Longer Trip Than Usual 4-18 to 4-25

[gbpackfan9]

Ooh, the F&GF pictures are awesome! Thanks for sharing.

You're welcome. The topiaries were amazing. I'm not into flowers/gardening but those caught my eye. Glad you enjoyed the pics

 

[gbpackfan9]

Tuesday Morning. I woke up about 8:15. Actually qualifies as sleeping in. I decided I’d go out for a walk. Since I had my heart attack late last August, I’ve been walking 2-3 miles per day per the Dr.’s orders. During previous trip to WDW I always laughed at those working out while on vacation. I’m not laughing anymore. Last October, I actually used the exercise room at BWV a number of time while we were there. This morning however it was too nice to walk inside so I took off walking toward DHS. When I got to the bridge I walk up to the highway and crossed over. I followed the sidewalk all the way around the Swan, Dolphin, Yacht & Beach Club and continued following the road around the backside of the Boardwalk to the driveway where the busses enter to BWV. It was a nice walk and it felt good to get my exercise in.

After showering and packing, we checked our bags with bell service. The lobby was set up for registration for a convention that morning. Now we know why we had to move to a different resort. We then went over to Spoodles for breakfast. We decided to head over to EPCOT for awhile before heading over to WL.

I can’t remember if this is the day we tried out the segway or not, but it was fun. Someday I’m sure we’ll try the Segway tour of EPCOT. And yes, DW made me delete the pic of her riding it. The statue in Norway that DW mentioned, I believe, was of marathon runner Greta Waitz. Again we did only one Kim Possible mission this time. It was fun and they take you into place that we don’t normally visit or even notice.

After we used our Soarin FP we decided we should head back and pick up our luggage and get over to WL. The boat was loading as we left EPCOT so we decided to ride back to BWV since it is the first stop. Sitting a couple seats in front of us were Kenny, still sporting his birthday button, and his parents. The second time in two days, we’ve run into them.

We picked up our luggage and got a cab ride over to WL. DW was a little apprehensive about this resort, having never stayed there before. We got there about 3:30 and was able to check in and get to our room. Next post, first impressions of WL, and the rest of Tuesday………

 

[LYNSUE]

It is now after 3:30 and we have checked into the Wilderness Lodge. Check in went really quick and of course by this time of the day, our room was ready. I had completed some information on line at our DVC site regarding “what are you celebrating”. I mentioned that the trip was for our anniversary even though the actual date was not until May. Since BW did not mention this at check in, I was not expecting anything at WL. However, our check-in CM did note it and gave us anniversary buttons. Nice touch.

So we set off for the Villa area at WL. It was a short walk down a wooden walk way and the entire way was covered. When first entering the villas, there is a large room with a fireplace, lounge chairs, rocking chairs, and gathering/game room area. The exercise room (Sturdy Branches) was there also. It was a very impressive and large area and still quite dark. We saw very few people actually using this space while we were there. Our room happened to be the last one on the left side of the endless hall. (and I thought the BW hallways were long!) I think the difference is…at the BW, the hall has a little bend to it. At WL, it is just straight, so you can see from one end to the other. Therefore, it appears longer.

Endless Hallway

Our Room #

Inside our room

Some details of the carpets in the hall. In sticking with the woodsy theme, the carpet has lots of pine cones and pine needles.

Here is our view out of the patio. Very pretty wooded area.

Since we were on the first floor, our patio was just there on the ground surrounded by foliage. Not as nice as an upper floor balcony. And since we were at the end of the building, there was no foot traffic back there. One day we did see a grounds keeper walk through. So it was a very quiet and private area. But because of the on ground patio and its location, we did not sit out there at all. Directly to the right of the patio was a maintenance area. It was pretty well hidden behind tall wooden gates.

We got settled in, took a short rest, and left the room about 5:30 to catch the boat to MK.

At MK we will transfer to the resort mono-rail to get to the Poly. We have an ADR at Ohana. The walk to the boat dock took us past the villa pool, the main pool and a beach area. All of them were very nice. At the boat dock, there are two lines. One side with blue flagged boats going to Fort Wilderness. The other side with the red flagged boats going to MK. We got in the red flag line. We noticed that every other boat was a large one that seated lots of people and then a smaller one that sat maybe only 25-30 people. The large one you could wheel on strollers, wheel chairs and ECV’s. The small one you had to fold up the strollers and did not accommodate wheel chairs/ECV’s at all. The boats arrived about every 15-20 minutes. After experiencing it for a few days, it seems like a really efficient system.

Large boat

Small open boat

Our view of the MK approching by boat

Since our ADR was not until 7:40, we thought we might go into the MK for a while. However, when we got there we did not feel like going inside, so we just got on the mono-rail. Maybe Ohana would take us early? If not, we would be happy to wait in the lounge. We were about an hour early. We found some chairs in the lounge area and DH ordered one of his “special drinks” again. I just had my same old standby, ice water. We only waited about 15 minutes for our table. Our table was right on the edge of the dining room by the walkway that goes around the room. That means were in a direct line for the maraca parade and limbo parade. In fact the limbo sticks were right by our table. But since they got us in early, I wasn’t going to complain. There sure were a lot of kids in the restaurant that night! I know some people are not fond of the ukulele lady and she can be a little annoying. But you have to give her credit, she put her heart into it and she is very sweet to everyone.

Once again, we were served up this bad meal of shrimp shells and chicken bones. Why do we keep coming back here????

Seriously, it was very good and so was the service. We will be back.

There was a very upsetting incident across the way from us. There was a large table of about 12 people with several children/babies. A small child at the end of the table had a bout of gagging/vomiting. The poor people at the table next to them got in the way of this. I felt so bad for everyone involved. The child was ok after, but the poor mom was very upset and crying. Stuff happens!!!!

I see from my receipt we paid for this meal with our Disney Rewards Card. We had managed to accumulate 158 points since our last visit. This card paid for our Ohana dinner and a couple of other ones as well. Gotta love the Disney Visa card.

We made it back to the MK by about 8:00. Our mono-rail ride was in the front. We shared the front with another couple. Our driver was very friendly. (I have heard stories of some drivers not being very nice).

We did Laugh Floor Comedy, Buzz and Haunted Mansion. We watched the end of the parade in Liberty Square only because we were unable to get past it. With the construction boards around the Hall of Presidents we were trapped there until the parade was done. After the parade, we went to Main Street to get a spot for Wishes. The wait time for Wishes was about 20 minutes. We were half way through the trip and this was our first viewing of Wishes up close. (Remember we did see it from the Contemporary on Sunday.) A trip to WDW is not complete until I see this fire works show. DH is not as enthused about it.

We left with the masses and got in the huge line at the boat dock. After a 15 minute wait a large boat arrived and it started loading. We kept moving up in the line. But of course we were the cut off. (just like the ME bus back on Saturday). At this point we were thinking….next time take the bus! So we waited another 15 minutes for the next boat. That one was a small one, but since we were first in line, we had no worries about getting on it. It was a little chilly on the small open boat.

Back to the WL about 11:15. Watched TV and read a little. To bed by midnight…. AGAIN.

 

[gbpackfan9]

Tuesday afternoon……

Check in at WL went very smoothly. The check in area is very large and rustic looking. The walkway to the Villas is totally covered, shady in the heat and dry if it rains. Our room was in the far back corner of the first floor. The hallway was very long. I don’t think it was as long as the halls in the BWV however. The rooms and hallways were all done in dark wood, keeping with the “wilderness lodge” theme. Quite a difference from the light, bright themes at BWV, BC, and SSR, but it felt very comfortable

After a short rest, we made our way out to the boat landing for our ride to the MK. We walked past both pools on our way to the boats. The resort is laid out quite nicely. It’s a short ride from WL to MK by boat. We never waited more than 15 minutes for a boat so it was much nicer than waiting for a bus. When we got there, we were both hungry so we hopped the monorail to the Poly for our ADR at O’Hanas. We were lucky and they had a table available well ahead of our reservation time. I love the food there, but I’m especially fond of the bread pudding dessert. It’s tough saving room for the dessert, but I did this time. We also took our annual pic of the bones and shells. It really breaks DW up.

After dinner we headed back to the MK to do a few attractions before Wishes, DW’s favorite. We got our usual spot in front of the castle off to the right. Tink flies right above us to start the show. We usually see it once every trip, but this was the second (and last?????) time for this trip.

We had to wait for a couple of boats to load before we were able to work our way to the front of the line. Next time we leave the park with the masses, we’ll take the bus. We got back to the room and got to bed about midnight. This vacation has been much more relaxed than the last one, and the best part it we still have 3-1/2 days to go…..

 

[LYNSUE]

Up at 7:15 this morning. Same old boring breakfast in the room. Then we caught a bus to DHS. We waited about one minute for the bus to arrive. (good timing). Arrived at DHS at 8:40. Once again we chose an unoccupied line to the far right. We used our same strategy for TSM. DH took off with the rope drop and got in the FP line. I caught up with him and we entered the stand by line together. We totally walked onto TSM this morning in the standby line.

Apparently we did TSM twice according to the pictures. TSM does get a little competitive between DH and me. I only won two out of six games this trip. Oh the shame.

First game I lost 148,500 to 142,700 (sorry about the glare)

Second game I won 155,200 to 152,300

My notes are a little confusing here, but it appears we did a little criss/crossing of the park between TSM, TOT and RNR. And there were some FP’s thrown in there as well. Maybe DH can remember our exact sequence.

I do remember doing the single rider line on RNR. The grouper person was a little mixed up, so DH and I got to ride in the same car anyway. So that worked out ok.

While we were waiting at rope drop this morning we saw a small sign off to the right about a film survey for “America’s Funniest Home Videos” We did participate in that. DH will give you the details later. We had to sign a form that swore us to secrecy about the actual video content, but I think we are free to talk about the process.

Sometime after 11:00, we left DHS and walked to Epcot. (one more time walking into Epcot, yeah). We had a lunch ADR at Tutto Italia at 12:15. We walked right in. Since it changed to Tutto, it seems the tables are a little more spread out, which is way more comfortable. I have to say we received excellent service here and the food was good. But for some reason I felt a little intimidated by the waiter, he had a very commanding presence but nice none the less??

Our waiter served up the bread and olive oil. Now normally, I am not a bread eater, but this stuff was good. The basket had two kinds of bread, some hard bread sticks and a wafer/cracker type thing. We also shared an appetizer called Mozzarella Peperoncini. It was fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese with some basil and tomato relish. It went very well with the bread basket. Yummy. DH also had a glass of wine to start.

The menu was different than the one posted on Allears. So I will do my best to describe what we had.

DH’s entrée was Italian sausage with grilled polenta . The receipt shows it as Salsicce?? (the sausages were split lengthwise and that hunk of pineapple looking thing is the grilled polenta)

I had the Chicken Scaloppine. It was slices of chicken breast in a lemon sauce with capers. This was served with mash potatoes. This dish was actually very light.

We shared a Cannoli for dessert.

This is still on the menu: crisp pastry filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate and candied orange. Although the menu lists the Cannoli at $12, our bill shows it at only $6.50. I am thinking that Tutto has revised their prices some since that menu was posted almost a year ago. Our TIW discount was available here.

We left there very satisfied.

After lunch we did the American Adventure (had not seen this for a couple of years). We were fortunate to see the “Voices of Liberty” perform before the show. Sorry the photos are a little dark.

Next we did the movie in France. “Impressions De France”. (never did that before) Another thing we have not done in France is visit the bakery. That place has amazing stuff. DH got a small strawberry tart. (the bite I had was very good) I got a cheese plate, which I took back to the room to keep for our “in room” lunch the next day. I was worried about transporting it back in the heat, but it made it just fine.

On our way out of Epcot, we were asked to do a survey about our dining experience in Epcot. I really did not want to…but we gave in and went to the bank of computers. The survey seemed to go quicker than the last time we did this.

When we arrived at the bus stop, our WL bus was waiting for us. On our drive back to WL we did see a large amount of smoke on the road in front of us. Apparently there was a tour bus that caught fire (not a Disney bus) and was blocking traffic. It looked like a big mess. I did read some info on these boards about the fire after returning from vacation.

We got back to WL about 4:00. We checked our computer for the “Biggest Loser” results. One of the couples, Kristen and Kathy was from our very small home town. This is big time news for our little town. Unfortunately, this was the week that Kristen was sent home.

 

[LYNSUE]

Back at WL we took a short rest until about 5:15. Then we went over to the bus stop to catch a DTD bus by 5:30. We had a 7:00 ADR at the House of Blues. This was allowing an hour and a half for transportation. Would it be enough time???

We waited about 20 minutes for the bus. During that time every other bus showed up (some twice), but no DTD bus. Finally it arrived. After a wheel chair was loaded, we got on and sat in the very front seat right behind the driver. The bus seemed to be going rather slow. We did notice that every time the driver tried to pick up speed, the bus engine made a weird squealing sound. The driver was on his walkie talkie with dispatch regarding the problem. So needless to say, we had a rather slow ride to DTD, but we did get there. For a while we were not sure we would make it. First stop was the Market Place. The wheel chair left and a scooter loaded. But finally we were off to the West Side stop. We actually arrived at the House of Blues at 6:40. So all of the worry about being late was for nothing. But still, it was a 45 minute bus ride. Since we had good luck all day with the bus transportation, I guess we were due for a long one. Good thing we left early.

Sorry to say we have no pictures of our food at the HOB. I will describe it. The menu theme is “deep south” with some Cajun flair.

DH started with a glass of wine and a cup of turkey gumbo. I tried the cat bite appetizer. This was catfish nuggets with spicy tartar sauce.

For the entrée, DH had the jambalaya. This was very traditional jambalaya with the usual ingredients, shrimp, chicken, & andouille sausage. I had the Chicken Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes. My food was very good but a little on the heavy side. DH seemed to enjoy his also. As usual, we are getting to that point in our vacation where we get really tired of eating out. (me more so than DH). What happens is, we have a hard time finding menu items that really seem appealing any more and we (I) seem to be much more critical of the food served. So don’t get me wrong…HOB is a wonderful fun restaurant. It is just that the “sick of eating out” syndrome was setting in.

After dinner, we headed out to do some shopping at DTD. First stop was Sosa’s. We got some nice cigars for our youngest son. He is a very occasional smoker. He enjoys an occasional cigar and usually only when we are camping. So although we do not want to encourage this bad habit, we know he enjoys this (again occasionally), and we gave in. Good cigars are not cheap!! The sales guy in the cigar store was so very helpful to us. Since DH and I know nothing about cigars…I am really glad he could help.

The next stop was World of Disney Store. This store has everything and goes on for about two city blocks. It is a huge store. Here we purchased a nice polo shirt for our oldest son. It has a small Mickey embroidered on it. We wanted the shirt in navy blue, but WOD did not have the size we wanted in navy. So the very helpful CM called to another DTD store and had the correct size delivered. It only took about 10 minutes, so the other store could not have been too far away. We also picked up two metal golf ball markers, one for each of the boys. One had Mickey on it in his old fashion golf attire. The other had Grumpy showing him breaking a golf club across his knee. The Grumpy one was definitely going to older son. He tends to get “grumpy” when he plays golf. Our younger son is a much better golfer, so the older one tends to get frustrated about that. Boys will be boys!!!

The check out lines at WOD were extremely long.

On our walk back to the bus stop I noticed that they do have the balloon ride going in DTD, We did not try it though. The picture of the balloon shown below was actually taken a few days later when we were at SSR, but I will show it to you now.

We did not wait too long for our bus back to WL. On the ride back, there was this extremely loud and obnoxious guy on the bus. Apparently he thought everyone wanted to hear him. Some of the time he was talking to a young child in the group, but the things he was saying were silly even for a child. I started to wonder if he was drunk?? I expected this kind of behavior on a DTD bus when returning at one in the morning, but it was only a little before 9, so it was rather unexpected.

So shortly after nine we were back in our room. This was the earliest night so far and it felt good. The late nights were starting to catch up with me a little. However, the fact that we rested for a while each afternoon sure did help. About 9:45 we could hear the Electrical Water Parade going by outside. But being on the ground floor we could not see it at all. We caught the end of the Brewer game on the computer and we tried to pick out a restaurant for Thursday nights dinner. We have an ADR in place for the Wave but we had already eaten there this past Sunday night. The reason I made this second reservation was because originally, I was not sure if we would make the first reservation when our friends were in town. (but we did). So now were not sure we want to eat there again?? I went through the entire list of restaurants and nothing really jumped out at me. I think the “tired of eating out” syndrome hit us again! Oh, well we had all night to think about it.

We got to bed about 10:30.

 

[ANTSS2001]

am subscribing and will read as soon as I get off from work at Midnite!!!

Sorry to have missed you this passed trip...

 

[gbpackfan9]

Wednesday morning…

We were up early with breakfast in the room again. I like eating out for breakfast, but eating in the room sure does save time ( and money). We had great timing on the bus to DHS, but first we made a stop at the Grand Floridian. After bag check we wondered if there would be any open turnstiles so close to park opening. Sure enough we walked right to the front and started a new line way to the right.

We got a FP for TSM, rode it standby with no waiting. (DW posted a pic of the results.) Then we trekked over and did TOT twice, and then back to use our FP at TSM. DW exacted revenge for her earlier defeat….. After that we hurried over to the America’s Funniest Video show. We had to sign a release upon entering the theatre, so we cannot go into detail about what we saw. They wanted a large amount of people to vote on the Grand Prize winning video. They were running at least three shows that day to accumulate the votes. The winning video will be announced on May 15. After the show, about 20 minutes, we all got a T-shirt for participating.

I kind of wanted to see one of the AI shows, but the first one of the day wasn’t until 11 and we had a 12:30 ADR at EPCOT. We walked over to see how long the wait was for RNR. The stand-by time was 60 minutes, so we tried the single rider line. It took about 20 minutes for us to get into the room with the pre-ride video. As it worked out, they sent DW to row 3 and me to row 4. Luckily for DW was the only one in line 3 so we ended up riding together anyway. It was a very strange ride. The soundtrack didn’t play. We rode it without music!!!!!! Definitely not the same experience. Maybe we’d make it back to ride it again before trip’s end.

We left RNR and started over to EPCOT. Since we had time and it was such a nice day, we decided to walk. I was able to get my walk in and save the trip to the exercise room later in the day. We arrive at Tutto Italia about 15 minutes before our ADR but we were seated immediately. Our waiter, Giandominico (call me John), was excellent. Very professional with the Italian accent. The food was delicious. I actually saved room for dessert. See previously posted pic.

After lunch we saw the American Adventure for the first time in a couple of trips. Then it was once where we watched the movie “Impressions of France” for the first time. I can’t believe that we’ve never seen it before. After the movie we stopped at the bakery. It was tough making a decision there. Everything looked very tasty. While DW was starting to suffer “sick of eating out syndrome”, I was still eager to try the many taste tempting treats that were on display. We shared a very tasty strawberry tart and took the cheese plate back to the room for lunch the next afternoon.

 

[gbpackfan9]

Wednesday continued….

After our mid afternoon dessert, we decided to head back to the room for a little rest. As we were nearing the front of the park we spotted the “survey guy”. DW whispered, “OH NO” as he approached. I’m a sucker for surveys so after a few questions about our visit to the park he led us to a bank of computers for a short survey. It wasn’t as long as the last survey we did last October, so it wasn’t too bad. We got to the bus stop and within 5 minutes the bus was there to take us back to WL. As we were leaving the parking lot we saw lots of black smoke. Seems a bus started on fire and had traffic on the road leading to the MK backed up in the Southbound lane. Luckily we were going north.

We had a short rest and were back at the bus stop around 5 PM for a ride to DTD for our ADR at The House of Blues. Somehow we didn’t get any pics of the place or the food. I had gumbo and jambalaya. Both were very tasty and spicy. It was our first visit to this restaurant. I’m sure we’ll be back again someday. After that we did a little shopping and were back in the room by 9:15 (earliest by far this week). We caught the end of the Brewers game online. Looks like they are finally starting to put it together after a slow start this spring. We’re both big fans. We already have tickets for 14 games this year. 11 at Miller Park and a three day series in Detroit in June. (road trip)

We got to bed early. Early entry at MK tomorrow. Would we make it on time????

 

[wdwgirl03]

Go Brewers! I've been to 3 games so far this season and we've got one of the 9-game plans. I'm sure we'll be at a couple more too.

 

[LYNSUE]

This morning we were up at 6:30 and ate breakfast in the room. We were hoping to make early entry at MK. Hit the boat launch at 7:30 and had about a 10 minute wait for the boat. We got to the MK just after opening. And that was ok. It was nice strolling in instead of running (oh I mean walking fast) with the masses.

As we entered Main Street (obligatory castle picture)

We did splash mountain two times. Got through the first time without getting wet. However when our log came around, the people in front decided they wanted to go again. Since there was no one waiting, they just sent us through again. Well the second time we got in the way of the water cannons where the logs splash down. We got very wet.

Next we did Big Thunder Mountain three times in a row. (helped us dry off) Again there were no lines!!! After that it was unto Pirates. We entered the ride with a group of nine young girls all wearing red t-shirts. I thought perhaps the grouper would give them their own boat. That did not happen and we were scheduled to be in the middle of the same boat. Although, the grouper had placed them correctly to load, the girls decided to change rows at the last second. They actually climbed over the seats in the boat! Apparently it was very important to be seated with certain people?? When DH and I saw this happening, we just stepped back and waited for the next boat. The person grouping apologized, but it was not her fault. I was more than happy to wait. During the ride, there was a lot of unnecessary screaming coming from that boat with the group of girls.

Next we did Jungle Cruise. Very good skipper. He did many jokes that we had not heard before. I actually text one of the jokes in Laugh Floor Comedy the next day and it made the show. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

After that we tried HM, but it was down. DH was saying that he had not had a dole whip yet this trip. We swung by there but the stand was not open yet. No HM…No Dole Whip!! What’s going on here??

Anyway, we moved onto Fantasyland. On our way there we saw a high school marching band from Troy, MI. Every person marching looked so happy. I imagine all of those kids are thrilled to be there.

We did Peter Pan with less than a 20 minute wait. Based on that wait time, apparently the park was not crowded this morning. Next was Mickey’s Phil, and then the tea cups. DH does not ride the tea cups very often. The spinning bothers him a little. We also may have got back to the HM but I can't remember. My notes were not clear. DH do you know????

Loading Peter Pan

The Tea Cups

DH on the Tea Cups

Me on the Tea Cups

It was getting close to noon and we had ridden every thing we wanted, so we headed out. Since we were still undecided about keeping our dinner ADR at the Wave, we stopped at City Hall to see what else was available. We mentioned several restaurants, and none of them had any availability. I guess we will just keep what we have.

We left the park and waited about 10 minutes at the boat launch. Arrived back at WL about 12:30. We stopped in Roaring Forks food court and purchased some grapes and a small bag of chips to go with our in room lunch.

Once in the room, I whipped up some tuna salad, toasted some bread and made us some great tuna sandwiches. These were served with the cheese plate, grapes and chips. What a nice relaxing lunch. I really really enjoyed this simple food today. And you couldn’t beat the price.

The Brewers were playing a day game today, so we fired up the computer to follow the game. After the game, DH went to exercise. (don’t know if he went for a walk outside or if he used Sturdy Branches) I’m sure he will let you know. While he was gone, I had a wonderful nap.

Upon DH’s return, we went to use the pool. Using the pool is very rare for us. I could not remember the last time we actually did. Many times we have stayed at the Beach Club and never even set foot in Storm Along Bay. (what a shame). SAB is a premier facility. Anyway, we went to the Villa pool. Spent some time in the hot tub and some more time in the regular pool. Nice relaxing time.

I absolutely enjoyed our very relaxing afternoon. Now that’s what vacation is all about. We really need to do this more often when visiting WDW.

 

[LYNSUE]

After swimming we got cleaned up and set out for the boat launch. We had a 7:00 ADR for the Wave. We finally decided to put on our anniversary buttons for the first time. On our way to the boat dock, we took some pictures of WL

The DVC welcoming sign on the way to the Villas

The villa pool

The main pool with the lodge in the background

The main pool with the dual hot tubs

The beach area

The famous geysier. We were lucky enough to see it go off.

My notes say that we caught a boat to the Contemporary??? I don’t remember that being possible. (perhaps another poster…DH…will fill in this blank????).

Anyway, somehow we got to the Contemporary and onto the Wave. It was much less crowded tonight (as compared to the previous Sunday). We only waited about 5 minutes for our table.

Interesting entrance to the restaurant.

Even though this was our second visit in the same week, we still managed to find something good on the menu.

DH ordered his “specialty drink”. This restaurant listed it on the bill as a Captain’s Rum Runner. It is amazing how the price for this same drink varies from restaurant to restaurant.

We each started with the Crab Cake appetizer. We usually share an appetizer, but the menu lists it as Crab Cake (singular). So since we were sure there would only be one, we each got it. The one was definitely big enough to share. You think we would have learned these things by now!! The Crab Cake was very good.

DH didn’t remind me about the picture until I had already had a few bites. So I tried turning the plate around to the uneaten side before taking the picture. It still looks a little messy….sorry.

For an entrée, DH had the pork tenderloin

I had the Chicken pot pie. (I also had to have more of those wonderful fingerling potatoes with some of the cilantro chutney on top) Our waitress told us later that she got called into the kitchen when the chef read this request. He was questioning if she had the combination right. She assured the chef, this is what I asked for. Apparently, this was a first for the chef???

We both enjoyed our dinner at the Wave very much even if it was a repeat restaurant. Because we were wearing our anniversary buttons, our waitress brought us an after dinner sparkling wine. This was complimentary. I know DH will remember more about the wine and give you a better description.

Everything was good, but I truly over ate this time. I was stuffed. (I know it was the fault of those extra potatoes!)

After our dinner we went up to the 15th floor to see K. We were not even sure if she was working tonight. But we want to see how she was doing since her parents (D&G) left a few days ago. So we were escorted up in the elevator. K was working in the back tonight (not seating or greeting). Someone did offer to go in the back and get her. I really did not want to bother her (or get her in trouble), but they assured us it was ok. We had a nice chat and then let her get back to work. K was feeling sad that her parents left, but she was also excited because some girl friends were arriving the next day for a visit.

After our chat, DH and I went out on the observation deck and took some photos of the sunset over MK.

A picture of the new Bay Lake Tower Villas

We walked from the Contemporary back to the MK. We debated a little bit, but decided not to go into the park. The thought of fighting the Wishes crowd just did not appeal to us tonight. And besides, we did not want to end a very relaxing day with a park mass exodus. We headed to the buses instead. The WL bus was waiting for us as we walked up. There was only one other person on the bus when we took off. We had a nice chat with this lady.

So for the second night in a row, we made it back to the room by 9:00. This was a nice contrast to those very late nights we started the trip with. We watched some TV and I called my sister. To sleep by about 11:00.

I would have to call this a very good day.

 

[gbpackfan9]

Thursday a.m………..

Got up early and decided to try to make EE at MK. The boat pulled in just as the park opened. The masses had entered by the time we got through bag check so we walked right in. At MK we usually start back by SM and TMR and work our way to the front of the park. Either the park wasn’t crowed or everyone else started in FL or TL. Whatever the reason, we rode SM twice in a row without getting out of the log. The first time was a dry run, but the second one more than made up for it. We got soaked. Luckily it was warm today…..

We then went to TMR. We rode that 3 times in a row, with little or no wait. During the second ride we shared a train with Kenny. He keeps popping up at the same parks we do. By the third ride the lines started to form so we moved to POC and JC. The JC is a relaxing ride, but the jokes are a little lame. This ride was different. Our skipper, William, was great. He had lots of new jokes.

The park was definitely not crowed today. We went to PP and only waited 20 minutes. MP, another favorite, was next. I think we then went back to HM, which was shut down temporarily when we walked by it earlier. Then we did the Teacups. If I spin too much, I get dizzy and a little sick, so we didn’t spin it too much.

We were getting hungry so we took the boat back to WL for a light lunch in the room. Tuna sandwiches and the cheese plate from the French bakery that we picked up yesterday. A very nice, quiet lunch. After lunch, I sent a text to ANTSS inquiring if the meet a Jellyrolls was still on for tonight. I received a text telling me that I was the only one to reply. I sent a message back, saying the DW and I were going to the Wave to eat and to text me back if anyone else wanted to meet. Unfortunately no one else did so we didn’t get back to Jellyrolls on the trip. Sorry ANTSS, maybe next trip…..

I turned on the computer to follow the Brewers game. DW laid down for a nap. I decided to go the health club for a walk. I was gone about 45 minutes. I came back and DW was still sleeping. I watched the rest of the game. Brewer’s pitcher Dave Bush flirted with a no hitter this day. He didn’t get it but the Brewers did win. After the game we headed to the pool. As DW told you, we usually don’t use the pool. We just never seem to take the time to use it. This trip was supposed to be more relaxing so we took the time and it was great. We used the hot tub and the regular pool. DW headed back to the room to get ready for dinner, and I sat by the pool and read. It was so relaxing. I kinda lost track of time and got back to the room a little later than I had planned.

I quickly showered and got dressed for dinner. We headed back to the boat landing to catch a ride to MK. From there we walked over the CR for our reservation at the Wave. We usually don’t repeat a restaurant during a trip, but there was plenty on the menu that good, and it was in a convenient location to our room so what the heck. The appetizer was large enough to share, but we each ordered one anyway. The crab cake was delicious. My pork tenderloin was tender and very tasty also. Our waitress, April, was also from WI (Elkhorn). She noticed our anniversary buttons and brought us a glass of red sparkling wine for dessert. It was a nice touch and much appreciated.

After dinner we went up to the Calif Grill to say hi to K again. We then walked out to the observation deck and took some pics of the sunset over the MK. It’s a wonderful view from there. Since we had seen Wishes twice this trip, we decided to catch a bus back to the room and have another early night. We made plans for which park and attractions we wanted to hit again for our last couple days of this wonderful trip. DW was getting homesick and ready to go home, but I was enjoying the long relaxing week…

Next fabulous Friday……

 

[LYNSUE]

Another Three Park Day!!! Plus DTD thrown in for fun. And we still found time to swim and take a short rest. It was a crazy day.

Today we got up at 6:50. We were headed back to DHS for a third time. We just had to do TSM again this trip. We had the usual breakfast in the room. As we were approaching the bus stop, a studio bus was there. We actually had to run to catch it. We arrived at DHS about 8:15. Most of the lines were empty but we still chose one to the far right. We did our usual thing with getting the TSM fast pass and then getting on the ride.

Here is a cute topiary inside DHS

Also a pretty blooming tree

Some random street performers

While typing this report I realized something. We were at DHS three times, and during those three times we repeated the same three rides. TSM, TOT, RNR. We did not take the time to see any shows or even get on the movie ride. This struck me as rather strange. Maybe that’s what happens when you visit too often????

Here was our sequence today. Got a FP for TSM and then rode TSM. Next is TOT to get at FP. Did RNR two times, both in the single rider line.

Me on RNR. The young man next to me was not thrilled but he was polite none the less. His two buddies in the seat behind us were teasing him a bit.

Back to TSM with the FP

Now here’s a site you don’t see often….only a 30 minute standby wait for TSM. We used our FP anyway. I got my second win this ride.

Then back to TOT using the FP. After that we stopped at Guest Services to try to get an ADR for a lunch on Saturday. Again we had no luck. Everything we asked about was full.

Me at the GS window. (I thought we had discussed taking pictures from behind!!!) Remember the Segway picture that had to be deleted??? I think our photographer this trip was a little sassy!

So that was our whirlwind morning. I think I am a little dizzy after all that in such a short time.

We left DHS and got a bus to Epcot. Once again a bus was waiting when we walked up. We arrived at Epcot about 11:30.

First stop….we tried to get FP for Soarin but the return time was already for 4:30 and that was too late for us. We walked over to Mexico for our 12:20 ADR. Although it was only 12:00 (we were early) they sat us right away. As you all know….it is extremely dark in there, so there was no point in trying to take pictures. In fact it is so dark, you can barely read the menu. When the waiter asks what I want, I just point to something and hope for the best. Service was extremely quick here today. Even though we had appetizers we were still out of there in less than an hour.

DH had a lime margarita (frozen), then the tortilla soup for an appetizer. His entrée was Puntas de Filete en Salsa Guajillo or in other words…Beef tenderloin tips sautéed with fresh onions and chile Guajillo sauce served over corn tortillas, black beans and fresh cheese. Sounds like a lot. (and it was a very generous serving)

I had water to drink then the crab tortilla appetizer. My entrée was a pork dish. (I do not see it listed on the menu). It was chunks of pork in a sauce served with soft flour tortillas. Again it was a very generous serving.

Our TIW discount card was accepted here. We always appreciate that 20% discount.

I have seen some very bad reviews of this restaurant, but every time DH and I eat here we are happy with it. We seem to like it. I just wish they provided a reading light with the menu.

After lunch we did the boat ride in Mexico. We then went back over to Future World to ride TT. However, when we got there, they were having technical difficulties.

We decided to leave Epcot and head to DTD. I had promised a co-worker I would bring her some candied pretzel sticks from Goofy’s Candy Company. I waited until today to get them so they would still be fresh when I got them home.

Since there was not a direct bus from Epcot to DTD, we got on the SSR bus.

 

[LYNSUE]

We got off the bus at the second bus stop (Congress Park) at SSR. This is our home resort for DVC, so we are familiar with it. From there it was just a short walk to the Market Place end of DTD. We were guided by DH's amazing sense of direction. I only find it amazing, because I have no sense of direction at all. I once got lost in Rain Forest Cafe trying to return to the table after a rest room break. I actually had to get a CM to help me. Pathetic, I know.

First and only stop was Goofy’s Candy Company. The store was not crowded, so I got waited on right away. The CM making my pretzel rods was new. But the lady training her was very sweet and kept checking back to make sure she was ok with the pretzel making. I ordered two sets of pretzels. One set of three for my co-worker and the other set of three for her family. The making and waiting for them to set took about 15 to 20 minutes. During that time, DH was browsing the candy case. He bought one milk chocolate turtle and one chocolate covered strawberry.

After paying for our sweets, we were off to the bus stop. A WL bus was pulling away just as we walked up. Well we figured we would have at least a 15 minute wait for the next bus, so we took out the turtle and strawberry to enjoy. To our surprise…we no more than got them out of the bag and another WL bus pulled up???? So they got tossed back in the bag and we were on our way to WL. We arrived about 2:45.

Once we got into the room we were finally able to enjoy our sweet treats from Goofy’s. Both items were very good. After that, we rested for about 45 min. Then to the pool about 4:00. First we used the hot tub and then the regular pool. While we were wading in the regular pool we were next to a family of four adults. From what they were saying, it sounded like they had just arrived that day and you could tell there was a high excitement level. Apparently the young man in the group was the only one who had been to WDW before and was making comments to the others. Although there were many statements… here are the three things I remember most. #1) DTD is at the Boardwalk. #2) He really likes the part in Soarin where you see the people surfing in Hawaii. #3) He is too tall to ride Space Mountain. The last time he road he could feel beams brushing past his head. At this point, DH and I were not sure if he was just joking with the other people in his group or if he really meant these things. We did find the comments amusing and were kind of grinning at each other. We thought it was best to move to another area of the pool before we seemed impolite. I know it is hard for some of us Diser’s to believe, but some folks do not do the homework before vacationing here.

We went back to the room and got ready to go to the MK. We had an 8:20 ADR for Narcoossees at the Grand Floridian. So we would have a few hours to enjoy the MK before dinner. It was about 5:20 when the boat left WL and we arrived in the MK about 10 minutes later.

Our first stop was LFC. This is when I text my joke in. (the joke I borrowed from the Jungle Cruise skipper). The original joke on the JC was “What do you call a cannibal who just ate his mother-in-law”? You call him a gladiator. Well when I text it in, I changed it to “What do you call a monster who just ate his mother-in-law”. I was very surprised when they actually used this joke during the show. The character who read the joke was a little reluctant, she said she was not sure she should say this??? But anyway, it got a good laugh and some groans. DH said the guy next to him thought it was really funny. I was excited when I heard them use the joke and I turned to the lady sitting next to me to tell her it was mine. The lady just smiled politely and nodded. It was then I realized she did not speak English!! I’m sure she though I was crazy. She turned to the rest of her group and said something and they all just shook their heads. I did text a joke at LFC once before during another trip. That one did not make the show. Here is the joke that didn’t make it. “Mrs. Bigger had a baby…which one was bigger”??? Answer) The baby was a little Bigger. Ok, I will stop my feeble attempts to entertain you with jokes.

Moving on

Next we did Buzz. Our scores were close but DH won.

Since our dinner time was late, we decided to stop for a snack. In Fantasyland we stopped at Village Fry Shoppe. I have to say, I never even noticed this place before. DH had the Apple Dippers and I had a small order of Fries. While we were eating, I called and chatted with my Mom for a bit.

Next we did Snow White. The lady sitting in front of us in the mine car took flash pictures through the whole ride. So instead of seeing SW, all I saw was blobs of light in front of my eyes. Thanks, lady!!!

Then onto the HM. This turned out to be an interesting and annoying adventure.

We walked on right up to the part in line where you get to the turnstiles. There were two couples, each with a stroller. The strollers had the kids in it and also lots of other stuff. They were trying to figure out how to get the strollers inside the waiting area. (apparently they did not see stroller parking in front of the ride). I was about to mention that there was stroller parking at the entrance….But just then, the two guys in the group each picked up a stroller (with the kids still in it) and lifted it over the turnstile. This was not an easy thing to do. Then the four adults came through the regular way. Once the CM opened the doors to the mansion and saw this, she immediately escorted the couples and the strollers out the chicken exit.

Also while we were waiting for the mansion doors to open, we were among a large group of teens. They appeared to be speaking Spanish or Portuguese. The group was already quite riled up and there was a lot of screaming and shoving going on. After the nice CM was done helping the stroller people out the side door, she came back to our group now gathered in the stretching room. The teen group was even more rowdy. She tried to start her spiel about moving to the center of the room, but the group was getting out of control. That CM left and went to get a male CM. This guy tried to take charge, but it was almost impossible. The girls were already screaming loudly and others were taking flash pictures. The CM actually raised his voice to these teens and said “DO NOT SCREAM LIKE THAT”. He also warned about the picture taking. Once we were released from the stretching room, DH and I tried to separate ourselves from this group, but it was difficult. Throughout the ride they continued the unnecessary screaming, picture taking and pounding on the backs of each others doom buggies. The ride actually stopped a few time, but I didn’t know if it was because of them or because of loading assistance.

When we got to the end of the ride, the same male CM was waiting at the unloading area. I got off the ride and said to him, “Those teenagers were awful” I was not the only one making comments. We did not stick around to see if the group was talked to or not. I just wanted to get out of there.

On our way out, we stopped at City Hall. We were still trying to make a lunch reservation for the next day. Again we had no luck. All of the places we checked on were full. This sure made me glad I had made most of our ADR’s before leaving home. I did not make any ADR’s for Saturday, because I had no idea what park we would be in on our last day. I never thought it would be a problem to get a lunch reservation the day before. Obviously, the WDW restaurants were very busy.

We finally just decided that we would do the Grand Floridian café as a walk in for lunch tomorrow.

 

[heaven2dc]

You really handled yourselves beautifully in the HM fiasco! I can't believe they are even allowed to stay in the Parks (I'm sure they get numerous complaints from guests). I had a similar episode in HM but it was from a group of about 8-9 boys from some sort of USA soccer group. All of them were screaming ridiculously during the ride, yelling to each other and finally one of the boys was so embarrassed by their behavior he hollered for them to all shut up! I even made a few comments from my buggy which was right behind theirs (I was alone so I was afraid to be too vocal).

 

[OhMari]

Wow, I have a lot to comment on.

1. I didn't know the Swan/Dolphin had bus transportation.
2. I loose my sense of direction all the time.
3. I'm glad I'm not the only one that mooves from resort/resort.
4. Yes, it snowed on the 20th of April. It was the day after we returned from Florida. You should of seen me walk to work in 4 inches of snow, swearing all the way. I did feel better after I got to work.
5. We had no problem getting into any resturants when we were at WDW. We just walked up and got in. I wonder if they hold open a few tables for walk-ins now.
6. Loved the Flower pictures. I noticed many of them were recycled from 2 years ago, especially the princess's topiatries.

 

[LYNSUE]

One other stop we made on the way out was at one of the shops. I purchased a serving platter with bright colors of mickey heads. I had seen this pattern of dishes earlier in the day at a shop window in DHS. It was so bright, it really caught my eye. But I decided that I did not want to carry it around all day so I just let it pass. Well on the way into MK we walked through the stores. I was surprised to see this same dish pattern. So I decided I would pick up the platter on the way out. It was very light weight and flat enough to fit in our luggage, so it would not be a nuisance to get it home. DH said he did not mind carrying a package to dinner at Narcoossees. It provided a place for him to put his hat while we dined.

We got on the resort mono-rail and took the long ride around to the GF. There were several couples in our mono-rail car trying to get to DTD. The guys were asking each other lots of questions. DH and I did speak up and suggested that they get off at the Contemporary, go to the ground floor and catch a DTD bus. The guy talking to us says to his friends… We need to listen to these people, they sound like they know what they are talking about. Then he says to us… how do you know all of these things? DH just said we had been to the parks many times and we just learned. The guy said he would trust us. I sure hope they got to DTD ok.

We arrived at Narcoossee’s at 8:05 for our 8:20 ADR. This is our first time dining here. The restaurant is set away from the resort on a peninsula out in Bay Lake. It offers great views of the Lake and the MK fireworks.

The sign outside the restaurant

We were seated right on time at 8:20. Narcoossees has an open kitchen, so while we were waiting we could see the sous chefs at work. Our table was not right next to the windows but just across the aisle from the windows. We really were not concerned about the view anyway, so this table was fine.

Since this was our last dinner at WDW this vacation, we were not very conservative and ordered whatever we wanted. I had looked at the menu on Allears many many times. I knew I really wanted the whole lobster, but I decided I would wait until that night to decide. Even though I was a little sick of eating out, I still WANTED the lobster. So I went for it.

Tom was our waiter and he was very good.

DH ordered his “specialty drink” of choice here. It was listed on the bill at a Captain Rum Runner (the same as the Wave) and surprisingly the price was the same also. I had my usual also (water).

Next was an appetizer of crispy duck roll for DH. This is described as having duck, spiced apple chutney, roasted hearts of palm and soy-chili glaze. The thing was huge and very tasty according to DH.

I had the Seafood Bisque with a sourdough crostini. (bread). I enjoyed this very much. This was the first and only seafood bisque I had this trip (I think).

For the entrée, DH had Crab Crusted Flounder with crushed fingerlings potatoes.

I had... (well you already know) the whole steamed lobster. It was so wonderful and very worth the price. I will let the picture speak for its self.
The meat in the claw part was the best. As you can see the claws are scored, so the meat was really easy to get at. Also hidden on the plate are some gratin potatoes and some broccoli.

I had forgot to mention that when we entered the MK earlier, there was a table of buttons with a CM behind it. They were asking what you were celebrating and then giving you the appropriate button. We got some really cool anniversary buttons that were different than the ones given to us at check in at WL. These were done in blues with Cinderella and her prince along with the coach. It said happily ever after on it. I had totally forgotten we were wearing these. Well DH was wearing his, mine was attached to my purse. Anyway, Tom our waiter noticed this, so we were presented with a complimentary dessert of Warm Chocolate Almond Gateau.

Here is the lovely anniversary couple. The dessert is in front of us on the table.

So now we have been to both Citricos and Narcoossees at the GF. Right now I say I prefer Narcoossees. And that may be just because it is the most recent. Yes this restaurant is pricey, but it is worth every dollar you pay here. We will definitely return. Our TIW discount saved us almost $24.00 on this meal!!!

We did have a family dining next to us. It was mom and dad and about a 9 year old boy. This child was very well behaved and polite. It was very obvious that he has been through lengthy dinners in fine restaurants before. At one point, I wanted some pepper for my bisque. (no salt or pepper shakers on the tables here). Our waiter Tom was very busy. But I did notice that the table across from us had a pepper grinder. I asked the young boy if I could borrow theirs. He was so polite in passing it to me. Perhaps he was just grateful for any distraction during his long dinner.

We left the restaurant at 9:40. Took the monorail to the MK, then a boat to WL. We saw a little bit of Wishes from the boat dock. It was almost 10:30 when we got back to our room.

We did a little packing since we were heading home tomorrow. Our flight was not until 7:30pm, so we have almost a whole day of fun left. But as DH mentioned earlier, I was starting to get homesick (like I always do). We are having a wonderful time, but I know it is time to head for home.

 

[gbpackfan9]

Friday AM – our last full day…and we were going to make the most of it. Our plan was hit DHS, EPCOT, and MK today. Got an early start to DHS and arrived well before rope drop. We again did TSM twice, TOT, and RNR. We rode RNR as single riders again. This time we were in separate cars, so I was able to snap a pic of DW in the car. I was with a group of 3 ladies. A young lady was going to ride alone while her two friends rode behind her. When I was sent up to ride with her, she decided to switch with one of her friends and have her ride with me instead. Her friend seemed a little nervous about the ride, and I told her not to worry that it gets over fast. She said, “That’s what I’m worried about”. The ride took off and there was the usual screaming, but it was sounded more like “fun” screaming rather than “scared” screaming. After the ride stopped, I stepped out of the car, and reached my hand back like I always do to help DW step out before I remembered that I wasn’t riding with her. The lady took my hand anyway, stepped out and said thanks. I smiled and headed off to find DW who was waiting for me in the gift shop.

On the way out of the DHS we realized that this was our third visit to this park this trip and we hadn’t done the Movie Ride or any of the shows. TSM, TOT, and RNR are by far our favorite rides at this park, but it’s highly unusual for us to skip everything else. Oh well, we’ll have to make amends on our next trip…….

As we were deciding whether to walk to EPCOT or take the bus, one pulled up to bus stop and made our decision for us. This was the first time we entered EPCOT from the front gate on this trip. This seemed to be the most crowded we’ve seen the parks during this trip. By the time we arrived at EPCOT, the FP time for Soarin was already mid-late afternoon. We decided to not wait in the Standby line since the line was so long. We headed over to Mexico for lunch. The food was wonderful, as usual. The only negative I have about this restaurant is that it is very dark in there. I suppose some would say the lighting is romantic. After lunch, we tried to ride TT as single riders, but the ride was down temporarily due to mechanical problems. Since we had just eaten, we decided to skip MS. In December we rode MS (orange side). I love the ride, but once a trip is plenty. Unfortunately, we didn’t even get it in once this trip. Something else to put on the list as must do for next time. Other attractions we missed out on this trip were, Ellen’s Universe of Energy and HISTA.

DW wanted to go to DTD to pick up some covered pretzels at Goofy’s Candy Store for a friend at work. We got to the bus stop in front of EPCOT and found there were not buses running to DTD. We hopped the bus to SSR instead. We exited at the Congress Park bus stop. It’s a short walk, (1/2 to ¾ mile) to the Marketplace so we walked from there. After our shopping was finished, we headed for the bus stop to catch a bus back to our resort and saw one pulling away as we walked up. Oh well, another will be here in 15 minutes. Wrong again. Within a minute the next bus pulled up and we were on our way back. We were really lucky with the busses today.

We took a short rest before heading out to the pool for one last dip. It was very relaxing and surprisingly entertaining (See DW’s early post). I’m sure in future visits we’ll schedule more pool time. We showered, changed and headed over to the MK for a couple of hours before our ADR at Narcoossee’s. We had been here for almost a week, visiting 2-3 parks a day with many late evenings, but with taking time out to rest and relax during the day, I didn’t feel wore down and tired like I had on previous shorter stays. I’m sure the warm, but less humid weather had a lot to do with it also, but I’m liking this week long stay…..

This was our first visit to Narcoossee’s. From reading other trip reports, seeing pictures of the food and reading the menu, I was expecting tasty food, high prices and small portions. I was partial correct. The food was very tasty and the presentation was fabulous. While the prices are high, the quality and quantity of the food as well as the atmosphere in the restaurant make the price well worth the experience. We’ll definitely return during a future visit.

Since we had seen Wishes twice during this trip, we decided not to wait to see it from the restaurant. We hopped the monorail back to MK and got in line for the boat back to WL. There were lots of boats coming in loaded with people wanting to get in to see Wishes. A lot of them didn’t make it in time. If you’re planning on arriving late to see Wishes give yourself at least an extra 30-45 minutes. The boats and busses can only carry so many people at one time. I saw a lot of unhappy faces getting off the boats as the fireworks were already in progress.

We got back to the room and did a little packing. Tomorrow we’d finish packing and get the luggage checked before heading back to the park for our last fling. It’s been a wonderful and relaxing vacation but we still have another ½ day plus to enjoy………..

 

[wdwgirl03]

Love all the pictures, especially the WL ones. I can't wait to stay there on our trip in August.

That's neat you had a waitress from WI at the Wave. We saw a bunch of CMs from Wisconsin on our trip in December!

And I know this is off topic, but bummer the Brewers couldn't sweep the Cubs yesterday...