Sweet Caroline, Bum, Bum, Bum. A Groovy Mother/Daughter Trip Nov/Dec 2016. Updated 6/6 X 5! The End

[Pluto0809]

A Leisurely Day Part 2





I had planned on a drink at the AbracadaBar but slacked on my research and didn’t realize it wasn’t open till 4 pm.




Instead we headed to Ample Hills Creamery for an ice cream flight.



I found a hidden Mickey in the mural in the store.



Here’s all the flavors that were offered.



You could get up to 6 scoops with the flight so we each picked three flavors. I got the Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Milk & Cookies and PB Wins the Cup. Mom got the Coffee Toffee Coffee, Butter Pecan Brittle and the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.





We found a table outside and dug in. It looks like a lot of ice cream but the scoops were smaller than regular ones. It was just enough ice cream for the two of us. I liked all three of my flavors with the Dark Chocolate being my favorite and the PB Wins the Cup the least favorite (not chocolaty enough for me). Mom liked all of hers too.

After our ice cream, we hopped on the boat and rode across to the Swan and Dolphin to check them out. Neither of us had ever visited those two resorts. It was at one of these two resorts that I found the third Pluto luggage tag.





We visited the Swan first.





They had a huge chocolate display and it smelled heavenly.





Pretty lights and fountains.













Then we headed across the way to the Dolphin.





The decorations here were much brighter.



And they had the biggest poinsettia tree I have ever seen.







It was going on 4 pm when we finished with the Dolphin and I realized that we would not have time to visit the Beach and Yacht Club before our one and only Fast Pass for the day which was for 5:15 – 6:15 pm. So we caught a boat and headed straight to Epcot. We did get sidetracked in France and picked up some slushies. Lemon for me and orange for Mom.



We also made a stop in Japan for Mom to pick up another owl to replace the one that chipped when she dropped it. We took one more look at the rings at the Germany glass store but didn’t end up buying anything. Mom did buy some more wallets in China but I think those were for gifts.

We finally made it to our FP destination which was Frozen Ever After. A few line photos that I took as we walked through the FP line.



Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

A Leisurely Day Part 3









And the photos I managed to get on the ride.













Once again no ride photos, they never appeared in our account. Mom and I really loved the new ride. I still miss Maelstrom but they did a great job with the Frozen overlay. I can’t wait to ride it again next January with Jim.

I was very happy to see that the troll was still in the dump shop.



And for some reason I thought I needed a picture of the super expensive sweaters they sell in there.



Our dinner ADR was right around the corner at Akershus and I tried to check us in about 15 minutes before our 6:25 pm reservation. The CM said we couldn’t check in till 5 minutes before so Mom and I sat on a wall for 10 minutes until they would let me check in.

Mom didn’t want a picture with Belle but I of course I did. I can now add Belle in her yellow dress to my character collection.



We were seated in a small round room towards the back that only had four tables. This was my view looking out to the main room.



And two of the other tables in our little corner. There was a third table to the left and they all filled up soon after we were seated.



I got my usual bottled water, no idea at this point what Mom got but probably lemonade or ginger ale.



And then we took turns going up to the salad bar. I liked everything on my plate except for that brown cheese near the top. Our waitress had told us to try it because it was her favorite but I thought it was nasty. Maybe it’s an acquired taste.



The princesses started coming around and once again Mom didn’t want to participate but instead just took pictures for me. I honestly couldn’t tell you what I talked to each of them about. It was quite loud in the restaurant and I was having trouble hearing what they were saying. Cinderella was up first.



Then our meals came. I got the Traditional Kjottkake which is Norwegian Meatballs served with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and lingonberry sauce. I had them put the sauce on the side and I’m glad I did. It was super sweet and I didn’t like it at all.



The meatballs were really good though as well as the mashed potatoes. As usual, I only picked at the green beans since they are not my favorite.

Mom got the Aquivit Laks which was pan-seared salmon with mashed potatoes, pickled fennel slaw and Aquavit cream sauce. Looks like it came with some kind of vegetable too, maybe broccoli?



As we ate, Snow White, Ariel and Aurora stopped to visit.







Then our trio of desserts came which was a rice pudding, some kind of apple dessert and chocolate cake.



The chocolate cake was really good and I ate that since Mom doesn't do chocolate at night. Mom ate the apple dessert. We both got brave and tried the rice pudding but only had one bite. It looked way too much like brains to me and had a weird consistency that my palate did not like.

We finished up in about an hour, settled our bill and headed out. We did enjoy our meal and I’m glad we finally tried Akershus but I don’t think it will be one we rush back to again. There are many other restaurants in Epcot that we like a lot better.

We made a quick stop in Mexico since we had skipped it before but only looked around the shops a bit before leaving.



I had finally decided on the Alex & Ani bracelet I wanted so we stopped in Mouse Gears and I bought it.



Then we said goodbye to Epcot for the trip and headed out around 8 pm.



We got back to the resort and I headed to the Concierge desk to pick up our DME letter. The line was huge but I really wanted to have the letter in hand that evening so I didn’t have to worry about it the next morning. Luckily a CM came through the line asking people what they needed. She was able to go back and get it for me and I didn’t have to wait in the full line.

We made it back to the room by 9 pm, spent some time packing and then headed to bed around 10:30 pm. Here’s my pin trades for the day.



And my Fitbit stats.



Up Next: And Now it’s Time to Say Goodbye

 

[Pluto0809]

And Now it’s Time to Say Goodbye Part 1

We were up at 5:30 am on our final day, Saturday, December 3rd, 2016. We had decided the night before to hit up breakfast early to beat the cheerleaders/football players. We headed out around 7 am and the food court was still relatively empty. We still had four CS meal credits left so we each used one for breakfast. I got my usual Mickey waffles but Mom made up her own version of a bounty platter which really confused the CM and took a while to get. As you can see, she had oatmeal, strawberries, biscuits and eggs.



After breakfast, we headed back to the room and finished up our packing. Then we hauled all of our bags to the TSA area and got in line to check our suitcases. There was a bit of a line but it went fast. Then we dropped our carry-ons with Bell Services which went a lot smoother than our arrival day.

We caught a bus to MK right away, I got Mom a seat near the front and then headed to the back thinking I would be standing but there was a single seat way in the back so I was able to sit.

When we got to MK there was something important I needed to do in the square so I found Mom a bench and got in line. I had already met Pluto in the other three parks so I needed to see him at MK. There was a bit of a line as you can see by this next picture.



Not sure why I took this next picture, maybe I was bored in line?



It wasn’t too long before I was meeting my main dog. He was very happy to see me and loved my bag, magic band and shirt. If you can’t tell, my shirt has a whole bunch of different Disney dogs on it including Pluto.







After the meet, Mom and I headed down Main Street and stopped for some more pictures.







While we were waiting to get our pictures I noticed this interesting couple. I really wonder if they lost a bet or something.



Since it was our last day, I took some castle pictures as we walked. As you can probably tell, we were in for another crazy crowded day.





I know we had a Peter Pan FP that I thought we used next and maybe we did but I have no photographic evidence. The next pictures I took were these ones.







Maybe we took the long way around the castle to Fantasyland? Because the next pictures I have are in Frontierland on our way to our second FP which was for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.









We enjoyed our ride on BTMR as always. We had one more Fast Pass but it wasn’t until 1:10 pm. I hopped on MDE and tried to move it forward and I was able to make it for closer to 12 pm. But we still had about an hour to kill before we could use it. An ice cream break is always a nice way to use up some time.





And yes, Mom is sitting on her napkins to keep them from blowing away.

We spent a few minutes in the Splash Mountain gift shop and I found this pretty bracelet.



Unfortunately it wasn’t very well made and one of the stones fell out the first time I wore it.

Everything had a huge line at this point so we decided to just ride the train for a bit. We boarded at Frontierland, rode it all the way around and then continued on one additional stop to Fantasyland where we got off. I took some pictures as we rode.









When we stopped at Main Street we noticed that people were still streaming into the park.



Our final FP was in Tomorrowland so we took the back path from Fantasyland. We still had some time to kill so we hopped on the People Mover. Well, we got in line for it and waited about 10 minutes. Yep the park was that crowded. Here’s where we entered the line, there was a CM standing at the end with a sign so people knew where to get in line.





Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

And Now it’s Time to Say Goodbye Part 2



And pictures from our ride.









I have no pictures from our final ride which was the Tomorrowland Speedway. Mom did not remember riding it so she wanted to give it a try. I didn’t get to take pictures though because she made me drive. We had the slowest car on the track, I had the gas pedal to the floor but it just would not move. I feel bad for the people that were stuck behind us.

After our snail’s pace ride, we stood off to the side to see if there were any additional FPs we could get before we had to leave the park around 2 pm. There was absolutely nothing available that afternoon. I really wanted to tackle Buzz again (which had a stand by wait time of 60 minutes) but the first available FP time was 8:30 pm.

The only good thing about our quick stop to look for additional FPs was a pressed penny machine right there that I had never noticed. And there was a Pluto one!



Instead of one more ride, we headed towards Main Street to use our final meal credit at Casey’s. I took Mom’s order and then sent her to try to find a table since it was so crowded. She’s not very aggressive though and we ended up at a standing table. I also misheard her dessert order, she wanted Cracker Jacks, not a brownie.



We enjoyed our hot dogs and fries but where extremely disappointed with the brownies which made me feel even worse about mixing up Mom’s order. I offered a couple of times to go back and get her Cracker Jacks but she said it was fine. I used to love the brownies here but they changed them recently and they are now awful. So bad that neither of us finished them. You know they were bad if I left chocolate on the table.

We took one more spin through the Emporium where Mom bought an autograph book and Donald pen for my husband Jim. She desperately wanted to get him something so I suggested that since he had mentioned wanting to do autographs on our next trip. She gave it to him for Christmas and he was very happy.

We also stopped at the Confectionary to use up our last snack credits. Mom got some fudge and cookies and I got just fudge. I love taking a little something home to enjoy after the trip.



Then it was time to say goodbye to MK and head out. I did trade for one pin during our morning time. Here it is with the pressed penny I showed you earlier.



We ended up walking right on to a bus and made it back to the resort way earlier than we needed to. I was worried about getting our carry-on bags after the fiasco on our arrival day but that only took a minute. We ended up sitting in the POP lobby for two hours till our bus came. I did get up at one point and take a few lobby/gift shop/food court pictures.





























OK, maybe that was more than a few. About 10 minutes before our bus time we headed outside and I snapped one more photo before we left.



We made it to the airport and through security with no problems. We were a little hungry so we got a slice of pizza at the food court. Looks like I had a cookie too.



I sat at the gate with Mom until her flight at 7:45 pm then headed to my gate. My flight wasn’t till 9:15 pm and I didn’t arrive back at Atlanta till 10:45 pm. Jim picked me up and we basically fell into bed when we got home.

Here’s my final Fitbit stats for the trip.



And here’s a few bonus pictures from the next day when I was unpacking. Remember the owl that Mom dropped and the beak chipped? She was going to throw him out on our departure day but I rescued him. I took him home and colored the chips on the beak with a black Sharpie. Here he is hanging out with the gold owl I already had from WDW.



And here’s Remy trying to steal my Flower stuffie. He really loved the long tail and tried to make a bed out of it.





And that folks, is one more TR in the bag for me. If you haven’t already joined me on the other two I’m writing, links are in my signature!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a productive start at your hotel followed by a nice morning at AK!

What a nice afternoon exploring some resorts. The ice cream flight sounds like a great way to sample a bunch of different flavors!

Cute princess pics at Akerhsus! Sounds like a nice evening at Epcot!

Cute Pluto & PP pictures!

Wow the parks were definitely crowded! But sounds like you had a nice leisurely morning/afternoon.

Glad both your travels home went smoothly!

Remy looks too cute curled up with your Flower stuffie!

Thanks for sharing, I'm glad it was a nice trip with your mom!

 

[missjackiemcg]

(yes my Mom and MIL both make me do a list).

Mine, too!!

That's strange because as you'll see in a few updates in my other TR that they were working in March.

That's so weird!! Must have been a maintenance issue. I'm glad they're back because I was bummed!

I recently had a bag with him on it made for me and will be carrying it next trip.

Loooooved the pics of your new Big Al bag So excited for you to take it to the parks!

Mom took an insane amount of time to frame this picture and make sure no one was in the picture except me.

She did THE BEST job!!!!

I’m going to hope really hard that that rumor doesn't come true.

Crossing my fingers, too!

I really wanted to check out Trader Sam’s but I wasn’t sure if we could get seated. Luckily there was no line and we were seated right away.

Ooooh, I really want to try to do this in December!! Hopefully we get lucky about getting in, too.

Hidden Mickey over your right shoulder

This pic is just for @Chicago Mo right??

I can now add Belle in her yellow dress to my character collection.

When we first ate at Akershus she was in her Christmas dress which was such a thrill for me! But I liked meeting her in her yellow dress, too. I'd onlyhad met her on the Cruise in that one!

 

[rteetz]

Sounds like a great end to your trip! I enjoyed Frozen too but wish it had more of a Norway tie in.

Gotta love those BWI chairs! I just got the Ooey Gooey butter cake when I went to Ample Hills. I think I still like the No Way Jose best at Beaches and Cream.

Ending with MK is always nice.

Another awesome TR in the bag!

 

[DVC Kayla]

The Flamingos never fail to make me smile.. some of them eat way to much shrimp, others not enough. Seeing the elephants and the lions are my favorite part of the Safari!

 

[DVC Kayla]

Sounds like a nice morning at Disney Springs!

 

[DVC Kayla]

Your meals at Coral Reef look amazing! I am looking forward to trying that Restaurant for the first time in September. The Dessert looks so delectable it makes me hungry!

 

[Tracy161]

I got the Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Milk & Cookies and PB Wins the Cup.

These three would have been my choices, too!

I still miss Maelstrom but they did a great job with the Frozen overlay.

I miss it, too. But like you, I do enjoy the Frozen overlay.

I was very happy to see that the troll was still in the dump shop.

Yes! Same here!

We were seated in a small round room towards the back that only had four tables.

Oh, neat! A little room all to yourselves... almost!

I had already met Pluto in the other three parks so I needed to see him at MK.

Yes, you certainly did!!!

It wasn’t too long before I was meeting my main dog. He was very happy to see me and loved my bag, magic band and shirt.

Awww, love these pictures!

This may well be my favorite spot/view in all the world.

An ice cream break is always a nice way to use up some time.

Always.

We spent a few minutes in the Splash Mountain gift shop and I found this pretty bracelet.

Cute! Too bad it broke though.

And there was a Pluto one!

YAY!

Instead of one more ride, we headed towards Main Street to use our final meal credit at Casey’s.

Yum, I love Casey's. But I agree about the brownies. They used to be sooo good!

We ended up walking right on to a bus and made it back to the resort way earlier than we needed to.

I am always doing this... I leave way more time than necessary on the off chance something will go wrong and I'll need that time. Better safe than sorry is my motto!

And here’s Remy trying to steal my Flower stuffie.

Thanks for sharing another wonderful trip with us! I'm sad to see it end, but really enjoyed hearing all about it

 

[Pluto0809]

Sounds like a productive start at your hotel followed by a nice morning at AK!

What a nice afternoon exploring some resorts. The ice cream flight sounds like a great way to sample a bunch of different flavors!

Cute princess pics at Akerhsus! Sounds like a nice evening at Epcot!

Cute Pluto & PP pictures!

Wow the parks were definitely crowded! But sounds like you had a nice leisurely morning/afternoon.

Glad both your travels home went smoothly!

Remy looks too cute curled up with your Flower stuffie!

Thanks for sharing, I'm glad it was a nice trip with your mom!

We really enjoyed the ice cream flight, it was yummy!

I really planned on a few more rides that Saturday but it was just too crowded so we ended up with more of a leisurely morning.

I felt bad taking Flower away from Remy to move him to my Pluto room!

That's so weird!! Must have been a maintenance issue. I'm glad they're back because I was bummed!

Loooooved the pics of your new Big Al bag So excited for you to take it to the parks!

She did THE BEST job!!!!

Crossing my fingers, too!

Ooooh, I really want to try to do this in December!! Hopefully we get lucky about getting in, too.

Hidden Mickey over your right shoulder

This pic is just for @Chicago Mo right??

When we first ate at Akershus she was in her Christmas dress which was such a thrill for me! But I liked meeting her in her yellow dress, too. I'd only had met her on the Cruise in that one!

I can't wait till next year's trip so I can carry my Big Al bag! I have two different Country Bear shirts so I need to decide which one to wear with it.

Mom is a pretty good photographer. She comes from the old school before digital when you had to be careful with each shot. Now you can take 1000s and just delete the bad ones!

Trader Sam's was fun, I hope you get a chance to visit in January. I probably won't take Jim because he's not much of a drinker and the prices will probably freak him out. He's a bit on the cheap side.

I did not notice that Hidden Mickey, glad you mentioned it!

I didn't realize Mo hates those chairs. She's been so busy lately that I don't think she's been here to see them anyways.

Oh, I'd love to see her in her Christmas dress. Might have to go back some day just for that!

Sounds like a great end to your trip! I enjoyed Frozen too but wish it had more of a Norway tie in.

Gotta love those BWI chairs! I just got the Ooey Gooey butter cake when I went to Ample Hills. I think I still like the No Way Jose best at Beaches and Cream.

Ending with MK is always nice.

Another awesome TR in the bag!

Yeah, it would have been nice if they could have somehow kept some tie ins to Norway.

I've yet to have ice cream at B & C. We did lunch there one day and the restaurant was so cold I could barely eat for the shaking. There was no way I could have added the cold of ice cream that day so we left without dessert.

I love ending with MK but it was a little crazy that day for sure.

The Flamingos never fail to make me smile.. some of them eat way to much shrimp, others not enough. Seeing the elephants and the lions are my favorite part of the Safari!

I love the Elephants too! I want to do the new elephant tour someday.

Sounds like a nice morning at Disney Springs!

We did have a nice morning there. I love going during the day to avoid the crowds.

Your meals at Coral Reef look amazing! I am looking forward to trying that Restaurant for the first time in September. The Dessert looks so delectable it makes me hungry!

I hope you love it as much as I do!

These three would have been my choices, too!

I miss it, too. But like you, I do enjoy the Frozen overlay.

Yes! Same here!

Oh, neat! A little room all to yourselves... almost!

Yes, you certainly did!!!

Awww, love these pictures!

This may well be my favorite spot/view in all the world.

Always.

Cute! Too bad it broke though.

YAY!

Yum, I love Casey's. But I agree about the brownies. They used to be sooo good!I am always doing this... I leave way more time than necessary on the off chance something will go wrong and I'll need that time. Better safe than sorry is my motto!



Thanks for sharing another wonderful trip with us! I'm sad to see it end, but really enjoyed hearing all about it

I'm all about the chocolate when it comes to ice cream. I was a little disappointed in the Peanut Butter one because there wasn't enough chocolate!

I always try to meet Pluto in all four parks. I don't always make it but I sure try!

I love that side view of the castle, I have the Thomas Kinkade print with that view.

I was really bummed when the bracelet broke but it wasn't too expensive so I wasn't all that surprised.

Those new Casey's brownies were pretty disgusting! I want the old ones back.

Glad you enjoyed the TR!