Because We're Insane: Driving & Triple Split Stay! Updated 10/23. Pg.16

[Villainess]

The filet looks yummy!!! May I ask what things about MouseGears renovation did you like and dislike? I didn't know that recently undergone one.

 

[ajf1007]

Whew! I made it over! All subbed up and caught up!
WOW! As I was reading all I kept thinking about was the show Amazing Race. That's what your drive and rush to the ADR reminded me of. You two should consider getting on that show, I think you'd own it! So looking forward to the TR and of course the outfits! I did alittle damage at AT and Loft this weekend, so I really can't wait to see what you selected!

 

[Sooze]

PART TWO: FINALLY AT DISNEY!

Okay, I'm going to take a quick side trip here with my story. I really do LOVE how CM's are so super helpful. But when I'm exhausted and in a hurry, I don't need maps or directions. I know where everything is. I know how to get to International Gateway.

And it's so hard not to just look at them and say, "Thanks... I know... I've been here A LOT!!"

They're NOT just fireworks - they're so much more!!! Hmmm.... maybe I'm tired today too, I'm sounding kind of cranky....)

AMEN! Preach it, sister!

The view from our window - that's the pool through the trees....

We had a VERY similar location, just up on the 5th floor. Great view of the creepy clown!

We checked in and took a deep breath. We were here! Ahhhhhh......

Love this moment.. you captured it perfectly. Like you can finally exhale and start the magic!!

This looks amazingly good!

And the star of the show - the mushroom fillet.

I seriously almost licked my computer screen!

So little and tiny and smushy cute!

You are so funny!

We did stop in one of those stores that are right there when you get into World Showcase, and we bought the Illuminations soundtrack CD that we had been eyeing last year.

Please promise me you will play this in your car at FULL VOLUME!! It is SO amazing. We still insist that they do not play the music loud enough during Illuminations....

The hall area outside our room:

We totally walked by this every time we had to get to our room! I feel like we were JUST there. Wait... we kinda were..

 

[twinsjune13]

Hi, I'm In We are driving from CT to DisneyWorld in August. This is our first time driving and i'm hoping it goes well....It will be ME, DH, DS15, DS13 and DS10 . Cant wait to read more!

We just got back driving from CT to FL It was a great ride We did not drive on I-95 until near Savannah GA Very relaxing and no traffic Beautiful scenery through the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mts.

 

[JenSop]

I'm here, I'm here!!! You are NUTS! all that driving and straight to a Le Cellier reservation...I love it

That figment shirt is sooooo cute!! I also am a Figment lover and HATE the fact that there is less and less merchandise each year...even in the ride gift shop

I cannot wait to eat at Le Cellier...I really want to try the filet, but I really don't like mushrooms...so I will probably have to try something else

Okay - I seriously don't like mushrooms, but I love the mushroom filet! What I do is just not eat the actual mushroom pieces. I don't mind the flavors all around everything - it's actually REALLY good and doesn't taste super mushroomy. I think I'm basically saying that you should try it! haha!

As far as Figment merch - I think I even spent a whole evening last year googling around looking for stuff to no avail. So sad.

The filet looks yummy!!! May I ask what things about MouseGears renovation did you like and dislike? I didn't know that recently undergone one.

I don't know - that big rounded area at the one end that used to be all kids stuff is now a mix of kids stuff, housewares, decorations, etc. And they have other kids stuff kind of in that narrow middle part. Just seems to be a more convoluted lay-out.

Whew! I made it over! All subbed up and caught up!
WOW! As I was reading all I kept thinking about was the show Amazing Race. That's what your drive and rush to the ADR reminded me of. You two should consider getting on that show, I think you'd own it! So looking forward to the TR and of course the outfits! I did alittle damage at AT and Loft this weekend, so I really can't wait to see what you selected!

Haha! I hope you took advantage of the 40% off while we were running it!

Thanks for coming on over to the TR! I LOVE the Amazing Race reference! You know, I never actually sat down and watched that show (never knew when it was on), but I heard plenty about the concept and thought that it would be super fun! I love a good challenge!

We just got back driving from CT to FL It was a great ride We did not drive on I-95 until near Savannah GA Very relaxing and no traffic Beautiful scenery through the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mts.

Glad to hear you had a great drive! I don't know - I don't see myself doing it again any time soon. Of course that's what I said two years ago.....

 

[JenSop]

And it's so hard not to just look at them and say, "Thanks... I know... I've been here A LOT!!"


:

Haha! So good to know that there are so many of us who feel the same way!

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

Yay for another TR! I truly enjoyed your girls TR and looking forward to this one. OK, now onto reading.

 

[JenSop]

Next up: BRING ON THE SEAFOOD!


So last update, we had just gotten in some pool time at Boardwalk before heading to our room to get ready for dinner.

After swimming, it was time to get showered and prettied up for dinner.

I wanted to wear something comfy, as I was still feeling rather out of it from the drive and cranky from the heat.

I decided on the navy blue dress with the white belt....

We walked out toward the Boardwalk and stopped to get our pictures taken in the little photo booth.

Don't do it people!

It's $5!!!!!

We didn't see the price listed and thinking it would be $1 laughing: can you tell we were still out of it?!?!?) we put a bill into the machine. Then when we saw it was $5, we tried to find a button to push to get our dollar back, but it was already gone. So we sucked it up and paid the $5. (That must be how they sucker people in to paying that amount! )

The pictures came out not great. One got this weird double-exposed thing going on. They were so bad that I don't even know where they are. They will not be making an appearance here, my friends.

But I was starting to really feel the heat again. Keep walking!

At least we just had to walk around to the Beach Club - super convenient. It was at this point that we actually started wishing we were staying at Boardwalk for our whole stay, as most of our meals on the trip were in this area. Oh well.

We got to the Cape May Cafe and had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. I was just feeling so tired. I honestly wasn't feeling all that "Disney" yet, as all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

Our server was Sharon. She was really nice and we found out that she was a teacher during the school year and came down to work in Disney every summer. Pretty cool!

One of the highlights of dinner was the always plentiful crab legs. It was all about the crab legs for me at this dinner and I couldn't wait.

Here are some of our plates from our trips up to the buffet...

Ooh! And don't forget the drinks!


Mojito!

Other drinky-drink that I can't remember the name of!

mmmmmmmm..... drinky-drink......



After enjoying quite the yummy meal, we got a nice little surprise from our server. She brought us over a cute little dessert with a Happy Anniversary card signed by a bunch of Disney characters. How adorable!

Then we got up and got our own plate of desserts:

Finally, we just couldn't eat anymore - we were full!

After dinner, we strolled over to Epcot with the intention of using those Soarin' FPs. But the skies were looking treacherous and threatened rain, so we tried to buy an umbrella somewhere. This was not as easy as one would think. We ended up in that gift shop in The Seas buying one from a CM who must have already counted down her cash drawer, as she was NOT too happy to be selling us an umbrella.

But you know, since we bought an umbrella, it wasn't going to rain!

We then went to ride Soarin'. You could tell it had maybe been a long day for the CM's. Because the Soarin' CM's seemed really annoyed that I requested top row middle.

Here's my paraphrase of how the conversation went down.....

Soarin' CM: You know, it'll be about an extra 15 minute wait to do that.

Me: Yes, thank you, we would like to wait.

Me (thinking): Dude, it's not 15 minutes. Whatev.

Then when it was time to line up for the next group, we had to explain our request to the next CM all over again.


Again, I go to Disney alot. I know CM's probably deal with newbies all the time. But if I know what to ask for, it means I've been on the ride before.....

(I actually think I told the CM that we've ridden this ride tons of times and that's our preferred seating area. -Thanks to Sooze! )


All the while, I'm always the asker cause I'm short and I ask all really sweet and cute and stuff. Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting older that people don't cave to my cute routine anymore....


Anyway, Soarin' was freakin' awesome as usual! How can you ride this without a gigantic smile the whole time?!


After the ride, it was back to the resort. Time to rest. First, I had to make a quick call to my mom to see how Grey Kitty was for her. (Our cat has kidney issues and needs sub-cutaneous fluids and medication - not a fun aspect from the cat sitter perspective...)

When we got back to the hotel, there was a message on the phone - a Happy Anniversary message from Mickey and Minnie!


After that, we both went right to bed to get some much needed sleep.



Up next - we start filming shots for the video project - and I realize that it's, um, LOTS harder than I thought it would be!

Would we be able to get right into our room at OKW just like BWV????


Stay tuned!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Oh how I love those Oreo mousse thingys!

I always ask to sit in the first row at Soarin' too! I hate seeing the feet! But I usually don't specify a section (last time we got the middle, the time before that we got the far left). As long as there are no feet in front of me, I'm good!

 

[MEK]

Looking forward to reading your TR Jen, but I am going to wait until I can see all your pix (at work now ).

Can't wait to hear what you thought of OKW since we are staying there in December.

And, I missed your entire PTR.

Can't wait to find out how the drive went. and V&A's - can't wait for that either.

 

[Villainess]

Love the dress you wore for dinner - super cute!

We stayed at BW on a previous trip with a split stay at OKW and I wished that we were at BW the entire time as well; I really enjoyed walking to Epcot and DHS.

 

[Shannon84]

That dress is super cute!!! I love Cape May, looks like you two had a great dinner too

I love Soarin' but I agree there are some seats that are way better than others and worth the extra wait

 

[feyrerm]

Loving the report!! We drive down every time as well from Allentown PA. It’s a haul, but it’s hard to beat the savings. Last time around it was 5 full grown people in my Honda Accord Coupe. It is a full size car and very large, but not made for 5 people on a 17 hour drive. Unfortunately the luggage would not fit in our 4 door Mazda 3 and I wasn't buying a new car for the trip!!

 

[JenSop]

Yay for another TR! I truly enjoyed your girls TR and looking forward to this one. OK, now onto reading.

Aw - thanks so much! Glad to have you along for this one as well!

Oh how I love those Oreo mousse thingys!

I always ask to sit in the first row at Soarin' too! I hate seeing the feet! But I usually don't specify a section (last time we got the middle, the time before that we got the far left). As long as there are no feet in front of me, I'm good!

So with you on the feet! I mean, I've done it, but if I'm not in a hurry or anything, I'm totally cool waiting for a non-feet view.

Looking forward to reading your TR Jen, but I am going to wait until I can see all your pix (at work now ).

Can't wait to hear what you thought of OKW since we are staying there in December.

And, I missed your entire PTR.

Can't wait to find out how the drive went. and V&A's - can't wait for that either.

Glad to have you along for the TR! The PTR was mostly me trying to figure out what outfits to pack. I think I became responsible for a bunch of other ladies buying new clothes....

V&A's was great! Just wait till you see the pictures of that food!

Love the dress you wore for dinner - super cute!

We stayed at BW on a previous trip with a split stay at OKW and I wished that we were at BW the entire time as well; I really enjoyed walking to Epcot and DHS.

Thanks on the dress!! Yes - I have to say - staying at an Epcot resort really is awesome. Nothing beats that convenience!

That dress is super cute!!! I love Cape May, looks like you two had a great dinner too

I love Soarin' but I agree there are some seats that are way better than others and worth the extra wait

Thanks so much on the dress! That's one of my faves - got it at my store two years ago, and it just keeps making the rotation. It's really comfy. I also love Soarin' so much. Makes me kind of want to learn how to hang glide for real!

Loving the report!! We drive down every time as well from Allentown PA. It’s a haul, but it’s hard to beat the savings. Last time around it was 5 full grown people in my Honda Accord Coupe. It is a full size car and very large, but not made for 5 people on a 17 hour drive. Unfortunately the luggage would not fit in our 4 door Mazda 3 and I wasn't buying a new car for the trip!!

Your so right - the savings can't be beat. Total gas comes to less than ONE roundtrip plane ticket. And that's how we justified going to V&S's - we'd use the savings that we made by driving!

I imagine with 5 people you can switch drivers more making the drive more bearable.

 

[jecskc]

It is funny that you said that about the Soarin' CM. We had the exact same problem with the Soarin' CM that day. He was a total grump. Here's my post about it:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=41664404#post41664404

 

[JenSop]

It is funny that you said that about the Soarin' CM. We had the exact same problem with the Soarin' CM that day. He was a total grump. Here's my post about it:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=41664404#post41664404

Love it!

 

[Sooze]

Drinky-Drink! Love that... and loved all of the food pictures. You do such a good job of taking pictures of your food before anyone eats any!

I think you are the first TR writer I've seen who incorporates FASHION into her trip reports! I've had the luxury of seeing ALL of your outfits (Facebook!) and can guarantee your readers that there are more fabulous outfits to come!!

Thanks for the top row/ center shout out! We rode it twice this past trip. The first time, the CMs were super nice about it and treated it like they should... fulfilling a request that WE were willing to wait for. The second time, we had a grumpy old CM who gave us attitude about it. He had to think for a moment before grudgingly letting us wait. I can see this POSSIBLY becoming an issue when more and more people start requesting the top row/ center... but just make a new line for it, ya know? Like Expedition Everest has the extra line for people who want to wait even longer for the front seat?

Great update!!

 

[JenSop]

Drinky-Drink! Love that... and loved all of the food pictures. You do such a good job of taking pictures of your food before anyone eats any!

I think you are the first TR writer I've seen who incorporates FASHION into her trip reports! I've had the luxury of seeing ALL of your outfits (Facebook!) and can guarantee your readers that there are more fabulous outfits to come!!

Thanks for the top row/ center shout out! We rode it twice this past trip. The first time, the CMs were super nice about it and treated it like they should... fulfilling a request that WE were willing to wait for. The second time, we had a grumpy old CM who gave us attitude about it. He had to think for a moment before grudgingly letting us wait. I can see this POSSIBLY becoming an issue when more and more people start requesting the top row/ center... but just make a new line for it, ya know? Like Expedition Everest has the extra line for people who want to wait even longer for the front seat?

Great update!!

I totally agree with you!!!!

Now.... we've all been to other amusement parks. I think EVERY time I go on a roller coaster, there's a little bit of a longer line for the front row and the back row. But people like those spots and are willing to wait. It's the same for me for BTMR and EE. I always want the last car. That's where you get whipped around more. Especially on BTMR. The hills are so small. I feel like if you're in the front, you're already half way down the hill when the train actually gets moving. Now, when we're single rider on EE, we take what we get. But if we're in the regular line, we're asking for last car! Why would Soarin' be any different?

P.S. Thanks for the fashion nod! I guess working part time in a clothing store for three years starts to rub off on a person! Haha!

 

[MEK]

All caught up and I must say I am quite impressed with your overnight 13 hour drive. I am also curious about the route you took. It might be out of the way for me, but anything to avoid that DC traffic. My GF's and I are driving to HH in October, so I'm gonna have to look at that. Overall, I think you guys made great time.

You started off with some yummy looking food. I don't know how you kept your eyes open that evening. Cute dress!

Looking forward to more!

 

[Illuminations_Rocks]

Caught up!
Love the navy dress!

I can't believe you both didn't just pass out upon arrival (well, after eating... can't miss that reservation!). Mostly because that's what I would do, haha!

I am also now reallllly wanting some drinky-drinks from WDW! Just 4 more months until my Nov trip, sigh!

We LOVE TIW. It's such a great savings - and I love that you can use it at the lounges for drinks too!

Top row/center is totally the best Soarin spot. I'm usually not willing to wait.. It was the very first seat I ever got for Soarin and I've been spoiled since! It's worse on the ends in CA, since the screen is like, smaller? I don't know how to describe it well, but it is better on the ends in WDW though still no front/center!