A very overdue Holiday TR ~ A toddler, a reunion & Thanksgiving ~ Update 9/17

[Sunset Cliffs]

I ordered the Crepe Florentine and Todd ordered the 3 Course Meal, which was great because you got to pick an appetizer, main course & dessert. He picked the French Onion soup, the baked Mac & Cheese, and crème brulee for dessert. I thought it was a really good value at $23 for all 3 items!

First came the French Onion Soup. OMGoodness! YUM! Nothing more to be said, other than you need to try it!

Before we could get any further into our meal, we saw a waiter pushing a fancy cart up to our table. I realized that this was the guy who brings Chef Remy around to visit. He started talking to Dylan and then lifts the lid off the tray. I should first say that Dylan had not seen the Ratatouille movie, so he was a bit confused at first. This Remy looked real! It was amazing what it could do. It’s movements and sounds were very realistic. On top of that, the waiter was very over the top. He played his part perfectly.

See his face? I told you the guy was way into it.

The experience only lasted a couple of minutes and I honestly think Todd & I were more excited than Dylan. He liked it, but if he had seen the movie, he would have liked it more.

After that excitement, our food came.

My crepe:

Baked Mac & Cheese

Crème brulee

My dad got the Chocolate Puffs for dessert

My mom ordered the quiche, my dad got a sandwich, Angelyn got the crepe, Bryan got the Mac & Cheese and Elijah got the Mahi-Mahi sandwich. Everyone raved about their food. It was the best meal that I have had in a while. The atmosphere was pleasant without being too stuffy, and it is on my list of places to go to again.

I would definitely recommend this place to anyone, but it is pricey, so be prepared if you are paying OOP. We went at lunch time because the menu was cheaper than dinner, but we still paid a lot. I feel like it was worth the expense to try something new and have it taste as good as it did. We all left very full and very satisfied. I’m so grateful that Angelyn asked me to give it a try!

 

[eecteacher82]

Yeah! You're back! Great update! We love POR as well! We stayed in Feb/March of this year and had a great time! I'm right there with you on simple foods, which is why I had pretty much ruled out Chefs! I think we might have to give it a shot now! Can't wait to read more! Did Dylan get on all the 40 inch rides? Olivia is FINALLY tall enough (as of our trip last week) and rode every single 40 inch ride! She was so excited!

 

[jubelee1872000]

I'm following along! Love your TR! Your son is so cute too! My youngest DS will be 3 on the last day of our trip..can't wait to hear more!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Yeah! You're back! Great update! We love POR as well! We stayed in Feb/March of this year and had a great time! I'm right there with you on simple foods, which is why I had pretty much ruled out Chefs! I think we might have to give it a shot now! Can't wait to read more! Did Dylan get on all the 40 inch rides? Olivia is FINALLY tall enough (as of our trip last week) and rode every single 40 inch ride! She was so excited!

Hi there!! POR is so great. If we ever get to stay on property again, I want to stay there. It is so peaceful there compared to the rest of WDW, and it gives you a nice mental break when you come "home".

I was so surprised by how much we liked Chefs. I really thought it would be too fancy for my taste, but we like everything that we tasted.

Olivia is so brave! Good for her. No, Dylan did not want to do any of the big rides yet, so we didn't push him. I figure if we go back in the next year or so, he might be ready. I can't wait for that day!

I'm following along! Love your TR! Your son is so cute too! My youngest DS will be 3 on the last day of our trip..can't wait to hear more!

Welcome! Thank you for reading. How fun that your DS will have his birthday at WDW. There is no better place for that! I think that toddler age is a great time to take them, because they look at things in such a fun way. I will have to check out your PTR to see your plans.

 

[tinkgurl]

Yay! An update! I always get so excited to see more of Dylan.

Your POR pics are beautiful!

Looks like Dylan had fun playing around.

Oh goodness, Dylan would have so much fun looking at the little train set with Fiance and Little Guy. I love that pic of him "dreaming".

Chefs de France looks so good!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Yay! An update! I always get so excited to see more of Dylan.

Your POR pics are beautiful!

Looks like Dylan had fun playing around.

Oh goodness, Dylan would have so much fun looking at the little train set with Fiance and Little Guy. I love that pic of him "dreaming".

Chefs de France looks so good!

Hi there!! I've taken too long of a break. It's so nice to have a little extra time to be back on the site.

I took sooo many pictures of POR. I couldn't help myself. A future update is going to have a lot more.

The train set was a big hit. He stood in the middle and kept running back & forth to follow the trains. I think it's kind of a rule that all boys (regardless of age) need to like trains.

How are your wedding plans going? I feel like I have missed hearing about it,but since your TR is done, is there somewhere else you are posting? Are you on Facebook?

 

[Dugette]

How have you been?

Doing okay. I think I may have mentioned earlier that we were possibly going to Disneyland this fall, but that didn't end up working out. Instead, we are going back to WDW for Food & Wine 5 weeks from today!

Thanks for sticking with me. I promise I am not this flaky in my normal life. It's just August that kills me every year.

No worries. I'm only halfway through writing my TR after nearly 9 months!


Great update! Sounds like a good start to the day. POR is so pretty. I loved walking along the river when we stayed there. And that pool did look fun! I love that Dylan doesn't know how good he has it with a day of Epcot and swimming.

Epcot looks beautiful that day too. Especially on the boat ride. I'm just amazed how they can dress up that train village for special occasions...we've seen it done up for Christmas and for Food & Wine!

I was finally sold on Chefs de France when I kept seeing positive reviews, almost all of which involved lots of cheese! When we went there, we shared one of the three course meals, which was just perfect (and $20 bucks for a lunch for two is not too bad!) And Remy and his handler were so fun!

Looking forward to more!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Doing okay. I think I may have mentioned earlier that we were possibly going to Disneyland this fall, but that didn't end up working out. Instead, we are going back to WDW for Food & Wine 5 weeks from today!


No worries. I'm only halfway through writing my TR after nearly 9 months!


Great update! Sounds like a good start to the day. POR is so pretty. I loved walking along the river when we stayed there. And that pool did look fun! I love that Dylan doesn't know how good he has it with a day of Epcot and swimming.

Epcot looks beautiful that day too. Especially on the boat ride. I'm just amazed how they can dress up that train village for special occasions...we've seen it done up for Christmas and for Food & Wine!

I was finally sold on Chefs de France when I kept seeing positive reviews, almost all of which involved lots of cheese! When we went there, we shared one of the three course meals, which was just perfect (and $20 bucks for a lunch for two is not too bad!) And Remy and his handler were so fun!

Looking forward to more!

Yay! That is so exciting that you get to go back so soon! Where are you staying? That is the perfect time of year to go because it should be slow.

Our favorite time of year to go to WDW is now the holidays. I think it makes the magical feeling even more intense when you see everything decorated for the holidays. The trains are a good example of that, and honestly how many people walk by it every day and never know it was decorated too? It's cool that they care enough to do those little details.

Next time we go to CHef's, I would not mind sharing one of the 3 course meals. We didn't know what Dylan would eat and all 3 of us were sharing so I got the crepe too. It was really good so I'm glad that I did, but it was a lot of food between us!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

After a VERY delicious lunch at Chefs de France, we didn’t really have a plan so we wandered around towards the front of the park. We heard music coming from the back of the United Kingdom so we took a detour around the back. The British Invasion were playing some Beatles songs and they were really good. We have never been able to catch one of their shows, and it turns out we only were able to watch them for 1 ½ songs before they were done. I would love to sit down and watch a whole performance of theirs, since I love the Beatles music so much.

Dylan couldn’t see because we were standing along a side path in a garden, so I picked him up and we were dancing while I was singing one of the songs to him. He didn’t know the words, but he was trying his best to sing along.

We continued walking towards Future World with good music stuck in our heads. Dylan caught his second wind and wanted to walk instead of ride in his stroller. He danced all the way to FW. I wish I would have taken video, it was so cute.

We ended up at the Nemo ride and since it was a walk on, we decided to go for it.

Watching the seagulls say, “Mine, mine, mine.”

In our clam mobile

Dylan loved the ride, although he got a little scared in some of the dark parts. I love the jellyfish section. It’s so pretty! After the ride we headed to the aquarium. Again, Dylan was a little scared in here. The fish swimming towards us would freak him out. I had to explain being in versus out of the water, and how the fish could not touch him. After that he calmed down & we spent a little time just watching the fish. He kept getting concerned when he would see small fish by themselves and ask where their mommies were. So sweet. He was worried about the baby fish being lost from their moms. I love hearing the things that go on in his head!

We left Epcot around 4:00 to take Dylan for a nap. He was too wound up to sleep and didn’t end up falling asleep until after 5:00. Todd said he was going to nap as well, so I grabbed my mug, my phone and my journal and went to sit out by the river to catch up on my TR.

All I can say is that the next moments felt magical to me. Even remembering this moment almost a year later, I can remember exactly how I felt. There is no reason for it, but I will say it was one of my most “Disney moments” I have ever had. I sat down on a white bench near my building that overlooked the water. I just sat for a while and watched all of the movement around me, but to be honest the whole area was very still & quiet. I couldn’t believe how peaceful it felt in the middle of this large resort, which was in the middle of WDW. I had such a calm about me, and it was cool in the shade. I was completely enjoying having some alone time, which I realized that I don’t have enough of. It’s my fault though, because I don’t allow myself to take alone time since I feel like I need to spend my free time with Dylan since I am gone so much for work.

I grabbed my journal & started scribbling. These were my exact words from my journal. “BEST moment of the trip so far. SO peaceful. Horse carriage went by. The sun is setting by POFQ so the water is reflecting everything. The boat captains are waving at me each time they drive by. No words to describe this moment other than Disney Moment. I wish that I could sit on this bench forever.”

I probably sat there for an hour, writing and absorbing everything around me. The thing that finally broke the tranquility is a guy who was smoking and talking on his cell phone. He came and sat down RIGHT NEXT to me. Apparently I had picked the bench near an ash tray and he felt the need to park it right there and have his loud conversation, even though there was no other person around. It was so awkward, but I didn’t give up my bench because I was there first! Lol. He finally left after 15 minutes or so, and I wrote up my TR until it was too dark to see. I am so bummed that I forgot my camera in the room, so I have no pictures to document the moment. I took a few pictures on my cell phone, but they are not good quality.

I walked to the main building and filled up my mug, then I browsed through the gift shop for a bit. They had these amazing looking rice crispy treats that were decorated like Christmas presents. If you know me, you know those are my favorite treats, so I was going to need to buy one later. By now it was dark out, but I took my time walking back & enjoying everything lit up. I saw a sign near a couple of rooms that said “Welcome Home David” with military flags on it. Very cool to know that someone was reuniting with his family after being gone.

By the time I got back, I had been gone about 1 ½ hours, but I was completely refreshed and totally happy. Todd was awake so I told him he needed to go for a walk to check out the grounds, so he left. I checked my email for a bit and Todd got back right as Dylan was waking up around 7:00. He was really happy with his walk, and kept talking about how much he loved the resort too.

We got ready to go and left at 7:30 to go back to Epcot. Angelyn had to work so she stayed at the hotel, and Bryan & Elijah rode with my parents back to the park. We got back and found a PP person in the same spot as earlier that day, so we took some night pictures in front of the ball. I love all of the colored lights that were on it.

This one is so sweet with my parents.

After that, we went straight to Test Track to use our FPs. The lines were all incredibly long. The regular line was 160 minutes!! The SRL was 40 minutes and the FP return line was longer than the SRL. I stayed with Dylan while the others got in line and I took him to look at the cars in the showroom to pass the time. He wanted to sit in all of them, and since it wasn’t crowded I let him. We wandered from car to car, he wanted to be in the driver seat and he always wanted me to sit in the back seat. Ha, ha. Roll reversal, I suppose.

Time passed quickly but they didn’t get off the ride until 8:30. Todd & I went to get back in line using mine & Angelyn’s FPs, but after 5 minutes in line, the ride broke down. It was 8:40 by now, so we chose to leave so that we could see Illuminations. We have not watched this show in probably 7 years, so we wanted to make time to see it. We knew we were not going to find a great spot by the water, so we walked around the left side towards WS, but stopped at that building before you get to the Showcase Plaza. I think it used to be a restaurant, but now there is the First Aid area and some bathrooms there. It was not the best view to see the show, but there were no crowds at all. We passed the time playing with Dylan and he & Elijah got more bonding time in.

Dylan has never really been scared of fireworks, but this time he got scared when they started. He climbed into his stroller and pulled the hood down, but after a few minutes he got back out & watched the show. The fireworks were amazing, even from our limited perspective. We could not see much of the globe in the water at all, but we were just happy to see the show and hear the music. It made me want to come back and actually get a good spot to watch it from. Here are a couple shots from where we were standing.

After it was over, we realized we had not eaten since our lunch at Chefs de France & we were all starving. We ended up driving over to the Crossroads area and getting Taco Bell for dinner. Finally a cheaper meal! We were already getting tired of paying Disney prices for each meal, so it was nice to pay less than $10 for all of us to eat. That is the great thing about having a rental car, a lot more options & flexibility.

We brought food back to Angelyn and we all gathered in their room to discuss the next day. We decided to get up early and go to the park from 9:00 – 1:00, then Dylan would have his nap, then go back for EMH. We got back to our room at 11:00 and were asleep by midnight, intending to get up around 7:00 the next morning. In the middle of the night, Dylan fell out of his bed, despite having the bed rails on the bed. Poor kid! The rail just pulled right out from under the mattress when his weight leaned on it too hard. He was crying and I put him back in his bed, then slept with him the rest of the night. I did not get good sleep at all, since he moves around so much but I was worried about him falling again. When we woke up in the morning, I asked him if he remembered falling and he didn’t remember it at all.

 

[Dugette]

Yay! That is so exciting that you get to go back so soon! Where are you staying? That is the perfect time of year to go because it should be slow.

Yes, we hope it will be slow and decent weather too! We're staying at Pop Century. PTR in my signature, if you're interested.

Nice update. I bet it was super peaceful sitting there at POR by the water. We never took the time to do that when we stayed there, but we did take some walks around and it was so quiet and peaceful and pretty. Glad you had your "Disney moment." (Except for the obnoxious cell phone smoker guy!)

That was cute at Test Track that Dylan wanted you to sit in the back while he drove!

Glad you got to see British Invasion. We never managed to see them and I guess they've been replaced by another act now. Cute that Dylan was trying to sing along!

Scary that Dylan fell out of bed! Hope the next day goes well and you aren't too tired!

 

[MEK]

Welcome Back to your TR. I loved your last two updates.

I agree with you that PO is one of my favorite resorts. I just love it there - both the french quarter and riverside - they are SO Disney.

You meal at Le Chefs sounds wonderful. I ate lunch there in May and loved it.

I love your "Disney Moment". Isn't it great to have a moment like that that you can go back to whenever you need it.

I swear smokers get some of the best spots!

 

[basketkat]

Oh your "Disney Moment" sounds so nice!!! Well...minus the smoking cell phone guy!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Yes, we hope it will be slow and decent weather too! We're staying at Pop Century. PTR in my signature, if you're interested.

Nice update. I bet it was super peaceful sitting there at POR by the water. We never took the time to do that when we stayed there, but we did take some walks around and it was so quiet and peaceful and pretty. Glad you had your "Disney moment." (Except for the obnoxious cell phone smoker guy!)

That was cute at Test Track that Dylan wanted you to sit in the back while he drove!

Glad you got to see British Invasion. We never managed to see them and I guess they've been replaced by another act now. Cute that Dylan was trying to sing along!

Scary that Dylan fell out of bed! Hope the next day goes well and you aren't too tired!

Smoker guy caused the end of my Disney Moment. But I guess it had to end sometime right? I'm just glad for the hour that I had while it was nice & peaceful.

I thought it was hilarious that Dylan wanted me to sit in the backseat of all the cars. I understand him wanting to sit in the driver's seat, but he kept saying, "No mom. In back."

Oh no! I didn't know that British Invasion was gone! I'm so bummed because I was really going to make an effort to catch one of their shows next time.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Welcome Back to your TR. I loved your last two updates.

I agree with you that PO is one of my favorite resorts. I just love it there - both the french quarter and riverside - they are SO Disney.

You meal at Le Chefs sounds wonderful. I ate lunch there in May and loved it.

I love your "Disney Moment". Isn't it great to have a moment like that that you can go back to whenever you need it.

I swear smokers get some of the best spots!

It's good to be back. August is the hardest month of the year for me, due to what I do at the high school. Lots of overtime and lots of stress to get the school year started every year. It feels so good to think about vacations again!

Every time I look at pictures of POR, it makes me want to go back. I had seen pictures before we stayed there, but I never grasped how beautiful it was until we stayed there. The theming is perfect!

Ha, ha. You are right about smokers getting all the best spots. It was weird because this guy sat uncomfortably close to me, but I was so mad about him interrupting my moment that I didn't budge at all. It occurred to me after he left how weird the whole thing was.

Oh your "Disney Moment" sounds so nice!!! Well...minus the smoking cell phone guy!

Yeah, I could have done without him. It is one of my favorite moments of this trip, and probably a lot of others too.

 

[MEK]

It was weird because this guy sat uncomfortably close to me, but I was so mad about him interrupting my moment that I didn't budge at all. It occurred to me after he left how weird the whole thing was.


.

Yeah - that is weird. But good for you for standing your ground! Maybe he was looking for a way to hit on you so he practically got in your lap hoping you'd ask him a smoke.

By the way - your pictures are lovely. Great composition! I can't see photobucket pics when I read at work so I am just looking at them now. Nice!

 

[LilAnn]

Okay, catching up now that I am back. Loved your pictures of POR because it totally brought me back to our vacation. We really enjoyed it too. Sadly, we never got a chance to really experience the pool too much since it was pretty chilly out when we went in Feb.

Totally laughed out loud (for real) when I saw your rice crispy comment. Oh, I do remember your fondness for the Disney ones.

If you peek on FB, you'll see that our little girl braved one of the 40" rides. We were so surprised when she kept asking us to go on it since she is such the timid one with rides, but she survived and has decided to wait until she is older to go on it again.

Aw, poor Dylan falling out of bed. That is usually why I end up sleeping with her on trips and my hubby ends up getting a great night sleep every night on vacations.

Oh, I have so missed your updates! One day we will meet! Ideally our kiddos will still be kiddos so they can play.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Yeah - that is weird. But good for you for standing your ground! Maybe he was looking for a way to hit on you so he practically got in your lap hoping you'd ask him a smoke.

By the way - your pictures are lovely. Great composition! I can't see photobucket pics when I read at work so I am just looking at them now. Nice!

Well, he definitely got my attention, but not in any sort of positive way.

Thank you about my pictures! I take that as a big compliment from you, since you are such an amazing photographer! I don't think you can take many bad pictures are POR. Everywhere you glance looks like it could be a postcard.

Okay, catching up now that I am back. Loved your pictures of POR because it totally brought me back to our vacation. We really enjoyed it too. Sadly, we never got a chance to really experience the pool too much since it was pretty chilly out when we went in Feb.

Totally laughed out loud (for real) when I saw your rice crispy comment. Oh, I do remember your fondness for the Disney ones.

If you peek on FB, you'll see that our little girl braved one of the 40" rides. We were so surprised when she kept asking us to go on it since she is such the timid one with rides, but she survived and has decided to wait until she is older to go on it again.

Aw, poor Dylan falling out of bed. That is usually why I end up sleeping with her on trips and my hubby ends up getting a great night sleep every night on vacations.

Oh, I have so missed your updates! One day we will meet! Ideally our kiddos will still be kiddos so they can play.

I knew as soon as I wrote my rice crispy comment that you would get it. I can't help it! They are just SOO good.

I saw that picture of her on FB. I am so impressed with her! That is hilarious that she feels once is enough for now. I hope that the next time we go, Dylan will be a little more adventurous, but I have learned my lesson about pushing him before he is ready.

I felt so bad for him falling. I don't really understand how the rails were supposed to help him when they only go under the mattress by about 6 inches. He isn't a small kid, so maybe he weighed more than they allowed for.

I agree that I can't wait until the day when we can get together. Our kids are way too similiar to not try to get them to meet.

 

[tinkgurl]

How are your wedding plans going? I feel like I have missed hearing about it,but since your TR is done, is there somewhere else you are posting? Are you on Facebook?

Wedding plans are going well! Some stuff for our center pieces came in last week! I'm not posting anywhere else. But, I will be doing a PTR and a TR for our "Disney-moon" next year!

On a side note, today was Little Guy's first day of his second year of pre-school. I was sad all day.

 

[Purple Opal]

I thought it was hilarious that Dylan wanted me to sit in the backseat of all the cars. I understand him wanting to sit in the driver's seat, but he kept saying, "No mom. In back."

It's funny. In dream analysis, the one driving the car is "in control" or the boss of the situation. If you have a dream where you are driving, you are in control. Maybe D gets that on a subconcious level. (that's supposed to be him driving lol)

 

[pinkxray]

I love your POR pictures. It is very hard to see how pretty POR is in pictures, it is sooooo much prettier in person.

I never got a chance to walk the grounds at night. DH did one night and said it was beautiful. I had a cold during our trip and as soon as we would return I would be in bed, completely out. I thought about staying there for our one night stay but I want to wait until the refurb is done to go back.

Ugh, I don't get that guy that sat down next to you.

Poor Dylan, being forced to go to Epcot instead of being able to swim. That pool does look inviting.

Chefs is on my must do list for our next full trip. I hope Remy is still there since Ratatouille is one of my favorite movies. The onion soup looks so good.