) and so shall hopefully post some photos soon!
. The one time we ate at a crowded place, the California Grill, the food wasn't great and the server was so rude she had me in tears. Never will go back there again.. DS is in both cross-country and track at high school, and taking college-prep courses, so we can only go when the schools are off. We sometimes have a long weekend in November, as the schools in our county are closed for the annual elections and a teacher's workday, but that is very rushed, although the crowds are lower. Spring Break gives us more time, but it very crowded. Then we have to stay on site both places. WDW gives us EMH, and Universal gives us FOTL, and an early entry into Harry Potter. Once DS goes off to college, I hope to take longer trips; he may have more time off with college than he does with high school if he wants to come with us. He probably will if his friend comes at the same time with her mom (her mom and I are friends, so it works great when we travel - he is with his best friend, and I have my friend and my DH!).
! It just hasn't worked out time-wise! We have been there twice though, enjoyed it both times.Burns Night 2013
I just had to share the Hidden Mickey I made out of Haggis! (My dad later squashed it with a spoon... or was it a fork...?!)
Coming up... more WDW planning and ideas!
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They don't seem to listen to how awesome it will be! 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ougrad86
Good to hear. I think LTT would be good for us because it sounds so patriotic. My family loves a good beef stew! That is what I thought, TTS looks rather cold looking. I am considering booking there and your good experience makes me more keen to try it.
We were going to try Crystal Palace our last trip, but then the EMH for the park moved up - we weren't going to waste EMH eating, so we cancelled our ADR.
We have the same plan this time, but hopefully EMH won't get moved up for us! We like CP for breakfast, but it isn't one of our real favourites.
We love funnel cake and waffles so I am keen to try Shady Hollow. Are they included as a snack credit? We don't really get them here so love to indulge in them in WDW.
That is so cool that your DH is half Norwegian! How'd he find it? The food to us tasted very fresh, and a lot more like the buffets we had here. We will definitely try it again- it was our first restaurant at WDW.
I sure don't like spicy food either! But my dad is the total opposite of your DH, he loves spicy food! Not sure if he'd like Marrakesh though.
Biergarten was fun, we went there once. But we lived in Germany for two years, and I don't think the food was very good compared to what we were accustomed to over there. It was OK though. If you like to meet people and get good table companions it is interesting, and the show is fun.
Ah, so it was not too authentic? That puts me off alone. I'd like to get an authentic meal, but the meeting people part sounds such fun and is what made me want to go.
Coral Reef was a wonderful place to eat. We were right next to the aquarium and it was great fun! None of us like seafood, I had chicken, DS had mac and cheese the first time and some sort of chicken the second time. They also have steak, so there is plenty to choose from. Would feel odd eating fish in front of them!
So you liked it? Many people don't! My mum loves seafood but the rest of us don't. If there are other options then it'll be a better choice for us!
You totally should stay for a longer time! It is lovely and relaxing. WDW has so many recreational activities to take advantage of! We hope to rent a boat and explore the lakes. Also, Chip n' Dale's Campfire at FW sounds fun (and free which always pleases my dad!). Good to hear good things about the WWoHP- would you say that it is worth it even for non Harry Potter fans? Wisconsin sounds pretty cold! It is horrible like that here, and so, so rainy. Really gets to me sometime.
I guess Minecraft pleases all ages! It gets annoying hearing of 'creepers' and 'Steve' the whole time. I have actually heard of DisneyQuest, but not really looked into it. It totally sounds like Willum's cup of tea, thanks so much for letting me know! I think we'd all enjoy a bit of time in DisneyQuest from how you describe it! My dad and brothers hate shopping, so they can go off to DisneyQuest whilst my mum and I go off shopping in DTD! I never got a chance to look round all of the shops last trip. You should plan an extra long trip for when your DS comes in college break- I feel bad for Americans who just visit for 4-7 days. That isn't long at all! You surely cannot see everything! (Whilst I am envious of you guys being closer to WDW too!)
Thanks for all the advice! It has been so helpful! I am off to research DisneyQuest now! We have a 14 day ticket that covers everything- DisneyQuest luckily is included so it sounds like it is worth a visit for sure!
With TTS, I don't know if we were lucky or what. I had read horrible reviews, but wanted to see Lady and the Tramp, and DS loves pasta, so it was a nice place to cool off in mid-afternoon and have a late lunch. Its food may have been better since we were the only ones in the place, so they weren't rushed. I had forgotten, we went this past November as well, I was there with DS and our friends. That was good too. I have tasted really good Italian food though, this was more basic.
CP doesn't have a good breakfast? The main reason we wanted to go there was just to get into the park before it opens, and get some good clear pictures in front of the castle. MK was open around 7 am every spring break, so we didn't get a chance since I don't think they start serving that early!
With Shady Hollow, I would assume the funnel cake is a snack credit. I have never used the dining plan (we usually take the discount on the hotel since we don't always eat the way we would need to so as to use the DDP in full).
DH liked the kaltbord, and he said the food was good (not as good as his Norwegian raised grandmother though!). I liked the kaltbord as well; I wasn't feeling very good that day, I probably would have enjoyed it more if I felt better.
With Biergarten, I think part of the problem might be not all foods are available in the US, or very expensive to import. In fact, some items like Black Forest ham is not able to be imported to the US because of some food laws, and that was one of my favorite foods while I was over there. The sausages also left something to be desired. I know many who work there are from that country, but they can only work with what they get. It may be a similar thing at Rose & Crown that you noticed when you ate there. But the atmosphere is the other fun part of it, and that I enjoyed.
I was put off by the bad reviews for Coral Reef, but I really wanted to see that aquarium. We took the first opening of the day, figured that would be good for us to get up front. It was a four person table, there were only three of us. My DS fell hard for the Mac 'n Cheese, which was one of the reasons we went back, but they did not have it any more. Sat one row back our second time, with our friends and they liked it too. I was surprised the food was good, based on what I had heard.
Maybe we are lucky because we tend to eat early and late, avoiding crowds and grumpy servers
We all want to stay longer, we just don't have the time
Regarding Harry Potter, if you have not read the books or seen the movies, some of the attractions you would not understand. But it is a pretty village, and the Forbidden Journey is an exciting ride, even if you might not understand what you are seeing. They have two roller coasters, but that is it for the rides. The food wasn't that great there, although they do have a sweet shop! My friend is not a fan, but she had seen and heard enough that she understood some of it, and she had fun. FJ was our favorite ride, we rode it once at early entry and then hit the single rider line to ride again for a few days! Not sure if a single rider line is doable with your little brother, although DS and our friends rode in one car and DH and I were together in the second. But not sure how often that happens.
DS is not playing Minecraft at the moment, something about migrating servers but says he will get on afterwards. I would like to go back to DQ and do CyberMountain, I loved building my own coaster
Which one is the haggis? I have often wondered about it, but the ingredients and cooking style have me a little off
Carol
... high to say the least! We couldn't afford to go then sadly anyway...) Sounds fun- you should definitely go with your DS's friend and his mum! Holidays often seem to be more fun when you go with friends. 
Rory is keen to go to Disney Quest though, and after reading your post we looked up Cyber Mountain- Rory wants to go very badly now to say the least! I love your PTR!!! Can't wait to see more as you get closer to your dates
The Kennedy Space Centre
Welcome back! Recently I discovered that there will be a rocket launch at Kennedy Space Centre whilst we are in Orlando. My dad and Willum now very much would like to visit the KSC on that day which happens to be the 11th November- whilst we are staying onsite. Although we are missing a Disney day, we do think it will be a wonderful experience.
Photographs taken from the internet
We hope to be able to see the rocket launch. It is going to be the SpaceX Falcon rocket which looks pretty impressive!
And hopefully afterwards we will have an opportunity to pop by the beach!
All this is happening on...
I would love to hear personal experiences on KSC and of course, any must do's nearby!
). It was incredible, and an amazing experience. I know we had the a tour of the complex that was arranged for us, but we haven't been back since - I'm sure much has changed.That would be awesome. Haven't been back in years, but was invited for a shuttle launch in 1985 (last successful launch of Challenger
Cocoa Beach is nearby, I wanted to visit that when I was young because my favorite show ("I Dream of Jeannie") had some location shots there. It might have a public beach.
The money was needed elsewhere, I suppose. Our lawnmower broke, as did our jetsprayer, my mum needed glasses and we woke up one day to find the glass shower door completely shattered! We also had to pay a man to make our garden fence higher to stop my lovely dog Oscar from jumping over into our neighbours' gardens! (And the wood wasn't cheap either!) Things are just SO expensive now! 
Hello!
I haven't been counting it accurately recently, but I should have around £800 (approx $1200?) saved up. My plans haven't... well... quite gone to plan!
Anyways... I can't wait to count the money up soon. We called and upgraded to the Deluxe DDP anyway, and so I am happy!
That is so cool that someone else is going at the same time as us! We move over to Disney on the 5th. Where are you staying? A Disney resort, I presume?
Now I have to persuade my parents to book MNSSHP and MVMCP. They aren't sure they're worth it. But a trip to Madame Tussauds and a meal out would cost about the same as one of those parties, and I know where I'd rather be! Are you going to MVMCP? I can't wait to see the Osbourne Lights too!
. I had to surrender my savings, sell almost my entire Sylvanian Families collection and borrow money from my dad to get a new one!. We wanted to but couldn't but that's a very long story..
Hello!
I haven't been counting it accurately recently, but I should have around £800 (approx $1200?) saved up. My plans haven't... well... quite gone to plan!
Anyways... I can't wait to count the money up soon. We called and upgraded to the Deluxe DDP anyway, and so I am happy!
That is so cool that someone else is going at the same time as us! We move over to Disney on the 5th. Where are you staying? A Disney resort, I presume?
Now I have to persuade my parents to book MNSSHP and MVMCP. They aren't sure they're worth it. But a trip to Madame Tussauds and a meal out would cost about the same as one of those parties, and I know where I'd rather be! Are you going to MVMCP? I can't wait to see the Osbourne Lights too!
! Here you on the money woes. We always try to have as much saved so we can pay off our credit card bill within a statement or two. Love the trip, hate the bill following you around for a couple of months
! was awesome, you can enter the park at 4 with that hard ticket, so if you don't go to a park that day you can save one day admission...not a bad idea, it is hard to keep going until 12 midnight after a full day, next time I go I am going to make it a wake-up-late, laze around the resort day 
so that I am full of energy. They have a lot of characters you don't normally see, and we got a couple of PhotoPass pictures with ghost included! But the rides, especially outside of Fantasyland are practically walk-on, we spent a lot of time over on BTMRR, which at night is awesome! The 7 Dwarfs are there, and the villains, and the parade is one of the best I have seen at WDW! Hallowishes is great! Someday, will go back and also do MVMCP as well some day - I have heard something about snow falling and hot chocolate! 
!I feel your pain about savings not going to plan. I had a HUGE chunk saved towards the end of last year but then my car died
That's so great you've upgraded to the Deluxe plan. I'm glad your dad came around to your way of thinking
We're staying at Port Orleans Riverside. It's our first time staying onsite so we're really excited.
We're going to MVMCP on the 14th November. I really wish we'd timed our trip like you have so we could have gone to a Halloween Party too.
Good luck with your ADRs! You must post and let us know how you got on. Today was our ADR day and I was soooooo excited I couldn't sleep last night
Sorry all that happened! And ouch! Cars are so expensive! Hope you don't have to pay anything else out for a broken car! So glad you got to upgrade
I have been to MNSSHP a couple of times, the dates for MVMCP haven't worked out, but it sounds great! MNSSHP
Just keep in mind that only a few places are open to eat, so be sure to eat before you go, or make an ADR for late afternoon in MK, maybe around 5 so you will be ready to go when the party officially starts. The party does not actually start until 7, but the crowds start thinning as they get the word that the park closes at 7. If they aren't at the party, they can't see the parade or fireworks, only party goers can stay past 7. So the park is not as crowded, which is why the rides are so easy. But there are shows, dance parties, special characters and Trick or Treating - basically they fill your bag full of candy (you can bring a special big bag, not the little bag they give you). Then you are set for candy for the rest of the trip
Are the lines for meeting the characters long? That might put off my family, but I would really like to do it. I mean, what is the point of paying for a ticket and not making use of everything?! 
