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[jenbear123]

It looks like WDW was sunny, despite your soggy start. I want to read the Jobs biography, but I have too many things I need to read right now. The IT hassle seems like a real pain in the you know what.

Cool thumbs up picture! Your hair grows fast. It looks great like that.

Tell me about it. Sometimes I don't know what to do with it. I was hoping to get it cut soon but everyone says it looks good I hear ya on the reading dilemma. I'm in the middle of reading the Steve jobs book but now I want to start reading another souvenir I got from the trip, which I'll share a little later.

 

[marvali]

By this point, Bubba had started texting me. As soon as the tires had hit the tarmac I had told her I'd landed. She wasn't there yet since I had landed early. So I waited just outside baggage claim side A. I had never had anyone come pick me up before so I was a little apprehensive as to where I was supposed to stand. But I was in the right spot because no sooner did Bubba arrive!

What do you mean not there yet? How does Bubba ever expect to become a part of the Marvical Express with such shoddy performance???

I'm guessing you headed to the Magic Kingdom! Although you may have wanted to head off to AK to relive that wonderful moment when you first met Marv and his clan! I'm guessing not DHS since a late arrival probably means no TSMM FPs are left. Oh wait, maybe Bubba has some magical CM "go to the front of the line" card????

 

[redlight]

Are you reading the Jobs book on your iPad? I have quite a few on mine that I have yet to read. Still, they are cheaper and take up less space that way.

My hair grows fast too. I've been letting it grow, with infrequent trims, and now it's really really long (about at the waist).

 

[redlight]

What do you mean not there yet? How does Bubba ever expect to become a part of the Marvical Express with such shoddy performance???

I'm guessing you headed to the Magic Kingdom! Although you may have wanted to head off to AK to relive that wonderful moment when you first met Marv and his clan! I'm guessing not DHS since a late arrival probably means no TSMM FPs are left. Oh wait, maybe Bubba has some magical CM "go to the front of the line" card????

I bet Bubba has a magic card!

 

[jenbear123]

What do you mean not there yet? How does Bubba ever expect to become a part of the Marvical Express with such shoddy performance???

I'm guessing you headed to the Magic Kingdom! Although you may have wanted to head off to AK to relive that wonderful moment when you first met Marv and his clan! I'm guessing not DHS since a late arrival probably means no TSMM FPs are left. Oh wait, maybe Bubba has some magical CM "go to the front of the line" card????

Bubba definitely did not get the stamp of Marvical Express. You mean, that moment that I would regret for the rest---I mean yes of course I wanted to relive that moment...... No, bubba didn't have a magical CM pass, although that would be awesome!

 

[jenbear123]

Are you reading the Jobs book on your iPad? I have quite a few on mine that I have yet to read. Still, they are cheaper and take up less space that way.

My hair grows fast too. I've been letting it grow, with infrequent trims, and now it's really really long (about at the waist).

Yup! I read mainly on my iPad now. So much more portable and you can carry so many more books with you. Wow! Hair to your waist? That's amazing! Must be a chore to maintain. I can hardly stand mine at the length it is.

 

[redlight]

Yup! I read mainly on my iPad now. So much more portable and you can carry so many more books with you. Wow! Hair to your waist? That's amazing! Must be a chore to maintain. I can hardly stand mine at the length it is.

It's not that bad to maintain. In some ways, it's easier than shoulder length, and it's pretty much wash and wear. For running, I either put it up or just put in a ponytail, and then put the tail under my shirt.

I love reading on the iPad, except for when I'm outside.

 

[Luvmepluto]

On board!

How do you like the ASMo?

I was at a HRD/CFO conference for our company from the 15th through the 19th in Orlando. It was at the Gaylord Palms.....we stayed there as well, but several of us decided to go to Epcot on Saturday the 18th. I couldn't believe how low the crowd level was; is that normal for that particular weekend? I thought that it would be extremely busy!!!

I can't wait to hear more!

Btw....maybe Bubba will be my waitress when I eat there March 3.

 

[marvali]

Bubba definitely did not get the stamp of Marvical Express. You mean, that moment that I would regret for the rest---I mean yes of course I wanted to relive that moment...... No, bubba didn't have a magical CM pass, although that would be awesome!

Wow, that stings! Glad Stitch still loves me!!!

 

[teekathepony]

I guess Epcot!

Love the first day so far! Sorry it took so long to get checked in though.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Bubba should be a pro at picking people up at the airport by now! Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Teresa

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Hee, hee, I called her Bubba.

Teresa

 

[norybell]

Looks like you're off to a great start, despite Miss Prickle Pants's efforts to the contrary!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Great start Jen! Nice of Bubba to take the loooooong way to your hotel though. It's very easy to get turned around, isn't it?

Ok, Miss Prickle Pants sounds the perfect description. You should have pulled the TA card silly!

Your room looks nice though! And of course you were all business...time to hit a park! I'm going to say that you went to Epcot. Am I right??

Looking forward to the next Jenbear installment.

 

[jenbear123]

It's not that bad to maintain. In some ways, it's easier than shoulder length, and it's pretty much wash and wear. For running, I either put it up or just put in a ponytail, and then put the tail under my shirt.

I love reading on the iPad, except for when I'm outside.

I try to let my hair dry naturally after I shower but it turns into a giant poof ball. So having to blowdry ALL that hair can be a bit tedious. Reading on the iPad outside can be a bit hard. Turning the brightness all the way up tends to help unless you're in really bright sunlight.

On board!

How do you like the ASMo?

I was at a HRD/CFO conference for our company from the 15th through the 19th in Orlando. It was at the Gaylord Palms.....we stayed there as well, but several of us decided to go to Epcot on Saturday the 18th. I couldn't believe how low the crowd level was; is that normal for that particular weekend? I thought that it would be extremely busy!!!

I can't wait to hear more!

Btw....maybe Bubba will be my waitress when I eat there March 3.

Luvmepluto! Perhaps you went to Epcot early in the morning? Because the crowds were....well I'll save that for my TR. Don't want to spoil it! Plus, you'll also hear my thoughts on ASMo. You just might get Bubba as your server. I hope you do because she's great!

Wow, that stings! Glad Stitch still loves me!!!

Aww Marv! You know I'm only kidding

I guess Epcot!

Love the first day so far! Sorry it took so long to get checked in though.

Meh, it couldn't be helped. I usually arrive a lot earlier so now I know.

Bubba should be a pro at picking people up at the airport by now! Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Hee, hee, I called her Bubba.

Teresa

I know, right? She has probably driven back and forth to that darn airport more times than I've been to Florida! You should call her Bubba more often

Looks like you're off to a great start, despite Miss Prickle Pants's efforts to the contrary!

I didn't let her get me down! I knew I was in for a busy weekend....

Great start Jen! Nice of Bubba to take the loooooong way to your hotel though. It's very easy to get turned around, isn't it?

You don't know how true that is....

Ok, Miss Prickle Pants sounds the perfect description. You should have pulled the TA card silly!

I know, I know. I just couldn't be bothered Plus I was only there for 2 nights.

Your room looks nice though! And of course you were all business...time to hit a park! I'm going to say that you went to Epcot. Am I right??

It was a nice room! It didn't feel as run down as the rooms did when I stayed at ASMu. You'll just have to wait and see in my next installment to see if you're right!

 

[Krissy04]

I'll be reading along too!

We are going March 1-9...2 ressies at LeCellier so I will keep an eye out for Bubba

 

[jenbear123]

I'll be reading along too!

We are going March 1-9...2 ressies at LeCellier so I will keep an eye out for Bubba

Krissy04! You're bound to at least see her with having TWO chances

 

[jenbear123]

Where were we headed?


Why, Epcot of course!

I will never get sick of seeing that big shiny ball.

As soon as we got there, we headed straight for Guest Services to buy theTIW card. I bought an AP in November but never got around to buying the TIW. I figured it would be money well spent with a couple more trips in the works this year. I also couldn't be on the dining plan with Bubba's discount since the dates were blacked out.

I noticed the crowds weren't that bad, even for being mid-afternoon. This would soon change.....

First order of business was to grab a FP at Soarin'. I'm sure you've all heard about the change in rules for the FP system. Thankfully the rule didn't apply yet for while I was there.

Although, we did end up coming back within the window because the time made sense.

With a Soarin' FP under our belts, we headed over to Nemo and then Figment.

On our way out of Nemo, Bubba spotted a Mine, mine, mine sweater she wanted. She ended up getting the kids size since it fit her better. Be careful with those kids shirt prices though. We saw the kids one was $39.50, which was about $10 cheaper than the adult one. So we thought, score! Bubba picked a size, tried it on, fit nicely, and went to pay. When the nice CM at cash rang it up, we noticed the price was higher than what we'd thought. Turned out the size Bubba chose was $44.50. I guess Disney thinks they need to slightly increase the price the larger size you get. Fabric must be expensive these days, huh?

I'm really starting to like Figment. At first, I found him annoying and stupid. But now, I'm really warming up to that cute, little purple dragon. How many things are encouraging kids to use their imagination these days? And I want his bathroom. Come on, who wouldn't want a big fluorescent flower on their toilet seat?

The upside down waterfall is a nice touch too

We headed over to World Showcase to hang around for our 4:10pm ADR at Le Cellier. I spent days checking the dining site to get this reservation. I just so happened to check when I was at work one day and BAM! There it was. So, for all you last minute planners out there (which are few and far between if you're on this site and reading this) there's still hope!

We were still a bit early so we went over to the UK to check out the tea store and surroundings.

Then it was time to check in at Le Cellier, just in time for them to open for dinner and listen to everyone sing O Canada.

I'm glad I came hungry because, man, was I in for a meal. You'd think I know by now, with Bubba being a CM and wanting me to try EVERYTHING on the menu, as she has done in the past.

Plus I had never been here for dinner since they turned into Signature Dining. To be honest, it felt like the same experience just with higher prices and slightly fancier presented food. The atmosphere and experience still stayed the same.

Our server's name was Wade from Vancouver, although he did admit to being a Leaf's fan. Now that takes guts. He reminded me a lot of my younger step brother, who is currently going through that 18 year old phase of "I don't give a rat's bum about anyone" I know he'll grow out of it and when he does, he's going to be exactly how Wade was. Nice, patient, funny, courteous. All the qualities you want in a man

So let's start with drinks, shall we?

Bubba wanted to try the martini sampler.

I'm generally not a vodka drinker…..well not anymore anyway. I used to be…. but who's keeping track? Ahem…moving on.

This was a sampler of 3 different types of martinis (I know you can only really see one in the picture), the names of which I can't remember so I will describe them in their visual appearance and taste. There was a blue one with a fancy glow cube, which tasted a little sweet at first but had a bitter finish. There was a chocolatey one, which I think had Kahlua or Bailey's in it. Very yummy but also strong. The last one was a raspberry red colour and was the best tasting out of all them. You couldn't taste the alcohol! Dangerous.

I also ordered a beer.

It's called Unibroue Ephemere from Quebec. It reminded me a lot of Rickard's White. A very girly beer. Bubba had ( of course) a glass of red wine.

We got a few appetizers to start.

Cheese sampler

Scallops

Beet Salad (vegan for Bubba)

The cheese was delicious, except the Blue Cheese. I hate blue cheese. Cannot stand it. Why on earth would anyone want to put what resembles mold in their mouth is beyond me. But I did it. I did it for Bubba. Now that she is vegan, she can no longer try these things so she was living vicariously through me or rather, I was serving as her guinea pig. Lucky me, huh? So here I was, trying each one bite of cheese and trying to describe to her out it tasted. The blue cheese was the hardest out of all of them. The only words that came to my mind were: very strong, tangy, and sour.

The scallops were to die for. Quite possibly the best scallops I've had yet on property. I liked them even more than California Grill, and that's saying something! I would order these again even as my main meal. Really really good.

I didn't try the beet salad but Bubba said it was yummy.

By this point, after the pretzel bread with some maple butter (which was to die for by the way) and all the food I just had, I was already feeling a bit stuffed.

Then it was time for the main course!

I ordered the short rib served with (I think) rutabaga mash, which I didn't care for too much. But the meat literally fell apart it was so tender. My god, it was heavenly. Little did I know it would come back to haunt me……….

Bubba also wanted me to try some other things too…

Poutine

Some fancy potatoes?

The poutine tasted nothing like the fast food kind you get around here. It was definitely a fancier version, which I didn't care for too much. There wasn't that thick gravy you normally get with poutine. Instead, it's served with some sort of wine reduction sauce that is poured on when it reaches the table. Just didn't do it for me.

The potatoes were…..potatoes? Didn't see anything out of the ordinary about them.

Here's Bubba's vegan choices - mainly salads of some sort.

I tried that last one, the Tomato Salad. It was yummy and refreshing after all the meat and potatoes I had been eating.

Finally it was dessert. By this point I wanted to fall over and go to sleep but Bubba insisted we get dessert.

She just had to get use an Ice Wine flight

Yup, they were definitely going to have to carry me out of there. I loved all of these. One of them I vividly remember had no aroma to it whatsoever. We found it rather amusing. Of course, we would after all the food we had drank and alcohol we had eaten….wait a minute?


Once again, I had to try a Chocolate cake sampler, while all I wanted was the lemon cheesecake.

The lemon cheesecake was served with a slice of grapefruit and lemon(?) jello. Why this was on the plate I haven't got a clue. The jello was hard to eat - trying to get it on my fork or spoon was a challenge in itself. The grapefruit was sour and just didn't seem to compliment the dessert at all. The cheesecake was good though! It was more of a light, fluffy texture. Not the regular New York style cheesecake.

I hardly touched the chocolate sampler. I literally took a nibble from all of them. There was a brownie type thing, chocolate gelato, and the chocolate whisky cake. By this point my tastebuds were having a hard time deciphering between things so it all kinda tasted the same.

Bubba had Tofutti ice cream for her dessert.

I really liked this. I'm lactose intolerant so anything I find now that's yummy and doesn't have any dairy, I'm all over it. Although it's very hard to come by around here at home…..

Overall, we spent nearly 2 hours at Le Cellier. It was a great meal to start the trip and I was so happy to be with Bubba again. Wade was so impressed with my digestive skills that he gave me a "Congratulations" card for eating so much food You know I love my sister when I will stuff myself silly for her.

We still had Soarin' FPs burning a hole in our pocket so we rolled ourselves out of there and headed for The Land.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Jen, I have this image in my mind of you (a little wobbly after all the alcohol) chasing the jello around your plate.

Glad Bubba got some good vegan food too!

Teresa

 

[teekathepony]

Wowwww hahaha, that's a big meal! Everything looks so good... especially those desserts. Mmmm lemon cheesecake...
That poutine sounds weird. Once I went on a half-way-cross country tour and ate poutine at every single stop. I've never seen it done like that! LOL
But really, that's an amazing meal.