009;42869538]Those mad dashes to TSMM are insane!!! My hubby always runs ahead to just get us FPs when we are there that early. FPs for that ride go super quick and are usually out before noon! I LOVE that ride though :) It's one of my favorites at DHS- next to The Great Movie Ride lol (cheesy, but I ALWAYS have to go on there atleast once).
I love both TSMM and GMR, too! DHS needs another family-friendly ride to split up the lines in the morning. It's just way too crazy now!

Oh, I am the queen of picking the wrong line! My family and friends tease me about it all the time!

I really can't believe the mom that dumped her kid out of her stroller and then wouldn't even slow down to check on her :eek: What is wrong with some people?!
Clearly, TSMM is more important that ensuring your kids is okay, especially when you are the reason they are hurt. ;)

I always get in the slowest line, too! It is so frustrating! :headache:

I hate that you had to be reminded of your car again, but I'm glad to hear that your dad said that he would take care of it and that you wouldn't have to worry about it on your trip any more. I hope you were able to not think about it! :goodvibes
I had to deal with one more annoying phone call about the car, unfortunately, but for that morning, I was able to forget about it completely!

People are literally crazy racing there in the mornings! That poor little girl....nuts how getting a FP for a ride is more important than making sure your child is ok:confused3

I can't believe Zach's glasses haven't turned up yet:confused: Poor guy! We prefer Writer's Stop to Starring Rolls too...I find it very cozy in there!!!
We'll never see those glasses again. :sad2: They're about five years old, too, so we can't buy them in a store. We've just been combing ebay and other places, hoping we find them or at least a similar pair...
I love the couches in Writer's Stop-- definitely cozy!

[klacey1]

What we decided to do was look at a park map-- specifically to see what time BATB, my favorite live-action show, was playing. The first one of the day was at 11:00, about 45 minutes from then. We decided to spend the time before exploring One Man's Dream. Wow-- this ranks right up there with Wishes and the MK opening show as tear-inducing. It was amazing seeing his old desks and the displays of theme parks from around the world.
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We watched the movie for the first time-- I've read a couple of Walt biographies, so there weren't any surprises, but it was still heart-warming. Just thinking about everything he and his brother brought to the world gets me emotional! We loved the exhibit and movie-- a must do from now on!
The movie let out about fifteen minutes before BATB, so we went straight to the theater. We prefer to sit in the back—quick exit—and found great seats. A family with two little boys (probably about 18 months and three years old) sat behind us and were pretty annoying. The baby screamed the entire show and the little boy was loudly playing with a toy car. I totally love when kids loudly comment on whatever movie or show is on, because it shows they're engaged and enjoying it, but these kids were clearly too young or just not interested in the show, which is fine. I just think the parents should have removed them once it was VERY apparent that they were bothering others. We didn't say anything, but this guy in front of us kept sighing really loudly and turning to glare at the parents. Sooo obnoxious!
That aside, the parts that I could hear and enjoy of BATB, I loved! I think the dancing, costumes, and music are just great. It's my favorite movie and I think they represent it well! Our Belle had a unique but good voice. We live in NY and see musicals all the time-- Disney did a really professional job on this one!
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Both TOT and RNRC had long waits (60 minutes) and fairly late FP return times (4:00 p.m. or so), so I decided to skip them. I could have done single rider on RNRC, but I also didn't want to leave Zach alone. We just wanted to spend time together!
So instead, we wandered around the Streets of America. I love the way this area is themed, plus it's a nice respite from the craziness of the park. Lines this day were long-- I couldn't figure out why it was so crowded! It was really only this day that we noticed a ton of people in a park.
Eventually, we ended up back near Pizza Planet. We peaked inside, but again, lines were huge. To pass some time before lunch, we saw Muppet Vision 3D, which was new for Zach. He loved it and seeing it with someone who was cracking up the whole time made me enjoy it even more than I had in the past. Statler and Waldorf are my favorites!
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We loved this poster! Zach is tiny and finding clothes that fit is a challenge-- he also loves penguins! This was perfect, haha.
After, it looked like Pizza Planet cleared out a bit, so we stopped for a yummy lunch. While Zach waited for our food, I snagged a two top next to a pair of dads with their little boys, who excitedly talked about the parks and didn't touch their food, despite urging form their dads. It was so cute!
We finished lunch around two and decided to make the Great Movie Ride our final stop. We got the cowboy, so now we've seen both! The clips at the end are my favorite, but I do love the whole ride. I like that they feature classic movies and see no reason to update.
When we got out, it was around two and we headed straight for the bus stop. We ended up waiting over a half hour, which was not fun in the hot sun! A shower was definitely in order when we returned to POR-- I needed to clean up before dinner at the Wilderness Lodge and EMH at the MK!

[Queenofallthings]

We never got to One Man's Dream on this trip and I'm a little bummed now when I was reading your update! The last time I was in there all I could think of was watching The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday evenings with my family when Peg and I were little girls and who could have imagined the joy he would bring to all of us decades later:lovestruc

[IheartDDuck]

I echo the same thoughts as you about One Man's Dream. I love it and it makes me teary.

That stinks about the annoying family during BATB. I find my annoyance with people is how oblivious they are to other people. They just think that we should accept the fact that their kids are shouting and screaming and just obnoxious. Especially when it comes to shows. I had a similar experience at Mickey's Philharmagic. Up and down during the show. It was the most annoying thing I've ever encountered.

[Where'sPiglet?]

Yes-- it was the Westfarms Mall! It was really nice! Haha-- I wonder what the beads are for! I'd just assume they were a souvenir if the CM didn't tell us to try to "use" them somewhere!


The beads from the PO resorts really are just a souvenir to add to the New Orleans theme. The comment was bizarre though. I am not sure what the CM meant. Perhaps they were alluding to the stereotype that the only way to get beads is when ladies in New Orleans get them from lifting their shirt on a balcony in the French Quarter. However, most beads that people get come from parades. The float riders toss beads and other throws (dubloons, stuffed animals, cups, etc) into the crowds.

I also really enjoy One Man's Dream. I don't recall the last time I've seen Beauty and the Beast. I'll have to try to catch it the next time I'm at WDW!

[Mrs T 2009]

One Man's Dream is great :) We make it a priority to always walk through it!

We have a son (now 3.5) and he sat through BATB last year when he was 2.5; We didn't get the chance to watch it this last trip and I don't think we would have made it all the way through- it's the age where their attention span contains zero patience! LOL If that were my children I would have taken them out as to not disrupt the others. BATB is my favorite movie and favorite show to see at DHS, but if I have to pass it up to please my kid, so be it :)

I have yet to get the cowboy on GMR- I am jealous! ;)

[jenny105]

I'm all caught up! We didn't have internet until yesterday and work usually blocks pictures but for some reason, I can see yours today! :woohoo:

I was lucky enough to be picked for the opening show at DHS back in 2009! It was so much fun. They drive you off to your choice of ride (ToT or RnRC) and you get to ride it by yourself. I invited the CM to come ride with me and she did. They gave me a complimentary picture from ToT plus a certificate stating I helped open the park. This was also when TSM was new and the CM was nice enough to get me an FP to use since I was planning on going there first, not ToT. I love Disney :goodvibes

So the new Star Tours, it's possible to get a different ride each time? There's a different movie option? I'm looking forward to that next year. It's been awhile since I've been on it. It was closed last year.

I love One Man's Dream. I can't believe he created all of this!

I teared up during the Lion King too. I hate the part when Mufasa dies. I also teared up during the credits because I love that movie so much and couldn't believe I got to see it in a theatre again.

Ok, enough of my babbling! :laughing:

[klacey1]

We never got to One Man's Dream on this trip and I'm a little bummed now when I was reading your update! The last time I was in there all I could think of was watching The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday evenings with my family when Peg and I were little girls and who could have imagined the joy he would bring to all of us decades later:lovestruc


Awww, that's such a sweet memory! He really has added so many memories and happiness to the lives of so many families!

I echo the same thoughts as you about One Man's Dream. I love it and it makes me teary.

That stinks about the annoying family during BATB. I find my annoyance with people is how oblivious they are to other people. They just think that we should accept the fact that their kids are shouting and screaming and just obnoxious. Especially when it comes to shows. I had a similar experience at Mickey's Philharmagic. Up and down during the show. It was the most annoying thing I've ever encountered.
I know-- people are so focused on their little family and world that they just don't think. Don't think that they are infringing on other people's enjoyment of the parks.

The beads from the PO resorts really are just a souvenir to add to the New Orleans theme. The comment was bizarre though. I am not sure what the CM meant. Perhaps they were alluding to the stereotype that the only way to get beads is when ladies in New Orleans get them from lifting their shirt on a balcony in the French Quarter. However, most beads that people get come from parades. The float riders toss beads and other throws (dubloons, stuffed animals, cups, etc) into the crowds.

I also really enjoy One Man's Dream. I don't recall the last time I've seen Beauty and the Beast. I'll have to try to catch it the next time I'm at WDW!
Haha, I thought they were just a souvenir, but that "use them" comment really threw me! BATB is just wonderful. My absolute favorite live show in Disney.

One Man's Dream is great :) We make it a priority to always walk through it!

We have a son (now 3.5) and he sat through BATB last year when he was 2.5; We didn't get the chance to watch it this last trip and I don't think we would have made it all the way through- it's the age where their attention span contains zero patience! LOL If that were my children I would have taken them out as to not disrupt the others. BATB is my favorite movie and favorite show to see at DHS, but if I have to pass it up to please my kid, so be it :)

I have yet to get the cowboy on GMR- I am jealous! ;)
See, considerate people like you recognize when their kids can't handle certain shows/rides without disturbing others. I do hope you get to see BATB on your next trip, though!

I'm all caught up! We didn't have internet until yesterday and work usually blocks pictures but for some reason, I can see yours today! :woohoo:

I was lucky enough to be picked for the opening show at DHS back in 2009! It was so much fun. They drive you off to your choice of ride (ToT or RnRC) and you get to ride it by yourself. I invited the CM to come ride with me and she did. They gave me a complimentary picture from ToT plus a certificate stating I helped open the park. This was also when TSM was new and the CM was nice enough to get me an FP to use since I was planning on going there first, not ToT. I love Disney :goodvibes

So the new Star Tours, it's possible to get a different ride each time? There's a different movie option? I'm looking forward to that next year. It's been awhile since I've been on it. It was closed last year.

I love One Man's Dream. I can't believe he created all of this!

I teared up during the Lion King too. I hate the part when Mufasa dies. I also teared up during the credits because I love that movie so much and couldn't believe I got to see it in a theatre again.

Ok, enough of my babbling! :laughing:
I remember reading in Stacikristine's TR that she ran into you and you got picked to be in the opening show! What a cool experience-- and so awesome they gave you a TSMM fastpass!
Yeah-- the new Star Tours has a couple of different scenes, etc. So you could ride it three times and have a different experience every time! I'm not sure exactly how many outcomes there are, but I know there's a few different ones.

[klacey1]

We got to the bus stop around 5:30ish. After a uneventful ride to the MK, we arrived around 6:00ish. Our ADR at the WL was at 7:35 and I wasn't sure how long we'd have to wait for a boat or how long the trip would take, so we stuck around Main St. We poked around in the stores and checked in Guest Services for the glasses before heading out at 6:45.
While waiting for a boat, we learned just how badly Irene was predicted to hit New York. A family from Long Island in front of us had planned to fly home the next day (Saturday, 8/27), but their plane was canceled. (Amanda, I was thinking of you then and hoping you would be able to get out of NY-- glad you were able to!) The parents had to get back to work and the next available plane wasn't until the following Thursday (!), so they decided to rent a car the next day and drive up! I hope they made it back okay-- I can't imagine the rain they ran into! Anyway, the boat ride was wonderful. Zach nor I are water people, but this was so peaceful. Pulling into the WL was amazing. Since we were so early, we took some pictures around the beautiful property before heading inside.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011218.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011219.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011224.jpg
We both fell in love as soon as we walked into the lobby-- the rustic look is just our speed. Just incredible. After we checked in, we walked around and browsed in their shop. I wished Port Orleans had as much resort-specific merchandise as WL, but since we'll be staying there our next trip (fingers crossed for a good pin code!), I'll just have to wait to have resort pride!
Relaxing in the lobby before dinner:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011228.jpg
Dinner at WCC was fantastic! Zach was only mildly embarrassed by our waitress and made it a personal mission to finish as much of the huge refill as he could!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011232.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011235.jpg
It was PM EMH that night at the MK, so we took the boat back to the park. This ride was even more wonderful. We got to see the end of the water pageant, which is always great. The dark made the ride very romantic.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011237.jpg
Main St. was a madhouse, as the Magic, Memories, and You show was just starting. Fortunately, we were able to duck around the crowds and cut through Adventureland to get to Frontierland to ride BTMRR, which is always more fun at night!
HM was next-- as we were leaving, we watched a family get turned away from riding, as they were offsite guests. The little boy started throwing a huge tantrum, crying and screaming “We NEVER stay at a resort!” The parents pretty much ignored him-- even though the kid was acting pretty bratty, I felt bad that his parents clearly had no idea about EMH and planned poorly.
I was interested in riding Splash, but the wait was 45 minutes. We decided to do Pirates instead with a 10 minute wait-- so strange, since I've only even ridden it as a walk on!
By then it was about 11:00 and we were done for the day. I feel like we always do a poor job of taking advantage of PM EMH, but that's okay. We get so much done during the day that it doesn't matter.
The line for the bus was pretty long, but we talked about our day and didn't mind waiting. There were some annoying teens smoking in line (don't think they're supposed to do that...) and making fun of the CM who was directing people to their lines. So obnoxious! Eventually, a bus pulled up and whisked us home. Another wonderful day was complete!

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed dinner! I can't believe the huge refill they gave Zach! I really, really want to try WCC, but I'm so worried I would be embarrassed. I embarrass so easily, and Miguel is even worse than me. :sad2:

Love your dress for the evening! You two look so cute as always. :goodvibes

[Joyciemc]

Your trip sounds like so much fun (aside from those snafus early on)!

Glad you enjoyed WCC- we loved it! Ben just got up to our lunch there in the TR he is writing. We also fell in love with WL... it's beautiful!

[klacey1]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed dinner! I can't believe the huge refill they gave Zach! I really, really want to try WCC, but I'm so worried I would be embarrassed. I embarrass so easily, and Miguel is even worse than me. :sad2:

Love your dress for the evening! You two look so cute as always. :goodvibes
Next time, we're going to ask not to sit in the main dining room and hopefully we'll have a calmer waitress. Ours was nice but SO loud! The food is too good to stay away, though!
Aww, thanks!

Your trip sounds like so much fun (aside from those snafus early on)!

Glad you enjoyed WCC- we loved it! Ben just got up to our lunch there in the TR he is writing. We also fell in love with WL... it's beautiful!
It definitely started to get more fun at this point! Is he writing a TR for the Disboards?! (ETA: Yes, yes he is. I just found it!) I was actually thinking of renting points for the WL our next trip-- so jealous you guys have DVC!

[jenny105]

I love WL. :love: I stayed there in 2009 and fell in love with it. I wanna try out WCC next trip just so I can go back to the lodge!

Ugh. Does it make me a horrible person to say I hate teenagers? I feel bad for whoever had to deal with me when I was one but I really don't think I was that obnoxious! They seem to have gotten worse.

[IheartDDuck]

That was a giant glass of soda! :eek:

Glad you enjoyed your meal at WCC. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good pin code for your stay at WL. :goodvibes It's a very pretty resort for sure.

I never feel like I take good advantage of PM EMH either. I think it's the same thing, we get so much done during the day that it feels like you don't really need it.

[Queenofallthings]

We love the boat ride from the MK to WL and I agree about the rustic feel...I really want to be able to stay there one Christmas!

We loved WCC when we went in 2009...we had the best waiter and MM wasn't feeling well that evening and he fussed so much over her and by the end of the meal she was feeling much better!!

We don't make PM EMH very often ... we're more of the morning people type:lmao:

[Mrs T 2009]

Wilderness Lodge is gorgeoud!!! I have eaten at WCC a few times, but I don't like it. Don't get me wrong- the food is great, but I don't like attention or people watching me when I eat (can't stand it!) so if we don't HAVE to eat there (DH LOVES the refillable milkshakes) we don't ;) lol

Seems like you have been encountering some rude/whiny/roudy people! I feel so bad for you, but am glad that you don't let it ruin your time :)

Excited to hear more about your trip! :)

[klacey1]

I love WL. :love: I stayed there in 2009 and fell in love with it. I wanna try out WCC next trip just so I can go back to the lodge!

Ugh. Does it make me a horrible person to say I hate teenagers? I feel bad for whoever had to deal with me when I was one but I really don't think I was that obnoxious! They seem to have gotten worse.
Haha, as a rule, I find many teenagers annoying. Those kids were just ridiculous!

That was a giant glass of soda! :eek:

Glad you enjoyed your meal at WCC. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good pin code for your stay at WL. :goodvibes It's a very pretty resort for sure.

I never feel like I take good advantage of PM EMH either. I think it's the same thing, we get so much done during the day that it feels like you don't really need it.
We like EMH because it gives us something to do after dinner, but we rarely ride more than one or two rides. I feel like getting there at rope drop works much better for that!

We love the boat ride from the MK to WL and I agree about the rustic feel...I really want to be able to stay there one Christmas!

We loved WCC when we went in 2009...we had the best waiter and MM wasn't feeling well that evening and he fussed so much over her and by the end of the meal she was feeling much better!!

We don't make PM EMH very often ... we're more of the morning people type:lmao:
I would love to stay there at Christmas, too! The pictures I've seen of their tree are just amazing.

Wilderness Lodge is gorgeoud!!! I have eaten at WCC a few times, but I don't like it. Don't get me wrong- the food is great, but I don't like attention or people watching me when I eat (can't stand it!) so if we don't HAVE to eat there (DH LOVES the refillable milkshakes) we don't ;) lol

Seems like you have been encountering some rude/whiny/roudy people! I feel so bad for you, but am glad that you don't let it ruin your time :)

Excited to hear more about your trip! :)
Next time, Zach made me promise to request to sit NOT in the main part of the dining room. He wasn't crazy about how loud it was!

[klacey1]

So, for the past two weeks, I've been keeping a little secret from basically...well, everyone. It started about six months ago. My mom, grandmother, and a few of my extended family members decided to go down to Orlando for a long weekend in October. I was invited, but being that I was going to Disney in August, I decided to say no.
Then, things started to get kind of crazy at my job. I mean, I've never really loved it, but things were really coming to a head. I was constantly stressed out. Way too stressed considering what they paid me and how long my commute is. So, I put feelers out for other other jobs...
Soon enough, I found a new position! It's more aligned with my degree and what I truly want to do. Plus, it's more money! The commute is still long, but it will be much more worth it. I start Monday-- I've already met most of the people I'll be working with and they seem really great. I'm nervous but excited!
So what does my new job have to do with the fact that my family was going to Disney? Well, I put in my two weeks almost two weeks ago. When I told my mom, she said "Great, now you can come to Florida! Just call in sick during your two weeks!" At first I resisted...I just didn't think it would be right, being that I had a ton of stuff to wrap up at work. She slowly wore me down-- guilting me that family time is priceless...that kind of stuff. Even Zach told me I should go (even though he had to work and couldn't). So I said yes!
So I spent last weekend in Florida! It was my quickest trip ever-- I landed at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday and left MCO at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday! In a lot of ways it was great-- I am very close to my grandmother and loved seeing some of my cousins. The best parts of the trip were the dinners with them.
The not-so-great parts were being in the actual parks :rotfl:. Don't get me wrong-- I enjoyed being in Epcot (Friday) and IOA/US (Saturday). It's just that going with Zach is wonderful-- he lets me plan to my heart's content and will go with the flow of what I think we should do. Plus, we enjoy the same things-- exploring the shops, riding everything, eating great meals. Going with my mom and grandmother was a bit frustrating to my Type-A side. They didn't want to go into any of the World Showcase countries! :confused3 By two o'clock, my grandmother commented "Wow, you can really do this entire park in half a day!" :scared1:
We also did both IOA/US in a half day-- skipping so much, of course. It was really a test of my patience and ability to let go of the planning reins. It was hard! Also, we stayed offsite. It was at a very nice Marriott timeshare condo (Cypress Gardens, near Sea World), but it wasn't Disney! Driving under the arch, as well as seeing the resort buses, was so difficult! Honestly, when we parked the rental car and came upon the resort bus stop at Epcot, I wanted to jump on one of the buses and check into whatever hotel it was going to!
It was during the Food & Wine Festival, which I loved. My mom and grandmother griped that there weren't enough choices :confused: I tried the prosecco from Italy (light and delicious on a warm day), chocolate lava cake with Bailey's ganache from Ireland (tiny but very yummy), and the empanada from Argentina (filling and spicy for a great price!).
I know I said our next time wasn't going to be until 2013, but honestly...not sure I can wait! This little teaser trip made me want to go back again and do it the right way-- longer, on-site, and with the DDP! I'm going to crunch some numbers and see if maybe we can do both Vegas and Disney next year-- and putting off other trips until 2013. I'd still love to go in October during F&W. We'll have to see!

[Queenofallthings]

Congratulations! Life is too short to not enjoy what you're doing! I am so happy you decided to join your family....family time is precious and we should grab as much of it as we can:hug:

[jenny105]

Epcot in half a day? Not enough choices at Food and Wine??? :faint:

Now that I've recovered, awesome that you got to go to Florida. And congrats on your new job. Good luck!

I think you should go during the first week of October next year. Just sayin....;)

[disneybarbie]

Congratulations on the new job! That's really great news :goodvibes

Sounds like a fun but 'different' weekend going to Orlando without DBF.. it must have been hard to be in the parks but not tour them in the way that you guys normally do.. and Epcot in half a day?!:eek: hehe.



Emma princess: x

[Mrs T 2009]

Congratulations on the new job!!! I definitely understand how you feel about working somewhere, where they do not appreciate you and the $ and drive doesn't compensate- making changes (like this one) will be a HUGE difference to your life and happiness!

YAY for a lil trip to WDW!!!! I bet it was hard not to be the planner, but I am sure you had an awesome time!!! :)

[klacey1]

Congratulations! Life is too short to not enjoy what you're doing! I am so happy you decided to join your family....family time is precious and we should grab as much of it as we can:hug:
Thank you! I completely agree- I am very glad I decided to go. I am very close with my family and haven't spent time with them in awhile. It was wonderful!

Epcot in half a day? Not enough choices at Food and Wine??? :faint:

Now that I've recovered, awesome that you got to go to Florida. And congrats on your new job. Good luck!

I think you should go during the first week of October next year. Just sayin....;)
I KNOW! I tried three different things and would have had much more if I was there for longer. When they were ready to leave at 2:00 p.m. I was so close to saying that I would stay and just take a cab back to the hotel!
I would kill to go that week! (Dismeet!) I'm actually talking to a guy about renting points...fingers crossed!!

Congratulations on the new job! That's really great news :goodvibes

Sounds like a fun but 'different' weekend going to Orlando without DBF.. it must have been hard to be in the parks but not tour them in the way that you guys normally do.. and Epcot in half a day?!:eek: hehe.



Emma princess: x
It was fun in ways that had nothing to do with Disney. I had fun being with my family-- the setting was sort of incidental. I definitely didn't get to enjoy Disney the way I like!

Congratulations on the new job!!! I definitely understand how you feel about working somewhere, where they do not appreciate you and the $ and drive doesn't compensate- making changes (like this one) will be a HUGE difference to your life and happiness!

YAY for a lil trip to WDW!!!! I bet it was hard not to be the planner, but I am sure you had an awesome time!!! :)
Thank you very much! I started yesterday-- still very overwhelming learning all new things! I know my quality of life will start to increase!
It was nice to be with my family and have a surprise trip to the World!

[jenny105]

I KNOW! I tried three different things and would have had much more if I was there for longer. When they were ready to leave at 2:00 p.m. I was so close to saying that I would stay and just take a cab back to the hotel!
I would kill to go that week! (Dismeet!) I'm actually talking to a guy about renting points...fingers crossed!!

Oh I hope you get to go!! Keep me posted :goodvibes Renting points is SUCH a good deal.

[Joyciemc]

October 2012 is clearly the COOLEST time to be heading to WDW! ;)

[klacey1]

Oh I hope you get to go!! Keep me posted :goodvibes Renting points is SUCH a good deal.
Me too!! I definitely will! I found such a great deal-- it's about about convincing Zach that we don't want to wait until the Fantasyland expansion is done!

October 2012 is clearly the COOLEST time to be heading to WDW! ;)
Well, if all the cool kids are going in October 2012... ;)

[klacey1]

I was so excited when I woke up that Saturday morning! We were going to Animal Kingdom-- a completely new park for Zach. I was so excited to see him react to everything new-- watching him experience MK, Epcot, and DHS for the first time our last trip was so magical.
Also, at the end of the night-- we would not be returning to POR to sleep! For one night one, we were switching to a different hotel. More on that later, though!
It wasn't until we got on the bus that I realized just how far AK is. I always knew that everyone described it as far, but this was the first time I had ever taken Disney transportation there. Geography isn't exactly my strong suit (it took me years to understand how the Hudson River worked)!
We passed Coronado Springs, which Zach and I agreed was very pretty. However, I doubt we'd ever want to stay somewhere so far out. We get up early enough staying at POR, which is fairly central (from my understanding anyway!).
It was just past rope drop when we arrived at AK. Normally, I'd be in a rush to get into the park, but there didn't seem to be hoards of people, so we stopped for some PP pictures (finally got my CD!):
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass009.jpg
This one is pretty ridiculous haha. Zach's face just shows how nervous he was, I think. (Always nervous about new things!)
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass010.jpg
Magic shot!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass011.jpg
After we headed toward EE, I realized we could have taken a half hour PP session! The park was absolutely empty. I grabbed FP's for EE and then inquired about the single rider line. The CM told me that they weren't planning on opening the single rider line at all that day-- crowds were predicted to be that low all day! It was literally a walk-on.
I loved it, as always! I had been seated next to a girl who was probably about 10 or 11 who conversationally chatted with me up the hill about her past trips to Disney and Atlantis in the Bahamas. She was so cute!
When I got off, Zach had mapped out our plan for the day. I was glad he found something to occupy himself! Dinosaur was to be our next stop...
Dinoland USA was eerily empty! We were pretty much the only people there:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011250.jpg
Dinosaur was a walk-on-- Zach loved it! He agreed that the area was kind of weird-- and the ride itself didn't even go with the carnival theme.
It was already pretty scorching at this point, so a ride on Kali River Rapids was in order! We agreed that it's pretty lame as far as raft rides go. Neither of us got that wet and it was pretty short-- especially compared to the one we had ridden earlier that summer at Lake Compounce, a park not too far from us.
It's Tough to be a Bug was next- our short-line luck had continued. A show started about five minutes after we entered the holding room. We both thought it was very funny; it was supposed to be refurbed while we were there and I was so glad it wasn't!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011257.jpg
We hadn't been too interested in doing the safari, but since we had done pretty much everything else we had wanted, we figured why not. On our way over, we stopped for a few more pictures!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass013.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass017.jpg
After we walked away, the dad of the family who was next next in line winked at us and said “You two are going to have a surprise when you get home!” Hehe.
KS was the only ride we waited for-- maybe 15 minutes tops. I checked my cell phone as we boarded our car-- 10:30! I couldn't believe everything we had accomplished!
I was surprised how much we loved the safari. Zach couldn't believe how close the animals got to us-- I could have pet a rhino!
The giraffes and ostriches also wandered near the car. Am I the only person who thinks ostriches are kind of terrifying?! Their eyes freak me out!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011292.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011275.jpg
We discussed seeing FOTLK, but we weren't in the mood to sit in a theater. Instead, we wanted to head to my happy place. I love sheep and goats. Especially sheep. They are just darling little creatures. Clearly, I was in heaven at the Affection Section!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011332.jpg
This goat just parked himself in front of Zach-- he was just begging to be pet!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011325.jpg
On the whole, we're not crazy about Rafiki's Planet Watch (not so interested in how to make our home green friendly), but AS is great! We saw many kids who really loved brushing the animals with the combs. I hope they never get rid of it-- so simple but great for kids (….and me!).
It was around noon when we took the train back. We were just starting to get hungry...

[disneybarbie]

looks like a fun morning in Animal Kingdom so far! It's great taking someone to a park they've never been too.. in 2006 while in WDW we met up with my cousin & her boyfriend and went to AK.. it was his first ever visit to a Disney park too :goodvibes

I've not seen that PP picture with Stitch in a box before - very cute!

I never really understood the Dinoland USA theming, especially the Chester & Hester area.. although this article on All Ears helped me appreciate it a little more..
Dinoland USA (http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/08/chester_and_hesters_dinorama.html)

It's quite an abstract theme though, unlike the rest of AK which is beautiful :cloud9:



Hope you're having a good weekend! Do you have snow?!


Emma princess: x

[Nermel9]

Congrats on your new job, and that's great that you had a Disney weekend and got to go to the Food And Wine festival! I really want to go back next year during that time, but I don't think it's happening. :sad2:

I love your magic shots from your AK morning! I don't think I've ever seen that Stitch one, that's adorable!

We don't really like Rafiki's Planet Watch either, but I do like seeing all the cute little animals! :lovestruc

[IheartDDuck]

Congratulations on the new job!

That's also awesome that you were able to have a F&W weekend.

I love seeing parks through the eyes of a first timer. I get all excited and nervous at the same time, because I don't know how they're going to feel about it.

I love Animal Kingdom early in the morning, because you can get so much accomplished, like you did.

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Congratulations on the new job! That is wonderful news! And yay for a quick weekend away! :goodvibes

I LOVE all of your PP pictures. You got so many of the magical shots! I've never seen that one with Stitch coming out of the box. It's really cute!

I agree - I find Ostriches to be creepy! Especially when they start their mating call and running around like they're crazy. :scared1:

[Mrs T 2009]

Sounds like an awesome morning so far at AK! I love when the parks are like that and everythings almost a walk-on :)

[Tracy161]

Congrats on the new job!!! :goodvibes You'll have to let us know how it's going! Great update... and no, you're not the only one, ostriches scare me too! :rotfl:

[Joyciemc]

The pictures of practically empty Animal Kingdom are so weird! But awesome that you pretty much had the place to yourselves!

[jenny105]

Me too!! I definitely will! I found such a great deal-- it's about about convincing Zach that we don't want to wait until the Fantasyland expansion is done!

Well, some of it will be done...just sayin ;)

Wow, I can't believe how empty AK is! But you weren't interested in the safari? Bwah?? KS and EE are the reasons I go to AK. To each their own I guess. :laughing:

I don't like ostriches either but that's because of the safari at Great Adventure. They get in the way and peck at my windows! They are freakishly big birds and creep me out.

We went on the rapids ride at Lake Compounce! We were DRENCHED!

[klacey1]

Congrats on the new job!!! :goodvibes You'll have to let us know how it's going! Great update... and no, you're not the only one, ostriches scare me too! :rotfl:
Thank you! Job is going well-- nice change of pace! They're so freaky!

The pictures of practically empty Animal Kingdom are so weird! But awesome that you pretty much had the place to yourselves!
I know! I've NEVER seen a park that empty-- I wonder if it's that way all the time after the holidays in January!

Well, some of it will be done...just sayin ;)

Wow, I can't believe how empty AK is! But you weren't interested in the safari? Bwah?? KS and EE are the reasons I go to AK. To each their own I guess. :laughing:

I don't like ostriches either but that's because of the safari at Great Adventure. They get in the way and peck at my windows! They are freakishly big birds and creep me out.

We went on the rapids ride at Lake Compounce! We were DRENCHED!
We weren't interested in the safari, but now it's definitely a must-do for us! We love it!
Haha-- I remember doing the drive-through safari at Great Adventure when I was younger! Monkeys jumped up on the roof of our car!

looks like a fun morning in Animal Kingdom so far! It's great taking someone to a park they've never been too.. in 2006 while in WDW we met up with my cousin & her boyfriend and went to AK.. it was his first ever visit to a Disney park too :goodvibes

I've not seen that PP picture with Stitch in a box before - very cute!

I never really understood the Dinoland USA theming, especially the Chester & Hester area.. although this article on All Ears helped me appreciate it a little more..
Dinoland USA (http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/08/chester_and_hesters_dinorama.html)

It's quite an abstract theme though, unlike the rest of AK which is beautiful :cloud9:



Hope you're having a good weekend! Do you have snow?!


Emma princess: x
I'll have to read the article-- thank you for posting it!! We did have snow-- augh! It was terrible though (I'll explain more in my mini-update below)! l the snow The Brits at my job (I work for a British newspaper) were so fascinated by the pictures I brought in of the snow and all the downed trees! Save last year for you guys, I guess excessive snow (and so early) is pretty crazy!!

Congrats on your new job, and that's great that you had a Disney weekend and got to go to the Food And Wine festival! I really want to go back next year during that time, but I don't think it's happening. :sad2:

I love your magic shots from your AK morning! I don't think I've ever seen that Stitch one, that's adorable!

We don't really like Rafiki's Planet Watch either, but I do like seeing all the cute little animals! :lovestruc
Thank you! I LOVED the Food and Wine Festival! I hope you guys enjoyed it, too. It made me really want to bring Zach to experience it!
Yeah, I wasn't expecting the Stitch one! She was just like-- hold this box. It was a fun surprise when we got home.

Congratulations on the new job!

That's also awesome that you were able to have a F&W weekend.

I love seeing parks through the eyes of a first timer. I get all excited and nervous at the same time, because I don't know how they're going to feel about it.

I love Animal Kingdom early in the morning, because you can get so much accomplished, like you did.
AK is great in the morning-- it's when we get stuff done at all of the parks! We enjoy nights at Epcot and the MK, but I feel like we rarely do rides or anything. Just walk around, pretty much!
I loved that Zach got to be a first timer again, even just for one park. Now I want to take him to Disneyland-- two more new parks!!

Congratulations on the new job! That is wonderful news! And yay for a quick weekend away! :goodvibes

I LOVE all of your PP pictures. You got so many of the magical shots! I've never seen that one with Stitch coming out of the box. It's really cute!

I agree - I find Ostriches to be creepy! Especially when they start their mating call and running around like they're crazy. :scared1:
Haha, I missed the ostrich mating call! This guy just stared me down like he wanted to beak my eyes out!

Sounds like an awesome morning so far at AK! I love when the parks are like that and everythings almost a walk-on :)
It was a great morning! We had the place to ourselves!

[DrMomof3]

CONGRATS on the new job!
Glad you had such a great day at AK!

Amanda

[Queenofallthings]

I love all your pictures...the magic ones are my favorite! We were excited to TTBAB too when we were there although my oldest niece hates bugs and was crying by the time it was over!

I love going on the safari! It's never the same ride twice:thumbsup2

[klacey1]

Hi everyone, I am so sorry, but a trip update will have to wait a few more days, unfortunately.
Pretty much two hours after I updated last Saturday, we lost power. It wasn't even snowing that badly yet! For all of you in the Northeast, you know why! Since it was still OCTOBER, the trees still had plenty of leaves on them. Leaves which could not take the weight of more than a half inch of snow. Trees were coming down everywhere, including the end of our block. On Monday, I couldn't even go to work because of the wires and branches that were still on the train tracks/roads.
On a really terribly sad note, one of the friends of one of our good friends lost her mom to the storm-- she was out walking her dog and a tree branch fell on her. This was one serious storm.
All in all, we got about 8 inches of snow and didn't get power back until Wednesday. It was a very stressful, annoying couple of days.
This past Friday night, we went out to dinner and said that this weekend was going to make up for having a terrible weekend the weekend before. We were going to have an awesome time-- go up to visit friends upstate, which I was really looking forward to.
Unfortunately, yesterday Zach got a call from his brother that his uncle was in the hospital and only had a few hours left. We knew he was in the hospital and that this was inevitable (kidney failure-- life dealt him a pretty rough hand that turned him into a terrible alcoholic), but still it was a shock to Zach. He was mostly concerned for his mom, and didn't want to make the drive upstate just in case anyone needed him. Another tough, not fun weekend at all. His uncle passed away early this morning-- Zach's family seems to be okay, but we'll be going over to his parents' house today. :sad2:
So it's been a rough few weeks-- we just want things to be okay for us and the people we love! I hope all of you had better weekends! With the holidays coming up, I just want there to be peace on earth and all that jazz.
On a bright note, I've used the excuse of snow on the ground to start listening to Christmas music!! Santa is already at our mall, and decorations are up everywhere! This is my absolute favorite time of the year (despite the cold, which I hate!) and I love extending the Christmas season as long as possible! I've already starting shopping for Zach and will start with everyone else soon! Anyone else feeling the holiday season yet??

[Queenofallthings]

Oh honey...I am so sorry for all you have been going thru:hug:

I have been on holidays since last Wednesday and don't go back until Nov 14 so I am totally getting into the holiday mood. Jasmine and I spent Wednesday shopping and just listening to the Christmas music and checking out all the decorations really got me in the mood for the holidays! Hoping to spend a little more time at the mall this week....I'd at least like to get Jasmine a few things!

We have plans on Saturday to get the tree up and the house decorated! I do enjoy getting everything up early .... my favorite time of year:goodvibes

[Mrs T 2009]

(((HUGS))) I am sorry to hear about all the bad news you've been dealt lately :( I hope within the next few weeks things turn around for the better and you all will be okay.

I LOVE christmas season!!!!! MY husband won't let me put our tree up and decorate until after thanksgiving though! Last weekend I spent time with a dear friend and we decorated her house and put up her tree, lights, ornaments and and watched ELF :) I dislike the cold as well, but LOVE christmas :)

Hope your week gets better and next weekend is a much better weekend for you all

[Nermel9]

I'm so sorry about your friend's mom and Zach's uncle, how terrible. :sad1: :hug: I hope things start getting better soon!

I love this time of year, I can't wait to start listening to Christmas music!

[xoktenox]

Oh Kylie, I'm sorry for all you've been going through :hug: We got lucky out here on the island and barely had any snow, just some sleet and lots of winds leaving little damage. Upstate and CT though got it so hard. I hope everything it getting better up by you!!

I am definitely getting into the Christmas spirit, too! Chris and I are going light on presents this year since we're going to WDW in Jan. but the whole holiday season just puts the biggest smile on my face! Are you planning on going in NYC to see the tree and stuff this year?

[MEK]

I am so sorry for your mom's friend. That is absolutely tragic and I have heard of more people dying by falling trees and limbs lately. Just horrible.

I am also very sorry to hear about Zach's uncle. Even though it sounds like some of his health problems may have been self inflicted, it does not make it any easier for the family. :hug:

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I'm so sorry to hear all of the bad news. :hug: I will keep both Zach and your friend's families in my thoughts and hope that they all find peace soon. :goodvibes

[Joyciemc]

I am so sorry for your losses. :hug:

[RachelNinja]

Catching up!

I didn't even think about whether it would be convenient to have the refillable mugs based on room location. Oh man, I hope that we get one that's close!

I love the picture of the jumping fountains in Epcot from the monorail. I cannot wait to ride that monorail line!!!

Oh boo for the glasses incident! That stinks.

I strangely think that I'm going to enjoy the Under New Management version of the Tiki Room too. It's not that I actually like Iago and Zazu, but I'm thinking that without that [annoying] plot line, isn't it just singing birds? I get kind of bored during that part.

I enjoy watching the people around me too even though I'm thoroughly enjoying the moments with Howard. Besides, those moments like the Test Track girl and the angry man at Coral Reef just makes for more interesting stories in a TR, haha.

Oh man, that mom pushing the girl in the stroller??? THAT'S INSANE!!!

I'm curious to know whether or not Howard and I will utilize PM EMH very well. I hope we do, but I think it'll just be fun to have the option of staying late even though we'll probably still be very efficient during the day like you guys are!

Congrats on your new job! I hope you're enjoying it :)

I love how much you got done at AK so quickly. I'm hoping for low crowds because the one time I've been to AK, it was sweltering hot an crowded. I'd like to enjoy the trails in some cool weather. And I agree with you about that creepy ostrich with his eyes!

Awww, I hate reading that stressful and sad real life update. Will be keeping you in my thoughts!

[Tracy161]

So sorry to hear about all these things :hug:

Oh a more cheerful note, I am definitely in holiday spirit mode myself... I've been Christmas shopping here and there and LOVE hearing Christmas music at the mall! It's such a great time of the year... despite the cold! :cutie:

[klacey1]

CONGRATS on the new job!
Glad you had such a great day at AK!

Amanda
Thank you! AK was terrific-- loved the lack of crowds!

I love all your pictures...the magic ones are my favorite! We were excited to TTBAB too when we were there although my oldest niece hates bugs and was crying by the time it was over!

I love going on the safari! It's never the same ride twice:thumbsup2
Aww-- we did see a few upset kids during ITTBAB. I definitely understand why!

Oh honey...I am so sorry for all you have been going thru:hug:

I have been on holidays since last Wednesday and don't go back until Nov 14 so I am totally getting into the holiday mood. Jasmine and I spent Wednesday shopping and just listening to the Christmas music and checking out all the decorations really got me in the mood for the holidays! Hoping to spend a little more time at the mall this week....I'd at least like to get Jasmine a few things!

We have plans on Saturday to get the tree up and the house decorated! I do enjoy getting everything up early .... my favorite time of year:goodvibes
Thank you for your well-wishes. :hug: I really appreciate it. Yay! I love to hear that other people are getting into Christmas already, too! I hope you do get to go to the mall this week and get in some shopping!!

(((HUGS))) I am sorry to hear about all the bad news you've been dealt lately :( I hope within the next few weeks things turn around for the better and you all will be okay.

I LOVE christmas season!!!!! MY husband won't let me put our tree up and decorate until after thanksgiving though! Last weekend I spent time with a dear friend and we decorated her house and put up her tree, lights, ornaments and and watched ELF :) I dislike the cold as well, but LOVE christmas :)

Hope your week gets better and next weekend is a much better weekend for you all
Thank you very much.
DBF won't let us buy a tree until after Thanksgiving, too! He's also not crazy about watching holiday movies until Thanksgiving night, but that hasn't stopped me from listening to Christmas music on my way to work! ;)

I'm so sorry about your friend's mom and Zach's uncle, how terrible. :sad1: :hug: I hope things start getting better soon!

I love this time of year, I can't wait to start listening to Christmas music!
I really appreciate it-- thank you. Girl, what's stopping you?! I've already started listening to my Christmas playlist! ;)

Oh Kylie, I'm sorry for all you've been going through :hug: We got lucky out here on the island and barely had any snow, just some sleet and lots of winds leaving little damage. Upstate and CT though got it so hard. I hope everything it getting better up by you!!

I am definitely getting into the Christmas spirit, too! Chris and I are going light on presents this year since we're going to WDW in Jan. but the whole holiday season just puts the biggest smile on my face! Are you planning on going in NYC to see the tree and stuff this year?
Thanks, Kristen! I'm so glad you guys got lucky with the storm! Everything is better up here but we still see downed trees and everything. Crazy!
Yes-- even though I work in the city, we MUST make a special trip every year to see the tree and windows and stuff-- and have a cupcake at Crumbs! What about you guys?

I am so sorry for your mom's friend. That is absolutely tragic and I have heard of more people dying by falling trees and limbs lately. Just horrible.

I am also very sorry to hear about Zach's uncle. Even though it sounds like some of his health problems may have been self inflicted, it does not make it any easier for the family. :hug:
Thank you so much for your sympathy-- it is truly appreciated.

I'm so sorry to hear all of the bad news. :hug: I will keep both Zach and your friend's families in my thoughts and hope that they all find peace soon. :goodvibes
Thank you Courtney!

I am so sorry for your losses. :hug:
Thank you Joyce-- really appreciate it.

Catching up!

I didn't even think about whether it would be convenient to have the refillable mugs based on room location. Oh man, I hope that we get one that's close!

I love the picture of the jumping fountains in Epcot from the monorail. I cannot wait to ride that monorail line!!!

Oh boo for the glasses incident! That stinks.

I strangely think that I'm going to enjoy the Under New Management version of the Tiki Room too. It's not that I actually like Iago and Zazu, but I'm thinking that without that [annoying] plot line, isn't it just singing birds? I get kind of bored during that part.

I enjoy watching the people around me too even though I'm thoroughly enjoying the moments with Howard. Besides, those moments like the Test Track girl and the angry man at Coral Reef just makes for more interesting stories in a TR, haha.

Oh man, that mom pushing the girl in the stroller??? THAT'S INSANE!!!

I'm curious to know whether or not Howard and I will utilize PM EMH very well. I hope we do, but I think it'll just be fun to have the option of staying late even though we'll probably still be very efficient during the day like you guys are!

Congrats on your new job! I hope you're enjoying it :)

I love how much you got done at AK so quickly. I'm hoping for low crowds because the one time I've been to AK, it was sweltering hot an crowded. I'd like to enjoy the trails in some cool weather. And I agree with you about that creepy ostrich with his eyes!

Awww, I hate reading that stressful and sad real life update. Will be keeping you in my thoughts!
Hey, girl!! I was really excited about the mugs, but it just didn't seem the most practical. I think next trip we'll just get them no matter where our room is!
I'm glad you understand my people-watching haha. I can be having the best time ever, but other people just catch my eye lol. It is really fun staying late for EMH and soaking in the atmosphere, even if we usually don't ride much.

So sorry to hear about all these things :hug:

Oh a more cheerful note, I am definitely in holiday spirit mode myself... I've been Christmas shopping here and there and LOVE hearing Christmas music at the mall! It's such a great time of the year... despite the cold! :cutie:
Thank you. I love the Christmas music, too!! I just wish our mall played better songs! Not a huge fan of Bieber's take on classic songs! :rotfl:

[jenny105]

OMG. I'm sorry to hear about Zach's uncle. And the friend that lost her mom to the storm. That's terrible! We were lucky enough not to lose power but there were trees & wires down all throughout the neighborhood. I can't believe we had a snowstorm and it wasn't Halloween yet. SO looking forward to winter. :sad2:

Hope you're both doing ok :hug:

[klacey1]

OMG. I'm sorry to hear about Zach's uncle. And the friend that lost her mom to the storm. That's terrible! We were lucky enough not to lose power but there were trees & wires down all throughout the neighborhood. I can't believe we had a snowstorm and it wasn't Halloween yet. SO looking forward to winter. :sad2:

Hope you're both doing ok :hug:
Thank you-- Zach's much better now and I'm happy to have things back to normal. I know-- I still can't believe we had snow before Halloween! I'm so glad you guys didn't lose power-- it was such a pain!! I just hope this is it for the winter. I don't really mind being snowed in over a weekend (especially before Christmas. Kind of hate it after Christmas)-- but no power, no heat-- no thank you!!

[klacey1]

I gave Zach a rundown of the CS places I knew of in AK and he said he could eat wherever. Since we were pretty much done with AK (I had an EE FP but it was about 9000 degrees at this point and the idea of walking from Rafiki's planet watch over to Asia was NOT in the cards!), I suggested that we leave the park and go to one of the resorts for lunch! We had had a reservation at California Grille that I swapped out for Artist Point-- pretty much the only reason we were going to eat there in the first place was because Zach loves the CR. With this in mind, I suggested we take a bus over to the CR and eat at Contempo Cafe.
Well, apparently buses at AK aren't exactly flooding in at noon! We waited seemingly forever for a CR bus when finally a GF one pulled up. Since we enjoy visiting there, too, we decided to hop on and take the monorail over to the CR.
We chatted with a couple while waiting for the monorail-- so sweet. They go to the World often and had two young children that they had left at home. In the mom's words, their son was at the age where he'd interfere with others' good time. However, they didn't want to stop going to WDW, so they decided to sneak in a weekend at the CR!
I'm not super familiar with CR, so it took us awhile to find Contempo. I love this resort, too, so wandering aimlessly was fine by me!
When we finally found it, we loved ordering by touch screen. Both of us enjoyed our lunch, but my dessert, a giant red velvet cupcake, was AMAZING! Their bakery is fabulous!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011341.jpg
While we were enjoying our food, each other, and the atmosphere, we couldn't help but notice this super obnoxious family. The kids were all over the place, running around other people's tables and making a huge mess. The adults weren't any better-- super loud and messy. When they got up to leave, they left all of their trash on the table! This woman who had been waiting for a table with her daughter looked at me in disbelief. She helped a CM clear off the table and muttered under her breath that some people are ridiculous. I completely agreed!
After we finished up, we hopped on a monorail to the MK and connected there to a bus for POR. This bus stopped at the South (main) Depot first, with the trusty automated voice saying “The next stop is the East (or whichever) Depot.” Since Acadian House is right by the North Depot, we stayed on (of course). Everyone except us and one woman got off-- I think a lot of people can't figure out that they might be closer to a bus stop that's not the main one. I find it hard to believe that all of those people were staying in Alligator Bayou buildings 14-16, 18, or 27!
Zach and I zoned out a bit to our surroundings, chatting about how much we love CR and really want to stay there, as well as the evening ahead of us. Our conversation lulled for a second and I glanced out the window-- the bus was exiting the resort!! I obviously freaked and called out “Excuse me, did you stop at the other depots?!” Her response? “No, I didn't think I had to.”
What?! The other woman started panicking-- she had an ADR at a resort and needed to go back to POR to grab her daughter and meet the rest of her family. During all of this, the bus driver kept saying she needed to go to DHS and pick up people from Saratoga Springs, THEN she'd drop us off. At this point, it was just plain funny. I can't believe she didn't notice us on the bus-- or immediately turn around and drop us back at POR! Oh well. We had plenty of time to make our ADR, but I felt really bad for the woman. At least it was only DHS, which is a short ride from POR-- imagine if she said she had to drive to AK! I would have demanded to be let off the bus!
Our sad, empty bus...
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011345.jpg
After picking up the people going back to SS, she dropped us off at the North Depot (where the woman was going too) and we finally made it back to our room (around an hour and fifteen minutes since we boarded the bus at the MK). At this point, we had some decision making to do. We were switching hotels for that one night! Originally, I thought we'd just take the stuff we needed for that night and the next day with us to Epcot (where our ADR was) and then take a taxi straight from the park to save time. We decided we didn't really want to carry all of that with us, though, and would return to POR to pick up our stuff/grab a cab.
Back on a bus!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011346.jpg
Our evening at Epcot was just lovely-- we rode Test Track, of course!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011347.jpg
I said “let's do bored faces” but I think we both look pretty angry! Oops!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass020.jpg
We then made our way into the WS for some PP pictures.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass025.jpg
Our final stop before dinner was to Japan, to pick a pearl for Zach's mom. He thought she'd like a necklace for her birthday. It was a fun experience as always, but as we were leaving the pavilion, this kid just RAN into me. Like literally sprinted and head-butted my arm. It actually really hurt my elbow and I was pretty pissed. He was like eight or nine-- a bit old to just pummel into strangers. The father helpfully asked the kid if he was alright and didn't apologize or make the kid apologize...
After that, it was around 5:45, so we decided to check in for our 6:00 ADR at Chefs de France. Surprisingly, they could take us right away!
We had a lovely window seat-- a great view! It's so pretty inside here and felt pretty fancy for a 1-credit ADR.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011352.jpg
This was Zach's second favorite meal, but I only thought it was okay. (I ordered the macaroni.) Our waiter was adorable, of course-- Julien! Zach was even more in love than I was! The restaurant was packed, but Julien was very attentive. Immediately after dinner, we headed to the POR bus stop. Most of you probably know this, but where were we going? Why were we switching hotels for a night? Find out in my next update!

[Where'sPiglet?]

Oh, no! I am so sorry to hear about all your recent bad news. :hug:


Wow on the buses! I can't believe he didn't stop at the other depots! What if people were waiting to get on the bus to to go DHS?! :eek:

I am very curious where you are going for just the one night!

[jenny105]

What a long bus ride you guys had! :rotfl: Way to pay attention Disney driver!

That is one huge cupcake.

People and their kids. :sad2: I know they're kids and they run all over the place but seriously, keep an eye on them! Don't let them run wild throughout WDW. You need to read Snodgrass Vacation. :laughing:

I know where you're going, I know where you're going!!!!!

[disneybarbie]

Great update!

I'm intrigued where you're heading to stay this night... ! :cutie:

Sorry to hear about the bus journey, like you say - at least you weren't in a rush.. we've had the opposite experience to this before, when we were the only people on a bus once, the driver just asked us where we wanted to go.. radioed to check with the bus coordinator, and just took us straight to our destination!

That's pretty bad about those kids at the Contempo cafe.. we witnessed a very similar thing a few weeks ago, but at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in Claridges Hotel London!! :eek: - a family were eating there with three children, under the age of 5 I'd guess.. the kids were running all around the restaurant, crawling under tables & taking photos of other guests?! very odd, seemed so out of place & the parents didn't see bothered by it :confused3 lol


Hope you're having a great weekend & looking forward to the next update!



Emma princess: x

[xoktenox]

Thanks, Kristen! I'm so glad you guys got lucky with the storm! Everything is better up here but we still see downed trees and everything. Crazy!
Yes-- even though I work in the city, we MUST make a special trip every year to see the tree and windows and stuff-- and have a cupcake at Crumbs! What about you guys?

CRUMBSSSSS! We will never make another trip to NYC without getting one of these delicious treats!! My personal favorite is the red velvet...for my mom's bday I ordered her a "colassal" sized red velvet cupcake from there and had it delivered to my house :laughing:

Yes! We are going in to see the tree and all on December 17...any chance for a DIS meet?!

[xoktenox]

Ok I'm commenting again lol I just read your update and see you got a red velvet cupcake from the Contempo Cafe so I'm sure you love Crumbs red velvets too!

I can't even believe that bus driver didn't turn around and let you off the bus! I'm glad you laughed it off...I probably would have freaked out!

I'm anxious to see where you are switching to for one night!

[a pirate's mama]

I am loving your trip report! Well, except the not-so-great parts in the beginning and, of course, being rammed into by a speeding kid!

I can't wait to hear where you stayed.

[Joyciemc]

I can't believe a kid ran into you! And to not apologize on top of it, sheesh!

I had the opposite problem a long time ago, when I ran over a baby at Crystal Palace. (it was an accident and and did apologize, profusely. I think I may have cried a little. The dad was very understanding, the mom was mean. FTR, baby was just fine!)

[Mrs T 2009]

That cupcake looked delicious!!!

I can not believe that bus driver didn't notice there was still people on the bus! Bet that was the longest bus ride you had!! LOL

I guess when we go, I zone out on the rude people so I don't remember those encounters when we get back!

I can not remember whoch resort you are going to, so I'm excited for your next post!!! :)

[Nermel9]

Great update! I visited Contempo Cafe on our trip, to check out the cupcakes, they all looked so good! :thumbsup2

LOL at that bus driver! I wonder if she was new? Glad you had time before your ADR! :rotfl2:

Hmmm, you just gave me such a great idea about what to get Brandon's mom for Christmas, I bet she would love if we did Pick a Pearl and gave her a necklace or something, like you guys did for Zach's mom!

I loved Chef's de France, I think it's so pretty in there!

[Queenofallthings]

Great update! Ooooh that cupcake looks so delicious....must add that to my list to try next trip!

I can't believe that family letting their kids run around like maniacs...oh wait, yes I can, seen it many times! Don't you wonder when they leave a mess like that what their house must look like?:confused3 That thought always enters my head!

I had to laugh at the bus story too, how can you not notice all the people in the back of your bus??:rolleyes1

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

That cupcake looks amazing! Your bus story is one of the reasons we try to avoid the busses! Too much confusion sometimes!

I love the PP picture of the two of you with Spaceship Earth in the distance. You both look so happy! :goodvibes

[klacey1]

Oh, no! I am so sorry to hear about all your recent bad news. :hug:


Wow on the buses! I can't believe he didn't stop at the other depots! What if people were waiting to get on the bus to to go DHS?! :eek:

I am very curious where you are going for just the one night!
Thank you-- much appreciated. I KNOW! I just couldn't figure out why she didn't stop at the other depots-- or make some sort of announcement that she was only stopping at the South? :confused3

What a long bus ride you guys had! :rotfl: Way to pay attention Disney driver!

That is one huge cupcake.

People and their kids. :sad2: I know they're kids and they run all over the place but seriously, keep an eye on them! Don't let them run wild throughout WDW. You need to read Snodgrass Vacation. :laughing:

I know where you're going, I know where you're going!!!!!
At first, I wanted to be angry about the bus ride, but it was just so ridiculous, I had to laugh it off! So crazy!
It was huge and delicious! What is Snograss Vacation?!

Great update!

I'm intrigued where you're heading to stay this night... ! :cutie:

Sorry to hear about the bus journey, like you say - at least you weren't in a rush.. we've had the opposite experience to this before, when we were the only people on a bus once, the driver just asked us where we wanted to go.. radioed to check with the bus coordinator, and just took us straight to our destination!

That's pretty bad about those kids at the Contempo cafe.. we witnessed a very similar thing a few weeks ago, but at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in Claridges Hotel London!! :eek: - a family were eating there with three children, under the age of 5 I'd guess.. the kids were running all around the restaurant, crawling under tables & taking photos of other guests?! very odd, seemed so out of place & the parents didn't see bothered by it :confused3 lol


Hope you're having a great weekend & looking forward to the next update!



Emma princess: x
Wow-- what luck with the bus! Yeah, definitely the opposite of what happened to us!
I hate when people let their kids run all of the place-- especially in a fancy restaurant! Kind of off topic, but how was the food there?! We love Gordon Ramsey!
I did have a lovely weekend-- got some Christmas shopping done! I did text Zach though at one point that the lines were worse than Disney rides-- stood in line for 35 minutes to purchase something!!

CRUMBSSSSS! We will never make another trip to NYC without getting one of these delicious treats!! My personal favorite is the red velvet...for my mom's bday I ordered her a "colassal" sized red velvet cupcake from there and had it delivered to my house :laughing:

Yes! We are going in to see the tree and all on December 17...any chance for a DIS meet?!
I've seen pictures of the colossal cupcakes!! Crazy! Bet it was very appreciated :goodvibes
Yes, a DIS meet is very possible!! We usually decide closer to the date about when we're going down, but it's usually around the middle of the month! We'll chat as the date nears! :thumbsup2

Ok I'm commenting again lol I just read your update and see you got a red velvet cupcake from the Contempo Cafe so I'm sure you love Crumbs red velvets too!

I can't even believe that bus driver didn't turn around and let you off the bus! I'm glad you laughed it off...I probably would have freaked out!

I'm anxious to see where you are switching to for one night!
I do love Crumbs red velvet, but my favorite is the Oreo one. The brownie one is delish, too!
I think at any other time, I would have freaked out about the bus situation, but in the context of the other stuff that happened to us, it was laughable! :rotfl:

I am loving your trip report! Well, except the not-so-great parts in the beginning and, of course, being rammed into by a speeding kid!

I can't wait to hear where you stayed.
Thank you!! I'll update soon about where we went! ;)

I can't believe a kid ran into you! And to not apologize on top of it, sheesh!

I had the opposite problem a long time ago, when I ran over a baby at Crystal Palace. (it was an accident and and did apologize, profusely. I think I may have cried a little. The dad was very understanding, the mom was mean. FTR, baby was just fine!)
Oh, no! I mean, I understand accidents happen, and if the kid or dad had apologized I would have forgotten about it. But they just walked away without a word!
Augh, I'm sure your guilt was much worse than anything that happened to the baby. That's the worst feeling!

That cupcake looked delicious!!!

I can not believe that bus driver didn't notice there was still people on the bus! Bet that was the longest bus ride you had!! LOL

I guess when we go, I zone out on the rude people so I don't remember those encounters when we get back!

I can not remember whoch resort you are going to, so I'm excited for your next post!!! :)
It was soooo long! We spent most of it trying to calm down the woman freaking out about potentially missing her ADR! I felt really bad for her!

Great update! I visited Contempo Cafe on our trip, to check out the cupcakes, they all looked so good! :thumbsup2

LOL at that bus driver! I wonder if she was new? Glad you had time before your ADR! :rotfl2:

Hmmm, you just gave me such a great idea about what to get Brandon's mom for Christmas, I bet she would love if we did Pick a Pearl and gave her a necklace or something, like you guys did for Zach's mom!

I loved Chef's de France, I think it's so pretty in there!
The cupcake was amazing! Such a great dessert option!
For her sake-- I hope she was new! Hopefully it was a learning experience for her!
She really loved the pick a pearl-- I definitely recommend it as a Christmas/birthday present!

[disneybarbie]

Wow-- what luck with the bus! Yeah, definitely the opposite of what happened to us!
I hate when people let their kids run all of the place-- especially in a fancy restaurant! Kind of off topic, but how was the food there?! We love Gordon Ramsey!

I did have a lovely weekend-- got some Christmas shopping done! I did text Zach though at one point that the lines were worse than Disney rides-- stood in line for 35 minutes to purchase something!!

hehe - off topic - Gordon Ramsey's was amazing! The meal was a wedding gift from some of my friends (they know how much DH & I love good food & dining experiences, which definitely started from visiting WDW! :cutie:) - it was a similar style meal to Victoria & Alberts, we picked three dishes each from a set menu and then there were little dishes inbetween that the chef had prepared :thumbsup2
At one point, the dining room was really quiet, we could hear the chef shouting really loudly at the other cooks! :eek: I doubt it was Gordon himself, but obviously another chef with a firey temper ;) ... all the diners & waiters were looking around, trying not to laugh!

I've done a little Christmas shopping this weekend too, I like to get as much done as I can in November, before the shops get too crazy!


Emma princess: x

[klacey1]

That cupcake looks amazing! Your bus story is one of the reasons we try to avoid the busses! Too much confusion sometimes!

I love the PP picture of the two of you with Spaceship Earth in the distance. You both look so happy! :goodvibes
As much as we would hate to drive at Disney-- it certainly would have been easier this time!!
Aww, thank you! We definitely were happy then!

hehe - off topic - Gordon Ramsey's was amazing! The meal was a wedding gift from some of my friends (they know how much DH & I love good food & dining experiences, which definitely started from visiting WDW! :cutie:) - it was a similar style meal to Victoria & Alberts, we picked three dishes each from a set menu and then there were little dishes inbetween that the chef had prepared :thumbsup2
At one point, the dining room was really quiet, we could hear the chef shouting really loudly at the other cooks! :eek: I doubt it was Gordon himself, but obviously another chef with a firey temper ;) ... all the diners & waiters were looking around, trying not to laugh!

I've done a little Christmas shopping this weekend too, I like to get as much done as I can in November, before the shops get too crazy!


Emma princess: x
Oh, that sounds amazing! We love great dinners, too! That's so funny about the angry chef, haha. I mean, I feel bad for the sous chefs, but still-- very funny!!
I totally agree-- I hate when the stores get so packed! Worse than that-- the parking lots! I don't care how far I have to walk, I just want a spot at all!

[xoktenox]

I've seen pictures of the colossal cupcakes!! Crazy! Bet it was very appreciated :goodvibes
Yes, a DIS meet is very possible!! We usually decide closer to the date about when we're going down, but it's usually around the middle of the month! We'll chat as the date nears! :thumbsup2

She loved the cupcake! Ok, sounds good :thumbsup2

I do love Crumbs red velvet, but my favorite is the Oreo one. The brownie one is delish, too!
I think at any other time, I would have freaked out about the bus situation, but in the context of the other stuff that happened to us, it was laughable! :rotfl:

Hmmm, an Oreo one may have to come home with me next time...and the brownie...and a red velvet...:rotfl:

[DrMomof3]

I'm sorry for all of your sad news. :grouphug:
I can't believe your bus story. I would have flipped out!!! Inexcusable!
I think Chefs de France is hit or miss. I've had good meals and mediocre meals.

Amanda

[BennyFedora]

All caught up...Sorry to hear about all the bad/sad news from the beginning of the trip and recently! :hug:

Funny story about glasses...I actually had LASIK about 2 1/2 years ago because of WDW. I hated carrying around prescription glasses AND prescription sunglasses, always having one in my pocket and switching when I went indoors and out. OK, so it wasn't purely because of the inconvenience at WDW, but it at least made the pro/con list to justify the investment. (By the way, it was one of the single best decisions that I have ever made in my life!)

[jenny105]

At first, I wanted to be angry about the bus ride, but it was just so ridiculous, I had to laugh it off! So crazy!
It was huge and delicious! What is Snograss Vacation?!

Snodgrass Vacation is a book about Walt Disney World. Only it's called Snodgrass World. :laughing: It pokes fun at the commando style touring and certain guests we're all aware of. If you have a Nook or Kindle, you can DL it for 99 cents!

[Disneyfreak508]

I started reading your PTR over the summer and I think I forgot to subscribe to it... but here you are now, and the trip is over already!
Reading about all of your mishaps makes me really sad :( I'm sorry you had so many troubles! I really really hope it gets better soon!

[klacey1]

She loved the cupcake! Ok, sounds good :thumbsup2

Hmmm, an Oreo one may have to come home with me next time...and the brownie...and a red velvet...:rotfl:
I was THIS close to going to Crumbs today on my lunch to grab some cupcakes for Thanksgiving yesterday, but OF COURSE it rained and I totally didn't have an umbrella! :headache:

I'm sorry for all of your sad news. :grouphug:
I can't believe your bus story. I would have flipped out!!! Inexcusable!
I think Chefs de France is hit or miss. I've had good meals and mediocre meals.

Amanda
I'm pretty sure the ONLY reason I didn't freak out about the bus was because all of the other crap that had happened! Otherwise, that's just the sort of thing to make me angry!

All caught up...Sorry to hear about all the bad/sad news from the beginning of the trip and recently! :hug:

Funny story about glasses...I actually had LASIK about 2 1/2 years ago because of WDW. I hated carrying around prescription glasses AND prescription sunglasses, always having one in my pocket and switching when I went indoors and out. OK, so it wasn't purely because of the inconvenience at WDW, but it at least made the pro/con list to justify the investment. (By the way, it was one of the single best decisions that I have ever made in my life!)
I remember reading about you getting LASIK and how it changed the way you could enjoy Mickey's Philharmagic! :goodvibes Zach is against LASIK for some reason. :confused3 He never had a pair of prescription sunglasses (I have NO idea how he drives...or walks around WDW ;)). He LOVED the pair that Space Mountain stole. :sad2:

Snodgrass Vacation is a book about Walt Disney World. Only it's called Snodgrass World. :laughing: It pokes fun at the commando style touring and certain guests we're all aware of. If you have a Nook or Kindle, you can DL it for 99 cents!
I don't have a Nook or Kindle, but I think Santa might be bringing it for Christmas ;), so I'll definitely add it to the list!

I started reading your PTR over the summer and I think I forgot to subscribe to it... but here you are now, and the trip is over already!
Reading about all of your mishaps makes me really sad :( I'm sorry you had so many troubles! I really really hope it gets better soon!
It's okay! Thanks for your concern and welcome to my TR!!


Hello dear readers, I am SO sorry that I have not updated in seemingly forever! As all of you know-- life can just get so busy! We're moving offices at my job, which means lots of prep and late nights on my part. I've also spent a lot of time online browsing, sussing out Christmas presents! The holiday season has officially begun-- it was so wonderful to see so many decorations out today. We got back from my grandmother's about an hour ago and some friends we rarely get to see are stopping by in bit. All in all-- a wonderful Thanksgiving! I love my extended family and it's the one holiday most of us are together (all of my first cousins/aunts and uncles, plus some second cousins). There was around 35 of us crammed into my Nana's dining room-- I can't imagine it any other way!
I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and I hope to update tomorrow or Saturday morning!! I am thankful for many things-- including all of you! :hug:

[klacey1]

So, I finally have a change to update! Today will be a pretty busy day for us. We’re going to see a early afternoon showing of The Muppets with my mom and her husband (so excited-- have always loved the Muppets!) and then go have lunch with some friends who are in town for the holiday weekend. Then, we’re going to brave Black Friday! We have no interest in the big box stores (well, since I am planning on getting Zach a fancy new TV for his man-cave for his birthday, I may have been interested, but I’m sure the big deals will be gone by the time we get there. Plus, Zach will be with me!), but will head out to our local mall! My brother texted me this morning to tell me he got some great deals on clothes, which is great because I desperately need sweaters and some other winter clothes. So-- busy but fun! What is everyone else doing today?
***
When last I left you, we were heading out of Epcot and back to POR to grab a duffel bag full of stuff for one night. Why were we switching hotels? Well, Zach and I both LOVE Harry Potter and had to go to Universal this trip to see the Wizarding World! Of course, we could have stayed at POR and jumped in a cab or taken a shuttled over, but no-- we were going to stay a night on Universal property! My PTR contains the details of why we decided to do this, but basically I was scared straight of crowds and thought the perk of getting into WWoHP an hour early was invaluable. Plus, staying at Universal grants you unlimited front-of-the-line privileges. We’d take those, too!
As soon as we got back to POR and grabbed our stuff out of our room, we headed back to the main building and asked the bell services to call us a cab. I must admit, I felt a little “dirty” telling them we wanted a cab to Universal! We definitely felt like we were cheating on Disney!
The cab ride showed us the “other” side of Orlando...it was interesting. It’s where I always stayed on my trips growing up, so it was nothing new to me, but it was weird seeing it after being in the Disney bubble for a few days. Zach was not a fan-- he thought everything looked kind of sketchy, even when I pointed out the nice hotels that are in downtown Orlando. He only saw the seedy motels and cheap gift shops, though!
However, once we entered Universal property an drove up to our hotel, Royal Pacific Resort...wow. It was gorgeous! Very tropical and serene. It reminded me of the Poly, but much more modern.
Check in was a breeze. I’m not sure how many buildings make up the resort, but we were in the main one (where the lobby, bar, etc. was) on the second floor. He also gave us a voucher for a free signature cocktail at the hotel bar. Score!
Our room was so nice! Zach was thrilled that we had a TV with a bunch of different channels, even though we wouldn’t be spending a ton of time watching it-- the boy just loves his TV!
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I wanted to show Zach City Walk-- Universal’s more adult version of DTD with shops, clubs, and restaurants.
When we took the well-marked (although not incredibly well lit) walk to CW along a pretty river, we were abruptly stopped at the end of the path (where it split to IOA on one side and CW on the other).
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They were very serious about bag checking! They even opened Zach’s bottle of water and sniffed it! Once we deemed not to have any dangerous items, we wandered in. CW has a fun atmosphere, but since we weren’t planning on going into a bar, we didn’t stay long.
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We did go into one of the shops and saw a bunch of HP merchandise, which got us very excited for the next day!
We walked back to our resort around 10 and stopped at the bar to redeem our free drink and get Zach a coke.
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We sat at a little table over-looking this courtyard, which was so pretty. (Obviously this picture was taken the next morning!)
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Zach channel-surfed for awhile when we got back to our room, but even though I was incredibly excited about the next day, the bed was too comfy to do anything but almost immediately fall asleep! Our next day was to start very early besides, and be action-packed!

Sorry this update was pretty dull-- only about the getting to Universal! I promise to have the next one up soon, which will tell of our adventures at IOA/US! Stay tuned!!

[jenny105]

I love RPR! So pretty :) I've been lucky enough to stay there twice. I should have warned you about the bag checking though. :laughing:

Can't wait to hear what you thought of WWoHP!

I"m working today. Blah. But I'm going to see the Muppets tonight :) I heard it got great reviews so I'm really looking forward to it. Then we're going to the Christmas Tree Shop to see if we can get any ornaments. Kris has never had a Christmas tree and wants to get one now that we have a place together. So we need ornaments!

[Joyciemc]

I'm jealous that you saw the Muppets! I wanted to go yesterday, but we ended up being obligated to go to a friend's event. And today is Thanksbeering Day (a day time pub crawl Ben and I are doing with some friends), so no Muppets again. Maybe tomorrow!

Love reading about your arrival at Universal. We really liked the resorts there!

[MEK]

I've often wanted to do the one night at Universal thing and not actually check out of Disney. Is that what you did, keep your Disney resort room? That would be so convenient.

I stayed at the Royal Pacific once and really enjoyed it except that we were in a high room and could see the highway from our window. Blah! But we also had a killer view of the pool.

Can't wait to read your IOA update!

[xoktenox]

The Royal Pacific looks so pretty! I think it was a smart idea for you guys to stay there to get front of the line privleges and to get into the WWoHP early! Chris and I are going to Universal/IoA next year and you're making me think we should do the same!

I can't wait to see how you like the WWoHP and how the crowds were!

[Mrs T 2009]

The Royal Pacific looks so nice!

wierd that they even sniffed his water bottle when you were entering CW!

I am excited to read about your next update on your time at universal :)

[SimplyGoofy]

I look forward to your next update--I can't wait to visit WWoHP in February! SO EXCITED. :yay:

I'm also curious about your final verdict about staying at Universal in order to get in early/get unlimited Express pass/etc. I'm wondering if I should do the same thing in order to see more in less time. :confused3

I'm really enjoying both of your reports!

[klacey1]

I love RPR! So pretty :) I've been lucky enough to stay there twice. I should have warned you about the bag checking though. :laughing:

Can't wait to hear what you thought of WWoHP!

I"m working today. Blah. But I'm going to see the Muppets tonight :) I heard it got great reviews so I'm really looking forward to it. Then we're going to the Christmas Tree Shop to see if we can get any ornaments. Kris has never had a Christmas tree and wants to get one now that we have a place together. So we need ornaments!
The Muppets was amazing!! :goodvibes So heartwarming! Aww, your first tree together will be so special! You'll have to stock up on the ornaments at WDW next year!

I'm jealous that you saw the Muppets! I wanted to go yesterday, but we ended up being obligated to go to a friend's event. And today is Thanksbeering Day (a day time pub crawl Ben and I are doing with some friends), so no Muppets again. Maybe tomorrow!

Love reading about your arrival at Universal. We really liked the resorts there!
Thanksbeering day sounds heavenly :goodvibes Universal's resorts are gorgeous. I understand that Disney obviously can't offer the same perks, but I kept compairing RPR to the Poly, and RPR won out every time!

I've often wanted to do the one night at Universal thing and not actually check out of Disney. Is that what you did, keep your Disney resort room? That would be so convenient.

I stayed at the Royal Pacific once and really enjoyed it except that we were in a high room and could see the highway from our window. Blah! But we also had a killer view of the pool.

Can't wait to read your IOA update!
We did keep our room at WDW-- so essentially, we paid for a room we didn't use. And of course on a Saturday-- the most expensive night. :headache: To us it was totally worth it not to have to pack up and move our stuff, though.
I'd hate being able to see the highway from our hotel room! RPR was amazing, but it definitely doesn't offer the "bubble" feeling all WDW resorts do. How awesome was that pool?! Themed so great!

The Royal Pacific looks so pretty! I think it was a smart idea for you guys to stay there to get front of the line privleges and to get into the WWoHP early! Chris and I are going to Universal/IoA next year and you're making me think we should do the same!

I can't wait to see how you like the WWoHP and how the crowds were!
Definitely look into RPR!! It had such a great vibe and was pretty-- and the most affordable! Next update will come Saturday, so not too long to wait to hear about WWoHP!! ;)

The Royal Pacific looks so nice!

wierd that they even sniffed his water bottle when you were entering CW!

I am excited to read about your next update on your time at universal :)
We were good kids, so no worrying when they sniffed our bottle! ;) I guess it's their way of making sure underage kids don't sneak alcohol into CW and get drunk. I forgot to mention, but they even carded us before opening the bottle of water! They take things very seriously!

I look forward to your next update--I can't wait to visit WWoHP in February! SO EXCITED. :yay:

I'm also curious about your final verdict about staying at Universal in order to get in early/get unlimited Express pass/etc. I'm wondering if I should do the same thing in order to see more in less time. :confused3

I'm really enjoying both of your reports!
My next update will have the details of if we felt staying at RPR and getting the perks was worth it!
Thank you! I'll have both this one and the dining report updated this weekend!

Hope everyone is enjoying their week! I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday! :scared1: This week flew by! I also can't believe Saturday is three weeks before Christmas Eve, my absolute favorite day of the year! Of course, I love Christma morning and exchanging gifts, but we spent Christmas Eve having a fancy dinner with my uncle's family and then partying with Zach's family at his parents house. We always have so much fun! I count down to it every year!
I'm pacing well with gifts-- I have all of Zach's big gifts and know what I'm getting for my parents, brother, SIL, etc. I just need to pick those things up.
Where I am having trouble is with Zach's siblings, though. :confused3 I've gotten them the same thing pretty much every year and wanted to get something different, but I can't think of anything! His brothers are 15 and 21-- usually get them an Xbox GC (HUGE video game junkie) and Lacoste polo (super preppy, in his second to last year of college), respectively. His sister is 19 and sort of "punk". Normally I get her some sort of perfume set, but was thinking of maybe getting her some Betsey Johnson jewelry? A lot of pieces I've seen look pretty funky. I'll have to head to the mall and take a look around...
Hope everyone else's week went by blissfully fast as well! Update up Saturday morning!!

[klacey1]

Good morning, everyone! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I made a few Christmas purchases, although not as many as I would like. I feel like the holidays really snuck up on me this year! I’m looking forward to this week being a shorter one for me-- Friday is a “work at home day.” For me, this will amount to bringing my laptop to the Starbucks at our mall, spending about an hour doing some lose ends, and then strolling the mall, checking my email every so often on my phone :). I hope to almost finish shopping-- as well as buy all of my wrapping paper etc.
Also, tomorrow night, Zach and I are going to a Rangers game! I think they’re at a 5-game winning streak (or so) and I hope they keep it up! Zach was the sole bidder on these in a charity auction and got them waaaay below face value. They’re amazing seats-- probably the best I’ve ever sat it. Can’t wait!

Day 6: US/IOA
We woke up super early. Early entry for WWoHP was at 8:00 and I wanted to leave the resort by 7. After showering and getting dressed in our HP finery, we headed to the lobby to check out and leave our stuff with bells service. That out of the way, we made the leisurely stroll to IOA.
One of my favorite things about RPR (and why I might be inclined to stay here over HRH and LPB) is the proximity to the parks. It was less than 10 minutes to walk to IOA and I guess another 5 or so to US. It was so nice not to have to fuss with transportation!
We ended up being third in line at a turnstile, arriving at 7:15.
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Since we were both so excited, we happily passed the time. When the workers who had been standing on the other side of the gates just hanging out finally strode through at about 7:50, my heart soared...then dropped. Neither our turnstile or the one next to us were working. All it. Agitation surged in me. We had gotten there so early and had to watch as dozens of people poured into the parks, while we were stuck at the gates.
It was actually pretty funny, Zach told me later. Both a mom from the family behind us and I were visibly upset and both muttering comments about how they should test the machines, etc. Zach and dad from said family kept glancing at each other sheepishly and just let their other half vent. Smart move!
About 10 minutes after trying to make the stupid things work, they wheeled out this ancient portable ticket scanner for both lines. Since we were so close to the front, we got through fairly quickly, but I felt bad for the people far behind us.
That drama aside, I dragged Zach through the park. Even as we entered the incredible WWoHP, I said we’d take pictures and examine the details later. I was envisioning TSMM all over again with the Forbidden Journey, the main ride in WWoHP-- there 45 minutes early and met with a 45 minute line. Nope. 10 minutes! I was shocked but thrilled! We headed the “bagless” route and started through the castle.
We are huge HP fans, as I said, so we were in heaven. I had read how incredibly detailed the castle is, but it was nothing compared to seeing it in person. Wow.
For anyone who hasn’t been, the line starts in a part of the castle that’s not too interesting, goes through Professor Sprout’s greehouse, and then into the main part of the castle, which is full of amazing details like portraits who talk to each other, wardrobes of clothes, etc. It’s a sight to behold!
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The ride itself was beyond amazing. Definitely in my top theme park rides of all time. It really can’t be described-- every time I try to explain it to someone, I feel like I don’t given it the justice it deserves. All I can say is go ride it!
When we got off the first time, the line was only bumped to 20 minutes! I told Zach that it would get crazy when the regular-entry people were allowed in, so if we wanted to ride it again, now was the chance! It was actually great to have a bit of a longer wait, as the first time was basically a walk-through. The second time we were able to take in details a lot more.
Our next stop was Flight of the Hippogriff, a redesign of a previous (lame) ride. It wasn’t anymore exciting than when it was the Flying Unicorn (simple kid’s coaster), but the addition of Buckbeak and Hagrid’s hut, plus the beautiful view of the Hogwarts castle on your ascent made it worthwhile!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011393.jpg
When we got off and began to browse in the shops, I realized just how off my predictions (well, more like the predictions of those on the US/IOA boards on here!) on the crowds were. It was after 9:00 a.m. at this point and nowhere near the wall-to-wall crowds I had read about. The shops were tiny and a bit hard to get around in, but we were still able to see what we wanted. The line for Ollivander’s wand show looked fairly long, but as this wasn’t something we were incredibly interested in, it was fine to skip.
Wanting to feel fully immersed in Harry’s world, we purchased the famous butterbeer (cold, not frozen) and pumpkin juice. The juice was good-- tasted more like a spiced apple cider than anything else. We LOVED the butterbeer, however! I know a lot of people prefer the frozen kind, but as we’re not huge slushy fans, this was perfect for us. Not too sweet, with a nice foam and some bubbles. Yum!
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We perched ourselves on the stone wall over by the bathrooms and the bar, sipped our treats, and took in our surroundings. This was such a peaceful, fun moment. As much as we love Disney, it was amazing to be somewhere else and feel like you’re in another world! Universal hit a home run with this addition!
Some random picutures!
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We ventured into the shops next and realized just how tiny they are-- so narrow! I know J.K. was striving for authenticity, but this was a little bit ridiculous! I had wanted to find the perfect souvenir, but nothing struck me. Zach picked up the Gryffindor v-neck sweater and Gryffindor tie-- he was planning on being HP for Halloween! (Side note-- we were snowed in without power Halloween weekend, so we didn’t end up going out at all. He only ended up wearing the HP outfit to work. Since he was sans robes and tends to wear a v-neck sweater, tie, and dress pants almost every day, no one realized he was wearing a costume at all!)
It was noon-ish at this point and I was ready to move on. Here’s what the area looked like at noon:
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WWoHP is certainly intricate and has the most amazing ride, but it is on the small side. I am looking forward to additions in the future!
Since Zach is not interested in water rides or roller coasters, our other ride options in IOA were a bit limited. We ended up only going on Spiderman before leaving to go to US. Spiderman is a fantastic 4D adventure-- Zach loved it, just as I always have. The line was at 20 minutes, but we were able to flash our room keys and only wait about five!
Feeling like we conquered what we wanted to at IOA, we made the short walk over to US (another thing I love about US-- everything is so close together!). Our first stop was Revenge of the Mummy, which I described to Zach as BTMRR in the dark. This may have been a lie...
In my defense, I hadn’t ridden it in years, so my memory was a bit fuzzy. He was pretty surprised (the ride photo was great!), but didn’t completely hate it, as he agreed to go on it later in the day!
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We then made the circuit and rode my US favorites-- the Simpsons, Men in Black (two times), Shrek, Jaws (just heard they’re closing this one-- so bummed!), and the Mummy again before we decided we were pretty much done. Zach commented that while he enjoyed more rides in US (Men in Black was his favorite there-- we both love shooting games!), he thought IOA was more cohesive. Rides were grouped together in a way that made sense. Also, nothing could beat the FJ and WWoHP in his eyes!
Us on line for Men in Black:
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Zach in the NY area of the park-- my personal favorite
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On our walk back, we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe for a super forgettable lunch. Zach was interested in eating at the Three Broomsticks, but I was convinced it was going to be packed (despite the fact that US was virtually empty and IOA not crowded at all)...I severely regretted this decision when we got back to the WWoHP and peaked in The Three Broomsticks-- literally three tables were occupied. FJ? Wait was only at 20 minutes-- at 4:00 p.m. We went for one final spin and one last look around the shops before deciding that exhaustion was pulling us back to POR.
The verdict on staying at RPR and getting the express passes? Totally pointless. The parks were simply not crowded. Was it convenient? Yes. We loved getting early entry and not waiting for anything. However, if we didn’t have them, we still probably would have gotten to do everything we wanted-- maybe just waited a bit longer for each ride. Although the money probably wasn’t the best spent, RPR was absolutely gorgeous and it was a lot of fun to stay there. It was also convenient not to have to hop in a shuttle or cab super early from POR. We were right within walking distance of IOA! As much as I say it was pointless for us to stay at RPR, we’ll probably do it our next trip again if we plan on going to IOA/US. Who knows that it wasn’t just a freakingly uncrowded day that we’ll never get again?! We’ll definitely plan better and do a split stay at our Disney resort however-- if we stay deluxe our next trip like I’m hoping, the last thing I’d do is pay for a night we wouldn’t use!
We walked back to RPR and grabbed our overnight bags. They were able to quickly call a cab for us, while I took in the beauty of the resort. It’s truly gorgeous and the next time we stay there, I want to have more time to enjoy it!
When we got back to our room at POR, the early mornings and late nights of our vacation finally caught up to us. We were both zonked! We had tossed around the idea of going to DTD and possibly paying OOP for dinner-- even called Raglan Road to see if there was any availability (nope!). In the end, relaxing and hanging out and watching TV won out! It was a really lovely, boring evening! I think we absolutely needed it in order to get through the rest of our vacation not completely zonked. Around 8:30, we left the room and headed to Riverside Mill for some dinner. We would have had a CS credit left over without doing this, so it was nice to use it up!
After eating, we took a long way back to our room. Even though we had a problem or two with POR this trip, it really is a beautiful resort!
Bedtime came pretty early this night! I was very excited for our next day-- in the planning stages, it was the one for which I was most excited! I couldn’t wait to wake up and start our day!

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

The Royal Pacific looks so pretty! I'm glad you enjoyed your time there! And it sounds like you two had a blast at the WWoHP. I'm not much of a Harry Potter fan, but it does look very impressive! I have a feeling most of it would be lost on me since I don't know much about the books, but I would still like to see it someday! :goodvibes

[jenny105]

Wow! I can't believe how empty WWoHP is! It was pretty crowded when I was there last year. Maybe that's because it was only a few months after opening and around Halloween - HHN is a huge thing there. I feel the same way. They hit a homerun with WWoHP and I can't even describe the ride. I said it was 'Soarin meets Dinosaur' if I have to compare it to any ride in Disney (but nothing compares!) Love, love, love it!

I see your rocking a Slytherin shirt. We would so be BFF if we lived closer LOL.

During the week, it really is pointless to have an Express pass. You don't need it. On the weekends however? Necessary. Universal just doesn't have the crowds Disney has.

When are you going to Disney again? Next year, first week of October right? :laughing:

Have fun at the Rangers game! I'm jealous. And so happy to be rooting for a good team for once lol. Tell Henrik and the boys I said hello!

[Joyciemc]

Reading your update brought me right back to Universal. It really is a lot of fun,as long as I can go back to Disney after :)

Too bad Zach isn't into water rides- Dudley Do-Right was our FAVORITE ride of almost ever. And Bluto's Barge-thingee was awesome, too. Though we only rode them while wearing swimsuit-esque clothes and we got soaked!

[xoktenox]

The WWoHP sounds greattttt!!! Ahhh I can't wait to finally see it! I will hope and wish and pray that we get low crowds...I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes in your pictures! So empty! I was thinking your stay at RPR was gonna be essential but either way, I'm sure it was nice to experience a new, beautiful hotel :thumbsup2

I remember loving the Mummy roller coaster when I was in US in 2005 lol I don't remember anything about it, just that I liked it...I hope I haven't become an old fart since then and hate it now :rotfl:

Excited to hear what you have coming up next! Oh, and LET'S GO RANGERS! I'm sure you're probably leaving soon to go and you won't see this until after the fact but they're doing so awesome and it gets me so excited! I <3 King Henrik <3 lol

[Nermel9]

Great update! I wish I knew something about Harry Potter...anything, so I'd have an excuse to go there, but I haven't seen the movies or read the books! :scared1: It looks like such a cool little place, and the ride sounds great! And the butterbeer sounds amazing! Glad the crowds were low for you guys!

[Mrs T 2009]

the WWoHP looks awesome! Never been to US or IOS and I've been wanting to go to WWoHP and i keep hearing good visit stories from family and friends that have been there! Can't believe their were barely any crowds!

[klacey1]

The Royal Pacific looks so pretty! I'm glad you enjoyed your time there! And it sounds like you two had a blast at the WWoHP. I'm not much of a Harry Potter fan, but it does look very impressive! I have a feeling most of it would be lost on me since I don't know much about the books, but I would still like to see it someday! :goodvibes
It's definitely a beautiful area, and FJ is an amazing ride, but I do think a lot would be lost on you if you haven't at least seen the movies. Go during a super-low crowd time so you at least don't have to deal with the masses! It's so worth seeing!

Wow! I can't believe how empty WWoHP is! It was pretty crowded when I was there last year. Maybe that's because it was only a few months after opening and around Halloween - HHN is a huge thing there. I feel the same way. They hit a homerun with WWoHP and I can't even describe the ride. I said it was 'Soarin meets Dinosaur' if I have to compare it to any ride in Disney (but nothing compares!) Love, love, love it!

I see your rocking a Slytherin shirt. We would so be BFF if we lived closer LOL.

During the week, it really is pointless to have an Express pass. You don't need it. On the weekends however? Necessary. Universal just doesn't have the crowds Disney has.

When are you going to Disney again? Next year, first week of October right? :laughing:

Have fun at the Rangers game! I'm jealous. And so happy to be rooting for a good team for once lol. Tell Henrik and the boys I said hello!
I was SHOCKED at the lack of crowds! I can't really describe the ride, either! It was just amazing. Haha, yess love a fellow Slytherin fan :thumbsup2 What's wrong with being ambitious? (...and having a secret crush on Draco Malfoy ;) )
Ahhh, I SO want to go back next October! It's all about wearing Zach down-- he says that I wanted to go back after the FL expansion, which is true....but I want to go before as well! :rotfl:
Rangers game was fun even though they lost. Henrik was amazing as always, it just seemed like the others didn't feel like taking shots on the goal. :confused3

Reading your update brought me right back to Universal. It really is a lot of fun,as long as I can go back to Disney after :)

Too bad Zach isn't into water rides- Dudley Do-Right was our FAVORITE ride of almost ever. And Bluto's Barge-thingee was awesome, too. Though we only rode them while wearing swimsuit-esque clothes and we got soaked!
I've toyed with the idea of a US-only weekend, but Zach says that he doesn't think I could do it-- probably not!
I've ridden Dudley Do-Right before and loved it! What an incredible drop!

The WWoHP sounds greattttt!!! Ahhh I can't wait to finally see it! I will hope and wish and pray that we get low crowds...I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes in your pictures! So empty! I was thinking your stay at RPR was gonna be essential but either way, I'm sure it was nice to experience a new, beautiful hotel :thumbsup2

I remember loving the Mummy roller coaster when I was in US in 2005 lol I don't remember anything about it, just that I liked it...I hope I haven't become an old fart since then and hate it now :rotfl:

Excited to hear what you have coming up next! Oh, and LET'S GO RANGERS! I'm sure you're probably leaving soon to go and you won't see this until after the fact but they're doing so awesome and it gets me so excited! I <3 King Henrik <3 lol
You will lovee WWoHP! It's amazing!! I'll hope for low crowds for you guys, too!!
The Mummy is awesome! Just a fun, not too intense coaster. Nothing to dislike about it (according to me...Zach thought it was a bit intense! ;) )
The Rangers game was awesome!! Sad they lost (actually the first game I've attended where they lost!), but it was still great! Speaking of Henrik, I am SO convinced I saw him at my favorite pizza place around the corner from my office! When they asked him his name (to call out his order), he said Henrik! AND, the pizza place is only about 8 blocks from MSG, so it wouldn't be totally unusual if it were him! Zach doesn't want to believe it-- I think just because he's so jealous! ;) I wish I said something to him, but if it WASN"T, I would have felt so dumb!

Great update! I wish I knew something about Harry Potter...anything, so I'd have an excuse to go there, but I haven't seen the movies or read the books! :scared1: It looks like such a cool little place, and the ride sounds great! And the butterbeer sounds amazing! Glad the crowds were low for you guys!
Butterbeer was delicious! You should go over to US anyway-- both parks are totally worth seeing!

the WWoHP looks awesome! Never been to US or IOS and I've been wanting to go to WWoHP and i keep hearing good visit stories from family and friends that have been there! Can't believe their were barely any crowds!
Definitely make an effort to go over there! Apparently the end of August on a Sunday was a good time to go-- unless we just got freakishly lucky!

[klacey1]

Happy two weeks before Christmas Eve!! The countdown is definitely going on here! A bunch of stuff that I ordered offline finally came yesterday and the day before, so I was able to start wrapping some stuff. I love beautifully wrapped gifts even though I’m not the neatest wrapper! I spend a lot of time selecting coordinating paper, ribbon, and gift tags. Pretty sad when you consider they’ll be quickly ripped into and thrown away! Today we’re doing some more shopping (will it ever end?!) and tonight heading to a bar for a surprise party for one of Zach’s coworkers. Will be a nice busy weekend-- like always!

We woke up extra early on Day 6-- it was EMH at the MK! Even though our previous day had been pretty tiring, our night of rest had totally rejuvenated me. Plus, I was so excited-- I was finally seeing the MK rope drop more than once in a trip!
When we arrived around 7:30, we headed to the left, as Space Mountain was no longer on the agenda. (I could never get Zach to ride it again, and probably never will) Instead, the plan was to ride Splash and then grab an FP or ride BTMRR. We were pretty close to the front, so I had no worries that we’d be able to get right on Splash.
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After tearing up at the opening show (due to the emotionality of the show itself and the nagging feeling of “this is our second to last full day”), we quickly walked back to Frontierland.
What we were greeted with was Splash down. And BTMRR. To say I was irritated was a bit of an understatement. We still hadn’t had the chance to ride Splash yet and these were the main reason we wanted to take advantage of the short lines of EMH. I grabbed FP’s for BTMRR, and not wanting to go far in case they opened, I suggested we ride Pirates.
True to what I thought, BTMRR was up and running by the time we were done with Pirates (not Splash, though), so we rode stand-by. Unfortunately, we were in the first car in the front and the ride just felt SLOW. I don’t know if it just had to do with being in the front or if it was still working out the kinks that had it down, but it really wasn’t that fun of a ride.
To cheer us up, we did the HM, which always delivers! Stopped for some PP pics, too!
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In an effort to slow down and really savor our vacation, we meandered through Fantasyland and read all the updated descriptions of the new attractions. I am so excited for the changes, but am really hoping they don’t bring TSMM-esque crowds!
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After a spin on Buzz, we pondered our lunch choices. Nothing in the MK was really grabbing us. To be honest, we just weren’t really feeling the MK that day. Splash and BTMRR being down started us on kind of an upset note and I was already a little down about our trip ending soon. I also had envisioned us riding Space as many times as we could fit in, but every time we passed by Tomorrowland or saw its spire, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I knew we’d never get the glasses back and I was upset that my former favorite ride, which I thought Zach would really love was ruined for him.
So as magical as the MK is and always will be for us, we needed to get out of there that morning. Around 11, I suggested we take the monorail over to Epcot and have lunch at one of their fabulous CS places. Zach happily agreed (of course!).
I love that monorail loop into the park-- it really builds the excitement even more!
I suggested Sunshine Seasons for an early lunch-- yum! We both got food from the Asian station and loved it! Definitely a must-do for us!
Since we hadn’t visited Club Cool yet, I decided a trip over there was in order and convinced Zach to try Beverly again, as “I didn’t remember how bad it was.” Yeah, I can be mean like that.
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Suffice to say-- it was worse than he remembered from two years ago!
We made our way into the WS in great moods-- I hated that we felt so down in the MK that morning, and would enjoy it again that night and the following night, but for some reason, there was something about that morning. It was the rides being down, but I think it was also just the memory of what happened the last time we were in the MK in the morning. I didn’t want anyone to lose anything else!
We beelined to something that will forever put a smile on our faces-- Maelstrom! If this ever gets torn down, I will be inconsolable!
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A light rain began to fall, so we made our way into the UK, where we can spend loads of time in the stores. Zach was looking at soccer jerseys, so some dad started talking British club soccer with him. The mom from that family began talking to me about her daughter, who was autistic. The mom was walking a black lab and said the dog was the daughter’s-- that instead of grabbing and touching things in stores, the daughter would pet the dog. The family was lovely, but not sure how effective the dog was, as I did not see her pet him once-- she grabbed and threw soooo many things off the shelves. Maybe the dog is more effective in less visually stimulating places, but WDW might be too much.
Around 2:00, we were ready to take a break. We had an early ADR-- one we wanted to get dressed up for!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and has a great weekend!!

[Joyciemc]

We've definitely had those mornings at MK, too. You want it to be magical, but sometimes it just isn't happening. We always find a good dose of Epcot to be the perfect cure, though!

[MEK]

Caught up again!

Glad that you were able to do the Harry Potter ride (I forget the name...doh) so many times. I've heard its fantastic and it really is the only reason I would like to return to Universal. Good to know that the crowds were so low when you went. I'm glad you did enjoy your time at RP. I stayed there years ago and loved it.

I love the picture of you two near the haunted mansion. Definitely cute. I can't believe the splash and BTMMR were both down at the same time. That stinks! Going over to Epcot was a great choice. Smart move!

Fun updates!

[Mrs T 2009]

BOO to the rides being down!!! :(

That would put me in a mood too! Though I LOVE LOVE LOVE HM!!! :) lol

Can't wait to hear about your dinner ADR :) And I can not believe your trip is almost to a close :(

[xoktenox]

You will lovee WWoHP! It's amazing!! I'll hope for low crowds for you guys, too!!
The Mummy is awesome! Just a fun, not too intense coaster. Nothing to dislike about it (according to me...Zach thought it was a bit intense! ;) )
The Rangers game was awesome!! Sad they lost (actually the first game I've attended where they lost!), but it was still great! Speaking of Henrik, I am SO convinced I saw him at my favorite pizza place around the corner from my office! When they asked him his name (to call out his order), he said Henrik! AND, the pizza place is only about 8 blocks from MSG, so it wouldn't be totally unusual if it were him! Zach doesn't want to believe it-- I think just because he's so jealous! ;) I wish I said something to him, but if it WASN"T, I would have felt so dumb!

I can't wait for IoA (especially WWoHP) and US again!

I was thinking of you when I was watching the Rangers game the other night! It was sad that they lost but they're still doing AWESOME. OMG I totally believe you about seeing my lover at the pizza place! Ahhhh so lucky! Last night I was watching the game and he was talking to Biron at the end since he played last night and he kept smiling his big, gorgeous smile and I was just melting, Chris was laughing at me :laughing:

I'm sorry you guys didn't have the best luck at the MK that morning! At least you made a good decision in heading to Epcot. SS is one of my favoriteeeee CS places! I did love the PP pictures you had taken in front of the HM though, so cute!

We'll be in NYC on Saturday...let me know if you can make it in to meet up!

[klacey1]

We've definitely had those mornings at MK, too. You want it to be magical, but sometimes it just isn't happening. We always find a good dose of Epcot to be the perfect cure, though!
That's totally it! Epcot "saved" our moods more than once this trip!

Caught up again!

Glad that you were able to do the Harry Potter ride (I forget the name...doh) so many times. I've heard its fantastic and it really is the only reason I would like to return to Universal. Good to know that the crowds were so low when you went. I'm glad you did enjoy your time at RP. I stayed there years ago and loved it.

I love the picture of you two near the haunted mansion. Definitely cute. I can't believe the splash and BTMMR were both down at the same time. That stinks! Going over to Epcot was a great choice. Smart move!

Fun updates!
I like those HM pictures too-- we usually just get ones in front of the castle at the MK, so I was pleased to get some different shots!

BOO to the rides being down!!! :(

That would put me in a mood too! Though I LOVE LOVE LOVE HM!!! :) lol

Can't wait to hear about your dinner ADR :) And I can not believe your trip is almost to a close :(
The HM is the best, but we rarely wait in line for it. That's what EMH is for-- taking advantage of the headliners! I know things break down and try to be patient-- but I was not happy!

I can't wait for IoA (especially WWoHP) and US again!

I was thinking of you when I was watching the Rangers game the other night! It was sad that they lost but they're still doing AWESOME. OMG I totally believe you about seeing my lover at the pizza place! Ahhhh so lucky! Last night I was watching the game and he was talking to Biron at the end since he played last night and he kept smiling his big, gorgeous smile and I was just melting, Chris was laughing at me :laughing:

I'm sorry you guys didn't have the best luck at the MK that morning! At least you made a good decision in heading to Epcot. SS is one of my favoriteeeee CS places! I did love the PP pictures you had taken in front of the HM though, so cute!

We'll be in NYC on Saturday...let me know if you can make it in to meet up!
:-( So sad they lost! You're totally right, though-- it's been an awesome season! Haha, Zach would be the one here melting over Henrik's smile! :rotfl:
We're going Saturday, too! Not sure of our plans yet, but wanna exchange #'s and we'll text and see if we're in the same area around the same time?!

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Haha - I love Zach's Beverly face! :lmao:

Ugh, don't you hate it when you walk all the way to an attraction just to find out it's down?! That happened to us one day at the MK on the honeymoon and it was so frustrating! :headache:

I spend so much time coordinating the wrapping paper and the ribbon, too! I match it all to the tree, and since I have kind of odd colors on my tree it's hard to find paper. A couple of years ago I found the perfect paper and the next year I went back to the store I bought it and ordered it in bulk! :lmao: I actually spent all afternoon wrapping presents today. It's so much fun but it wore me out! :laughing:

[jenny105]

Sorry the Rangers lost at the game you went to. They're still doing amazing though. Last night after the game, I was literally dancing around my house and singing 'My team is good, my team is good!' It's an odd feeling to root for a winning team for once. :rotfl:

Sorry you had a lousy morning in MK. Bummer :(

I can't wait for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. That looks too cool!

Can you believe my cousin actually likes Beverly?? I made him try it during our trip last year and he said 'This isn't bad.' Wha???

[klacey1]

Haha - I love Zach's Beverly face! :lmao:

Ugh, don't you hate it when you walk all the way to an attraction just to find out it's down?! That happened to us one day at the MK on the honeymoon and it was so frustrating! :headache:

I spend so much time coordinating the wrapping paper and the ribbon, too! I match it all to the tree, and since I have kind of odd colors on my tree it's hard to find paper. A couple of years ago I found the perfect paper and the next year I went back to the store I bought it and ordered it in bulk! :lmao: I actually spent all afternoon wrapping presents today. It's so much fun but it wore me out! :laughing:
Yes! The logical part of my brain totally understands that rides break down, but the part of me that wants to ride a certain attraction is just annoyed!! :rotfl:
I remember your beautifully wrapped presents from last year-- gorgeous! Definitely smart to order your paper in bulk! I'm not crazy about the kind I picked out this year. :confused3 I went to a couple places and had to settle on a few rolls-- wish I thought ahead like you! ;)

Sorry the Rangers lost at the game you went to. They're still doing amazing though. Last night after the game, I was literally dancing around my house and singing 'My team is good, my team is good!' It's an odd feeling to root for a winning team for once. :rotfl:

Sorry you had a lousy morning in MK. Bummer :(

I can't wait for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. That looks too cool!

Can you believe my cousin actually likes Beverly?? I made him try it during our trip last year and he said 'This isn't bad.' Wha???
They are doing fab! Have you been watching the 24/7 Road to the Winter Ice Classic? The first episode was so great!
We managed to recover from our lousy morning though, which was good! I cannot WAIT for the expansion. The Mine Train looks absolutely fantastic! I think if at least some of it is ready next October, I might have a better shot at convincing Zach to go in 2012 instead of 2013...;)

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I really, really hope to get an update up before Christmas, but this week is shaping up to be absolutely crazy, so I just don't know. I feel like I'm still not ready for the holidays-- lots of wrapping and still a bit more shopping to do. BUT- I automatically get off Dec 26/27 and took off the rest of the week, so I should have time next week, though!
We headed into the city yesterday for shopping and fun. We did some touristy things, including going to see the tree:
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It was absolutely crazy over by this area-- so many people! Lots of people using strollers as battering rams-- reminded me of a crowded night on Main St. USA! :rotfl:
Overall we had a great day, but it ended up kind of scary. We got on our train when I noticed the tub of guacamole I purchased at Grand Central was a bit watery. We still had about ten minutes before the train was to depart, so I decided to drain the liquid out in the garbage can on the platform. I hopped off, drained it, and turned around to walk back onto the train when I see a homeless man with a beer behind me. I don't know if he thought I was throwing away food or something, but he SCREAMED something at me that I couldn't understand. He ended it with calling me some pretty horrific profanities. Now, I am not always Ms. Proper with the language, but this shook me to the core. Especially after he yelled at me-- he started to come at me. I RAN back onto the train, got back to Zach and told him what happened, still shaking. I then glance up and see him standing on the platform, leaning against the train window, STARING at me. He then got on the train and yelled at me again. Zach stood up and used his body to shield me and told the guy to calm down and get off, which he thankfully did (not after screaming at Zach and spitting at him).
Now, I went to college in a city and have worked in the city for awhile, so I like to think I'm pretty street smart, but this was really scary! We went to Dick's Sporting Goods today and got me a thing of pepper spray. I'm sure I'll never need to use it, but the incident kind of reminded me that you do need to be on your toes-- even when you're in a safe area with a bunch of people around.
Sorry to be a downer, just wanted to give a little PSA about being aware of those around you! Not going to lie-- a LITTLE nervous about travelling alone to GCT today. I don't think he'd recognize me or anything if I saw him again (he was obviously drunk and probably more), but it's just a scary thought...
Have a wonderful week before Christmas, my lovely readers!!

[SimplyGoofy]

That's really scary! I'm glad you and Zach are both okay!

[Tracy161]

Yikes!!! I would have been scared too! Glad to hear that you and Zach are okay and that you know how something to give you a little peace of mind. I keep pepper spray with me too... better to be safe, right?!

I can relate to the week-before-Christmas to-do list... so don't worry about getting up another update immediately... we'll be here when you do! :goodvibes

[jenny105]

That's scary! I love NYC but you've gotta watch your back there all the time, especially in the train stations & subways. Glad you guys are ok!

[xoktenox]

Girllllllllllll I'm so upset I didn't get back on here to exchange #s with you before Saturday! We were at the tree around 6:00...O.M.G. total mob scene. I was yelling "I've seen this tree 100 times, I don't need to see it again this badly!" :rotfl: But we were stuck, as you know, in the mob of people.

That's so scary what happened with the homeless man on the train! I've taken the Metro North before and it's always been nice! Same with the LIRR thankfully. The subways are obviously a little less taken care of. I'm glad you and Zach were ok!

[Joyciemc]

Oh man, that would have shaken me up big time! Very glad to hear that you got out of that ok!


Have a very merry Christmas!!

[Mrs T 2009]

Goodness that sounds like a very scary incident! I would be shaken up after that!

I have many presents to wrap still. It seems never ending! hahaha!!!

Hope you have a good few more days before Christmas and a wonderful Christmas Eve and DAY :D

[Nermel9]

OMG that's so terrible, what happened in NYC! People are freaks there. I'm glad you were ok!

I used to go to the city every year for Christmas, to see the tree and walk up 5th ave...you know on 5th Ave where everyone gets super crowded, right by Saks? Well the last time we went, we were in a crowd that just stopped walking on the sidewalk to stare at the building. We tried to walk through and some woman seriously shoved her way in front of me and hit herself with MY shoulder! I think she thought I did it on purpose, so she turned around, glared at me, and shoved me! I was like "*** why are you shoving me"! I was so mad that I shoved her back-I can't believe I did that!!! I honestly don't remember how it ended, I think she just kept walking, or she just stood there and we kept walking, but that was it! I haven't been back to the city for Christmas since! :laughing: Sad too, because it's so beautiful, but I can't deal with the crowds!

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I have always wanted to go to NYC during Christmastime one year! I bet it is a madhouse, though. Oh my goodness, your story about the homeless man is so scary! I would have probably burst into tears! :scared1:

[klacey1]

That's really scary! I'm glad you and Zach are both okay!
It was, but I'm much better now! Thanks!

Yikes!!! I would have been scared too! Glad to hear that you and Zach are okay and that you know how something to give you a little peace of mind. I keep pepper spray with me too... better to be safe, right?!

I can relate to the week-before-Christmas to-do list... so don't worry about getting up another update immediately... we'll be here when you do! :goodvibes
Yup-- that's how I feel now. Better to spend $15 on pepper spray now and NEVER use it than wish you had it!

That's scary! I love NYC but you've gotta watch your back there all the time, especially in the train stations & subways. Glad you guys are ok!
I usually am very aware of everyone around me-- that's what makes this incident so weird! I was so surprised!

Girllllllllllll I'm so upset I didn't get back on here to exchange #s with you before Saturday! We were at the tree around 6:00...O.M.G. total mob scene. I was yelling "I've seen this tree 100 times, I don't need to see it again this badly!" :rotfl: But we were stuck, as you know, in the mob of people.

That's so scary what happened with the homeless man on the train! I've taken the Metro North before and it's always been nice! Same with the LIRR thankfully. The subways are obviously a little less taken care of. I'm glad you and Zach were ok!
I knowww! Well, I'm ALWAYS in the city, so I'm sure our paths will line up to cross again!! ;)
Haha, I feel the same way about the tree! The area was NUTS and I wanted to just forget about it, but Zach really wanted to go to the NBC store, so we pushed on, quickly grabbed a pic and dashed into the store!!

Oh man, that would have shaken me up big time! Very glad to hear that you got out of that ok!


Have a very merry Christmas!!
Thanks-- it was scary and I was kind of nervous about commuting alone the next day, but I'm better now.
I hope you and Ben and your furry ones have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's!! :hug:

Goodness that sounds like a very scary incident! I would be shaken up after that!

I have many presents to wrap still. It seems never ending! hahaha!!!

Hope you have a good few more days before Christmas and a wonderful Christmas Eve and DAY :D
I don't know HOW this pile in the closet just grows and grows-- and yet nothing gets wrapped! I'm taking a half day at work tomorrow, so that's the goal-- to get everything done! Have a wonderful Christmas as well!! :goodvibes

OMG that's so terrible, what happened in NYC! People are freaks there. I'm glad you were ok!

I used to go to the city every year for Christmas, to see the tree and walk up 5th ave...you know on 5th Ave where everyone gets super crowded, right by Saks? Well the last time we went, we were in a crowd that just stopped walking on the sidewalk to stare at the building. We tried to walk through and some woman seriously shoved her way in front of me and hit herself with MY shoulder! I think she thought I did it on purpose, so she turned around, glared at me, and shoved me! I was like "*** why are you shoving me"! I was so mad that I shoved her back-I can't believe I did that!!! I honestly don't remember how it ended, I think she just kept walking, or she just stood there and we kept walking, but that was it! I haven't been back to the city for Christmas since! :laughing: Sad too, because it's so beautiful, but I can't deal with the crowds!
There sure are some freaky people here! OMG! WTH is wrong with people?! I totally would have shoved her back if she had dared to lay a hand on me. I totally understand why you haven't returned to the city!
I work in SoHo now, where a bunch of great shopping is-- the amount of tourists that crowd the sidewalks is ridiculous! I hope it gets better after the holidays!

I have always wanted to go to NYC during Christmastime one year! I bet it is a madhouse, though. Oh my goodness, your story about the homeless man is so scary! I would have probably burst into tears! :scared1:
NYC really is the most magical place in the world for Christmas-- although I haven't been to WDW at Christmas ;) It's crazy but wonderful!!

[klacey1]

Merry Christmas to my readers who celebrate! I hope everyone had a fantastic day! We had a wonderful time here-- party with Zach’s family on Christmas Eve and then opened presents with them in the morning. Later in the day, I went out to dinner with my mom, brother, and his girlfriend to exchange gifts and celebrate my brother’s birthday (12/25!). I was spoiled rotten by Zach-- gorgeous Michael Kors purse, Kindle Fire/MK e-reader cover, cardy Uggs, and some other great things. I also got some sweaters, a pair of winter boots and other things from his/my family.
If you want to check out pictures from our fun time, check out my Facebook album (and feel free to friend me if we’re not already friends!)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150482401269526.383686.501169525&type=1&l=8021ee9421

Also-- today is Zach's birthday!! We are going to lunch with his siblings and out later tonight with our friends. I'll treat him to dinner at the Melting Pot tomorrow night and some point this week (we're both off), we're going to go somewhere for an overnight-- maybe Mystic, CT. Not sure yet!

So, back to the business at hand! Continuing day six...
We did our usual rest, change, and freshen up thing before heading to the bus stop around 4:00 p.m. No bus issues-- we were back at the MK by 4:30. Since our ADR was at 6:00 p.m. and I wasn't sure if we'd need to wait for a boat or not, I decided we should just hang around Main St. for forty-five minutes or so.
I absolutely LOVE the old ride posters under the train station. Zach had some choice sentiments for Space Mountain:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011562.jpg
I did pop into a shop and picked out a light blue v-neck with a picture of the castle with pictures of other MK attractions super imposed on it. So pretty! I was going to carry the bag around before I remembered one of the better things about staying onsite-- resort package pick-up! Happily, I sent it over to POR.
After poking in the shops, we went over the resort boat launch and waited only a few minutes. Again, Zach and I couldn’t get over how much we loved taking the boat over to the WL! For some reason, I imagined that it would be super slow or uncomfortable-- absolutely not! It was very romantic. I wish we would have taken advantage of the boats from POR to DTD!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011565.jpg
Since we had been to the WL for WCC only a few nights prior, I hadn’t expected to be wowed again. However, from the moment we stepped on the property, I just felt content and still awed by the architecture and design. I’m really hoping we stay here our next trip!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011570.jpg
We checked in at about 5:45 at Artist Point-- they could take us early! There was literally one other family there when we walked in. A couple more eventually joined, but it was very quiet-- in a nice, peaceful, not weird way!
I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011576.jpg
I didn’t love that it overlooked the pool, but we couldn’t really see it, so it was fine. Do people really enjoy being dressed up and eating nice food and looking out over a bunch of people running around in bathing suits and swimming?! We had seats right by the window at Yachtman’s once and felt the same way! I feel like it kills the fancy atmosphere!
All I have to say is...wow. Zach and I decided this was absolutely the best restaurant meal either of us has ever had in our lives. It was THAT good. We got the BLT appetizer and paid out of pocket-- SO happy we did. It was delicious and both of our entrees were amazing as well. We skipped dessert due to plans later that night, but...yum! We’ll definitely be back!
Our service, on the other hand, was a bit odd. Our waiter was very efficient, just a touch...strange. He kept telling us these stories that cracked him up, but were honestly just not funny. It was very difficult to do the polite fake laugh and smile! Plus, when another couple (honeymooners) sat next to us, he told them the same exact stories, with the same hysterical laughing. They were better at fake laughing than Zach and I were...probably because he brought them free drinks and an amuse bouche for their honeymoon. Lucky!
We left satisfied, but not grossly stuffed. Since we were heading back to the MK for the Wishes Dessert Party, this was perfect!
A boat quickly pulled up at WL and we were treated to a ride-long argument between a husband and wife about the pool bar at their friend’s resort being closed and what were they supposed to do while the kids were swimming?! I hope they resolved this tough dilemma.
After getting to the MK, we stopped for a PP pic. I am always very pale, but in this picture, I’m practically glowing:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass035.jpg
It was way too early to check into the WDP, but I wanted to stay close, so we decided to visit Stitch’s Great Escape. I know a lot of people aren’t crazy about this ride, but we actually like it! I think it’s cute and decently funny-- could do without the smell, but overall, it’s fun! Zach wishes he could have visited when it was alien-themed, but definitely agrees a ride that scary (which I loved when I was younger!!) doesn’t really belong in the MK!
We also decided to do something totally new for both of us-- Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor. I always love new rides and we had just enough time to kill. I texted in a joke while we were in line and it was picked! I also suspect I may have been one of the few to actually write in a joke, as the theater wasn’t very full!
Zach was selected as “has the urge to get up and dance,” which he did, even though he was super embarrassed! “That guy” was hysterical! I’m not sure he spoke English or had too much of an idea of what was going on, but he always gave the camera a little wave! I thought it was really funny! We probably wouldn’t do this more than once a trip, but I’ll try to fit in next time!
Around this time, it was time to check in for the WDP. We were about six or so families back from the front of the line, so we were checked in quickly.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011584.jpg
When we were let in, we were escorted to...a front-row table! I was so ridiculously happy!
After dropping our stuff at the table, I noticed a PP photographer and we got some shots. I wish I liked them more! The kissing one is kind of awkward and I think the other looks like a bad prom pose!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass040.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011photopass039.jpg
We settled in as the Main St. Electrical Parade began-- I’m not a fan! I really don’t like the music and I don’t think it’s as “Disney” as Spectromagic! I hope they bring Spectro back soon! Our view was pretty decent, though:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011592.jpg
As far as the party itself...we probably won’t do it again. It was a bit pricey ($45 for the two of us), which is fine had I felt the view and desserts made it worth it. As some have noted, it does look like the fireworks are going off-center to the castle and you don’t really get that view of the castle as the centerpiece.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011597.jpg
We couldn’t see any of the Magic, Memories, and You, either. Way too far away. It was nice to watch Wishes leaning against a rail, not crowded by a million people! It was very relaxing-- and of course I bawled! (Zach teared up too-- I love that Wishes affects him like that!)
The desserts were...meh. SO very rich. Even washing down every other mouthful with milk and fruit couldn’t cut how heavy everything was. I enjoyed the mango shooter the best, even though it was very sugary. Zach stuck to brownies and coffee.
Zach didn’t tell me about it until we were in our room that night, but a reason he was having trouble enjoying the desserts before we stood up for Wishes was the woman sitting behind him. I don’t know if the wind was blowing a certain way or something, but he said she just smelled so awful that he was having trouble eating his food! Ick. People, it’s FL in August! Showers and deoderant are so necessary!
So the party wasn’t that wonderful, but I’m still glad we did it, just for the peace of watching Wishes. We were herded out of the Tomorrowland Noodle Terrace pretty much the moment Wishes was over. Those CM’s want to get home!
Bus line was long but not too bad-- they had one lined up after another so we got home quickly.
It had been a day that started out kind of rough, but ended wonderfully with some fantastic food! I dreaded going to bed, though-- when I woke up, it would be morning of our last full day at Disney :(

[Nermel9]

Merry Christmas, sounds like you had a great day! :thumbsup2 Do you like your Kindle fire? My mom gave me money to buy an e-reader, because she didn't know if I wanted the Nook or Kindle, so I have to buy it for myself, but I'm not sure which one to get! :eek:

Great update! I know the shirt you are talking about, I debated getting it a few times, but then decided I had enough Disney shirts for now! :rotfl: It's really cute!

Isn't Artist Point so good? We were right by a window, so the pool was there, but I didn't really look at it. I think that restaurant is so pretty, I'm surprised it's not more popular! :confused3

Haha, I don't like when the PP photographers make you kiss, the pictures are always so weird looking! Yours is actually pretty cute, but the ones of Brandon and I are so awful! It's just so awkward! I hate having my picture taken, though! :laughing:

I like the Wishes Dessert Party, but I don't feel the need to do it again any time soon. The desserts are good, but it's pretty expensive.

Poor Zach and that woman who didn't wear deodorant! :rotfl:

[Mrs T 2009]

YAY to having a wonderful Christmas :) I got the new Disneyland game for the kinect and LOVE it! It's so adorable and my son loves doing it too :cool1:

Artist Point is one of our favorite meals too! It's always very good, but the service is always wierd lol nice, but wierd :lmao:

I've been wanting to try the WPD and I keep reading mixed reviews about it.

Glad your day turned around to being great :)

[jenny105]

I friend you on facebook :)

How amazing is Wilderness Lodge? I absolutely love that place. It's my favorite resort (so far!). I was so sad to leave when I stayed there back in 2009 (and I wasn't even going home! I was going on a cruise and coming back to the Beach Club!). I've heard if you like WL you'll like AKL and vice versa. I hope that's true!

I'm not a dessert person so the WDP would be a complete waste of money for me! The most dessert-y thing I will eat is cheesecake.

Happy Birthday to Zack!

[klacey1]

Merry Christmas, sounds like you had a great day! :thumbsup2 Do you like your Kindle fire? My mom gave me money to buy an e-reader, because she didn't know if I wanted the Nook or Kindle, so I have to buy it for myself, but I'm not sure which one to get! :eek:

Great update! I know the shirt you are talking about, I debated getting it a few times, but then decided I had enough Disney shirts for now! :rotfl: It's really cute!

Isn't Artist Point so good? We were right by a window, so the pool was there, but I didn't really look at it. I think that restaurant is so pretty, I'm surprised it's not more popular! :confused3

Haha, I don't like when the PP photographers make you kiss, the pictures are always so weird looking! Yours is actually pretty cute, but the ones of Brandon and I are so awful! It's just so awkward! I hate having my picture taken, though! :laughing:

I like the Wishes Dessert Party, but I don't feel the need to do it again any time soon. The desserts are good, but it's pretty expensive.

Poor Zach and that woman who didn't wear deodorant! :rotfl:
Merry Christmas to you, too! Our day was fantastic! I absolutely LOVE the Kindle Fire! I already downloaded some TV episodes and books, but I'm having trouble with the magazines. It says I need to latest software, which I do have. :confused3 For that reason alone, I almost wish I had a Nook so I could take it to a Barnes and Noble and have them look at it for me. However, I've heard Amazon's Kindle support is really helpful, so I'll just call today or tomorrow.
I LOVE that shirt-- I actually don't have many Disney shirts at all and I thought it was perfect! Zach did add to my collection with a Snow White tee for Christmas, though!
The kissing picture was actually funny-- she asked us to hold until she said to break away. She didn't say it for the LONGEST time (on purpose, as a total joke!) and she got a really funny/awkward shot of Zach partially breaking away and glaring at the camera!! :rotfl:

YAY to having a wonderful Christmas :) I got the new Disneyland game for the kinect and LOVE it! It's so adorable and my son loves doing it too :cool1:

Artist Point is one of our favorite meals too! It's always very good, but the service is always wierd lol nice, but wierd :lmao:

I've been wanting to try the WPD and I keep reading mixed reviews about it.

Glad your day turned around to being great :)
That is so cool-- we don't have Kinect but have an X-Box and I want to get the Kinect just so we can get that game!! :rotfl: Glad to hear it's highly reviewed!
Yeah, our service was just...off! He was such a weird guy-- but the food totally made up for it!
I think the WDP is worth doing once...but it's not a repeat thing, at least for us.

I friend you on facebook :)

How amazing is Wilderness Lodge? I absolutely love that place. It's my favorite resort (so far!). I was so sad to leave when I stayed there back in 2009 (and I wasn't even going home! I was going on a cruise and coming back to the Beach Club!). I've heard if you like WL you'll like AKL and vice versa. I hope that's true!

I'm not a dessert person so the WDP would be a complete waste of money for me! The most dessert-y thing I will eat is cheesecake.

Happy Birthday to Zack!
Yay! I accepted your request!
I cannot get over how gorgeous and tranquil the WL is! It's funny I've heard the same about WL/AKL, but AKL doesn't hold a ton of appeal for us. :confused3 Maybe just because it's a bit out of the way?? Not sure-- especially since I've heard that everyone who's stayed there has LOVED it.
Yeah, being that we're not huge dessert people either, I should have known most of it was going to be a waste for us. Now, if they want to have an appetizer party-- I'd definitely go to that!
Zach says thank you! You'll appreciate one of my gifts for him-- tickets to the Rangers/Sabres game at MSG in March! Hopefully if they're still playing the way they are now, they'll be bound for the cup then!!

[MEK]

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

I'm caught up except for pictures which I hope I get to see tonight.

So glad you had a nice dinner at AP. We just ate there in December and had a wonderful meal. My son's filet was out of this world. Fortunately we did not have a waiter who told us silly stories. :laughing:

Sorry you didn't love the dessert party. I have never done it myself, but it does seem to be a little pricey especially if you are not going to eat much. Oh well - I'm sure it was still a very nice experience. :goodvibes

[jenny105]

Yay! I accepted your request!
I cannot get over how gorgeous and tranquil the WL is! It's funny I've heard the same about WL/AKL, but AKL doesn't hold a ton of appeal for us. :confused3 Maybe just because it's a bit out of the way?? Not sure-- especially since I've heard that everyone who's stayed there has LOVED it.
Yeah, being that we're not huge dessert people either, I should have known most of it was going to be a waste for us. Now, if they want to have an appetizer party-- I'd definitely go to that!
Zach says thank you! You'll appreciate one of my gifts for him-- tickets to the Rangers/Sabres game at MSG in March! Hopefully if they're still playing the way they are now, they'll be bound for the cup then!!

I think that's the only thing I'm iffy about with AKL - that it's out of the way. And it's practically the only deluxe where you have to rely solely on buses. The boat launch in WL is awesome (despite all the bugs at night ick) and I loved being so close to MK.

Yes! Let's do this! Appetizer party. We can hold our own and charge people. :rotfl:

Nice!! I think I'm going to get tickets for the Ranger/TB Lightning game in February. Martin St. Louis is one of my favorite players and I love watching him play. Have you guys been watching 24/7 on HBO?

[klacey1]

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

I'm caught up except for pictures which I hope I get to see tonight.

So glad you had a nice dinner at AP. We just ate there in December and had a wonderful meal. My son's filet was out of this world. Fortunately we did not have a waiter who told us silly stories. :laughing:

Sorry you didn't love the dessert party. I have never done it myself, but it does seem to be a little pricey especially if you are not going to eat much. Oh well - I'm sure it was still a very nice experience. :goodvibes
I've heard both good and bad things about AP, but for us it was absolutely amazing! Wish I had your waiter, though! The WDP was lovely-- honestly, not being crowded with a bunch of people was worth the price of admission! It was a very relaxed atmosphere.

I think that's the only thing I'm iffy about with AKL - that it's out of the way. And it's practically the only deluxe where you have to rely solely on buses. The boat launch in WL is awesome (despite all the bugs at night ick) and I loved being so close to MK.

Yes! Let's do this! Appetizer party. We can hold our own and charge people. :rotfl:

Nice!! I think I'm going to get tickets for the Ranger/TB Lightning game in February. Martin St. Louis is one of my favorite players and I love watching him play. Have you guys been watching 24/7 on HBO?
Haha, yeah, we'll just take over the Tomorrowland Noodle Terrace. NBD. :rotfl:
Yessss-- we LOVE 24/7! It's so great to see that they all love each other and actually hang out. I loved Hank having to pay for dinner-- he was so sweet about it! Zach saw the Rangers play the Lightning last year and it was a really intense game! I hope you go!

[jenny105]

Haha, yeah, we'll just take over the Tomorrowland Noodle Terrace. NBD. :rotfl:
Yessss-- we LOVE 24/7! It's so great to see that they all love each other and actually hang out. I loved Hank having to pay for dinner-- he was so sweet about it! Zach saw the Rangers play the Lightning last year and it was a really intense game! I hope you go!

I love it too! I died when Boyle came running up to Dubinsky and they were dressed like Buddy & Santa. :rotfl: I have a soft spot for Jagr and when he was talking to Gagne about playing in MSG and he was like 'It's hard to score four points here. You won't do it. I did it' and smiled at the camera, I cracked up. And Bryzgalov is just so random and out there. LOVE that show!

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I'm glad you enjoyed AP! I think we must have just gone there on an off night or something. Everyone seems to love it! :confused3 I completely agree about the MSEP - they need to bring back Spectro!

[klacey1]

I love it too! I died when Boyle came running up to Dubinsky and they were dressed like Buddy & Santa. :rotfl: I have a soft spot for Jagr and when he was talking to Gagne about playing in MSG and he was like 'It's hard to score four points here. You won't do it. I did it' and smiled at the camera, I cracked up. And Bryzgalov is just so random and out there. LOVE that show!
The last episode was SO great! It would have been pretty depressing if they lost, so for more reasons than one, was thrilled they won!
Did you watch the post-game of last night's game? Hank was wearing the Broadway hat and put it on the reporter's head. When the interview was over and they looked into the camera, he smiled that gorgeous smile, pointed to the reporter and said "He looks good." I lost it-- sooo funny!

I'm glad you enjoyed AP! I think we must have just gone there on an off night or something. Everyone seems to love it! :confused3 I completely agree about the MSEP - they need to bring back Spectro!
We LOVED AP-- mostly for that appetizer. I told Zach that on our next trip, we should just order two of that appetizer and pay OOP (and then go to another ADR). He doesn't think that'd be appropriate :rotfl:

[klacey1]

Day 7

I woke up this morning with that terrible feeling-- the realization that it’s my last real day at Disney. We do nothing on our departure days since our ME is usually around 11, so our last full day is really our LAST DAY.
Our final morning was spent as it always is-- Epcot. We were lucky that a.m. EMH was scheduled there for that morning, so we had lots of Epcot time to cram in our favorites!
When we got to the park, the head of security had everyone waiting in a roped off area before the turnstiles.
Look how empty the park is! We were right up against the rope!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011604.jpg
The security guard was throwing out bits of advice-- get a FP for Soarin, eat at Cali Grill. He made a point to tell us that although CG is expensive, it’s not the most expensive restaurant he’s ever eaten at. That title belongs to a restaurant in Miami where the plates are $500 per person! I found this to be insane (if not TOTALLY irrelevant) piece of information.
I got to show off my DIS knowledge when he told us that there used to be buses from DTD to the parks but aren’t anymore-- why? I called out “because people would park there for free!” I’d like to imagine that everyone around me was awed by my WDW knowledge.
About 10 minutes before the park was to open, we were let up to the turnstiles. For once, I did NOT pick the slowest line. This may have had something to do with it:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011609.jpg
First at the turnstile, woo hoo!
We rushed straight to Test Track to find it down. Augh! After our failed a.m. EMH at the MK the day before, I was sick of major rides being closed during EMH! We bucked up, grabbed FPs, and went on MS, which was fun as always.
Fortunately, by the time we got off MS, TT was up and running again

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011614.jpg
We rode our favorite ride and headed over to SE. The line was a walk-on, fortunately. After, we did something we rarely take the time to do-- play the games!
I love the 3D bone game and the reflexes one (my reflexes, at least according to that game, are pretty good!) We also tried the energy-shuffler game for the first time-- that one was a lot of fun!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011618.jpg
By now, I was itching to buy at least one more souvenir. We browsed around in MouseGears for a long time, but nothing jumped out at me for awhile. I’d love to find a long-sleeved tee for hanging around the house in the winter, but I feel like there were none there.
I decided to go for something that I loved and found a practical use for from our last trip-- a picture frame!
I got this one-- http://cdn.s7.disneystore.com/is/image/DisneyShopping/7509002523549?$full$
I’ve meant to put in a picture from our trip and put it on my desk at work, but I STILL haven’t gotten around to it yet. Hopefully writing that here will push me to do it this weekend!
At this point, we were itching to get into the World Showcase, but we still had a bit of time to kill. We decided to try something new-- Journey into Imagination!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011623.jpg
Zach and I agreed that it really was cute! I can “imagine” that most young children would really enjoy it. I found it relaxing and a nice time off my feet. It won’t be something we’ll make time for each trip, but if we’re passing it and have the trip, we’d do it again.
By now, we had about 10 minutes to kill before the WS opened. We headed over to the Mexico side and waited. Finally, we were let in:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011635-1.jpg
After browsing in the Mexican pavilion (not my favorite, personally), I decided I was already hungry enough for lunch. What with our early ADR (5:00 p.m.), eating early smart anyway. I was hankering to try the new Mexican CS (La Hacienda?), but Zach’s not a fan of Mexican. I grabbed my food and walked over to the Lotus Blossom Cafe, where Zach got his lunch. Looking at the bottom of that receipt and seeing ZERO CS credits left was pretty sad.
We spent the next few hours riding Maelstrom (will always be one of our favorites!) and exploring the WS. I swear, Zach and I could walk through that stretch everyday and not get tired of it! When I bring up the idea of a Disneyland trip, Zach’s biggest resistance is that there’s no Epcot! It was hard for me to admit, but after this trip especially, Epcot edged over the MK as my favorite park. I realize several reasons why I preferred Epcot were for reasons largely out of its control-- losing the glasses, the rides I wanted to ride were broken down during a.m. EMH, and something that happens during our last night (coming up soon!). Epcot didn’t contain these unhappy/distressing memories (memories, which seemed terrible in the moment, are nothing but minor disruptions to a trip that is looked back upon fondly. Well the glasses thing is still very upsetting!). Epcot was our happy place. Although, there are just things we enjoy more there-- we prefer the food and many of the rides. That being said-- there is nothing like the MK. Nothing at Epcot makes me tear up like Wishes or the opening show.
We headed back to the room slightly early-- around 1:00ish. Like I said, we had an early ADR and I wanted to get freshened up for the night. As you’ll see, that step was totally pointless...

[Nermel9]

We always have to end our trips with Epcot, too, it just makes sense somehow!:rotfl:

Did you hear that they are totally re-doing Test Track? I'm excited, it's about time! I love TT, but it's pretty outdated! I'm surprised it's going to open again in September, I thought it would be longer than that!

Yay, Maelstrom, I love that ride! :banana: I love the World Showcase, sometimes when Brandon and I are there, we don't do anything except eat and wander around! I say the same thing when we talk about going to Disneyland- "but there's no Epcot!!" :rotfl2:

[Tracy161]

Oh, no... the last day already! :sad2: They always creep up waaay too fast! I too absolutely love Epcot, it's only second to MK by about a centimeter! :rotfl: I find Journey into Imagination really cute too, though I've only ever been on it twice I think! Uh oh... I hope your evening "event" isn't too bad... :scared1:

[jenny105]

The last episode was SO great! It would have been pretty depressing if they lost, so for more reasons than one, was thrilled they won!
Did you watch the post-game of last night's game? Hank was wearing the Broadway hat and put it on the reporter's head. When the interview was over and they looked into the camera, he smiled that gorgeous smile, pointed to the reporter and said "He looks good." I lost it-- sooo funny!:

Have I mentioned that I love Henrik Lundqvist? :love: Everytime they show him being interviewed, Kris stares me down out of the corner of his eye to make sure I'm not drooling. :rotfl:

BOOOO! Last day already?? :( Epcot has grown on me a lot. I used to be like 'meh' if we were going there and according to my planning for October, we're spending practically every night there. :laughing: I love the Food & Wine Festival!

[Joyciemc]

We officially fell in love with WL during our Backstage Magic tour. And when we went to Vero Beach in September, we went to WDW just for lunch at WCC. We walked all over the resort and thought it was amazing.

Poor Zach having to sit near a stinky lady. Nothing like BO to put you off your dessert!

I can't believe you're on your last day already! Stupid trips should last forever!

[xoktenox]

Congrats on being the first one at the turnstile :woohoo:

Can't believe TT was down when you first got there but luckily it opened quickly.

How was the food from the Mexican CS? I'm thinking of trying there this trip!

Interested in hearing about your night at the MK...

[klacey1]

We always have to end our trips with Epcot, too, it just makes sense somehow!:rotfl:

Did you hear that they are totally re-doing Test Track? I'm excited, it's about time! I love TT, but it's pretty outdated! I'm surprised it's going to open again in September, I thought it would be longer than that!

Yay, Maelstrom, I love that ride! :banana: I love the World Showcase, sometimes when Brandon and I are there, we don't do anything except eat and wander around! I say the same thing when we talk about going to Disneyland- "but there's no Epcot!!" :rotfl2:
I hadn't heard about the TT refurb until you commented, so I had to look it up!! From what I've heard, it seems the line/pre-show is changing-- you're going to design your own car? (Not sure how that's going to work with 6 people in a car) I don't know how much the ride itself is changing. What have you heard??

Oh, no... the last day already! :sad2: They always creep up waaay too fast! I too absolutely love Epcot, it's only second to MK by about a centimeter! :rotfl: I find Journey into Imagination really cute too, though I've only ever been on it twice I think! Uh oh... I hope your evening "event" isn't too bad... :scared1:
What happened our last night wasn't TOO bad, it just made me pretty upset! I used to think nothing could beat the MK, but I have to give it to Epcot. Nothing makes me cry like the MK, though!

Have I mentioned that I love Henrik Lundqvist? :love: Everytime they show him being interviewed, Kris stares me down out of the corner of his eye to make sure I'm not drooling. :rotfl:

BOOOO! Last day already?? :( Epcot has grown on me a lot. I used to be like 'meh' if we were going there and according to my planning for October, we're spending practically every night there. :laughing: I love the Food & Wine Festival!
Haha, Zach totally accepts my love for Henrik-- because he's even more obsessed with him! I only got a small taste of the F&W Festival this past October, but I LOVED it! I had yummy prosecco, lava cake, and a beef empanada. So hard to limit myself to just that!!

We officially fell in love with WL during our Backstage Magic tour. And when we went to Vero Beach in September, we went to WDW just for lunch at WCC. We walked all over the resort and thought it was amazing.

Poor Zach having to sit near a stinky lady. Nothing like BO to put you off your dessert!

I can't believe you're on your last day already! Stupid trips should last forever!
I knoww- I'm dragging out writing about this trip just because I still don't want to accept it's over! I just need to know FOR SURE when our next trip is so I can have another Disney trip to obsess over!

Congrats on being the first one at the turnstile :woohoo:

Can't believe TT was down when you first got there but luckily it opened quickly.

How was the food from the Mexican CS? I'm thinking of trying there this trip!

Interested in hearing about your night at the MK...
I can't tell you how happy I was to be first at the turnstile!! I was so sick of being caught behind slow people.
I had the tacos de carne and they were amaaaaazing. They came with a ton of meat and chips on the side, so it was really filling. I thought the tortillas were a bit spongy, but overall, great meal! Definitely worth trying!

[Queenofallthings]

Isn`t it great to actually have a full last day and then catch your flight at night...that only happened to us on one trip so I savour that memory:rotfl2:

Couldn`t agree with you more about Epcot edging out the MK on this trip for me too! I could be there everyday and not tire of it!

[Mrs T 2009]

Congratulations for being the first one to the turnstile at EPCOT :D

So sad it's your last day!!!

[klacey1]

Isn`t it great to actually have a full last day and then catch your flight at night...that only happened to us on one trip so I savour that memory:rotfl2:

Couldn`t agree with you more about Epcot edging out the MK on this trip for me too! I could be there everyday and not tire of it!
It was actually just our last full day-- our flight was the next day at 2:00 p.m. but I'm way too much of a time freak to even fathom trying to go to a park and catch an 11:00 a.m. M.E.!

Congratulations for being the first one to the turnstile at EPCOT :D

So sad it's your last day!!!
Thank you-- I was very pleased about this little accomplishment! :rotfl:

[klacey1]

Sorry, readers! This update is very light on the pictures! On my last night, I tend to want to soak everything in and forget about the camera.

Our ADR was for 5:00 p.m., so we hit the bus stop around 3:30. Fortunately, one came immediately and we were on our way to the MK for the last time. (Note-- I dwell on “last times.” Thinking about them today still bums me out!)
When we arrived, we actually had some time to hit an attraction. I knew just the one-- one of Zach’s favorite’s that we hadn’t done yet. It was right near our ADR and would fill just the right amount of time-- the Hall of Presidents! I know a lot of people think it’s really boring, but we actually really enjoy it. It’s a nice break off our feet and I find it very moving, especially the role call. We like it a lot more than the American Adventure!
When we got out, we actually had a few minutes before checking in, so I grabbed FPs for Splash, which we STILL hadn’t ridden yet!
We also passed Tiana and Naveen-- I loved the Princess and the Frog!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011650-1.jpg
We checked in for our ADR at LTT right on time, and were seated after two minutes or so. Wow, this restaurant was very cool! I loved the decor and thought the waiting area was very pretty.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011651-1.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011656-1.jpg
Service was decent, but we weren’t wowed by the food. The mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and skirt steak were good, but I thought everything else lacked flavor. Despite such poor reviews, we’ll probably try Tony’s the next time we’re looking for a dinner ADR in the MK. We’re not sandwich people, so we have no interest in the Plaza. I wouldn’t want to waste two credits on CRT, and we’re usually not crazy about buffets for dinner.
Our server made our meal pass quickly (in a good way-- he wasn’t trying to rush us, just as soon as he saw we were done, he cleared our plates and brought the check with dessert as requested), and we had about three hours to enjoy the MK. Or so I thought.
Literally the second I stepped onto the LTT porch, a huge lightening bolt tore through the sky and a loud rumble of thunder roared. It was seriously like in a bad movie-- you know, that moment when a character realizes something bad is going to happen. I just looked at Zach and said-- “Looks like Splash is out.”
I was so upset! I can’t believe we weren’t going to get a chance to ride one of my favorites-- especially since we had no idea when we’d be returning! As we hung on the porch, trying to decide what to do, the sky erupted. It started POURING-- like can barely see in front of you, water up to your ankles pouring. What did we decide to do? Head under the Liberty Square/Adventureland bathroom bridge. Well, I had to go to the bathroom and certainly wasn’t going to try using the one in LTT!
Of course, genius me did not bring any sort of rain, so we got totally drenched as we sprinted under the walkway. I used the bathroom and we just kind of stood there, trying to think of what we wanted to do. I checked the giftshop for ponchos (none) and we discussed what indoor rides that we enjoyed were near there. I was kind of itching to see my Country Bears, but Zach was feeling Pirates more, so I relented and we made the journey there.
Being a gentleman, Zach removed his button-down and told me to use it to cover my head. Being that it was cotton, it worked for all of five seconds, but of course I appreciated it! We were a sight to to be seen-- we could not be more wet if we had jumped into a swimming pool and swum around for a few minutes. I felt absolutely disgusting!
It’s hard to see since his shirt is so dark, but Zach was saturated!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011666-1.jpg
Pirates, though it made me chilly since I was soaked to the bone, cheered me up. It did the job so well that when we emerged and it was STILL pouring, we hopped on for a second ride!
After browsing the gift shop, we decided to move on. The rain looked like it was kind of letting up and I did not want our memories of the last night of our wonderful vacation to be us standing in the POC giftshop, gazing sadly at the rain!
As we walked, the rain did let up. By the time we reached the hub, it was barely sprinkling. Zach suggested to end our night on a high note, we should head over to Tomorrowland and ride Buzz, another favorite. This was a great idea. The last ride of our trip was full of fun and laughs!
Leaving the park-- not so much full of fun and laughs! I took a ton of pictures of the Halloween decorations, which were taking over Main St. It was only August 30th-- I was surprised they were already up!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011669-1.jpg
Eventually, I couldn’t take any more pictures and took in a huge breath and left the park. Our trip felt like it was really over-- and it had been wonderful. I didn’t want to say good-bye!
Normally, I gloss over our bus rides, because nothing really usually happens on them. This ride, though. Weird! I took a seat in the front of the bus and Zach stood pretty much over me. Next to me sat two girls, maybe 6 and 10. Across from them was their brother, who was probably 8ish. Their parents had a toddler and went to the back of the bus (not sure why, as there was a seat next to their son-- at least for the mom and the toddler to sit together). I’m just pointing that out because these kids were basically unsupervised. I’m not sure if that’s the reason what happened next happened or if it would have been done anyway. A British mom and dad, plus their toddler-age son, and a baby in a soft bassinet-type carrier boarded the bus soon after the aforementioned children. As soon as they did, the boy from the first family jumps up and yells “A BABY!” and tries to grab he/she out of the carrier. The baby had been sleeping/quiet before and started to SHRIEK after this. The look on the mother’s face...wow. I expected smoke to come out of her ears (justifiably so!). The baby screamed the entire way back to POR. Zach and I deemed this kid the Baby Snatcher.
After the bus left, the youngest girl from the family turned to me and said, “I have a baby.” More details indicated her mom was pregnant, which may have explained the Baby Snatcher’s fascination with babies. The kids talked to us to entire way back to the resort, which was a nice distraction from thinking about our last bus trip. We learned lots about their favorite rides and what they thought of Disney-- when I’m alone, this stuff never happens. People leave me alone. However, there’s just something about Zach that makes everyone want to talk to him! Everyone feels comfortable with him! Including young children who have never met him!
As the Brits got off the bus, the mom glared at Baby Snatcher. Her child was still crying and the kid never apologized to her.
When we got back to our room, we went through the terrible process of packing up and getting ready for tomorrow. I was going to have to call the ME people at some point-- we had received passes for someone else. That wasn’t something I thought could be dealt with then, though, so we decided to wait until the morning.
After some luggage manuvering, we laid our heads on Disney pillows for the last time...

[BennyFedora]

I just looked at Zach and said-- “Looks like Splash is out.”
.
.
.
Zach and I deemed this kid the Baby Snatcher.
.
.
.
when I’m alone, this stuff never happens. People leave me alone. However, there’s just something about Zach that makes everyone want to talk to him! Everyone feels comfortable with him! Including young children who have never met him!
.
.
.
we laid our heads on Disney pillows for the last time...

So sad that the trip's coming to an end and you didn't even get to ride Splash! I lurve that ride and couldn't imagine missing it :sad2: Glad to hear that you managed up the courage to enjoy walking around in the rain!

Can't believe about Baby Snatcher! Parents can be so oblivious to their need to tend their children! At least he wasn't persistent about bothering the baby and you and Zach could distract him with Disneytalk. Joyce and I are the same way, where she stays quiet by herself, but I always end up getting talked to...though she may argue that I just start talking to whoever is within earshot...she kinda thinks I have a problem :rotfl:

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Last days are so sad. :sad1: I'm so sorry yours was filled with rain! I made the mistake of going to the park one night with no rain protection too - never again! That's always the time it pours! :scared1: From now on I will always carry a poncho with me!

I'm glad to hear your guys like HoP. Miguel and I have never done it, but it's on our list for the family vacation coming up because I really think my family will enjoy it. :goodvibes

[jenny105]

It stinks you got caught in the rain on your last day! At that point, you should've jumped on Splash - you were soaked anyway. :laughing: Did they close it down because of the storm?

Wow! If I were that woman, I would've been furious at that kid. Who leaves their kids unsupervised on a crowded bus?? :confused3

:( for last days

[Mrs T 2009]

Last days are so sad and with it being filled with rain is even worse. Glad to hear you both made the best of it though :)

[disneybarbie]

Hi! Sad to read about your last evening :sad1: it's such a bittersweet time, I always walk really slowly out of our last park of the trip.. DH thinks I'm being silly because I nearly always have the next trip planned :rolleyes1

That sounded like an eventful bus trip back :eek: .. 'baby snatcher'.. lol!


Emma princess: x

[DrMomof3]

I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one still updating a trip report for a few months back! :lmao:
I love Epcot. I could spend hours and hours there without ever going on a ride. Not that I don't like the rides! ;) But there is something nostalgic and iconic about MK for me.
Sorry about your thunderstorm. Sounds like you made the best of it!

Amanda

[Joyciemc]

The bus incident sounds so bizarre!

Ben doesn't get talked to, he's the one who starts talking to anyone who holds still long enough.

[IheartDDuck]

I'm glad that you didn't let the rain put a damper on your last day. I would be totally bummed about that too.

OMG, the baby snatcher! If I was the mom, I would be totally upset about it too. I don't understand parents not supervising their kids on the buses. I've seen that many times myself (maybe not involving a baby snatcher), and I just don't get it. :confused3

[klacey1]

So sad that the trip's coming to an end and you didn't even get to ride Splash! I lurve that ride and couldn't imagine missing it :sad2: Glad to hear that you managed up the courage to enjoy walking around in the rain!

Can't believe about Baby Snatcher! Parents can be so oblivious to their need to tend their children! At least he wasn't persistent about bothering the baby and you and Zach could distract him with Disneytalk. Joyce and I are the same way, where she stays quiet by herself, but I always end up getting talked to...though she may argue that I just start talking to whoever is within earshot...she kinda thinks I have a problem :rotfl:
I know-- I was sooo bummed! It was good he backed off the baby...but the damage was done! I hope those parents were able to get her to sleep without too much trouble.
Haha--Zach usually doesn't start up conversations, he just emits an aura that invites in the crazies! :rotfl:

Last days are so sad. :sad1: I'm so sorry yours was filled with rain! I made the mistake of going to the park one night with no rain protection too - never again! That's always the time it pours! :scared1: From now on I will always carry a poncho with me!

I'm glad to hear your guys like HoP. Miguel and I have never done it, but it's on our list for the family vacation coming up because I really think my family will enjoy it. :goodvibes
Normally-- I don't care about rain, even if I forget my windbreaker. This was just completely DRENCHING rain! Definitely make time for HoP-- I think it's pretty emotional!

It stinks you got caught in the rain on your last day! At that point, you should've jumped on Splash - you were soaked anyway. :laughing: Did they close it down because of the storm?

Wow! If I were that woman, I would've been furious at that kid. Who leaves their kids unsupervised on a crowded bus?? :confused3

:( for last days
Since it was thunder/lightning for about an hour, I assumed it would be closed. I can't imagine not sitting with my young kids on the bus-- especially when there was room for at least ONE parent!

Last days are so sad and with it being filled with rain is even worse. Glad to hear you both made the best of it though :)
At least the rain matched my mood-- totally gloomy! :sad1:

Hi! Sad to read about your last evening :sad1: it's such a bittersweet time, I always walk really slowly out of our last park of the trip.. DH thinks I'm being silly because I nearly always have the next trip planned :rolleyes1

That sounded like an eventful bus trip back :eek: .. 'baby snatcher'.. lol!


Emma princess: x
Awww, I get that too! I hate turning my back on the castle and walking out of the MK...worst feeling ever!
Haha, Zach and I usually find funny ways to describe the wacky people we meet! Baby Snatcher just fit. ;)

I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one still updating a trip report for a few months back! :lmao:
I love Epcot. I could spend hours and hours there without ever going on a ride. Not that I don't like the rides! ;) But there is something nostalgic and iconic about MK for me.
Sorry about your thunderstorm. Sounds like you made the best of it!

Amanda
Nope, I'm still doing this one! :rotfl: I totally get you on the MK/Epcot thing-- I think MK gets me far more emotional, but I love the adult fun I have at Epcot!

The bus incident sounds so bizarre!

Ben doesn't get talked to, he's the one who starts talking to anyone who holds still long enough.
Haha-- definitely some disagreement here on who starts conversations with random people! :rotfl:

I'm glad that you didn't let the rain put a damper on your last day. I would be totally bummed about that too.

OMG, the baby snatcher! If I was the mom, I would be totally upset about it too. I don't understand parents not supervising their kids on the buses. I've seen that many times myself (maybe not involving a baby snatcher), and I just don't get it. :confused3
I felt soooo bad for the mom! The look on her face was like someone punched her-- I can't imagine trucking through Disney with a baby and then thinking you finally got her to sleep...but not for long!

I've been SUCH a failure on this report! I meant to do a short write-up of our last day (so not interesting) and a wrap up of my thoughts and feelings on our trip overall (hopefully interesting!) last weekend, but I fell really sick. So sick that I all I did was lay in bed and watch movies and not leave the house once. :scared1: That is SO not like me-- it was ridic! I'm very go-go-go! That tangent over-- hopefully Saturday I'll have the last post up!!

[Queenofallthings]

As much as I try and enjoy our last day in the World, I do what you did, try and soak everything minute detail into my brain. I am usually super sad but try and be happy but the saddness usually wins out, unfortunately!

[klacey1]

Hello readers (if anyone’s still here haha)!! I’m so sorry I’ve been gone for so long!

We “slept in” our last morning-- until 9:00. We had 11:00 a.m. M.E. tickets and I wanted plenty of time to check in at the resort desk and drop off our bags, so we took one last, sad look at the room and left around 10:00. This had failed in 2009-- they told us that Zach was being pulled aside and needed to check in at the hotel. I was hoping for more luck this year!
As fate would have it...that was not in the cards this year either! When we approached the resort desk, even with all of our flight confirmation, the Cast Member could not find a record of us. At this point, a tiny glimmering hope rose in my heart-- I was almost hoping that with the hundreds that had been stranded in Florida due to Hurricane Irene interfering with flights back to the northeast, we had been involuntarily bumped from our flight due to others needing to fly back. (Now, in a state of logic, I’m pretty sure this can’t happen. But then? I was in a WDW bubble and desperate to stay there!) I stepped away from the check in desk and told the cast member I’d call AirTran and see what was up.
The AirTran employee said we were actually already checked in for our flight (bummer!), but since the CM couldn’t print boarding passes or anything for us, we decided it would be best if we went to the AirTran desk ourselves and got boarding passes and checked bags at MCO. Sigh. We don’t have much luck with the resort check-in desk!
The CM said several times that she appreciated how patient and even-tempered we were-- especially considering we’re from NY! Uh, stereotypical much?! Most NYers I know are just lovely. I’m going to guess that the jerks-to-nice people ratio is the same in NY as it is in any other state!
We hung out in the River Roost until it was time to go-- one last picture of that beautiful lobby:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011682-1.jpg
This is our “we’re sad we’re leaving” picture. We take a version of this at the end of every trip, no matter where we went. I just love the escape that any vacation provides-- even it’s just a weekend away. I’d go crazy if I didn’t have that kind of escape to look forward to! (Not that my everyday life is terrible or anything!)
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011680-1.jpg
And the worst Disney bus ride ever:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/klacey1119/Disney%202011/disney2011686-1.jpg
I so wanted to jump off the ME bus and onto the parks bus that you can see through the windshield!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful-- we grabbed some lunch at the airport and had a smooth flight back. My brother picked us up (remember, my car was not fixed at this point!) and dropped us home. Zach was thrilled to get home so he could put a pair of glasses on, even if they were his old spares. Because it takes him five million years to get to things that are just for him, he STILL has not replaced the glasses that fell off during Space Mountain!

And that’s pretty much it! All in all-- it was a wonderful trip. Yes, it started off pretty terrible, but what vacation is completely perfect? Some of my thoughts...

Resort: I’m ready for a change from POR. Our first stay there was perfect-- amazing CM’s and AMAZING location (AB Building 15). I didn’t realize how much I loved being close to the food court and main bus stop until we weren’t. I really like the look of Magnolia Bend-- and our building, Acadian House, was close to one bus stop. BUT-- even though the walk to the main building was along the very pretty river, it was just too far to be feasible to get refillable mugs (which I had really wanted). I had envisioned us getting the mugs, grabbing some OJ/coffee in the morning, drinking it in our room with our breakfast bars, grabbing some soda or whatever during our afternoon break, etc. This would have been a huge time waster. However, I just don’t know if I’d be willing to pay for a preferred room location to stay at the same resort. Next trip, I’m thinking either POFQ if we want to stick with a moderate. We really spend no time in the room, so it makes the most sense...BUUUUT, I love the WL! The location, themeing, food choices, etc. It’ll be a tough choice next trip, for sure!

Dining plan/food: We love the dining plan. I love the idea of paying for everything before we get there and playing with credits instead of dollar amounts. Disney’s food is pretty pricey and I don’t want the stress of watching every single dollar while on vacation. We don’t focus on maximizing each credit-- we just order what we want. Maybe it’s not the most cost effective way to do things....but it works for us. As far as restaurants, we picked much better places this time around-- besides the Coral Reef and LTT, I’d return to any of places. Even those weren’t TERRIBLE! Next trip, it’ll be hard to narrow down where we’ll eat-- we’re toying with the idea of the deluxe plan. It’s SO much food, but if we planned it right, with early lunches and mostly signature dinners, I think we could come out of it okay!

Length/random thoughts: Seven nights was wonderful-- even with a night’s side trip to US/IOA! I wasn’t crazy about leaving the WDW bubble, but we both LOVED WWoHP and now Zach wants to go EVERY trip! To make it more monetarily sensible, it’d obviously make more sense to begin or end our trip with a night at US instead of paying for a room we didn’t use at WDW (like we did this trip to avoid changing rooms). However, I’m not quite sure I couldn’t end a trip somewhere that’s not the MK-- but I can’t imagine not seeing that welcome video on the ME the first day of my vacation! Perhaps it would be more bearable if our trip was a touch longer-- maybe nine nights? We accomplished everything we wanted to do in seven nights, but it definitely was tiring-- we never slept in and our only restful night was when we returned from WWoHP. We needed to chill in our resort for a few hours! With nine nights, I could work in a “sleep-in” day. Who knows if I’d actually be able to sleep in, though?! It’s a thought, but probably not a practical one!

Time of year: We’ve always gone in August, which I like. The crowds are pretty low, there’s always a discount, and it’s nice and warm. Warm may be a bit of an understatement, but I can’t imagine a trip in anything but tanks and shorts! However, one day I really, really want to see WDW at Christmastime (probably first week in December), so I’ll have to get used to that idea! I’m thinking our next trip will be in October. I had a taste of the F&W Festival during my quick weekend trip this past fall and LOVED it! I know Zach would really enjoy it then, too. Not sure if we’d do any of the parties in either December or October, but I really want to see the decor at both times of year. Like with POR-- I’m just ready for a change of time of year. We’re trying to figure out if we’ll be able to go this fall or next, but most likely it’ll be next year. There are other places we want to visit, and by 2013, I think there will be so many cool new things for us to experience (new Test Track, FL expansion, etc.). I can’t wait!

Thank you SO much for following along on this journey with me! It really was so much fun to recant the vacation and now I’m happy to have a permanent record of it! I really appreciate all of my readers and lurkers, because it felt nice to have a “purpose” for doing this TR! I hope you found it at least somewhat amusing! I don’t know for sure when our next trip will be, but if I do a PTR/TR then, I hope you’ll follow along. Thanks for reading!

[Queenofallthings]

Whenever I read about someone's last day, it just takes me back to how we feel when we're leaving! I know exactly how you felt when you wanted to jump onto the park bus instead!

Thank you so much for sharing your great trip with us:hug:

[BennyFedora]

Hiatus, schmiatus, at least you finished! :goodvibes Writing the end is tough because you don't want to be DONE. I guess the best way to get your mind off that is to start a PTR ;)

Regarding dining, Joyce and I had always done the standard DDP until our last trip. Since we put EVERYTHING on our room key, we got a fully itemized list at the end of the stay--which was about 7 pages long :headache:! I'm a total nerd, so when I got home, I put it all in a spreadsheet and marked all the items as TS, CS, Snack, and out-of-pocket to see how it would have stacked up if we had DDP instead. The end result was within something like $50 either way, so for us, we decided we don't really benefit from it. I'm sure the math works out differently for everyone, though! Also, now that we're DVC members, we have a bit more food in the room, so DDP makes even less sense for us. Double-also, Joyce is getting a TIW card, so DDP will make even less-less for us! :rotfl:

Anyway, really enjoyed the TR, and maybe next summer we can all go to Lake Compounce and not hang out again! :lmao:

[Mrs T 2009]

Last Days are always SO sad :(

We stayed at POFQ for our quick 2 night trip last may and I loved it!!! So I would recommend it if you want to stay at a moderate next trip!

Hubby and I are trying to figure out if we can swing a trip to WDW this year or wait till next. I wouldn't mind a quick trip this year, but flights are a bit high right now :(

We've used the deluxe dining plan and it's a lot of food! I do think though, if you do it right like you were thinking, you should be fine! Signatures are great ways to impliment only having 2 sit down meals a day since they are 2 credits.

I'm so sad that your TR is over, but glad I am still able to keep in touch with you through FB :D

[jenny105]

So sad your TR is over :(

I vote WL next trip. I think you'll love it there. I also think you should go the first week of October 2012. Just sayin :rolleyes1

When you start a PTR for your next trip, make sure you tell me! I enjoyed reading all about your trip :)

[klacey1]

Whenever I read about someone's last day, it just takes me back to how we feel when we're leaving! I know exactly how you felt when you wanted to jump onto the park bus instead!

Thank you so much for sharing your great trip with us:hug:
It really is the worst feeling ever! Thank YOU for reading!! :goodvibes

Hiatus, schmiatus, at least you finished! :goodvibes Writing the end is tough because you don't want to be DONE. I guess the best way to get your mind off that is to start a PTR ;)

Regarding dining, Joyce and I had always done the standard DDP until our last trip. Since we put EVERYTHING on our room key, we got a fully itemized list at the end of the stay--which was about 7 pages long :headache:! I'm a total nerd, so when I got home, I put it all in a spreadsheet and marked all the items as TS, CS, Snack, and out-of-pocket to see how it would have stacked up if we had DDP instead. The end result was within something like $50 either way, so for us, we decided we don't really benefit from it. I'm sure the math works out differently for everyone, though! Also, now that we're DVC members, we have a bit more food in the room, so DDP makes even less sense for us. Double-also, Joyce is getting a TIW card, so DDP will make even less-less for us! :rotfl:

Anyway, really enjoyed the TR, and maybe next summer we can all go to Lake Compounce and not hang out again! :lmao:
Monetarily-- I'd love to work out if the DDP makes sense for us. However, here are just certain things I'd rather pay for the convenience of it...although I've always gotten the DDP for free, so if I did pay for it, who knows if I'd be singing the same tune! :rolleyes1
:rotfl: Considering none of us live in CT, I still can't believe what a coincidence that was! I do wish I could have run into you and Joyce and said hello instead of Joyce spotting Zach as he waited for our friends and I to get off the log flume!!

Last Days are always SO sad :(

We stayed at POFQ for our quick 2 night trip last may and I loved it!!! So I would recommend it if you want to stay at a moderate next trip!

Hubby and I are trying to figure out if we can swing a trip to WDW this year or wait till next. I wouldn't mind a quick trip this year, but flights are a bit high right now :(

We've used the deluxe dining plan and it's a lot of food! I do think though, if you do it right like you were thinking, you should be fine! Signatures are great ways to impliment only having 2 sit down meals a day since they are 2 credits.

I'm so sad that your TR is over, but glad I am still able to keep in touch with you through FB :D
What did you like about POFQ?? Was the small size an advantage? How were the busses??
I really wish there was a dining plan a step between the regular DDP and the deluxe! OR that you could swap out desserts for an appetizers on the regular-- when I think about what the regular DDP USED to include (app AND tip for TS meals), it makes me so mad!!
Yes-- I'm glad we're FB friends! :goodvibes

So sad your TR is over :(

I vote WL next trip. I think you'll love it there. I also think you should go the first week of October 2012. Just sayin :rolleyes1

When you start a PTR for your next trip, make sure you tell me! I enjoyed reading all about your trip :)
I'm very heavily leaning toward the WL, even if we rent points. It'll be nice to see if staying deluxe is worth it for us. Hahaha, I SO badly want to go this year, but Zach (who really loves it too!) is pushing for a break.
I'll definitely let you know! I'm really enjoying reading along with yours-- mostly so I can live vicariously through people who have definite trips planned and booked!!

[disneybarbie]

Thank you for sharing your trip! It's been great to read along :goodvibes


Emma princess: x

[Joyciemc]

I am sad your TR is over :sad1:

Thanks for writing it, lots of fun to follow along!

:rotfl: at Ben's comment about Lake Compounce. It really was too random! I mean, running into each other at WDW- sure. But at park in CT that I had never been to before? Strange!

[MEK]

I really enjoyed your TR even though I got behind towards the end. You guys make a great couple and I enjoyed reading about all your adventures.

I hear ya on paying for a room but not using it, but it is hard not to use ME at the beginning or end of a trip.

I have had two trips in December (just went this past December) and I really enjoyed the weather. It was so nice not to be covered in sweat every moment of the day OR freezing in the AC. Give it a try. It's nice!

[Mrs T 2009]

Our room faced the river that the boat was on that took you to DTD. It was not a far walk from the parking lot (we had a rental car because my husband was in between business trips at that point) and it was pretty close to the pool area (we didnt end up being able to use) and the main building. I liked that it was small and close to everything. I do not know about the busses as we had a rental car, Sorry!

I wish there was a middle ground or like you said- an ability to swap app or dessert! We had the TiW card our past visit, since we had annual passes,and it was nice to order whatever ( app and entree or entree and dessert or sometimes app and dessert!) LOL

[Tracy161]

Thank you so much for sharing, so enjoyed following along with you two! It was a great trip!!!!!!! :goodvibes

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

It's always so sad when a trip (and a TR) comes to a close. :sad1: Thank you so much for sharing it with us! I really, really enjoyed following along with your adventures! I hope that you and Zach get back to Disney soon - you know I'll be along for the next PTR! :goodvibes

[DrMomof3]

I'm sad your trip report is over. :sad1:
I think it's good to try new resorts and new things on each trip. We've had resorts that we absolutely love and some that we just liked but staying at different places makes each trip feel fresh.

Amanda

[Nermel9]

So sad that your TR is over! I loved reading about your trip! I think you will both love going in October next year, it's a great time to go and the Food and Wine festival is awesome! I have a hard time deciding what time is better, Food and Wine or Christmas!:rotfl: