TR with the Man Who Said He Would NEVER Go To Disney! COMPLETE!!! 12/3-12/10 NEW 5/19

[budafam]

Video #2

Footage from our day at Epcot & California Grill dinner... enjoy!

 

[budafam]

Of course St. Nick did come... luckily our Elf filled him in on our trip. The kids searched and searched for their stockings only to find each others before their own.









They were both thrilled with their goodies... candy, dvd's, stuffed animals, toothbrushes, etc. St. Nick spoiled them.

It was Animal Kingdom day... we started off by enjoying the animals in our backyard...



While waiting for the bus to come, we had a squirrel get uncomfortably close to us.. I thought he was going to jump right on my camera for a moment there... bad focus but you can see him on the railing...





The bus was all ours again..



AK's tree... gorgeous!



We had an early ADR at Tusker House... just can't beat entering the park early...





We checked in and had to wait about 10 minutes before we got to get our pics with Donald.





Donald tried to give my dad a high five and dad completely missed it... he just left Don hanging... haha... we finished up an were escorted into the restaurant where we saw this guy as soon as we stepped foot inside.





I like Tusker House but it's not a huge deal to me if I eat here or not. To me, the food isn't much different from anywhere else for breakfast... I only like it because of the early entry to the park.



Every other time we've been here, they've done a parade with the kids but this time there was nothing.







The juice is the best part of this meal

 

[angelabrezovsky]

Subbing in can't wait to read more!!

 

[budafam]

We hurried out of Tusker House and went straight over to Kilimanjaro Safari. I normally FP'd this ride so it felt funny walking through the normal line. We had a great ride and got to see a lot of the animals (including the lions who were actually awake!)











Our next ride would be Expedition Everest. We had FP+'s for this one. DS has chickened out on this before... DD was all for it. She got measured and we entered the line.



DS was already getting nervous so I tried to distract him with some of the neat artifacts on display. We got right up to the loading area and everyone was ready. I would be riding with DS. My dad was going to go behind me, alone. DD would be riding with my sister behind him. The doors opened and everyone got into their seats. 2 girls went through my dad's line and jumped into my seat on the train.

I threw a fit! I probably looked like a 2 year old throwing a tantrum but come on! I couldn't believe those 2 girls! I gave them a piece of my mind and told the CM either I needed the rest of my family off or these girls needed to wait their turn and let me go. One CM just stared at me like I was speaking another language. I think the girls were foreign because they didn't say a word either... then the CM closest to the front of the ride told the girls to exit and get back in line.. thank goodness! No way was my daughter and dad going to ride this without me! Meanwhile, DH is crying by this point. I was so fired up about it all that I just put him in the seat and told him to deal with it. I know, not the nicest mom in the world but it was just one of those stressful moments.

As we were going up the hill, DS started to lose it even more... I talked him through the whole ride explaining what was coming up next and so on. The hill is what scared him the most. When the ride was done, I asked him what he thought of it and you know what he said? CAN WE RIDE IT AGAIN!? So yes, I may have looked like the meanest mom in the world putting him on there but he absolutely LOVED it and can't wait to go on again. Dad thought it was “awesome” as well. It was his 2nd favorite ride of the whole trip (next to Test Track).

I posted this photo on my Facebook page shortly after we rode... saying “My 76 year old dad just rode this!”



I got a lot of “Is he okay?” messages... haha... DD loved it. There's no fear in that girl.

Here are our “on ride” photos:





After that ordeal we entered Dinoland USA





We took a little break in one of the gift shops...



DS got a stuffed Yeti for making it through the ride... (nothing like incentives, huh?) and DD got a lollipop.



We had FP+'s for Dinosaur so we went to use those next. I love this ride!





Dad got a kick out of this one. Surprisingly DS is not scared of this ride but the photo makes me think differently... lol



We took a little break after this ride to relax a bit in the shade... it was starting to get pretty warm outside (no complaining here.. we were hearing reports of 0 degrees back at home!)



We started making our way over to Discovery Island... the skies were just beautiful!

 

[budafam]

We walked right into “It's Tough to be a Bug”.





Everyone loved this! We laughed and laughed afterwards. We still had a bit of time and unfortunately the Lion King showtimes did not line up with our schedule so we opted for Finding Nemo. These are the absolute most uncomfortable benches anywhere in all of Disney. I was so glad once the show was over.



It was time for lunch! Yak & Yeti... I had been here once before with my son and we really enjoyed it.



We only waited a few minutes before our name was called and we were seated on the first floor.



I opted for a Yak Attack. It sounded so good but wow, so powerful! I was feeling it after only a few sips!



I really love the fried green beans but decided to try something different so I went with the tuna. It was good but probably not the best choice to mix with the Yak Attack. I wasn't feeling so great afterwards.



Both my dad & sister got the wonton soup and then my dad ordered the shrimp.



I got the salmon.



My sister got the sweet & sour chicken. Everyone really enjoyed their meals (I'm pretty sure the kids both ended up with chicken nuggets).

Dessert was next! Yum! Dad got the New York cheesecake..



My sister went with the chocolate cake (big surprise there!)



I went with my favorite, fried wontons... ridiculously good! Everyone really enjoyed their desserts.



On our way out the kids had to get a picture with this guy:



and this one:

 

[budafam]

There really wasn't anything left to do in AK so we decided to make our way out of the park... we stopped for a few pictures along the way.











The photographer asked if I could get out of the shot so he could just get grandma & grandpa together... haha!!!

 

[DisneyJo]

I love your kids outfits, they're so cute

I'm so pleased your Dad is loving the rides and that DS loved EE in the end

 

[disfanforlife]

Just found your TR. LOVE it! Your kids are so adorable and their outfits are great. My DD always does our nails with Disney designs before every trip and I always get lots of comments and compliments on them too. We are going at a similar time this year 12/13-20 and am hoping for nice weather like you had! Also, my parents (similar age to your dad) are going with us too - but only for two or three days. They haven't decided how long. They are traveling separately and meeting us. I am glad that I convinced my dad to go at all. Can't wait to share the magic with them too!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Got a bit behind ....

Love California Grill - glad you enjoyed your meal. Did you sister even try the Kazaan Roll? With all the sauce, etc. it almost doesn't even taste like sushi - I mean, definitely not like having a piece of yellow tail sashimi or anything ... oh, and it's super delicious!

Kids made out great with their stockings - go St. Nick!

very cute AK outfits, especially the skirt!

Funny, we found the food at Tusker House breakfast to be really good and have quite the variety compared to other places ... might just depend on what options one goes for

Glad everyone enjoyed EE - even if it took some prodding in some cases. I think most parents know when their kids really don't want to do something vs. just needing encouragement. Those girls that cut in were something else ... though perhaps, if they didn't really know what was going on (didn't speak English, etc.) they thought that once the gates open everyone goes in and finds a seat ... and thus weren't "cutting" on purpose, but still. Glad that one CM finally fixed things

We are working on my daughter now for her going on EE, watching it on youtube, etc. She is a bit scared of the "gorilla" but as of now says if I sit next to her she will do it

nice PP pics on the way out of AK!

 

[budafam]

I love your kids outfits, they're so cute

I'm so pleased your Dad is loving the rides and that DS loved EE in the end

Thank you

Just found your TR. LOVE it! Your kids are so adorable and their outfits are great. My DD always does our nails with Disney designs before every trip and I always get lots of comments and compliments on them too. We are going at a similar time this year 12/13-20 and am hoping for nice weather like you had! Also, my parents (similar age to your dad) are going with us too - but only for two or three days. They haven't decided how long. They are traveling separately and meeting us. I am glad that I convinced my dad to go at all. Can't wait to share the magic with them too!

Thanks!!! It was such a great time. I had jeans packed (and jackets) but we never needed them. I would love for my dad to go again... he seems to think he's too old to go again I'll keep working at him..

Got a bit behind ....

Love California Grill - glad you enjoyed your meal. Did you sister even try the Kazaan Roll? With all the sauce, etc. it almost doesn't even taste like sushi - I mean, definitely not like having a piece of yellow tail sashimi or anything ... oh, and it's super delicious!

Kids made out great with their stockings - go St. Nick!

very cute AK outfits, especially the skirt!

Funny, we found the food at Tusker House breakfast to be really good and have quite the variety compared to other places ... might just depend on what options one goes for

Glad everyone enjoyed EE - even if it took some prodding in some cases. I think most parents know when their kids really don't want to do something vs. just needing encouragement. Those girls that cut in were something else ... though perhaps, if they didn't really know what was going on (didn't speak English, etc.) they thought that once the gates open everyone goes in and finds a seat ... and thus weren't "cutting" on purpose, but still. Glad that one CM finally fixed things

We are working on my daughter now for her going on EE, watching it on youtube, etc. She is a bit scared of the "gorilla" but as of now says if I sit next to her she will do it

nice PP pics on the way out of AK!

I wish my sister would have tried some of it. She is very close minded (VERY). I love her but she had no idea what she was missing out on! DS "says" he will go back on EE on our "next" trip... he has no idea that he'll be back there in a month so we'll see then!

 

[budafam]

We took a bit of a break back in our room...



I just love AKL! The shear greatness of it all when you enter that lobby is something else. Boma seems to glow at night.



DS and I got ready for our big night out and eventually we headed over to Boma for our dinner reservation. We checked in and took the pager to the little breezeway next to Jiko.



It's so nice and quiet in there... we had a fun time people watching for a bit. Then the pager went off. We were seated right where the buffet begins... perfect! Our drink orders were taken and then we went to get in line for food.



I looooooove Boma! I crave the seafood gumbo that they serve. It had to be my first choice. I can't count how many times I went back to the buffet. My dad and sister went overboard at lunch and were unable to fully enjoy all that Boma had to offer (I told them to slow down at Yak & Yeti!)



I met up with a girl I met through Facebook as well while I was there.



And the desserts...



We finished up and said goodbye to dad, my sister & DD. They headed back to the room for the night. DD & my sister went down to the pool for a few hours. They both really enjoyed it.

DS and I got our pictures taken in front of the tree in the lobby. There was a Photopass photographer there but of course, the photos were lost somehow Good thing I took one of DS in front of it by himself.



Then we took some time in the “backyard”. We called back home to talk to DH for a bit. He was on his way to his work Christmas party that night.









We decided to head over to Hollywood Studios at this point (I believe it was around 7:30pm). The party did not start until 10pm so we had quite a bit of time.

 

[budafam]

The park was emptying out pretty good at this point. We could see/hear the end of Fantasmic. We enjoyed watching the ducks for a bit...



The tree is just beautiful!



They had Photopass setup there so we got some pictures!



We wondered around the gift shop...







We started to see others with their “Disapalooza” ID's hanging around their necks. We congregated over towards the group of people and started up a few conversations.

To be honest, I found out about this event from a friend. I had never watched or heard an episode of the Dis Podcast before I bought tickets for Disapalooza. I watched it religiously after I bought tickets though. I couldn't name everyone but I was pretty close at this point. Now I've been watching it ever since and would love to do another one of these!

Eventually the group of people made it over to the left side gates. We went through “bag check” and headed into the first part of HS. They confined everyone to that one area. As I understood from previous Disapalooza's, we would be led to the party area together at one time.

Then, out of nowhere, these two appeared:



They were an absolute RIOT! They walked like dolls and talked like dolls. They had an answer for everything and they were going to be the “hosts of the party”. Barbie and Ken led us back to Pixar Place.



I immediately got a picture with these two. DS had to take the picture and Ken had to make the comment to him that Barbie looks really good from that angle. Lol...



Toy Story Mania was open for us to ride as many times as we wanted with no line!!! It was awesome!





I believe we went on the ride about 5 times that night (within 2 hours). We barely got off the ride and these two grabbed DS.





The tables were all setup... it was just so cool!



We had to try the donuts!!! (with ice cream and tons of toppings)



There was also popcorn, Mickey pretzels and cotton candy... all you wanted... along with sodas & water (alcoholic drinks were extra).



and more food choices...



Later on in the evening DS got a special gift from one of the CM's working the event. It was a light up ice cube (the kind they put in the Magical Cocktail). Super cool!

 

[budafam]

Our hosts did a couple of outfit changes throughout the night. This is only appropriate, right? Ken was looking a little fluffy in this outfit and someone pointed that out. Barbie quickly covered for him saying this is “Holiday Ken” and he's her favorite.. awww!!! We got their autographs for my daughter and DS decided to pose with them for a picture.





These two were out taking pictures with everyone... no wait



There were balloon artists making all sorts of cool characters. Here's one that we saw someone carrying:



We got in line for our own. DS decided on Buzz Lightyear and I got a Belle for my daughter.









Amazing! It never crossed my mind that we were staying at AKV!!! Balloons are not allowed in AKV because of the animals... shhhh, don't tell anyone but I was able to stuff both of the characters into my backpack and in our room. We hid them under blankets in case housekeeping would come in... lol. Don't worry, they didn't even get close to the animals. They made it all the way home to Wisconsin before Buzz lost an arm.

We decided to take another ride on Toy Story Mania... as you can see, there was NO line. Not one person was in that building until we got up to the loading area where DS was talking to some CM's.



They made an announcement about the buses so we started making our way out of the park.



It's always cool to see an empty park. Our stop was one of the last... we were TIRED. It was 1am by the time we got into our room... and then we had to get up for 6:45am the following morning.

 

[budafam]

Video #3

Video from our day at Animal Kingdom day & our night at Disapalooza 2013!

 

[LindseyLou2222]

I'm starting to feel bad for your sister!
Ken and Barbie are too cute!!!!

 

[MrsB1228]

All caught up with your awesome TR and loving it! Disapalooza looks like so much fun!!

 

[budafam]

I'm starting to feel bad for your sister!
Ken and Barbie are too cute!!!!

I totally get being somewhat picky... I was that way till I hit my 20's... then I just decided to try everything and I ended up liking a lot that I always thought was gross. I LOVE going to Disney for the food alone... I think everything is worth a try. If you don't like it, don't eat it. At least my dad was willing to try things.

Ken & Barbie were the life of the party. They came out with another outfit later on.. like they were going on a cruise. I just missed getting a picture of that.

 

[budafam]

When I made out these plans, I never thought about the fact that the “elf” was going to be with us and things needed to be done AFTER the kids went to bed. So yeah, when DS went to bed... I got to stay up. Lucky me! Thankfully, it didn't take him very long to fall asleep that night. Before I knew it, it was 6:45am and time to get up!



He looks so tired... luckily he's a trooper and had no issues throughout the day! We took the bus to Magic Kingdom and then hopped on the resort monorail over to the Grand Floridian. This was the first time my dad got a glimpse of the castle and it looked gorgeous that morning!



I love this resort... it's on my bucket list for sure!



The decorations were beautiful!



We took the elevator down and got a quick picture in front of the tree.



Then it was time for breakfast!



I just LOVE 1900 Park Fare's breakfast. I think the food is the best on property for breakfast. Lobster eggs benedict, pecan rolls and strawberry soup.. yum!!! We got our picture taken outside the restaurant.



We were seated in the room right off of the main room with the buffet in it. We were the first table to the left so it was great for the characters.





Pooh was first.



Then Tigger.



I'm just not a fan of the stuffed animal characters... sure they can hand gesture but I prefer the face characters that can actually hold a conversation with you.

Mary Poppins was a delight.



Alice loved the fact that DD had a picture of her on the outfit she was wearing. She wanted to know why DS did not have a picture of her on his clothing.



The Mad Hatter was a riot as always... he kept going on and on about how Downtown Disney is DOWN... “we're going DOWN today to Downtown Disney”. Tigger photobombed his pics... lol



After our meal we quick did an outfit change in the bathroom with DD and headed over to the gingerbread house to get some pictures. There was an unruly child over there and he actually ended up in a few of our photos.. finally, his mom got the hint and took him over to the other side of the lobby.





Unfortunately we were about an hour too early to buy anything from the gingerbread house.

We got a few pictures taken in front of the tree by a Photopass photographer. She had the kids pose so nicely... I was so excited about these pictures. She also said that she just switched out a lens and that these would have great color. When we got home... the pictures had been lost. I tried a few different times with Disney to find them but no luck







I had been talking with another agent that's part of the same travel agency with me about meeting up this morning at that resort. He sent me a message earlier that unfortunately he wouldn't be able to meet me I was bummed about that. The leader of our agency was also staying at the Grand Floridian that day and she refused to meet as well. I'm no longer a part of that agency and SO glad of it. When people don't want to meet with the ones who are working to keep their agency afloat, it should be a sign that some thing is just not right.

 

[budafam]

We walked out the front doors of GF and admired more decorations outside.. then we decided to take a few pictures.



Right after this photo was taken, my sister attempted to climb into the driver's seat! We had to tell her NO! Lol... I didn't want to get in trouble for breaking that thing... it seems a bit fragile in the front part.

Dad took a nice picture with the grandkids.



We took a seat and waited for the DOWNtown Disney bus. I LOVE these screens! They are the best thing to happen to Disney in awhile... lol. It was quite the wait but then all of a sudden, a bus popped up and decided to change it's course. We were on our way.



We walked around a few stores... I think my dad was just blown away by all you can get to take home from Disney.. lol



Then we found Goofy's Candy Co. We were on a mission to use up the majority of those 70 snack credits at this place! I found a nice, shady bench for my dad & sister to sit on outside and we got to work.







We all wrote out orders and this is what we ended up with:



My sister got some black pepper & sea salt popcorn that didn't count as a snack credit. She thought it tasted funny so I ended up finishing it (I thought it was different but good).

Even more decorations here...





We took the kids into World of Disney and did some shopping. DD picked out a Frozen figurine set (while they were still in stock) and DS got a Buzz Lightyear gun that shot little green balls (yippee!)



We were a tad bit early for our reservation at T-Rex but I knew that wouldn't be a problem. We checked in and got in the line to be seated.





We were seated right under this guy:



with this view:

 

[budafam]

Dad didn't want to get an appetizer so my sister ordered the nachos for two. The plate was ginormous! We all had a few



I got the quesadillas... they ended up being okay but not as good as I remember them being last time.



Both my dad & sister got steak with shrimp & potatoes with rice. They both said it was good.



The kids got popcorn shrimp and mini corn dogs. They loved their meals.

I got fish tacos. They were okay but I was just so full, I ended up taking the majority of them back with me.



The kids got some pretty cool headgear.



We ordered the chocolate extinction for dessert and it was fantastic!!!



The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever... it's HUGE. The cake was so good... we ended up taking the majority of this (minus the ice cream) back with us as well.

After leaving T-Rex, I had a killer headache... I'm pretty sure the lights do this to me but I really do love eating there. I'd rather go there than to Rainforest Cafe.

It was pretty hot outside by now so we decided to take a break back at the resort for a bit. This was our haul from Goofy's: