Double October Birthday Palooza-Lots New 5/12 & Now Complete!!!!!

[Disneygrl36]

We had such a delicious meal at Yachtsman last evening. Yummo. Jellyrolls was great too.....I wished we were staying at Boardwalk so we could have stayed later. It is such fun to go singalonlg with those guys.

Today is a whatever day......Eric is at the fitness center right now, while I catch up on going through pics.
We are going to do some shopping at DTD, possibly go up in the Characters in Flight balloon then it's off to MK this afternoon for MNSSHP.

 

[MickMan]

How was the balloon ride?

Looks like you had great weather to go
Up to the highest height!
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear

Have fun a MNSSHP..........I just love the parade...My favorite Disney parade.
and do not eat too much candy.......take a pic of all the candy you get if you can.....

 

[Jennifer48]

Jenn.........I totally forgot to go in the bathroom at Rafiki's what's in there?

They have the sounds of the animals playing and if you aren't aware, sounds like they are in the restroom with you!

That and in the back of the stall door, it has information about some animals poop! Very interesting read while you are doing your business!

 

[MickMan]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELANIE!!!!!!

Hope you had a great day at Epcot on your Birthday.

 

[heaven2dc]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MELANIE!! Hope you are having a great birthday and what a magical place to be

 

[Disneygrl36]

How was the balloon ride?

Looks like you had great weather to go
Up to the highest height!
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear

Have fun a MNSSHP..........I just love the parade...My favorite Disney parade.
and do not eat too much candy.......take a pic of all the candy you get if you can.....

Mark going up in the balloon was AWESOME........we could see for days.
We had a great time at MNSSHP. It is my favorite parade too. We didn't do but one candy stop.....we rode rides & then did hte special Halloween stuff.

They have the sounds of the animals playing and if you aren't aware, sounds like they are in the restroom with you!

That and in the back of the stall door, it has information about some animals poop! Very interesting read while you are doing your business!

Wish I had remembered when we were there. I go to the BR a million times a day it feels like at WDW but somehow forgot @ the one place I was supposed to go.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELANIE!!!!!!

Hope you had a great day at Epcot on your Birthday.

Thanks Mark......I had a great bday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MELANIE!! Hope you are having a great birthday and what a magical place to be

Thanks so much.

Well, obviously we are home......had such a good time. It was SO HOT though. I mean hot to the point where I felt like I was melting a couple of times. The locals kept telling us it shouldn't be that hot. I checked a couple of times & the humidity some days was 90%.So, that really zapped us, but we pressed on & had a wonderful trip.

I will be starting my trip report today!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Our trip started out with a flight out of Knoxville's McGhee Tyson airport. We drove down to the airport, parked Jeepie & soon we were waiting for our plane.

We flew AirTrans & were pleased with the service--hey we even got a bag of pretzels & a drink on the way down, which Allegiant doesn't give you.
Weird formations seen from the plane close to Orlando....anyone know what these are????

We made our way to Magical Express & were soon on our way to Saratoga Springs.

I had requested a room in Congress Park because it was closest to Downtown Disney & we were going to be dining in quite a few resorts this time, so I thought being close to the resort bus hub at DTD would make that easier. That request was granted & it really was nice to be able to have just a 5 minute walk to DTD. Our grocery delivery was waiting on us, so bell services loaded up our stuff & drove us over to our room. I was quite pleased with Garden Grocer--we had never done a grocery delivery before & it was so convenient to have everything we needed just waiting on us when we arrived.

We had a studio with a beautiful view of DTD. A studio is just right for the 2 of us on a Disney vacation. If we were at the beach or somewhere we spent more time at the room, it would start to feel small but at WDW where you are not in the room much it's perfect.

View

New friend

We didn't have a lot of time, but we did unpack what we had in our carry on bag & got ready to meet friends for dinner. A friend of mine from high school & her husband were finishing up their trip so we decided to meet at Jiko at AKL for dinner.

This was our first time dining at Jiko & it was delicious.

This was a complimentary carrot & ginger soup that we were treated to by our waiter.

We started out with the artisan cheese platter which included Five Goat, Cow and Sheep Cheeses from Around the World-the goat cheese was my favorite. You can also see pictured here Jane & Scott's appetizer which was the Taste of Africa with assorted breads & dips.

Eric enjoyed a South African beer called Tusker. I had a glass of South African white wine which I cannot recall the name of, but it was perfect with my fish.
We shared the Jiko salad which had a very nice refreshing dressing on it & was decorated with edible flowers.

I had the maize dusted halibut in a tomato butter sauce & it was sooooo good.

Eric had the oak grilled filet with macaroni & cheese in a red wine sauce which he only gave me the tiniest taste of because he loved it so much.

We were wayyyyy to full for desert.

Dinner was delightful. The ambiance at Jiko was wonderful & we had such a good time catching up with Jane & Scott. It was a perfect way to start off our vacation & a great way to introduce them to a part of Disney they had never seen. They both said they would love to come back & stay at AKL--this from 2 non-Disney people, so I think I accomplished my goal of showing them how much more there is to Disney than the parks.

After dinner, we said our goodbyes. We headed to the concierge desk at AKL because we feared we would not make it back to SSR before the desk closed & we needed to get our park tickets. The lovely lady there helped us out & soon we were on our way back to SSR.
Gorgeous views walking back to our room.

Our other bag had arrived, so we finished unpacking & got settled in before heading to bed. We had an early morning planned the next day. This was the only night of the vacation that I did not sleep well......guess I was "too excited to sleep."

Next up.........Segways & eating around the world at Epcot

 

[SoonerGirl]

Mmmmm, your meal at Jiko looks so good!

 

[MickMan]

I also had the oak grilled filet with macaroni & cheese last time we were at Jiko and loved it.

I never sleep much the first night....like you said..."I'm too excited to sleep"

 

[Jennifer48]

The oak grilled filet with macaroni & cheese is one of my favorite dishes. I had it for the first time in December. I've never had a filet melt in my mouth like that one did. I can't eat another anywhere else anymore!

Great start!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

that steak and cheese does look good, would have told the wifeit was gross so i would not have had to share a bite.

 

[praisehisname]

What a fantastic meal to start your trip with!

Denise

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Melanie! Welcome Home! Nice start to your TR. Your dinner at Jiko looks really good - "normal." I have only seen African dishes posted about before, so I hadn't thought I would like to eat there. A little African flavor goes a long way for us! You all looked very nice dressed up, too!

Dan! You're funny.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Mmmmm, your meal at Jiko looks so good!

It was so good!!!!!!!

I also had the oak grilled filet with macaroni & cheese last time we were at Jiko and loved it.

I never sleep much the first night....like you said..."I'm too excited to sleep"

I just love the AKL & now that we know Jiko is soooo good, we will have to stay there sometime for sure.

The oak grilled filet with macaroni & cheese is one of my favorite dishes. I had it for the first time in December. I've never had a filet melt in my mouth like that one did. I can't eat another anywhere else anymore!

Great start!

Thanks Jenn. I wish I was having that steak for dinner tonight.

that steak and cheese does look good, would have told the wifeit was gross so i would not have had to share a bite.

Yeah, he tried that Dan, but I could tell it wasn't the truth.

What a fantastic meal to start your trip with!

Denise

Thanks Denise. It was a great start.

Melanie! Welcome Home! Nice start to your TR. Your dinner at Jiko looks really good - "normal." I have only seen African dishes posted about before, so I hadn't thought I would like to eat there. A little African flavor goes a long way for us! You all looked very nice dressed up, too!

Dan! You're funny.

Oh you must try it Tammie. It was delicious. We clean up pretty decent don't we?

Sorry for no updates in several days.......I got the post vacation crud & I'm working today. I will try to get an update done this weekend.

 

[Aburns8]

Boy! I am behind! I was hoping that you would do a trip report! I can't believe Sakina didn't drink any wine. Maybe that was a good thing?

 

[Disneygrl36]

Boy! I am behind! I was hoping that you would do a trip report! I can't believe Sakina didn't drink any wine. Maybe that was a good thing?

Glad to have you along Andrea!!!! Sakina was on her best behavior.....& nursing a hang over from partying the night before possibly.It was so great seeing them!!!!

Working on an update now.....

 

[Disneygrl36]

This was Eric's birthday........arty:
We had an early breakfast in our room today because we had to be at EPCOT guest relations by 8:15 to check in for our Segway tour.
So we climbed on the bus & before we knew it we were at EPCOT.
I took the time to take a few pictures of the Food & Wine decorations & Spaceship Earth.

Jack hangin' out at the fountain.

We checked in & signed our waivers (I was hoping at this point that I would survive because I am a little clumsy at times). Eric got his birthday button & birthday fun card---free money from Disney woohooty!!!!!
I think our group had about 10 people in it. We went over to Innoventions where the Segway area is & watched a video about the Segway & got basic instructions on the controls.

About to get on the Segway for the first time....

I was really nervous & the first time you get on one of these things it's like whoaaaaaaaa really not sure about this cause until you relax it kinda bucks a little bit when you first step up. So we practiced then & it was amazing how quickly you started to feel comfortable on it & soon we were turning it in circles, going through pylons & riding up & down a ramp. Before we knew it, it was time to head off to World Showcase. We had to ride in a single file line until we got to the area of World Showcase that wasn't open yet. We made stops in several countries to talk about the pavillions & the details. It was awesome to be riding around World Showcase! I really enjoyed riding on the Romantic Road in Germany, through the gardens in Japan & slaloming around the columns in Italy. We got to do some free-riding & photos in Italy as well.

Eric in France.

Me in Germany.

It was soon time to head back to Innoventions & we sped back to Future World on our Segways. It was a great experience & we both loved riding these really cool, quiet machines. Eric decided he needs one at home.
So, by now it was heading towards 11 o'clock. We headed to the the Land to get a FP for Soarin'. Our first ride of the trip (besides the Segways of course) was Living with the Land.
Hidden Mickey from the queue

Then we went over to hang out with Figment for a minute.

He's so cute........but I think he misses Dreamfinder.

I was thinking of jumping in this fountain because it was soooooo hot.

We then went to Club Cool cause we are cheap & needed a drink.

Next, we headed to Canada because we were lunching at Le Cellier. Eric picked this for his birthday meal.
We finally found the hidden mickey on the totem pole......I must have looked at this thing a million times & just now finally found it. Do you see it?

I just love the gardens here....so pretty.

We sat in the Alberta province. It was nice to be inside & cooling off some.

Bread.....whole wheat, pretzel & sourdough sticks.

We had field green salads. I really like the pear, cheese & walnuts mixed in this salad.

And what we had been waiting for the mushroom filet mignon. Oh my goodness, this is such a good dish that I have to stop myself from licking the bowl to get the last little bit of mushroom risotto goodness.

Too full for dessert, we headed back to Future World & got a FP for Test Track & then caught these guys performing-The Jammitors.


Up next........We nibble around the World!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

some time we will do the segway tour, prob when the kids are older cause my parents will want to do it also, but then noone will watch parker

 

[Aburns8]

Sounds like a great birthday! I think the next time we go we are going to do that segway tour. It looks like a lot of fun!

 

[SoonerGirl]

The Segway tour looks like fun! I can't wait to try it for myself in May

Sounds like Eric was having a great birthday so far!!