(3X Update & FINAL!! 3/24)*~*EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!*~*A Mother/Daughter Feb 2013 TR!

[Tink-erin-belle]

The Little Mermaid ride looks so tropical! I’m glad to see that you got some pool time/laying out time, too! POFQ is gorgeous! Every time you show pictures of different resorts, I want to stay there! First you almost swayed me to still book POP, now you’re making me think POFQ instead of POR! POR has the Royal rooms, though, so I’m going to try to stick with booking there. Unless you show me a different resort, then I might change my mind again Your pictures are so pretty and I love that canopy of palm trees! That was great pixie dust getting on the first boat to DTD! Your views from the boat ride looked amazing.

 

[Tinker326]

Yhea! Update!

Storm isn't due to hit here (Chicago) till this evening... so we are closely watching that weather.......... (mostly me since I work an hour from home and I don't want to get caught in snow and Chicago rush hour!!!).....

Love the pics of FQ- That is TOP of my list of resorts to stay someday. It looks so beautiful. Have I mentioned that unlike some people in life with regular bucket lists.. I have a Disney 'bucket list' and it involves visiting EVERY Disney Park AND staying at EVERY DisneyWorld Resort (Orlando only). Yes, I aim high life . Some want to jump out of planes. I want to stay at resorts! Ha!

Good luck with Storm Q. I don't want it, so keep it South! And if you are really bored..you could.. I dunno... update again!

P.S.- one year from today till Princess?!?! Woot!

I am secretly concocting (sp?) a plan to get there too. I keep telling myself if I survive Wine & Dine- then I'll be in shape..and I should just keep going.. AND just go for the Princess a few months later. I have not shared this plan with anyone (except all the public who might read this). It's all in those Disney grand plans of mine! Ha!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

OH YES, just totally forgot to announce...

1 YEAR FROM TODAY we will be headed to WDW and I will be running the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon!!!!!!!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

The Little Mermaid ride looks so tropical! I’m glad to see that you got some pool time/laying out time, too! POFQ is gorgeous! Every time you show pictures of different resorts, I want to stay there! First you almost swayed me to still book POP, now you’re making me think POFQ instead of POR! POR has the Royal rooms, though, so I’m going to try to stick with booking there. Unless you show me a different resort, then I might change my mind again Your pictures are so pretty and I love that canopy of palm trees! That was great pixie dust getting on the first boat to DTD! Your views from the boat ride looked amazing.

Have you seen my shots from AKL?!?!?!?!!! I think the royal rooms at POR will be awesome! I guess I didn't give my full thoughts on POFQ either, I'll have to do that in the next update...that I guess I will be doing in a few minutes!

Yhea! Update!

Storm isn't due to hit here (Chicago) till this evening... so we are closely watching that weather.......... (mostly me since I work an hour from home and I don't want to get caught in snow and Chicago rush hour!!!).....

Love the pics of FQ- That is TOP of my list of resorts to stay someday. It looks so beautiful. Have I mentioned that unlike some people in life with regular bucket lists.. I have a Disney 'bucket list' and it involves visiting EVERY Disney Park AND staying at EVERY DisneyWorld Resort (Orlando only). Yes, I aim high life . Some want to jump out of planes. I want to stay at resorts! Ha!

Good luck with Storm Q. I don't want it, so keep it South! And if you are really bored..you could.. I dunno... update again!

P.S.- one year from today till Princess?!?! Woot!

I am secretly concocting (sp?) a plan to get there too. I keep telling myself if I survive Wine & Dine- then I'll be in shape..and I should just keep going.. AND just go for the Princess a few months later. I have not shared this plan with anyone (except all the public who might read this). It's all in those Disney grand plans of mine! Ha!

LOTS of sleet and freezing rain right now. Ack!

I am totally torn b/c like you, I wanted to try all the resorts but then I FELL IN LOVE. Fell in love with Animal Kingdom Lodge and I'm unsure that anything will persuade me now from going back there. I thought this next trip in a year we would do CSR, but I keep pricing different ways to try and afford AKL...so I'm unsure I will ever see all the resorts now!

Ooooh, do the Princess too! You can meet up with me! Hey, if you are going to enable multiple TR updates, the least I can do is enable your multiple TRIPS!

and I guess I'll just do another update!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Have you seen my shots from AKL?!?!?!?!!! I think the royal rooms at POR will be awesome! I guess I didn't give my full thoughts on POFQ either, I'll have to do that in the next update...that I guess I will be doing in a few minutes!

YES! I saw your AKL shots! They had me thinking I should get a second job so that I could book there! AKL has always been one of my dreams, and I know the kids will love it, so I hope that I can take them on a quick trip there one day. But believe me, if I get a raise within the next six months, I am booking AKL! And it’s all your fault! Are you seriously about to give us another update? Don’t tease us, Karen!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Chapter 11: Downtown Disney and Dinner

Ok, so since the storm is really shaping up and I have nothing better to do but give in to TR-update-pushers...you get another update! This one may be more rambly though...that's what you get when you push me to do more updates!

First off, I forgot that my ticker told me this morning that it's exactly 1 YEAR until we head back! I will be running the Princess 1/2 marathon...or crawling or walking...I don't care, I WILL do it! The plan right now is 5 nights and I'm concocting a plan and have been pricing. There are a few resorts in the running and we are on the fence at this point. Also, the flights that were so cheap out of that little airport, that Savannah & I took, have been cancelled! This means we may have to drive again. If you read my Jan. 2012 TR, you will know what a horrifying thought this is!

ALSO...haha...I'm just using this update to ramble as we get pounded by this storm! I didn't really give my full impression of POFQ and Rey's reaction to my photos, in the last update! I LOVED the colors and thought it was a really nice looking resort. I loved how small it was and would totally stay there! HOWEVER...

Rey still doesn't like it. He had said previously that he thought it looked like a motel and didn't like the rod iron (wha???) and when he first started looking at my photos, started to change his mind a bit and said it didn't look as bad as he thought it did. Ahem...that's my photography for ya. BUT, he still has no desire to stay there and says it doesn't look like New Orleans, where he has been...and LOVES.

So, it will have to be in a solo trip for me in the future or something, but is off the consideration list for any trip with Rey. Savannah thought it was ok, but when I suggested we stay there snubbed her nose at it...although she does this with ANY resort other than PoP Century.

Alright, on to the actual update!

So, as we were riding up on the boat to DTD, the sun was setting. So beautiful!

As we got off the boat I mentioned to Savannah that if we ended up just staying at DTD that evening and letting the FP go, that was ok too, but we were going to just relax and enjoy now that we were there. That is exactly what we did!

We headed to World Of Disney first

loved this hat for some reason (didn't buy it)

We got hungry after some shopping and headed to Earl of Sandwich! I have wanted to try this place for quite a while! We got there right as it got insane. It was a bit of a mess again, trying to get Savannah food on the QSDP b/c she wanted a salad AND soup, so I just paid OOP for the soup. We somehow got our food out of that madhouse without spilling any of it and headed outside to find a table. We found one in what was a pretty quiet location and I realized that it was right next to THE FOUNTAIN! You know, the one that Savannah & Leslee ran and played in the previous trip?!?!? What a perfect spot!!

You can see the area where we sat to the very right of this shot where the yellow umbrella is (I took it later as we walked by and it's not a great shot, I just snapped it to remember)

The fountain was directly in front of us and this was the view to our right

Again, not another great shot, but honestly, I wasn't thinking about photography this evening, we were really enjoying ourselves and just soaking up the moment!
The food and company was excellent! I would eat here again, even with how crazy getting food was! I had a veggie sandwich and Savannah had a salad and soup.

We chatted, enjoyed our meal, watched little kids run in the fountain and decided that we LOVED DTD more than one fastpass ride on TT and that we were going to spend the rest of our evening at Downtown Disney instead of heading back to Epcot!

Next update, we finish off our night with DANCING?!?!?! EVERYBODY dance now!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

YES! I saw your AKL shots! They had me thinking I should get a second job so that I could book there! AKL has always been one of my dreams, and I know the kids will love it, so I hope that I can take them on a quick trip there one day. But believe me, if I get a raise within the next six months, I am booking AKL! And it’s all your fault! Are you seriously about to give us another update? Don’t tease us, Karen!

Yep, really updated again! It's getting nasty out there, I was trying to keep myself busy...but I could be cleaning or doing laundry. Updates are just more fun!

 

[abbie13_15]

Hello neighbor!!! We're in St. James (outside of Rolla), so not that terribly far from you, about 3 1/2 hours or so! Where are you and your mom staying in June?!??! How exciting!

We are staying off property at the Best Western at downtown disney. It's our usual for a cheap place just for sleeping!

Enjoying my snow day today as I am sure you are too!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Ahhhhhhhh.....I feel so much better now. Not only was there an update for today, but there was a bonus one to make up for yesterday!!

WE love DTD and going by boat from POR or POFQ is the best! It's one of our favorite things to do. We liked POFQ and you are right, it's small compared to most. Victoria definitely likes the pool better at POR. I'm anxious to see if we love POR just as much this year or if 2010 was magical because it was our Disneymoon. I'm not sure. I would like to think it will be just as magical! I absolutely love Old Man Island!

Sorry about your winter storm, but just think.....it's scheduled to roar into Maine on Saturday as a Nor'Easter with 6 to 12 inches of snow predicted. I'm really, really, really sick of this freaking snow! Usually by the end of February we can relax a little and not get so much snow. Not this year! That stupid little groundhog ---- no wonder he's just a rodent and not a meteorologist!!

Now, if you care to ramble on more, please feel free to do another update. I'm at work, but like THAT stops me! Or you could do a "Bonus Scene" type thing like they do in the movies.....hee hee.....

JUST CALL ME PUSHER!!!!!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I hope the storm doesn’t get too severe! But I do hope that we get snow pics later! And updating is WAY more fun than laundry! One year! Wow, I really hope you don’t have to drive next year! I can’t wait to hear what resorts you’re thinking about. Too bad POFQ is off of the table. The colors are gorgeous and the landscaping is so pretty! The pictures you took as you approached DTD were amazing! Plus, the tree with the pink flowers reminds me of cherry blossoms. That’s really nice that you got to sit back and enjoy the moment with Savannah. It looks like you had a wonderful evening. Any chance we’re going to hear about the dancing today? Just kidding! You have to save something for later! So, just kidding. Really. Just kidding… unless you’re gonna do it!

 

[Tinker326]

LOTS of sleet and freezing rain right now. Ack!

I am totally torn b/c like you, I wanted to try all the resorts but then I FELL IN LOVE. Fell in love with Animal Kingdom Lodge and I'm unsure that anything will persuade me now from going back there. I thought this next trip in a year we would do CSR, but I keep pricing different ways to try and afford AKL...so I'm unsure I will ever see all the resorts now!

Ooooh, do the Princess too! You can meet up with me! Hey, if you are going to enable multiple TR updates, the least I can do is enable your multiple TRIPS!

and I guess I'll just do another update!

I think sometimes that's the joy of trying different resorts, you never know when you might fall in love. I will say- it is HARD to go back to mods/values after you've stayed in a Deluxe so I can see where you are coming from with wanting to head back to AKL. In 2006 we saved to stay at Wilderness Lodge..back in the good ole' days when we got a room for $200 there. (loved), then in 2009 my cousin who works at Disney got us 40% off Poly(became favorite resort)...then in 2010 rented points to stay at BLT(liked only for location..too sterile for me!). And when we went back to a mod last summer (CSR) I was like 'eh'. I am looking forward to trying AKL..hope I can find those points!!!

And if I do princess, we shall def. meet up! After race grey goose? Yes. I think so. It's still in my head and not concerete because late Nov through end of Feb is my extreme busy season at work..and even with having been in shape for Wine & Dine.. not sure I can commit to keeping it up those months... I would love to try (and dream) about it happening..... And when my husband rolls his eyes at me when I tell him.. I can say.. .but Karen thinks it's a good idea!!!

 

[wiigirl]

Absolutely love your TR.

 

[luckylady]

Been reading all along but haven't said yet, I'm so glad you took this M&D trip when she is "young" This is a time you can't get back and great for mother daughter bonding and the teen years hit. M DD (25) wants to take her old mom on one but her Grad classes just went up in price. $1220 per class. She is bouncing back and forth. I would love it but think she needs her money for school and gas. THink your DH should give POFQ a try, he will love it. Smaller resort makes everything close by and better yet queen size beds at a Mod. price. My Favorite Mod to stay at. Great updates. Good luck with the ice storm hope you don't loose power. Oh I was born in Mo.but left when I was 8 months old. Have yet to go back one day.

 

[SnowWhite607]

We stayed at POFQ in June and loved it! As a matter of fact, when we go on our Mother Daughter trip next year, thats where we plan to stay. I have knee issues and it was so nice to be at a small resort and have a shirt walk back to the room. We are form Slidell Louisiana which is about 20 miles north of New Orleans so we love the "at home" feel. (although the POFQ is much cleaner than the real FQ, LOL!)

We love DtD! Its always a tradition to make a visit (or two) to Ghirardelli! Yum!! I think I know where your next update is leading...back in 2011 we went to DtD with my mom and she snapped a pic of my daughter and I doing the macarena! LOL!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Hello neighbor!!! We're in St. James (outside of Rolla), so not that terribly far from you, about 3 1/2 hours or so! Where are you and your mom staying in June?!??! How exciting!

We are staying off property at the Best Western at downtown disney. It's our usual for a cheap place just for sleeping!

Enjoying my snow day today as I am sure you are too!

yes, probably enjoying it too much! I just took a 2 hour nap! I never take naps! So, I must know, is the DTD Best Western walking distance to DTD? This may be an option for a cheap trip for us in the future because Savannah really LOVED DTD this time, enough that she kept asking to go back in the evenings instead of the parks!

Ahhhhhhhh.....I feel so much better now. Not only was there an update for today, but there was a bonus one to make up for yesterday!!

WE love DTD and going by boat from POR or POFQ is the best! It's one of our favorite things to do. We liked POFQ and you are right, it's small compared to most. Victoria definitely likes the pool better at POR. I'm anxious to see if we love POR just as much this year or if 2010 was magical because it was our Disneymoon. I'm not sure. I would like to think it will be just as magical! I absolutely love Old Man Island!

Sorry about your winter storm, but just think.....it's scheduled to roar into Maine on Saturday as a Nor'Easter with 6 to 12 inches of snow predicted. I'm really, really, really sick of this freaking snow! Usually by the end of February we can relax a little and not get so much snow. Not this year! That stupid little groundhog ---- no wonder he's just a rodent and not a meteorologist!!

Now, if you care to ramble on more, please feel free to do another update. I'm at work, but like THAT stops me! Or you could do a "Bonus Scene" type thing like they do in the movies.....hee hee.....

JUST CALL ME PUSHER!!!!!

Oh I'm feeling for you! I think we lucked out with this one getting lots of sleet and ice! Just north of here they are getting inches and inches of snow, but our ground is barely covered since it came down as ice instead! There was thunder and everything! I hope it doesn't hit you full force!

I hope the storm doesn’t get too severe! But I do hope that we get snow pics later! And updating is WAY more fun than laundry! One year! Wow, I really hope you don’t have to drive next year! I can’t wait to hear what resorts you’re thinking about. Too bad POFQ is off of the table. The colors are gorgeous and the landscaping is so pretty! The pictures you took as you approached DTD were amazing! Plus, the tree with the pink flowers reminds me of cherry blossoms. That’s really nice that you got to sit back and enjoy the moment with Savannah. It looks like you had a wonderful evening. Any chance we’re going to hear about the dancing today? Just kidding! You have to save something for later! So, just kidding. Really. Just kidding… unless you’re gonna do it!

Storm could be worse, so we are just glad it's not all snow and that we didn't lose power! I haven't taken any pics yet, I think I'm starting to come down with something. Savannah was feverish this morning and it looks like I'm following suit!

If we drive, we will rent a mini-van. There will be 6 of us (Savannah is bringing a friend) and we just don't feel the Durango is reliable enough and refuse to go through the threatening-to-break-down issues again! Still...it's a 17 hour drive with very few stops and that's a LONG drive.

I think sometimes that's the joy of trying different resorts, you never know when you might fall in love. I will say- it is HARD to go back to mods/values after you've stayed in a Deluxe so I can see where you are coming from with wanting to head back to AKL. In 2006 we saved to stay at Wilderness Lodge..back in the good ole' days when we got a room for $200 there. (loved), then in 2009 my cousin who works at Disney got us 40% off Poly(became favorite resort)...then in 2010 rented points to stay at BLT(liked only for location..too sterile for me!). And when we went back to a mod last summer (CSR) I was like 'eh'. I am looking forward to trying AKL..hope I can find those points!!!

And if I do princess, we shall def. meet up! After race grey goose? Yes. I think so. It's still in my head and not concerete because late Nov through end of Feb is my extreme busy season at work..and even with having been in shape for Wine & Dine.. not sure I can commit to keeping it up those months... I would love to try (and dream) about it happening..... And when my husband rolls his eyes at me when I tell him.. I can say.. .but Karen thinks it's a good idea!!!

Yep, Rey said he ruined it for me and now I only want to stay Deluxe! I would have laughed if he told me this previously, I'm not a "fancy" person and don't need all the extras, but AKL blew me away and changed my whole Disney experience. And, being a huge animal lover didn't help!

AHHH GREY GOOSE post drinks!!! I'm all over that! Let's just keep this little idea brewing... if you can do the Wine & Dine, it wouldn't take THAT much training to stay in shape for the Princess! right?!?!?

Absolutely love your TR.

Thank you!!!!

Been reading all along but haven't said yet, I'm so glad you took this M&D trip when she is "young" This is a time you can't get back and great for mother daughter bonding and the teen years hit. M DD (25) wants to take her old mom on one but her Grad classes just went up in price. $1220 per class. She is bouncing back and forth. I would love it but think she needs her money for school and gas. THink your DH should give POFQ a try, he will love it. Smaller resort makes everything close by and better yet queen size beds at a Mod. price. My Favorite Mod to stay at. Great updates. Good luck with the ice storm hope you don't loose power. Oh I was born in Mo.but left when I was 8 months old. Have yet to go back one day.

Yes! I am SO glad to have taken it when she's young. We have a fantastic relationship, but who knows how long she will want to hang out with just me or where our schedules will lead us in the future. It really was a special trip that I will cherish. I cannot WAIT to get the shots on my photopass that really remind me of how much fun and togetherness we had on this trip!

We stayed at POFQ in June and loved it! As a matter of fact, when we go on our Mother Daughter trip next year, thats where we plan to stay. I have knee issues and it was so nice to be at a small resort and have a shirt walk back to the room. We are form Slidell Louisiana which is about 20 miles north of New Orleans so we love the "at home" feel. (although the POFQ is much cleaner than the real FQ, LOL!)

We love DtD! Its always a tradition to make a visit (or two) to Ghirardelli! Yum!! I think I know where your next update is leading...back in 2011 we went to DtD with my mom and she snapped a pic of my daughter and I doing the macarena! LOL!

Ahhh, you've caught on! I bet you know what we encountered! Savannah said it was her FAVORITE thing the WHOLE TRIP. Can you believe that??? Can't wait to share...

 

[WDWaddictt]

We stayed at POFQ and I absolutely loved it. After staying at AKL I still think POFQ is my fav resort or tied with AKL. Quiet (except the food court), small so it doesn't matter where you stay and just an overall beautiful resort. I would stay here again in a heartbeat!

We also have to go to DTD our first night at the world. And EOS is one of our favs. DTD is so fun and there is so much to see and do. We saw a guy play the dijorido (sp...) and guitar and thought it was so amazing (you can find it on YouTube). The next year we went he was there again...amazing! This year we didn't see him, disappointed. Can't wait to hear about your DTD experience.

PS to stay at AKL cheaper try to rent points, that is what we did and I am so glad we did. We saved a lot of money.

 

[WDWaddictt]

The name of the guy that plays the Didgeridoo is Dominic Gaudious. We thought he was fabulous!! Check him out.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

We stayed at POFQ and I absolutely loved it. After staying at AKL I still think POFQ is my fav resort or tied with AKL. Quiet (except the food court), small so it doesn't matter where you stay and just an overall beautiful resort. I would stay here again in a heartbeat!

We also have to go to DTD our first night at the world. And EOS is one of our favs. DTD is so fun and there is so much to see and do. We saw a guy play the dijorido (sp...) and guitar and thought it was so amazing (you can find it on YouTube). The next year we went he was there again...amazing! This year we didn't see him, disappointed. Can't wait to hear about your DTD experience.

PS to stay at AKL cheaper try to rent points, that is what we did and I am so glad we did. We saved a lot of money.

The name of the guy that plays the Didgeridoo is Dominic Gaudious. We thought he was fabulous!! Check him out.

Sounds awesome! So funny that I knew they had entertainment at DTD but never took advantage of it until this trip. We really had fun!

Oh yes, we cannot afford to stay at AKL, even with a pin code. When Rey & I went, we rented points, and we will do the same again if we decide we can afford it. Our biggest issue is that we have too many people! There are 6 of us, so we would have to get a suite ($$$ even renting) or 2 studios. We'll go with 2 studios if we do it, but it's a large chunk of change, so we have to decide if we can pull it off!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Can you believe that we STILL have not yet eaten at Earl of Sandwich???? Your meal there sounds really good!

 

[danimaroo]

I don't know who these update-pushers are, but they have you on a roll! I somehow got like, 3 chapters behind! Wompwompwomp!

So I totally looooved the Little Mermaid attraction, as did Matt. I know it's just a dark ride but I thought it was so well-done! Fortunately, Matt was nice about me taking photos, haha, and I got one that is by far my best attraction photo I took during the trip... which you will see later, promise! I think with the new rollercoaster it's a great addition to Fantasland!

Anyway, true story, and you will see this. I have a very very similar photo to the one you took of Gaston's Tavern/the fountain, haha.. like the same angle!

Your MK afternoon was SO dead, you really did pick an awesome day to go!

Whatever that M&M dessert is looks amazingly good!!

Your shots of POFQ are gorgeous! But I love how Savannah was high-tailing it, hahahaha. I know that feeling all too well!

Your photos of DTD with the sun setting are fabulous, too! Love it.

My love for Earl of Sandwich is infinite! So much so that when they opened one in Disneyland, we obviously had to go there during our trip! SO GOOD.

WHEW, caught up again! YAY!