Mr. and Mrs. Weak Sauce Go the Distance (a completed Disneymoon TR!)

[RachelNinja]

Bread Service and Bus Stops

Before I start recapping what we did on our first full vacation day, I'm going to add a couple of tweets that I posted from the day before.

We canceled bluezoo ADRs because we didn't want to go so far from our resort, and now we see that Lou Mongello was there tonight! Sad.

Sanaa's shrimp in green curry sauce? Greatest thing EVER. That one dish alone is making me rank it higher than Le Cellier!​

I think it was important to include that because as you can see, Lou Mongello was at bluezoo! Wait, what?!? We missed LOU MONGELLO?!? I couldn't believe it! But then the thought of not having the opportunity to try that shrimp in green curry sauce kinda evens it out a bit. I mean, nothing will ever beat the private conversation we had with Lou and Jim Korkis, so what can ya do?

When we woke up the next morning, we knew that we would be going to Animal Kingdom. I had actually saved the suggestions for parks from Touring Plans a while ago, but I didn't email them to myself or write them down! Whoops! It didn't matter anyway in the long run because we just went with the flow throughout the week. As we started getting ready for the day, I found out that I had woken Howard up in the middle of the night!

Whoops, sorry Howard. I didn't mean to wake you up because of my habit of talking in my sleep! "Wait, WHAT?"​

Haha, I apparently said the "Wait, WHAT?!?" in such a loud and confident manner that it startled him! He knew that I talked in my sleep, but I guess it's totally different hearing it! Don't worry though. I'm not the only one who talks in my sleep ...

We decided to just have donuts for breakfast since we had plans to eat lunch at Flame Tree BBQ when we got to AK. I think I already said it, but I'll say it again. Garden Grocer is definitely the way to go. I know there's another grocery delivery service, but either one you choose is definitely a great way to save money! I personally chose GG because the prices were on the website. I know the other option might have been cheaper, but I didn't really want to find out later on how much we spent. I just wanted to know we had that minimum of $40 and be done with it.

I can't really just have a sugary treat in the morning for breakfast and be full from it. Even cereal doesn't last very long. On work days, I like having something with protein. So it wasn't unusual for me to still be hungry after having a donut! Well, what do you know! We still have Sanaa leftovers in the fridge!

We both finished the rest of the bread service, and I have to say that it was STILL extremely tasty! Those dips were still delicious and even though the bread was cold, it held up well overnight! It just reminded us once again that we would definitely have to go back for another meal during our honeymoon.

Just a few things left to do, and then we'd be ready to go! I don't know what I was doing here as Howard took this mirror picture.

Before we left our room, we found some mail on the floor from Mickey and Minnie! They congratulated us and popped in a card for Photopass. I don't know if there was a deal on it or anything because we didn't even bother with Photopass at all during our honeymoon. In the past, I thought that we might pre-order it, but then it just didn't make sense when you can give the PP CMs your own camera!

We left our room and came upon some workers fixing up the paint in the hallway downstairs. It was interesting to see since I didn't see any issues with the paint that was already there! Guess it wasn't up to Disney's standards.

Oh wait! Now I remember what I was doing in the mirror picture by the sinks! I was trying to touch up my nail polish! It had started to chip, but I didn't have time to redo it before we left, so I just brought the bottle with me. I figured I could just lightly add another layer so that my tips wouldn't show where it was flaking. Apparently, I didn't do a very good job because I got nail polish on my fingers, and I got it all over my other fingers as I tried to rub it off! Haha, it took a while for all of it to come off. I think it took the course of the entire day! Why was my nail polish chipping? It's because I did my nails myself! I wasn't about to pay for a manicure when no one would really be looking at them up close. I had this color for a while, and it worked better than the lighter, glittery pink I had purchased for the wedding. On the morning of the wedding, I had said something about a chip on my thumb, and both the makeup artist and my cousin Nik asked if I had used a top coat. What was my response? What's a top coat? Haha, I mean, I know it's such a silly thing to admit, but I didn't think that doing the other coats were that important! Of course, in the past, my nail colors were always translucent, so you could never tell ...

Anyway, we stood by the Animal Kingdom bus stop that had a good amount of people there so I was glad we didn't just miss one. This is the view to the right. It's the path to the lobby. I appreciated the fact that everything was under a lot of shade.

It's amazing being able to sleep in without rushing to a Disney park since we're on our own schedule!​

I read recently that the Imagineers purposely used a lot of foliage to cover the resort so that you can't see it until you're right there. I think that's pretty cool. Really creates a unique environment.

Still waiting for a bus! It really wasn't that long, but I was eager to get started especially since I didn't want to waste precious time on my feet at a bus stop (if you've read past TRs, you might remember I have a condition called orthostatic hypotension and vasovagal syncope, so standing can be an issue at times because it could lead to palpitations and then fainting).

At least we had a lot to look at!

Finally the bus arrived and since we weren't there the earliest, we waited for everyone else to get on first. I was just so excited to be getting on our first Disney bus EVER!!!

 

[MeMom]

You can't really appreciate the wonder of AKL until you see it for yourself!

So true. It is a warm and inviting place, and you certainly don't feel like you are anywhere close to a 'theme park' when you are here. I enjoyed being there again through your pictures.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Here is where I admit that I am a bit of a Disney bus snob. . . with the exception of the internal bus at Ft. Wilderness, I have never been on a Disney bus. I don't have much patience for waiting, so we always try to rent a car and drive ourselves! I hope the Disney buses were good to you!

 

[Cinderella16]

I am all caught up.

AKL looks amazing...I've only been there once for dinner at Boma and we had such a great time exploring the resort, although I don't recall seeing the catwalk!

Yay for your first Disney bus! (I just went on my first Disney bus last month).

Looking forward to more, as always!

 

[jane2073]

I am totally with you on needing protein for breakfast. I never have cereal anymore. I will either make eggs or we will have the Jimmy Dean Delights breakfast sandwiches. Those do have cheese.
We do have donuts on Saturday morning but lunch is usually earlier too.

 

[shan23877]

I'm not too girly (and a nail biter) so I've never really gotten into the whole 4 coats of polish thing. My 5 year old DD however, really likes a top coat.

I hope that you enjoyed your first bus ride! What nice manners you have letting everyone else on!

 

[marDgreen88]

It must be so weird getting used to sleeping in a bed with someone all the time... especially if they talk! That's hilarious.

Hooray! I love Animal Kingdom. Can't wait to see what you did that day.

 

[Nermel9]

I must seriously be the only person NOT on Twitter. I should join. I'm just so intimidated. It took me forever to join FB and I was so nervous I'd do something wrong, and now that's how I feel about Twitter!

I really want to try Garden Grocer, it's so much more convenient than driving around, looking for grocery stores. I mean, there's a Publix pretty close to Disney, but if I can avoid leaving Disney property as much as possible, that would be fantastic!

Haha, my nail polish always chips too...and I use a top coat! It still chips! I'm just not girl enough to know how to prevent things like that, what can I say?

Yay, your first Disney bus! We went on our first Disney bus last October and we loved it, it's so much fun! I don't think I could ever do a whole trip relying on bus transportation, but it's a nice change when you don't feel like driving!

 

[Merida]

I love AKL so much. There's animals outside! How cool. Those two big rooms by the exit are guest rooms - I think they're the presidential suites? Something like that, the really fancy ones that cost five million dollars a night.

Sanaa looks amazing! We've only ever done Boma (yum) but I really want to try some of the fancier restaurants next time. The food looks amazing and they seem a little quieter than some of the other restaurants. Resort dining is the best

I love those Entenmann's donuts - the crumb topped ones are the best! They're very rare here in Colorado for some reason (Coloradans hate donuts, apparently) and I miss them so much.

Yay for Disney buses! Haven't been on one of them for a long time - now we drive to the parks (in Florida) or (in California) they're not necessary! I'm not sure that I really miss them though, haha.

 

[RachelNinja]

So true. It is a warm and inviting place, and you certainly don't feel like you are anywhere close to a 'theme park' when you are here. I enjoyed being there again through your pictures.

It really is! I'm glad it was our first resort for our honeymoon. I can't imagine being at any of the other resorts. Maybe for future trips though!

Here is where I admit that I am a bit of a Disney bus snob. . . with the exception of the internal bus at Ft. Wilderness, I have never been on a Disney bus. I don't have much patience for waiting, so we always try to rent a car and drive ourselves! I hope the Disney buses were good to you!

Haha, I was afraid it would bother me that we had to factor in a "commute" time because we're so used to cars, but I actually enjoyed it a lot more! Having to park and walk and then get in a hot car at the end of the day would have been too much for me. Of course, I say that because we had pretty good luck with buses throughout the whole trip!

I am all caught up.

AKL looks amazing...I've only been there once for dinner at Boma and we had such a great time exploring the resort, although I don't recall seeing the catwalk!

Yay for your first Disney bus! (I just went on my first Disney bus last month).

Looking forward to more, as always!

I didn't specifically look for the concierge lounge while on the catwalk (I think it's across, one floor up?), but that'd be such an awesome view to have while sitting and eating. I just loved the view from the catwalk and thought about how they should put chairs there, haha.

Disney buses can actually be so much fun!

I am totally with you on needing protein for breakfast. I never have cereal anymore. I will either make eggs or we will have the Jimmy Dean Delights breakfast sandwiches. Those do have cheese.
We do have donuts on Saturday morning but lunch is usually earlier too.

Cereal is the perfect snack for the afternoon or after dinner, haha. In the morning, I want a good ol' breakfast sandwich! We got the Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches from Garden Grocer for 2 of our days since it's 4 per pack. It was nice having something hearty to start off the day!

I'm not too girly (and a nail biter) so I've never really gotten into the whole 4 coats of polish thing. My 5 year old DD however, really likes a top coat.

I hope that you enjoyed your first bus ride! What nice manners you have letting everyone else on!

Haha, I'm not very girly either, but when I forgot to put on my plain ol' translucent pink polish on my toes for our April trip, I ended up buying a purple and a green. And by green, I mean GREEN. I painted my toes and got used to having color there (not my hands though; I only did those for the wedding, otherwise I only do my toes). I think it'd be fun to have painted toenails for the summer! So I thought about maybe branching out into my nails, but I'd need top coat to seal it all in after all that hard work! Haha, how cute that your DD likes it though!

I'm used to waiting at bus stops in NYC. Even when there are a lot of people, MOST of the time, people wait for their turn based on the order they arrived. Of course, there are the ones who just push on the bus. The niceness is usually on the express buses.

It must be so weird getting used to sleeping in a bed with someone all the time... especially if they talk! That's hilarious.

Hooray! I love Animal Kingdom. Can't wait to see what you did that day.

Haha, it really is! I mean, I've slept in the same bed with my family members when vacationing or my cousins when we share a bed at a church retreat, but that would be like, a week at the most. It's been almost 3 months of sleeping in the same bed with someone, and we're getting used to quirks! Howard likes rolling off his pillow and rolling onto mine! That's cuz I have a lower pillow though. It's just so odd!

I can't wait to go to AK in a cooler month! I love it, but I know I'd enjoy it more NOT in May!

I must seriously be the only person NOT on Twitter. I should join. I'm just so intimidated. It took me forever to join FB and I was so nervous I'd do something wrong, and now that's how I feel about Twitter!

I really want to try Garden Grocer, it's so much more convenient than driving around, looking for grocery stores. I mean, there's a Publix pretty close to Disney, but if I can avoid leaving Disney property as much as possible, that would be fantastic!

Haha, my nail polish always chips too...and I use a top coat! It still chips! I'm just not girl enough to know how to prevent things like that, what can I say?

Yay, your first Disney bus! We went on our first Disney bus last October and we loved it, it's so much fun! I don't think I could ever do a whole trip relying on bus transportation, but it's a nice change when you don't feel like driving!

Twitter is fun! I like it on the days when I feel like updating a lot but don't want to bother people on Facebook with my constant updates. That's why it worked for the honeymoon because I didn't want to flood people's feeds. Twitter is basically just status updates.

Garden Grocer was great! If we had a car, we would've gone to the store to save the money, BUT it would've meant spending a LOT more time shopping since we'd probably be debating what drinks to get whereas with GG, we had it all decided ahead of time based on the limited things that GG had available. It worked out really well for us! And they delivered it to our room, so we didn't have to carry the heavy drinks upstairs!

Haha, you and I are a like in that regard! I am not the kind of girl that really knows anything about doing nails and applying makeup. That's why the makeup artist for the wedding was probably like, appalled at me when she saw what my cousins could do! I know how to trim my nails ... when they get too long and break. That's about it!

It'd be nice to have the option of bus AND car! We would've been able to do more with a car like heading to DTD and even getting to bluezoo on our first night. But it worked out for us to have JUST the buses since it was hot and we could get into AC right away.

I love AKL so much. There's animals outside! How cool. Those two big rooms by the exit are guest rooms - I think they're the presidential suites? Something like that, the really fancy ones that cost five million dollars a night.

Sanaa looks amazing! We've only ever done Boma (yum) but I really want to try some of the fancier restaurants next time. The food looks amazing and they seem a little quieter than some of the other restaurants. Resort dining is the best

I love those Entenmann's donuts - the crumb topped ones are the best! They're very rare here in Colorado for some reason (Coloradans hate donuts, apparently) and I miss them so much.

Yay for Disney buses! Haven't been on one of them for a long time - now we drive to the parks (in Florida) or (in California) they're not necessary! I'm not sure that I really miss them though, haha.

Oh wow. I can't imagine what it'd be like to stay in such a fancy room! Haha, if the regular rooms already cost an arm and a leg, those rooms are going to cost a couple more organs!

Sanaa and Boma had different feels just cuz one was a sit down and one was a buffet. I loved them both and so did Howard! I really did like the quieter atmosphere. I don't think I can deal with something like Chef Mickey's, at least not on our honeymoon.

Now every time I see the donuts at the store, I want them because it reminds me of the honeymoon! I can't believe you don't have access to these donuts more often! How sad!

It's really an experience that I wanted to have at least ONCE in my lifetime, and I'm glad to have done it! During a colder month, it'll be nice to have a car though. It won't be hot having to get in!

 

[Mom&RN]

Just found your TR last night and read a bunch last night and this morning to get all caught up! I loved the fact that you included your wedding prior to going to Disney - made the story more Disneymoonish... ok, now I'm making up words! I don't think I'll do a good job at figuring out the cropped pictures but I'm loving your TR.

 

[RachelNinja]

Just found your TR last night and read a bunch last night and this morning to get all caught up! I loved the fact that you included your wedding prior to going to Disney - made the story more Disneymoonish... ok, now I'm making up words! I don't think I'll do a good job at figuring out the cropped pictures but I'm loving your TR.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I like the wedding part too so that I can have a written account of what happened. This TR "forced" me to sit down and write it because otherwise I would've kept pushing it off!

Hope you can join in on the games if you want to!

 

[RachelNinja]

Weak Sauce Points Scoreboard​

Thanks for playing the last 3 rounds! Everyone who played got at least 1 correct, so yay for you guys! Curiouser&curiouser! even got all 3 correct! Just a reminder for the future, please sent me a private message on DIS with your answers. Thanks!

Round 16: Cropped was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (birthday scene) - yay to Curiouser&curiouser! and NeverlandClub23!

Round 17: Cropped was the pre-show for the Studio Backlot Tour - yay to Curiouser&curiouser! and Self_resqing_princz!

Round 18: Cropped was Toy Story Mania when you're about to unload - yay to jane2073, Curiouser&curiouser!, shan23877, Self_resqing_princz, and marDgreen88!

Here's the current scoreboard. Remember, it is possible to get a prize even if you're not in the top 3! A random winner will also be chosen, so don't get discouraged. Get your name up there!

Curiouser&curiouser! - 5
Self_resqing_princz - 4
NeverlandClub23 - 3
shan23877 - 3
jane2073 - 3
kschafer - 3
Jennifer48 - 2
wdwgirl03 - 2
marDgreen88 - 1
therussells08 - 1
Happy Duck - 1

 

[RachelNinja]

The First Attraction of Our Disneymoon

We boarded the bus to Animal Kingdom at the end of the huge group of people. Since the bus goes to Kidani Village first, there were already people on it. We had to stand near the front, but that wasn't an issue. I think dealing with the commutes while living in NYC prepared us for this. We've both had to travel long distances while standing and carrying heavy books, so this was nothing in comparison.

We left the AKL property ... drove a bit ...

... and then we were there? Wait, what? It's really that quick? Haha, we were there within a like, 2 minutes. I wish I had timed it because I couldn't believe just how quick it was. It was good that for the first bus ride and for the time that we didn't have seats, the travel time was so short.

Even in the walk from the bus stop to the front of the park, you could tell just how different it was in comparison to the other 3 parks with the beautiful greenery. Howard loved the light fixtures too, of course.

I was moving right along to the turnstiles. Haha, there are a lot of photos like this as I tend to walk quickly ahead while Howard takes photos.

We were already feeling the heat. How is that possible? We just started our day! So we made a stop in one of the shops and walked through so that we could decide where to go.

How many of you ahve stopped to take a look at the theming of the shops? It's so insane! There's a lot to look at so that it can get overwhelming with all the colors. I though the camel clothing stand/rack was really cool.

So where did we decide to go for our first attraction? It's Tough To Be A Bug. Yeah, we hit ITTBAB for our first attraction of our honeymoon! Haha, isn't that odd? Our first must do was actually Flame Tree BBQ, so that's why we decided to stay in the area.

We are two happy campers!

The queue was a little different than how it was in April. I guess it was due to something falling from the Tree of Life? Not sure if I made that up, but I remember reading about a limb that had fallen.

The wait time said 5 minutes, so I was wondering why we were so backed up. Then I saw that this tunnel was blocked off. I remember going through it the month before, so I realized that's why the wait time was so short. We didn't have to go around the whole tree, but we went through a different door instead.

I think that as a child, I'd be kind of scared of this pre-show space because of how "underground" it all looks.

And there are all these faces everywhere! Is that the intention or am I just seeing the faces in everything?

In the theater, I prepared myself for all the crazy bombardments that occur! Since we went in April, I remembered all the startling things that occurred so I sat down ... at the edge of my seat! Haha, yes, I am one of those people who gets up off the seat when the bugs buzz your bottoms! And yes, I am only one of those people who closes her nose when the stinkbug comes!

Howard was prepared to take a picture of Flik ... (yeah, in the round of Character Scrambler, I think I spelled it as Flick ... whoops, sorry!).

... and of Hopper. And then I reminded Howard that he wasn't supposed to take pictures in the theater, haha. I get nervous about all those things because it bothers me when people don't follow the rules, so I never want to be one of those people who doesn't. Then we heard that there's no FLASH photography, so technically it was okay since we NEVER use flash on attractions. Sometimes the rules change so that always throws me off. I've heard some CMs in certain attractions say NO photography and others so no FLASH photography, so I still get a little nervous either way.

What makes this show so fantastic is getting to enjoy how everyone else reacts to it! There are bound to be first timers in the crowd, and they scream like crazy, and that just blends into the sounds of all the crying children. Haha, it is a rather terrifying thing to have the huge spiders drop down from the ceiling. I can't wait to go back there with my cousins so that I can watch their reactions too! So even though ITTBAB might not be the star attraction of Animal Kingdom, it definitely has its moments!

 

[littlebit0863]

I love your trip reports! Subbing in!

 

[jane2073]

I have read almost all of your trip reports and I am really surprised to find out that you like ITtbaB!!
That show freaks me out! I hate the whole Hopper scene. It starts off so innocently and then goes into a nightmarish downfall!



And I never noticed the faces until you said something....now I see them too!

 

[marDgreen88]

HOORAY, my first Weak Sauce point!!!

Isn't it crazy how close AKL is to AK? When we were on our way to AK last week, I noticed AKL for the first time. I stared at it for a while and then next thing I knew we were entering Animal Kingdom. I was like... well, that was fast...

It's tough to be a bug is a PERFECT first attraction! It's one of my favorites!

Oh, and by the way, you weren't imagining things! Apparently a piece of the Tree of Life did fall! Isn't that freaky?

 

[Nermel9]

Haha, ITTBAB is a weird first attraction, but I guess it makes sense if you guys wanted to go to Flame Tree! I'm terrified of ITTBAB! I've read so many TR's about the bees stinging you through your seats and I am DEATHLY afraid of bees so I've always avoided it! Maybe I should be brave and finally see it, I mean, it does look cute except for the stinging part...and I guess it's not exactly real...

 

[catchmeifyoucan]

Can't wait to hear more about your trip! Your wedding photos are beautiful, and I say, if you're going to spend money on something at your wedding, invest in a good photographer! Of course your entire wedding was gorgeous, so that made the photographer's job easy! And your makeup and dress were awesome as well!!!! All in all, a great success, it looks like. And duh, best honeymoon location ever!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

I knew I got one . . . maybe two . . . but I can't believe I got all three right! Cool!

I'm not sure how I feel about It's tough to be a bug. I like it, but then again I know what's coming. I can't decide if we should take DS (who is only almost 3) on it or not. He loves bugs and he isn't very jumpy, but my luck he'll freak!