10/24/2009 Bash On the Boat (I'm with B.O.B.) - Thread #18

[goofyfreak]

Well you're definately right about that one. But its still fun. Its a girl thing. We are programmed to do it.
Must say though Sean and Scott made a lovely pair last year shopping together in Virginia. Lori and i couldn't stop laughing at them when they back with loads of clothes.

They did enjoy themselves, finding all those deals.

 

[njprincess]

This one is for Heather. I could do this as a "where in the world" but I don't think anyone would get it. OK, we'll give it a try, where is this located and what is it made from?:

 

[B9erSteve]

Hello from Orlando! I thought that I'd spend a few postings to tell everyone about our trip so far. I wish that I had pics to share but I forgot our adapter for the computer so I can't transfer the pics yet. Here goes. If I bore anyone feel free to skip my postings. I am wordy!

 

[B9erSteve]

Day One:
Today was Epcot day. We started our day with a trip to the Norwegian Pavilion. Castle Akershus to be exact to have breakfast with the Princesses. Upon entering Leah and Stuart got their picture taken with Belle. Then we were shown our table. Breakfast started and we noted Mulan making her rounds from table to table. The breakfast was about 50% buffet style and 50% served. Buffet consisted of rolls, biscuits, Danishes and croissants. In addition to the breads was a lush layout of various fruits as well as salmon and cheeses. On the table was a potato/cheese mixture yummy scrambled eggs accompanied by bacon and sausage. We all ate ourselves silly! Mulan finally came by the table and she was very interactive with the kids. This was already starting out to be one of the best character breakfasts that I had ever done (I’ve NEVER been happy with a character breakfast at Disneyland). Since it took a while for Mulan to get to us and it appeared that we were nearing the end of our meal, I started to worry. We should have had at least 4 Princesses stop by the table. Only 1 so far! Then suddenly in quick succession, Aurora, Jasmine and Snow White came by and we finished the breakfast feeling that we both got a yummy meal and a fun time. I’ve got some great video of the encounters that I will probably put on you tube.

We spent much of the day in the Future world segment of Epcot, seeing many of the things that we missed on the first trip. The temperature here in Florida this time of year starts out fairly chilly in the morning, warming up nicely in the afternoon (we had to shed all of our coats by 11 a.m.) and cooling off quite a bit once the sun goes down. Here’s a run-down of the wait times of the park right now (for those of my friends online who are interested):
At 9:48am we hit Test Track with a 20 minute stated wait and boarded in just 14 minutes.
Mission Space at 10:28am had a 5 minute wait for both orange and green sections and we didn’t wait nearly that long. However, after we got off the ride the orange section wait time had increased to 20 minutes.
Spaceship Earth at 10:56 am quoted a 30 minute wait time and we were on in 11 minutes.
The Seas with Nemo and friends at 11:39 quoted a 15 minute wait time and we waited 13 minutes.
Living with the Land at 12:44am stated 5 minutes wait and we were onboard in much less time.
Soarin’ at 1:52pm quoted a 60 minute wait and we only waited 34 minutes.
And the last ride of the day was Maelstrom at 3:50 with at 30 minute quoted wait time and we were sailing in 13 minutes.

We also took advantage of the new Kim Possible secret agent adventure in Norway. We were given a cell phone with secret instructions to travel about the land Helping Kim Possible solve a mystery. The Phones were a lot of fun with all of their interactivity and the elements of the surroundings synchronized with the activity of the phone made for a really fun time. My kids LOVED this activity. (7 and 4 years) .

When it was time to call it a day we were all ready to go back to the resort. We had a light meal at the Riverside Mill and then strolled over to the playground on Ol’ Man Island. The kids had a great time while Laura and I enjoyed s’mores by the campfire. We finally got into our room at 7pm exhausted. Well, off to bed to start a new adventure in the Morning!

 

[B9erSteve]

Day Two:
Animal Kingdom day. We started today off very late. I set the alarm clock but it did not go off. And I had forgotten to schedule a wake-up call. As a result we woke at 7:10 when we wanted to be awake at 6:00! After a getting ready as quickly as possible and boarding the bus, we were deposited at Animal Kingdom at 8:25. Park hours today were 9-6 with an extra magic hour in the morning, which meant that we blew half of our head start! As is my custom we made a bee-line for the Kilimanjaro Safari then ran across the park to Expedition: Everest we got a fast pass and then went for the Kali River Rapids. The Safari was great. The kids loved seeing the animals, Stuart really didn’t remember much of this from before so he was pretty happy with it. Leah however did NOT like the river rapids. Even with a poncho, she got a small amount of water on her jeans and was miserable. Leah was too short for Everest and we had to switch pass it. Stuart kept his eyes closed on much of his first ride but for his second ride we was a bit more brave. In Dino-land USA the kids really enjoyed the playground area and found an area where they could dig in sand and uncover mammoth bones. I think they could have spent much of the day there. For Lunch I had planned for the Tusker House in Africa. It turned out to be wildly popular with a very long wait list. Luckily we had reservations and only waited about 10 minutes. Since we made our reservations during a set time for the restaurant we got a pass for preferred seating at the Finding Nemo Musical. The lunch was yummy. It was buffet-style which wasn’t so good for Laura, who wanted to relax. But it was all-you-can-eat which appealed to the kids since they were able to pick what they wanted to eat and they got plenty of it. (Nice not to having to force them to eat.) The only gripe I had here was a waiter who wasn’t very attentive. It took a long time for us to get our drinks (I was almost finished eating!) and while he did refill, he needed to be prompted. But what really got me was after I told him that we were finished eating it took him a full 25 minutes from request to signing the bill. Now, I’ve never been a waiter before but I figure that if I were, I’d want to turn over a table as quickly as possible to maximize my tip income. So if a patron told me that he was ready to leave, I would facilitate his exit in due haste! Needless to say, I wasn’t overly generous in the tip category. So now we needed to hurry along to make the show. But we happened upon a small hidden area where Winnie, Eeyore and Tigger were hanging out. We were one of the first in line for this treat and once word got around a very long line ensued. Even with the short line, we waited a bit because the Characters were very good at spending time with each child. It was really pretty cool. When we reached the show were just in time. Because of the tickets we scored at Tusker house we had great seats waiting for us w/o any line to stand in. The show was primo! After this Laura wanted to get some more pics of the kids so we headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey, where Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy were waiting. This was probably one of the greatest Character Meets that we have ever done. Including the Disney Cruise. There was never a long line for any of the Characters. And again each Character took time with each child. Still we were in and out in record time for having met 4 characters. By this time our day in the Animal Kingdom was done and it was time to board a nearly empty bus back to the resort. Had a great meal at the Riverside Mill again and then relaxed at the campfire again while the kids played in the playground. We ended the day with plenty of time to get a good nights sleep. Here’s the stats for the day.

So far the Disney Dining Plan has saved me $41.66 on the food that we have purchased.

Wait Times:
Kilimanjaro Safari at 8:50 showed a wait time of 10 minutes and we actually waited 6 minutes.
Kali River Rapids opened at 10:00 and we arrived there at 10:07 and walked on.
Expedition: Everest at 10:31 had a wait time listed of 25 minutes. We had gotten a fast pass (first one of the trip) and walked on at 10:40.
Dinosaur at 11:43 showed a wait time of 30 minutes and actually took us 19 minutes to begin our ride.
Primeval Whirl at 4:03pm showed a wait time of 35 minutes (due to technical difficulties) and we got in line anyway and only waited 13 minutes.

We haven’t dined in the Riverside Mill yet for breakfast but its usually pretty sparse when we are there. I’ve asked about the rumored closures in other buildings but those I asked either did not know or will not say. The Ol’ Man Island Pool seems to be getting some major attention. I’ve been told that the pool is being resurfaced and I see that in places they have actually removed large areas of the gunite. In addition to the pool the slide is also be refinished. I was told that they were even working on it’s structural integrity. I’ll try to post some pics. If there’s been any cutbacks at all in WDW I have to say that I’d be hard pressed to come up with a way that it has affected our vacation.

 

[B9erSteve]

Day 3:
Rest Day! We slept in today. Then got up to eat at Boatwright’s which is the Table Service dining establishment. They are closing this for breakfast later this month, so I wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. I have to say, I’m not sure why they are closing for breakfast. From what I saw the restaurant was empty with only a few families dining. Yet when we asked for a table we were made to wait! Lack of employees? Not from where I stood. Were we one of the few families looking to dine there? Nope. Quite a few checked in behind us and continued to do so once we were seated. I have to say that the closure must have some other reason than the economy. After breakfast we planned to go to Downtown Disney where I spent a small fortune on souvenirs. Our pin collection grew nicely though. Laura and I went to a DVC presentation. Unfortunately, It took about two hours of our time and really dented my plans for the day. But we got a lot more information on the vacation club and we think that should we invest in it we will have our eyes wide open. I tell you, they sure make it inviting to buy now rather than later. I almost jumped at it, but I really want to buy when I have money in hand rather than borrowing it. Enough about that, after DVC we ate at Earl of Sandwich which had very yummy sandwiches. And boarded a boat for a ride back to our resort.

We passed the tree houses that are being rebuilt. They look almost completed. We were told that they will be DVC properties when completed. We got our swimsuits and headed back to swim at Port Orleans: French Quarter. Here’s my appraisal of the PO:FQ Pool was great, the kids loved the slide. The property is beautiful much nicer than I expected. The food court was small and I didn’t prefer many of the choices. Although they had a better pizza selection than Riverside which only offers cheese and pepperoni. The employees at the food court were sluggish and did not exude a very Disneyesque atmosphere. The gift shop was also small and uninspired. We decided to walk back to Riverside rather than taking the boat and it was a great walk and beautiful in the moonlight. I wish that I could bottle the essence of that walk and take it home to share with everyone. But nothing I could do would really relate how nice it was. Pictures would be drab, video would be boring, and my pitiful words would be less than adequate. Suffice to say it was one of those moments that needs to be experienced and savored for it is gone too fast.

 

[Dyerneeds]

hey steve!!! great to hear from you guys!!!.

 

[B9erSteve]

That's it, I'm for now. I'll post more when I get a chance.

 

[B9erSteve]

Hey Mike! Nice to see you online too! I'm catching up on things online tonight.

 

[Dyerneeds]

just so everyone knows... theres no truth to the rumor that steve has made suggestions to disney on how to upgrade the osbornes family christmas lights.


but he could

 

[B9erSteve]

I told Laura that working for disney's Christmas lights was a dream job for me. she was dubious.

 

[captchris]

Day One:
Today was Epcot day. We started our day with a trip to the Norwegian Pavilion. Castle Akershus to be exact to have breakfast with the Princesses. Upon entering Leah and Stuart got their picture taken with Belle. Then we were shown our table. Breakfast started and we noted Mulan making her rounds from table to table. The breakfast was about 50% buffet style and 50% served. Buffet consisted of rolls, biscuits, Danishes and croissants. In addition to the breads was a lush layout of various fruits as well as salmon and cheeses. On the table was a potato/cheese mixture yummy scrambled eggs accompanied by bacon and sausage. We all ate ourselves silly! Mulan finally came by the table and she was very interactive with the kids. This was already starting out to be one of the best character breakfasts that I had ever done (I’ve NEVER been happy with a character breakfast at Disneyland). Since it took a while for Mulan to get to us and it appeared that we were nearing the end of our meal, I started to worry. We should have had at least 4 Princesses stop by the table. Only 1 so far! Then suddenly in quick succession, Aurora, Jasmine and Snow White came by and we finished the breakfast feeling that we both got a yummy meal and a fun time. I’ve got some great video of the encounters that I will probably put on you tube.

On our last trip to WDW we had chosen this breakfast, and believe it or not we got it free!

There was a power failure at the Askershus Restaurant, so we were directed to Electric Umbrella and told to order whatever we wanted that it was complimentary. When we were done eating, we were told to walk to Askershus where the Princesses would greet us. They had a walkway roped off and we were able to greet each princess individually. It was a nice private meet and greet and free to boot!

 

[Dyerneeds]

kali river rapids.
one year, robin, cassie and i rode it 11 times straight. it wasnt crowded so they just let us stay on. robin and cassie kept getting soaked, but i somehow managed to stay mostly dry. robin even made me change seats a few times, but we still spun and they got soaked and i didnt.
she kept saying "we're riding this thing till you get wet!!!!"
good times

 

[Cheryl N. WI]

Fellow BoBer's I need some input. Nancy and I are considering changing from cable tv to the Dish Network. If anybody out there has Dish how do you like it?

DAN

Dan, we changed from cable TV to the Dish Network about 2 years ago. We have been happy with that decision In fact we just signed a new contract with them for another 18 months over the weekend, we lowered our monthly rate and got an upgraded HD DVR If you have any specific questions I'll try and answer them or better yet ask my DH Al who is the TV expert in the family.

 

[captchris]

kali river rapids.
one year, robin, cassie and i rode it 11 times straight. it wasnt crowded so they just let us stay on. robin and cassie kept getting soaked, but i somehow managed to stay mostly dry. robin even made me change seats a few times, but we still spun and they got soaked and i didnt.
she kept saying "we're riding this thing till you get wet!!!!"
good times

The last time we rode it, I stayed dry and Elaine got soaked. You may remember that there is a kiosk right outside the exit that sells, shorts, t shirts and even underwear. Elaine needed it all. I think it cost me about $60 for her "replacement" clothes.

 

[Dyerneeds]

I told Laura that working for disney's Christmas lights was a dream job for me. she was dubious.

i'll bet.
the kids wouldnt mind though eh??

how was the free flight?
is flying better when its free??

 

[Dyerneeds]

The last time we rode it, I stayed dry and Elaine got soaked. You may remember that there is a kiosk right outside the exit that sells, shorts, t shirts and even underwear. Elaine needed it all. I think it cost me about $60 for her "replacement" clothes.

as i recall, we brought a change of clothes, just in case.
but i didnt need them.

 

[Dyerneeds]

hey heather... wheres becky hiding?? lurking?

 

[Cheryl N. WI]

Did you know, of the 36 cruise yet to sail before ours, only 9 will be going on the Traditional Eastern Cruise? The other Easterns will stop in either St. Croix or Tortola.

If we didn't get messed up with August, our cruise would have been going to St. Croix (the second Eastern in a month was tending to go to the "special" destination, but because there were 3 Easterns in August, the first cruise each month starting in Sept goes to the "special" islands).

One of the doctors at work just got back from an Eastern with a stop in St. Croix. She said it was very nice. She also said the Magic was not very full and the servers were really trying to make a good impression so you'd rebook. She said they were offering all kinds of incentives for rebooking and "referrals", it really seemed to her like Disney is hurting financially.

 

[njprincess]

Just updated my trip report with the Wildlife Discovery Tour.