The Greatest Hits: A Trip Like This Needs a Soundtrack!-A July 2012 TR Upd. 5/5!

[JessicaFaye508]

Maybe ill see you at MK tomorrow morning! Say hi if you see me!!

 

[cindianne320]

I can totally imagine reading by the pool- you painted such a wonderful picture!

Hope you are enjoying your trip. I NEED me some Disney ASAP- October is sooo far away!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Loved the Disney bag. I agree SAB is great. Last time we stayed at the BW the Luna Pool was closed so we go to use SAB, so sometimes you can use it when you are at the BW. The pool hair pix cracked me up. Thanks for sharing.

ENJOY YOU TIME AT DISNEY! I AM SO JEALOUS!

Especially since it is snowing here. Looking forward to the finish of your current trip and reading about the new one.

 

[WEDWDW]

Just wanted to pop in and say have fun at AoA!!!!

I LOVE how the CMs there say "Have an ANIMATED day." instead of "Have a MAGICAL day."!

Love the report on Stormalong Bay!(Disney's third water park!)

I can't believe you and Jess are both at AoA!It's like there is a Frump Convention or something going on!

 

[dancin_princess]

Hey I've been a stranger but I just wanted to say have a good time at DISNEY!!!

 

[theEncode]

I am so happy to hear you are back in Disney!!!! And you are going back in May???? I will be there May 30-June 8! Originally I would have been there tomorrow but we had a change in plans. No more changes, I cant take the waiting any longer LOL.

I had been missing your reports, I look forward to them! So glad to hear you got to spend so much time with John! I know when hubby's are away it seems like an eternity before they get back so time is precious!

Have a great trip!!!

 

[dzd]

Enjoying this tr as well Joni.. I have always been a lurker of your TRs. I did want to say that I requested to follow you no twitter in case you were wondering who DZdee was. I haven't really updated my profile on twitter since I only follow journalist really and you now, with your permission.

I also want to say I think your TRs are the best on the DiS! I love following you on your WDW trips and always think to myself how cool it would be to have friends like you and John. My wife and I are big Disney fans and struggle to find people to share that with at the obsessive level.

Look forward to more from your big trip and maybe some highlights from the many others you have had this year and last!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[erinlovesmickey]

I have been keeping up with your trip reports but I have finally decided to start actually posting on the DIS.

I LOVE that beach bag!! Do you know where your in-laws got it?

Hope you are having a great time!

 

[emma212010]

I love how you posted from AoA! I hope you had a WONDERFUL time!! You deserve it!

 

[cutejellybeen]

Love the storm along bay update!! We walked by there on our nov trip . I've almost got jase convinced we should stay there sometime. Though to be truthful, I'm just thrilled he wants to go back at all, AND wants to stay on site lol.

Hope your sister trip was amazing!!

 

[flyergrad09]

That bag from your in laws is so cute! Did they get it from Disney or a 3rd party place?

I loved The Help! I read it last summer on vacation (sadly, not a Disney vacation) and I got sucked into it too.

I can't wait to hear how your sister trip went!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Seeing pictures of that exclusive pool makes me almost change my reservations to Beach Club! ONE DAY. I promise.

I'm a southern girl, too, so I totally get your desire to tan. And, hey, who doesn't like bacon?! I'm not a strong swimmer, either, but I am a pro at propping up in a lounge chair. Talent.

I am actually looking forward to the next time I can have pool dreads.

 

[therussells08]

Maybe ill see you at MK tomorrow morning! Say hi if you see me!!

I'm so sad I missed you on this trip, but I will DEFINITELY be seeing you when I come at the end of May! I can't wait!

I can totally imagine reading by the pool- you painted such a wonderful picture!

Hope you are enjoying your trip. I NEED me some Disney ASAP- October is sooo far away!

Aww thanks! It was such a wonderful experience!

It was am AWESOME trip! And I'm so blessed to be going back in only one month! Don't worry, October will be here before you know it!

Loved the Disney bag. I agree SAB is great. Last time we stayed at the BW the Luna Pool was closed so we go to use SAB, so sometimes you can use it when you are at the BW. The pool hair pix cracked me up. Thanks for sharing.

ENJOY YOU TIME AT DISNEY! I AM SO JEALOUS!

Especially since it is snowing here. Looking forward to the finish of your current trip and reading about the new one.

Thank you! Oh that's awesome that they let BW guests use it sometimes! I think they should be able to use it all the time!

Thank you! It was amazing!

Ughhh snow. No thank you! Yeah, I'm going to try to really get on the ball with this TR so I'm not super far behind. Especially since my next trip is so soon!

Just wanted to pop in and say have fun at AoA!!!!

I LOVE how the CMs there say "Have an ANIMATED day." instead of "Have a MAGICAL day."!

Love the report on Stormalong Bay!(Disney's third water park!)

I can't believe you and Jess are both at AoA!It's like there is a Frump Convention or something going on!

Thank you! AoA was awesome!

I noticed that! I love how creative they are!

Haha I agree with that description of SAB! It is so much better than the average pool!

It is going to be a serious frump convention come May 28th! I feel like half the DISboards will be there!

Hey I've been a stranger but I just wanted to say have a good time at DISNEY!!!

Hi! Thanks for posting! It was an awesome trip!

I am so happy to hear you are back in Disney!!!! And you are going back in May???? I will be there May 30-June 8! Originally I would have been there tomorrow but we had a change in plans. No more changes, I cant take the waiting any longer LOL.

I had been missing your reports, I look forward to them! So glad to hear you got to spend so much time with John! I know when hubby's are away it seems like an eternity before they get back so time is precious!

Have a great trip!!!

Yep, I will be there May 28th-June 2nd! Maybe we will see each other!

Thank you so much! I am going to try really hard to get a bunch of updates posted! I need to get better about this!

Enjoying this tr as well Joni.. I have always been a lurker of your TRs. I did want to say that I requested to follow you no twitter in case you were wondering who DZdee was. I haven't really updated my profile on twitter since I only follow journalist really and you now, with your permission.

I also want to say I think your TRs are the best on the DiS! I love following you on your WDW trips and always think to myself how cool it would be to have friends like you and John. My wife and I are big Disney fans and struggle to find people to share that with at the obsessive level.

Look forward to more from your big trip and maybe some highlights from the many others you have had this year and last!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thank you for reading my TRs, and for following me on Twitter!

Aww thank you so much! That is such a huge compliment! John and I are always looking for new DISfriends! I wish more couples out there were as into it as we are! I bet you and your wife would be so much fun to hang out with!

I am definitely going to get better about this TR! I promise!

 

[therussells08]

I have been keeping up with your trip reports but I have finally decided to start actually posting on the DIS.

I LOVE that beach bag!! Do you know where your in-laws got it?

Hope you are having a great time!

Thank you for posting! I'm glad you are enjoying my report!

They got it from the Disney Store! They've got some new cute ones for this season, I think!

It was an awesome trip, thank you!

I love how you posted from AoA! I hope you had a WONDERFUL time!! You deserve it!

Thank you so much! It was AWESOME! I loved that resort so much!

Love the storm along bay update!! We walked by there on our nov trip . I've almost got jase convinced we should stay there sometime. Though to be truthful, I'm just thrilled he wants to go back at all, AND wants to stay on site lol.

Hope your sister trip was amazing!!

You should definitely stay there sometime! It is so amazing!

It was an awesome trip! Thank you so much!

That bag from your in laws is so cute! Did they get it from Disney or a 3rd party place?

I loved The Help! I read it last summer on vacation (sadly, not a Disney vacation) and I got sucked into it too.

I can't wait to hear how your sister trip went!

Thank you so much! They got it from the Disney Store!

It is such a great book! It's one of my favorites. The movie is great too!

It was a great trip! I can't wait to do that TR!

Seeing pictures of that exclusive pool makes me almost change my reservations to Beach Club! ONE DAY. I promise.

I'm a southern girl, too, so I totally get your desire to tan. And, hey, who doesn't like bacon?! I'm not a strong swimmer, either, but I am a pro at propping up in a lounge chair. Talent.

I am actually looking forward to the next time I can have pool dreads.

You HAVE to stay there sometime! It is so amazing!

Hahaha from one southern lady to another, I'm glad you can relate!

Yeah, I honestly can't complain about pool dreads. That's a first world problem for sure!

 

[therussells08]

Hi everyone! AHHH seriously, where does the time go?! I can’t believe it’s been so long again since I’ve updated my TR! I have been crazy busy with work and getting ready for John to come home (THREE DAYS! ). Also, I did take that trip to Disney with my sister, which was already almost two months ago! Yikes! Anyway, my trip with my mom/epic DIS meet trip is rapidly approaching, so I really need to get busy with these updates! I’m going to see if I can post several today!

"Alouette"- The Delta Rhythm Boys

July 10, 2012

Alouette, gentille alouette,
Alouette, je te plumerai​

Okay if you remember my last update from February (EESH!) you will remember that John and I had just finished enjoying a lovely morning at Stormalong Bay! We had lunch reservations for Le Cellier, so we showered and dressed, and were ready to leave the room at about 1pm!



Ahh, that’s better! No more nasty pool hair!

We walked to Epcot using the International Gateway. Can I just say, I freaking love that thing so much. Honestly, I think I might prefer staying at an Epcot resort even more that staying at a monorail resort. Although, I’ve never stayed at a monorail resort, so I guess I can’t really say for sure. The International Gateway is just so peaceful and beautiful and serene…not to mention SUPER convenient!





As we were crossing the bridge to go into France we stopped to have some PhotoPass pictures taken! The PP photographer was super sweet, and he told me I was the Princess of the Day! Also, he took some of my favorite pictures from the whole trip!











Dawwwww. Aren’t we precious?

I have most of those in black and white framed in my living room now. I also used the one of us looking at each other and smooching on our Christmas card last year. I love them so much!

When we got into France we wandered around the gift shop a little and just did some browsing.



I love all the fancy soaps they sell!





This one smelled amazing and I was really tempted to buy it, but I have ridiculously sensitive skin so I have to be careful what I use or I will break out in a rash. Nerd problems.

While in France I noticed that there was virtually no line to meet Marie, so I decided to go for it! John opted to just take the picture. He said Marie is “too girly”. Haha I guess he draws the line at fluffy white kittens wearing a pink bow. I can respect that. We all have our limits.



I love how I’m basically clinging to Marie for dear life in that picture. Creeeep.

After going to France we still had some time until our 1:45 lunch reservation at Le Cellier, so we wandered over to the UK. We went into the tea shop, and I spent some more time obsessing over the Alice in Wonderland tea set.



I made a solemn vow that I would buy that set when my sister and I went to Disney in March, but when we went it was GONE! I was so bummed. Hopefully they were just sold out and they’re going to bring it back, because I still really want it.

I’m not a wine drinker, but I did love this glass. It says “Her Majesty”. After all, the PP guy said I was the Princess of the Day!



We decided to wander through all of the UK gift shops. They have such cute stuff!



PADDINGTON BEAR. Does anyone else remember him from our childhoods? My grandma used to baby sit me when I was little and my mom would work, and we would always watch his show together. I remember this one part where Paddington Bear rang this lady’s doorbell, and the woman answered her door and said to her husband, “Honey, there’s a bare (bear) man at the door!” and my grandma always thought that was the funniest thing EVER.

John spent some time admiring all of the swords and stuff.



We also went into the shop with all the jewelry, and I noticed they had a replica of the engagement ring that Prince William gave to Kate! It was really pretty and I stood there for a while obsessing over it. While I was looking, a really sweet CM behind the counter noticed our anniversary buttons and wished us a happy anniversary. She asked us if Mickey and Minnie had told us happy anniversary yet, and we said no, so she “called them” on the phone behind the counter and they sang to us! It was so adorable, and such a sweet surprise!

When we left the UK we figured it was about time to make our way to Canada for lunch! As we were walking into Canada I overheard the most adorable conversation between a teenager girl and who I presume was her little sister. It went something like this:

Teen (looking at map): “We’re going into Canada now…”

Little girl: “First we were in Florida, then the UK, and now CANDA?! I’m confused!”

Haha Epcot will really mess with a child’s geographical knowledge. It was so cute!

Up next: Lunch at Le Cellier! Stay tuned!

 

[monica23535]

Hi Joni,


Nice to see you updating again!

Wow, 3 days until John is home? How fantastic!

I love those Photopass pictures, they really are awesome and I don't blame you for having them in your living room. It must be awesome being able to look at them everyday!

 

[therussells08]

Hi Joni,


Nice to see you updating again!

Wow, 3 days until John is home? How fantastic!

I love those Photopass pictures, they really are awesome and I don't blame you for having them in your living room. It must be awesome being able to look at them everyday!

Hi! Thank you so much! It's good to be back!

Yeah! I can't believe it! The second part of this deployment has really flown by, thank goodness!

Thank you! It is so nice having them to see everyday! They are a great reminder of a wonderful trip!

 

[therussells08]

"O Canada"- The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

July 10, 2012

Instrumental​

LUNCH TIME! Yum! John and I were both famished, and more than ready for an awesome lunch at one of our favorite Disney restaurants!



When we checked in for our lunch reservation at Le Cellier it was about 1:30, so we were 15 minutes early. We figured we would just take our time making our way down the lovely path to the restaurant!



I love that whole area! It’s so pretty!



Luckily, when we made it to the restaurant we were seated immediately! Score!

We were seated in Alberta, and our waitress was named Vatsana. She was very sweet, but a little bit spastic. I wrote in my TR notes that she reminded me of Corky Romano when he accidently snorts an illegal substance and then has to give a presentation to a bunch of elementary school kids. If you’ve never seen that movie, please disregard that reference.

John and I were both feeling a little drained from being in the sun all morning, so the dark Le Cellier dining room was perfect!



I’m going to share this picture of me with all of you because I know you’re nice and you won’t judge me for looking like I just took twenty muscle relaxers.



Here was the view from our table. Please ignore the offended looking lady staring at my camera! I think it must have been the fact that I was pretty redneck about it and used the flash...I probably blinded the poor woman.



I ordered a sparkling water for my beverage, and John went with a Canadian beer.



What did I learn from this experience? I don't like sparkling water.



I now present to you, in stunning high definition (haha JK my camera is a piece of junk)… Le Cellier food pictures!

THE BREAD BASKET, aka, the amazing pretzel bread...and that other stuff I never eat.



I, of course, had to get a cup of the fabulous cheddar cheese soup!



As a side we decided to split an order of poutine, which John loves. If you’ve never had it, it’s basically French fries smothered in gravy and cheese.



I ordered my favorite meal in all of Disney World as my entrée, the mushroom filet mignon with the mushroom risotto. LOVE. IT.



John went with the New York strip steak, served with cream cheese mashed potatoes. I’m not sure exactly how he ordered his cooked, but I’m thinking it fell into the “still mooing” category.



We decided to split a chocolate moose for dessert, because you just can’t go to Le Cellier without ordering a chocolate moose. While we waited I was acting goofy and John was playing around with the settings on my camera, so we ended up with this demonic looking picture of me.



When they brought our moose out he had a special message for us!



How cute!

You know what time it is…time for a dining review!!!

Service: Vatsana was really nice, but a little too crazy for my taste. She needed to calm down a little bit, but I appreciate her…um…energy.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was great! After a long morning in the hot sun, the dark and private dining room was just what we needed! Also, it’s the kind of atmosphere you need in order to be able to eat such a rich and heavy meal!

Food Quality: As always at Le Cellier, the food was amazing. The soup was perfect, and my steak was stellar. I thought John’s steak looked a little plain, but he said it was great. This was our last time eating here when they still served lunch portions, and I’m really bummed they stopped doing that. When my sister and I ate there for lunch on our March trip and we got the dinner sized portions it was just too much food! I wish they would reconsider that decision, because I think it’s going to affect their business.

Overall Dining Experience: Overall, this was a pretty awesome meal. The only downside was that I was feeling a little run down from the sun, so I didn’t enjoy it maybe as much as I usually would have. Still, it was wonderful!

Overall, this meal receives the following rating:

Category 1- Remy​

​

What can I say? You just can’t go wrong with Le Cellier! Although I will be eating there much less now that they no longer have a separate lunch menu. Oh well! Sometimes we don't agree with the changes Disney makes, but we have to have faith that they know what they're doing!

After our lunch it was time to walk off some calories around Epcot! Hopefully all that sun won’t get the best of me! Stay tuned!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

PADDINGTON BEAR!!! I LOVED him as a child (okay, so now, too...). I have a puppet of him that I passed down to my kids. My dad gave it to me when I had to have a cardiac cath procedure when I was little. He bought it at the gift shop of the hospital, and it holds SUCH special memories for me. I still choose marmalade over regular jelly just because of PB.

I am more than a little obsessed with all things British, so I have a hard time going through that gift shop without wanting all the things. I spent three summers living in London during college, and it was completely unnecessary and didn't help my degree at all. Just cause. Cause elementary school teachers need to study sociology and creative writing in a foreign country?? Yeah, maybe not.

I agree with Epcot messing with kids' geographical sense, but it's good for my kids because they aren't making it overseas for a while...there's just too darn many of them! So I'm like, "LOOK! You have been to France! Tell all your friends." My parenting skills are awesome, by the way.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Yes, I totally replied before you posted a second update. So, more comments.

I love those gardens back there! I tell Brandon that I want to plant lots of colors like that around our house, maybe put in a pond...and then he reminds me that we both have black thumbs, so I just take a picture and move on.

We've never been to Le Cellier before, though.
We will. But the problem with Epcot is that there are just too many good snacks and too many good places to eat, both in the park and within walking distance through the International Gateway. Just too many possibilities! I guess that means more trips.
I would have ordered exactly what you ordered, sans sparkling water. Blech!

Glad you enjoyed your meal and got some nourishment and a bit of rejuvenation from the darkness.