Disney dangled the visual weinee & Mickeystoontown gobbled it up! 10/26

[natebenma]

I bought the waterproof camera at Sam's. It's a Fugi and was recommended by Dee here on the Dis.

Yes, Fuji XP 60. I like mine so much I purchased a second one when there was an instant rebate at Sam's Club. I use this point & shoot for most of my pictures, in water and on land. It is running around $130 at Sam's these days.

:

 

[natebenma]

That's a good idea to use an empty tube as a shield. Like you said, I know you are at a waterpark and the point is to get wet, but the waterfalls really are a shocker.

What an absolutely fantastic day at TL!!! So sorry to hear about John dumping the tube the second time down. CrushNGusher is such a fun ride, I'm glad you all did it together a couple of times.

I love the wave pool at TL but it is pretty intense! It is actually better when you are out deeper than when you are trying to stand up in the shallower water.

Oh, those photopass bracelets! Drove me nuts that they gave me a new one every time. I understand- that is what you have to do there since you are not stopping for a picture- but I am a psycho recycler. In fact, I bring my own reusable to-go containers when we dine out in restaurants because I don't want the Styrofoam boxes.

 

[natebenma]

Caught up on your DTD dinner and strolls at POR and FQ.

We haven't eaten at WPE, but I hear it is fantastic! Food certainly looks good in your pictures.

Where is Hunter's Kermit shirt from? Love it. Always pleasantly surprised when teens wear shirts like that. Nate has one with Mr. Rodgers on it "Everything's Good in the Hood"

I would so do what you did instead of Disney Quest. I have not been over to either of the POR resorts. I love how uniquely themed Disney's resorts are. They really are destinations themselves.

 

[BarbieGal457]

Yes, Fuji XP 60. I like mine so much I purchased a second one when there was an instant rebate at Sam's Club. I use this point & shoot for most of my pictures, in water and on land. It is running around $130 at Sam's these days.

:

Awesome, thank you! I have finally been looking at a few of them and will probably get one in two or so weeks. We leave in a few weeks, but our weeks are absolutely packed until then!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, I'm really glad you and Hunter enjoyed Crush 'n Gusher so much. I LOVED that slide! I could have done that all day. Sorry John had a less-than-idea experience. It must be tough struggling with the tube slides like that.

All in all, a lot of fun at Typhoon Lagoon.

And I'm really glad you got to do a solo tour of Port Orleans! I really didn't expect to like POR much the first time I stayed there, but I really fell in love with it. It's beautiful in an understated way. Even if the photos didn't turn out, I think you can still see it. And I like the rustic area best, too.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm not ignoring all of your wonderful posts! I've just been busy at home and work. I'll try to get to replies this afternoon or tonight. I did go through all of my memory cards and organize my pictures so it will be easier to get the updates posted. I won't be searching for the pictures like I was before. Hang tight...I'll be back!

 

[mickeycharles]

Woohoo what an adventure! Not long until your next trip, you must be getting excited!?

 

[mickeystoontown]

so glad your posting pics of Port Orleans....we are deciding whether to go there this year or AOA or CBR.. ( we all know we are going to end up at CBR after all the deciding but for now we are playing the game..) LOL

Girl, you are just like me...you like to resort shop but ultimately end up at the CBR.

TL looks awesome. My children have requested a day at a water park when we return to WDW and TL appeals to me more than BB. You have only reinforced that opinion. I never dreamed about seeing characters at the water parks... seeing Stitch there was awesome!
I have always wanted to stay at POR, but you have really sold me on CBR too.
I read your articles in Magical Distractions and commented on both. I am so happy to see your Disney passion & knowledge spread beyond your always charming trip reports. Keep up the good work and as always, thanks for letting us tag along on your vacations!

We enjoyed ourselves at both of the water parks and were able to do a lot at them both. I think the key is to get there semi-early and leave before mid-afternoon. That seems to be when the crowds start rolling in.

Thanks so very very much for reading and commenting on the MD articles. I have so much fun writing for the site.

YAY! you saw POR (riverside)! we LOVED it there... it's truly a beautiful resort...


sunrise



LOVED IT!

The store is one of my favorites in all of Disney.. and the food court? YUM!!!


I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hunter's shirt... KERMEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

your salad looks the best. But BACON WRAPPED anything is heaven... Pizza.. you need to bring that boy to Chicago for Cheese pizza!!!! LOL

GORGEOUS pictures of POR! The Kermit shirt was a great find. Just $1.99! Hunter loves any sort of pizza so I'm sure that he'd be over the moon in Chicago.

Lovely wrap-up to the day! Great time at Typhoon Lagoon, then some fun walking around the Port Orleans resorts. Ahhh... Sounds like a good time.

What's up with only being able to post 10 pictures at a time? I thought we were allowed 25 per post?? Hmm... As a test -- I just went and tried inserting pictures into my PTR, and it let me do 26 pictures! I don't know which method you're using to insert pictures, but I have mine uploaded to PhotoBucket, and use the insert picture button... Odd...

I have no idea why it will only let me post 10 at a time. As soon as I try to post that eleventh one, it tells me that I have too many. Weird!

You know, there are two things I expect when coming to your TRs. One, there's going to be a lot of shenanigans. Two, Hunter is going to order pizza. A lot. I was happy to see he was back to what I expected. Besides that pizza at WPE is just so yummy!

Beautiful pictures of both POR and POFQ. I've stayed at both resorts and had a great time. I don't think I would have been worried about other people on that walk to POFQ but on the other hand I probably would have been on the lookout for a gator or two.

Hunter is a very reliable person! LOL!!!!! I guess that I just felt a little uneasy during the walk because I wasn't familiar with my surroundings. Thank goodness I didn't think about the gators when I was walking.

Wolfgang Puck's looks delicious!! We have never been there, but it is on my list for the next trip. I am soo glad that you checked out Port Orleans Riverside. We loved CBR, but we REALLY love POR

Be sure to keep Wolfgang Puck's on your list of restaurants to try. It's delicious! If we didn't live in the deep South where those style buildings are the norm, I could see myself staying at POR. It's beautiful!

I have yet to eat at Wolfgang pucks but everyone always talks about it so one of these days. POR is my favorite moderate I have stayed there twice now. I also stayed at POFQ but that was years ago and don't remeber a lot from it.

We stayed at POFQ that one night and it was nice but I wasn't blown away by it. I'd give it another shot though, for sure.

Riverside is one I have never visited yet either and I am dying to get over there. You got some great pictures!

Jen, I really think that you'd like the theme of POR. It's a beautiful resort!

Nice pics around CBR.

Love the pics of OKW, 25 more days.

I would love to stay there someday. I envy your countdown. It's much shorter than mine.

Us northern folk love our bread too. LOl.

John's two weaknesses are bread and sweets.

Love Olivia’s. A hidden gem in my eyes.

Mine too!

Nice snow pics. I will be so happy when I no longer have to deal with snow. LOL.

Hopefully, you'll be moving to Florida soon!

The party looked like fun. Looks like you did a great job.

Thank you!

Nice pics from Typhoon lagoon.

Now I want to see the pic you won’t post. LOL.

No way!

YUM! Now I want meatloaf from WPE.

John doesn't even like meatloaf and he loved the meatloat at WPE.

POR is my favorite non dvc resort. Love the pics.

Nice pics around the resort.

Thank you!

I am all caught up again.

What day are in Disney again till? I forgot.

Our dates are May 23rd to June 6th.

Loved reading about the Typhoon Lagoon ! We plan on going our next trip in August and have never been there before.
I have been wondering if I have planned our timing right for leaving TL to eat at Ohana.
So I thought I would ask you and maybe you might have an idea.
We plan on arriving at TL at opening and leaving about 3:00 going back to our resort (Grand Floridian) to rest and change then leave for an Ohana reservation about 5:00. The reservation is for 5:35. Do you remember what time you guys left TL ? Do you think we will have plenty of time to do this without rushing ?

We left Typhoon Lagoon around 2:00 ish maybe a little bit later. We had plenty of time to get back to the resort, change and then off to our dinner reservation. I think if you get to the water park early, you can have it all done early. This year was the first time that we actually stayed past lunch time. We usually get there, do everything and go back to the resort to eat.

I am completely okay that this has taken almost a year to write...that means your next one will be right along when this one is over!

I can't seem to get this report over with! I'm glad that you've stuck with me for this long.

Slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwly catching up. Lunch at TL looks yummy and it seemed to be a fun day for you guys. We've n3ot done a water park since 2000 (we'd spend our entire time in the lazy river and I'm not spending those prices for just that ).

We love Wolfgang; that's where the girls, Mary and I usually end up (they aren't fans of Earl of Sandwich).

Love your tour of POR...it's a beautiful resort.

Kathy, I seem to be so behind nowdays. We've never tried Earl of Sandwich but hear good things about it. I think that we may try it one day but it sure is hard to eat just a sandwich when WPE is right there.

We love WPE and go there at least once sometimes twice on a trip. My husband has been wanting to try the meatloaf and last year we had 2 QS credits left so on our way out we stopped by WPE and picked up 2 pizza for the road and they were delicious even cold! Plus it made the drive home not so bad. Loved the pictures of POR.

That's such a great idea! I would imagine that eating WP on the way home made it easier.

Found your trip report recently and have been loving every minute. We've been thinking of staying CBR on our next trip and I think reading your TR has swayed my opinion.

I'm soooo very glad that you are here! I hope that you'll continue to post.

I absolutely LOVE your trip reports!!! I have read them all, I just don't post very often. Your family is so funny. I love that y'all have so much fun together. Hunter and his pizza are like my grandson and his chicken nuggets..LOL We have never been to a water park, mainly because this ole woman aint putting on a bathing suit out in public..LOL On our last trip we stayed in a pirate room at CBR and we loved it..My grandson thought it was so awesome to sleep in a pirate ship..I thought so too..lol Anyway, just wanted to say I am enjoying reading all about your adventures..

Thank you so much for posting! I hope that you'll do it more often. I wish that they had had the pirate rooms when we first started staying at the CBR years ago. He would have loved them. Heck, he'd still love them now.

 

[mickeystoontown]

You had a great day at Typhoon Lagoon! I can't believe there was hardly anyone there.

Every. Single. Time. You had me LOL at that, but it appears to be true, poor John.

The food at TL looked yummy, too. I love a good Fish Fry. Being from Milwaukee and all. It's a staple here.

Hunter and his pizza.

Love the Riverside pics! We are abandoning CBR for POR this summer, and the pictures make me not feel so bad about it. Thanks for touring it!

I almost missed your post. I'm glad that I didn't!

I was surprised that there weren't more people at Typhoon Lagoon that day. It was quite warm out and I figured everybody would be there to cool off.

I'm a little weird when it comes to fish. In Louisiana, we eat a lot of catfish (as a matter of fact there's a catfish festival going on this coming weekend that will draw in almost 20,000 people) and I'm not used to other kinds of fish like the white fish/cod they serve in other states.

I hope that you'll end up loving POR as much as you do the CBR.

Yes, Fuji XP 60. I like mine so much I purchased a second one when there was an instant rebate at Sam's Club. I use this point & shoot for most of my pictures, in water and on land. It is running around $130 at Sam's these days.

:

I just noticed that I misspelled Fuji. Dumb bunny, me. I bought my Fuji on the Sam's auction site and paid hardly anything for it.

That's a good idea to use an empty tube as a shield. Like you said, I know you are at a waterpark and the point is to get wet, but the waterfalls really are a shocker.

The water that sprays always seem so much colder than the water on the body slides and lazy rivers.

What an absolutely fantastic day at TL!!! So sorry to hear about John dumping the tube the second time down. CrushNGusher is such a fun ride, I'm glad you all did it together a couple of times.

Poor John, he just can't help himself. He did enjoy the first ride down Crush N Gusher though.

I love the wave pool at TL but it is pretty intense! It is actually better when you are out deeper than when you are trying to stand up in the shallower water.

We are all good swimmers but I don't like people touching me when I'm swimming. It freaks me out and John is the same way. There's no way that I could go into the wave pool knowing that I'd probably get run into or touched by another person. Weird, I know!

Oh, those photopass bracelets! Drove me nuts that they gave me a new one every time. I understand- that is what you have to do there since you are not stopping for a picture- but I am a psycho recycler. In fact, I bring my own reusable to-go containers when we dine out in restaurants because I don't want the Styrofoam boxes.

I know that you are a psycho recycler. I try to reuse as much as I possibly can too. That's one of the reasons that you see so many Folgers coffee containers, ice cream containers, etc. being used around our house and in the yard. I can't see just throwing them away when I can use them for other purposes.

Caught up on your DTD dinner and strolls at POR and FQ.



We haven't eaten at WPE, but I hear it is fantastic! Food certainly looks good in your pictures.

Where is Hunter's Kermit shirt from? Love it. Always pleasantly surprised when teens wear shirts like that. Nate has one with Mr. Rodgers on it "Everything's Good in the Hood"

I would so do what you did instead of Disney Quest. I have not been over to either of the POR resorts. I love how uniquely themed Disney's resorts are. They really are destinations themselves.

I am so glad that I chose to take the stroll around the Port Orleans resorts. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle (and construction walls) of Downtown Disney for a while.

I bought Hunter's shirt at JC Penney about a month before our trip. It was on clearance and I only paid $1.99! He loves it! I think that I've seen one of the Mr. Rodgers shirts before or at least one similar. As a matter of fact, I think that I saw it at Penneys.

Awesome, thank you! I have finally been looking at a few of them and will probably get one in two or so weeks. We leave in a few weeks, but our weeks are absolutely packed until then!

The Fuji is amazing! You can change the settings on it. The magic shots are so very cool. You can take pictures that look like drawings, punk, pastels, fish eye, etc. I love it!

Well, I'm really glad you and Hunter enjoyed Crush 'n Gusher so much. I LOVED that slide! I could have done that all day. Sorry John had a less-than-idea experience. It must be tough struggling with the tube slides like that.

Poor John, when we were dating and before his head injury, we used to visit a local water park (that's no longer in business) and he loved the tube slides. Dumb epilepsy!

All in all, a lot of fun at Typhoon Lagoon.

We had a fantastic time at Typhoon Lagoon and are looking forward to going back next trip.

And I'm really glad you got to do a solo tour of Port Orleans! I really didn't expect to like POR much the first time I stayed there, but I really fell in love with it. It's beautiful in an understated way. Even if the photos didn't turn out, I think you can still see it. And I like the rustic area best, too.

The Port Orleans resorts are beautiful! If we were ever to stay at one of them again, I'd pick Riverside over French Quarter for sure.

Woohoo what an adventure! Not long until your next trip, you must be getting excited!?

We are countin' down the days until we are back again! I'm soooooo ready!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Mom, they totally know that you're taking pictures!

After what seemed like a long time, the boat finally came and we were on our way to Downtown Disney. I tried calling the guys to let them know that I was on my way back but they didn't answer. It didn't surprise me at all because it's loud in Disney Quest. I called again after I was actually sitting outside of Disney Quest. This time, Hunter answered and said that they were about to leave anyway because it was almost time for Disney Quest to close. I told him that they'd find me sitting over by House of Blues on the benches outside. This was my view (sorry for the blurry pic):



It was a pretty night and I enjoyed just sitting on the bench and doing some people watching. People watching in the parks is fun but people watching around a place with a bar is fun too. Don't get me wrong, there weren't a bunch of stumbling around drunk folks but some were pretty happy and were enjoying the live band nearby.

When I spotted the guys coming out of Disney Quest, I abandoned my spot on the bench and met up with them. All of us agreed that we could use something to snack on and we decided to stop in Goofy's Candy when we got back down to the Marketplace side of Downtown Disney. Ya'll know that I like taking pictures (some blurry and some not) but I feel a little weird taking pictures when I walk into a shop, especially a busy one. But, I wanted to get pictures so I had my camera down low like it was hanging from the strap and I was discreetly taking pictures.








I thought that I was being all sneaky and stuff when Hunter pointed to one of the smiling castmembers to me and said "Mom, they totally know that you're taking pictures!" And here I was thinking that I was being uber detective or something. Knowing that my gig was up, I took two more pictures without hiding the fact that I was taking pictures.



I honestly can't remember what we bought but I do remember that we were able to use our snack credits. We found a small table and chairs outside of Goody's Candy Co. and called Mama to check in with her while we ate our snacks. Everything was going well at home and it was good to chat with her.

The lines for the buses were stupid crazy again since the Pleasure Island bus stop had closed because of the ongoing construction. Thank goodness for the castmembers directing guests to the right line(s). This was the only night that we had a semi-long wait for a CBR bus. I think that we waited about 20 minutes for a bus which was the longest that we had waited so far. Back at the resort, we watched a little television and were soon drifting off to sleep.

**Up next: Thumbing it in Walt Disney World? Only my family!

 

[KatMark]

Uber Detective Lisa at your service. I used to feel weird taking pictures in shops, but I see everyone else doing it so I'm much mroe comfortable. Goofy's Candy is always a good spot for a snack. I HATE the buses to/from DTD.

 

[momabbate]

What a fun night. Love that you took some me time. Riverside was my first resort. It was nice to take the boat to DTD, and to walk around.

 

[scottny]

Our dates are May 23rd to June 6th.

Okay. I might be working ther eif they hire me. LOL. If not I will be living there so I might see you.

Love people watching.

Your own son busted you. LOL.

 

[johnsonmatt3]

My sister just got back from Disney and got a rice crispies treat from Goofy's Candy Co. I forgot how expensive stuff on Disney property. I assume she had the dining plan, but still, $5 for a rice crispies treat in the shape of a Mickey head is kind of crazy.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I'm back! I am finally back on the DIS (took a break when they changed everything and then life got crazy so I haven't been able to get back on!) It will take me a bit to get caught up, but I wanted to say hi and that I am here again!!

 

[MEK]

Sometimes when you think you are being a great paparazzi, you really aren't. Been there. Done that!

 

[jenseib]

People watching is so fun...there are some really odd people that go to WDW......present company excluded of course!

 

[Chicago Mo]

HA! Spy Lisa is at it again!!! LOL! Slick moves with the photography.. pictures actually turned out too! HA HA!
you crack me up.. Oh LORD the bus at DTD... i have no words..

 

[mickeystoontown]

Uber Detective Lisa at your service. I used to feel weird taking pictures in shops, but I see everyone else doing it so I'm much mroe comfortable. Goofy's Candy is always a good spot for a snack. I HATE the buses to/from DTD.

If the shop is a bigger shop, I don't feel so weird about taking pictures but Goofy's Candy Company, while the store itself is big, there's not a lot of movin' around room.

Okay. I might be working ther eif they hire me. LOL. If not I will be living there so I might see you.

Love people watching.

Your own son busted you. LOL.

I saw that you put in your application! I hope that you get the job and I see you there. If you are, I'll definitely seek you out.

Little twerp! Bustin' his own Mama. LOL

My sister just got back from Disney and got a rice crispies treat from Goofy's Candy Co. I forgot how expensive stuff on Disney property. I assume she had the dining plan, but still, $5 for a rice crispies treat in the shape of a Mickey head is kind of crazy.

I think that the big rice krispy treat was like $50 or maybe even a little more. Thank goodness for the Disney plan!

I'm back! I am finally back on the DIS (took a break when they changed everything and then life got crazy so I haven't been able to get back on!) It will take me a bit to get caught up, but I wanted to say hi and that I am here again!!

It's engaged Stephanie! Stephanie is engaged ya'll! She's gonna be George's wife! Stephanie is going to be a married woman! Can you tell that I'm excited for you?

Sometimes when you think you are being a great paparazzi, you really aren't. Been there. Done that!

But you get the greatest paparazzi pictures Mary Ellen!

People watching is so fun...there are some really odd people that go to WDW......present company excluded of course!

Of course, present company is excluded. We are soooooo not odd people. LOL!

HA! Spy Lisa is at it again!!! LOL! Slick moves with the photography.. pictures actually turned out too! HA HA!
you crack me up.. Oh LORD the bus at DTD... i have no words..

I'm surprised that the pictures turned out. There were a few that were mostly people's butts.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sorry that last update was a short one. I had thought that I would post another update this weekend but John actually agreed to trying on all of his shorts and shirts and we ended up kinda sorta cleaning out the closet. Ya'll know how time consuming that is. Anyway, I'm going to be posting another update in just a little bit. Gotta get things situated at the office and I'll start writing.