10 days of fun in the sun!

[Iamthequeen]

Started the day fairly early since we needed to meet the cm who was going to take us to Saratoga Springs for the DVC presentation at about 9:00. We headed over to the food court for morning coffee/tea and a cinnamon bun for C and a blueberry muffin for me. We went to the DVC presentation, listened to the sales pitch, asked questions, saw the sample suites (which are still very nice!) and decided to think things over before we made a commitment to buy. We received 2 $15 gift cards for coming. The driver then took us to our park o' the day - EPCOT!!!!

After getting the PP pictures that we missed on Friday, we headed over to Test Track to pick up fastpasses



Then we decided to ride Soarin' again. Only a 30 minute wait, so it was good!
Rode Living with the Land again. I think this one is Charlie's favorite. I do see something new every time I ride it, though.

Then it was time to ride Test Track. We had not had a chance to ride it since it was revamped. I think the "design" phase is a complete waste of time. Very lame. I love this ride. I don't care for roller coasters very much, but I do like fast rides. It made C nauseous though. We headed over to the World Showcase and I was starving! I wanted to eat at the outdoor Mexico quick service, but C was still not feeling well, so we went on to Norway and got sandwiches and sat outside to eat them. We had a very leisurely lunch, which was fine with me. C had a Norwegian club sandwich and I had a ham and apple sandwich. Very yummy!





Dessert!



After lunch, we took our time wandering around the world showcase, visiting the countries, seeing shows and riding rides. We ended up in England just before it was time for our dinner reservation at the Rose and Crown. We met this lovely lady there -



Sorry this picture is blurry, but the other one I have cut off the top of Mary Poppins' head.

We had dinner at the Rose and Crown. Our reservation was for 7:50 so I was hoping to get an outside table so we could watch Illuminations while we were there. We only waited about 5 minutes before we were escorted to our outdoor table. Great view, except for the umbrellas on the tables below us. But not to worry, they close them before Illuminations start. Both of us had the Cottage Pie (ground beef, mashed potatoes and carrots in a pie crust - sort of like a pot pie). We also both had a Strongbow Cider. We hardly had room for dessert, but C got the Jaffa Tarts and I had the Sticky Toffee Pudding. The fireworks were good too.

The weather was sunny and warm, but not too humid. We had an afternoon shower.




Monday we meet the Beast!

 

[DMGeurts]

It looks like you had a marvelous day at Epcot. What a bummer about Charlie feeling sick - did he ever feel better?

Those sandwiches look amazing! I dont' think I will ever get to eat all the food I want to try in Disney. LOL

So, did you decide on DVC? I looked into it in depth last year - and at this point in our lives, it doesn't make good financial sense to us - but some day, I hope it does.

I hope you are doing well! And I still love that skort you made!

D~

 

[Chicago Mo]

LOVE THE UPDATE!!!
Hope Charlie felt better??? i fell on love with your ear's/ hat combo and of COURSE I LOVE LOVE LOVE your shirts!!!!

Yummy FOOD! i can ride star tours over and over again too.. LOVE that.

which do you like better the cowboy or the gangster?

 

[DMGeurts]

Just went back to read the day I missed! First off - love your outfits! PErfect for DHS... But most of all - LOVE your bag!!!! Did you ever show pics of that one in your PTR? I don't remember seeing it. I bet everyone loved it! Your ears were adorable too!!!!

Looks like yoou had a fantastic DHS day! And how awesome you were able to do the Cowboy AND the Gangster - in one day! WHOOT!

D~

 

[mamamary]

Following along.

My dog always stays at Country Comfort Kennels too - lol.

 

[Iamthequeen]

It looks like you had a marvelous day at Epcot. What a bummer about Charlie feeling sick - did he ever feel better?

Those sandwiches look amazing! I dont' think I will ever get to eat all the food I want to try in Disney. LOL

So, did you decide on DVC? I looked into it in depth last year - and at this point in our lives, it doesn't make good financial sense to us - but some day, I hope it does.

I hope you are doing well! And I still love that skort you made!

D~

Charlie did feel better - we took it really easy the rest of the day. Those sandwiches in Norway are TDF! You should plan to eat there one day for lunch - or dinner - they are huge.

Still debating about DVC - weighing the pros (saving money) and cons (our ages ). I think we are leaning towards buying, but it would be a resale if we do it. We can get more points for the same amount of money we would have paid to Disney. We are considering AKL because of the amount of time left on the contracts and the price is more in our range.

LOVE THE UPDATE!!!
Hope Charlie felt better??? i fell on love with your ear's/ hat combo and of COURSE I LOVE LOVE LOVE your shirts!!!!

Yummy FOOD! i can ride star tours over and over again too.. LOVE that.

which do you like better the cowboy or the gangster?

I think I like the cowboy better, but we saw the gangster more.

Just went back to read the day I missed! First off - love your outfits! PErfect for DHS... But most of all - LOVE your bag!!!! Did you ever show pics of that one in your PTR? I don't remember seeing it. I bet everyone loved it! Your ears were adorable too!!!!

Looks like yoou had a fantastic DHS day! And how awesome you were able to do the Cowboy AND the Gangster - in one day! WHOOT!

D~

Following along.

My dog always stays at Country Comfort Kennels too - lol.

Welcome mamamary! We've been using CCK for many years now. I'm always sure my babies are getting the best care possible while they are at camp.

We got some bad news today. It seems that Kat is still having major issues with her colon and the doctors have decided it needs to come out. Don't know yet when surgery will be scheduled, but I'm thinking it will be soon. Please keep her in your prayers.

 

[Iamthequeen]

Well, today was the day! We were going to have dinner at....

Oh, wait, I'll get to that, but lets start at the beginning....

Woke up, got our breakfast, coffee, tea, C had a cinnamon bun, and I had a pineapple turnover - it was YUMMY!!!! I think on the receipt it was called a pina colada turnover, but the label on the shelf said it was a pineapple turnover.

We showered, dressed and headed to the MK. Arrived about 10:30 am.



We headed over to Frontierland and rode the BTMRR, one of our favorite rides. Wait time was about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, Charlie did not fare well on the ride. I guess we are going to have look into getting him some anti-nausea medicine before our next trip. We rode POTC next, then the Haunted Mansion and saw Philharmagic.

Then we headed over to Tomorrowland and saw the Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor. We were on camera! Yay!

Then we rode the People Mover and then the Carousel of Progress. The CMs had to stop the presentation twice to tell some yahoo that flash pictures were not allowed. Some people.......

Charlie wanted hamburgers again, so we headed back over to Frontierland. On the way we checked out the line for BOG QS, but it was really long, so Pecos Bills it was.

Then we saw the Country Bears Jamboree, rode POTC and HM again, saw the Hall of Presidents show.

Then we decided to head over to Main Street and get some chocolate covered strawberries.

Soon it was time for dinner, so we headed up to Fantasyland to have dinner in the Beast's castle.







We ate in the main ballroom -





Charlie and I debated between the steak, which I have heard is good, and the shrimp and scallop dish. Our server, Margie, recommended the shrimp and scallops, so that is what we both had.



Because we were celebrating my birthday, Margie brought out the "Grey stuff" and a birthday card.



Then we toured the rest of the castle - the rose room and the other dining room (forget what it was called). Then we met our host -





After dinner, we found a spot near the Christmas shop in Liberty Square to watch the Electrical Parade. There was a young couple with 3 kids who came and stood behind us. One of the kids was asleep in the stroller, but I told the mom to let the other 2 stand in front of us so they could see. We weren't up front, but everyone in front of us was sitting, so they had a good view of the parade.

After the parade we headed back home. When we got there, this is what we found -



All in all, a good day.

 

[Chicago Mo]

ohhh too much to comment on!!!

I LOVE the Beast shirt!!!! the first picture of you guys is my favorite so far!!! the pictures are awesome. you captured some things i have never seen before! and the details!
how did you like the grey stuff.. and what was under your fish? looked like bread?!?!

 

[Iamthequeen]

ohhh too much to comment on!!!

I LOVE the Beast shirt!!!! the first picture of you guys is my favorite so far!!! the pictures are awesome. you captured some things i have never seen before! and the details!
how did you like the grey stuff.. and what was under your fish? looked like bread?!?!

Thanks Mo! The shrimp and scallops were in a puff pastry. It was very good! We will definitely try to do BOG again next trip.

D~ you asked about my bag and I had to go back to double check which one it was -



I added a Mike and Sulley applique to the other side, but I don't have a picture handy.

Also for Mo - you asked me what a Sunfish sailboat was - here is a picture of the ones we took to the shore. The CBR has two also that they rent to sail around the lake. We did not get a chance to do that this trip because the one day when we could have, there was almost no breeze.



That is my oldest dd Kate and her BF Chris.

 

[Chicago Mo]

love love love

 

[DMGeurts]

I really like your bag Tess! You did a great job with it!

D~

 

[Iamthequeen]

I really like your bag Tess! You did a great job with it!

D~

Thanks D~! I promise to take a picture of the applique this weekend and post it. I will also take a picture of the hipster bag I made to go with the pirate costume.

 

[Iamthequeen]

We've been on the go since last Thursday - visiting parks every single day. Today is scheduled to be a Hollywood Studios day, but honestly, there isn't much that we haven't already done there - that we can do.

So we decided to go to the pool instead.

The last two times that we've been to WDW, we stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter and loved it. I like the small size of the resort, the theming of the resort and rooms, the walk to Riverside and the boat access. Charlie, however, had been doing a lot of youtube watching and decided we should try a different resort. He chose Caribbean Beach Resort. I was a bit apprehensive because, honestly, the first year we came on our own I made dinner reservations at different resorts - not knowing much about such things.

We thought the overall size of the other resorts was a bit overwhelming. But, I'm game for new things, so I made the reservations. We were lucky and got free dining and saved about $1,000 on our package, so we upgraded to a preferred room. The only other request I made was for a corner room - there is so much more light in the room, it seems larger.

So, we did get a corner room in Martinique, building 25, which is the closest to Centertowne.







The resort itself is beautiful. If you've never stayed here, you should take a trip over and see for yourself.





Sunfish sailboats for rent -



The pool is pirate themed and does not appear to be as large as the pool at POFQ, though I could be mistaken about that.

There are 2 slides and yes, I went down both!







It is a zero entry pool, which is very nice. The kids pool was fabulous. There is a huge bucket that fills with water and then tips over and splashes kids on the slide and those in the pool. You can see it in the picture above.

So, we spent the morning and early afternoon relaxing by the pool. We had lunch from the food court. Cheeseburgers again!

We had dinner reservations at 5:15, so we got showered and dressed and headed to:



50s Prime Time Diner. The food was good - Charlie got the meatloaf and I had the fried chicken - way too much food, especially since we had milkshakes with dinner.



After dinner, we went to - what else? The Great Movie Ride!

We went on the backstage tour and saw the Muppet show again. Then it was time to go to Fantasmic!

We did not wait in line long, and had pretty good seats for the show.

After the show, we went back home. We had an early morning date!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Love THE BOO shirt and mike!!! the muppets are my favorite show. i watched them everyday at 4:00.. EVERYDAY! i don't have a favorite muppet. i love them all so so much a huge part of my childhood!!! Another reason for my Walter photo craze!!

always need a day off glad you got a much needed rest day!

 

[Iamthequeen]

Love THE BOO shirt and mike!!! the muppets are my favorite show. i watched them everyday at 4:00.. EVERYDAY! i don't have a favorite muppet. i love them all so so much a huge part of my childhood!!! Another reason for my Walter photo craze!!

always need a day off glad you got a much needed rest day!

Thanks Mo. I love Boo - she is one of my favorite characters. I used to watch the Muppets every Sunday evening. Charlie and I went to see the last Muppet movie when it came out and I'm sure we will go see the new one.

 

[Iamthequeen]

Love THE BOO shirt and mike!!! the muppets are my favorite show. i watched them everyday at 4:00.. EVERYDAY! i don't have a favorite muppet. i love them all so so much a huge part of my childhood!!! Another reason for my Walter photo craze!!

always need a day off glad you got a much needed rest day!

Here is the applique from my Monsters bag -



And this is the hipster bag I made from the pattern from dogundermydesk. I love this pattern! I added the Pirate Mickey applique because this bag went with my pirate costume. Its made of the same fabric as my vest.

 

[Iamthequeen]

We set the alarm to wake us at 6:00 am. I wanted to be at the bus stop by 7:00 because we had breakfast reservations at Tusker House. This would be our first breakfast meal and our first character meal. It won't be our last!

We made it to the bus stop by 7:05 and waited, and waited, and waited for a bus to Animal Kingdom. Finally it arrived and we boarded. Made the circuit around CBR and no one else was headed our way - we had a bus all to ourselves!

Made it to Animal Kingdom with time to spare, but I was not sure how long the bus would take.



We met up with Donald for picture taking



And as we were eating, the other characters made their way back to our corner -











After a delicious breakfast, we headed to the Safari - no wait at all!

Lots of animals to see!



The giraffes were right next to the road



The babies were so cute!







After the safari we walked along the Trail and saw lots of birds and other animals!





I tried several times to get a picture of these little guys.

 

[Iamthequeen]

After walking the trail and stopping for a drink, we headed to Asia.



We were headed to ride the Kali River Rapids. We had a short wait in line and then we were off - to get wet!

After the rapids we went to see the Flights of Wonder show -



Here's my RAVEN!!!





We saw these guys playing





We walked the other trail - sorry I don' remember their names, but we saw this guy up close and personal



I love the architecture and the details that Disney puts into making everything seem authentic.







Then we headed over to see the Finding Nemo show - it was awesome!

Then we saw Its a Bug's Life show. Lunchtime! We had ribs from the Flametree bbq.

By now it was about 3:30 and I was tired, so we headed back to the resort to relax before our evening entertainment.

 

[DMGeurts]

First off - I LOVE the bags you made! They turned out fantastic!

And I love the shirts you did for AK - those are great as well.

It looks like you had a great breakfast at Tusker House and and great AK day so far.

D~

 

[Chicago Mo]

amazing!!! I love everything! EVERYTHING!!!
the pictures are great the bags are awesome!!! i love the Donald tee shirts too!!! i haven't seen the tiger up and around.. that's fantastic!!!!
you two are just adorable!!!!