Jambo Ya'll! Thanksgiving 2006: With Photos and Video!

[erinuga]

Hi Everyone!
I was cleaning out a desk drawer- and found a sheet of paper with notes from my last trip to WDW. So….I thought maybe I would write a mini- trip report based on what I have written down (which is mostly food related) and other points of interest.

My family and I go to WDW every year for the week of Thanksgiving. This tradition started when I was in the 5th grade, after my grandmother declared “no more cooking turkeys….ever!” So my parents arranged a surprise! trip to WDW for my sister, brother, and me. The next year we convinced my parents that we should go again….and then again… and here we are…. 14 (or is it 15? An ongoing debate)years later- with Mickey as a tradition. Pretty incredible.

This tradition has been awesome- because we always go- all of us. It is the only time our family is together- with just us. And ,as I’m sure all of you can relate, - no matter what is happening in real life- WDW is constant and lovely.

Okay! So let’s get it started.

I guess protocol is to let you know who was on this amazing trip that you are about to read all about….right?

So. Me: 24 years old- in grad school to be a teacher of the gifted and talented.

K: 27 yr old sister--she is a big shot in Atlanta, doing her thing

B: Katy’s 32 yr old husband--a water ski expert and a newbie to WDW

S: 18 yr old brother- my partner in crime and the funniest person you will ever meet (next to me, anyway)

Mom: youngish started substituting teaching back at the beginning so we could go to WDW every year….the original “Disney Dollars”

Dad: less outwardly enthusiastic about WDW , but definitely has a special place and a deep love in his heart for the Mouse and all that is associated with it

Basically, to recap….we are 6 adults- 4 in one room, 2 in the other- and we tour around the parks like pros.

*Unless otherwise noted, each day includes 1)a late start , 2)time in the room before dinner- where we nosh, have a glass of wine, and play Catchphrase (because that is how cool my family is), 3) getting back to the resort in time for ice cream from the POR food court (where we tag-team the college kids- my brother flirting with the cute girls, and my mom and me asking lots of questions so they don’t realize that are still scooping ice cream for us )

I will for real get it started now. Watch out.

Saturday we checked in to POR…our home away from home. We have adjoining rooms in building 18 (woot woot) in Alligator Bayou. Of course the rooms weren't ready, so we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. Walking into the MK for the first time in a long while is emotional- especially for Mom. I love it- the smell of popcorn, the music, and tears down my mama’s cheek.

very, very windy!

We had ADRs at the Plaza Restaurant- which I had never really noticed before. It’s off to the right towards the mid-point of Main Street. The food was okay- I had a turkey sandwich that was very turkey-y (read: dry) and the service was okay…I seem to remember that the waiter made me mad- but I’m not sure why now…I’m sure he deserved it though.
I did really enjoy sitting inside this somewhat quiet restaurant looking out onto Main Street. It was this weird inbetweeness- like we were watching Main Street on mute.

After lunch, I imagine we did MK things- Katy and B had not come in town yet- so we didn’t do any of the “favorites.” Except we did do one of my favorites- Philharmagic. I love this 3D like no other- I love watching all the little ones reach for the jewels- and even I am always tempted to reach out to save Donald from the musical black hole. So helpless, that duck.

Back to the hotel, settled into our room and met up with Katy and B. We actually have the same adjoining rooms from last year- so we switch with each other- you know- to keep things crazy.

For dinner, we headed (in a car, that we drove to WDW in, which, after reading some other trip reports, I have a new appreciation for this ease of movement among resorts and parks) to the GF for dinner at the Grand Floridian Café. The last time I had been here was my very first trip to WDW when I was 5- and had breakfast with Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins!!!! Who told me, quite genteelly, that I should be sure to brush my teeth every morning. And thank you , Mary Poppins (and the Berenstein Bears) without your advice and those books- I would be a toothless criminal.

Sunday:
Animal Kingdom! When the AK first opened- we were not too thrilled with “itznotazoo” (perhaps, we were still singed from Whatizit- the mascot of the Atlanta Olympics…what? We couldn’t have come up with an eagle? Or something…real?)
But- now that I’m older and wiser- I love love love the AK. I love taking pictures here- especially in the yeti zone- probably 2/3 of my pictures from this trip are from this little section (which is a little regrettable now that I am attempting a trip report- because maybe I won’t be able to put “w/PHOTOS” on the thread line to entice people to read- and then how will they know the awesomeness that lies within?)

wait! here's one of the prayer flags...my favorite!

First things first- conquering the Everest! How incredible is this ride? I screeeeamed laughed (thanks meanest mom!) the whole time- by far the best roller coaster I’ve ever been on. The line wasn’t too long yet- although when we came back later in the week- it definitely was a lot longer.

For those of you thinking about WDW at Thanksgiving- it gets busier and busier with each day that is nearer to THURSDAY. I think it used to be a secret- this special Thursday at WDW- but someone has been telling the whole world, and now it is not so secret.

Lunch at Pizzafari- I realize that there are other CS of choice in this fine Kingdom of Animals. But the Hot Italian Sandwich is….mm mm delicious. In fact, most of my paltry posts are declaring this fact on “what CS should we have” threads.

We safari-ed - and now I have 75 pictures of the backs of giraffes, the left knee of rhinoceri, and blurred images that I think are gazelles- or the poachers.

Also- please note that it was freezing this trip. The whole trip. Freezing. Warmer in the ATL than in the ORL. Not appreciated by this group- who brought shorts and bathing suits with such high, warm hopes.

Okay- dinner at Wolfgang Puck Café. We ate at the CS -not the same thing as his restaurant, which is also DTD. Mom and I split the Chinese Chicken Salad and a Margherita Pizza-- I must say, that Wolfgang knows his Chinese and his chicken. The salad was excellent- as was the pizza. It is a tiny place- and finding a seat can by difficult- but pulling chairs from other tables and throwing some bows - proved efficient for our a little group

 

[Angelrose]

Great start. Can't wait to read more.

 

[redheaded mama]

Great start. We were also there for Thanksgiving, so I am looking forward to reading more and reliving some of our memories. Yes it was cold, it was colder in Orlando than it was in Utah when we left home.

I'm looking forward to reading more.

 

[angelmav]

Great start! Sign me up for this one! You had me with all the food descriptions!

 

[erinuga]

Angelrose: Thanks for giving it a shot Hope you enjoy the rest!

redheaded mama: Maybe we crossed paths!

angelmav: I'll be sure to beef up my food descriptions for you


Thanks for reading!

 

[erinuga]

Monday: We spent Monday morning at MGM. The rides (ToT and RRC) are great here- but we really just enjoy walking around and taking in the “Hollywoodness” of it all. We do miss the old Backlot Tour- before the addition of "Fast Cars and Big Fires"--it was cool to see the Golden Girls house, and to walk down the “residential” street when it was decorated with the millions of Osbourne Lights. We still ride the Backlot Tour though, and it is entertaining enough….narrowly escaping the Catastrophe Canyon every time.

Fast passes for RRC and ToT- and ride the Great Movie Ride in the mean time. Lunch at Catalina Eddie’s and then ToT! Now that it has all those drops, it’s hard to believe that we were satisfied with just one! But we were- and so now we are ecstatic with mystery number. I love how I still get goosebumps in the preshow - this is what makes Disney so…Disney

Our fast pass for RRC was much later in the afternoon so we decided to bag it and go play putt-putt. We found Fantasia Gardens a few years ago, and have tried to make it a point to go sometime while we are visiting. It is great fun and has never been too busy when we are there.

There are two course- a regular putt-putt version (that is recommended for kids) and then the “fairways“- (recommended for “the golfer”) We chose the fairways- and, you know- it is difficult. We had a lot of fun not getting the ball in the hole- and vowed that next year we would do the kiddie course. Give me a slowly rotating windmill over a slightly sloping at a 45 degree angle hill and 12 sandpits any day.
It’s a great thing to do when the parks are busy or if the weather is nice- you still have great views of the ToT and other WDW attractions.

After a some time at POR- we headed over to the Beach Club for the Cape May Buffet. Mom and I had read mixed reviews about the buffet on the Dis and were eager to see how we liked it.
I will preface with the fact that we had ADRs and arrived 15 minutes early, etc. So, we waited for a table. And waited.


And waited.


If you’ve been to the Beach Club, you know that there is a walkway that goes beside the restaurant and heads out to the pool. From the walk way- you can SEE INTO THE RESTAURANT. So as we are waiting and waiting…do you know what we are seeing?? Empty table after empty table after empty table.

Mom inquires as to what the hold up is…as to why they are not seating the throngs of waiting people in the sea of empty tables. Nonanswers are given- until finally they tell us their computers are down and so the table-assigning must be done by hand.

I’m still not exactly sure why this would slow the process so severely- but it did. And the restaurant was not too apologetic about it.

The buffet itself was good. The soups- a tomato bisque and a clam chowder were both excellent. I also enjoyed the shrimp and trying clams for the first time. At a buffet, I always end up with an unnatural assortment- such as shrimp, mashed potatoes, and minitature hot dogs from the kids station. I do remember that the desert bar was not as extensive as other buffets we've been to- your normal fare of brownies and cookies. Still good- but not as "exotic" as other buffets.

As far as a buffet goes- I think my whole family would choose Boma over another trip to Cape May. It is worth a try though if you are staying at BC and want a good mix of food for the family- or a particularly craving a clam bake!

After dinner, we went on a little tour of resorts. We really enjoy visiting resorts that we’ve never stayed in before- we explore the lobbies, the landscapes, the restaurant menus, and the gift shops. This is a fun thing to do when it is too late to go back to the parks, but too early to settle back in the hotel room at POR.

Our favorite “lobby tours” include AKL and WL. Both the indoor and outdoor firepits at AKL are so inviting- as well as the huge fireplace at WL. Last year, when we were visiting AKL cast members had night vision goggles that they passed around so that you could see the sleeping animals on the savannah. It is the unexpected treats like this that make lobby touring so much fun.
At WL we waited around to see the eruption of the geyser- and managed to see the fireworks from Wishes through the trees.

Up next! Keys to the Kingdom!

 

[nicolemarie]

Great start!

We were also at Disney over Thanksgiving! I'm interested to see how your trip compares with ours. We, too, hope to make it a tradition. It sure beats cooking a turkey!!

I did really enjoy sitting inside this somewhat quiet restaurant looking out onto Main Street. It was this weird inbetweeness- like we were watching Main Street on mute.

That's a great description of The Plaza! We discovered the restaurant in March last year and really enjoyed the quiet getaway. And it was hot then, so the AC was a plus, too.

When the AK first opened- we were not too thrilled with “itznotazoo” (perhaps, we were still singed from Whatizit- the mascot of the Atlanta Olympics…what? We couldn’t have come up with an eagle? Or something…real?)

We lived in Atlanta during the 96 Olympics and I agree - Whatzit, or whatever it was called - was pathetic! Corny and embarrassing.

First things first- conquering the Everest! How incredible is this ride? I screeeeamed laughed (thanks meanest mom!) the whole time- by far the best roller coaster I’ve ever been on.

Ditto. It's the best.

Looking forward to hearing how the rest of your week went!!

NM

 

[erinuga]

NicoleMarie!
Thanks for reading! and I peeked at your trip report...did you go to UGA?? Because those kids are definitely in some red and black

 

[erinuga]

Tuesday: Keys to the Kingdom!
Because we have been to WDW for so many years now, we thought it would be fun to sign up for the Keys to the Kingdom tour. We left at about 8 am to catch a bus to the MK. We arrived at the MK and felt like celebrities as we were let in past the masses who were waiting for the rope drop (although I did not see a rope so I don’t know what exactly was holding them back). We signed in and ordered lunch for Columbia Harbor House (which is included in the tour)- I chose a Ham and Cheese sandwich. We started the tour at 8:30 with our best friend for the day- Claire.

This woman was born to be a MK tour guide. She spoke about Walt and Roy Disney with such reverence- it is hard to describe. If there were a convent for Walt Disney- Claire would be the head mother. She was great.



The tour group had about 15 people (I think)- couples and families--I believe you have to be 16 years old to participate. The tour is definitely a time committment- starting at 8:30 and ending around 12:30-1ish- but you learn and see so much!


The tour starts on Main Street- focusing on the windows and what the names represent. This is very interesting and tells great history about the beginnings of MK. While we were learning about the windows, we got to witness the "running of the bulls"! As I have mentioned, we are late risers, and so we have never been to the park the moment it opens. It was so much fun to see people running….running ….. towards the castle. It was also great to hear the “Welcome to the Park” spiel on the speakers. Here’s a link to a video I took with my camera-------it might be a little grainy as I took it with my digital camera-----but for you other late risers, it gives you a good indication of what it is like.



After Main Street, we walked through the 'lands while Claire pointed out various things, secrets of the trade and what-not. She also pointed out every single lightening rod. Um, there are a lot of them. We had a chance to go "back stage" and see the pool of water behind POC and different ride parts that were receiving maitenance. We also saw a group of CM practicing for the Christmas parade. At one point we saw a few characters....um....undressing? That was a tad bizarre and I had to look away.



I had read that for some people Keys to the Kingdom had "ruined the magic" for them- and so we were a little worried about it. But, instead of ruining the magic- it enhanced it. It is incredible to think about how much work goes into making WDW so magical each and every day. Seeing backstage helps me appreciate "on stage" even more.



Columbia Harbour was very good- my ham and cheese sandwich was tasty- and my family really enjoyed the chowder and tuna sandwiches.



If anyone wants more info about the Keys to the Kingdom- let me know! I just didn't want to give too much away



So, I left my notes at home- and now I am completely lost as to what we did after the tour- so I'll post the rest of Tuesday and more later!

 

[krismom]

I love your report and sense of humor! Cool effect with the video- I got chillls when the announcement was made!
More please?

 

[erinuga]

Thanks krismom!

 

[erinuga]

We said goodbye to our dear friend, Claire- and turned back to the MK that we now new inside and out!

After the tour, we stayed around to ride some the MK attractions that we hadn't on Saturday. What was really interesting about this trip, is that in years past, we have been able to walk right on to Pirates of the Caribbean--at most at 10 minute wait- and it didn't matter what time, morning, afternoon, night- we always walked right on. So we were definitely surprised when we arrived at POTC and the wait was 45 minutes long. We did stop and watch Jack Sparrow and his friend- I was pretty amazed with how well Jack Sparrow did...definitely worth taking the time to watch.


At one point, while the members of my family were taking various types of breaks, I think I spotted a member of the Dream Team- so I quickly sat down and tried to look worthy of a dream. I acted interested in everything, spoke loudly to my mom about "HOW MUCH I LOVE OUR TRADITION OF COMING TO DISNEY EVERY YEAR", and tried to make quick eye contact with the dream team lady. And!

nothing. She talked to a couple of people around me and then went on her merry way. No dreams for me, I guess.


For dinner, we headed over to the Yacht Club Galley- we had a hard time deciding between here and ESPN- but the food was really good at YCG. The bread is excellent.

Mom and I split a Ceaser Salad and a Herb-Roasted Half Chicken. Everything was fresh and had good flavors. I know a couple of people in my group order the Braised Beef Sandwich and really enjoyed it.

Wednesday

Wednesday we decided to go to the World Showcase in Epcot. When we were younger, my mom created scavenger hunts for us to do in the World Showcase- so that we would find it more fun and interesting- for example, we would have to get a picture of myself with a waiter from France (kissing me on the cheek- I was 15ish and incredibly thrilled/embarrassed ), buy and taste something we had never heard of from Morocco, and take a picture of us in a big sombrero in Mexico. She was right- now, World Showcase is one of our favorite places to spend time.


For lunch, we split up (something we usually do not do at all) but my dad lays in bed and dreams about gyros from Tangierine Cafe- so he, k and b went off to Morocco- and mom, s, and I went to Yakatori, the CS in Japan. We like to come here because the kid's teriyaki is the perfect sized little meal- with chicken, rice, and vegetable- and I love the outside seating- very peaceful. I know I have a picture of it somewhere on this computer of mine---I'll post it when I can find it!


We didn't get to the World Showcase until close to lunch- so we spent the afternoon exploring--


We left there and went over to MGM to see the Osbourne Family Lights. As I'm sure you've read by now, they now have "dancing lights" that are pretty cool to watch. The street was packed and it was a little hard to move around, especially with renegade strollers clipping at your heels- I managed to get a short video or two of the dancing lights.







Obviously, video and pictures don't do the lights justice.


For dinner, we headed over to DTD, and had dinner at Raglan Road. We had ADRs but decided to wait a little bit longer for a table in the main dining room to open up. My parents had been here before on a quick trip back in February, and had really enjoyed the music and dancing. The food is good here- but the entertainment is really the reason to come- so if you have a table that is near the entrance of the restaurant, or off to the side- than the music is just loud, rather than entertaining.

I'm not a big fan of Irish food- most meat actually- so I had a hard time figuring out what to have.... I ended up with an appetizer called the "Dalkey Duo" and I got an order of fries. The Dalkey Duo (which is described as cocktail sausages friend in a light batter-enough for two people) didn't sound like something I would normally like, but I thought I would try it. It was okay- but there was a ton of them. Like 12 or so fried cocktail weenies. Fried cocktail weenies should not be eaten 12 at a time-- one or two at a time. Basically, my meal was one big unappetizing flavor.

But- my beer was good and the entertainment was fun- and my family was kind enough to eat some of the weenies and share their food with me. The Chicken Pot Pie seemed to be the favorite among my family.



Thanks for sticking with me- those who are taking the time to read- I realize that I don't have kids who say the darndest things or crazy antics- but we have such a good time, and I think that we do some different things that might give you ideas for the next time you go.


I'll have Thanksgiving Day and the end of the trip up in the next couple of days!

 

[Angelrose]

I really am enjoying your trip report. I used to go the weekend after Thanksgiving and it was so quiet and empty. Now it is a bit too crowded for us so we go the second week in December and enjoy all the decorations and the Osbourn lights as you do.

 

[erinuga]

Thanksgiving Day

After so many Thanksgivings at WDW, we have traditions that replace the “normal” traditions of cranberry sauce and stuffing. It has been so much fun realizing that we have these unique traditions without even realizing that we are creating the traditions as we go…does that make sense?

One of these traditions is Thanksgiving lunch- back in the beginning we had our ‘big meal’ at lunchtime- at one of the countries in Epcot. So then the next year we chose a different country, and so on- we’ve repeated countries over the years- with Chefs de France and Le Cellier being favorites. This year we tried to get ADR’s for Le Cellier, but they were booked, booked, booked. We chose the Teppanyaki Dining Room in Japan instead. We ate here once a long time ago, and thought it would be fun to try again.

The set up is hibachi-style, with the tables seating 8. We had a nice couple sitting at our table with us--we don’t use the Dining Plan (which I have learned a lot from these boards, but didn’t quite understand until watching them order food) and it was really interesting to observe/spy on how the dp works. and how much food you get! ! !

We all order teriyaki chicken and/or shrimp- and this comes with a little salad, rice and vegetables. The show is a lot of fun- with smoke, fire, and flying shrimp.

Here’s a picture of our chef’s flying hands.

It’s amazing to watch how fast they cut things up and how clean and organized the chef’s are---have you seen the Hibachi Contest on the Food Network? It’s like that except you actually get to eat the food yourself instead of watching someone else enjoy it!!

They cast members are very attentive at this restaurant- refilling your glass at every turn and making sure you have all the sauces you need, etc.

Even if you don’t eat at the Teppanyaki Dining Room, it is worth walking up the steps- because then you have a great view of the lagoon and a few of the other countries.

After lunch, we explored Japan’s store/gift shop….this gift shop is huge and fun to poke around in--they have crazy products from Japan with awesomely wrong English translations on them…I remember one product looked like a goalie/Hannibal Lecter mask, that is for ladies to wear in the bath to make skin “caffeine and wet”- I swear it was something like that.

They also have some pretty pottery and ceramic dishes (bowls, tea cups, sushi platters than can be used for other things) that are very reasonably priced- I almost always find at least 2 or 3 Christmas gifts here.

We explored other countries and then stopped by Norway to have a cinnamon roll- this is something that we say we are going to do every year and never do- so my dad and I made a beeline for the pastry shop. It was worth the years of waiting…sooo good! I highly recommend J


We spent the rest of the afternoon over in the Future World. We got fast passes for Soarin’ and waited in line for Living with the Land. We had never been on this ride before- and were excited that this old ride was getting so much attention due to it’s proximity. It isn’t a wild ride or anything- but it is pretty interesting. It was cool to see that plants that they grow in their green house-- I’ll post a couple of pictures to give you an idea of what you see:

After riding Soarin’ we headed back to POR for a nap and dinner. We discovered a long time ago- that POR food court offers a great Thanksgiving meal for a reasonable price. My dad has always been the one that we try to find turkey for- and the food court is a good place because of the choices for those of us who don’t want turkey.
This year, however, we all got the turkey meal and it was really good!

Then, as with tradition, we left for MK and Wishes. The MK is open until midnight on Thanksgiving night (and other days throughout the week- but this is the night we stay). Usually we try to get over to the side to watch the fireworks, but we were running a little bit late and ended up right in the middle of Main Street. This was the best view! Everything was perfectly aligned- the fireworks, the lights, the smoke, etc.

The following pictures are courtesy of my dad- his came out much better than mine.

We “raced” over to the Jungle Cruise and POTC and hopped right on to both. We rode the carousel- which is my favorite thing to do at night.

What is amazing about the extra-magic hours, is that the lines in Fantasyland are just as long as they are in the morning, or the afternoon---45 minutes for Peter Pan! We haven’t ridden the Peter Pan ride in years- because the line is so very long all the time

We did ride Great Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain- which are both awesome at night…a good time to ride these is during the late SpectroMagic Parade. Splash Mountain does seem to have more problems at night- we’ve gotten stuck on this ride countless times-even had to leave our log and walk through the ride to get out! I just think it gets tired….

So we closed the park down that night- and got ready for our last day…..

 

[angelmav]

Another great installment!!!

 

[erinuga]

Thank you for sticking with me---you four fine ladies

Sadly, we are nearing the end of our trip...as I've gone through my pictures hundreds of time, I've realized that I've left a couple of things out- so I will pretend that we did those things along with everything else today....so if you are reading and thinking "how did they do it? they must be a super-incredible disney troupe." and while that it is most definitely true- these next 24 hours are more like "24 real time" rather than "real life real time"

We first headed over the Animal Kingdom- because we all wanted to ride Everest again- we rode it twice the first day, and with no chance to ride RRC at MGM- we were dying for some adrenaline. We also wanted to take more (!) pictures of the whole himalayan area and possibly some animals. Well, we get to Everest and the line is already pretty long (late rising strikes again )- about 45 minutes.

My brother and I are hot-footing it over to the end of the line- when we hear "I am NOT interested in waiting 45 minutes for that". oh no she did not. my sister. has pulled. the snippy older sister card.

I tried to explain that the queue for this ride is the best (next to ToT)- and the ride is awesome (which, I think she rode it the first day, so why this needs explaining i'm not sure). She wasn't having it, and because our family DOES NOT SPLIT UP (rule number 4 of disney trips- behind no whining, crying, or general not-getting-alongness)- we all had to leave the line and wander off. ooh. I was not happy.

And so, I apologize to everyone, that the yeti is still terrorizing all you poor tourists to Nepal. If it weren't for mean ol' K., we would have gotten him for you.

We had had such a lovely trip with everyone, that this only dampened the spirits for a few minutes. Because then...we went on the Maharaja Jungle Trek- and the other walk (?) or am I confused and there is only the Marahaja Jungle Trek Well, anyway, the animals were really active and we saw the gorillas and tigers up pretty close.

We left yeti-less, and went over to DTD for lunch at the Earl of Sandwich. The line was so long! But they move quickly and it was easy enough to find a seat. I had the All-American sandwich- which is turkey and cheese and cranberries (but mine was without cranberries) and a small salad. The sides are 1.95 and a great deal. There soup is also really excellent.

We did a little shopping- I got a couple of things for my kitchen from the cool kitchen store. And we spent a little time in the World of Disney. When I was younger, we would spend hours here- choosing things that mom could tell Santa to bring us. Now, we just do a little walk-through and I plan all the things that Santa can someday bring my kids.

After lunch we head over to MGM (or dooo weee??) to check on RRC- that maybe by some miracle we can just walk right on. No such luck- so we head over to the Animation tour. The preshow is really fun- Mushu is quite the character The tour is a little sad now that there are not actually any animators in Orlando anymore- BUT! do you know who was waiting at the end? Mr. and Mrs. Incredible!!

I love the Incredibles and had been on a mission throughout the week to meet them. I actually did not know that they would be at the end of the tour so I was quite excited. I do not collect pins, but I did get a "Dash" pin last year and keep it on my bookbag- the kids at school love it. So I was a tad disappointed to hear that Dash was at home with the babysitter- but I did have a lot of fun with the parents.

Here my brother and I are with Mrs. Incredible:

I have a picture of me beating Mr. Incredible in a arm wrestle match, but it is rather unattractive of me and so.... you can imagine how much fun I had

Also, hanging out after the Animation tour was Lightening McQueen, Mater, and the lady car...well, they were cardboard cutouts- but very real looking

Here I am with Lightening (by the way, I was completely holding up the line, which consisted of 8 year old boys- they kept sneaking into the scene, and I had to tell them to "get out of my picture." which confused them, because why is this lady so intense on her picture with cardboard? because my family doesn't stop for characters so much anymore, so I have to take what I can get)

Later, I got a Lightening McQueen pin to match Dash- I love that they are both red, funny, and fast. They make a great little duo on my bookbag.

We left MGM and went over to EPCOT to get in a couple of things before dinner. We went over to the Living Seas, because I was begging to try Turtle Talk with Crush and the new Nemo ride. The new Nemo ride is definitely for the 3 and under crowd (probably didn't to wait in that line)- but Turtle Talk was so cool!
That technology is amazing- and Crush is quite the charismatic dude.

Fast forward (or rewind) and we head over the Beach Club for dinner at Beaches and Cream. This is another tradition (because I realize now that we spent a lot of time over at the Beach and Yacht club for meals- so I feel I need to justify, yet another meal over there )

I think our wait over there was about an hour- it is definitely difficult for a group of six people to fit around one of those tiny little tables but we managed. The service here is hurried and frantic- but everyone is really nice- and the food is good. The milkshakes are the reason to go! and the pickles.

Okay- I've still got another short installment to finish things out- so stay with me kiddos- we're almost home.

 

[angelmav]

Im Lovin it!

 

[the_princess]

I just love your pics... the firework ones are sooo good...

 

[corinnak]

I am loving your perspective on Thanksgiving at WDW - and am envying your freedom of movement, well, except for your sister balking at the queue for Everest. 45 minutes for that line doesn't sound so bad for the day after Thanksgiving - not that I have any experience on which to base that......

Looking forward to the rest!

 

[erinuga]

Thanks everyone! I know I just have a little bit left to write- but I'm finding it hard to "end" a vacation that actually ended 3 months ago! But I promise I'll be back soon with the rest.

For now, delight in this picture of my brother epitomizing the greatness of the World Showcase:

Don't tell him it is posted here