Emmysdaddy Accompanies the Damsels & Yes, He Posed with Princesses 2/2 Completed

[MrsB1228]

Originally Posted by emmysmommy

I learned something - a Bloody Caesar is a Bloody Mary - very cool! Do they serve them with a veggie garnish (celery) or green olives too? I've also had them with lime.

A Bloody Caesar is a little different from a Bloody Mary as it's made with clamato juice instead of plain tomato juice. Otherwise it's usually served the same way, with tabasco, Worcestershire, horseradish and garnished with celery and/or pickled carrots and a wedge of lemon or lime. The glass usually has a salt and pepper or celery salt rim. I love them, the spicier the better!

[KatMark]

Caught up on the trip. And I'm with you...anything that involves a castle, I'll get up at any hour (in fact, I have to get up at 3:30 in nine days to go to the airport to see that castle!).

You just can't tell men anything. They always assume that we are going to be the ones to "open our mouths" and blow a secret when it is usually them that does it. (I don't remember if I reported in my PTR that Andy almost blew it to his father about the surprise trip in December).

Love that you got first class...so cool. But not so cool that you had to suck down your drink before taking off. Why didn't they just wait until after you took off?

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Wow! Where were you coming from that your flight was so long? Did you have a massive layover

[Alysa]

At first I missed the fact that you had a layover and was REALLY impressed that you'd had a bloody mary on your early morning flight. And finished it before take off!
Atta girl!

[DISNEYDUET]

Following the food so I MUST follow the trip as well!!

[rachel09985]

Originally Posted by emmysmommy

Note to self.... kill my Photobucket account!!!! Errrr.. I've resized my photos multiple times and they keep popping back up gigantor size. Sorry... makes me want to try another photo hosting site but I just renewed my Photobucket pro account.

Please hang in there... as I try to get it resolved.

They are normal size for me =)

What browser are you using? I have the same issue where I resize the photos on photobucket but when I go to view my trip report they still look huge!!! They don't look right until like 1 day later. Just wanted to let you know that I have that problem too

[emmysmommy]

Originally Posted by smile4stamps

I'm so very late!! I swear I checked your signature just yesterday and didn't see a link... but maybe it was a few days ago. My lack of sleep is really messing with me!

Your flight sounded wonderful. I'd love to fly First Class sometime. Instead I will fly southwest where we are all First Class! LOL

Do you work nights as well?

I love Southwest - in fact I fly a lot on business (not enough to be elite) but I do pay the extra $10 per flight segment to be guaranteed an "A" many times. The flight attendants have the funniest spiels sometimes.

Originally Posted by natebenma

Do you copy add all of your photos into Photobucket in the size you want? (Customize your Upload Options)

I think my default copy size is Large: 640x480.

Here is something I wrote up and posted on the BC FAQ thread:

How Do I?

Post a Photo on the DIS?
sub-lesson: Upload all of your pictures into Photobucket in Large, not Full-size, format

Thanks for the great tips! I see that option and it will make my life so much easier!

Originally Posted by natebenma

You are off to a GREAT start!!!

I wake up between 4:30 and 5 am every morning, so this would not be a issue for me. And definitely not a struggle knowing what was ahead at the end of the day.

on First Class! I appreciated the pictures and review of the food. It all looked yummy. What a great flavor combination in the blueberry & white chocolate cookie. YUM!

I loved the transcription of your conversation with Michael! Too funny!

BTW- Your "assignment" list is awesome.

You are an early bird Dee. I loved the assignment list - it was a lot of fun to check items off.

Originally Posted by MrsB1228

A Bloody Caesar is a little different from a Bloody Mary as it's made with clamato juice instead of plain tomato juice. Otherwise it's usually served the same way, with tabasco, Worcestershire, horseradish and garnished with celery and/or pickled carrots and a wedge of lemon or lime. The glass usually has a salt and pepper or celery salt rim. I love them, the spicier the better!

Oh, I see - clamato not just tomato! I love some heat to my Bloodys as well!

Originally Posted by KatMark

Caught up on the trip. And I'm with you...anything that involves a castle, I'll get up at any hour (in fact, I have to get up at 3:30 in nine days to go to the airport to see that castle!).

You just can't tell men anything. They always assume that we are going to be the ones to "open our mouths" and blow a secret when it is usually them that does it. (I don't remember if I reported in my PTR that Andy almost blew it to his father about the surprise trip in December).

Love that you got first class...so cool. But not so cool that you had to suck down your drink before taking off. Why didn't they just wait until after you took off?

Yay for single digits!!! Oops! At least Andy kept it together. I know that Michael didn't mean to let it out but it was just a moment where he said something when Em was right there. He immediately turned his back to her and looked at me and mouthed "don't react, don't say anything, maybe she didn't notice." Uhh... I saw her face, she noticed!!!

Originally Posted by NoOrdinaryPrincess

Wow! Where were you coming from that your flight was so long? Did you have a massive layover

We fly from Southern California where our local airport does not have a direct flight so we fly 3 hrs to DFW then 3 more hours to MCO - no long layovers. But because of the time change we end up getting lunch a couple hours after breakfast.

Originally Posted by Alysa

At first I missed the fact that you had a layover and was REALLY impressed that you'd had a bloody mary on your early morning flight. And finished it before take off!
Atta girl!

Hi Alysa. I hope all is well. Believe me, I thought about getting one early in the morning but wasn't yet in the mood to be that happy!

Originally Posted by DISNEYDUET

Following the food so I MUST follow the trip as well!!

Hi there! I'm off to a slower start over here but it will be good since it will have all fo the Diser get togethers.

Originally Posted by rachel09985

They are normal size for me =)

What browser are you using? I have the same issue where I resize the photos on photobucket but when I go to view my trip report they still look huge!!! They don't look right until like 1 day later. Just wanted to let you know that I have that problem too

Whew! Good to know. I see them sized smaller as well now but it was driving me crazy. Thanks Rachel!

[CatNipRules]

I love how DH knew what questions to ask. Whenever I ask questions they never lead to the answer that I'm looking for. LOL!!

Can't wait to hear more!!

[francis6306]

OOH! I just saw this! Okay, I'll be back to read later!! I have a crabby toddler that needs some mommytime!!!

[emmysmommy]

Saturday August 18, 2012: Day 1 – Part 2

We had landed at 5pm….. It was time for the first ride of our trip! We took the faux rail from our gate to the main terminal and proceeded to the B side on level 1 – I’m a pro at this, I don’t even need to reference my handy map in the Magical Express booklet!

Apparently Em became a germ-a-phobe for a brief period of time. See this link.

We followed the Mickey heads on the ground to the Disney’s Magical Express motor coach line.



We were directed to line 5 since we would be starting our stay at Boardwalk. There were no lines for any of the resorts except for some short ones for the values. I love that they call the buses “motor coaches” – makes it sound so extravagant.






We boarded the bus and were seated not in the coveted 1st row but at least we made it to the second row. Now everyone knows the reason that you want to sit in the front of the bus…… The welcome sign: Walt Disney World – Where Dreams Come True. We waited about 15 minutes before we left with only about a dozen passengers. According to the driver, it takes 25-30 minutes to get to WDW and during the ride the welcome video that plays on the overhead monitors kicks in via satellite.



Speaking of our driver, it was interesting listening to him give his welcome spiel before the video started since he was pointing out highlights that we shouldn’t miss during our time at WDW. He shared that the Twilight Tower Hotel at DHS sure was a thrill – uhhh, isn’t it the Hollywood Tower Hotel?? He also mentioned that the Epcot Car Track was closed for refurb – ok, it is a car track but I’m sure the Disney Imagineers would like for you to call it Test Track! He may have needed to re-take his Disney Attractions 101 class!! Although I should give him a break since he’s a Mears employee and not a Disney Cast Member. For what it’s worth, it was interesting and a bit amusing.

I didn’t get the best photo but at least I was able to document the moment that we officially entered into The World!!

We are here!!!


We stopped at Port Orleans Riverside first before proceeding to Boardwalk. As we entered the bus gate for Boardwalk, it was exciting to know that we were finally there!!! We were the only family for this stop so we quickly retrieved our belongings and debarked. We were welcomed by a Cast Member who said, “I am going to destroy your last name but welcome ‘P’ family.” I asked him, “Do you have our grand suite ready and have the fresh flowers been delivered with the champagne?” Actually, I asked, “How did you know it was us?” He replied, “Tinkerbell told me.” Hmmmm…that’s funny, I’ve been communicating directly with the head cheese, not sure why Tink got involved. Ha ha! Anyway, the point being, it was so cool to be welcomed by name! (We were welcomed by name when we stayed CL at BC Resort a couple of years ago but this surprised me a little.)



The entrace without those people in the way!!






This unique light fixure had a long name but I don't recall what it was but it sure was cool!


We did not do on-line check in before arrival which was actually good since they had assigned us a room on the ground level and I wanted a little higher up. We were offered a choice of a 2nd floor room overlooking the main pool or a 4th floor room by the quiet pool. I chose the 2nd floor room since I thought it would be cool to see the clown slide at the Luna pool area. Since the lobby and the main building are actually on the 2nd floor we didn’t need to take an elevator. In fact the entire time we were at Boardwalk we didn’t take an elevator since we took the stairs up and down from the ground level to/from our room.





elevator lobby:


The first attempt to use our room key failed since I think they hadn’t quite completed the change of rooms when they gave us our keys initially. (It’s funny that I still call them room keys when really they are just a swipe card but that doesn’t sound right to say we received our room cards.) The nice lady at the registration desk helped us refresh the cards and also gave us Anniversary celebration buttons since she saw that on our registration as well. She was very nice.

Back to the room, the card works – which is the new entry system where you simply need to place your card over the electronic key pad and it activates the open mechanism. I’m sure there are technical terms for this but all I know is that the light turns green and it unlocks the door.

We were in room 2022, a 1 bedroom villa, as noted, it was by the main pool area. It was quite a walk from the lobby since it was almost at the very end of that building. However, I love the décor and the smell of the hotel so it was aromatherapy during those walks!



When we first walked into the room we noticed there was a crib set up in the living room. How nice, we had a place to put Em down for her nap!! I did a quick photo and video tour of the room. Just like my family is trained not to take a bite of their vacation food before I get a photo, they likewise know not to flop on the bed or mess with anything before I take room photos!!

Room photo gallery:














I loved the room! It was perfect for our 4 nights. What I especially liked was the walk in closet off the bathroom. The one-bedroom villas have a small kitchen with a full fridge (smaller size but still a full fridge/freezer) a living area with a sofa sleeper and a chair, a flat screen TV on an entertainment console/dresser, a small table with 2 chairs and 2 more chairs at the breakfast bar. The bedroom had a king size bed, cushioned rattan chair, a similar flat TV on an entertainment console/dresser as the living room and a small bench/chest that had storage space. (Michael referred to it as a wee bed.)

The view from the balcony looked directly out to the pool area with a little fire pit area to the left for which the kids were having a marshmallow roast. Michael’s first reaction was grumpy (that’s not usually his attitude) and he was annoyed that there would be a smoky smell in our room from a camp fire (not sure why we would keep our door open when it was 88 degrees out?) and that the kid play area was right outside our room as well. I think I needed to get someone some food so they can find their happy place again!





Moving on….it was after 7:30pm and the clock was ticking. I wanted to get to a park and start the real fun!! We found our way out to the Boardwalk and got totally distracted from our plan by the street performers. Most were really entertaining and funny.






We knew we were eating something quick and light since we were not exactly famished. The Boardwalk pizza window was on my list of places to try so we made our way over there. Although I did mark off item #14 from my List of 18: 14) Mess with the guy at the BW Pizza window in an attempt to get him to smile. Here's the Link to Jabead’s review here. It was not the best meal of the trip. Here’s a link to my review of the Boardwalk Pizza Window.



As noted in my dining review, we sat and enjoyed the sunset and Boardwalk activities while we ate our pizza. It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed the relaxation for a brief time. But heck, we’re not here to just sit around there’s still a park to see. I had initially wanted to walk to Epcot and watch Illuminations; however, it was about 8:15pm and Epcot would close at 9 (at which time Illuminations starts) and it was still early according to our West Coast internal time clocks so we chose to go to DHS which was open until 10pm that night.

Next Up: Day 1 Part 3 - DHS fun!

[emmysmommy]

Saturday August 18, 2012: Day 1 Part 3

We had finished our pizza dinner and were getting ready to head to DHS. I preferred to walk but Em and Michael wanted to take the Friendship Boat to DHS which we did. Aren’t I accommodating?? Our first boat ride of the trip! But wait.. it takes about 20-25 minutes to go less than a mile since it stops at every other resort on the way – first at Yacht Club/Beach Club, then the Swan, then the Dolphin (or is it reversed?), then finally DHS. Ok, so it wasn’t that bad but I would rather have walked just for the record!




The first thing we did when we arrived at DHS was to take photos with Bo! I LOVE Bo the nostalgic Coca-Cola cut out dude. I take photos with him every time we visit DHS – Em knows that we automatically hang a right at the entry gates and head for Bo. I would like to think that the smile on Bo’s face is because he is so happy to see me again! Ha!



Michael may as well join the fun:


There was business to take care of before we enjoyed any rides or attractions… I had to get a new TiW card. Guest Services is right there at the entrance so we made a quick stop to pay the $75 for a new card and now we are ready to have some fun.

Heading towards the hat:


Unfortunately, one of our favorite rides, Tower of Terror (ToT), had a 70 minute stand-by wait… uh.. not going to do that so we veered left and went to Rock ‘n Roller Coaster (RnRC) which said 20 minutes for stand-by but it was actually walk-on. We had a goofy ride photo taken and I didn’t have my photopass+ voucher redeemed yet so we just had the CM write down the photo number to have it added later. (It took 3 days to get back and have it added but that wasn’t a problem.)



Following our one ride, Em and I declared that we needed to go to Beverly Sunset Sweet Spells for a WORLD FAMOUS CARROT CAKE COOKIE!!! At least that was my dream snack. Em had her eye on other goodies. Most park shops offer AP discounts so received 20% off our purchases.





We sat on the park bench outside the store enjoying the yummy goodness… I LOVE the soft deliciousness of the cookie with the sweet creamy icing that sandwiches the two sides. The cookies are huge so I was only able to eat ½.

Our dramatic exit:


Night time view from Friendship Boat:


Panoramic:


Since the park was closing we had to move on. We took the boat back to BW where our other 4 bags had arrived. The obsessive-compulsive in me had to organize and put everything away before calling it a night. We were only there for 4 nights but I still wanted everything out of the bags.

By 12:30am I was ready to call it a night. It was only 9:30pm Pacific time but it was a long day. Ahhhh day 1 completed and 12 more to go!

[francis6306]

All caught up… on THIS report! I'll have to go and read the DR later!! I can't wait to go to the Boardwalk area on our trip!! I have never been over there- although the Beach Club is on my "Must-Do" resort list.

[Disneyfreak616]

YAY two updates! Ahh the Boardwalk. <3 I miss it already. It's seriously my new favorite place in the world. YAY and DHS all in one night! My favorite park. Sounds like a great arrival night! Bo is just ECSTATIC to see you, I can just tell.

[jabead]

Oh how I love the Boardwalk Resort! Thank you so much for taking and posting all the pics of it. It made me feel almost like I was there again, checking into our 1 bdrm Villa...Rm 2026. Yep, just two doors down from where you were.

[emmysmommy]

Originally Posted by CatNipRules

I love how DH knew what questions to ask. Whenever I ask questions they never lead to the answer that I'm looking for. LOL!!

Can't wait to hear more!!

Hi there Michelle! DH did ask really good questions but he started by asking questions thinking that I had reserved a limo at some point in time. Nope. I would much rather use the DME and have all the excitement of it being Disney-fied!

Originally Posted by francis6306

All caught up… on THIS report! I'll have to go and read the DR later!! I can't wait to go to the Boardwalk area on our trip!! I have never been over there- although the Beach Club is on my "Must-Do" resort list.

Hi there! Thanks for joining in. Your trip is getting closer and closer!!! How exciting for your and your little princesses.

Originally Posted by Disneyfreak616

YAY two updates! Ahh the Boardwalk. <3 I miss it already. It's seriously my new favorite place in the world. YAY and DHS all in one night! My favorite park. Sounds like a great arrival night! Bo is just ECSTATIC to see you, I can just tell.

I know, now whenever I see other's photos/review of BW it will immediately take me back to a happy place!!! I definitely want to return to that hotel. Ha! Bo - he's such a flirt!

Originally Posted by jabead

Oh how I love the Boardwalk Resort! Thank you so much for taking and posting all the pics of it. It made me feel almost like I was there again, checking into our 1 bdrm Villa...Rm 2026. Yep, just two doors down from where you were.

I thought I recalled that your room was somewhere near ours and you must have had the same pool view! Wish I had a ticker to return.

I forgot to include this in my review but I drug Michael and Em into the Bakery after we ate so I could drool over all the options. I did sell it to them that it was advance research for our breakfast the day after next. I had to see for myself what all the hype was about for that little place. It didn't disappoint.