It's gonna take a lot to take me away from this view! 7/10 - Finished!

[emma212010]

I've said it before, and I will say it again- you take GORGEOUS photos!!

Ugh, I'm in LOVE with BOG!! I've had lunch there once and dinner there twice. Each time was fabulous! My mom is actually eating lunch there RIGHT NOW as I am typing this. Lucky duck. Anyway, your lunch looked fabulous, and I want to go back so bad!

Also, that picture with the sweet little girl in front of the window made me tear up! Such a sweet picture!!!! <3

Looking forward to more!! Oh, and good luck with your move- I'm glad your business is getting out of there! From the sounds of it, it was NOT an ideal place to be.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Yay for lunch at Be Our Guest!!

We got to sit in the Ballroom for dinner last week. So much fun but I hear ya about the photography and the low light setting. You know what actually turned out working pretty well? I used my speedlite pointing it up and bouncing it off the ceilings to take some of the pictures. Also had a gel on it to washout the whiteness of the flash and the pictures turned out decent.

Oh and I had the same dessert as you did for the second time in a row and still loved it.

 

[JulieODC]

Great BOG experience --- so glad the line moved quickly! Love the Christmas décor photos too -- I don't think I've seen pics of it before!

 

[Tracy161]

Wow, your pictures of BOG are making me kick myself even more for not taking the time to eat there back in September! Cannot wait to get there in the future. And you got to go back for dinner, too! Yay!!!

 

[ElenaJane]

Your BOG pics are amazing! I loved that you took a shot of the soda dispensers! So cool they thought of that detail. And mini Snow White looking at the stained glade window? Magical shot! I hope her parents are Dis members and see it!

 

[teekathepony]

I've said it before, and I will say it again- you take GORGEOUS photos!!
Thank you!

Ugh, I'm in LOVE with BOG!! I've had lunch there once and dinner there twice. Each time was fabulous! My mom is actually eating lunch there RIGHT NOW as I am typing this. Lucky duck. Anyway, your lunch looked fabulous, and I want to go back so bad!
Oh wow, jealous of your mom! Hahaha I would love to go back too, like ASAP!

Also, that picture with the sweet little girl in front of the window made me tear up! Such a sweet picture!!!! <3
Kind of sums up a lot about Disney.

Looking forward to more!! Oh, and good luck with your move- I'm glad your business is getting out of there! From the sounds of it, it was NOT an ideal place to be.
I am counting down the days! Next Monday I will be in the new place!

Yay for lunch at Be Our Guest!!

We got to sit in the Ballroom for dinner last week. So much fun but I hear ya about the photography and the low light setting. You know what actually turned out working pretty well? I used my speedlite pointing it up and bouncing it off the ceilings to take some of the pictures. Also had a gel on it to washout the whiteness of the flash and the pictures turned out decent.
I lovvvveeeed the Ballroom so much, what a gorgeous place! I didn't bring my flash, but I was wondering how well it would have worked. Can't wait to see your pictures!

Oh and I had the same dessert as you did for the second time in a row and still loved it.
I think I could eat that every second day and never get sick of it!

Great BOG experience --- so glad the line moved quickly! Love the Christmas décor photos too -- I don't think I've seen pics of it before!

The line was really not as bad as it looked. And the Christmas decorations were adorable

Wow, your pictures of BOG are making me kick myself even more for not taking the time to eat there back in September! Cannot wait to get there in the future. And you got to go back for dinner, too! Yay!!!

Oh man, I recommend to everyone to go there no matter what, it's beautiful!

Your BOG pics are amazing! I loved that you took a shot of the soda dispensers! So cool they thought of that detail. And mini Snow White looking at the stained glade window? Magical shot! I hope her parents are Dis members and see it!

Thanks!
I just couldn't get over all the attention to detail, so incredible.
Isn't that little girl cute? The thought crossed my mind about her parents seeing it too! Haha

 

[cheekypoppins]

I love the chandellier in Via Napoli I have a pic of it too
omg I love where u put that u were gonna go on rides then theres pics of u n johnny sitting on benches that made me giggle a bit
You have the best Bog pics I've ever seen n I so want that lemon cupcake!!!!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

You can never post too many photos of BOG!
That's great you made it in for lunch..and 25 minutes is not a long wait at all!
I will put the quiche on my list to try next time!
Great update!

 

[teekathepony]

I love the chandellier in Via Napoli I have a pic of it too
omg I love where u put that u were gonna go on rides then theres pics of u n johnny sitting on benches that made me giggle a bit
You have the best Bog pics I've ever seen n I so want that lemon cupcake!!!!

I totally want that chandelier in my bedroom.
Thanks! And I want that cupcake too!

You can never post too many photos of BOG!
That's great you made it in for lunch..and 25 minutes is not a long wait at all!
I will put the quiche on my list to try next time!
Great update!

Agreed!
I was so pleased with the wait, definitely shorter than expected.
I loved the quiche, I'd definitely have it again.

 

[teekathepony]

Hi everyone!

So, who else is dealing with the kind of cold weather that burns your face and lungs?

I shouldn't complain, today it's finally getting warmer and tomorrow we have a rain storm forecast. A RAIN storm!

It's Thursday again, my day off and so here I am! Yesterday was my last shift in the old building. We ran out of oil and froze! (It was -25c) How typical, and a perfect way to remember that place. I'm off today and tomorrow is moving day! I'm so excited, I hope I get to stay at the new store and arrange all the merch. Hope to update you guys on that next week!

On another note, I think I'm going to start a PTR soon. I didn't want to have two going, but I do want to lay out all my thoughts and plans for my upcoming trip. We'll see. If I do start one, you will be the first to know.

Now let's get back to the story, shall we?

Wednesday, November 13
A Castle Of A Different Colour


We just finished a wonderful lunch at BOG and were heading for our next FP+:



This would be my first time here and I was so excited! I'd tried to keep away from pictures and videos but really, I didn't do a very good job of that.

The whole area outside is so beautiful, really, really well done.



We got into the FP line, swiped those MBs and away we went, yet again no problems!



Did anyone else think it was a little creepy to nail Ariel to a boat?



I know, I know, who else is Prince Eric going to have for his figurehead? A different mermaid? That would make Ariel jealous. Married to a mermaid (former?) it's not like he could use a dragon or something. Johnny and I just found it a little odd.



It took less than 5 minutes to get in, which is why my pictures skip to here:



I took way too many pictures in there, I narrowed it down a little for you guys. Here they are, they really don't require any explanation!

























Our thoughts?

We loved it! Sure it's no thrill ride, but it's adorable and well done and has all the favourite parts of the movie. Very colourful and bright and exciting. Two thumbs up!

(Continued in next post)

 

[teekathepony]

More wandering around. I didn't take any notes after this point, just having too much fun and feeling too relaxed, but from my memories and my pictures, I can piece it together.



We peeked in, but didn't go right into Gaston's. I thought about trying a Lafou's brew, but decided it sounded too sweet.

Confirmed that he uses antlers even in all of his Christmas decorating.






At this point we thought we might head back to AKL for a mid-day break. This was an alien concept to us before this trip, but seeing as how we were staying at a new-to-us resort (and a beauty at that) we wanted to spend more time there.

On the way out we encountered a bunch of squirrels and birds all in one place. I mentioned to Johnny that it made me feel like Snow White:







Bye for now, Magic Kingdom!



I put my camera away, but I do know that a bus came after a bit of a wait and we got back to AKL. We took some pictures of the hotel as we wandered back to our room.





Someone offered to take our picture:


Too bad it's backlit, I should have popped up the flash. Oh well! Also yet another friendly guest daunted by my camera (though I have to say, carrying that thing around all trip, I got more people offering to take our picture... wonder if they just wanted to test drive an SLR? )

I loved the light fixtures:





We got back to our room and ran for the balcony. Who was out this afternoon?

Scimitar Horned Oryx:


Ankole Cattle:


Giant Sable Antelope:


How pretty are these balconies??


When we had our fill of animals, we changed into bathing gear and headed down to the pool. We had a slide to try!

Well, Johnny did. Here's a video.

He loved it! Meanwhile I was soaking in the hot tub, I had it all to myself!


Until Johnny joined me.





Mmmmm I loved that thing.

After our soak we headed back up to the room to dry, change, and head back out. We did just that, but on the way back out we stopped at some animal viewing places for some different animals:











SO gorgeous. I could have stayed there all day. But we had an ADR to get to that I did not want to miss and the day was getting later. We said goodbye to the zebras and headed for the bus stop!

 

[geckodani]

I do love an afternoon break, I'm not going to lie. I actually structured my trip (3 DAYS!!!) this time around to start in one park and end in another, so we have to at least "relax" on the bus from one to another, and we'll probably end up back at the hotel.

I do love the new Ariel ride. And yes, I find it extremely odd that she's nailed to the front of the boat.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I was certainly really lucky in that there were no photos and videos of NFL when I was first there given that it was the first time ANYONE was there. But that said, pics and vids, though certainly lovely, pale in comparison to the real deal.

AHHH you captured the heart on the Ariel ride!!! I tried so hard to do that but it goes so quickly.

Mmmm LeFou's Brew... You shoulda had one, just sayin'!

I'm just not a hang at the resort mid day type, but then I've always stayed value. Deluxe, I think I would have to. It is vacation after all!!

 

[ZehnJahren]

I didn't understand Ariel nailed to the boat either. Unfortunately, though I LOVE LOVE LOVE the movie, and the Mermaid, I just don't like the ride at all. I think at this time, I was in BOG eating while you were riding TLM!

It's nice to return to the resort in the middle of the day, in my opinion. And AKL is so lovely, and there's so much to see... I remember my last day there I just sat in a rocking chair for about two hours, looking over the savannah area.

The pool and hot tub area is so nice too! I wanted to get in that hot tub on my AKL trip but it was always full of kids. I will miss having a hot tub on this trip, as I'm going on an impromptu 3 night trip in May! I'm staying at ASMu, which I've never stayed at before, but I wanted to keep the trip cheap and with my AP discount, it couldn't get cheaper! I kept debating on doing a PTR for that trip, but since I'm not giving my dates I figured it would be too hard. Don't forget to link us when you start your new PTR!

 

[ElenaJane]

Oh my gosh, the idea of a hot tub sounds so good right now! Such a great resort!

 

[emma212010]

UGH that hot tub!!! It looks absolutely PERFECT on a snowy day like today! I love the Little Mermaid ride too. It's super colorful, and it's really just a feel-good ride! Afternoon breaks are wonderful, and with a view like that! I want to stay at AKL again. We got to stay there for a couple nights this summer, and it was so awesome! Looking forward to more!

 

[teekathepony]

I do love an afternoon break, I'm not going to lie. I actually structured my trip (3 DAYS!!!) this time around to start in one park and end in another, so we have to at least "relax" on the bus from one to another, and we'll probably end up back at the hotel.

I do love the new Ariel ride. And yes, I find it extremely odd that she's nailed to the front of the boat.

We have never done the break thing, but we did like it. I can't believe how close you are!!
Glad I'm not the only one.

I was certainly really lucky in that there were no photos and videos of NFL when I was first there given that it was the first time ANYONE was there. But that said, pics and vids, though certainly lovely, pale in comparison to the real deal.
Absolutely, it's so vibrant and there's activity in every corner!

AHHH you captured the heart on the Ariel ride!!! I tried so hard to do that but it goes so quickly.
Multi shot. 6 frames per second! Haha I had several bad ones too!

Mmmm LeFou's Brew... You shoulda had one, just sayin'!
Next trip, although it sounds too sweet for my liking, I'll split it with Johnny.

I'm just not a hang at the resort mid day type, but then I've always stayed value. Deluxe, I think I would have to. It is vacation after all!!
We have always stayed at value resorts too and never been the mid day break type, but we just wanted to take advantage of the wonderful hotel while we were there! It was a totally different kind of vacation, one where we actually had some rest!

I didn't understand Ariel nailed to the boat either. Unfortunately, though I LOVE LOVE LOVE the movie, and the Mermaid, I just don't like the ride at all. I think at this time, I was in BOG eating while you were riding TLM!
I remember that you didn't love it, you also were stuck on it I believe so that couldn't have helped!
Funny how we were almost overlapping!

It's nice to return to the resort in the middle of the day, in my opinion. And AKL is so lovely, and there's so much to see... I remember my last day there I just sat in a rocking chair for about two hours, looking over the savannah area.
I am usually not one to sit in one place very long, but I did the same at AKL. You put animals in front of me and I'll usually stay put!

The pool and hot tub area is so nice too! I wanted to get in that hot tub on my AKL trip but it was always full of kids. I will miss having a hot tub on this trip, as I'm going on an impromptu 3 night trip in May! I'm staying at ASMu, which I've never stayed at before, but I wanted to keep the trip cheap and with my AP discount, it couldn't get cheaper! I kept debating on doing a PTR for that trip, but since I'm not giving my dates I figured it would be too hard. Don't forget to link us when you start your new PTR!
Ohhh next time we're at a value the only thing I'll really miss is the hot tub. We got pretty lucky with it usually being empty, or at least nearly. So excited for you for May!!

Oh my gosh, the idea of a hot tub sounds so good right now! Such a great resort!

Mmm completely agree!!

UGH that hot tub!!! It looks absolutely PERFECT on a snowy day like today! I love the Little Mermaid ride too. It's super colorful, and it's really just a feel-good ride! Afternoon breaks are wonderful, and with a view like that! I want to stay at AKL again. We got to stay there for a couple nights this summer, and it was so awesome! Looking forward to more!

I've always wanted to do the whole hot tub on a snowy night thing. Some day!
We really loved AKL, I'm so glad we branched out and gave it a try!

 

[amazingact21]

I think the LeFou's Brew is a little sweet, probably not something I'd order very often, so I don't blame you for skipping it that afternoon.


An afternoon break at AKL....just thinking about the idea and seeing photos of you relaxing at the pool and checking out the animals makes me wish I were there right now.
Even though you're not normally a mid-afternoon break kind of person, I think when you stay at a deluxe, it's definitely worth taking the time to tour your resort. I mean, you're paying for the experience of staying there, might as well get your money's worth.

 

[JulieODC]

Totally agree with you on TLM ride! DD just loved the under the sea part!

An afternoon break that involves some time in the hot tub is the perfect way to recharge!

 

[MEK]

I'm so glad you are finally into your new building at work! Yay!

I love your LM pictures. Just perfect.

Wowsa to all the animals outside your balcony. You literally had herds of each type. I have to admit that sitting on the balcony was so compelling. It was really hard to pull myself away from those views.

Nice time to enjoy the hot tub in the middle of the day. I'm glad you took the time to enjoy and relax!