Marriage: The Trip Report - Update 2/28 - Final Thoughts & Link to Disneyland TR!

[chica622]

Subscribing!

 

[vamassey1]

Yum! Yum! I love me so me Mexican grub. We will have to try this in the future. The location sound fabulous too. I know people use to complain about the birds being to close at the old place, how was it here?

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Awesome updates Brook! Henry is as cute as ever and I love the pic of him in the car with all his winter gear on!

So did that creepy spaghettio clown face slide miss you at all?? What's his name, Greg or George, something with a "G".

Looks like Henry knows the routine pretty well...first thing you do when you enter a Disney hotel room, jump on the bed, yay!

Gorgeous night time boardwalk pics!

Yikes, La Cantina looked like wall to wall people! I agree, the decor is gorgeous and I'm glad you snagged a table. Those churros! Oh the sweet cinnamony goodness! They looked delish.

Looking forward to the next installment!

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I came looking for the latest Brook TR and I found it!!!

Hi Brook - better late than never! I followed you on FB but it's so fun to read the actual TR because I just love yours....

Like many others - I love the picture of Henry on the bus looking out the window - priceless! I'm craving Mexican now! Hmm, might be headed there for dinner tonight! lol

Can't wait for more...

Heather

 

[that's nice]

You meal looks guuuuuud!

I think I would have went with what you ordered!

I will leave it at that considering you have 4 pages of responses to do!

 

[disneydusted]

Hi Brook! I am finally on board here! We just got back from spring break in the OBX. Your first night in the magic is looking good, especially the Mexican food!
You have some darling pictures already of Henry, he is a cutie! He has that Disney sparkle in his eyes!

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Joining in! Need to go back and catch up, now.

 

[cdotla]

Wow...14 pages. This is humming right along!

Thank goodness for the links. Oh, how I LOVE links!

That photo of Henry on the plane with the Bose headphones and the ipad is priceless. You do, however, know what you are doing, don't you??? I can't even imagine what is going to be on his Christmas wish list by the time he is 8!

Yay...another fan of Mexico counterservice. I think we are quite scarce in numbers, but even the haters come out of the woodwork to get those 8:30pm tables, don't they?

On a solo trip a few years ago I finished my conference and was doing some solo evening touring at Epcot. I figured as just one person it wouldn't be overly difficult to find somewhere to sit and eat my taco at 8:30pm. Afterall, it didn't need to be a table. A bench, a ledge, heck, even a curb would have sufficed. Obviously I had thought wrong. There was absolutely nothing left. I had to eat my meal trying to juggle my tray, drink and taco plate all while standing up. What a score if you can snag one of those waterfront tables....I am sure they must go at 8pm.

I am intringued by your title and so looking forward to hearing how all the compromises play into the trip. And super excited that this time I can follow one of your reports in actual time!

 

[mrsksomeday]

I absolutely LOVED how excited Henry got when you told him it was the day!! Loved the dancing! He was adorable! He was going to leave without you.

Great bus mojo, even though you didn't get a real ME bus. I LOVE the pictures of the Boardwalk, makes me so happy we decided to stay there in December.

The new Mexico restaurant looked great, wow it was packed. The food looked good, can't get Bill to go there though. I can't wait to read more about your trip.

 

[blessedby3]

How could I have forgotten----Mexico for dinner! I commented on FB when you posted and we cant wait to eat there again! Quick question on the tacos....looks like its not ground beef, are they made with shredded roast beef? I am thinking i may have to try these in 66 days!!!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Okay, that video of Henry realizing he was going to see Mickey that day just made my morning! Such cuteness! I love how he gradually gets more and more excited until he has the suitcase at the front door! LOL!

I remember seeing the picture of Henry grinning on ME on Facebook -- loved it then, and love it now! That smile says it all!

La Cantina was crowded! The food looks delicious especially your beef tacos!

 

[TinkerbellinNY6]

I am following along! I read your last trip report and pre trip report. Henry is adorable.

 

[Native NYer]

How did I miss this? Going back to read and catch up.

 

[nodnol]

Hi Brook, I finally made it... looking forward to your two weeks adventure!

 

[BMC423]

Mine - beef tacos. HOLY MOLY. Love, love.

Dessert - deeeeeeeeeeeeeelish. They come with a caramel dipping sauce that is yummy too! And this is one serving - we had two baskets of these.

I guess it's a sword to a big boy too.

Our bellies were full. We were happy (did I mention it was 80 degrees out and BEAUTIFUL?!).

La Cantina was a hit. We really enjoyed it despite the very crowded status, it was worth dealing with the crowd for!

YUM! This is going on my list for next trip... I love the churro/sword picture so cute!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Gotta give wdw churros another try. Had them at MK and they were stale tasting and cold! The food looked good I hope we get a chance to try it.

These were warm and tasty! I wonder if the ones at the various carts can get icky?

La Cantina looks amazing. It is moving to the top of my World Showcase cs places to try.

We will be eating there every trip I'm sure! YUM!

I hadn't heard much about the new CS in Mexico but it looks amazing from your pics!

I love the pics of the boardwalk lit up at night, how long of a walk is it from there to epcot?

Can't wait for more

The walk from the Boardwalk to Epcot is very short, only about 10 minutes.

La Cantina looks really good! I hope we get to try it soon. Do you know if the pico de gallo usually come on the side?

I would love to pick and choose which nights I wanted which dining plan. DVC keeps looking better and better- pool hopping and dining plan options...

Yep, the pico came on the side both times for us (the second time we ate there is much later in the trip).

I LOVED picking and choosing our nights for the DDP! We did 1 night of QSDP, 1 night of DDP and one of DxDDP! The Dx night alone we saved around $170. Now granted we wouldn't have ordered app & dessert every time, but it sure was fun!

Okay, you've convinced me. I have to fit this in somehow in April. Even if it's just the yummy churos. And some guacamole and chips.....

Yes! It's soooo very good. I didn't try the guac, but if it's the same guac they had at the little kiosk they had in Mexico during the construction time of La Cantina, it's delicious!

I think that restaurant just made it onto our short list! I had no idea you could choose which DP you wanted per night if you're DVC. Very cool!

It's a very nice perk! There is a tiny bit of hassle with it, which I'll explain in my report, but, in my opinion, the hassle is worth the benefit.

Your review of La Cantina sounds great! What a great way to start your trip!

We are also eating in Mexico on our trip and am really looking forward to it now...if I only I could have some of that food for my tea tonight!

Are you doing the TS part of the restaurant? I've seen pics and read a few reviews...it looks sooooo good! We might be trying that on our next trip.

We passed La Cantina a few times and the food smelled Ah-mazing! We saw a lot of people with the nachos and they looked so awesome my BF really wanted to get some but the line was ridiculous. We ended up upgrading our tickets to an AP so we will be there for one day this Friday and then again in October for MNSSHP so I will definitely have to try it.

I've seen a pic of those nachos, they do look YUMMY! Both times we hit La Cantina it had long lines. The word is getting out that it's good.

Your pictures of the Cantina have made me starving! Maybe we'll have Mexican tonight...

I don't remember if La Hacienda was in your plans at all -- did you get to try it? I think it may be my new favorite WS TS spot!

We have a taco truck in our 'hood that sells really good Mexican if you ever find yourself in Astoria.

Nope, La Hacidenda was discussed, more than once, but it didn't make the list this time. I am thinking it will be TOP of the list for our next trip though!

A few of us grabbed a bite at the Cantina during the January Spectrum Moms trip. It was pretty good - but I can see how the seating could get crowded quickly - especially if you throw in a stroller or two.

Which day was this? Was it Saturday 2/26? I want to keep track since we were there too... but not until Sunday.

Yes, the seating can be a nightmare! It was a giant hassle finding a table and all that with the stroller. And if you had 2, or a double... Ugh!

Yep, this was Saturday 2/26 still.

All those pictures look delicious especially the churros! Now I'm thinking about eating there this June!

I would recommend it! If you like Mexican, you can't go wrong here!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Wow, already on page 12!! But I'm here! I read this first post on your blog, but couldn't figure out how to make an account, or rather it wouldn't let me. Glad it's here too.

Hey there! glad you found me!

I thought you could post without an account on my blog...but perhaps not? Who knows! LOL

And I still haven't gotten this latest up there...I'm a slacker!

That looks yummy. I have to laugh because it looks like a lot of Mexican people are in there eating. Thats like for me to go to Epcot in eat in America area...and I never have...just to note!

Now that you say that, the woman with the beverage issue AND the guy who ordered on the other side of the register just before me both spoke Spanish to the CM...

Too bad it wasn't open yet for our trip! It's one of my faves. Looks even better now!Can't beat the seating. At. All.

And I must say, with the Cava also having seating and snacks that now there are 2 VERY good options for a meal in Mexico! Nice!

I have to try the Cava sometime, I've heard so many good things about the food there! Joe wants to try San Angel even though it doesn't get great reviews...we might be one of the few that enjoy it.

I'm late to the party but all caught up

How wonderful to be back at BWV Love that view!

LaCantina looks so good! I'm thinking we need to give it a try in May

Glad you made it here!

It was wonderful to be back at the BWV. I could easily go back there again!

They give you caramel dipping sauce for the churros?! Oh, I'm so there!

I know you're probably still trying to get caught up, but I started a PTR while you were gone

Yes, they do! It's a thin caramel, but it's tasty!

Yep, still trying to get caught up...I will get onto your PTR ASAP, thanks for pointing it out to me!!

Oh, my! I can already see that this is a report I need to read constantly, or I'll miss something!
I lurked on your last report, but I see some things never change. 1. Henry is a cutie! 2. Henry likes to jump. 3. I'm considering the Boardwalk (how funny about Community Hall!).
Subbing, can't wait to read two whole weeks of Disney bliss (and compromise!).

Thanks for reading!!! I meant to post another update by now, but real life has taken over a bit. Tomorrow FOR SURE!

Lots of compromise this trip, from me AND from Joe. It really made us both pretty much fully enjoy the trip.

That sounds horrible! i have never had to experience that but my mom and dad have. sounds like a great place to eat by the way. I love mexican food, maybe we will go there for lunch sometime. just a question, have you ever been to disney i febuary? if you have how are the crouds?

I haven't been to Disney in February (other than these 2 days). From what I *think*, it's a slower season. Our first week was really tame, the second week the crowds POURED in. The difference was incredible. I met someone on the bus from NY who had been there the week before us and he said it was really quiet - he thought the crowds had already increased a lot. He hadn't seen nothin'! I think the weather can be hit and miss though.

Mmmm all that food looks just delicious!

Haha, if we have the patience to sit that long maybe we'll snag a table there for Illuminations in May.

I would love to watch Illuminations from there, it would be such a wonderful spot! I hope you are able to snag one of those tables!

Yum! I absolutely LOVE mexican food and everything you guys got looked so good! We have reservations at the new sit down, La Hacienda, our first night and I'm really really looking forward to it.

Do not feel bad for saving a table. I honestly don't see what the big deal is - you're going to be eating in a few minutes there anyway But I'm also a girl who uses her mug on more than one trip so maybe I'm not the best judge of character

I can't wait to try the sit down either! You'll have to let me know what you think of it. It looks, and sounds, delicious!

love your comment on the mugs and tables!! I usually just do what works best for us in the moment, and try not to care what others might think of it...I mentioned it here in the update for other stroller families to get a bit of an understand what kind of craziness can be found inside. I would RECOMMEND snagging a table first with little ones or a big group!

And yes, I steer clear of these threads on the Community board.

Did you find it was confusing to change your dining plan? Did you change often. I know we have to check in and out 3 times in May for a 4 night stay, but I think it will be worth it for the days we have the DxDP.

The cantina looks like a cool place. I remember it opened at 3pm on the afternoon that Jen and I left last September.

Henry has had a non-stop smile all day. That's one happy kid who knows how to love his Disney.

I didn't find it confusing at all. We had the QSDP this night, the DDP on the night of the 4th and the DxDDP later. Just 3 nights of various dining plans.

The Boardwalk told us we'd have to get new keys when "checking out"/"checking in"...but when I the same keys we got at check in worked just fine, and we had no issues with using the credits. On the 4th we went to get new keys, but the CM told us we didn't need them, but the credits wouldn't be "active" until 11 am (check-out time/their systems roll over to the next day), so we just charged our breakfast to our room and they reversed the credits. Those same keys continued to work though check-out on the 5th.

Over at BLT they were a bit more confused about it all. But, they DID give us new keys and the credits worked instantly. We did NOT need to get new keys when "checking out" (the day the credits were to run out).

I hope that makes sense! I can explain more if you need to. It's a great perk! I hope they can somehow change it so we don't have to stop at the front desk at all, AND our credits be active right away instead of at 11 am...but I'll take what I can get if it saves me some serious bucks.

Each time we stretched our credits out to the next day ("check-out day") too, and never had an issue with them working properly.

 

[MaryAz]

Looks like some yumminess was had in Epcot. We ate there in Dec and thought it was good!! Love me some cheese sause!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Great update, Brook. We met Mary and the girls there last year and the girls seemed to enjoy it a lot. I love the pic of the "boys" playing swords with their churros.

I bet those girls didn't think to use their churros as swords, did they?

Whoa! Page 12! Glad I'm getting in here early.

Loved the video of Henry being told it's Mickey Time! So cute!

Hmmm... we're going to have to try that CS in Mexico in December.

If our December/January trip works out - we'll be eating there again I'm sure, it's tasty!

It was really fun to surprise Henry with it all that day. He's getting so smart now, we are going to start having to be more creative for future trips! LOL

Wow! What HUGE servings at the Mexican CS! Sounds like it was a great start to the vaca.

They are! It was a LOT of food. This first visit I didn't eat all my chips or churros.

The second visit...well, after 2 weeks of Disney food your stomach can handle more it seems.

Mmm, aside from the little flight delay drama, sounds like an absolutely perfect evening! I have always loved the old Cantina and am so excited to try the new one. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to fit it into our next too-short trip but after your little review, I'm dying to try it even more!!!!!

And omg, Henry is just the CUTEST!

We ate at the old Cantina once, but I don't remember it at all! I wish we would have tried it a few other times so I could compare.

Thank you for the compliment about Henry!

First off I can't believe that I'm so far behind on this trip report already. Wow, page 12 I think. Oh well.

I love this picture. It kinda makes me think of the silhouettes they do at Disney. We have done them with my DS and I love them.

As far as Epcot CS meal. Oh no, you snagged a table before you had your food. The table police will sure be coming after you.

We haven't eaten there, neither my DS nor I really like Mexican food that much. But another great CS meal location is Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD. You get so much food and it is so yummy. Don't know if you have eaten there or not, but if not, try it out.

Can't wait for the rest of the report.

It does look like one of those silhouettes! We have one of Henry too and have always meant to get an updated one, but just haven't. Joe nabbed that shot of Henry staring out - it's one of my favorites too.

The table police! I better not visit the Community Boards for a while! LOL

Oooh, we love Wolfgang Pucks! We haven't eaten there in several trips though - Joe has been hooked on Earl. We might have to stray next trip again...I miss it. Though, they took off the Mushu Chicken Pocket that I LOVED.

Loving the trip so far!
Of course the three-year old gets the Bose headphones and the iPad! We'll do just about anything to keep them sitting quietly on a plane for 3 hours!

La Cantina looks good. We ate at La Hacienda in the fall and it was delish!

Ok - continue - can't wait to see where you go next!

That is SO very true about keeping the 3 year old quiet! So, so true. He knows the drill by now and is ready for the iPad as soon as we get onto the plane.

I really want to try La Hacidena! I haven't read a bad review of it yet. Next trip is has to make the list!!

Love that Henry got the ipad and the bose headphones!! Anything to keep them happy and quiet on the plane, right?

I think the picture of him in the lobby with the stickers is so adorable! He is just so excited to be there!

Looking at your view, I'm pretty sure you are in the same section we were in when we stayed at the Boardwalk. Only we were in like, the next to last room in the hallway- loooong walk! I'll have to go back and look up our room number for fun.

La Cantina looks delicious! Can't wait to eat there on our next trip, though who knows when that will be!

Wait a sec.

Did I know you were pregnant? Am I having a moment of Mommy Brain?

Is that pregnancy ticker new??

Regardless, if I haven't wished it to you yet---CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

And if I already have and we've discussed this...forgive me, I'm exhausted and not feeling well tonight.

Our room was almost at the end of that section, maybe one more set of doors down was the end? I can't completely remember. You'll have to tell me where yours was! I didn't think the walk was too bad though...but we walk a LOT, so we are used to it all, so I'm certain that affects what we thought of it.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Just caught up on all of your PTR and this TR and now I'm just starting on your September one . I had loved reading your previous TRs and then needed to take a break from the DIS for awhile, so as not to torture myself anymore, lol. We canceled our last trip plan after finding ourselves expecting another baby, so I was having major withdrawal. We're now planning on the fall of 2012 though, so I can start getting myself back into Disney mode! I stopped on the TR board for the first time in a long time today and was excited to see you just starting a TR! Henry is close to my DS's age and they looked actually quite similar when they were younger, so he used to remind me of my Jack . Now my DS's hair has lost most of its reddish tint though. Anyway, just wanted to say hello and that I can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

Glad you found me here!!! Thank you for reading!

Congratulations on the little one! That is probably about the only GOOD reason to cancel a Disney trip.

I love the name Jack. Henry has a buddy named Jack, and Joe and I discussed that name as an option before he was born. I am really surprised that Henry's red hair has stuck around since day one! I hope it stays - and that he likes it when he grows up. It gets him a TON of attention! (which hopefully doesn't go to his head. )

Looks like you had a great start to the vacation! I don't think the Cantina is high on my list, looked like there is way too much cilantro on all the dishes - and I hate that stuff!! But otherwise the food looks very tasty and much better than the old Cantina!

I went back to look at the pictures, and the cilantro is even within the meat itself, not just one top - so asking for it without wouldn't even be an option. Bummer!!!

Not that Epcot is lacking in good eats though...

Your TR MADE me have to go out to eat at Chuy's last night for Mexican Brook. My wallet and my waistline do not thank you but my belly does...and yeah it was pretty much all your fault, just sayin'! I had chili relleno's, a cheese enchilada, cream jalepeno dip, yummy salsa, ummmmm.

That's hilarious! Sorry!!! That is going to make me laugh out loud whenever I think of it for days to come.

But I so understand! I'm not even hungry, it's 11:00 pm and I could SO go for a taco or something right now after responding to these comments about the food!

The Boardwalk looks so pretty all lit up!

That Mexican food looks delicious!!!!!!


The churros look delicious! I have had them once and they were supposed to come with the carmel dipping sauce but it didn't

I am glad it all tasted good!

Can't wait to find out what your first ride is! I am thinking Test Track

That's so strange that yours didn't come with the sauce! Did you get them from La Cantina? The sauce is very tasty...the churros are good without, but it does add a bit of extra yum!

OMG such a cute video!!!

It was fun!

hmm, may have to rethink the Cantina...it does look really yummy!

If you like Mexican, you'll probably like this too! Yummmmm

ok it's 9am and I want tortillas with guacamole lol

It's 11 pm here and I could go for some of that.

Those beef tacos-YUM!!! It looks great there just sitting by the water.

I would love to get lunch here sometime and just enjoy the beautiful water. Maybe sometime during September when no one is in the park! This trip was way too crowded for any for any of that!

Wow, this finally cleared up something I have always been wondering about!!

Here in Germany we have some strange baked goods which are called "Amerikaner" meaning "Americans" - They are these flat cakes with icing on them and I always wondered why they have that name since I never saw them in the USA. So: they really have an origin in the US, but just a very local one. The Wikipedia article even mentions the German variety: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_and_white_cookie

Ahhhh! I had no idea there was a German variety! That's very cool. Glad it's all cleared up for you!

I didn't realize the black & whites were fondant either. Shows how much I bake.

We had gotten lunch at La Cantina, based on how busy it was during lunchtime, I wouldn't want to be near there before Illuminations! Glad you were able to find a seat!

I thought there was pretty good though, I had had the beef tacos like you did. Did you try the two different salsas they have? They're the same ones they have inside La Hacienda.

I did try both salsas, and liked both. I'm glad they are available at La Hacienda too....I want to try that on our next trip!

Great update!!! I'm glad that I read this because I was considering adding a TS meal for one of the Mexico restaurants (San Angel Inn or La Cantina) but now that I see the QS, I don't really see a need. The portions look very large & if we use our QS meal for Mexico, we can get that yummy dessert as well!!! I LOVE Disney churros! Won't eat them anywhere else but Disney! And I'm super excited they include carmel sauce now!

Love the pictures of the Boardwalk at night!!! I cannot wait for the peaceful evening walk from the Beach Club to Epcot!!! If we wanted to walk to DHS, how long do you think it would take from BC? Should we walk over to the Boardwalk first & then to DHS or just past the YC to DHS? I can't remember where the water is/isn't! Any advice is appreciated!

Can't wait to hear more about your adventure!!!!

That is exactly why we went with the CS this time around. We wanted to try the food, but didn't want to fork over the bucks on a TS without knowing if we like it. And we did! Huge portions and delicious. We'll be at the TS next trip probably!

To get from the BC to DHS you would walk past the YC, then over a bridge onto the walking path near the BW. It would probably take about 20 minutes, since it takes about 15 from the BW. The boat ride is wonderful too (plus you don't have to fold a stroller on those boats!)

How did I miss the start of your report

Well, I'm happy to join now. Looking forward to reading about your latest adventures

Hey there!!! Glad you found me!! It was great meeting you!! Are you doing a TR?