ADRs, Touring Plans, Free Dining, What?

[lazydoxy66]

The Grand Marnier March

China is a relaxing spot. The water gardens in front of the pavilion have some shady spots to hide in. We didn't venture inside on this trip.

Could this qualify as a hidden Mickey???

It's one of the urns that sits along the water gadens.

A shot of the lagoon.

Ahhh, the Motherland, Germany! I am an American mutt, truly. However the bulk of my ancestry is German/Swede. I love this part of the World Showcase.

We spent quite a bit of time looking in all these shops. Did Doug get me anything?


Nope.

As you pass by Germany there is a miniature village tucked away.

We got to see the drum playing at Japan and the amusing acrobatic/trickster at Italy.

Anyone thirsty??? Me, me, me! I've been wanting one of these sweet concoctions ever since I saw it on the Travel Channel with Samantha Brown.
YUM! Grand Marnier slush.

The hair at this point is a complete loss! The drink helped me deal with it!!!
A glance at my timepiece said we should boogy back to the other side of Epcot. It was 4:30 PM.
We hopped a boat across the lagoon. It was rather steamy in those things. As if my hair needed any more help!

The Coral Reef

We arrived at 5:00 PM and were seated at 5:05 PM. Nice! We were right by the aquarium and this place was packed to the gills! I had to say that!
Scott was our waiter. He was efficient and nice! All I need in a waiter! He started us off with some bread with dipping oil and a free glass of champagne!! Yes, more pixie dust thanks to our buttons!

I ordered the Mahi Mahi with cashew/jasmine rice and pineapple chutney in a rum sauce.

This was so good. The fish was cooked perfectly and the flavors were semi-sweet and buttery.

Doug had the NY Strip, Med Well, with scalloped potatoes and broccolini.

He said it was all excellent.

For desert we both had the Bailey's and Jack Daniels Chocolate Mousse.

This was also wonderful. You could really taste the liquor! Whoo Hoo!!

This is our waiter, Scott, with me. Scott just had to take a pic of Doug and I!

Coral Reef was great! However, it was very noisy. The aquarium was great to look at as we dined. The divers brought signs to the glass with birthday and anniversary wishes. If you are looking for an intimate dinner, this is not the place to come. If you want to see the aquarium and get a great meal, make your ADRs now!
Menu and rating will follow in the next post.

Day 3, Part 5 - Humidity + Test Track = Bad Hair Day
A surprise waiting in our room!

 

[lazydoxy66]

Coral Reef

Scott printed up this 'special' menu for me. They can add pictures to it if you call them about it.

Doug and I give the Coral Reef -
It would be a five if the noise level was reduced.

 

[DisneyJo]

this place was packed to the gills! I had to say that!

Very good

We like CR as we love watching all the fish

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Sounds like you had a great meal at CR! We've never been there, maybe we'll have to try it!!

But, I have a question! How was the slushy?!?! TELL!! Was it yummy!! I'm trying to plan out my adult yumminess for out grownups olny trip in March!!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

We had the same waiter at coral reef. I didn't notice the noise but then my kids probably were the noise .

I also had that baileys mousse. It was my favorite desert the entire trip. Soo yummy.

Love the picture of you with your grand marnier slushy! I have to try that one next time.

 

[xoktenox]

I can't wait to eat at CR in April when we go and you just made me anticipate it even more I have also wanted a Grand Marnier slush since I saw the Samantha Brown Travel Channel special ( which I've seen a good 10 times ) How was it?!

 

[2BusyPlanning]

Packed to the gills... you crack me up!

Beautiful pics from World Showcase!

 

[LITTLEKID58]

Lov the pics...TFS

 

[PrincessV]

Toward the end of our ride my cell phone rang!
Guess who?????!!!!!!
>
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Glendamax!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were meeting for lunch at Sunshine Seasons. She and her mom were getting ready to ride Soarin.

No way?!?! I'm so excited that you got to meet Gmax and her mom - aren't they the nicest ladies on earth?

The hair at this point is a complete loss! The drink helped me deal with it!!!

OMG, do I know about how that works!

 

[lazydoxy66]

Very good

We like CR as we love watching all the fish

The aquarium definitely makes the place. I didn't really mind the noise. I'd much rather hear children laughing than any other kind of noise.

Sounds like you had a great meal at CR! We've never been there, maybe we'll have to try it!!

But, I have a question! How was the slushy?!?! TELL!! Was it yummy!! I'm trying to plan out my adult yumminess for out grownups olny trip in March!!

Do try it if you get a chance! The Grand Marnier slushy hit the spot on the hot/humid day. Very orange, smooth, strong and cool. The way I like my men, except the orange part. My only complaint - It's too small and a bit pricey as I think it was 7 or 8 bucks!!! That goes for about any alcohol laden glass of goodness at the World.

We had the same waiter at coral reef. I didn't notice the noise but then my kids probably were the noise .

I also had that baileys mousse. It was my favorite desert the entire trip. Soo yummy.

Love the picture of you with your grand marnier slushy! I have to try that one next time.

The mousse was excellent. I hear the grey goose slushies are also awesome!

I can't wait to eat at CR in April when we go and you just made me anticipate it even more I have also wanted a Grand Marnier slush since I saw the Samantha Brown Travel Channel special ( which I've seen a good 10 times ) How was it?!

Read reply to MMB above. I hope you have a great meal also.

Packed to the gills... you crack me up!

Beautiful pics from World Showcase!

Lov the pics...TFS

Thank you and Thank you.

No way?!?! I'm so excited that you got to meet Gmax and her mom - aren't they the nicest ladies on earth?


OMG, do I know about how that works!

Wait until you see the way I take care of the hair thing on the rest of the trip!

 

[puggymom]

Ok, I am all caught up, gald you liked Coral Reef, and your hair does not look bad. That Slush looks so good and refreshing!

 

[Wannabe Belle]

Hey there!!!!

I'm sorry I haven't posted. But I'm here now and looking for more!!! I can't wait to see our meet!!!

And you are so funny. I kept giggling as I read it!!!!

Keep up the good work!!

 

[lazydoxy66]

A surprise waiting in our room!
After our dinner, we went back to our room at POR around 7 PM. Here is what greeted us...

There was even rose petals on the floor! Isn't it nice. What's that your saying? Oh, how sweet of Doug? Pft! It was me that arranged this special anni. moment with the help of Peggy's Sweets and More! She did a good job. She must have gotten there before the mousekeeping that morning because there was a bunch of towels and toiletries hanging on the door to the room in a nice big Mickey bag. She also put some lights over the bed. ooo-la-la

We had to skidaddle to get to DHS that night. It was extra evening Magic hours. I also had another meet set up with a couple of special ladies and their family.
We grabbed a bus @ the west depot around 7:45 PM. It was only a 10 min. ride ta DHS.

I don't have many pictures from this evening, but I got lots to say, so bare with me.

DHS was stunning at night. You really felt like you were in Hollywood with all the pretty lights. It wasn't that busy???!!! I wonder why?

Doug and me made a bee-line to the Tower of Terror. The sign said 10 minute wait. We walked the winding path up the side of the hill to the front entrance. We entered the room with the TV and Rod Serling's intro. I was beginning to wonder if I had made a mistake.

I have to stop here a minute. You see, I love roller coasters! I cut my teeth on the Beast at King's Island a long, long, long time ago. It is still one of my favorite coasters. On the other hand, I did not like Drop Zone at the island. I nearly cried. I swore I'd never ride it again. Things for me is looking and feeling sceery.

We march on up what looks like the underbelly of this monolith to the elevators. Friends, there wasn't any wait. The bell hop on our elevator was doing his part well. He was very strange. I hope it was an act.

I am not going to spoil it for anyone with a lot of details. But you definitely need to make sure you use the toilet before you hit this ride. I am not lying! I screamed the whole time. It was fun! As the matter of fact, we rode it 2 more times during our stay! Crazy, huh?!

At this point the king of the porcelain throne had to check out the throne room that is close to the exit of the ToT. I should have asked the oh-too-personal question, 'Are ya gonna' do #1 or #2?' I stood across the street on the corner like a good wife does.

I'm guessing it was around 8:30ish when it started to sprinkle a bit. Behind me is the way to Rockin' Roller Coaster, to the left is ToT, and to my right is what must be the exit for fireworks the show. 'Cause all of the sudden, hoards of people was heading straight for me. Add to that the sprinkle is now a downpour. I got out my umbrella that was squirreled away inside me trusty Baggallini. There was a mad dash for cover in every direction. And the throng of boddies just kept coming - and I was still waiting on the POOP king.

You know I probably could have ridden both RnRC and Tot in the amount of time he was taking. At one point I seriously considered calling his cell to see if he was still alive. I am not kidding. I was beginning to wonder if I should send in the Disney poop rescue team. Men and boys were probably risking olfactory burn out on account of Doug. I envisioned bodies strewn about the restroom floor, victims grabbing their noses and throats as they tried to reach the exit. Kids with their eyes rolled back in their heads and frothing at the mouth. There's a loud bear-like sound coming from a lone stall right in the center of the room, the ceiling is crumbling, the pipes are bursting.....

My worrying was for nothing. Just as the rain stopped, out came Doug. He looked tired but at least HE was dry! Good job!

I glance at the wait time for ToT- 30 minutes and climbing about every 5. We haven't got a prayer of getting on RnRC but that's where my meet was so we headed that way and parked ourselves on the wall. The line was 45 minutes and clear out the front. And people just kept coming. It was insane!

After about 5 minutes I noticed that the Fast Pass machines had a return time of 9:45P to 10:45P. HMMMMM???? I told Doug to sit tight. No one was waiting for FP's and a CM was standing there chatting with another visitor. She said the FP machines just came back on-line. SCORE! No wonder there was nobody there. I got the FPs and headed back to Doug. I was so happy!

We had to watch for pink shirts with Piglet on them. Doug pointed out a couple of ladies with pink on just acroos from us. Sure enough, Piglet was on the shirts. I walked over and asked if they were with Sarah. YEP! It was Sarah's mom Kathy(The4Princesses) and 1 of her sisters, Kristine. I found my DISer buddies! Sarah is WannaBeBelle on this site. She was on RnRC with her other sister.
We chatted until Sarah and Hanna got back. Her brother and dad were over near Toy Story Mania. The wait for that ride was 120 minutes.

Here's a pic at RnRC.

Kathy, Hanna, Kristine, Sarah and me.

This family is extraordinary. You see they are from Louisiana and due to the hurricanes they had to get out of there a little earlier than they had planned. Sarah's TR talks all about it. They started their vacation on a rough note. Papa was gonna have to leave them early to get back and repair the roof of their house. They were all in such good spirits despite the turmoil at home. They are a loving and giving bunch. I am so glad I got to meet them. Thanks so much you guys!!!! I had a blast!

We said our goodbyes and Doug and I hopped on the FP line for RnRC. The que for this ride was packed. Lots of teens that must have been local. We looked like cattle all bunched up waiting for the branding iron. I couldn't really hear the intro by Aerosmith. The doors open and the stampede is on. This was the only time during our whole stay that we actually had to wait more than 5 minutes to get on a ride. The line did move fast. This is a fun ride in the dark. It is short though. Definitely get FPs for this if the wait time is more than 20 minutes. It is too short to wait any longer than that.

Woo Wee!! Doug was ready to go. It had been a long and exciting first day. We did stop in a couple of shops on the way out. Doug picked up a Donald baseball hat.($19.99 + tax) I noticed him looking at pins also. Very interesting! Still nothing for me.
At 10:30 the bus back to POR was packed. A recurring theme for all our bus rides from the parks to POR.
We had some cake and hit the sack around midnight! Goodnight to Great day #3!!!!

Next: Day 4, Part 1 - Lost and Found: A Lesson in Crowds

 

[lazydoxy66]

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

DHS day!
Forecast - Hot and chance of rain

Wow! I slept like a log. I haven't slept that good in a long while. Do you think it might have something to do with walking around all day from 6 AM to 12 midnight? The phone rang and again it was Mr. Mickey. Where's Stitch?

I did manage to get my windows and door decorated before I hit the hay. Doug thought I was a bit crazy for doing it.

I got a lot of congrats from CMs!
Front window

The other window

We were up and at 'em and gone at 7:10AM. I had decided that we would snag a snack at the chow hall and then catch a bus at the South Depot.
I got a chocolate croissant.

Not too shabby. IMO it needed more chocolate.

Doug went for a cheese danish!

He just gave me a funny look when a asked him about it. He was already getting tired of my food critiques and pictures. Suck it up buddy, I ain't even really got started yet!
It would have cost us about $8. We used our snack credits. This free dining plan is better and better.

Wouldn't you know it, as soon as we exited the front entrance of POR, our DHS bus was pulling away. I glance at my watch and it was 7:30 AM. We had to hitch a ride on the next DHS bus at 7:45 AM. Yeah, and while we were waiting an Epcot bus rolled up-go figure! As the matter of fact for the rest of our stay we always saw an Epcot bus before 7:30 AM. I am not amused.

We were at the front entrance, ok not exactly the front, to Disney Hollywood Studios at 8:00 AM. (Do you all wonder why they drop you off a mile and a half away from the entrance? I think the closest we got was at Epcot.)

I was reviewing my plan of attack for the day and looking around when someone asked me if I DISed. It was MichelleVW and her DH. I forgot to take pictures of me and Doug before we left. I was wearing the lime green stuff. We had a nice talk. She and her DH were so cute! I love a surprise DIS meet! It was great talking to them.

They opened up the turnstiles after what seemed like an eternity and the first stampede was on. Don't they know you are not going to get far! Doug and I took our time. He found a comfy spot and I snapped some pictures.

He's smiling inside, really!

I was too short to get a good view of the opening show. From what I could hear they were having a blast up there.

At rope drop it was every man, woman and varmint for himself. Take no prisoners! And I probably don't have to tell which direction everybody was headed! You would think that there was only one ride - Toy Story Midway Mania! My mission was to grab FPs and hit some other rides first! I had to wait a few minutes in a line of about 10 people. It went alright though.

Mission completed we headed back across the park. (Cue the crickets) It was like a ghost town. UNBELIEVEABLE! Here I had been fretting over tour plans for the last 9 months and this park was empty. I decided at this point, no more tour plans for this trip. We just weren't going to need them. You heard me - I ditched my plans!!! How liberating it felt!

Next: Day 4, Part 2 - Lost and Found: A Lesson in Crowds
TSMM review and a hidden jewel.

 

[2BusyPlanning]

Can't wait to hear how you liked (or disliked?) TSM. Your room was gorgeous for your anniversary! Good job, Kristel! I hope Doug appreciated all you went through to have this great vacation...

 

[xoktenox]

Great update! Your room looked amazing that night. So peaceful and romantic! Sounds like you really struck gold on your evening and morning at DHS (except for the rain at night). Good thing everyone made it out alive from the bathroom after Doug took over, I was getting worried there for a second.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Your room looks beautiful!!! Sounds like you had a great and very full day!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Wow! I slept like a log. I haven't slept that good in a long while. Do you think it might have something to do with walking around all day from 6 AM to 12 midnight?

Mmmmm... Let me reflect for a moment on my theory why you slept like a log.

Evidence #1 10th Anniversary trip

Evidence #2 You've gone to the trouble of having your room decorated.

Does anyone else see where I am going with this?

 

[xoktenox]

Mmmmm... Let me reflect for a moment on my theory why you slept like a log.

Evidence #1 10th Anniversary trip

Evidence #2 You've gone to the trouble of having your room decorated.

Does anyone else see where I am going with this?

Haha I like your theory better then Kristel's

 

[jcc0621]

What a beautiful job Peggy did! I have heard several reviews of her--each better than the last.

THe crowd you described is the reason I am afraid to go to Fantasmic. I went once, and got caught in that crowd going out

No tour plans THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL FOCKERS...LOOK AWAY...LOOK AWAY...YOUR EYES...YOUR EYES