"We’re not gonna make it, we’re not gonna make it!" Aug 2014 mini-PTR upd 1/8

[stacy~**]

Return to Garden Grill-PART 3

At one point during the planning stages of this trip Aaron suggested returning to Garden Grill (we haven’t been there since our first trip in 2006). Since I’m the planner here and rarely get much feedback I jumped on the chance to fill a request. Only problem is I originally had us going to Epcot on a different day so I not only had to get this reservation once but I had to then find one for THIS day which I was lucky enough to do!

And here we are at our 7pm reservation. Waiting…and waiting some more. We are finally called around 7:25 to be seated. I know with ADRs you can be seated whenever but I usually have pretty good luck with being seated on time or even early so this was a surprise.

Once seated we were quickly greeted by all our friends…Chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto. It was a bit or a whirl wind. I think they all stopped by in the first 10 minutes.



(can you see that creepy photobomb in this one. yikes!)






Sometimes when you are waiting on your food you have to just act like a dog?



Our server was efficient and friendly enough but I got the feeling he didn’t love all of our food issues! *Again I apologize for black shadow on all the food pictures*

First there was salad and bread with salted honey butter.







Then came the good stuff.
Both my “adult” vegetarian daughters opted to order the kids foods of Mac and Cheese, broccoli, and sweet potato fries. This was a huge hit!





I received the real adult vegetarian meal. This stuffed pepper was unbelievably delicious. Seriously SO GOOD!



Aaron got the regular meal minus the beef (I think that is what he asked to exclude? I think he just got fish and turkey. He also had stuffing that wasn't vegetarian, I think?).



We all enjoyed the mashed potatoes and carrot/bean melody.



Yikes that was a lot of food but we somehow found room for dessert. The girls were given cute little cone cupcakes and we all loved the berry cobbler.






This meal was so good. I defiantly plan to return in a future trip (and won’t wait 8 years again).



After dinner it was just a few minutes until 9pm. I, of course, wanted to head over to Illuminations but was somehow overruled and we ended up on Spaceship Earth. Don’t get me wrong…I love SE but it took all my adult willpower not to throw a temper tantrum that we were choosing that over Illuminations. Oh, vacation compromising.



After our tour through our future we spent some time in Mouse Gears. Funny thing about Mouse Gears is that until a year or so ago I had never gone in and now it is by far my favorite “big” souvenir shop.
After shopping we made our way through the World Showcase so we could leave out the International Gateway and walk to Beach Club and Boardwalk. At the time I was hoping to possibly talk with the DVC rep at one of those resorts since that is where we were thinking of buying but alas it was too late so we just kinda looked around and then grabbed a bus to Downtown Disney. Once there we made the short walk back to Saratoga.

Interesting note: One that bus ride home on my phone I ordered Aaron the LE Maelstrom shirt from the Disney Store website. I found it kind of humorous that we were at Disney but I was ordering the shirt online (it was the last day for it!). Signs of a true addict.
Interesting note #2: We didn’t take one single photopass picture at Epcot. Not one. Super sad about that.

 

[SunnieRN]

Congratulations on your DVC purchase and your cast member job!! Loving your laid back touring style! We're rope drop people with lazy afternoons. Next month is our first FP+ vacation so it will be interesting to see if we have any luck getting additional or changing fast passes at the last minute.

Looking forward to more.

 

[roteiro]

Great trip really! I want to go there ASAP!

 

[ZehnJahren]

First off, congrats on the Disney Store role! I think you'd have a pretty good shot at going year-round; I know they hire more for the holidays but I also know that they keep some people on, too. With a love of Disney, you could be a more perfect long-term fit!

Congrats on passing the ROFR! That's exciting! Especially at BWV! I stayed there for the first time in a one-bedroom and it was so big compared to the rooms I was used to other places on property. Such a great location too!

Garden Grill is an ADR I ALMOST made for us this trip, but I couldn't find a time we'd be at Epcot at dinner time! The stuffed pepper looks really good; what is in there??

I would have thrown a fit myself if someone made me go on SE with Illuminations going on. I can compromise on a lot, but not that. I love both, but you can ride SE all day long. It will be interesting to be on my upcoming trip, when I'm not solo like I have been my last few trips and do have to compromise too!

I can't believe you hadn't been in Mouse Gears!! That's one of my top stores at WDW! So much selection, and you can cut through there or hide out on rainy days.

 

[SarahDisney]

Lots of good news! Congrats on the Disney Store job and on the DVC news!

I'm sorry that you had to wait for your reservation ... that's probably one of my biggest fears about ADRs, that we'll have to wait forever.

That is a very creepy photobomb in the picture of Olivia and Dale.

That stuffed paper looks fantastic.
And those cone cupcakes are really cute.

I can't believe they wanted to do SE over Illuminations ... that's nuts!

I think there are probably a lot of people who don't go to Mouse Gear (although it is usually crowded when I'm there) ... from the outside it doesn't look to me like it's going to be the huge store that it is. We go in there sometimes, but not every trip - depends on how much time we have. They do have a great selection ... but we do most of our shopping at Downtown Disney.

I can't wait to read about what happens next!

 

[ElenaJane]

Oh my gosh, I am loving your trip report! You are cracking me up. I love that picture of you trying to resist squeezing Mickey!!

And Hooray for Vegetarian food pics!! Now I need to add Garden Grill to my never ending list of to-dos!!

And Congrats to being a Disney Store CM!!! You just glow Pixie Dust already!

Apparently you enjoy the ... and I enjoy the exclamation point!!!

 

[bethk78]

Ooooooh, it would be amazing to plan a trip on the fly like that and leave only a few weeks later. I hope we can do that someday. So interesting that you rented DVC via a sale because I just signed up for his newsletter a week or so ago.

Neat bus driver. All those announcements would definitely give me the giggles.

I like your new approach to touring. We're night-owls too. It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out for us because I like the idea of getting up early but actually getting up early well...

Congrats on the DVC!! So exciting!!

 

[stacy~**]

Congratulations on your DVC purchase and your cast member job!! Loving your laid back touring style! We're rope drop people with lazy afternoons. Next month is our first FP+ vacation so it will be interesting to see if we have any luck getting additional or changing fast passes at the last minute.

Looking forward to more.

Thank you! Last week was definitely magical! Now I'm just ready to have my points in my account and get started working! Waiting around this week has been tough.

We really enjoyed the laid back style too and can't see us going back to rope dropping, especially with FP+, no need to race to DHS to get that TSM FP! Although I do pine to do a pre-opening CP to get those empty Main Street and castle shots!

Great trip really! I want to go there ASAP!

Thanks for reading. Every time I post an update it makes me miss it!

First off, congrats on the Disney Store role! I think you'd have a pretty good shot at going year-round; I know they hire more for the holidays but I also know that they keep some people on, too. With a love of Disney, you could be a more perfect long-term fit!

Congrats on passing the ROFR! That's exciting! Especially at BWV! I stayed there for the first time in a one-bedroom and it was so big compared to the rooms I was used to other places on property. Such a great location too!

Garden Grill is an ADR I ALMOST made for us this trip, but I couldn't find a time we'd be at Epcot at dinner time! The stuffed pepper looks really good; what is in there??

I would have thrown a fit myself if someone made me go on SE with Illuminations going on. I can compromise on a lot, but not that. I love both, but you can ride SE all day long. It will be interesting to be on my upcoming trip, when I'm not solo like I have been my last few trips and do have to compromise too!

I can't believe you hadn't been in Mouse Gears!! That's one of my top stores at WDW! So much selection, and you can cut through there or hide out on rainy days.

Thanks! I'm hopeful that it works out for me to stay on just don't want to get my hopes up.

Yes we really wanted to buy at an Epcot resort. I just love the location there. We actually prefer BC over BW but the price difference wasn't worth it for us. Plus we hope to use the points to experience other resorts. The 1BR rooms are amazing but given the point cost difference I image we will do mostly studio stays. Although I am already eyeing purchasing more points (won't do that for several years but it never hurts to dream).

Garden Grill was under my radar for so many years. It has definitely moved back up but honestly there are SO many places to eat at Epcot its hard to justify too many repeat meals. LOL...I can't exactly recall what was in the pepper. It had the bean/carrot mixture that was also a side, cheese, and is the orzo pasta? It was good, that I remember.

Yes, Mouse Gear is definitely a must visit now.

Lots of good news! Congrats on the Disney Store job and on the DVC news!

I'm sorry that you had to wait for your reservation ... that's probably one of my biggest fears about ADRs, that we'll have to wait forever.

That is a very creepy photobomb in the picture of Olivia and Dale.

That stuffed paper looks fantastic.
And those cone cupcakes are really cute.

I can't believe they wanted to do SE over Illuminations ... that's nuts!

I think there are probably a lot of people who don't go to Mouse Gear (although it is usually crowded when I'm there) ... from the outside it doesn't look to me like it's going to be the huge store that it is. We go in there sometimes, but not every trip - depends on how much time we have. They do have a great selection ... but we do most of our shopping at Downtown Disney.

I can't wait to read about what happens next!

Thanks! Can't wait to get started and trained. I will be sure to update once I get going!

Yes, I was really surprised at the wait. We almost always have good ADR luck. Oh well, the meal was so worth it!

Next trip there will be no vote...Illuminations will happen!

We always used to do one big souvenir extravaganza at the World of Disney store (mostly because I liked to spend enough to get the discount offered with the Disney Visa) but he past few trips we have just bought things here and there and I kind of like it that way. It puts less pressure on you to find something. We might spend more in the end, I'm not sure. I probably don't want to know.

Oh my gosh, I am loving your trip report! You are cracking me up. I love that picture of you trying to resist squeezing Mickey!!

And Hooray for Vegetarian food pics!! Now I need to add Garden Grill to my never ending list of to-dos!!

And Congrats to being a Disney Store CM!!! You just glow Pixie Dust already!

Apparently you enjoy the ... and I enjoy the exclamation point!!!

So glad you stopped by. I am a bit of a fangirl of your reports! I actually had to show Olivia your "Pooh Stars" reference and I think that will now be incorporated into our family Disney lingo.

I feel a bit like a vegetarian fail when other veggies read my report since we do indulge in the Disney cupcakes. It's a weakness. But GG was really great! A definite veggie must.

Thanks for the "glow pixie dust" comment. That totally made my day!

I do my best to edit out the .... but some still sneak in.

Ooooooh, it would be amazing to plan a trip on the fly like that and leave only a few weeks later. I hope we can do that someday. So interesting that you rented DVC via a sale because I just signed up for his newsletter a week or so ago.

Neat bus driver. All those announcements would definitely give me the giggles.

I like your new approach to touring. We're night-owls too. It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out for us because I like the idea of getting up early but actually getting up early well...

Congrats on the DVC!! So exciting!!

It was really fun to take a trip on such a whim like that. It was so unexpected that we did it. I hope it works out for you to plan a trip like that someday.

That driver was the best. I really wanted to email Disney about him but then I wondered if he might actually get in trouble for it since he was clearly not using the announcements for their intended purpose. I would hate for my compliment to get him in trouble so I didn't do anything.

I think the only time we would go back to getting up early is if we went off season when the parks aren't open as late. Going late and staying late was a million times better for us! I know many people say "there is no sleeping in Disney" but that doesn't work for our family.

 

[stacy~**]

My Girls Disney bucket list item checked off-PART 1

The next morning we slept in until around 9am, had some breakfast in the room and threw on some clothes. We were off to our next adventure.

When I originally put together our schedule for this trip I had several options in mind for this morning but I knew which one the girls would want to do. And I was right. You see having stayed at the Boardwalk in 2012 and the Beach Club this past May there were no shortage of sightings of this activity…yup, we were going to attempt the 4 person surrey bikes.


The cost was around $25 for a half hour and we were told that should be enough time to take the designated loop two times. Sounded perfect! So after checking us in, signing waivers and getting directions we were on our way.



Oh wait. We needed a group shot first.



Let’s just say this bike isn’t as easy to manage as a regular bike. So of course as soon as we were supposed to take our first turn there was a man on an EVC blocking our path. No worries we thought we would just turn at the next right. (Ok, Aaron was a little worried but he is an engineer he worries about everything.)



So from that point on we were off course. But having fun in that weird everyone yelling at each other Amazing Race kinda way. Ok it wasn't THAT bad but some of us were a bit more frustrated than others.



Since we were off course we ended up going all the way down the (wrong) path until we were at the real road and had to manually turn the bike around. Or should I say Aaron had to turn it around. It looks like we stood around and snapped pictures.



Anyways our little detour had us concerned that we would not have the time for a second lap so instead we just did the second part of the loop twice.

Once we made it back with the bike a few more pictures were in order.





It was a fun experience and I think if we do it again it will go smoother. I would love to try it at the Boardwalk when crowds are VERY low. Navigating around people is quite scary but the loop there would be great.

Another fun, “relaxing” vacation morning in the books. Time to go back to the room and get ready. Aaron and I had a lunch date planned without the girls!!

 

[SunnieRN]

That's so much fun!! We rented a Surrey bike at Saratoga Springs once and it is harder to operate than you would think. Lol. I'm glad we did it though. We were laughing so hard that it was hard to peddle!!

I hope your points show up quickly so you can plan away!!!

 

[ElenaJane]

You guys are brave! Those bikes always look like hard work to me!

By the way, I do consider myself Vegetarian, but a lazy one. I am sure I end up eating bits of meat and animal products when I am on vacation. I don't ask about every food item (like, I don't know, say the gravy at LTT? I have a don't ask don't tell policy on that one!).

I loved your Amazing Race reference. I don't think I could go on the show with Will because he is too laid back! I think of that show a lot when at Disney. There should totally be a WDW version. DETOUR, you can choose the Ferry or the Monorail to MK. The Ferry is slower, but with no stops, while the Monorail may break down...

 

[ZehnJahren]

Ha! I have seen those at the BWV/YC areas and think "look at those crazy people! Aren't they tired enough already?!" I ALWAYS look at those surrey bikes and wonder how the people on there have any energy left after being at the parks. You guys are so brave taking them on. And it actually looks like fun!

 

[stacy~**]

That's so much fun!! We rented a Surrey bike at Saratoga Springs once and it is harder to operate than you would think. Lol. I'm glad we did it though. We were laughing so hard that it was hard to peddle!!

I hope your points show up quickly so you can plan away!!!

Yes we learned the "harder to operate than you would think" the hard way. Although honestly us girls probably weren't working nearly as hard as Aaron. He took the brunt of that.

Thanks! We just passed ROFR so we have at least a month but I *think* the scariest part is over (well writing the check will be scary too, I guess). Can't wait to start planning.

You guys are brave! Those bikes always look like hard work to me!

By the way, I do consider myself Vegetarian, but a lazy one. I am sure I end up eating bits of meat and animal products when I am on vacation. I don't ask about every food item (like, I don't know, say the gravy at LTT? I have a don't ask don't tell policy on that one!).

I loved your Amazing Race reference. I don't think I could go on the show with Will because he is too laid back! I think of that show a lot when at Disney. There should totally be a WDW version. DETOUR, you can choose the Ferry or the Monorail to MK. The Ferry is slower, but with no stops, while the Monorail may break down...

I guess you could call us lazy vegetarians too (well Aaron isn't at all). Its those darn animal by-products. UGH! Things like cupcakes get a pass in my book since really cupcakes don't normally have meat on/in them.

We are the opposite. I am much more laid back than Aaron. We always say Disney is the perfect vacation for us because we rely on Disney transportation. Aaron and I don't work as a team very well in the car. He is always stressed about driving and asking me to help him navigate. I barely can remember my right from left so navigating isn't my strong suit.

An Amazing Race Disney tour would be great. Wait that's CBS, though, right?

Ha! I have seen those at the BWV/YC areas and think "look at those crazy people! Aren't they tired enough already?!" I ALWAYS look at those surrey bikes and wonder how the people on there have any energy left after being at the parks. You guys are so brave taking them on. And it actually looks like fun!

It was crazy and fun! I don't think I would take it on after a day at the parks. Morning was the way to go for sure. Its funny the CM that we rented them from kept asking us if we were sure we wanted to do them (it was pretty hot out).

 

[BellaBaby]

I just read your whole TR up to this point…sans comments. Loving it! I was following your DL TR for awhile way back when and thought you guys were early risers since you were at the parks in Cali quite early!!

We have never eaten at Garden Grill, it looks good~ Definitely on the list for next time! Mickey looks so cute in his overalls!

Congrats on your new job! Let us know how it goes… I have been home as well quite some time now and might be interested in something like that.

Looking forward to more!!

 

[stacy~**]

I just read your whole TR up to this point…sans comments. Loving it! I was following your DL TR for awhile way back when and thought you guys were early risers since you were at the parks in Cali quite early!!

We have never eaten at Garden Grill, it looks good~ Definitely on the list for next time! Mickey looks so cute in his overalls!

Congrats on your new job! Let us know how it goes… I have been home as well quite some time now and might be interested in something like that.

Looking forward to more!!

Thanks for reading my DL report (sorry I never finished it...). We really did do ALOT of early rising on that trip but especially by the end we were pretty miserable. We just tried to work the eastern time zone to our advantage there.

I so love Mickey in those overalls!

I start tomorrow! YAY! I will be sure to update how the job goes once I get going. It seems almost surreal. I can't believe I am going to work AND on top of that it is at Disney (well Disney in Ohio anyways. ).

 

[stacy~**]

Lunch date at Animal Kingdom Lodge-PART 2

In March Aaron and I took a quick park free trip and during that trip Sanaa was by far our favorite meal. SO when I came up with the idea for a date for us on this trip I was very excited to return there.

After our bike adventure we all got cleaned up and Aaron and I headed out for the walk to Downtown Disney where we caught a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. On our walk over I snapped a quick picture of the almost completed walkway/boat ramp.



We arrived at Kidani Village about 15 minutes before our reservation and just took in the beauty of the resort. I have to say I am not a person that feels overly comfortable in places with animals in captivity. I don't boycott these places but you won’t find me visiting our zoo at home (we do go to AK park but don’t take part in much of the animal activities) so AKL is not somewhere I ever thought I would want to say but it is truly breathtakingly beautiful. I really love it there and have to admit that we will likely someday start or end our trip with a few nights at this resort. It’s just really THAT awesome.

Ok. Back to lunch. When Aaron and I dined here in March we had Michael for our server and he did such an amazing job that I emailed Disney when we returned home to express our happiness with the service we received from him. All along we thought we would request him again but for some reason we forgot to and when we saw him working we were a bit saddened except there was NO need to be. We had Veronica and she was every bit as amazing as Michael, if not more so. Really Sanaa has once again been the best food and service we have had. Can you tell I love it there??

At my urging Aaron tried the lemonade with Wild Berry foam. I had a diet coke so no picture needed of that.



We started off with the bread service with all 9 condiments! We ended up added 2 more pieces of naan ($1.99 each…such a bargain) but we added it after we finished eating the first 3. Unfortunately it took a bit for them to arrive which was a small bummer. In the future I will order 1 additional piece when placing the original order. Can I gush about how much I love this?



I was hoping Aaron would want to share and entrée but he isn’t big on sharing so he got the slow cooked meal with butter chicken (his favorite) and the newer chicken vindaloo.



I ordered the vegetarian sampler with the lentil dhal and another side I can’t remember but is my favorite. A nice story about that is when I ordered I thought I remembered the name of it and was talking to Veronica how I loved the cauliflower in it. When she delivers our food she mentions that she double checked and I had actually ordered the wrong item and she had gone ahead and changed it for me! Crisis averted.



After a delicious meal we went ahead and ordered dessert. We knew we were going to. We enjoyed the pressed pot Kenya coffee and the dessert trio which included: Tanzanian Chocolate Mousse, banana cheesecake and seasonal kulfi. The kulfi was our favorite and that was a great thing because Veronica had also brought us out a celebrating dessert that was the full size portion of the kulfi! It was a perfect dining experience. Sanaa has reached the absolute must do status for us!





Veronica brought us to go cups for the rest of our coffee and we rolled ourselves out of there. On our way out we went out to look around the savanna.





Before leaving AKL we stopped at the DVC desk to see if we would be able to look at a 1BR just to have something to compare our studio room to. DVC rep. Aloha Joe was more than happy to give us the sales pitch and give us a tour of the room. To say I was impressed was an understatement. The amount of space in particular and the giant bathroom were sooo nice. WOW! We were pressured to book an official tour the next day and did so in the moment (only to call and cancel it a few hours later). We knew we had our sights on resale and had done the tour in the past. No thanks!

I think it was about 3:30 when we finally were boarding our bus to AK to be reunited with the girls and spend a few hours in the park. My next update will be of the girls adventures without us.

 

[stacy~**]

My girls...alone at Animal Kingdom!-PART 3

This update will be short on words (since I wasn't there) and heavy on iphone picture documentation from Olivia!

Once we left I believe Olivia had to finish getting ready.



I had requested they get a few photopass pictures and they listened. YAY! Even if the scenery wasn't so magical...





First stop for them was lunch also! And a first time dining experience for them there.





After lunch I think it was the FOTLK next, I guess the 2:00 show? I was really hoping to do this with them when we all met up but we knew we were going to be short on time so I told them to go. Olivia is my Lion King girl and since it was under refurb in May I knew she was excited to see it again and check out the new spot.



Finding ways to not only use extra carrots but also to pass the time in line. I'm a proud mother.



They had a FP for Primeval Whirl expiring at 3:30 so they made their way to Dinoland.







They then both decided on some snacks. An icee of some sort for Lucy.



And Olivia chose this prepacked cookie that has become a bit of a tradition for me (and now Olivia) to get for our plane ride home. Its huge and soft and really about 4 portions but is great to satisfy the need to drowned your Disney sorrows in. Olivia upped her game but indulging DURING vacation.



By then I think we were heading to the park so I will pick things up there.

 

[saintstickets]

Real Life Update!

I wasn’t sure when I wanted to share this but I am just going for it now. This week I was given an offer to be a seasonal Cast Member at our Disney Store! I am beyond excited! This is a huge step for me…not only because I will be working for the best company ever but also that I will be working at all (I’ve been at home for 12 years!). I am really hopeful that this will be just the touch of Disney I need to make it through this life I live in Ohio. If all goes well I hope to stay on past the holidays. I will be sure to update in a few weeks once I am trained, etc.

In other exciting Disney news….we bid on a resale contract for DVC (Boardwalk) and found out this week that Disney waived their chance to take the contract back so now we get to move on to closing. This is something we have been thinking about for years and more seriously researching since early spring. The contract we bid on is also loaded with points so soon I hope to be planning a late winter/early spring WDW trip and our usual summer trip (and debating if I should take a chance on trying to secure a DVC reservation at the Grand Californian).
So that’s been my REALLY busy Disney week.

Congrats on both the Disney job and passing ROFR at BWV!!!
You've stayed at BW before so you know how great it is to be able to walk to EPCOT and DHS. We love both BWV and BCV for F&W and F&G! Beware though....that dreaded DVC disease of "addonitis" will attack soon! For us, it happened before we made our first DVC trip!

When I originally put together our schedule for this trip I had several options in mind for this morning but I knew which one the girls would want to do. And I was right. You see having stayed at the Boardwalk in 2012 and the Beach Club this past May there were no shortage of sightings of this activity…yup, we were going to attempt the 4 person surrey bikes.

Oh wait. We needed a group shot first.

I see who the smart ones are...the passengers in the back! Those in the front won't know when you stop pedaling!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love that you wore your Bambi skirt to AKL! Such great coordination!

Looks like Olivia and Lucy had fun at AK! That cookie looks good ... I may have to think about picking one up on my next trip (I'm always afraid to try the packaged baked goods for fear that I'll be paying too much for something not that good ... but if you say it's good for drowning your Disney sorrows, I may give it a try!)

 

[khertz]

I'm all caught up again! I got behind on several updates since we were gone for 2 weeks, so I'm kind of lame and don't have anything specific to comment on. But I promise now that I can stay caught up that I will have more relevant comments for you!!!