Aren't Graduations Grand! - May 2015 TR (New 10/30 - MK and California Grill)

[SimplyGoofy]

I'm overwhelmed with all of your greetings and good wishes! Thanks so much for sticking around despite the long lapse between posts! You're all fabulous!

You're back!!

Yes! I'm sorry I was gone so long - I have a lot to catch up on! (Including your trip report!)

I haven't had the pleasure yet, either.

It was just fantastic - I highly recommend trying it sometime!

You can do that?
I had no idea!

I know, amazing isn't it? We would've hit the 14 day ticket limit too early if we used a park day, so I had to come up with something fabulous as a substitute. I succeeded!

I was really curious to see what she'd think afterwards.

Now you know! Total success!

And she's smiling too.

There was a LOT of smiling!

Good to know.
I'd probably be one of those people standing in line.

I'm rather impressed that I figured it out considering how many hours we'd been awake by that point!

Got it. Thanks!

I'm always here to help! (And to help you spend more money! )

I saw that on the menu... after I read and re-read it because I thought I was wrong!

It's a GREAT perk of the dinner show!

That would be me.

I hope I made it sound enticing for you!

And still smiling!

I know! Isn't it great?!

Really! I've heard so much about the chicken and ribs.
You're the first (that I can recall) who's preferred the sides to the mains.

Both were okay, but I thought the chicken was just average and the ribs we received were a little dry. I'm a bit particular about my ribs! The sides, on the other hand - delicious!

OMG. That looks sooo good.
Want.

It was AWESOME! Next time I'm bringing a container to bring the rest back to the room with us! (You've already eaten so much by that point that finishing it is darn near impossible!)

So she was right about the food, then...

But wrong about that! Great that she enjoyed it!

She LOVED it. Even a year later, she's still talking about it.

I'm soooo happy you're back!
Great pictures!
Wow your Hoop Dee Doo review really confirms that I want to try this next time! Seems like a wonderful way to spend the evening and I like how there's included alcohol as well! The food looks delicious, especially that chicken, mashed potatoes and corn (can't really go wrong with that combo!). I'd probably be scared a bit by performers trying to make it interactive but I think after a few drinks it won't matter

I'm looking forward to more!

PS - you and your BF are adorable. Is he going to Disney with you?

Thanks, Su-Lynn! I'm quite happy to be back! I started on your recent trip report but haven't had a chance to comment yet - coming soon!

Thanks! I always take that as a high compliment coming from you!

It was GREAT and I highly recommend it! I actually enjoyed the food more than the alcohol (I wasn't thrilled with their wine choices and the sangria was a bit strong), but it's still a great perk!

Thanks so much! It's just my mom and I on our upcoming trip, but I'm sure he'll join me at Disney World one of these times! (He has no choice! )

Welcome Back! So glad that things are going so well for you!

Thank you! Life is pretty darn fabulous.

You arrive 3 days after us!! We arrive on the 26th of April!

Wait, we're going to be there at the same time?! We arrive on April 28th and will be there until early May 8th. I'd love to meet up if it would work out in our schedules. I love a good DISmeet!

Oh my goodness! Too funny! But great seats!!

She really WAS horrified. Our great view made up for it (especially since the players never bothered her!).

Thats what I'm saying!

This is great news as it is booked for our trip at the end of the month!! Super excited!

You'll LOVE it! We thought the whole experience was just great! (Also, when are you going? It wouldn't happen to be the 6:15 performance on April 28th, would it? That's when we're headed back to the HDDR!)

You're back. So glad to hear a happy life update!
Your Hoop de Doo Revue dinner looks like a lot of fun. I'm so glad you dragged Anika along (not like she had a choice ). Can't wait to hear more.

Thanks so much! It's always nice to report good news rather than bad news!

It was great fun! No, she didn't have much of a choice, but I appreciate that she was a good sport and I was thrilled that she ended up loving it!

So excited to see you back!

And what a cutie Grant is! That picture of you two is ADORABLE!!! And both of you look rather SMASHING!

So did you have to convert Grant to the Disney way? If so, I assume he is fully assimilated into the culture...he needs to get on the DIS too...just saying...

What were Anika think about the show after she saw it?

I can't wait to hear more!

Thanks, Lynn!

Thanks! I'm pretty fond of him. That picture is from one of his work Christmas parties in December, hence our fancy attire.

Grant has been to Disney World twice - once as a child and once more as an adult for a conference. He really enjoyed BTMRR and Space Mountain, so I think he's a keeper. I think getting him on the DIS may be a stretch (although the same could be said for other DISers spouses and significant others!), but I think he'll be game for a future trip.

I'm so thrilled that Anika loved the show - she's still talking about it a year later!

I'm glad you're back because I got all caught up today!

Hoop de Doo sounds like a blast! I'd love to do that one of these days. Totally channels my inner Broadway nerd

(I think? Sometimes I can't keep track of who I've welcomed! )

Hoop Dee Doo was fabulous! I would highly recommend it for both the good food and the awesome entertainment. It's also quintessentially Disney, which makes it all the more awesome.

Welcome back! You two are a beautiful couple

Thanks! I really appreciate your wonderful compliment!

Oh man, just her luck!

I know, right? At least it worked out well!

A-ha! Photographic proof that she did indeed have fun...look at that smile!

She really did! She LOVED the show (and the food!).

It truly was delicious.

Nice to see you back!! I can understand totally how life gets in the way of DIS lol

I know, imagine that!

Yay...so exciting for you!! I'm jealous too!!

Thanks! I'm really excited about it (and I know my mom is!).

At least she was excited about that...that's reason enough to go...and so glad she ended up loving it!! We went too and really enjoyed it...and I'm not usually a fan of audience participation stuff either lol

I think it surprised her how much she enjoyed it. She was a bit of a grumpy Gus going in, and was full of enthusiasm and good words on the way out!

I really enjoyed this update. I haven't been to the Hoop Dee Doo in years. I think a return trip is in order. So glad you both enjoyed it.

Thanks! I believe the show changed due to some copyright issues a few years ago, but I didn't know the difference as I'd never seen it before. I can't wait to see it again!

I'm so glad you're back!! And with the perfect update too, because I just recently booked Hoop for September! Neither of us have ever done it before, so thank you for the review. Free alcohol? WHAAAT! Oh man I'm looking forward to this

Thanks so much, Katie! You'll LOVE Hoop Dee Doo - Anika and I both really enjoyed it! The free alcohol is a pretty fantastic perk!

 

[cindianne320]

Congrats on the exciting news!
Hoop Dee Doo Revue looks awesome! I can't believe alcohol is included- and unlimited! And that strawberry shortcake looks delicious!

 

[tortilla24]

(I think? Sometimes I can't keep track of who I've welcomed! )

Lol yes, I'm a new reader!

 

[pkondz]

I'm rather impressed that I figured it out considering how many hours we'd been awake by that point!

I'm always here to help! (And to help you spend more money! )

You'd fit in real well with my DDs.

I hope I made it sound enticing for you!

You did!

Both were okay, but I thought the chicken was just average and the ribs we received were a little dry.

Oh, too bad. The ribs looked good.

I'm a bit particular about my ribs!

I wish the tag fairy was still around.

It was AWESOME! Next time I'm bringing a container to bring the rest back to the room with us!

Now there's a thought.
Strawberry shortcake for breakfast.

(You've already eaten so much by that point that finishing it is darn near impossible!)

That was what I thought when I saw it.
I just know that if I do this, when they bring that out, I won't even be able to look at it.

 

[dmlovullo]

Wait, we're going to be there at the same time?! We arrive on April 28th and will be there until early May 8th. I'd love to meet up if it would work out in our schedules. I love a good DISmeet!

We will be there April 26h - May 4th! We are staying at AKL/Poly and will probably be spending a lot of time at the F&G food booths! LOL!

You'll LOVE it! We thought the whole experience was just great! (Also, when are you going? It wouldn't happen to be the 6:15 performance on April 28th, would it? That's when we're headed back to the HDDR!)

Awww.....we are actually going on May 2nd.

 

[afwdwfan]

Welcome back! And congratulations on the new... um well, new a few months ago anyway... but I'm glad you have found a happy relationship!

Anika, on the other hand? She was less than thrilled. She was willing to play along but let me know that she thought I was nuts that we were spending our Disney time to see this. She was excited about the food, but that was about it.

Hey, look, you're getting a free trip... this is for me.

You can imagine Anika’s horror.

(free alcohol? Sign me up!)

We thought the salad was fresh and tasty, but the standout starter was the cornbread. Perhaps they put crack into it, similar to what they do to the Disney popcorn? It was wonderful and it was hard to stop eating it! I think we may have gotten a second loaf!

I'm assuming it is the same cornbread that they serve at Whispering Canyon? It looks the same and that stuff is amazing.

We also took part in the napkin swinging:

Yay! Flying crumbs!

My sister, on the other hand, LOVES strawberry shortcake and she is still raving about how wonderful this dessert was.

I'm glad that the strawberry shortcake made her suffering from the horror and trepidation pay off in a big way.

She is still miffed she wasn’t able to take the rest of it with us when we left.

Well in that case then it is your duty to eat it all before you leave!!!


I'm glad you both ended up having a good time. This is still one of those things that I need to cross off the list.

 

[Dugette]

First off, congrats on your relationship - very happy for you and Grant.

It’s a major Disney experience – one of the few that we’d not yet taken part in.

We still need to do this and just have never fit it in. This was a good reminder, as one of our possible future trips is doing a cruise w/non-park time - so, this might be a good non-park activity.

You can imagine Anika’s horror.

All drinks (including the alcohol!) are unlimited and included in the price of your dinner.

Ooooh, good to know!

we’re just not fans of baked beans

I'm with ya on that.

Looks yummy! And Izzy is a strawberry addict, so she'd be on board too.

Despite her initial misgivings, Anika LOVED the dinner show and proclaimed that, “We have to do that EVERY year!”

So glad she loved it!

Hope you are having a great trip right now! I feel like all of my DIS-friends are in WDW this week!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I Went to the Chapel
a.k.a. An Explanation for My Extended Absence

Hello, DISfriends!

I can’t believe I’ve been away so long (364 days since my last official trip report update – I made it back just before the one-year mark!). I’ve missed all of you, but promise I have a good reason for my absence…

Remember G, who I introduced last April? Well, he now happens to be my husband!

Last year was a bit of a crazy whirlwind… we started house-shopping in May, bought a house in July, and got engaged the day after we closed on our house:

Seven months of wedding planning later, we made it official on March 25th:

Our wedding was fabulous! We held our wedding in a church and the reception at a winery. It rained ALMOST ALL DAY, so that was a bit of a bummer, but it resulted in some very unexpected pictures at the local movie theatre (as outdoor pictures were out-of-the-question until the skies finally cleared). Thank goodness for my old high school and college job at that theatre (and thank you to the manager, who rolled with the punches with my last-minute, frantic phone request!).

I worked on wedding details for months – I designed and made all of our invitations and programs and place cards, shopped for and crafted the rest of our non-floral décor, and enjoyed crafting timelines and to-do lists galore (those Disney-planning skills come in handy elsewhere!). One element where I may have over-stretched my sanity is when I decided to make a frosted Mickey head sugar cookie as the favor for each guest – you have NO IDEA how much time it takes to make, cut out, frost and bag more than 200 Mickey head cookies! Despite the stress, G and I enjoyed a wonderful day with a great and personal (and funny!) ceremony and a fun reception with many family and friends.

I’ll be sure to share a few official pictures once we receive them from our totally awesome photographer, but here a few snapped by other guests in the meantime:

And did we head to Disney World for our honeymoon?

Nope!



Even before G was in the picture, I'd never planned to go to Disney World for a honeymoon. My Disney vacations are wonderful and fabulous and I love them, but they’re also highly structured and jam-packed full of activity. I always figured I would be exhausted after getting married, and it would be nice to have some schedule flexibility. I was right!

Instead of a week with the Mouse, we enjoyed a week on the west coast with San Francisco and a few days in Yosemite National Park.

We saw all the highlights, including Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, stood at the corner of Haight-Ashbury, made a visit to Alcatraz, and enjoyed a few rides on a trolley. It was also nice to wander around Yosemite for a few days, which was one of G’s wishes (he’s a MAJOR National Park fan!).

While in Yosemite, we stayed at the famous Ahwahnee Hotel (now called the Majestic Yosemite Hotel). Does it remind anyone else of the Wilderness Lodge?

Although, I must admit that the Wilderness Lodge doesn’t boast views like this (our view from our room):

Pretty stunning, isn't it?

Here are a few more highlights of our trip, including our trip to Fisherman’s Wharf:

Me and my SUPER TINY coffee (who knew the small was so darn small?! ):

G standing on a bridge in the Japanese garden in Golden Gate Park:

Our trip to Alcatraz (highly, highly recommended!):

Do you think I’d be able to break out of Alcatraz?

The panoramic view of San Francisco and their famous bridge from Alcatraz Island:

Tunnel View, one of the most famous views in Yosemite National Park:

Getting somewhat misted (drenched!) at Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite. This seems appropriate given the “honeymoon” aspect of our trip!

And finally, just because it’s not a Disney trip doesn’t mean there isn’t food porn! Here’s the DELICIOUS Dungeness crab we shared as our last meal in San Fran:

I can’t believe how much has changed since Anika and I went on our graduation adventure! I thought I may be taking sister-only trips forever, but I’m pretty excited how life has unfolded and am excited to introduce G to my love of Disney! I don’t think he’ll love it as much as me (see his love of the National Parks, noted above), but I appreciate that he’s willing to give it a try! He’s visited Disney World twice before, including once with his family as a child and once a few years ago for a conference. I’m easing him in gently with a visit to the other Orlando theme park this fall… I’m pretty excited to return to the Wizarding World!

But first, I have a trip report to jump back into! I’ll be back on Saturday with the next few updates for the Grand Graduation Celebration!

In the meantime, I look forward to catching up on your reports and seeing how the last year has unfolded for all of you fine folks! I've missed you!

 

[heathsf]

I Went to the Chapel
a.k.a. An Explanation for My Extended Absence

Hello, DISfriends!

I can’t believe I’ve been away so long (364 days since my last official trip report update – I made it back just before the one-year mark!). I’ve missed all of you, but promise I have a good reason for my absence…

Remember Grant, who I introduced last April? Well, he now happens to be my husband!

Last year was a bit of a crazy whirlwind… we started house-shopping in May, bought a house in July, and got engaged the day after we closed on our house:

Seven months of wedding planning later, we made it official on March 25th:

Our wedding was fabulous! We held our wedding in a church and the reception at a winery. It rained ALMOST ALL DAY, so that was a bit of a bummer, but it resulted in some very unexpected pictures at the local movie theatre (as outdoor pictures were out-of-the-question until the skies finally cleared). Thank goodness for my old high school and college job at that theatre (and thank you to the manager, who rolled with the punches with my last-minute, frantic phone request!).

I worked on wedding details for months – I designed and made all of our invitations and programs and place cards, shopped for and crafted the rest of our non-floral décor, and enjoyed crafting timelines and to-do lists galore (those Disney-planning skills come in handy elsewhere!). One element where I may have over-stretched my sanity is when I decided to make a frosted Mickey head sugar cookie as the favor for each guest – you have NO IDEA how much time it takes to make, cut out, frost and bag more than 200 Mickey head cookies! Despite the stress, Grant and I enjoyed a wonderful day with a great and personal (and funny!) ceremony and a fun reception with many family and friends.

I’ll be sure to share a few official pictures once we receive them from our totally awesome photographer, but here a few snapped by other guests in the meantime:

And did we head to Disney World for our honeymoon?

Nope!



Even before Grant was in the picture, I'd never planned to go to Disney World for a honeymoon. My Disney vacations are wonderful and fabulous and I love them, but they’re also highly structured and jam-packed full of activity. I always figured I would be exhausted after getting married, and it would be nice to have some schedule flexibility. I was right!

Instead of a week with the Mouse, we enjoyed a week on the west coast with San Francisco and a few days in Yosemite National Park.

We saw all the highlights, including Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, stood at the corner of Haight-Ashbury, made a visit to Alcatraz, and enjoyed a few rides on a trolley. It was also nice to wander around Yosemite for a few days, which was one of Grant’s wishes (he’s a MAJOR National Park fan!).

While in Yosemite, we stayed at the famous Ahwahnee Hotel (now called the Majestic Yosemite Hotel). Does it remind anyone else of the Wilderness Lodge?

Although, I must admit that the Wilderness Lodge doesn’t boast views like this (our view from our room):

Pretty stunning, isn't it?

Here are a few more highlights of our trip, including our trip to Fisherman’s Wharf:

Me and my SUPER TINY coffee (who knew the small was so darn small?! ):

Grant standing on a bridge in the Japanese garden in Golden Gate Park:

Our trip to Alcatraz (highly, highly recommended!):

Do you think I’d be able to break out of Alcatraz?

The panoramic view of San Francisco and their famous bridge from Alcatraz Island:

Tunnel View, one of the most famous views in Yosemite National Park:

Getting somewhat misted (drenched!) at Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite. This seems appropriate given the “honeymoon” aspect of our trip!

And finally, just because it’s not a Disney trip doesn’t mean there isn’t food porn! Here’s the DELICIOUS Dungeness crab we shared as our last meal in San Fran:

I can’t believe how much has changed since Anika and I went on our graduation adventure! I thought I may be taking sister-only trips forever, but I’m pretty excited how life has unfolded and am excited to introduce Grant to my love of Disney! I don’t think he’ll love it as much as me (see his love of the National Parks, noted above), but I appreciate that he’s willing to give it a try! He’s visited Disney World twice before, including once with his family as a child and once a few years ago for a conference. I’m easing him in gently with a visit to the other Orlando theme park this fall… I’m pretty excited to return to the Wizarding World!

But first, I have a trip report to jump back into! I’ll be back on Saturday with the next few updates for the Grand Graduation Celebration!

In the meantime, I look forward to catching up on your reports and seeing how the last year has unfolded for all of you fine folks! I've missed you!

Holy smokes!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
You look stunning and I LOVE your wedding dress.
Your honeymoon looked amazing, especially that view! Wow!
Congratulations again and welcome back!

 

[pkondz]

Well! This is a surprise!!!

First off.... Congratulations!!!!! So happy for you!
Thanks for sharing some of your special day (and follow up honeymoon) with us! Loved the pics!

 

[Dugette]

Congratulations on everything! Busy year or so! I'm glad to see you back on here - I was starting to think I scared away everyone I met on the May 2015 trip, but Tracy even came back recently too, so YAY!

Glad the wedding was wonderful and you had a relaxing honeymoon. That really is a stunning view from your room. Best wishes for your new life together!

 

[glennbo123]

So happy for you Jenny! The wedding pictures looked like a wonderful time, and the honeymoon looked great also!

(You'll find a few wedding pictures from my oldest child's July wedding when you get around to checking-in on my TR.)

 

[afwdwfan]

I can’t believe I’ve been away so long (364 days since my last official trip report update – I made it back just before the one-year mark!).

But who's counting, right?

Remember Grant, who I introduced last April? Well, he now happens to be my husband!

Well, that escalated quickly. Congratulations!

One element where I may have over-stretched my sanity is when I decided to make a frosted Mickey head sugar cookie as the favor for each guest – you have NO IDEA how much time it takes to make, cut out, frost and bag more than 200 Mickey head cookies!

Oh wow... what were you thinking???

We saw all the highlights, including Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, stood at the corner of Haight-Ashbury, made a visit to Alcatraz, and enjoyed a few rides on a trolley. It was also nice to wander around Yosemite for a few days, which was one of Grant’s wishes (he’s a MAJOR National Park fan!).

Looks like a very nice Honeymoon.

Although, I must admit that the Wilderness Lodge doesn’t boast views like this (our view from our room):

As much as I love Wilderness Lodge... yeah, no comparison.

I can’t believe how much has changed since Anika and I went on our graduation adventure! I thought I may be taking sister-only trips forever, but I’m pretty excited how life has unfolded and am excited to introduce Grant to my love of Disney!

Life sometimes moves more quickly than we expect. You never know what's around the corner. Once again, congratulations and welcome back!

 

[chunkymonkey]

OMG Jenny Congratulations!!!!!
You look beautiful! You both do! I LOVE your wedding dress! so sparkly and princess-y!
Looks like a fabulous honeymoon! I do agree the lodge looks like Wilderness Lodge!
I'm so happy you're back! When are you going to Universal? We'll probably be there over labor day weekend.
Are you going to do Disney at all? Maybe a side trip... you know, to show your new hubby the Wilderness Lodge at Disney...hehehe.
Looking forward more of your posts!!

 

[Tracy161]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!! You both look so incredibly happy - and I'm so happy for you! Oddly enough, I took about the same exact extended break from the Dis as you did... but for far less exciting reasons Very happy to see you back, though! I, too, missed my Dis friends

 

[cindianne320]

Congratulations!!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I'm SO excited to be back - once I started seeing your messages I realized how much I missed all of you! I was so excited to hear from you - so many of my favorite DISers!



I showed G my post and explained how excited I was to "hear" from all of you. As much as he doesn't like being featured on the Internet (he's not even on Facebook!) and thinks it's amusing that I post on a Disney message board, he liked the post and had no problem with me posting about him. (It's a good thing, as he'll be included in future trip reports! ) I also thought it was nice when he asked the next day, "So, have you heard from anyone else?!" What a guy.

Thanks so much for coming back and saying hello (and your many good wishes!). Several updates will be posted later today!

Holy smokes!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
You look stunning and I LOVE your wedding dress.
Your honeymoon looked amazing, especially that view! Wow!
Congratulations again and welcome back!

Thanks so much, Heather! I'm so glad you're here! Our wedding was beautiful and I loved it (although I'm pretty glad to done with all that planning!)

My dress took several people by surprise (many were expecting a more fitted number), but I LOVED it and bought it the day I tried on the sample. The salesgirl was rather surprised after we drove back to the store a few hours after our appointment. She commented that people never buy the same day, and my mom's reply was, "Well, that's Jenny!" (I tend to be pretty definitive! )

Our honeymoon was AWESOME and I'm so glad we planned it the way we did! (I may have added that it was our honeymoon on our Majestic Hotel reservation... Disney had taught me a few things! It paid off with our awesome view in the tower section of the resort - plus, they even gave us a small box of treats and a congratulatory card!)

It's wonderful to be back!

Well! This is a surprise!!!

First off.... Congratulations!!!!! So happy for you!
Thanks for sharing some of your special day (and follow up honeymoon) with us! Loved the pics!

Thanks so much - it's great to see you here! Life is pretty awesome.

Our honeymoon was fantastic - if you haven't been to San Francisco, I highly recommend it!

Congratulations on everything! Busy year or so! I'm glad to see you back on here - I was starting to think I scared away everyone I met on the May 2015 trip, but Tracy even came back recently too, so YAY!

Glad the wedding was wonderful and you had a relaxing honeymoon. That really is a stunning view from your room. Best wishes for your new life together!

Thanks so much, Dugette! I'm so excited that you're here!

Yes, it's been a VERY busy year - but a great one! You definitely didn't scare me away!

Our wedding and honeymoon were wonderful - our choice of honeymoon destination worked so well. The views throughout Yosemite are pretty spectacular, and I highly recommend visiting sometime.

Thanks so much for your good wishes!

So happy for you Jenny! The wedding pictures looked like a wonderful time, and the honeymoon looked great also!

(You'll find a few wedding pictures from my oldest child's July wedding when you get around to checking-in on my TR.)

Thanks so much, Glenn! I'm happy to see you here! The wedding and honeymoon were both wonderful and I'm so very happy.

Holy cow, I can't believe Lauren is married! I snuck over to that section of your trip report - what a fantastic looking wedding and Lauren looked beautiful! Your whole family looked great - I can't believe how much your kids have grown! Please give Lauren my congratulations!

But who's counting, right?

Well, that escalated quickly. Congratulations!

Oh wow... what were you thinking???

Looks like a very nice Honeymoon.

As much as I love Wilderness Lodge... yeah, no comparison.

Life sometimes moves more quickly than we expect. You never know what's around the corner. Once again, congratulations and welcome back!

Thanks so much, Andy! It's great to see you here!

I think our ages had to do with the timeframe (we're both in our 30's), but we dated for 16 months before getting married and that seemed just right for us! We're so very happy and life is great.

Our honeymoon was fantastic and I highly recommend both San Francisco and Yosemite. I think San Fran would be difficult with really small kids (due to the massive hills and such), but would be pretty fun for older kids.

The views at the lodge and throughout Yosemite were spectacular!

It's wonderful to be back!

OMG Jenny Congratulations!!!!!
You look beautiful! You both do! I LOVE your wedding dress! so sparkly and princess-y!
Looks like a fabulous honeymoon! I do agree the lodge looks like Wilderness Lodge!
I'm so happy you're back! When are you going to Universal? We'll probably be there over labor day weekend.
Are you going to do Disney at all? Maybe a side trip... you know, to show your new hubby the Wilderness Lodge at Disney...hehehe.
Looking forward more of your posts!!

Thanks so much, Su-Lynn! It's so wonderful to see you here!

I never imagined I'd pick a ball gown, but I LOVED it! Thank you so much for your compliment!

San Francisco was fabulous, and I couldn't get over the lodge's resemblance to the Wilderness Lodge! Obviously Disney used existing park lodges as their influence, but it was still amusing to see!

It's wonderful to be back! Our trip will be a late arrival on Wednesday, September 27th and departing on Sunday, October 1st. Unfortunately it will not include Disney, mostly because I don't have enough work availability for a longer trip and therefore picked Universal which can be done in a few days. Hopefully Disney will fit in the picture next year!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!! You both look so incredibly happy - and I'm so happy for you! Oddly enough, I took about the same exact extended break from the Dis as you did... but for far less exciting reasons Very happy to see you back, though! I, too, missed my Dis friends

Tracy, I'm so excited to see you here! What a wonderful surprise!

We are both so happy (likely annoyingly so! ).

It's so wonderful to be back, and I'm thrilled that you're here, as well!

Congratulations!!!

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your stopping back!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The Monorail is Down!
Day 1 — Part V

After our fabulous time at Hoop Dee Doo, it was time to head back to our resort.

We headed down to the boat docks to catch a resort boat back to the Magic Kingdom. While there, we enjoyed chatting with the family in front of us, and also enjoyed listening to the Disney trivia game occurring on the beach nearby. Some of the questions involved songs from the Four Parks, One World CD, and I was able to identify Soarin’ after just one note. The other family (and Anika!) were impressed!

(Speaking of Soarin’, while I’m excited to see the new ride, I am REALLY going to miss the old experience. It wasn’t my favorite attraction at Disney World but it was right up there. And as evidenced by my trivia knowledge above, I LOVED the song. I’ll really miss the song!)

We waited a bit for a boat but enjoyed a very pleasant ride back to the Magic Kingdom.

We arrived to absolute and total pandemonium.

The entire transportation area was CRAZY and FLOODED with crowds of people. We figured out from the chatter that the monorails were down, so the thousands of people attempting to leave after Wishes were incredibly backlogged on the boat and the busses. This also made it completely impossible to find our way to the bus lane, as we were like salmon swimming upstream.

In all my years at Disney World, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was insane!

Considering we couldn’t even find our way to the busses (we could see the busses, just not the path to get there!) we made a quick decision. We wrangled ourselves out of the crowds and managed to find the walking path to the Contemporary. We figured our best way to get back was take a quick cab to Pop Century.

Attempt is the operative word. Apparently many other folks had the same idea, and the Contemporary entrance was FULL of people attempting to do exactly the same thing!

The Contemporary usually doesn’t need a flood of cabs, so it was a bit slow-going at first. However, I will say that the valets at the Contemporary were absolute rock stars. They started creating a list of those needing a cab, and also began requesting additional cabs. There were a few weenies that attempted to jump the line and take their own cab, but the valets jumped right in there to make sure the cabs were picking up in the order of the list. Like I said – rock stars!

It took about 45 minutes, but we finally caught our cab back to Pop Century. Thank you, awesome Contemporary Resort valets!

Even though it was later than we were planning, I still wanted to see a bit of the resort in the dark.

Our first stop was the area I’d originally requested, the 50’s section. I wanted Anika to see these:

Statues from her favorite movie, Lady and the Tramp!

Anika loved seeing her favorite characters and the bowling pin pool. It would be fun to stay in the 50’s section someday!

I also grabbed a few photos from the 60’s section:

I especially loved the Play-Doh statue – I loved playing with Play-Doh when I was younger!

Our wandering was cut short, as it was after midnight and we were EXHAUSTED. We made our way back to our room and crashed. With a successful travel day, a DISmeet, pool time, and our first visit to Hoop Dee Doo, it was a very successful first Disney day!

Up Next: Touring Pop Century

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Tie-Dyed Cheesecake and the Potato Heads
Day 2 — Sunday, May 24th

After our long day and late night, it was wonderful to do something that’s rarely done at Disney – sleep in! Our plans for the day were pretty loose, as our only “must-dos” of the day included a lunch ADR and driving to Universal – and hopefully another DISmeet!

I got up around 8:00 and traveled to the Disney Car Care Center. We’d had a wonderful experience with the Car Care Center during our 2012 trip, and they were just as wonderful this morning.

Here’s our transportation to Universal, a very nice VW Passat:

The Disney Car Care Center comes through again! It didn’t take long before I was on my way back to Pop.

I got Anika up and we packed up the room and put our bags in our new rental car. We were excited to give the Everything Pop food court a try!

The picture is a bit blurry, but here is the seating available at Pop:

It’s not quite as nicely decorated as Land of Flavors, but it still boasts plenty of space!

As with many of the Disney food courts, Everything Pop is set up with multiple food stations, and then you make your way to the front to pay:

Anika chose a make-your-own yogurt parfait:

I got an everything bagel with cream cheese and a chocolate pudding:

I ate a LOT of everything bagels on this trip – they were really good and always hit the spot!

It wouldn’t be a complete trip to Pop Century without its famous dessert:

Tie-Dyed Cheesecake!

Our breakfast was basic but tasty, and Anika really enjoyed her parfait. We also really liked the tie-dyed cheesecake. It’s pretty small (much smaller than it used to be, based on pictures I’ve seen), but it was pretty tasty! I’m glad we got a chance to try it!

After our casual breakfast, it was time to explore Pop Century!

Not surprisingly, our first stop was for me to pose with surfer Goofy:

We also said hello to Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head:

It was pretty fun to see the Big Wheels – like many others, I had one when I was a kid:

We wandered down to the 90’s to see the computer pool:

And also saw this zany rabbit:

I love the theming of the buildings, from the decorations and phrases to the staircases unique to each decade:

We also took some time to peruse the Everything Pop store and the lobby:

I loved the shadow boxes in the lobby! It’s so fun to see items from years past!

I did some additional wandering outside the front of the resort. Here’s the bus area, just to your right if you go out the front lobby door. There’s also a door straight to the busses near the Everything Pop store:

I also love the decades in their decade-appropriate fonts:

Aren’t these luggage carts the best?!

I also walked through a grassy area to get this awesome picture of the resort sign:

Pop is such a fun resort! I’ve read reports that it’s become a bit dodgier (some service issues and such) recently, but we really enjoyed our time there. I enjoyed it so much that I returned there during my most recent trip in 2016 with my mom!

It was closing in on noon and we had an ADR to get to. We were both excited to try a spot we’d never been before. Onto the Beach Club!

Up Next: Lunch at Beaches and Cream

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I Scream for Ice Cream
Day 2 — Part II

Anika and I were both super excited for our very first to visit the Beach Club!

It’s such a pretty resort! People’s photos do not do the place justice!

Anika was able to list a few “must-do” restaurants for our trip, and one of her choices was our lunch destination… Beaches and Cream!

I’ve read so many trip and dining reports with this spot and it was great to finally fit it in! (That’s somewhat easy to do when you have a two week vacation! )

We checked in and then enjoyed the views of Stormalong Bay while we waited. It would be really fun to stay at the Beach Club someday!

We only had to wait a few minutes before going into the restaurant.

I know many folks comment that the restaurant is small – and they’re not kidding! I know I’ve thought that “it really can’t be THAT small…” Well, the entire restaurant consists of one row of booths, one row of tables and the counter. It is SMALL. No wonder it’s so difficult to score an ADR here!

Even though it’s small, it is super cute inside!

I had a really hard time deciding what to order. I was torn between two DISboard favorites – the cheeseburger and the grilled cheese. Anika (not surprisingly) choose the burger, so I decided to go with the grilled cheese.

There is a walk-up counter on the side of the restaurant where resort guests and pool-goers can order ice cream to-go. It was pretty fun to watch them make ice cream treats while we waited for our food, as our table was right next to the walk-up line. We even got a close-up view of the construction of a Mickey Pants sundae!

It didn’t take long to receive our food. Here’s Anika’s cheeseburger and onion rings:

As well as my grilled cheese and tomato soup:

We were pretty hungry due to our small breakfast, so it was great to sit down and eat a full meal. Anika thought her burger was good and I thought my grilled cheese and soup was fine, but we both agreed that the food was just okay here. The onion rings were pretty good, though! Overall, the food wasn't bad, but it wasn’t nearly as tasty as other restaurants with similar fare.

Despite our lackluster meals, we both agreed that ice cream was a necessity.

We’re no fools, so we ordered the No Way Jose Sundae:

Helpful tip: if you’re super full, you can order a smaller version of a sundae at Beaches and Cream. There’s not much of a cost savings (a few bucks?) but you feel a whole lot less guilty leaving less food on the table!

The ice cream was definitely the best part of the meal!

Although it would’ve been too much for us, we got to see another family enjoy a Kitchen Sink:

That's a lot of ice cream!

Final Thoughts – Beaches and Cream
Overall, this restaurant was just okay. The ambiance was fun and the ice cream was great, but the food was just so-so. I wouldn’t mind coming back for another ice cream sundae, but would be fine trying another spot for lunch. Still, I’m glad we had the chance to try it out!

Up Next: Visiting the Boardwalk and Another DISmeet!