Deluxe DDP and Food & Wine???…loosen your buckle a notch cause here we go!

Wow - great pics!!! And your AP dinner looks yummy.

So sorry that you had to experience an injury. I hope that it doesn't impact too many days of your trip.
Thanks...I do go overboard when it comes to my camera. AP dinner was fantastic as far as the leg goes???:sad2:
 
The pics of your resort/room are lovely. And I enjoyed the pics of the Lego Buzz/Woody - too cute.

Seeing pics of WL makes me smile - it was the very first resort we ever stayed at.

Oh my, reading about your leg made me wince. I do hope it has healed well since then.
CR was really nice. Those lego creations at DTD are unbelieveable. I really like WL...so much that we'll be spending a few days there next fall.:yay:My leg is still an issue. I go see my doc this Tuesday.:sad2:
 
Oct 19th…A Day at SeaWorld!

We got up kind of on the late side, me first followed by Dan and finally Heather. We had a morning ADR for Kona Café and had I not felt so rough we might had made it. So we decided to forego breakfast and get ready for our adventures at SeaWorld.

This was the first time we would be at the World without our own transportation so I knew we needed to adapt. I had read about the Lynx bus that you could catch at the Ticket & Transportation Center that would drop you off near the vicinity of SeaWorld and pick you up after and for only 2 bucks per person each way, it seemed like a deal. Notice, I said seemed……We took the wrong bus due to dear hubby’s instruction’s and ended at Magic Kingdom and since the monorail was kind of busy we opted to take the ferry across the lagoon to get to the buses. We had a pleasant ride and went directly to the buses where we found Lynx #50 just arriving.

We waited for the driver to return who I guess was taking a break and by 10 am we were on board. The ride was quick, stopping occasionally to pick up riders and then we were dropped at the stop. I heard it was a little walk but a bit further than I anticipated mostly due to my limping status. We got off the bus, walked down the road and then had to cross the parking lot to the main entrance. Now early on I thought since we were only spending one short day at the park that I would take advantage of Quick Queue Unlimited, SeaWorld’s version of Fast Pass. Twenty each felt reasonable to not wait forever, but….there weren’t any lines. Think twice about this as for us it was extremely quiet. We never really needed it or really used it.
The Monorail resorts from the ferry...
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We knew we wanted to eat at Sharks Underwater Grill and had no problems getting a reservation for 2 pm. So we walked around and took in the sights, did some shopping and listened to some little pot and pan band…Cute.
Shots around the park
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All of sudden the skies turned black and the wind was blowing things over. Thank goodness it was time to eat. I checked us in and we were taken to our table right away. I was pleased to see that our hostess was leading us to the front of the restaurant to a nice table right in front of the tank. In 2004 we sat way at the back and though I thought the view was spectacular this had to be better…and it was.
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We ordered drinks and apps and somehow all chose the same entrée. The menu was similar just about 5 bucks more per entrée than in 04...not bad.

Sea Dragon's Punch - Bacardi Dragon Berry, fresh lime juice, sweet & sour with a splash of cranberry
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Sea Turtle Splash - Dark Rum, Coconut Rum, Blue Curacao, Melon Liqueur, Pineapple Juice with a splash of sour mix
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Shark Attack - Blend of cognac, amaretto, crème de noyaux and tropical juices
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Heather said I should have taken a picture of all the drinks together as we had a kind of stop light thing going on. Lol! She was right.
Rolls and butter
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Stuffed Mushroom Trio - Stuffed Chorizo Mushrooms topped with Habanera Cream Sauce, Ancho Chile Buerre Blanc and Tomato Citrus Sauce. Served on fresh baked crouton and accompanied with a mustard chimmi churri slaw
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Soup of the Day - Lobster Bisque
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Shrimp Pasta Alfredo - Jumbo shrimp, Sun dried Tomatoes, Onions, Mushrooms and Penne Pasta tossed in a creamy Alfredo sauce and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese…delicious!!!
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Too full for dessert….
After lunch we settled a bit and toured the park before heading to Manta. With my injury I knew that I couldn’t handle it so I found a place to sit and wait while Dan and Heather got in line…a short line.
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To be continued next post...
 
Once off Manta we headed to Kraken which I was able to ride. Next was Wild Artic and it’s all we could do to keep from laughing as the door you exit kept shaking and opening. That’s not the way I remembered it at all. Lol! We got a glimpse at a Beluga, a peek at one Polar Bear ( not sure if it was Klondike, Snow or an offspring or someone all together different.)
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We caught some cute Halloween decorations as SeaWorld only does Halloween on the weekends. We went shopping again, grabbed a Shamu bar, picked up our photos and headed out of the park.
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No Sea Lion and Walrus show, no One World with Shamu, and the observation tower was closed due to high winds. Basically I paid close to $300 for not much. The park closes at 6 and it really needs some TLC. It was quite honestly, vacant and kind of sad. The highlight of my day was honestly, Sharks Underwater Grill and though I feel this was our last trip to SeaWorld, Heather swears it was worth it just to ride Manta.
Various shots of SeaWorld
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Our Park Photo…aawww…Baby Shamu…too cute!
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We left the park at closing and there wasn’t any great rush. We stood at the stop and a bus showed after nearly 20 minutes just to tell us we had to cross the street and go to that stop. Huh??? We crossed and waited about another 20 minutes and wouldn’t you know it was getting dark fast. Dan was sure we would die at that bus stop until another group of people joined us and the bus showed up shortly after. My hubby is definitely a country boy where as I used to take the bus to get around when I totaled my car…(a whole different story!)so I kind of knew how buses worked but I don’t think I would do it again. The Lynx #50 is not for us but it is definitely a cheaper alternative. Maybe when the park doesn’t close so early.

Next...Yet another change in dinner plans???
 
Great TR and fab pics! We've requested Cabanas 8A or B for our first visit, even your pic of maps etc is getting me excited :lmao:. Sorry to hear about your injury!
Looking forward to reading some more :goodvibes
 
Some of our group has come up with invitations for part of our reservations.; I would still love to have these:

1.) Some kind of "welcome letter" to Gavyn & Easton for Dec 12-19 and a second welcome letter to Rebecca, Emily and Olivia for Dec 13-19

2.) An invitation to Mama Melrose's for Sunday Dec.18 at 4:55 pm
One for Gavyn & Easton and One with Rebecca, Emily & Olivia

3.) One last question; someone made me tickets to MVMCP, but they print on the entire page, I have a MAC and have spent hours trying to shrink them - would you have a way to possibly make 5 tickets on one page, so I could just print them out, cut apart and laminate them? If so, you would be a life saver - I have almost made myself crazy on this MAC trying to reduce (finally called tech support, "they say" it isn't possible - I find that hard to believe, but that's another story:confused:)
If you have time for this last one, the names would be the same as above, Rebecca, Emily, Olivia, Gavyn & Easton and the date is Dec 14th.

Thank you so much.....your work and all of the work on here is amazing!
We appreciate all you do.:worship:


I'm sorry if I am out of place here. I love, love, LOVE all of your disigns!
We are planning our family trip (family of 12) in December 2011. I would love to have some of your amazing creations to make the five grand kids trip that much more awesome! If you have time, could you please make invitations for the following? I understand completely if you are extremely busy and will settle for absolutely any you have time to do.....

ANY KIND of Christmas disign...... (prefer: Micky, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, etc
or Toy Story / Cars)


Invite #1. To:Disney World, Gavyn and Easton, for Dec 12 - 19

#2. To: Disney World, Rebecca, Emily & Olivia, for Dec 13 - 19

#3. To: Cinderella's Royal Table, Rebecca, Emily, Olivia, Gavyn &
Easton 12/14 - Lunch (no time please)

#4. MVMCP - December 14, 2011 7:00 pm, Rebecca, Emily, Olivia,
Gavyn & Easton

#5. Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House 9:00 am, Rebecca,
Emily, Olivia, Gavyn & Easton

I really appreciate any of these and once again, I hope I am posting in the correct spot. :confused3
 
We love the Kraken!!! :thumbsup2 And we've always enjoyed Sea World... I hope they do the TLC and keep the park up to snuff...
 
Subbing Linda! I'm so sorry you injured yourself on the first day! I hope it got better as the trip went on. Can't wait to read more!!!!!!
 
Hi everyone. I hope you all had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I apologize for the lapse in my TR. It was not for lack of trying I assure you.:goodvibesLife had been busy and a bit unkind the past couple of weeks. My dad's car died so i've been doing my parents errands and bringing him to look for a new one and my mom just got out of the hospital after suffering from congestive heart failure.:scared1:It was a scarey time but she will be ok. She's home and doing well under my watchful eye. So on with these responses and this TR.:thumbsup2
I m subbing in!
Welcome.:cool1:
Great TR and fab pics! We've requested Cabanas 8A or B for our first visit, even your pic of maps etc is getting me excited :lmao:. Sorry to hear about your injury!
Looking forward to reading some more :goodvibes
Thanks...You will love CSR!
We love the Kraken!!! :thumbsup2 And we've always enjoyed Sea World... I hope they do the TLC and keep the park up to snuff...
I hope so too.:goodvibes
Subbing Linda! I'm so sorry you injured yourself on the first day! I hope it got better as the trip went on. Can't wait to read more!!!!!!
Welcome...we'll see.:rolleyes:
 
October 19th...continued

Once back we took the Disney bus to our resort and by now lunch was just a memory. We had an ADR at Citrico’s for dinner but due to my injury we let it go in favor of the local flavor of the Pepper Market. I reminded Dan that next time signature dinners will be charged for a no-show so we better start showing. He agreed and then we entered a new dining experience.

Our server was very sweet and explained how you make your orders at the different stations and when you are done you pay on your way out. Seemed easy. We ordered drinks and then went about checking out the different offerings, our ticket stamped after each order.
Mango Blueberry Basil Margarita - Camarena premium silver tequila, coconut rum, orange juice, mango, blueberries and basil served on the rocks with a cactus lemongrass salt rim
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Pineapple Margarita - Camarena premium silver tequila, ginger liqueur, agave nectar syrup and fresh lime juice served on the rocks with a cactus lemongrass salt rim.These were $12.50 and worth every penny!
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Ribs, fries and slaw
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Philly Cheese steak - sandwich roll, onions, bell peppers, Swiss cheese
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Margherita pizza- mozzarella cheese, plum tomatoes and basil
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Market Nachos - chicken, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, jalapenos and cheese sauce
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Chocolate Mousse cake
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Strawberry Cake
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Big M&M cookie
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With our dining plan our server explained that this was counter service and told us to get the most out of our plan we should get 4 drinks and another dessert. So she got us 4 bottles of water which we took with us and we grabbed another cookie on the way out. It was a great meal.

On our way back to our room we took a walk to the Dig Site to see the pool and nosed around the property for a while. My bum leg was feeling a little stiff so we decided to call it a night. I thought I was doing pretty good though, so I told Dan that tomorrow I wanted to return the wheelchair in case there was someone there who really needed it.
A couple of images around El Centro
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I was just fascinated by this ceiling:lmao:
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The Dig Site…Really neat pool
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The bridge by night
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The view from the beach
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Next…A visit to Animal Kingdom and MNSSHP…Oh-oh, should I have kept the wheelchair???
 
Enjoying reading about your trip. Wow, that leg injury day one must have been a bummer! I had a one day loss at DW when I decided to ride Mission Space. I don't typically have motion sickness, but that ride did me in for an entire day and it was the first and only thing I rode that day other than the bus. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

Melanie
 
Great TR! I love your pictures! Sorry about the injury.
How in the world do you have time to do a TR and designs for others? You're amazing! We all appreciate it!
 
Enjoying reading about your trip. Wow, that leg injury day one must have been a bummer! I had a one day loss at DW when I decided to ride Mission Space. I don't typically have motion sickness, but that ride did me in for an entire day and it was the first and only thing I rode that day other than the bus. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

Melanie
Thanks for reading. I can relate to you with Mission Space. The first time I rode it I was fine. My DD wanted to ride again and after that I was disoriented for sevral hours after. I had to sit for a long time and waited as they rode a third time. Now I ride the slowpoke version.:lmao:
Great TR! I love your pictures! Sorry about the injury.
How in the world do you have time to do a TR and designs for others? You're amazing! We all appreciate it!
Hi there, my time is spaced out. Usually have to wait until DH goes to work in the evening. He plays WOW and other games.:rolleyes1He's getting his own laptop soon despite the fact that the desktop is all his.:banana:
 
October 20th

Animal Kingdom then on to Mickey’s Halloween Party…



We each got up at our own pace…me first as usual. Heather said she was feeling better but I could tell that she really wasn’t. My leg didn’t seem any worse for wear but it was very swollen and discolored. Despite that I decided that I would return the wheelchair and move along on my own. I took my time walking to El Centro taking some pictures of the grounds on the way, where we caught the bus to the Animal Kingdom.
Shots around Coronado Springs
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When we arrived it didn’t seem all to busy as it did in past trips. I had the backpack so I got to go through the checked bag line while Heather and Dan cruised on easily through and waited for me which wasn’t a long wait at all. We knew that we wanted to see the Festival of the Lion king and arriving early we found ourselves surrounded by characters and since we never had our pictures taken here it was a great opportunity. Heather and I moved around getting our Photopass pic’s taken while Dan kind of stood back and watched. He hides from the camera all the time unless the mood strikes him…or I do. Lol! We had our photo taken with Meeko, Thumper and his girlfriend, Goofy and Donald. The line for Mickey and Minnie was super long and show time was nearing so we got in line and soon entered the theater.
Expedition Everest from the bridge (enhanced image)
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Some friends of Donalds
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Our character pictures
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Honestly…this one with my camera came out better than the Photopass one
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We got a great seat and the show was just as wonderful as I remembered it, which was 7 years ago. When the show ended we all felt it was time for a snack and a turkey leg would do the trick. I took a couple of shots of the Tree of Life, running into Devine along the way. I’m still so fascinated by her and the way she moves…the look on peoples faces when they see her for the first time.

We stopped at Tril-O-Bites where we purchased our coveted snack and looked for a place to sit but ended out standing. At this point we were being approached by some curious birds as well as some onlookers that I believe never saw a turkey leg before. Let’s just say that they did not respect our personal boundaries and got a wee bit too close as far as Heather was concerned. “I could feel his breath on my neck,” she told us later.
Festival of the Lion King
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Devine
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Dan with our snack
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Some curious (scavengers) onlookers
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Tree of Life (enhanced image)
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We didn’t do all that much and I feel responsible for that. We did ride Expedition Everest, and Prehistoric Whirl and did some shopping per usual but soon it was time to leave for our reservation at Grand Floridians Garden View Tea Room. So we made the long leisurely stroll out of the park and headed for the buses. I have noticed through the years and our visits that we are spending less and less time at AK. Don’t get me wrong I do love this park and over the years we have done everything that there is to do but next time we will skip this one…I don’t know maybe when Avatar land opens.:goodvibes

Continued on next post....
 
We took the bus to the Ticket and Transportation center where we caught the ferry back to the Magic Kingdom to take the monorail to the Grand Floridian. Whew! I checked us in and feeling terribly underdressed we waited about 15 minutes before we were called to our table. This is a very small place compared to others so I could see why you definitely needed ADR’s to get in. A bride to be and her wedding party were really upset when they were turned away. Seems it doesn’t matter if you are getting married the next morning at the GF. No ADR no entrance.
View from the ferry (enhanced image)
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The GF in all her glory
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When we were seated I felt a little better seeing all kinds of people in all kinds of dress. Our MNSSHP t-shirts didn’t seem so out of place. It was extremely casual to very tea-like I’d guess you’d say. Our sever Dottie was an absolute sweetheart. We place our order and our first ever tea began. Heather chose the Princess Kate Tea with Vanilla Earl Grey, me the Grand Tea with the Garden View Blend and Dan the Russian Earl Grey, also with the Grand Tea. Dan and I got cute little china tea pots while Heathers was of the pressed pot kind. Heather also had a glass of champagne, while Dan chose sparkling wine and I pushed it up a notch with the Iron Horse Cuvee, something I have always wanted to try.
Our Garden View Tea experience
Princess Kate Tea
Potted shrimp and toast points with Veuve Cliquot Champagne
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Vanilla Earl Grey with pressed pot
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Assortment of fruits and cheeses
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Cheese biscuits
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Special pastries
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The Grand Tea
Tea sandwiches ( watercress and cucumber…egg salad…shrimp salad…curry chicken salad and gorgonzola with pear) with Domaine Ste-Michelle sparking wine and Iron Horse Cuvee (ok…they look alike)
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Tea with and without cozy
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Scones and jam tarts
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Tea pastries….Pistachio swan and chocolate strawberry
Pina colada swan with mini éclair
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Our wonderful server, Dottie
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Dan didn’t think that this would be a filling meal but it certainly was. I loved trying the Iron Horse Cuvee but honestly I don’t know what all the hype is all about. I loved this dining experience and would definitely do it again…maybe get a bit dressed up next time though.

Enhanced images you wonder? I've been playing around with a new Photoshop plug in...thus the larger images. More will come, I'm afraid.:thumbsup2

Next…On to Magic Kingdom and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!
 
I'm in! I just found you TR and loving it so far!

I've always wanted to do the tea at GF. The pics look great!!!
 
Joining in !! We are sailing on the Dream in April, but doing the parks first. So I am interested in your perspective on that. Thanks so much for sharing !!
 

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