Escape from the North - A Week at the Yacht Club - April 2015- Complete* 1/5

[ursalita]

They're both great, but I like Aidan's better. It's more a picture of you guys, whereas the other one feels like a picture of the background with you guys in it.
Your hair looks amazing in these pictures!

Thank you! I also like it because I think our faces are different when we're looking at him vs. a very kind stranger. Maybe the kid has a career in photography. Thank you, I had to capitalize the good hair moments because they were few and far between.

Well, sure, video games unite all kids.

Except Sam and "Jim" apparently.

Totally agree - great picture!

Thank you!

That's what you get for going during Spring Break - everyone else in New England has spring break at the same time!

I knew that but it was still surprising so see it in that situation, like a bit of real life creeping in on the magic. We saw a few Yankees shirts/caps, too.

Yeah ... Sammy and I really are kindred spirits. If you're winning all night, it is not cool when the other kid wins. I totally understand how Sammy felt.

Me, too. Losing is the worst.

I love this picture ... but yeah, Yacht Club is nicer.

So much nicer. I was surprised that I liked it so much given it's not that exotic for me (New England seaside

I wish there was a way to take the way you feel at Disney and make it last forever.

I know. I took home some fragrance samples and every time I smell them I think of Disney. I also brought home a couple bars of soap that will bring the Disney memories flooding back when I open them. I think that's what got me planning this trip - we opened one of those bars of soap from a past trip and it made me want to go back. Maybe it's a marketing tactic.

Despite Sammy's crankiness and deviation from plans, it still sounds like you had a great day, with a really nice ending!

It was wonderful!

That's great.
And that's exactly what Disney's about, isn't it?
No "stranger danger", just people having a good time and being friendly.

It really brings together kindred spirits, that's for sure.

What did she say? Does she?

Not now. But it definitely sounded like it was something she was considering. She talked about having a younger sister that made her good with young kids.

Ditch them! Take off! You can always meet up back at the hotel.
Oh, sure. DH will be angry, but so what. You'll have had an amazing time.

You know, he probably wouldn't be that mad - he doesn't really get mad. He wouldn't have to try to keep up with me the whole time.

So you bought a hat so you could spend $7 on a locker.
Gotcha.

The irony of that did not escape me.

I thought they looked a little too well behaved in that photo.

They never see a statue/fence/tree they don't want to climb.

Too bad. You're all excited, thinking how this will just floor the boys and.... poof. Nothing.

It was fine. I was disappointed but they had no idea and they were thrilled to have met him. Aidan got his hat signed. We'd just met the most amazing person on the bus and we had the whole day ahead of us. What did I have to complain about?

That's really great. I didn't even notice until you pointed it out.
I bet Sam just reached up without even thinking and grabbed his hand.

They are like that, very close physically. When they are together they always seem to be on top of each other. I dread the day that changes.

Where was that?

To the left of the castle. I took it from the walkway leading up to the castle. I can see it to the left of my shoulder in the first pic of my next MK post.

Oh, that's easy. I've done this. It's Pooh, right?

Yep. It was Pooh! How did you know?

 

[ursalita]

Hi Colleen......all caught up now!!!! I love, love love all your pictures!!!!!

Thanks for reading! I'm glad you like the pictures.

That girl on the bus taking time to share pins and talk to the boys was awesome. We had a wonderful experience like that too last time we were there. It's so nice when people seem to really take an interest in your kids!!! Looks like you are well on your way to a great morning at MK here!! You almost made the morning show!!! So what's with Mickey...sometimes he talks and sometimes he doesn't? Or does he only talk at certain locations or times? I haven't paid much attention to the character interactions before but my DD seemed to really enjoy them last time so I hope to do some more "on purpose" ones next time.

That's exactly why we love Disney so much. I don't know about much about talking Mickey. The description on the map just says meet Mickey. I'd heard from TRs people who experienced a talking Mickey and those who didn't. I guess we weren't lucky with Mickey that morning.

I love how frequently you update!

I get how your son feels about meeting people in the parks and then not seeing them again. I've met so many awesome people on busses monorails ferries and in lines.

I've never met talking Mickey either. I'm hoping he doesn't lose his voice when we go to see him next week.

Thanks! I wonder if it's too much for people. I really hope he's talking for you when you visit.

That's the one downside of staying at a new hotel ... you don't know the travel times.

I considered the wait times but not the travel times for some reason.

Although we once made friends on the bus, and then 2 days later saw them somewhere else ... well, they saw us and screamed out to us. It was hysterical!

I'm always shocked when you meet a stranger in a super crowded place and then see them again. The odds on that must be huge.

I love this picture!

Thank you.

We also had a non-talking Mickey (in November) ... I wouldn't wish it on anyone else going to for that experience. I really hate that they can't get him to talk all the time. I'm glad the boys weren't disappointed, but it really would have been so much better if Mickey had been able to talk to them!

It's weird. I'm curious to know what makes him talk or not.

I just thought of a new Disney game:
Wall, Attraction, or Natural?
You see something and have to guess if it's a construction wall, an attraction, or something natural.

 

[ursalita]

Hi There

I'm here!! I'm all caught up! I've been so swamped at work but lurking when I can. Today I have some down time so I am going to catch up on things! There is too much to comment on now..but I will start!!

Enjoying everything so far!

Thanks for stopping by!

I checked it out. I'm still drooling over the No Way Jose.

But why share???

We should have ordered two.

Kind of like the theory that you don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the other guy.

Some serious survival instinct must have kicked in.

I guess you at least still had the baby gorilla high carrying you.

That gorilla high (that sounds weird) lasted most of the day.

I had to check out your DR after our poor service there. I'm glad to see that it was good, if not all that memorable. I mean, that's pretty much what it is. Just a regular CS type of place.

I was definitely planning to avoid the place partly based on your review but circumstances.

I'm sorry it wasn't a hit. Why Didn't Jamie like it? The man chased a bat out of the house, he surely wasn't scared of a dinosaur!

It's not the dinosaur, he doesn't like drops.

I call it the carp.

I now know the history of it, it's a dolphin fish, all that. But they have to understand the confusion because few people see fish when they hear dolphin. They see flipper.

Yeah, that's definitely concerning that he was able to just get out the door without being stopped!

It is but to be fair we were walking right up to the door when it happened and the staff seemed confused, like what just happened, but they knew he'd left. An easy exit seems scary in this situation but not as scary as a door that won't open in an emergency.

Poor Sam. It just wasn't his day.

IT really wasn't.

I totally understand. Although it is hard to catch up!

Sorry about that. I hadn't thought about that. I'm just motivated now and it's still really fresh in my memory. Maybe I should slow down.

That's great! Always nice when you can get a little extra magic from another guest.

It definitely helps to balance out all of the rude, entitled guests.

Well... that's something. I've seen the fake facades in front of construction for buildings, but never trees!

Do they actually think they're fooling anyone?

And I loved Aidan's shirt on the MK day.

Thanks! He got lots of compliments on it.

 

[ursalita]

FREE and dinner!!!! Think I need to eat somewhere at the Swolphin next trip.

Definitely! bluezoo was awesome and they do the same deal for Shula's and Il Mulino.

Wow, this is scary You'd like to think they had noticed, but yikes either way.

They definitely noticed and we were a few steps from the door as he ran out so they didn't get a chance to react. I think most kids wouldn't have run out like that, Sammy's special that way.

I just love the people you meet on Disney buses. How lucky of the boys to make such a special new friend.

She made them feel really special.

I thought Mickey always talked. Guess that isn't the case?

I guess not. It doesn't say he talks on the map. I've read trip reports where he's talked and some where he hasn't.

You got one up on me. Florida and my curly hair do not mix. I gotta rock a pony on almost every trip.

At the time I wished my hair was long enough to put up.

These are great. I can't believe how empty the park is!

That wasn't even the day we went before the park opened but it was EMH.

 

[KathyM2]

Well...sorry about the rain...but still looks like some fun was had . I had to laugh when you said you almost didn't post your Buzz pic because of the hair...I would so have that thought. But we are all friends here and what's a little bad hair lol. I didn't know that about Stitch either lol. It kinda sucks when you are wet and cold...sigh..but then who wants to carry around ponchos and raincoats lol...I know I don't!!

 

[BibbitybobityLu]

Hi! I'm still catching up but I just wanted to say I am loving your TR! I will be back when I have gotten up to date!

 

[pkondz]

In the last update I forgot to include the MM photos we had taken after breakfast in front of the castle.

Look at that hair! Beautiful!

While I was there the walls didn't bother me too much but they really stand out to me in the photos.

I think because you're too busy trying to figure out where you're going or looking up at that castle-thingy.

We had some time before our first FP at 7DMT so we decided to ride.... Winnie the Pooh! @pkondz guessed it!

I was kidding! I thought nobody would do that!

The boys checked out the interactive queue but they didn't seem too impressed.

That was my impression too. The honey wall is cool... but the rest is meant for the really small fry.

It had started raining by that time so we pulled out our ponchos.

Bye bye hair.

The CMs assured us that we would be able to return any time that day and our FP would be honored.

I would wait until the standby line was super long... then casually stroll up and do it.

We started walking to Tomorrowland and stopped to ride the Teacups.

We ducked into one of the gifts shops to look around while it poured.

They have those at Disney, huh?

It was still raining pretty hard so we ran over to get on the Peoplemover.

Whoopsie! Slight typo there.
It's WEDWay Peoplemover.

Sammy had decided not to wear his poncho so this is him on the Peoplemover:

Slightly damp.

He was shivering, poor thing.

Awww. Poor kiddo.

I am happy to report that I had the best score by a lot.

Atta girl!

Poor Sam's head is always blocked in these pictures.

Tell him "Always lean to your right when playing!"

I almost didn't post this pic because hair.

But that game face makes up for the hair.

He stayed cranky through the show and refused to admit that he liked it. I did catch him reaching out to touch the 3-D images.

Uh, huh. "Didn't like it"... Yup. Sure. Of course.

Then Sammy decides he doesn't want to ride after all and wants to be with Daddy and Aidan. No amount of begging and pleading would convince him to stay:

So close!

That's funny!

We had to squeeze past a bunch of people who'd gotten in line behind us. By the time we got up to the train it had left the station and we had to wait 20 minutes for it to get back. Sam couldn't seem to understand why we had to wait and he whined the whole time.

This is what non-parents have no clue about.
How you can let that happen and not seriously injure your kid.
Oh, you want to... But you don't.

What will we do next?

Goofy meet.

 

[pkondz]

You know, he probably wouldn't be that mad - he doesn't really get mad. He wouldn't have to try to keep up with me the whole time.

"Okay boys.... she's almost out of sight... Gone! What do we want to do now?!?!"

They never see a statue/fence/tree they don't want to climb.

It sounds almost like they're... boys!

It was fine. I was disappointed but they had no idea and they were thrilled to have met him. Aidan got his hat signed. We'd just met the most amazing person on the bus and we had the whole day ahead of us. What did I have to complain about?

Good point!

Yep. It was Pooh! How did you know?

Because that's what I did!

 

[ursalita]

Well...sorry about the rain...but still looks like some fun was had . I had to laugh when you said you almost didn't post your Buzz pic because of the hair...I would so have that thought. But we are all friends here and what's a little bad hair lol. I didn't know that about Stitch either lol. It kinda sucks when you are wet and cold...sigh..but then who wants to carry around ponchos and raincoats lol...I know I don't!!

Yeah, that's what I thought. We can just laugh at it. And it sounds like lots of the ladies have the same problems.

Hi! I'm still catching up but I just wanted to say I am loving your TR! I will be back when I have gotten up to date!

Yay! So glad to have you along. I've been writing a lot so I hope it's not too much to catch up on.

Look at that hair! Beautiful!

You flatter me, pkondz

I think because you're too busy trying to figure out where you're going or looking up at that castle-thingy.

That must be it.

I was kidding! I thought nobody would do that!

But you did.

That was my impression too. The honey wall is cool... but the rest is meant for the really small fry.

They probably thought us adults didn't need distractions to keep us happy in line.

Bye bye hair.

They have those at Disney, huh?

They're hard to find, you really need to keep your eyes peeled.

Whoopsie! Slight typo there.
It's WEDWay Peoplemover.

I'll have to google it.

Awww. Poor kiddo.

At least it was Florida rain and he warmed up as soon as the sun came out. These kids run around in the snow with shorts on so don't feel too bad.



I think they were archaelogists that day.

But that game face makes up for the hair.

I was on fire.

So close!

Next trip, I'm sure of it.

How you can let that happen and not seriously injure your kid.
Oh, you want to... But you don't.

That was definitely when his temper tantrums stopped being funny. His inability to understand why he had to wait 20 minutes for them to get back made me crazy.

Goofy meet.

Oh. my. god. How are you doing this?!

"Okay boys.... she's almost out of sight... Gone! What do we want to do now?!?!"

That's more like it!

It sounds almost like they're... boys!

Exactly. They also make weapons out of every object they handle. It took a bit of getting used to.

 

[pkondz]

You flatter me, pkondz

Yes I do.

I'll have to google it.

Do that!
It's a crying shame that they changed the name and as far as I'm concerned it'll always be WEDWay.
(Walter Elias Disney Way)

These kids run around in the snow with shorts on so don't feel too bad.

I was on fire.

Well, that's good. Takes the chill off from that rain.

Oh. my. god. How are you doing this?!

The "k" in pkondz stands for Kreskin.
You can Google that too, now.

 

[ursalita]

Day 3
Magic Kingdom Part 3

Where I last left off we were on a train from Frontierland to Fantasyland. I was trying to find the Disney magic after our aborted attempt to ride Splash Mountain.

We got off the train in Fantasyland and tried to find something to do before we had to leave the park for our ADR at Grand Floridian Cafe. We saw that the time to meet Goofy and Donald was short so we decided to add Donald's signature to Aidan's hat. This was a fun meet:









The first three are my photos and the last is PP. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I think I'm just trying to determine if MM was worth it. When we finished up I was shocked to see that this had taken longer than I'd thought and we had to race to make our ADR. We booked it to the front of the park and got there just in time to board the resort monorail.



This is the only photo I got but at least I can prove we rode the monorail. I was obsessively checking the time on my phone because apparently GF is the last stop. I had wanted to look around the resort a little but I only had time to get a few photos while we tried to locate the restaurant.



Up until now the boys were sure that we were staying at the "fanciest" resort. They quickly realized that GF was fancier and they want to stay there next time.

We had a great lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe. The food and service were very good - I wrote about it in more detail in my DR but it was easily the best lunch we had so far this trip. Sammy spent some time defacing their cloth napkins:



I tried to reassure myself that the crayons were washable and it would probably come out.

It was a nice break but by the time we'd finished our lunch it was raining again. Back to the monorail we went.



When we got back to MK we realized that Aidan had lost his Magic Band. He'd taken it off and said he gave it to Jamie but we couldn't find it anywhere. To be honest, I'm shocked that he hadn't lost it sooner. He has mild sensory issues so he doesn't like wearing jewelry or watches. During the last trip we carried his band because he couldn't stand to wear it. He's come a long way.

The CMs directed us towards Guest Services. They were able to quickly transfer his info onto a card. They deactivated his old card and told us to have the concierge at YC issue him a new band. We also took this time to put more things in the locker. As we entered the park the rain was coming to an end and this time we took a left into Adventureland.

I spotted Sunshine Tree Terrace and remembered that this is where I'd had a Dole Whip last trip. We'd skipped dessert at GFC so I quickly hopped in line to cross one more must-do off the list. As I was perusing the menu I didn't see Dole Whip. Huh. I did notice something called Citrus Swirl. That must be it. They obviously had some sort of spat with Dole and they must no longer be able to contractually call it a "Dole Whip."



Ok, so this wasn't a Dole Whip as I'd tried to convince myself it would be.



I mean pineapple isn't even citrus, is it? Doesn't matter. Aidan wasn't a fan of the orange but Sammy and I enjoyed it.

So that's my picture limit. I think everyone will guess what we rode next.​

 

[KathyM2]

Oh no!! Not a Dole Whip....aahhhh! Glad you still liked it though! Brutal about the MB loss...good thing it was a relatively easy fix - and also good that you didn't discover the loss while trying to get on a ride!! I checked out the menu for lunch at the GF and it looks great...I wish they had some of those things on their dinner menu!!

 

[pkondz]

We saw that the time to meet Goofy and Donald was short so we decided to add Donald's signature to Aidan's hat. This was a fun meet:

I knew you were going to say that.

The first three are my photos and the last is PP. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I think I'm just trying to determine if MM was worth it.

Hmmm... honestly thin that yours are just as good or better.
I think you know which way I land on this.

This is the only photo I got but at least I can prove we rode the monorail.

I think it proves that two of you sat at least for a moment on the monorail.

Up until now the boys were sure that we were staying at the "fanciest" resort. They quickly realized that GF was fancier and they want to stay there next time.

Oh, sure kids. You didn't really want to go to college anyways, right?

Sammy spent some time defacing their cloth napkins:

I tried to reassure myself that the crayons were washable and it would probably come out.

Or not.... I'm pretty sure Disney can afford a new napkin.
But if not.... I'm blaming the next price hike on you!

When we got back to MK we realized that Aidan had lost his Magic Band. He'd taken it off and said he gave it to Jamie but we couldn't find it anywhere. To be honest, I'm shocked that he hadn't lost it sooner.

Oh, oh.
But glad it didn't seem to be too big a deal to fix.

He has mild sensory issues so he doesn't like wearing jewelry or watches. During the last trip we carried his band because he couldn't stand to wear it. He's come a long way.

Good for him!

Ok, so this wasn't a Dole Whip as I'd tried to convince myself it would be.

Nope. Doesn't count.
(But I absolutely want to try one... and that picture didn't do anything to dissuade me.)

I won't tell you what you're doing next because I don't want to freak you out anymore than I already have.

 

[Rosebud123]

Great photos! We're staying at YC this August. Did you enjoy the resort?

 

[kastoney]

Love Sammy's face in the picture. Priceless ; )

Up until now the boys were sure that we were staying at the "fanciest" resort. They quickly realized that GF was fancier and they want to stay there next time.

Who knew the boys were so fancy.

Sammy spent some time defacing their cloth napkins:

Whatever keeps the kiddo's happy. I'd let mine color the table cloth if I got a quiet meal.

I did notice something called Citrus Swirl. That must be it.

You poor thing, but I'm not surprised. It was just a matter of time before pineapple promenade/sunshine seasons constant switchero claimed a dole whip victim

 

[SarahDisney]

While I was there the walls didn't bother me too much but they really stand out to me in the photos.

Yeah, walls always look worse in pictures. You guys look great, though!

The boys checked out the interactive queue but they didn't seem too impressed.

What? Crazy boys. I love the honey parts!

We headed over to 7DMT for our FP but it was closed because of possible lightning in the area. The CMs assured us that we would be able to return any time that day and our FP would be honored.

I hate when that happens. I hope it went back up later in the day and you were able to ride!

We ducked into one of the gifts shops to look around while it poured. Sammy found another Stitch stuffy that he wanted. He was trying to build a Stitch army. The CM that rang up his purchase knew a lot about Stitch and explained that the more Stitches there are the weaker they get. IDEK.

I feel like a Stitch army would be really scary.
But seriously, the things CMs say...

There was an area that flooded with rain water and we all ran through it. Sammy was unscathed because he was wearing crocs but the rest of us were wearing sneakers and our feet got completely soaked.

Ouch. I hate when that happens. Wet shoes are the worst.

I am happy to report that I had the best score by a lot.

Congrats!

I almost didn't post this pic because hair.

Wet hair is by definition awful. Don't worry, nobody blames you.

I was standing in line with Sammy thinking about all the rides we would be able to ride together: BTMRR, EE, Space, RnRc...

Then Sammy decides he doesn't want to ride after all and wants to be with Daddy and Aidan. No amount of begging and pleading would convince him to stay

Really, Sammy, you couldn't just brave it?

The first three are my photos and the last is PP. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I think I'm just trying to determine if MM was worth it.

I like all of the pictures.
I think MM makes a lot of sense for people who don't have really good cameras. Like for me, the MM pictures are much better than my crappy point-and-shoot pictures. But if you don't need to be in all of the pictures (or you're willing to hand the camera over to a CM), you have a good camera, and you know how to frame a picture, then you may get better pictures with your camera than the Photopass photographers do.

Up until now the boys were sure that we were staying at the "fanciest" resort. They quickly realized that GF was fancier and they want to stay there next time.

So I guess you're paying $600/night for your next trip...

When we got back to MK we realized that Aidan had lost his Magic Band. He'd taken it off and said he gave it to Jamie but we couldn't find it anywhere. To be honest, I'm shocked that he hadn't lost it sooner. He has mild sensory issues so he doesn't like wearing jewelry or watches. During the last trip we carried his band because he couldn't stand to wear it. He's come a long way.

Yay for him wearing the MB in the first place ... it's definitely not the most comfortable thing in the world (even for me, and I love bracelets). Too bad that he lost it, but I'm glad they were able to take care of it.

I spotted Sunshine Tree Terrace and remembered that this is where I'd had a Dole Whip last trip. We'd skipped dessert at GFC so I quickly hopped in line to cross one more must-do off the list. As I was perusing the menu I didn't see Dole Whip. Huh. I did notice something called Citrus Swirl. That must be it. They obviously had some sort of spat with Dole and they must no longer be able to contractually call it a "Dole Whip."

So, they switched Sunshine Tree Terace and Aloha Isle, so they're in different places now. I don't remember which one has the Dole Whip.

I mean pineapple isn't even citrus, is it? Doesn't matter. Aidan wasn't a fan of the orange but Sammy and I enjoyed it.

You are correct, pineapple is not citrus.
I'm glad you enjoyed, even if it wasn't the Dole Whip you expected.

 

[irene_dsc]

I spotted Sunshine Tree Terrace and remembered that this is where I'd had a Dole Whip last trip. We'd skipped dessert at GFC so I quickly hopped in line to cross one more must-do off the list. As I was perusing the menu I didn't see Dole Whip. Huh. I did notice something called Citrus Swirl. That must be it. They obviously had some sort of spat with Dole and they must no longer be able to contractually call it a "Dole Whip."

Glad to know we weren't the only ones who weren't able to find Dole Whips!

And lol on the fancy comment for GF! It definitely is fancy! I love it, but I think it might be a little too fancy for me...

 

[ursalita]

The "k" in pkondz stands for Kreskin.
You can Google that too, now.

I don't have to google that. What kind of fool do you take me for?

Oh no!! Not a Dole Whip....aahhhh! Glad you still liked it though! Brutal about the MB loss...good thing it was a relatively easy fix - and also good that you didn't discover the loss while trying to get on a ride!! I checked out the menu for lunch at the GF and it looks great...I wish they had some of those things on their dinner menu!!

Luckily I had another day in MK and another chance to get a Dole Whip. It wasn't too bad, really easy to fix.

I knew you were going to say that.

Hmmm... honestly thin that yours are just as good or better.
I think you know which way I land on this.

Thanks. I did notice that for the PP photos, the boys are looking straight at the camera. At the meet and greets you definitely set shoved to one side or the other so the angle isn't as good. Ugh. I'll probably get MM again next time because I'm a picture junkie.

Oh, sure kids. You didn't really want to go to college anyways, right?

Or not.... I'm pretty sure Disney can afford a new napkin.
But if not.... I'm blaming the next price hike on you!

I'm sure it washed out.

Nope. Doesn't count.
(But I absolutely want to try one... and that picture didn't do anything to dissuade me.)

I won't tell you what you're doing next because I don't want to freak you out anymore than I already have.

Definitely worth the try, I liked it a lot.

This one isn't so hard considering our location.

 

[pkondz]

I'll probably get MM again next time because I'm a picture junkie.

You're hooked lady. You've got an addiction. The first step is admitting it.

I'm sure it washed out.

Oh, sure. Just keep on telling yourself that.

 

[ursalita]

Great photos! We're staying at YC this August. Did you enjoy the resort?

Thank you. We loved the resort! We loved the location - walk to Epcot, Boardwalk, Swolphin and boat to HS. Stormalong bay is amazing. We had only good experiences with CMs. I can't say enough about it.

Love Sammy's face in the picture. Priceless ; )

Thanks. You can see it better in the PP version but Aidan is grinning from ear to ear, too.

Who knew the boys were so fancy.

I know, right? They kept talking about where we would stay next trip and actually got Jamie to agree to next fall.

Whatever keeps the kiddo's happy. I'd let mine color the table cloth if I got a quiet meal.

Me, too. We went out for Mother's Day today and it took forever. We let Sammy chip ice with his knife at the table.

Yeah, walls always look worse in pictures. You guys look great, though!

Thanks!

What? Crazy boys. I love the honey parts!

They did enjoy the queue, I don't know why they looked so down in the pic.

I feel like a Stitch army would be really scary.
But seriously, the things CMs say...

That CM was a hoot, such a geek. And I don't mean that in a bad way, I'm a geek. I love geeks.

Ouch. I hate when that happens. Wet shoes are the worst.

It wasn't so bad at first. I didn't anticipate the issues we would have later on.

Really, Sammy, you couldn't just brave it?

Right?!?

I like all of the pictures.
I think MM makes a lot of sense for people who don't have really good cameras. Like for me, the MM pictures are much better than my crappy point-and-shoot pictures. But if you don't need to be in all of the pictures (or you're willing to hand the camera over to a CM), you have a good camera, and you know how to frame a picture, then you may get better pictures with your camera than the Photopass photographers do.

It makes great sense to me, too. Even though I have a good camera I don't want to hand it off every time. If I could go back I would still get MM and will probably get it on the next trip because I'm a total picture junkie.

So I guess you're paying $600/night for your next trip...

Yay for him wearing the MB in the first place ... it's definitely not the most comfortable thing in the world (even for me, and I love bracelets). Too bad that he lost it, but I'm glad they were able to take care of it.

It was very easy to fix. I was surprised that they wouldn't return if found. A couple trips ago I lost my camera on a Disney bus and by some miracle I got it back the next day. It must be a logistical nightmare to get every lost MB to its owner.

So, they switched Sunshine Tree Terace and Aloha Isle, so they're in different places now. I don't remember which one has the Dole Whip.

Aloha Isle has the Dole Whip.

You are correct, pineapple is not citrus.
I'm glad you enjoyed, even if it wasn't the Dole Whip you expected.

It was good, I recommend it.

Glad to know we weren't the only ones who weren't able to find Dole Whips!

And lol on the fancy comment for GF! It definitely is fancy! I love it, but I think it might be a little too fancy for me...

We finally did find them at Aloha Isle. I agree, much too fancy. I did see some pics of the renovated rooms on a TR recently and I can definitely picture myself staying there.