*1/3 New Trip Report* Pole Dancing and Food Porn

[praisehisname]

Yay for Morgan doing BTMRR!!! And the pictures of Lily are great! You can tell she was loving it!

 

[All7OfUs]

The one photo that stuck out to me was that one on the caroussel!! Did you notice the Nazi guy behind your DH?? Seriously?? WHAT is that guy doing??!!

 

[lmillercrew]

LOVE Lily's facials on BTMRR! That is classic! I'm not a big fan of Tom Sawyer Island either. Although it has been a while since I've been over there, so maybe I better revisit it next time.

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I think the best part of Tom Sawyer's Island is hunting for the paint brushes!

 

[GusT]

I just found your trip report and only had time to read the first page at work! I hope I can fit it all in before I leave in 5 days!!

 

[shannn]

Oh my!! You had me laughing out loud describing Morgan's hesitancy in riding BTMRR!! Lily sounds a lot like Ally!! Ally LOVED BTMRR!! What fun!!

Lily is such an adventure girl, and her brother is definitely NOT!! He wasn't going to let her show him up though, and he ended up loving it too!

WOW what a great update!! I have to agree with you I always head to PP first because the line there....just ridiculous...seriously 50 minutes..LOL!!!

Loved that Morgan went on BTMRR and that both of them loved the ride that is FANTASTIC...your pictures are awesome!!!!

PP amazes me! I can't believe how long that line gets and how quickly it gets long!! It's one I could easily skip too. I'm so interested to see how the new Fantasyland changes everything.

I love the pictures on the wildest wide in the wilderness!! The picture of you and Morgan on the train And Lily's expressions are just priceless! She looks so thrilled!!
I also like the pics of the mountain from the Tom Sawyer perspective!

Tracy

It was cool to see everything from TS Island. I love those pictures of Lily. I was thinking of framing the series for her room!!

Morgan sounds so much like Baylor. He was really afraid to ride BTMRR for the longest time.
Until we got him on it....
Now it's riding over and over....

Morgan got really scared when he went on BTMRR in 06, so it was fun to convince him to change his mind this time!

I was soooo behind. Such great updates and fabulous pics. I appreciate all you do as a teacher. My older DD started K this year and each time I volunteer I thank the teacher. I taught preschool but all those 5 year olds I am going to check out that Ebay seller.

I taught preschool for a while too. I can't imagine going back to it. I love the older kids~ the little ones just need too much all the time attention for me.

Hey! What a great morning it must have been! I can't wait to hear about CRT! My guys love the "wildest ride in the wilderness"!!! But it did take my DS4 a little while to remember that he did! Seems the kids loved it! Photos are fantastic!

Thanks! It was a great morning. I love it when we can slow down and don't have to rush to get on things. I'm getting to CRT although we did have a certain Cap'n to go see first!

sometimes you just have to give them that nudge on to the ride, you know they are gonna love it ,it is the not knowing that scares them the most,my kids were like that for HM, and TOT. now they love those rides!

Morgan definitely takes nudges, although I'd need more than nudges to be convinced to ride TOT! It scares the bejeezus out of me!

The one photo that stuck out to me was that one on the caroussel!! Did you notice the Nazi guy behind your DH?? Seriously?? WHAT is that guy doing??!!

I hadn't even noticed him! Too funny

LOVE Lily's facials on BTMRR! That is classic! I'm not a big fan of Tom Sawyer Island either. Although it has been a while since I've been over there, so maybe I better revisit it next time.

Sam loves exploring over there, and he's passed that love on to Morgan. (I'm hoping that I don't have to go there on my December trip!)

I think the best part of Tom Sawyer's Island is hunting for the paint brushes!

We've never gone early enough that we've even tried. I think the kids would love it, though; maybe I should suggest it next time.

I just found your trip report and only had time to read the first page at work! I hope I can fit it all in before I leave in 5 days!!

welcome: I'm afraid I'm a little long winded! 5 Days?? How awesome! I've got 21 days left and I can't wait!! What part of TN are you from?

 

[shannn]

What a great series of pictures on BTMRR!! Perfect!! I have no love for Tom Sawyer Island either... think maybe it's a guy thing.

LOVE the picture of you holding hands with the kids.


All in all looks like a pretty great morning in the MK!!

[SIZE="4"[COLOR="DarkGreen"]]I think it might be a guy thing. He loves the fort!!

It was a great morning. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

Yay for Morgan doing BTMRR!!! And the pictures of Lily are great! You can tell she was loving it!

I was soooo glad that Morgan ended up loving BTMRR. It would have been bad if I had talked him into doing it, and then he hadn't like it!

 

[GusT]

I am north of Memphis. We won't actually get to Mickey until Dec. 6, but the vaca starts on the 4th! We will spend one night in Memphis with the in-laws to drop the dog off, then one night in Nashville before we fly out. We are closer to Memphis but it is soooo much cheaper to fly out of Nashville.

 

[ladybugmom]

I am north of Memphis. We won't actually get to Mickey until Dec. 6, but the vaca starts on the 4th! We will spend one night in Memphis with the in-laws to drop the dog off, then one night in Nashville before we fly out. We are closer to Memphis but it is soooo much cheaper to fly out of Nashville.

I live in Memphis (Arlington to be exact)! Where are you? You are sooo right about it being expensive to fly out of Memphis!! Thankfully we'll have enough miles to cover our tickets for our next trip!!

 

[shannn]

After taking on the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness, I decided I needed to get my pirate captain fix, so we rounded the corner for Pirates of the Caribbean. I've always loved this ride (LOVE that dog!) but ever since they added ol' Captain Jack Sparrow, I have to go and see his adorable leer. Although I have to admit that I like my Johnny Dep a wee more coiffed, I still love the man no matter how he looks! The kids, of course, wanted to buy everything in the gift shop, but we managed to redirect them and get out of their with our wallets intact.


We had a little more time before our ADR with Cindy, so we grabbed FPs for Jungle Cruise and headed over to the Tiki Room. It's a goofy little show, but the kids loved it and we were able to get in and out rather quickly.

.

On our way out of the Tiki Room, Lily got ahead of us because we were waiting on Grammie to ride out her ECV. We panicked when we realized she wasn't with us and Sam & I both split up. Sam went towards Country Bear & I went toward Jungle Cruise. Luckily, Lily had listened when we told her to find someone with a name tag and found a CM. She was crying, but she did do what we had told her to do. I soon found her, and my heart beat started to return to normal. Her sweet little teary face was ashen as she kept saying, "I lost you Mommy!"

We decided to hold on to our Jungle Cruise FPs and head over to "Cindy's house" for lunch.

Next: CRT

 

[mom2meiko]

i'm so glad you had thought to talk to lily about what to do if she got separated! thank god she listened and you were able to find her so quickly! not much scarier in the world, is there???

 

[shannn]

Our ADR time at CRT was 12:00. When we got to the castle, the line to check in was backed up to the BBB door, so we waited quite a while to get in. We finally saw Cindy at 12:25. I really do hate this line. It's so cold, with the handlers asking for your autograph book and people being hustled in there to get pictures taken. I just wish it was a little more of a character meet and less of a photo op, I guess.

Sam's pictures:

When we first sat down they brought us the Chef's Tasting Plate.

This had grapes and cheese (very kid friendly and appreciated!), mixed salad, asparagus, artichokes, salami, and bruschetta with tomatoes. It was a good light start to lunch.

Sam and I both had the major domo's pie. "Major Domo's Favorite Pie - shredded beef simmered in rich cabernet sauce, served with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables, crowning a light pastry"

This was good but not outstanding. I really liked the zucchini in it, but Sam said it really needed more potatoes.

Grammie had the salmon. "Pan-Seared Salmon - Saffron crab risotto, grilled asparagus and lemon beurre blanc"

She said that this was delicious, although she wished there was more dressing.

Granmouse had a chicken with field green salad. I can't find it on the online menus, except as this appetizer choice. "Castle Salad - mixed field greens with blue cheese, raspberries and candied walnuts tossed in a berry vinaigrette." It was that plus the chicken.

She really enjoyed this. She said the flavors mixed well together, even the blue cheese which she isn't really fond of.

Lily had chicken nuggets, soup, and green beans.

Morgan had a hot dog and green beans.

The kids had ice cream sundaes for dessert and we all had the chocolate cream cheese buckle. They also brought me a birthday cupcake.

The desserts were okay, nothing special again. Last time we were at Disney CRT was our favorite restaurant. This time, we just weren't that impressed. I don't know if that was because we went to a lot better places this time, or if they have just gone downhill. We probably won't make this a must-return next time. I'd like to try another MK restaurant instead.

Of course, there were also princesses to meet.

(What is up with the princess Auroras? This one looks stoned!)

and wishes to be made!

Even the character interaction here seemed like an assembly line. I know that it probably is everywhere, but we didn't feel like it was at Akershus (or at Chef Mickey's which is coming soon). There was hardly any interaction at all beyond a quick smile and a photo op.

I don't know. We probably wouldn't recommend CRT this time. The food just wasn't that great, and the whole experience did not feel magical. I wonder if dinner is better since you might not be as rushed? The kids loved it, of course, but I'm thinking next time we'll save our credits and just meet the princesses at Akershus!

Coming up next: a few more MK stops, an Adventureland treat, some shopping, and a wet afternoon!

 

[creativeamanda]

So, I came over here from TK's trip report, because I could not resist the title. Then, you started talking about Columbia and South of the Border (I live near Lumberton, NC, and go to church in Dillon, SC, so I know No-Mexico well), and you are a teacher (I so would have taken the TE back to school myself). I was hooked. Love the Clemson shirt on your dh. Too bad about this weekend. We actually have a "house divided", lol, dh being from Columbia and me from Saluda.

Love the pictures of the kids from BBB. LeCellier is also one of dh's favorites.

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I'm with you one the CRT opinion. We probably won't go again until Harper is older. Eating in the castle is a must but not for a while...
You must have been out of your mind with panic when Lily came up missing.
Glad she listened to you!
Glad you found her quickly...
Another great update Shannon, can't wait to read more!

 

[All7OfUs]

I think all the character meals must have on and off days. I would have described our Akershus experience the same way as you did you CRT. Assembly line, a good description.

Ah well, live and learn. Sad they are doing a mill-style time- I would have been disappoined too.

Poor little thing, getting lost like that!! So happy she knew what to do, and wasn't lost for too long! How traumatizing, for sure!

 

[ladybugmom]

I also agree with you on CRT. Breakfast seemed really rushed as well. But we LOVED Akershus!!

 

[praisehisname]

My kids are 15, 13, and 11 and I still tell them what to do if we get split up! Good job, Lily, for remembering what to do even though she was probably panicking.

 

[wyodisney]

Poor Lily! I am sure she was scared to death. I am glad you found her right away.

 

[kent285]

[/COLOR]

Even before I read your comment, I thought pretty much the same thing!

 

[shannn]

So, I came over here from TK's trip report, because I could not resist the title. Then, you started talking about Columbia and South of the Border (I live near Lumberton, NC, and go to church in Dillon, SC, so I know No-Mexico well), and you are a teacher (I so would have taken the TE back to school myself). I was hooked. Love the Clemson shirt on your dh. Too bad about this weekend. We actually have a "house divided", lol, dh being from Columbia and me from Saluda.

Love the pictures of the kids from BBB. LeCellier is also one of dh's favorites.

I'm actually from Columbia (well Lexington) too; and the rest of my family went to USC (aunts, uncles, etc). We're the only Clemson fans in the family.

Funny about LeCellier. I was talking to Sam about ADRS for our next trip (yes, I know it's more than a year away...) and he said that he'd be happy with LeCellier every night! I did like it, but not quite as much he did, obviously!!

I'm with you one the CRT opinion. We probably won't go again until Harper is older. Eating in the castle is a must but not for a while...
You must have been out of your mind with panic when Lily came up missing.
Glad she listened to you!
Glad you found her quickly...
Another great update Shannon, can't wait to read more!

I think we're done with the castle for a while. It just wasn't that magical of an experience this time.

I had that momentary rush of panic when I realized Lily was missing. Luckily she wasn't gone for that long, and the look on her teary face when she saw me just about broke my heart! I wish I had a picture, but needless to say we weren't really thinking photography at that moment!

I think all the character meals must have on and off days. I would have described our Akershus experience the same way as you did you CRT. Assembly line, a good description.

Ah well, live and learn. Sad they are doing a mill-style time- I would have been disappoined too.

Poor little thing, getting lost like that!! So happy she knew what to do, and wasn't lost for too long! How traumatizing, for sure!

CRT was still okay, it just wasn't quite as magical for us this time. Maybe you're right about off days, because we really loved Akershus. Perhaps it was just because CRT was amazingly busy!

She was definitely a bit traumatized! She kept asking about it. "Mama, remember when I got lost at the Tiki Room? But you found me, right, Mama?"

I also agree with you on CRT. Breakfast seemed really rushed as well. But we LOVED Akershus!!

Akershus will probably be a must do for us next time!

My kids are 15, 13, and 11 and I still tell them what to do if we get split up! Good job, Lily, for remembering what to do even though she was probably panicking.

She did do a good job! I was proud of her.

Poor Lily! I am sure she was scared to death. I am glad you found her right away.

Thanks. It was a scary couple of moments.

Even before I read your comment, I thought pretty much the same thing!

I have seen some scary Auroras. Seems like it wouldn't be so hard to find a pretty young blonde??