An Aussie's Journey. Our final meal before coming home (food porn)....the last post!

[disneydaft]

Originally Posted by TokyoDina

I love Dinosaur! It reminds DH of Indy but we both prefer Indy of Dinosaur. I think it's cause we love the Indy movies so much!

It's the same ride, well the track layout and the vehicles are the same. It's just the scenery/theming etc that are different.

Loving the trip report

[PrincessInOz]

Originally Posted by Luvchefmic

MICKEY heard that ! ( with those ears did you really think he wouldn't..?..You're in trouble !!






So I took your advice & everyone elses & will be going there 1st thing July 4th for breakfast,,oh oh now I will be in trouble ! ! Keep your TR coming

I love this picture of Mickey!
And if I'm in trouble for saying that the TH breakfast was better than CM, how much trouble are YOU going to be in when he finds out that you've booked breakfast there???

Originally Posted by cdotla

All caught up!

Thanks so much for posting that pancake recipe! Yours looked amazing and I can't wait to try your receipe rather than the Aunt Jemima mix!

I am also in desperate need of a Mickey pancake mold. Stupidly I saw these and thought they were for a giant cookie. I bought the smaller cookie one but would have also picked up the larger pancake one too if my brain had been working right? Oh well, I will just have to do what I have done in the past in connecting the circles on the grill pan.

Sounds like you had a great time at Tusker House. Our experience was a little different.

Can't wait to try Kim Possible. Last 2 trips we did not get to experience it.

And I am thinking that we must have been at BCV the same time and didn't know it!

Can't wait for more!

Let me know how the recipe turns out in Canada! And if I make it back to WDW in October, I'll let you know....if you want the pancake moulds, I'll get them and send them to you . Now all I need to do is work out if I'm going....

If I recall our PTR plans correctly, I think you were checking out of BCV on the day that we checked in. We were checking in on the 9th of May....

Originally Posted by manntra

The juice served at Tusker House is the same that is served at Boma. I found the recipe online somewhere...and while it tasted good....it didn't taste like the real thing. Or maybe it was because I wasn't able to drink it with mass quantities of food
That is a great picture of the giraffes....I love trying to catch them with their tongues out
It seems as if the crowds were much lower after I left on the 7th? Hope you started feeling better

Tracy

Yes, I think the crowds were slightly better in the week of the 10th. I'm going to have to google to find that juice recipe!

Originally Posted by TokyoDina

I love Dinosaur! It reminds DH of Indy but we both prefer Indy of Dinosaur. I think it's cause we love the Indy movies so much!

I'm sad you still were't feeling well. What happened I wonder? I hope you stay to feel better over the next couple days of your trip!!

Thanks! Stay tuned....

Originally Posted by disneydaft

It's the same ride, well the track layout and the vehicles are the same. It's just the scenery/theming etc that are different.

Loving the trip report

Welcome and thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll stop by again .

Yes, it's funny, isn't it? The Dinosaur at AK and IJ ride at DL are similar if not identical rides...but yet DH loves Indy but didn't like the Dinosaur much. He found it too jerky... Go figure!

[PrincessInOz]

It was our last night at POR and our stay here has been great. POR was my moderate resort of choice because of the food court and because it offered boat transportation to DTD.
Up until this point, we’ve not had the opportunity to make full use of boat transportation.

So, after dinner and given that it had just gone 8.30 pm, we decided to head to DTD.



DS wanted to take a photo of us on the boat and asked us to pose for a photo.



And then snapped another one of us after we stopped posing and relaxed.



5 full days at the parks was catching up on us!

It took us about 30 minutes to get to DTD. I wish I could say something about the scenery but it was dark and about the only things we saw were POFQ resort and the back of the Treehouse Villas at SSR.

When we got to DTD, the boys wanted to head to the World of Disney and Once Upon a Toy. Me – I had a different agenda in mind.



All week at POR, DS had been asking if he could get a Mickey Straw. They were about 50 cents. All week, I’d told him we’d get one “later”.
So that night when we got to DTD, I told him that I knew where we could get a Mickey Straw for free. He wanted to know what I meant and didn't quite believe me...I’m not sure why as I’ve never lied to him. Maybe it was all those promises of ‘later’…

We headed here – and I showed him all of those free straws!



Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest one of all? This cannot be THE magic mirror...


DS could hardly wait to get his hands (and fingers) on his straw….

But first, we had to place an order for our straw. It came with all these "extras"....



Then we watched as the CM worked through the order. Our straw needed to be dipped to make sure that it was thoroughly cleaned.



It then needed to have a special coating for protection.



And finally the CM needed to inspect it and cover up any imperfections.



After a suitable amount of curing time, we picked up our package (in exchange for one snack credit).



Isn’t our straw great?



We had to make sure that we finished the dipping, coating and curing material before we went through Australian Customs. It was such an effort to get through all those layers but someone had to do it!

And here’s the straw at home!



Next time I'm in WDW, I'll be rushing out to get to Goofy's Candy store for another one of these treats. I'll definitely be having another marshmallow (next time) dipped in dark chocolate with the mini M&Ms, drizzled with milk chocolate. On second thoughts, I'm going to put in a request with DH for his October trip!

[Up next - A tale of 2 resorts]

[ehsmum]

I love that mirror photo! What a classic :lol:.

Wow, that straw treat looks fabulous. Unfortunately one of my kids is diabetic so we won't be able to indulge in treats like that .

[SoonerGirl]

Love the 'free' Mickey straw!

[PrincessInOz]

Originally Posted by ehsmum

I love that mirror photo! What a classic :lol:.

Wow, that straw treat looks fabulous. Unfortunately one of my kids is diabetic so we won't be able to indulge in treats like that .

Yes, it's *such* a flattering shot of me!! But it was fun and I couldn't resist putting it in my TR.

Well, I hope that there are lots of other diabetic friendly treats for your one child to indulge in.

Originally Posted by SoonerGirl

Love the 'free' Mickey straw!

Thanks! It's not often you get something for free at the World.

[Travel Mum]

OMG, that looks divine! The girls and I have just gone over the menu and worked out what we are each going to have

[PrincessInOz]

Originally Posted by Travel Mum

OMG, that looks divine! The girls and I have just gone over the menu and worked out what we are each going to have

Glad to be of service for your 2011 trip.

[TokyoDina]

Oh your a sneaky Mommy! Haha I'm glad DH got a free straw instead of having to pay what $2 for one??

[manntra]

love your free straw!!! And after all that work to go into it I LOVE that store! The smells are intoxicating....and I can never pick what I want! Did you do any shopping anywhere else? I try to limit my trips to DTD just one time per trip

Tracy

[PrincessInOz]

Originally Posted by TokyoDina

Oh your a sneaky Mommy! Haha I'm glad DH got a free straw instead of having to pay what $2 for one??

47 cents at the POR resort.

I'll go anywhere for a bargain!

Originally Posted by manntra

love your free straw!!! And after all that work to go into it I LOVE that store! The smells are intoxicating....and I can never pick what I want! Did you do any shopping anywhere else? I try to limit my trips to DTD just one time per trip

Tracy

Yes - the smells from this shop are addictive! And I love the store too. We did go to World of Disney, Once Upon a Toy, the Days of Christmas and Pin Traders on this night. We did T Rex and Lego earlier in the week. Yes - I plan to post my WDW shopping in my TR...later.

[PrincessInOz]

Mother’s Day and I had booked in the extended family and us for the Wishes Dessert Party to celebrate the event. Thanks to the DisBoard, I made my reservation as soon as there was chatter of it being opened; and didn’t have time to consult the family regarding dates or costs. Therefore, the WDP was “our treat” for the entire family.
In addition, we had to check out of POR today and move over to BCV. The original plan was to pack and get Disney guest services to transfer our bags to BCV, whilst we enjoyed a full morning at a park and then head over to BCV where we would check in and then make our way to MK.

However, I woke up today and finally had to acknowledge that I was not well. My head was bursting; my throat was on fire; my sinuses were full and my cough sounded like a pack of braying donkeys. And my body was starting to ache all over….
And it seemed that DH and DS were also starting to show symptoms of the same thing.

So, we decided to take it very easy during the day and head to MK in the late afternoon, after we had changed resorts. We decided to stay at POR for the morning and I would be able to stay in bed until check out time, grab some lunch at the food court and hopefully check in early at BCV. We still had the car (and had decided to extend the rental period), so we could take our bags with us rather than using guest services.

The boys made full use of the pool and I realized that DH did take some pictures of the pool after originally thinking that we hadn’t captured the pool at all. They got there early before 10 am and enjoyed a quiet swim in the morning.



Here’s where the POR slide comes out into the pool.



And after 10 am, water pours down the troughs and there is a lot more colour and movement.



The boys also went to the arcade to spend some time there.



DS is addicted to the Guitar Hero range of games and is an expert on them. He was somewhat of a minor celebrity at the POR arcade with these guys. They couldn’t believe that he was sooooo good!



I got up mid morning and decided to take a walk around the resort. Here’s the view from outside our room.



I had a destination in mind and headed towards Alligator Bayou. I had refused to walk towards the Alligator Bayou section until now because I had originally had my heart set on staying in this section.



I am glad that I made the walk over. I realized that it didn’t matter which section we stayed in; but it was significantly noisier in Alligator Bayou. I was there around 10.30 am – checkout time and there were heaps of families checking out. Oak Manor was distinctively quieter and it was close enough to all the facilities.

Waterwheel – outside of the food court.



It is a pretty resort!



And incredibly green, neat and tidy!



We stayed for one final lunch at the food court. The boys had salad and pasta (no food porn). I wasn’t feeling the best, so I picked at the pasta.

And then it was time to check out of what had been home for the last 5 nights. I still have a lump in my throat thinking about this moment. I had really come to love being at POR.

We walked across the closest bridge from the main facilities to Oak Manor. For anyone staying there, you will be able to see the MK fireworks from this spot. At least, I think it’s the MK fireworks – it could well be the ones at Epcot.



One final look back to the main facilities…



And it was time to head to the new resort…

[Up next – BCV]

[jenniferkeala808]

hey! great pics from DTD! I love that Mickey straw you got! so cute! and great pics from POR! so beautiful! can't wait to hear more!

[PrincessInOz]

Originally Posted by jenniferkeala808

hey! great pics from DTD! I love that Mickey straw you got! so cute! and great pics from POR! so beautiful! can't wait to hear more!

Thank you. POR is beautiful. I am still sad that I'm not there any more...

[PrincessInOz]

When I was planning this trip, I had originally just planned to come with shorts and pants. When I put my list of clothes up in the PTR, Franandaj and TokyoDina convinced me to include at least one dress. Ladies – thank you very much for this!

On this changeover day, I had decided to wear the dress.

As we drove into BCV, we realized that we were heading into a different class of resort. The guard at the POR entry had checked our names to make sure that we were on the reservation list. At BCV, the guard at the entry took one look at us and pulled a piece of paper out of the office before we had even stopped the car! He then asked our names and checked it off his list and then promptly handed us our parking paper; which had the right name on it!

Our first view of the resort only confirmed our views.



Whilst not as green and lush as POR, we thought the resort theming was pretty amazing…and that was even before we stepped into reception.



We drove right up to the hotel.



I stepped out of the car and was immediately greeted by the right name by one of the bellhops. He too seemed to know my name without me having to tell him and walked me right into reception. There was no queue.

The receptionist/CM also seemed to know my name without me having to tell her and I was floored by the Disney service at BCV…she was definitely not “Earning her ears” at this resort. I was treated to a flawless check-in and she also handed me a birthday badge with my name on it.

I am so glad I had a dress on and at least felt like I was dressed for the resort!
The foyer is very opulent.



Here I am (in the dress) at the reception foyer.



I looked out for TeenaS, who is a legend on the Resorts section of the DisBoard for anyone wanting to find out about the Beach and Yacht Club resorts. Sadly, I didn’t see her anywhere.

Our studio room for the next 5 nights was in here. I loved knowing that Ariel was going to welcome us ‘home’ every day.



We went up the lift and down a corridor.



We made a right hand turn and went down another corridor. The carpet here has Hidden Mickeys as part of the vine pattern; so I’m sorry that I didn’t take a more detailed picture.



We had been allocated room 250 at BCV and this is what we saw when we opened the door.



The kitchenette came in handy, particularly the microwave and toaster, over the next 5 days. After today, we would no longer be on a Dining Plan and bought bread and oatmeal to make our own breakfasts in the morning.

There was definitely more space in a deluxe than a moderate.



And even after we opened up the sofa bed for DS, there was still plenty of space for us.



We had come to expect Mickey on our bed and the BCV didn’t disappoint.



The resort had been renovated in the last 2 years so the bathroom was more modern than POR.



And A/C here was controlled using thermocouple technology, instead of thermostat. DH and I weren’t going to be fighting over A/C or air only – we could set the room temperature to a constant 70 F.
DS was happy to see the flat screen TV, so he was pretty happy as well.

We walked out to the full balcony but there wasn’t a view at all. But it was a good space to hang wet swimming bathers and get them dry.

Whilst planning the trip, I had learnt from the DisBoard that Mousekeeping liked specially prepared envelopes to thank them and leave a tip in. I am really glad that I had prepared these before I left Australia.



Because this was the standard of mousekeeping that we enjoyed during the 5 days we were here.

The bathroom was always immaculately dressed.



And we got fresh toiletries every single day.



Here are some of the legendary towel animal shapes…we only got Mickey ears at POR.

We found the monkey hanging around...



And the bunny was so comfortable that he didn't want to hop away.



The Manta Ray had a positively electrifying impact on DS.



We stepped out the front to check out the Boardwalk and I think DH was definitely happy with this choice of resort as well.



And DS liked the look of the facilities as well.





And whilst he had been disappointed that the slide was closed for renovations, he was very pleased with the pool.



By this stage, it was time for us to head to MK and meet up with the extended family for the Wishes Dessert Party. We headed back to our room to pack up to go and whilst we were there, the phone rang. It was my DB! He was ringing to let me know that they were all really tired and sick. The extended family wanted a quiet night and wanted to find out if I could cancel tonight and re-schedule the Dessert Party for tomorrow night instead.

[Up next – My reaction ARRRGH!!!!! And did we make the Dessert Party or not?]