Biscuit's Grand Adventure | An epic tale three decades in the making!

[Sooze]

While I'm sad to see your last day begin... I am comforted in the fact that there are still GOBS of episodes left for me to explore in the Great Biscuit world! Yippee!

It was with a heavy heart that I bid our room a final farewell and sadly closed the door.

I HATE that moment! It's even worse when your kids are holding back their own tears with you!!

Tracy and I each took a girl and filled their plates up first, then I sat at the table with them while Tracy got her plate filled. Upon her return I was powerful hungry and couldn’t wait to dive into the various food offerings which had been tempting me from across the room.

The joys of having a two-parent, two-kid family... you kinda get these routines down pat!

and last but not least, a big pile of fried cabbage.

Really?!!? GROSS!!!

but I’m the only Biscuit who eats it so when I find it in a restaurant, I gladly partake.

Thems some smart ladies you got in the Biscuit family!!

(Ever wonder if Piglet get's nervous walking past the buffet line on Pork Tenderloin day?)

No! But I will now!!

I ate three helpings of cabbage just hours before planning to board the atmospheric confines of a commercial airliner.

Oh my gosh! I was totally thinking about this before you said it! OUCH!!

No, but it was definitely good eats, and that my friend trumps logic.

If I were the tag fairy, this would SO be under your screen name!

BONUS FEATURE – Disney Dining Review.

I'm not going to quote the whole review but.... dang!! This is pretty impressive! Thanks for breaking it all down for us, with a very logical explanation. You rock!!

Tracy, who believes highly that vacations should be relaxing, really enjoyed the downtime of being able to sit together as a family, away from the heat and crowds and spend some time together. And you know what? I have to agree.

I'm very much looking forward to my 3-year-old getting just a bit older, so we can enjoy sit-down meals like you all did!! I'm sure you all had some wonderful family time!

Say what you will, but as for me and my Biscuits, we love us some dining plan.

Um... another perfect tag fairy quote right here!!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

I'm feeling the pain of a child hitting the "adult" price range. Last trip Danielle was 9 when the trip started so I got charged for a child, nows she's 10. Ouch!

That extra $30 per day adds up QUICK! I doubt we would pay for the DDP if both girls were paying full price.

I know exactly what you mean! We're the same way this time around. Although I'm happy my daughter doesn't have to eat another chicken nugget and almost no veggies this time around.....it's pretty sad that we are mostly eating buffets this time! But, the one thing about it is that we get to have choices of veggies on our plates. I think Disney has caught on if you want side dishes for veggies it needs to be extra. Another reason why I'm not so sure we'll keep doing the dining plan every time we go back. If we had the choice of at least picking a dessert or an appetizer then we could at least have the option of getting a salad before the meal. Oh well! It's still Disney!!

Yeah, there's def pros and cons. With the DDP, I "Upgraded" several of my orders to more high dollar options than I would have chosen otherwise. Cons, I didn't usually want dessert and could have definitely gone with a salad or an app instead.

While I'm sad to see your last day begin... I am comforted in the fact that there are still GOBS of episodes left for me to explore in the Great Biscuit world! Yippee!

Explore away my friend, explore away. I’ve spent quite a bit of time the past two days cleaning up more of the older episodes to clear out typos and such. About 20 episodes left to go.

Really?!!? GROSS!!!

Really. LOVE It.

If I were the tag fairy, this would SO be under your screen name!

Um... another perfect tag fairy quote right here!!

I suppose there are worse lines that could be extracted from this thread.

I'm not going to quote the whole review but.... dang!! This is pretty impressive! Thanks for breaking it all down for us, with a very logical explanation. You rock!!

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

I'm very much looking forward to my 3-year-old getting just a bit older, so we can enjoy sit-down meals like you all did!! I'm sure you all had some wonderful family time!

It made a huge difference in the pace of the trip. I felt like I was taking time to savor things more and enjoy the Disney atmosphere.

 

[vamassey1]

For the record, I like cabbage too! No one else does so the only time I get to cook it is on New Years Day. Everyone has a little to go along with the blackeyed peas. Gotta have the luck and Money.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

My whole family loves cabbage rolls, but they are a royal pain to make, so they are few and far between. In fact, the tag that says "I broke more that I used" refers to the time I made them for my son as he was heading out to join the Air Force, and that was his last dinner wish. Couldn't find the steel holders, so I tried toothpicks, didn't work out so well....

Loved the dining plan recap, planning on sharing it at work as it has a subject of discussion

Can't comment on the last day feeling, since in 37 years of working there, I never had a vacation there

Going to miss you greatly, GB!!!!!!

 

[jordanyosh]

Hey Jordan, dont' forget! (It's been a few months since you volunteered for this assignment.) We were referring to the dust covered stage lights which hang above the ramp that descends to the IASW loading dock.

Thanks for reminding me!

 

[Rebecuberduber]

Aaaw, this is sad, indeed. Your last day. I hope to still see you around and look forward to future Biscuit trips, someday.
Crystal Palace looks lovely. It does seem like a perfect restaurant to close the trip with. You got some lovely pictures, too, as usual. Your girls looked so tiny next to Tigger! He was a tall guy!
I hope your flight and everything goes smoothly. Take your time on posting about it, though. I don't want to see this one come to a close!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

For the record, I like cabbage too! No one else does so the only time I get to cook it is on New Years Day. Everyone has a little to go along with the blackeyed peas. Gotta have the luck and Money.

Exactly! (Of course I’m the only Black Eyed pea eater as well.)

My whole family loves cabbage rolls, but they are a royal pain to make, so they are few and far between. In fact, the tag that says "I broke more that I used" refers to the time I made them for my son as he was heading out to join the Air Force, and that was his last dinner wish. Couldn't find the steel holders, so I tried toothpicks, didn't work out so well....

Hey BSG! Thanks for the back story! I had wondered about that.

Loved the dining plan recap, planning on sharing it at work as it has a subject of discussion

Share away my friend!

Can't comment on the last day feeling, since in 37 years of working there, I never had a vacation there

I would imagine not!

Going to miss you greatly, GB!!!!!!

Thanks! I’ll miss you guys too. But I’ll be around. I’m following several TR’s / PTR’s now. Though I am terribly behind right now.

Thanks for reminding me!

Any time brother! Have an awesome trip!

Aaaw, this is sad, indeed. Your last day. I hope to still see you around and look forward to future Biscuit trips, someday.
Crystal Palace looks lovely. It does seem like a perfect restaurant to close the trip with. You got some lovely pictures, too, as usual. Your girls looked so tiny next to Tigger! He was a tall guy!
I hope your flight and everything goes smoothly. Take your time on posting about it, though. I don't want to see this one come to a close!

Thanks! Tigger was a tall guy! I haven’t fully hashed out the finale yet so it will be a while.

 

[All7OfUs]

OH! I almost forgot my favorite of all-time!! Sweet and sour purple cabbage with caraway seed. A Thanksgiving tradition!!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

OH! I almost forgot my favorite of all-time!! Sweet and sour purple cabbage with caraway seed. A Thanksgiving tradition!!

oooooh sounds tasty.

 

[*Seanaci*]

Wow! Finally finshed your epic TR's/PTR/TR. All I can say is amazing!

You have the best looking family anyone could ask for.

And I must agree that seeing Disney through the eyes of a child is the most amazing thing ever! Magical one might describe it. I look forward to taking our son again (he was 14 months old when we took him the first time) when he's 4 (if/when we go in 2011, he'll be 4).

Ya'll should try to go again during the Holiday Season...much cooler temps and the parks are all decked out for Christmas!

Anywho! I need to get on top of my TR from 2008 (link in my siggy) and post another update. Thanks for inspiring me to get my trip report started! I also need to finish my mom's scrapbook (which was supposed to be her Christmas present last year...anyone say procrastinate much? ).

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Wow! Finally finshed your epic TR's/PTR/TR. All I can say is amazing!

You have the best looking family anyone could ask for.

And I must agree that seeing Disney through the eyes of a child is the most amazing thing ever! Magical one might describe it. I look forward to taking our son again (he was 14 months old when we took him the first time) when he's 4 (if/when we go in 2011, he'll be 4).

Ya'll should try to go again during the Holiday Season...much cooler temps and the parks are all decked out for Christmas!

Anywho! I need to get on top of my TR from 2008 (link in my siggy) and post another update. Thanks for inspiring me to get my trip report started! I also need to finish my mom's scrapbook (which was supposed to be her Christmas present last year...anyone say procrastinate much? ).

Howdy and Glad to have you aboard. Disney through the eyes of kids is something amazing to see. I definitely want to get back to the World during the holidays. I’ll be checking out your TR. Thanks for reading along.

 

[*Seanaci*]

Howdy and Glad to have you aboard. Disney through the eyes of kids is something amazing to see. I definitely want to get back to the World during the holidays. I’ll be checking out your TR. Thanks for reading along.

Thanks.

Oh, and I got my dad to read your TR as well. He's enjoyed it! Dunno if he'll come out of hiding to post his enjoyment...but...he's reading.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Thanks.

Oh, and I got my dad to read your TR as well. He's enjoyed it! Dunno if he'll come out of hiding to post his enjoyment...but...he's reading.

Awesome! Tell him Bubba said "Hey"! I got three more of the older episodes updated today so hopefully the typos will be at a minimum now. (Some of them were downright embarassing!) I think I left off on Episode 66, so another few days and I should have it all nice and polished.

 

[Sleepingbooty]

Love the Grinch music. Fried cabbage looks pretty much like regular cabbage but it whitens a bit. You don't bread it or deep fry it, it's pan fried, usually in a cast iron skillet, with a bit of diced onion.

Ah. I was picturing something like tempura.

Yikes, talk about typos? I typed "your" for "you're" not once, but twice in the post you were responding too. I am sor ashamed (do we have a smilie of Goofy hanging his head?)

 

[topdog]

Last day at the world is always sad but that's what TR is for so we can re-live the magic moment.

What a way to finish the trip at MK! We went to MK entrance one last time just to say goodbye on our last day even we couldn't go in.

I can only imagine what's your trip home is like. It can not be any worse than mine.

Dinning plan isn't really work for everyone but it works for us. On my last trip, I tally up everything excluding the tips for the 2 of us. Grand total was over $1,300 for 7 days. Our DxDP save us about 30%. Not bad. I can only imagine our next trip which will be 10 days and what the food bill would be without dining plan.

I like cabbage very much too but not Kim Chi. Those thing can be use as weapon. Open up a jar of those thing and you can clear about 100 ft in radius parameter. Add in some coffee, you can bet Homeland Security, FBI and ATF will be looking for u.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Sounds like a perfect way to end a trip - three helpings of fried cabbage (I don't think I've ever had FRIED cabbage?!), some Pooh and saying goodbye to the Castle.

Back to the fried cabbage. I love me some cabbage as well. Fried sounds good. Everything tastes a bit better fried. Well, almost everything. Anyway - is it breaded? Or just have a breading on it? I'm curious...!

I hope your flight home was not unpleasant for those around you due to the cabbage... Hopefully you sat near the back!

I liked your break down of the DDP. We don't do it for a few reasons...we have a 2 year old being the first reason! We cannot do that many sit downs with an antsy child. And the cost of the tips required with a sit down make the price for the DDP just not worth it to us. We did like the QSDP though. For most trips we pretty much take the cost of what the DDP would cost and use that as our budget for food and just spend how ever we'd like. It works good for us! But, as Henry's appetite increase and his energy levels are quite so through the roof, perhaps the pendulum will swing the other way for us as well.

I also hope your final update will include a new pretty ticker with plans of going back!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Ah. I was picturing something like tempura.

Yikes, talk about typos? I typed "your" for "you're" not once, but twice in the post you were responding too. I am sor ashamed (do we have a smilie of Goofy hanging his head?)

It's all good! At night, I am reading the girls a episode each evening for their bed time story. I happend to be on one of the "edited" episodes and still found two more typos. I guess I'm better at editing video than print.

Last day at the world is always sad but that's what TR is for so we can re-live the magic moment.

Too True! It's been great to go back and re-read the story of our trip.

What a way to finish the trip at MK! We went to MK entrance one last time just to say goodbye on our last day even we couldn't go in.

This was the second time we did MK on our last day and we liked it. However, I think next time we may skip the park on departure day unless we can score a really late flight out. It was just too hard to have to leave early!

I can only imagine what's your trip home is like. It can not be any worse than mine. .

It doesn't even come close. You guys had one of the worst trip home disasters I've ever read.

Dinning plan isn't really work for everyone but it works for us. On my last trip, I tally up everything excluding the tips for the 2 of us. Grand total was over $1,300 for 7 days. Our DxDP save us about 30%. Not bad. I can only imagine our next trip which will be 10 days and what the food bill would be without dining plan..

I think it all depends on what & where you eat.

I like cabbage very much too but not Kim Chi. Those thing can be use as weapon. Open up a jar of those thing and you can clear about 100 ft in radius parameter. Add in some coffee, you can bet Homeland Security, FBI and ATF will be looking for u.

Sounds like a perfect way to end a trip - three helpings of fried cabbage (I don't think I've ever had FRIED cabbage?!), some Pooh and saying goodbye to the Castle.

It was a great last day.

Back to the fried cabbage. I love me some cabbage as well. Fried sounds good. Everything tastes a bit better fried. Well, almost everything. Anyway - is it breaded? Or just have a breading on it? I'm curious...!

Nope. It's more sauted than fried actually. It's pan fried in oil or butter, usually with diced onion.

I hope your flight home was not unpleasant for those around you due to the cabbage... Hopefully you sat near the back!

Circumstances would unfold that would lead to much myrthdom.

I liked your break down of the DDP. We don't do it for a few reasons...we have a 2 year old being the first reason! We cannot do that many sit downs with an antsy child. And the cost of the tips required with a sit down make the price for the DDP just not worth it to us. We did like the QSDP though. For most trips we pretty much take the cost of what the DDP would cost and use that as our budget for food and just spend how ever we'd like. It works good for us! But, as Henry's appetite increase and his energy levels are quite so through the roof, perhaps the pendulum will swing the other way for us as well.

Makes sense to me. I don't know I would recommnd it if one's kids were either too old to do the kids price or too young to do table service / eat a full kids meal.

I also hope your final update will include a new pretty ticker with plans of going back!

Not as such. But a fellow can dream.

 

[Sleepingbooty]

It's all good! At night, I am reading the girls a episode each evening for their bed time story. I happend to be on one of the "edited" episodes and still found two more typos. I guess I'm better at editing video than print.

What a great idea for a bedtime story! I've seen on one of those photo sites (flickr, maybe?) that sells digital scrapbooks, a category for blog books. It made me think of trip reports, and how they would make great digital scrapbooks.

Oh wait, I found it: http://www.blurb.com/make/flip/

 

[GreatBiscuit]

What a great idea for a bedtime story! I've seen on one of those photo sites (flickr, maybe?) that sells digital scrapbooks, a category for blog books. It made me think of trip reports, and how they would make great digital scrapbooks.

Oh wait, I found it: http://www.blurb.com/make/flip/

Thanks for the link. You've given me ideas.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Episode 79 - So Long, Farewell, and Amen Part 1

Previously on Biscuits Grand Adventure, resort room farewells were made, characters were greeted and a digestive WMD was armed. As I was finishing up taking photos of the Crystal Palace topiaries, the girls returned and we headed outside for our final Magic Kingdom adventure.

We noticed that there was a stage show just beginning in front of the castle, and the girls wanted to go check it out. By the time we got there, it was a bit crowded. Tracy took the girls closer to the stage while I hung back and took some photos.







Once the show was over, I waited where I was for the girls to return. Upon being reunited, we headed back down Main Street for a return visit to The Chapeau. As you may recall, on the day one of our trip, The Chapeau was the first place that we visited in the Magic Kingdom. During that particular shopping spree, the kids all did the Make your own Mickey Ear hats. (And never wore them again I might add.) Preston had elected to forgo the Mickey crown and decided to sport a Pirate lid instead. Upon learning of this deviation from the pre-prescribed purchasing plan, my sister Lynnlee was not pleased and wished us to pick up a set of Mickey ears for him. (Dont blame me, it was Nana who helped him pick it out the first time!)

Luckily the shop was empty so we were able to accomplish this task much more expediently than on our previous endeavor. Still, there was a good ten minute wait for the clerks to embroider Prestons name, so while I stood and waited, Tracy took the girls over to the Confectionary. Now Im not sure how exactly it all went down, but while they were over there, the girls somehow managed to talk Tracy into procuring one of their favorite treats, the all powerful Cotton Candy.





Usually, its me they sucker into this sort of thing so I was impressed they had managed to upgrade their negotiating skills. My belly was still too full to indulge when the girls returned, but that did not stop them from enjoying it immensely. Once the hat was done, it was time to head to one of our remaining Must-Do attractions. Crossing Town Square, we headed up the steps of the Train Station. I am not sure if I mentioned it before or not, but we had tried to ride the train once before and JUST missed the final boarding call. This time however, there were no worries. The Roger E. Broggie was pulling in as we arrived on the platform. The hat didnt come with a bag, so I was trying to hold it along with my camera and backpack all at the same time. I had planned to rearrange the backpack while waiting on the train. However, its immediate arrival made that impossible so I slapped the cap in as safe a spot as I could think of so my hands would be free to help the girls climb aboard.



Within a couple of minutes, it was time to board the train and soon we were steaming our way to Frontierland. Back on our trip in 1990, my grandparents loved riding around the park on the train. They wound up staying on it with my youngest sister Karlee and cousin Marcus for three full trips around the park. I wondered then why anyone would waste time on a train when there were so many other great things to do. I dont wonder that anymore. It seems that the older I get, the more I enjoy this type of thing. I noticed many of the details this time around that I had overlooked in the past. What a change it made to just relax and enjoy the ride not as a means of getting to an attraction, but as an attraction itself.

During our journey, I managed to disassemble the ear hat and get it packed away where it wouldnt get squashed. Our trip around the park also gave the girls plenty of time to finish up their cotton candy.




Hailee is not a fan of stickiness at all, so luckily I had the travel Handi-Wipes in my park pack. With all faces and fingers properly scrubbed free of icky residue, the girls settled in to enjoy the remainder of the trip. We stayed aboard the train until it reached the station in Mickeys Toontown where we disembarked to continue our park touring. I was eager to peruse this area of the park, but wasnt sure how the girls would enjoy it. The first thing we checked out was Mickeys House.



Next, Hailee wanted to see Minnies place. Unfortunately, said domicile was packed wall to wall with park guests, and it seemed hotter on the inside that it did on the outside. We spent about 10 seconds in Minnies living room before heading right back out the front door. Hailee was not pleased by our hasty exit, but she soon perked up at the idea of posing for a photo with Minnies mailbox.



After avoiding this potential melt down, we decided to try our luck in The Judges Tent; if for no other reason, to be able to say we had been in there. The wait time for the Princesses was near the two hour mark, while the Fairies were holding steady at eighty minutes. I gave the girls the option of waiting in line to visit Pixie Hollow or heading out for more rides. They decided to ride. Before leaving however, we did pause a few moments to smash some more pennies. The girls loved that this particular currency press was hand operated, and we made two or three before setting off.

Back outside, I checked on the line for Goofys Barstormer, but neither girl was interested in riding. I spent a couple of minutes talking to the girls and found out what they wanted to do the most. Hailee wanted to go see Donalds Butt one more time and Tahli wanted to ride Its a Small World. This worked out well as we were so close to Fantasyland already.

The day was another scorcher, so a short walk combined with a nice long stint in air conditioning sounded like a stellar recommendation. It didnt take us long to arrive at the theater, and I have to say that its a much different creature during the day that it is during evening Extra Magic Hour. There were actually people in the lobby this time! I was hoping the next show would begin fairly soon. After my early morning solo run the day before, our park hopping marathon, Epcot EMH, staying up to pack, getting up to check out, pushing around all that luggage, and making all those trips to the buffet line I was running out of gas.



In my memory it was about a 15 minute wait before we entered the theater. We wound up about 2/3 of the way back and were near the far edge of our aisle. Yet, even at an odd angle, we still found the attraction to be most enjoyable. Hailee still laughed all the way through it and pointed and squealed when Donalds famous posterior came into play during the finale.

Upon concluding our journey through 4D animation, we crossed the street and entered our final attraction of the trip.

Looking back, I never would have imagined all those trips ago that there would come a day when the attraction I would ride the most times in one trip would be Its a Small World. But little girls have a way of softening the hearts of their daddies and redefining priorities. So it was that I found myself once again riding in a small boat, being sung to by evil dolls, watching the faces of my children and thanking God for the blessings He had given me.



Tune in this Friday for the conclusion of Biscuits Grand Adventure: Episode 80: So long, Farewell, and Amen Part II.

Will a long standing tradition be honored? Will we make it to the airport on time? Will our departure become explosive? Discover these answers and more right here in two days.