3 WDW Trips in 6 months: August, October and December Reports *Completed*

[meeko_33785]

Hi Meeko!

Great updates and photos! The 1 of the 2 headed doll was very creepy - can you imaging getting that as a present at Christmas??!!

The Kim Possible missions sound really good fun, and a great way to really check out the different pavilions, which is why WDW started them I suppose.

Shame about the rain, but hopefully it gets better and you get to see SW!

Di x

Hey Di!

I'm pretty sure the doll is one that you turn the head to reveal different facial expressions, but it appears to be stuck between two different expressions and showing two faces. It is extremyl creey-looking though. You'd think somebody at Disney would fix it, or perhaps they just have it like that as a weird joke.

The Kim Possible missions certainly do their job. We had so much fin discovering the hidden details and secret effects around World Showcase. It was perfect for us!

I won't say whether or not the weather improves in time for Snow White to ever come out, but I will say you'll find out very soon.

 

[meeko_33785]

We reach China and the rain was finally starting to clear. Not long after arriving in the pavilion, we catch our first glimpse of blue sky since it started raining during lunch! True it was only a little bit of blue where the clouds were starting to part, but it was a fantastic sight to see. It was finally looking like we would get that beautiful sky from earlier in the morning back!

At first, we all looked around the pavilion at bit, checking out the little gallery next to the Circlevision movie, looking though the gift shops, and taking pictures.

We weren’t really interested in doing the movie here, but I did go in the waiting area inside the Temple. Mulan was one of the characters I was hoping to see this trip since I hadn’t over the past few years, and I had heard that the waiting area was often used as a rain location for her. She wasn’t in there, but there was a musician in there playing so I stopped and listened for a bit.

Outside, I spotted Mulan coming out for meet-and-greets. When the characters start to come outside again, it’s a good sign that the weather has finally cleared. Since she had just come out, there was only a few people in line, so it wasn’t a very long wait.

The last few times that I had met Mulan, her location was closer to the movie and gallery, but this time around she had a spot closer to the water right out in the open more like the locations in France and Morocco.

By now, the sky was really starting to clear. It was a lovely day again!

Walking back towards the pavilion, I found Dad sitting on a bench (of course), and he said that we should do the Kim Possible mission for China. It was at this point I really realized just how big of a hit Kim Possible was. Buzz or I don’t even have to ask Mom or Dad if they were interested in doing another mission anymore- they were asking us! We got everyone together and started on our mission to foil the plot of the villainous Monkey Fist. It turned out to be another fun mission with some really cool little surprises. With China saved and the skies cleared, we tried to figure out what to do next. From our earlier priority list, we still had the Sounds Like Summer Concert in America and the Snow White meet-and-greet in Germany, so we headed that direction.

Looking over towards Spaceship Earth, the skies were starting to clear in Future World too.


When we got to Germany, Snow White was out again, but she was about to leave and would be back in 20 minutes. Buzz wasn’t interested in Snow White and really didn’t want to wait around, so the rest of the family went on their way to Mexico while I stayed put in Germany.

Waiting around in Germany was a great excuse to get some photos around the pavilion. It’s been at least two years since I’ve seen blue skies in Germany!

Der Teddybar was one of my favorite shops as a kid. Back then, they sold these little plastic figures of Disney characters- including more obscure characters that most shops in Disney World didn’t sell- and I would get one almost every time I was in EPCOT for a about 5 years. They haven’t sold them there for years, but I always find myself checking just to make sure, not that I’d really want to buy any at this point, but it’s more out of curiosity than anything.

It was getting closer to the time when Snow White was scheduled to return, so I started to head in that direction. On the way, I noticed the bridge between the Outpost and China which means that the Illuminations barges were about to come out, so I stuck around to watch and get some pictures.

It must take a while for the all the barges to come out. When Buzz, Mom and Dad were on their way to Mexico, the bridge was already getting blocked off in preparation to go up. They ended up getting stuck on Outpost side of the bridge and had to wait for all the barges to come through and the bridge to be lowered before they finally got to Mexico.

The two EPCOT globes.

Before Snow White came out, I managed to get one more shot of the Wishing Well, this time with a bit more sun on it.

Snow White finally came out. I think the photos show how nice of a location it is for her now with the addition of the well. This first shot of her at the well has to be another of my favorite character photos of the trip.

After saying good-bye to Snow White, I headed back towards Mexico to catch up with the rest of the family.



Next chapter: Sounds Like Summer

 

[meeko_33785]

Yes, it’s true. We’ve finally reached the single digit mark! We’ve also already done online-check in. It’s hard to believe we’re almost ready to go! Why do I have the feeling that the last days before the trip are going to feel very slow.


A little while ago, Buzz and I went to the Disney Store (one of the few left around here) and got some Disney Dollars. We never make a big deal about birthday presents for each other, so in lieu of getting any presents, we decided to just get some Disney Dollars for each other to use at Magic Kingdom. It turns out we managed to get to the Disney Store just in time because the CM who checked us out told us that they would stop exchanging Disney Dollars. Not sure if it was just that store or nation-wide, but she made it sound like that they would be exclusive to the parks soon. In all our years of going to WDW we’ve never used Disney Dollars before, so this should be an interesting first. And to make it even better, the Dollars are birthday themed! How fitting is that?


I finally got around to watching the Tinker Bell movie recently in preparation of seeing the Fairies at Pixie Hollow. I thought it was ok, not great. It obviously wasn’t something that was meant for someone like me, but I guess young girls would really enjoy it. I have to say that Tink seems really different in this movie than she does in Peter Pan. She barely feels like the same character. Also, the voice of Rosetta is one of my favorite actresses/ singers Kristin Chenoweth, and it was cool to hear her as a Disney animated character. All in all, I'd say that it was ok for a direct-to-DVD film, but it didn't interest me enough to really watch the next one that's coming out.


Well, I guess that’s about it for now. I’ve only got two more chapters of Day Three left to finish for my August Report. I was really hoping to get the whole report done before the next trip, but it looks like that’s not going to happen. I’ll try to get Day Three done before I leave and just finish up Day 4 and some trip reflections for August after I get back.

 

[meeko_33785]

When I make it to Mexico, I find Buzz, Mom and Dad looking around in the marketplace. All together again, we head over to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour Staring the Three Caballeros. There wasn’t much of a line so we had no wait and had a boat all to ourselves. We’ve always enjoyed the boat ride in Mexico, but Buzz in particular I think has become an even bigger fan of it since they added in the Caballeros. He’s really into the classic Disney cartoons and their humor, so it’s a big hit for him. It’s a fun little ride.

It was getting close to Showtime for the Sounds Like Summer Concert in America, so we looked around the pavilion a little more before heading that way. There was a bit of construction going on since they were still working on the new tequila bar, but they had already moved the jewlry shop that use to be in the bar’s new location to where the interactive stations, Create-A-Email-Postcard booths and Kidcot table were. It’s kind of shame; we always thought that was a cute little area.

We were hoping to be able to do the Mexico Kim Possible Mission, but the only options it was giving us now were the United Kingdom, Germany (again) or France (again). We weren’t sure if we would have time for any other missions, but decided in case we do and wanted to try the United Kingdom one, we’d keep a hold of the Kimmunicator just in case.

No one else seemed particularly interested in Norway, so I told the rest of the family that I wanted to get a few quick pictures around the pavilion and I’d catch up.

While in Norway, I double-checked with the CMs at the Kim Possible station if we decided not to do any more missions today, if we had to drop the Kimmunicator off in China (where or last mission was) or if we could drop it in any country. According to them, could drop if off in any country or Kim Possible station. Good to know!

I had almost caught up with the rest of the family when I noticed how beautiful Italy looked with that blue sky behind it and paused for a picture.

In America, met up and headed to the American Gardens Theater for the Sounds Like Summer Concert. They’ve been doing this concert series for a few years now, but we’ve never seen any of bands. Usually it’s some cover band that none of us are into. This time around though, the band was Petty Theft, a tribute to Tom Petty, who Mom and Dad like.

I will admit, I’m not that familiar with Tom Petty. I did recognize a few of his songs that they played though- “Free Fallin’”, “Breakdown”, and “I Won’t Back Down” among others. I think I walked into the concert with no idea who Tom Petty was and left realizing that I did but just not in name. The band did a really great job covering the songs. The crowd was enjoying it.

If anybody out there is a fan of Tom Petty, do you think the lead singer is a good look-alike?

After the concert, we decided that we were done with Kim Possible missions for today and that we would head to Morocco to get some dinner. Since Morocco didn’t have a drop box for Kimmunicators, I suggested that we stop in Japan and drop it there. Now, the drop boxes are designed to be extremely inconspicuous and blend in with the rest of the pavilion, which can make them very hard to find if you don’t have Wade giving you directions. We looked all over the place trying to find it until Mom got the idea to ask a CM where it is. Turns out the CMs get that question all the time and knew exactly where it was. I think we must have walked past it a few times and not realized it; it was that hidden. With the Kimmunicator safely deposited into its secret drop box, we ended our day as secret agents and continued on our journey.

In Morocco, we decided to look around a little bit before dinner. The gallery in the pavilion was closed last year and was now open again with a whole new exhibit. It was pretty interesting.

A display featuring a costume worn in a traditional “Equestrian Extravaganza” known as a Fantasia.

More traditional clothing.

Outside, MoRockin’ was playing, so I paused to listen and get a few photos of the band.

Next chapter: The last evening on the trip.

 

[meeko_33785]

Hey. I really hate to do posts like this, but my last three updates haven't gotten any response and I just wanted to make sure that people were still interested. I still have the October and December reports to do, but didn't want to go through all the trouble if nobody was reading or enjoying the report. Just wanted to check. Thanks.

 

[meeko_33785]

We continued to spend a little more time exploring Morocco before dinner. I did notice Aladdin and Jasmine near the water, but decided to pass on them for this trip. It felt like I’d already stood in enough lines for characters today.

I can’t believe how many years went by before I noticed this castle on top of Restaurant Marrakesh. I must have walked past it dozens of times without looking up and seeing it.

A psudo-artistic shot of the Camel and one last look at those gorgeous blue skies the day (well, the non-rainy parts anyway) before the sun goes down.

Finally, we make it to the Tangierine Café. We weren’t as hungry as the day before (the food at Chefs de France was more filling in the long run than Yak 7 Yeti), so we just got a couple of meals to split. Buzz and I split a chicken wrap and I think Mom and Dad shared one of the platters. We really enjoyed our meals. This had to be one of the best counter service restaurants in EPCOT, which is saying something since they’ve got some good ones at that park!

Here’s a glimpse inside the restaurant. It was really pleasant. We had a window seat and could hear Mo-Rockin still playing outside while we ate. At the end, Buzz and I had some baklava for dessert. Normally, if we do dessert at EPCOT we always go to the Patisserie in France, but when we eat in Morocco, I can make an exception. Their baklava is quite good too.

By this point in the evening, we still had not done O Canada, which had been a main priority for the day, so we headed that direction. Of course, we couldn’t make it past France without taking a few pictures.

With France behind us, we made our way to Canada, stopping briefly to watch some of Off Kilter. We were a little surprised to see that no one was playing the bagpipes! I thought that was part of their Schick. Did they change that recently?

We made our way through the pavilion…

…and finally reached out destination- O Canada. We had meant to see it last summer when we were at EPCOT, but never made it. This was our first time seeing it in a long time (I’m pretty sure it had been 12 years for us) and our first time seeing it since it was re-Imagineered and hosted by Martin Short. It really turned out to be a pretty fun little movie. You do have to stand through it, unlike Impressions de France, but I think we all enjoyed it. After the movie, Mom and Dad decided to head back to Riverside and Buzz and I headed back to Future World and The Seas.

Since we had missed Turtle Talk when we were there earlier in the day, so we wanted to be sure to make it there to see the last performance of the day. When we got there, there was nobody else in the waiting area. We waited around for a little while but nobody was seeming to be showing up! Buzz and I started to kind of worry that no one else would and it would just be us talking to Crush, which would be a little awkward I think. To pass the time waiting, we both took the sea life quizzes at the interactive stations. I ended up getting a 3 out of 5 on the Marlin level (not great, but not bad). They’re supposed to email you a diploma with your score, but I never got it. No big deal. As time went on, people eventually did show up and it ended up being a full house.

The show was a lot of fun. Crush was really great at interacting with the kids and the parents. It’s such a fun little show and I’m glad we got to see it.

After the show, the park was getting ready to close and the pavilion was clearing out. We took advantage of the much lower crowds than were there that morning and got some pictures in the Shark room which was extremely busy earlier in the day.

When we exited The Seas, it was already 9pm and Illuminations was starting. I was a little disappointed they don’t play the Illuminations music in Future World like they do in World Showcase. We could still see the fireworks, but instead of its usual soundtrack, it was accompanied by the usual Future World area background loop. As the fireworks lit up the sky, we headed back to the bus stop before they became too crowded and after a while we were heading back to Riverside.


When we got back to the resort, we cut through the main lobby / restaurant area to get back to our room in Acadian House. The piano player at the River Roost was performing, which I don’t think we’d ever seen before. Before the trip, I saw that he would be playing that night and was thinking it might be fun to see his little show. Well, when we came in, he had the whole lounge raucously singing, of all things, the Oscar Mayer bologna jingle (“My bologna was a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R...”). Somehow, it wasn’t the jazzy, New Orleans piano club I was picturing in my head. We just kept going on our way to the room. Everyone in the lounge seemed to be having a great time, but it just didn’t seem like my thing. Back in Acadian House, we hung out with Mom and Dad a little before returning to our room to get some sleep before our last day.



With this, I’ll be taking a little break from the “Days of Discovery” August report while I finish the last preparations for our October trip. After we get back, I have a few updates for Day Four of the August trip, featuring our last morning at Riverside and our trip to the French Quarter, and will them be starting the October report.

 

[Lady Lallie]

I'm here! I'm here!! I've been super busy and have been trying to catch up on my TRs/PTRs. Sorry!

Snow White in front of the wishing well is just so pretty! She was a really good Snow White but I think the wishing well is just a neat idea for her greeting area.

I think I must try a Kim Possible mission. I've kinda felt iffy about them but the more I read about them the more fun they sound.

I the artsy Camel picture you took. Really neat!

I believe it's nationwide for the no more Disney Dollars in the stores. I think it's really sad. They did tell me that you could call a certain phone number to order them but I never got it. Oh well. I always loved the Disney Dollars.

I hope you have a wonderful trip if I don't get back over here before you leave!

 

[meeko_33785]

I'm here! I'm here!! I've been super busy and have been trying to catch up on my TRs/PTRs. Sorry!

Snow White in front of the wishing well is just so pretty! She was a really good Snow White but I think the wishing well is just a neat idea for her greeting area.

I think I must try a Kim Possible mission. I've kinda felt iffy about them but the more I read about them the more fun they sound.

I the artsy Camel picture you took. Really neat!

I believe it's nationwide for the no more Disney Dollars in the stores. I think it's really sad. They did tell me that you could call a certain phone number to order them but I never got it. Oh well. I always loved the Disney Dollars.

I hope you have a wonderful trip if I don't get back over here before you leave!

Hey LL! Thanks for responding. I'm glad to know that you're still here. I was beginning to think that everyone had just lost lnterest with the report (which, unfortunatly, happens sometimes ).

The Wishing Well was such a great addition. I've heard that they're gong to be adding more new props like this to some of ther other World Showcase character locations as well. Apparently Donald's location in Mexico is next. I hope it's as cool as the Well.

I bet you'll have a blast with the KP missions. After the first couple of missions, all of us were hooked and before we left the park we were already all trying to figure out what missions we want to do next time.

Thanks for the compliment about the Camel pic. I'm never quite sure how these more artsy ones will turn out and actually took a ton of pictures of that camel before deciding on that one. Glad you liked it.

Thanks for the info about the Disney Dollars. I thought that was what she meant, but I couldn't tell. Glad we got there before the stopped!

Thanks for the well wishes for the trip. See you when I get back (if not before since I'll be checking out your PTR before then).

 

[wdwgirl03]

Those drop-off boxes for the Kimmunicators are kind of hard to find!

Now that you mention the thing about getting your "diploma" emailed to you after doing the quizzes before Turtle Talk, I don't think I ever got one either. Oh well.

Can't wait to hear about your October trip!

 

[meeko_33785]

Those drop-off boxes for the Kimmunicators are kind of hard to find!

Now that you mention the thing about getting your "diploma" emailed to you after doing the quizzes before Turtle Talk, I don't think I ever got one either. Oh well.

Can't wait to hear about your October trip!

Hi Sarah!

The drop-off boxes really are! I'm sure it would have taken a long time to find that one in Japan if we hadn't asked.

Weird about the diplomas. I wonder if anyone's ever gotten one.

 

[meeko_33785]

Well, it’s almost time to start Buzz and my birthday trip. We only have a few things left to do right now. Can’t believe the trip is almost here! We’re down to a lot of the last minute things left before leaving (packing, printing out entertainment schedules, getting the car ready, etc.), so now looks like a good time to wrap up the October Pre-Trip. Here are a few last updates before I sign off for now.


The weather had been beautiful here in Florida for the last few days. We’ve had highs in the 70s and 80s which had been cooler than it’s been in a while! Everyone’s breaking out their jackets and winter clothes. It’s supposed to be getting warmer again as the days go on, but hopefully it won’t be too warm that it will feel like summer again.


Even though we’ve got a little while left to go before my birthday, I’ve received my first birthday gift of the year already- a new camera! It’s another Cannon Powershot, but it’s supposedly got twice as many mega pixels so I assume the quality of the photos should be better from now on. Buzz and I went to Busch Gardens recently, and I tried it out a bit to try and get the hang of it before going to Disney. I think I’m starting to get use to some of the new features and settings. Here’s a few shots from the day, including some shots of the park’s Halloween decorations, to show some of my progress with it before the trip:

Well, that's about it for now. When I get back, I'll be finishing up the August report and starting on October. Thanks for reading so far and see you when I get back.

 

[Lady Lallie]

Those are some great pictures! I have a Canon Powershot and it's the best.

I hope you have fabulous weather for your trip!

Enjoy your Birthday in Disney!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi Meeko!

Not been DISing for ages - the kids were off school for the October break so I had no free time!

Enjoyed the updates! The Tom Petty tribute band sound good! It's funny how you don't think you know a band, but then you realise you 'know' loads of their songs! We found that when we got a Rolling Stones greatest hits and Squeeze greatest hits - it was like "they wrote that song?!"

As for the certificates - they do send them out - my kids got theirs last year, maybe it's just pot luck though!

Happy Birthday when it comes!! Hope you had a great time! Can't wait to read all about it and see the photos with the new camera!

Di x

 

[meeko_33785]

Those are some great pictures! I have a Canon Powershot and it's the best.

I hope you have fabulous weather for your trip!

Enjoy your Birthday in Disney!

Thanks LL. For point-and-shoots, the Powershots really are good.

Thanks for the well wishes. See you when I get back.

Hi Meeko!

Not been DISing for ages - the kids were off school for the October break so I had no free time!

Enjoyed the updates! The Tom Petty tribute band sound good! It's funny how you don't think you know a band, but then you realise you 'know' loads of their songs! We found that when we got a Rolling Stones greatest hits and Squeeze greatest hits - it was like "they wrote that song?!"

As for the certificates - they do send them out - my kids got theirs last year, maybe it's just pot luck though!

Happy Birthday when it comes!! Hope you had a great time! Can't wait to read all about it and see the photos with the new camera!

Di x

Hey Di. Glad to know that you're still around. I didn't know schools had October breaks. Here in Florida, we don't even get any national holidays off anymore in October. Sounds nice for the kids.

The Nemo diploma plot thickens. I wonder why some get it and some don't. Oh, well. Im sure your kids got a much bigger kick out of it than I would have gotten if I'd recieved mine. Maybe they only send out the ones done on the kids level?

Thanks for the well wishes from you too. Looking forward to being able to share the report with you.

 

[meeko_33785]

Hey everyone! I’m back from Trip #2. Buzz and I had a great birthday and I’m looking forward to sharing photos and stories from the trip. The report won’t start right away because I want to finish out Day Four of the August trip before starting this one, but I’ve added a few images from the trip into Post #1 along with the name I picked the upcoming October report- fittingly “Happy Birthday”- and a new description of what we ended up doing which differs only slightly from the itinerary I posted in the Pre-Trip.


Before going back to write about August though, I wanted to give a sneak peek of one of the new characters I met this trip:

It’s Terence the dust keeper from Pixie Hollow. He’s just started meet-and-greets in the last few days and everyone in Pixie Hollow was really excited about him joining the line-up. Since he’s brand-new to the parks, I thought he might be of interest to some of you out there. I’ll have more about Terence and the rest of the trip once I get the August trip done (hopefully in the next week or so).

 

[wdwgirl03]

Ooooh that is so cool you got to meet Terrence! I had no idea they were going to be having him there too. Great addition. (I'm so excited for the new fairy movie, lol!)

 

[Lady Lallie]

Welcome Back!!

What a cool picture of Terence! I can't wait to hear all about it.

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi Meeko!

Welcome back - glad you and Buzz had a great time! Sounds like a fun trip, can't wait to hear all about it. Terrence looks good - hope to see him and the fairies next year....how long did you have to queue?

As for the Nemo certificates - maybe they do just send them out for the kids level. Saying that, Ben reminded me the other day I still haven't printed theirs out yet! Our printer is out of ink, and as my DH says "printer ink is more expensive than rocket fuel!" Spoken like a true Scot

Di x

 

[meeko_33785]

Ooooh that is so cool you got to meet Terrence! I had no idea they were going to be having him there too. Great addition. (I'm so excited for the new fairy movie, lol!)

Hi. I had heard that he was coming to Pixie Hollow very soon, but I'd heard conflicting reports on whether he would be a regular or would only be for occasional appearences before the next movie came out. He was pretty cool. Of course, I'll be talking more about him once I finally get to writing about Pixie Hollow in full.

Welcome Back!!

What a cool picture of Terence! I can't wait to hear all about it.

Thanks LL. I might be starting the October report as early as next week, so hopefully your wait won't be too long. Until then, I have two last August chapters to finish up that are filled with photos of Port Orleans French Quarter. I'm guessing you'll enjoy those too.

Hi Meeko!

Welcome back - glad you and Buzz had a great time! Sounds like a fun trip, can't wait to hear all about it. Terrence looks good - hope to see him and the fairies next year....how long did you have to queue?

As for the Nemo certificates - maybe they do just send them out for the kids level. Saying that, Ben reminded me the other day I still haven't printed theirs out yet! Our printer is out of ink, and as my DH says "printer ink is more expensive than rocket fuel!" Spoken like a true Scot

Di x

Hey Di. Thank you, and we certainly did have a fantastic birthday. As far as the queue, let's just say it was the longest one of the day, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

at the rocket fuel comment.

 

[meeko_33785]

Alright, back to August! When we last left off, we had just finished our third and last full day of the trip. Now, let’s start it back up again with Day Four of “Days of Discovery” and the last morning of the trip.



After receiving our last wake-up call of the trip, the whole family begins to get ready for one last morning. This morning, we would be doing what we normally do on the last morning of any stay at either Riverside or French Quarter- head over to have beignets at the Floatworks food court in the French Quarter. Before breakfast, we all made sure we had everything packed and ready to go so we could leave as soon as we got back. After that, it was on to the French Quarter.

To get to French Quarter, we decided to walk the Carriage Path that connects the two resorts. I guess we could have taken the bus or drove there (the boats weren’t running yet), but then we’d miss out on all the scenery along the way! Between the room and French Quarter, we stopped at each of the other Magnolia Bend mansions for a few and to look around a little. First was Magnolia Terrace.

Across the river, we catch a glimpse of the lobby and marina area. You can really tell the boats aren’t running yet- look how smooth the water is!

Another of Magnolia Bend’s mansions- Parterre Place.

Once we’d passed the last mansion, we started getting glimpses of the French Quarter across the river. We had made it.

On the way to breakfast, we made a stop at one of our old favorite spots in the French Quarter. The spitting frog fountain.

A glimpse of one of the green spaces at the resort.

Once we turned onto Rue D’Bega (if you don’t get the pun of that name, try saying it out loud and you might), we knew that breakfast wasn’t too far away. Good thing too since we were all feeling pretty hungry.

The theming of the Sassagoula Floatworks food court is really a lot of fun with all the Mardi Gras-esque props and floats are all hanging from the ceiling.

On top of the usual beignets, we got some other breakfast food as well to help hold us over while we were traveling. Buzz and I both ended up getting Mickey waffles. Can’t remember exactly what Mom and Dad got anymore. I think Mom had an omelet Dad either got an omelet of the French toast platter (I’m so bad at remembering what everyone ordered, I never think to write those sorts of things down).

Of course the highlight of the meal were these- the much talked-about beignets. And yes, they were good- nice, warm and fresh. They’re not exactly as good as the ones you’ll find in New Orleans, but they’re pretty close. The four of us found a table outside and enjoyed our breakfast as the sounds of jazz filled the air on a beautiful morning. A very pleasant last breakfast for the trip.

After breakfast, we spent some time looking around the resort before heading back to Riverside one last time. First, I headed back into the food court to get a few more shots of some of the hanging props.

Another attempted “artsy” shot. I don’t think this one was very successful though.

Next chapter: The end of the trip