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

[ashw100]

Look at EMPTY Main Street! I know you can still enter before most of the masses for some early reservations, but I don’t think you can see it this empty anymore!

Definitely not, I wish it could be this way again.

This, of course, is where Mother Nature decided to inform us who was in charge.

Oh no, your morning was pretty successful though

Now drenched, feeling unwell, and covered in stains, Anika’s birthday was no longer going very well. The rain FINALLY stopped so we tried to move forward and turn the day around. We thought a ride on the Peoplemover was just the ticket:

I'm sorry that is a crummy turn to this morning

The ride itself was great as always. Our experience on the ride? It would’ve gone a whole lot better had Anika not gotten a bloody nose in the middle of the ride. In our theme of being unprepared that day, I had nary a Kleenex on me. Our solution was to use the very waxy Disney poncho, which unsurprisingly didn’t do the best job.

OMG it's like a cascading domino of bad things, I so sorry.

This beautiful Snow White ornament! What a lovely bit of pixie dust! Although I always tip well I didn’t give our wonderful waitress nearly enough for this kind gesture.

That is so sweet.

Overall, this was a rough day. It started out SO WELL and the middle was such a disaster. Thankfully we ended her day on a good note.

I am sorry it was so rough in the middle. Good for you both for sticking it out and trying to make it better.

 

[cindianne320]

What a bummer that Anika didn't feel well on her birthday! I'm glad there was a happy ending with the gift and yummy dinner!

 

[pkondz]

I've gotten sick on half of my trips there (including one as a small child). Wherever there are lots of people there will be lots of germs!

This needs to be you:

​

I'm so impressed they were able to do that. It's hard to let go as a parent (and I only have a one-year-old!).

Nothing sets up a great evening in Magic Kingdom like a great meal!

I think they are in many ways, but it's still pretty magical to see the castle first thing in the morning!

Very true! I actually think it's magical any time you first enter the park.

That's a shame! I never saw Hallowishes as I've never visited in the fall, but I always read raves about them.

I'm so upset by this... I will hold off on complete melt down stage until after I've seen it. Hoping it won't be as bad as all that.

Her birthday in 2013 started as planned with an early entry to Magic Kingdom for a pre-park opening breakfast. It was a beautiful day!

<fade out to 2013...>

Look at EMPTY Main Street! I know you can still enter before most of the masses for some early reservations, but I don’t think you can see it this empty anymore!

Whoa! There's no one there!!!!!

There were several Photopass photographers that looked awfully bored. We can fix that!

Awww... look at you guys... with absolutely no idea of what's coming down the road...

Crystal Palace. I adore the characters

And I don't. (I'm like Anika)
When I took my youngest DD there I actually told a CM they could skip our table. And they all did! It was wonderful.

Anika, the anti-character lady, was even pleased to get a birthday card signed by the characters

We made it back to Peter Pan before the masses and were climbing into our pirate ship just one minute after park-opening. We were off to a great start!

Niiiice.

The honey wall was new to us on this trip and we were quite entertained!

Took my oldest DD earlier this year and it was new to her. She played with it quite a bit.

We hopped right next door to enjoy less than a 10-minute wait for Splash Mountain:

Less than 10??? This is possible?

Maybe everyone knew what was going to happen...

I was feeling pretty smug at this point. We were on our fifth ride in less than 45 minutes, three of which were headliners that would have huge waits later in the day.

Uh, oh... don't do that... don't get cocky....

This, of course, is where Mother Nature decided to inform us who was in charge.

...too late!!!

When we reached the next outdoor section it was POURING. Even better, for some reason the boats were backed up and we were outside for several minutes stopped between a line of boats.

Well, isn’t this great?!

I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh, but...

We joined a line of pretty much everyone else coming off the ride and bought two Disney ponchos.

Three of the biggest expenses you'll ever have. A house. A car. A Disney poncho.

Anika's face!!!

I LOVE that beach towel. It’s one of my favorite Disney purchases to date and I use it all the time!

Worked out well, then.

she hadn’t mentioned that she didn’t feel well! That turned out to be exactly the case. She felt a bit better now, but that was a bummer.

Don't know if you meant to do that...

Anika also realized when she removed her poncho that her new purple bag had left large purple stains on her new tee shirt and white shorts.

Oh, no!

Our experience on the ride? It would’ve gone a whole lot better had Anika not gotten a bloody nose in the middle of the ride.

Oh, no! (again!)

When Anika took a bathroom break I told the waitress that we’d had a really rough morning and would appreciate it if we could forgo the birthday song.

That... well, that really sucks.

When you’re at Liberty Tree Tavern you MUST get the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake:

Absolutely.

(Just because our day wasn't going well doesn't mean we don't finish dessert. In fact, maybe we should've ordered two.

Yes!

Our sweet and lovely waitress brought our check along with a gift bag. She said she was sorry Anika had a tough morning on her birthday and wanted her to take this gift on behalf of the waitstaff.

Really? That's really wonderful!

a nosebleed-free trip on the Peoplemover,

<phew!>

What a surprise delight this was! I highly recommend the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.

I remember the first time I went in. Didn't expect much. Was very pleasantly surprised.

She’s smiling! It’s a Disney miracle.

Yay!

 

[afwdwfan]

I was feeling pretty smug at this point. We were on our fifth ride in less than 45 minutes, three of which were headliners that would have huge waits later in the day. The day couldn’t be going better!

This is the kind of thing you can't do in 2019... between all the extra charge add-on early admission events and the fact that they let everyone in the park before rope drop. I miss these old kind of productive mornings!

Well, isn’t this great?!

Well, I mean the point of Splash Mountain is to get wet. It does have "Splash" in the name...

We finally shivered our way through the rest of the ride (those interior sections are COLD if you’re wet!)

We joined a line of pretty much everyone else coming off the ride and bought two Disney ponchos

They usually work a little bit better if you use them before your clothes are wet enough to wring out.

The ride itself was great as always. Our experience on the ride? It would’ve gone a whole lot better had Anika not gotten a bloody nose in the middle of the ride. In our theme of being unprepared that day, I had nary a Kleenex on me. Our solution was to use the very waxy Disney poncho, which unsurprisingly didn’t do the best job.

What a birthday... Poor Anika!

Our sweet and lovely waitress brought our check along with a gift bag. She said she was sorry Anika had a tough morning on her birthday and wanted her to take this gift on behalf of the waitstaff. We didn’t open it until we returned to the resort and this is what we found:

That's pretty awesome! Love some of the special things Disney and their employees do for people.

After our break I had a much cheerier birthday girl on my hands. I left it up to her on what we should do for the rest of the day and she chose to go back to Magic Kingdom followed by our original dinner plans.

We headed straight for Tomorrowland and got things started on the right foot with a Mickey pretzel:

That's how you rally back from a rough morning!

She’s smiling! It’s a Disney miracle.

So, how do you think it went? Was the second time a charm?

I sure hope so!

 

[Tracy161]

O. M. G. It was painful just reading some of that update! I can't believe the series of unfortunate events that transpired on Anika's birthday Thank goodness it started and ended on positive notes, but sheesh...

When we reached the next outdoor section it was POURING. Even better, for some reason the boats were backed up and we were outside for several minutes stopped between a line of boats.

I had a terrible feeling you were about to say that you got stuck outside and backed up with the boats...

(Just because our day wasn't going well doesn't mean we don't finish dessert. In fact, maybe we should've ordered two.

)

Yes! I agree about ordering two!

Our sweet and lovely waitress brought our check along with a gift bag.

How thoughtful! What a nice gesture

Please, oh please, tell me Anika's second Disney birthday went waaaaay better!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Sorry to hear the first time you celebrated Anika's birthday in WDW it wasn't perfect. At least you could end the night well! I hope it went better the 2nd time.

It was so far from perfect it was almost comical - I felt like we were in a sitcom! We certainly laugh about it now as it was a very memorable day!

I was happy our afternoon and evening was so much smoother than the morning.

Definitely not, I wish it could be this way again.

I can't believe how EMPTY it is in my pictures! I'm thrilled I had a chance to experience it so empty. It was quite magical!

Oh no, your morning was pretty successful though

I'm sorry that is a crummy turn to this morning

OMG it's like a cascading domino of bad things, I so sorry.

Writing about it made me remember how many bad things happened, one right after another. What a crazy day!

Despite the sharp turn from good to bad, I'm still impressed with how many attractions we cracked though in the first hour (really, forty-five minutes!).​

That is so sweet.

It was SO nice. I really wish I'd taken a peek in the bag before we left - I should've given her a much bigger tip!

I am sorry it was so rough in the middle. Good for you both for sticking it out and trying to make it better.

We certainly laugh about it now but it was not so funny that day!

I'm glad we have a few happy memories and a great story - it was a very memorable birthday!

What a bummer that Anika didn't feel well on her birthday! I'm glad there was a happy ending with the gift and yummy dinner!

The day certainly didn't develop as we'd planned! I'm glad she felt better by the end of the day and we could enjoy her birthday dinner. She still has (and loves!) the ornament.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

This needs to be you:

I'm sure that would help!

Honestly, I seem to be the most prone to illness when I'm stressed about the trip going well and don't allow myself enough rest. I was fine on our 2012 trip (February has limited park hours so were often back at the resort by 9pm) and our 2016 trip (I did plenty of park hopping and attractions, but spend many afternoons relaxing at my resort). I think the downtime on each of those trips made the difference! I need to remember that for future trips!

Very true! I actually think it's magical any time you first enter the park.

I agree.

I'm so upset by this... I will hold off on complete melt down stage until after I've seen it. Hoping it won't be as bad as all that.

I hope you enjoyed it more than you anticipated.

Whoa! There's no one there!!!!!

It stuns me to look at those pictures - it's EMPTY. It's pretty much impossible to get a picture like that now!

We wanted to make sure they weren't bored!

Awww... look at you guys... with absolutely no idea of what's coming down the road...

Seriously. No idea whatsoever.

And I don't. (I'm like Anika)
When I took my youngest DD there I actually told a CM they could skip our table. And they all did! It was wonderful.

I LOVE the characters (and I was always the one paying for the trip!) so there was no way we'd be skipping the characters! I'm glad they're willing to be accommodating for other guests, though.

She was so happy about everything that morning. It's a shame it went downhill so quickly!

Niiiice.

I don't think that will ever be possible again... so I'm just going to be proud that I managed to do it once! (I realize it may be possible to get to the Peter Pan line before opening if you have a PPO breakfast at BOG, but to be climbing into the ship at 9:01 is still pretty great!)

Took my oldest DD earlier this year and it was new to her. She played with it quite a bit.

It was an excellent addition to the queue! We both really enjoyed it!

Less than 10??? This is possible?

Maybe everyone knew what was going to happen...

Maybe!

Welcome to the days before Fastpass+! With the paper Fastpass machines not giving out times until 9:30, there was hardly a Fastpass line so it was easy to have a short wait.

Uh, oh... don't do that... don't get cocky....

What, me? Cocky?!

...too late!!!

I know.

I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh, but...

We certainly laugh about it now! It certainly was a memorable experience!

Three of the biggest expenses you'll ever have. A house. A car. A Disney poncho.

I know, right?! They are really nice ponchos, though - certainly several steps above the $1 ponchos I buy before trips.

Anika's face!!!

It pretty much says it all!

Worked out well, then.

That part certainly did! I never would've bought a beach towel (it wasn't on my souvenir radar), but it's one of my favorite Disney purchases. I want another beach towel when we go next year!

Don't know if you meant to do that...

No, I sure didn't!

Oh, no!

She was SO sad as she's gotten both the shorts and shirt shortly before our trip. My mom managed to save the shorts but the shirt was never quite the same color.

Oh, no! (again!)

I couldn't believe it. It was just one thing after another.

That... well, that really sucks.

I felt so bad for her - she was just done with her day at that point.

Absolutely.

Isn't the reason to go to Liberty Tree Tavern the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake? (I mean, the burgers are good too, but seriously...)

Yes!

We're not fools. One must always finish the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake.

Really? That's really wonderful!

It was SO sweet. What a kind gesture!

<phew!>

Thank goodness!

I remember the first time I went in. Didn't expect much. Was very pleasantly surprised.

It's a great attraction! I think it can be better or worse depending on the people that interact with the monsters, but I've always enjoyed it.

Yay!

I'm so glad the day ended on a much happier note than I expected after all the craziness in the middle of the day.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

This is the kind of thing you can't do in 2019... between all the extra charge add-on early admission events and the fact that they let everyone in the park before rope drop. I miss these old kind of productive mornings!

I do, too. It's definitely one of the minuses of Fastpass"+" along with the events.

Well, I mean the point of Splash Mountain is to get wet. It does have "Splash" in the name...

"Splash" - yes.

"Drenched" - no.

I do not understand why they pump in so much air conditioning on water rides. Wet people do not need that much A/C!

They usually work a little bit better if you use them before your clothes are wet enough to wring out.

Fair point. We just didn't want it to get worse!

What a birthday... Poor Anika!

It was something else. Where was the hidden camera and when were they going to jump out and say "gotcha!" ?!

No, seriously. It hardly seemed possible that SO MANY THINGS could go wrong!

That's pretty awesome! Love some of the special things Disney and their employees do for people.

It was such a wonderful gift after such a crummy morning.

That's how you rally back from a rough morning!

That pretzel tasted extra delicious. Thank goodness for Mickey-shaped treats!

Hooray!

I sure hope so!

My fingers were certainly crossed back in 2015! I figured as long as no one got sick that day, I would count it as a win. (Okay, I was already sick... but no one else!)

O. M. G. It was painful just reading some of that update! I can't believe the series of unfortunate events that transpired on Anika's birthday Thank goodness it started and ended on positive notes, but sheesh...

I know. It's unbelievable how many things went wrong that morning! What a birthday!

I had a terrible feeling you were about to say that you got stuck outside and backed up with the boats...

We'd never had that happen before (and there was hardly a cloud in the sky when we boarded!) so it was unexpected. From that day I've double and triple-checked to MAKE SURE I was carrying our ponchos. Never again!

Yes! I agree about ordering two!

I don't know that we could've expanded our stomachs enough to make it work for two at one time, but maybe we should've ordered one to-go!

How thoughtful! What a nice gesture

It was SO nice of her. Anika loves that ornament to this day.

Please, oh please, tell me Anika's second Disney birthday went waaaaay better!

There was certainly less water involved!

The next update is coming up... so you'll see!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Happy Birthday, Dear Anika!
Day 7 – Friday, May 29th

We woke up for the last time in our lovely room at the Grand Floridian. It was hard to feel too sad, though – Anika’s birthday had arrived!



We got ready, packed up the rest of our stuff, and dragged our bags to the main building. It didn’t take long to drop them off with bell services for the morning. We then took the fancy staircase in the lobby to catch the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.

We didn’t have to wait long before seeing this beauty:

I will admit that catching a monorail with a few minutes of travel time to the Magic Kingdom is AWESOME. We left the Grand Floridian at 7:40 for our PPO breakfast – that sure beats getting out the door by 7:15 to catch a bus! (I don’t know that it’s quite worth the rack rate to stay there regularly, but it sure was nice for this morning!)

After our short ride to the park we jumped into the event line for early dining reservations. When Wade scanned his band it alerted us that we needed his ticket verified by guest services. I’d purchased Wade a promotional Florida resident ticket as it was much cheaper than a regular three-day ticket. We jumped out of line and went over to guest services. With no one in line ahead of us it didn’t take long for Wade to show his Florida driver’s license and verify his resident ticket. Then it was back to the event line, take two!

Magic Kingdom was looking quite lovely this morning:

I will miss the quiet PPO in Magic Kingdom. We certainly weren’t alone this morning, as it was just a few minutes before 8:00 and there were others in the park for dining reservations and tours. They had also started the EEM at Magic Kingdom shortly before our trip, so a few of those folks were in the park as well. Still, I enjoyed getting into the park before the masses in order to grab a few Photopass shots and enjoy breakfast (and hopefully beat many folks in those masses to the first few attractions). I’ll be curious to see the difference on our next trip!

Our first stop was to grab a few Photopass shots, first one with all three of us:

And then another of me with the birthday girl:

I thought these turned our rather well since I was still full of Mucinex and antibiotics! (And blowing my nose constantly!)

We also spent a few minutes enjoying the (then) newly designed hub. I was unsure what I would think of it, but I thought it was quite nice!

After our must-have pictures were completed we checked in for our breakfast. Our breakfast location should come as no surprise as we returned to our favorite PPO breakfast spot:

We LOVE the Crystal Palace breakfast. It wouldn’t be a Disney trip for us without it!

We waited just a few minutes between checking in and being buzzed into the restaurant. Our trip though the food lines would have to wait, as our first friend was just a few tables away:

Good morning, Tigger! You can tell Anika was in a good mood this morning as even she posed for a picture with Tigger:

After bouncing with Tigger it was time for food! I beelined straight to the egg order line that I’d discovered on my last trip to get a custom omelet:

They are DELICIOUS and it doesn’t tend to take that long to get your order. I highly recommend it!

Here is my omelet (with tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese), along with Pooh’s French toast, fruit and my nearly finished bacon:

Here is Anika’s plate, which also includes Pooh’s French toast, eggs, sausage, and fruit:

We both love the Pooh French toast. Along with the omelet/egg station, it’s my favorite part of the Crystal Palace breakfast. It’s like eating a donut with syrup (so, super healthy… but it’s vacation?).

When we returned with our plates our server came by to deliver Anika’s birthday cupcake. Not only did he bring the cupcake, but he knelt down next to our table and started singing “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” to Anika:

Anika HATES being the center of attention so she was DYING. Don’t let that smile in the picture fool you – she was being polite as she didn’t want to make our server feel bad. I thought this was rather hysterical and laughed about it for the rest of the day.

(No lie, if it had been me getting the serenade I would've been pretty embarrassed, too. It was a rather odd song choice but certainly a nice gesture.)

Unfortunately, she soon had to trade one embarrassment for another as more characters were on their way. First up was Piglet:

Then my favorite Pooh character, Eeyore:

Finally, a visit from the namesake of our favorite French toast:

It was during the visit with Pooh that a miracle occurred. You certainly noticed that Anika had been a good sport about taking pictures with characters that morning. Well, imagine my surprise when this occurred:

ANIKA gave a character a HUG. This is similar to Sheldon hugging Penny back in season two of The Big Bang Theory. Anika HATES meeting characters, but will put up with it as she loves me and I love the characters.

I about died of shock.

We were off to a great start, folks!

With our breakfast done, the birthday cupcake and song delivered, and all the character meets completed, it was time to venture out into the park.

Final Thoughts – Crystal Palace
This had been our favorite breakfast ADR on our two prior trips and it remained so on this trip. We LOVE the Crystal Palace – the food is tasty (the omelet station! Pooh’s French toast!) and the characters are always a win. I can’t imagine a trip to Disney without a visit here!

Up Next: A Morning in MK

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Sounds like a great morning so far!

I wish I had some Pooh's french toast now lol!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Sounds like a great morning so far!

Yes, we were off to a great start! I was happy that we managed to get several good Photopass pictures before our breakfast, had a tasty breakfast, and were done in plenty of time to beat the crowds to the rides!

I wish I had some Pooh's french toast now lol!

Me, too! I was VERY hungry by the time I finished this update!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The Planning has Commenced!

As you can see from my new ticker, the planning is currently underway for our next Disney adventure! I'm bringing along my husband and our daughter to enjoy our first trip as a family of THREE!



It's going to be a new set of obstacles and a whole lot of fun to plan a trip that's great for two adults and a nearly two-year-old. It will be interesting to figure out the best park plans while taking into account naps and earlier bedtimes. Thankfully my husband is an early riser, so my pre-park opening breakfast trend should continue!

I know pre-trip reports aren't everyone's jam, but if you're interested here is the link to the beginning of my planning craziness:

Disney... Party of Three!

We've already been on a vacation with M (and are set to go on another next week), but a vacation in Disney World should prove to be a different beast. Lugging around a diaper bag in the parks and folding a stroller to ride the bus will be new to me, along with things like stroller parking and rider swap. I also haven't been to Disney World in four years so I want to make sure I'm as up-to-date as possible on all the changes!

I'd love any feedback or help I can get about traveling around the World with a little!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Heigh-Ho!
Day 7 – Part II

Back in 2013 during Anika’s first birthday in Disney World, the morning started out amazingly and then went sharply downhill. I was optimistic that since we’d already had a few baubles that morning (having to return to guest services to activate the pass, Anika’s embarrassment at her birthday song) we were off to a more realistic start and things could only improve.

Here’s hoping!

One really great thing is we were out of Crystal Palace more than ten minutes before park opening. I couldn’t believe our good luck! My original plan for the day was to head straight to Peter Pan’s Flight, but we were so ahead of schedule I decided on a new plan:

We joined a still fairly short line for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Anika and I were pretty excited to ride this for the first time and Wade was happy to do whatever.

Our giddiness diminished when they announced a few minutes after we got in line that the ride opening would be delayed.

Well, crud.

My anxiety rising, I hated to give up our great spot in line but also hated to waste prime early-morning time. I left it up to Anika on what she wanted to do and she decided we should tough it out. Thankfully, we only had to wait until 9:05 for the line to begin moving.

We worked our way through the queue – it was a long queue! I enjoyed the interactive queue and all the games that were available. We were moving fast enough that we didn’t have much time to play them, but it was fun to move a few jewels around.

Finally, we reached the loading area! They held us a bit longer and then began loading the ride. Anika and I were thrilled to make it into the front car!

Soon we were off on our first ride of the day! We loved our view from the front seat!

I also enjoyed the ride photos (and you can see me holding my camera):

Despite being new to the ride, I was thrilled to get a fairly good picture of the evil queen outside the dwarves’ cottage:

Our first ride on the Mine Train completed… and what did we think? It was… okay. We agreed it was a cute ride (I particularly liked the section of dwarves in the jewel mine) but it was not the roller coaster we were anticipating even though we knew it was more low-key than the mountains.

Anika was so lackluster on this ride that this was out only spin on the Mine Train on this trip.

I will admit that the ride grew on me on my 2016 trip. I appreciated it for what it was – a fun blend of mild roller coaster and cool animatronics. A thrill ride its not, but that’s okay.

Our first ride accomplished we continued on to another attraction. We bypassed the rest of Fantasyland as the lines had grown considerably in the last 20+ minutes. Instead, we walked into Liberty Square to this gem:

I LOVE when the Haunted Mansion (and the Tower of Terror) list a thirteen minute wait.

Our ride with grim-grinning ghosts was excellent and we were encouraged to hurry back:

There was a Photopass photographer outside the Haunted Mansion! I was thrilled to grab a few great pictures.

Some people in our photo missed the instructions to be scared:

Next it was off to Adventureland!

We decided to jump into line for Jungle Cruise before the line got too long. Well, funny story, it took us almost 30 MINUTES to get through the line! Good grief. I was thus far unimpressed what this Fastpass+ business had done to some of the ride lines.

Finally we made it onto the ride! I became less irritated with our wait because our skipper was AWESOME!

We enjoyed the usual Jungle Cruise sights, including the lion feast:

The trip through the cave:

And the fun elephants:

I was in a great mood once we got off the ride. What a wonderful cruise!

Pirates had an actual short wait so we headed there next:

Ah, I love a ride in the cool darkness! It was a lovely boat ride. Yo-ho-ho!

It was time to use our first Fastpass+ of the day at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad:

Wade was so nice to be up for any ride. He wears hearing aids so anything with water was out (so Spalsh Mountain was saved for another day), but he still loves the thrill rides. I was happy to deliver!

We enjoyed a great ride in the wilderness:

With an hour to go until our lunch reservation, we traveled back to Adventureland for a few attractions with minimal lines.

First was a favorite of Anika’s and mine, the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse:

I know it’s not the most popular attraction, but we enjoy climbing the treehouse at least once per trip. You can get some great views!

Next up was an attraction we hadn’t experienced in a while, the Tiki Room:

Is it our favorite attraction? No, but it was fun to enjoy the air conditioning and sing along to a few songs:

It was time for lunch! We headed back to Liberty Square for our favorite lunch spot in Magic Kingdom:

Yum, Liberty Tree Tavern!

Up Next: Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Dining with Paul Revere
Day 7 – Part III

Anika and I tried Liberty Tree Tavern back on our first sister trip in 2012. When flight prices were crazy, I ended up having us arrive a day earlier than originally planned and that gave us the opportunity to try three additional restaurants.

This was one of them.

Liberty Tree Tavern has become one of our FAVORITE restaurants. It’s a wonderful break in the air conditioning and the food is tasty. We’ve always had a great experience here! I can’t speak to the dinner as we’ve always eaten here for lunch, but I can’t recommend the lunch highly enough!

We checked in about fifteen minutes early and enjoyed the view in the lobby:

We waited less than ten minutes before our family was called back. I love that they announce people as “Welcoming the [LastName] Family!” It’s so fun.

We were seated in the Paul Revere room this time, so we enjoyed seeing the lanterns and the buffet of silver:

They’d included a fun curly string on our table in honor of Anika’s birthday:

Our server brought the bread and butter quickly:

I also got my usual Sprite in the fancy mug:

I’m a fan of caffeinated beverages, but for some reason I always order Sprite at Liberty Tree. It’s become a tradition!

We didn’t have to wait long for our entrees. I ordered the same thing as I’d had back in 2012, the Colony Salad. It includes grilled chicken, Washington apples, pecans, cheddar, and dried cranberries in a vinaigrette:

Anika ordered her favorite here, the Bacon Cheeseburger with fries:

They also bring a lovely selection of condiments:

Wade usually doesn’t eat as much during the day and was still somewhat full from breakfast. As such he enjoyed a bowl of New England Clam Chowder:

All of our meals were great, but the standout is definitely the burger. It’s a step above the quick-service burgers and the fries are oversized and quite delicious. I finally tried this burger on my 2016 trip and learned that Anika had been making the best choice. What was I thinking ordering the salad?! (The salad is delicious, though, so if you’re looking for a tasty lighter meal it’s a great choice.)

One cannot visit Liberty Tree Tavern without getting the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake:

Anika also received her birthday cupcake:

Because I am a nice sister I requested that they forgo the birthday song – I figured she had received enough embarrassment on this morning’s birthday song.

Anika was a much happier camper at the end of this meal than she’d been on her last visit here. Hooray for a disaster-free morning!

Final Thoughts – Liberty Tree Tavern
Liberty Tree Tavern lunch remains one of our must-do ADRs. I love that you can order a la carte for the lunch which leads us to book lunch over dinner. I’m sure the all-you-can-eat dinner is yummy (which you can now enjoy as a lunch option, too), but I love being able to order a smaller entrée. I also think our meals are only available at lunch and we LOVE the burger and would highly recommend it! It’s also where you can find Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake which is ALWAYS delicious!

Up Next: More fun in MK

 

[cindianne320]

Man- both your meals looked delicious, and now I'm hungry! I really need to give Liberty Tree Tavern a try- I've never eaten there!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Man- both your meals looked delicious, and now I'm hungry! I really need to give Liberty Tree Tavern a try- I've never eaten there!

That is definitely the negative of reading trip and dining reports - they always make me hungry, too!

I think LTT is often overlooked due all the characters meals and BOG in MK, but it's become a must-do for us. We always enjoy our food and the servers have always been very nice. Plus, the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake is always delicious! I don't think it's as important in the cooler months, but I've learned I handle the central Florida heat much better if I take lunch breaks in the air conditioning. (Also, all the extra water/iced tea I tend to drink during my restaurant meals do a better job of warding off dehydration and the headaches that can occur with the more moderate intake at the CS places).

I highly recommend it (particularly the lunch!) if you can ever work it into your schedule!

 

[cindianne320]

Thanks! I may have to try it on my solo trip in April!

 

[pkondz]

Honestly, I seem to be the most prone to illness when I'm stressed about the trip going well and don't allow myself enough rest. I was fine on our 2012 trip (February has limited park hours so were often back at the resort by 9pm) and our 2016 trip (I did plenty of park hopping and attractions, but spend many afternoons relaxing at my resort). I think the downtime on each of those trips made the difference! I need to remember that for future trips!

Definitely keep it in mind!
Besides... you can afford to take a bit of time for yourself. It's okay!

I hope you enjoyed it more than you anticipated.

Actually... I did!

She was so happy about everything that morning. It's a shame it went downhill so quickly!

It was an excellent addition to the queue! We both really enjoyed it!

I like that Disney seems to be making more of an effort in that department.
7DMT and PP come to mind.

What, me? Cocky?!

We certainly laugh about it now! It certainly was a memorable experience!

I bet!

I know, right?! They are really nice ponchos, though - certainly several steps above the $1 ponchos I buy before trips.

Yes, but... one of the things I like about the $1 ponchos... you just toss them when done.
I know, I know... not very environmentally friendly.
But I don't want to be lugging a wet poncho around if I don't have to.

My mom managed to save the shorts but the shirt was never quite the same color.

Not surprised. Too bad, though.

I felt so bad for her - she was just done with her day at that point.

Isn't the reason to go to Liberty Tree Tavern the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake? (I mean, the burgers are good too, but seriously...)

<sigh>
I had hoped to try the burger there, but...

Well, you'll see (when I get that TR started.)

We're not fools. One must always finish the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake.

 

[pkondz]

I will admit that catching a monorail with a few minutes of travel time to the Magic Kingdom is AWESOME.

Yes, I would think so!
I have done it once or twice, but only because I was there for ADRs, not as a guest.
I can't imagine waking up and doing that. Nice!

Nice photo!

I’ll be curious to see the difference on our next trip!

Me too! Looking forward to the report.

I thought these turned our rather well since I was still full of Mucinex and antibiotics!

Very well! So much so that I thought you were all better.

We also spent a few minutes enjoying the (then) newly designed hub. I was unsure what I would think of it, but I thought it was quite nice!

I did too.

You can tell Anika was in a good mood this morning as even she posed for a picture with Tigger:

You're converting her!

They are DELICIOUS and it doesn’t tend to take that long to get your order. I highly recommend it!

Thanks for the tip! I seldom eat breakfast in Disney, but... one never knows!

When we returned with our plates our server came by to deliver Anika’s birthday cupcake. Not only did he bring the cupcake, but he knelt down next to our table and started singing “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” to Anika:

Nice of him, but...

Don’t let that smile in the picture fool you – she was being polite as she didn’t want to make our server feel bad. I thought this was rather hysterical and laughed about it for the rest of the day.

It was a rather odd song choice but certainly a nice gesture.

… this. I was thinking the same thing. How does he know if she's lost that loving feeling or not???

Awwwww...

ANIKA gave a character a HUG. This is similar to Sheldon hugging Penny back in season two of The Big Bang Theory. Anika HATES meeting characters, but will put up with it as she loves me and I love the characters.

I about died of shock.

That's so sweet! I love that!

As you can see from my new ticker, the planning is currently underway for our next Disney adventure! I'm bringing along my husband and our daughter to enjoy our first trip as a family of THREE!

Yay!

I know pre-trip reports aren't everyone's jam

But please post a link to the TR here... or else I'll miss it!

One really great thing is we were out of Crystal Palace more than ten minutes before park opening.

Nice!!

Our giddiness diminished when they announced a few minutes after we got in line that the ride opening would be delayed.

Oh, no!

My anxiety rising, I hated to give up our great spot in line but also hated to waste prime early-morning time.

I know just how you feel. it's a real problem!

Thankfully, we only had to wait until 9:05 for the line to begin moving.

Phew!

I also enjoyed the ride photos (and you can see me holding my camera):

Our first ride on the Mine Train completed… and what did we think? It was… okay. We agreed it was a cute ride (I particularly liked the section of dwarves in the jewel mine) but it was not the roller coaster we were anticipating even though we knew it was more low-key than the mountains.

I had a similar reaction to it the first time I rode it.

I will admit that the ride grew on me on my 2016 trip. I appreciated it for what it was – a fun blend of mild roller coaster and cool animatronics. A thrill ride its not, but that’s okay.

And this as well. Subsequent trips on 7DMT have been very enjoyable.

I LOVE when the Haunted Mansion (and the Tower of Terror) list a thirteen minute wait.

Some people in our photo missed the instructions to be scared:

But at least you got it!

Well, funny story, it took us almost 30 MINUTES to get through the line!

Ugh... not great for so early in the morning.

Finally we made it onto the ride! I became less irritated with our wait because our skipper was AWESOME!

A good skipper makes or breaks this ride.

We enjoyed the usual Jungle Cruise sights, including the lion feast:

Feast? They're just babysitting that sleeping zebra.

First was a favorite of Anika’s and mine, the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse:

Really! Why? (apart from the views)

Is it our favorite attraction? No, but it was fun to enjoy the air conditioning and sing along to a few songs:

That's about the only reason I'd go in there. But I'd prefer to mosey just a bit over to Aloha Isle and cool off with a Dole Whip.

but I can’t recommend the lunch highly enough!

I had the family style the two times I've been there. But I really want to try that burger!

I love that they announce people as “Welcoming the [LastName] Family!” It’s so fun.

I ordered the same thing as I’d had back in 2012, the Colony Salad. It includes grilled chicken, Washington apples, pecans, cheddar, and dried cranberries in a vinaigrette:

That looks good!

As such he enjoyed a bowl of New England Clam Chowder:

Yum! I love a good clam chowder!

All of our meals were great, but the standout is definitely the burger.

<sigh>… some day...

One cannot visit Liberty Tree Tavern without getting the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake:

Anika also received her birthday cupcake:

That looks pretty tame when compared to the Toffee cake.

 

[afwdwfan]

We woke up for the last time in our lovely room at the Grand Floridian. It was hard to feel too sad, though – Anika’s birthday had arrived!

Happy Birthday! Get out!

We both love the Pooh French toast. Along with the omelet/egg station, it’s my favorite part of the Crystal Palace breakfast. It’s like eating a donut with syrup (so, super healthy… but it’s vacation?).

All rules go out the window on vacation! I've never made it to CP for breakfast but it has been on our ADR list several times before being cut. One of these days I'll know all that awesomeness.

When we returned with our plates our server came by to deliver Anika’s birthday cupcake. Not only did he bring the cupcake, but he knelt down next to our table and started singing “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” to Anika:

I know that guy! He was our server when we had lunch there this summer! I absolutely understand her discomfort.

Super nice guy, but he does enjoy serenading his tables while you while you eat. And it is kind of awkward...

As you can see from my new ticker, the planning is currently underway for our next Disney adventure! I'm bringing along my husband and our daughter to enjoy our first trip as a family of THREE!

Awesome!

I'd love any feedback or help I can get about traveling around the World with a little!

I'll be happy to answer any questions or help the best I can. For a lot of things, just remember, there's no right or wrong answer, just do what you want.

Our giddiness diminished when they announced a few minutes after we got in line that the ride opening would be delayed.

Well, crud.

My anxiety rising, I hated to give up our great spot in line but also hated to waste prime early-morning time. I left it up to Anika on what she wanted to do and she decided we should tough it out. Thankfully, we only had to wait until 9:05 for the line to begin moving.

Blech... at least it didn't end up wasting a lot of the morning.

Our first ride on the Mine Train completed… and what did we think? It was… okay.

That's about right... fun ride, but 75 minute wait? No thanks.

Yum, Liberty Tree Tavern!

Are you trying to make her sick for her birthday?
Seriously though, CP and LTT... both are among my favorites. I probably would make myself sick eating those 2 back to back. I'd probably also go for the family style meal at LTT though.

Because I am a nice sister I requested that they forgo the birthday song – I figured she had received enough embarrassment on this morning’s birthday song.

Good call.

Anika was a much happier camper at the end of this meal than she’d been on her last visit here. Hooray for a disaster-free morning!

That's awesome!