disneygirlinnj
DIS Veteran
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Thanks guys! The TR will stay in this thread... I like to keep everything together for when i want to look back and reminice 
Bringing Mom to WDW for MY bday, Sept '09! Day 4 Part 1..AK and Tusker House 12/30!
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jordanyosh
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welcome home
disneygirlinnj
DIS Veteran
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Hi Jen!!
Welcome back! I'm so Glad that you had a nice trip
Sorry we didn't run into each otherMaybe next time
Can't wait to read all about your adventures!
Paula
Hey Paula! Hope you had a great time too! Have to make it over to your trippie... it's been so crazy here Ive hardly been able to check the DIS.
Thanks Jordan! glad to see you got around during Toni's trip
ahahahathanks Lynn! Hopefully tomorrow I can start with an update. I gathered all my receipts and stuff and now just have to organize. lol And I make my ADRs for my Jan trip TOMORROW! EEK!!! So excited about that one!
micandminforever
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Welcome home I look forward to your report.
disneygirlinnj
DIS Veteran
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- Messages
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September Trip Report
Hey everyone!! I think I can actually start this trip report tonight! Shocking, I know. I tried starting it four times on Friday but work was so crazy that I didn't leave to go home until 8pm (normal time is 5). Then this weekend has been just as crazy and even had to throw some more work into the schedule.
Hm...so still trying to figure out the best way to go about the report. Loved how Scott has been incorporating his Tweets into his TR so I'm going to try doing that. When possible I'll give prices and stuff for the dining plan and how much we would have spent. Also going to try to lay off the smileys since they count as an image. It's gonna be hard for me since I'm so addicted to them.
Ok so lets get this show on the road...shall we?
I finally finished packing around 11 or 11:30pm the night before. Oh...and remember how we had a 7am flight? YEAHHHHH.... which means we had to leave our house at 5am. My friend Christina was up bright and early with us to take us to Newark. AND she was right on time! I almost fell over when she pulled up. Packed the car and we were off! Didn't take long to get there...we were there in about 20 mins, give or take. Pull up to the JetBlue terminal and you would think it's mid-day. It wasn't wall to wall people, but there was definitely a good number. Looking around I saw a LOT of them had yellow DME tags on their bags. Packed flight? You bet!
We first went inside to try dropping off our bags and the line was crazy. I ran to an open kiosk and printed out our boarding passes. Now all I had to do was get in line and just hand in our bags. Saw the outside curbside express bag drop off and quickly decided it was worth the $2 per bag to avoid the inside line. Dropped them off without a hitch and headed back inside to security. Got through without a problem, stopped by Starbucks for a little coffee (mine), tea (mom), and banana nut muffin (originally all moms but the other kiosk I went to had register problems so we shared).... and then went to sit by the gate.
Tweet Update, 6:18 AM Sep 26th: At newark...checked in...passed security..and now enjoying some starbucks =) board in 15 mins!
The flight was on time and pretty uneventful, minus the incompetent parents and their three kids sitting across the aisle from us. The kids were pretty well behaved, two girls under 10 and a poor 2 year old son who sat on the moms lap the whole flight. BUT... she didn't give the poor kid anything to do while on the flight so about 30 mins into it, he was already getting antsy. Kicking the seat in front of him (she did nothing about it...felt so bad for the old man sitting in that seat), screaming, screetching, etc. When he started wiggling and writhing on the floor and pounding his fists, she FINALLY stood up and got some toys and games from the overhead compartment...an hour and a half into a 2 hour flight!!! I wanted to flat out ask her "Wait... you've had these toys THE WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDNT GIVE THEM TO HIM?!" Seriously...this poor kid was losing his mind he was so bored, so I don't blame him for having a mental breakdown. Did she really expect a two year old to sit on someones lap like an angel for 2 hours?! Poor kid wailed the whole decent and landing to...which totally caused me to get a headache and mom a migrane! NOT a good start to the trip but I will say the headache/migrane went away very shortly after we got off the plane. Oh...that was the worst meltdown we saw all trip, all other children were pretty well behaved and parents all knew how to parent. hahaha
Whew...ok, rambled on a little too long about that! We quickly deplaned at around 10am (yay for being in the first 10 rows!) and made our way to the monorail. Followed signs and headed to Magical Express. It was still pretty quiet down there, so we were pointed towards the correct line and saw that there was maybe 5 people in front of us. Score for having choice of a great seat!
Tweet Update, 10:05 AM Sep 26th: Landed on time...on line for dme...not many in front of us! Good flight minus the screaming 2 year old next to us =(
By 10:10am we were on the bus, and were lucky enough to get the very front seats on the right side of the bus. I wanted to make sure I got a good shot of the welcome gates. I totally expected to sit there for a bit until the bus filled up. Luckily, the bus was MAYBE half full and we were on our way!
Tweet Update, 10:16 AM Sep 26th : Wow..got on line for dme at 10am...on the bus and already on the road by 10:15!
And finally we see....
Happy dance!!!
We were the second stop on DME, Saratoga Springs was the first. We would have stopped at Old Key West first, but luckily, there was no one that needed to stop there. Quickly walked into the resort and immediately knew I'd love it. It was so cute and quaint, and... I don't even know how to describe it. Not too gaudy, not over the top. Just really nice.
There were a few people on line already but I saw the Online Check-In line was completely empty. Walked right up and it was the easiest check-in ever. All I had to do was hand over my ID and after a few keystrokes, the CM went in the back and came right back out with a folder that contained everything..maps, keys, birthday button already filled in, etc. Sadly the CM told us that our room wasn't ready yet. Not sure when it would be ready but he told me that they would call my cell phone to tell me when it is. He mentioned that we'd be in Building 4, but there MIGHT be a room in Building 7 available now. After talking to mom, we agreed to wait for the 4 room since it's so close to everything. I was happy because I hadn't sent in any room request and we got a great location! Yay for a little pixie dust for my bday!
At 11:11am (according to our receipt), Mom and I were pretty hungry but didn't want to have a full meal so we headed over to Sassagoula Food Court (which the WHOLE trip I totally called Sassalouga until I sat and read the sign on the last day...oops!). Decided to just share a cheese pizza and pick up our mugs so we have drinks.
We were given a buzzer and then went to fill our mugs while we waited. Picked up the pizza at the pizza window when it was ready and dug in!
The pizza was typical Disney pizza, but we enjoyed it. Mom really liked the pizza around the World....she hates when the cheese is realllly stringy and doesn't break. Disney cheese apparently is exactly what she's looking for. Score! I think I'm just a snobby NY/NJer and wish all pizza could be thin crust NY pizza. I'm just not usually a huge fan of the Domino's style pizza but I will eat it if I'm in the mood. I will say that this pizza was a very good Domino's style pizza. The sauce had flavor, wasn't bland, and actually had some seasonings in it. The crust was crispy yet chewy, and the cheese....like mom said....wasn't too stringy and broke off right as you bit into it, even when it was still really hot.
Oh...and apparently there is no way to actually cut this pizza with the plastic forks and knives they provide. We mutilated one slice while we attempted (mom likes to cut her pizza) but finally gave up after awhile. If anyone knows the trick on how to cut this pizza, let us know!
2 Refillable Mugs:
If OOP: $12.99 each, $27.67 total after tax
With DDP: FREE!
Personal Cheese Pizza:
Paid OOP: $6.38
At that point I decided to Tweet and give an update...
Tweet Update, 11:44 AM Sep 26th: Room not ready yet but we'll be in building 4!
We finished eating but decided to relax at the table for a bit and go through the folder they gave us. Just as we started to go through everything, my phone rang and it was a random (407) phone number.
It was a recording telling us that our room was ready and that we were in Room 4143. We gathered everything up and headed out into the heat to put some stuff down. It took us a few days to finally figure out the fastest way to get to our room but it was definitely close to everything. The buses were practically right outside our doorway, which was perfect.
When we got to our room, we realized we got a corner room with two windows. Definitely made the room brighter, even when we had the shades drawn. Waiting patiently for us were a few friends...
There MIGHT have been one more animal lying around the TV but I don't remember!
And our favorite mouse....
Dropped some stuff off, freshened up a little bit, and then decided to just head directly to the MK, with a quick stop in the gift shop in POFQ first. Tried to fit the laptop in the safe but it was one of the REALLLY small thin safes so I just hid the laptop under all my clothes. Problem solved.
Tweet Update, 12:11 PM Sep 26th: Spoke too soon. Just as I tweeted...got a call our room is ready! Settled and slowly heading to mk with a stop at the gift shop to browse
We just did a quick walk through of the store to get a feel for what was for sale. We knew we wanted a photo album, picture frame, and Christmas ornament to bring home. Saw some options but wanted to see what else was out there. Then we headed out to the bus stop for the MK.
Can I point out that our plane landed at 10am...and we took DME, checked in, eaten, gotten into our room, and were at the bus stop by 12:15pm? That's a serious record I think!
OK...time to get ready for bed so I'm going to pause this here. Hopefully I can get some more posted soon! If I remember anything I left out, I'll add it in the next installment!
Hey everyone!! I think I can actually start this trip report tonight! Shocking, I know. I tried starting it four times on Friday but work was so crazy that I didn't leave to go home until 8pm (normal time is 5). Then this weekend has been just as crazy and even had to throw some more work into the schedule.
Hm...so still trying to figure out the best way to go about the report. Loved how Scott has been incorporating his Tweets into his TR so I'm going to try doing that. When possible I'll give prices and stuff for the dining plan and how much we would have spent. Also going to try to lay off the smileys since they count as an image. It's gonna be hard for me since I'm so addicted to them.
Ok so lets get this show on the road...shall we?
I finally finished packing around 11 or 11:30pm the night before. Oh...and remember how we had a 7am flight? YEAHHHHH.... which means we had to leave our house at 5am. My friend Christina was up bright and early with us to take us to Newark. AND she was right on time! I almost fell over when she pulled up. Packed the car and we were off! Didn't take long to get there...we were there in about 20 mins, give or take. Pull up to the JetBlue terminal and you would think it's mid-day. It wasn't wall to wall people, but there was definitely a good number. Looking around I saw a LOT of them had yellow DME tags on their bags. Packed flight? You bet!
We first went inside to try dropping off our bags and the line was crazy. I ran to an open kiosk and printed out our boarding passes. Now all I had to do was get in line and just hand in our bags. Saw the outside curbside express bag drop off and quickly decided it was worth the $2 per bag to avoid the inside line. Dropped them off without a hitch and headed back inside to security. Got through without a problem, stopped by Starbucks for a little coffee (mine), tea (mom), and banana nut muffin (originally all moms but the other kiosk I went to had register problems so we shared).... and then went to sit by the gate.
Tweet Update, 6:18 AM Sep 26th: At newark...checked in...passed security..and now enjoying some starbucks =) board in 15 mins!
The flight was on time and pretty uneventful, minus the incompetent parents and their three kids sitting across the aisle from us. The kids were pretty well behaved, two girls under 10 and a poor 2 year old son who sat on the moms lap the whole flight. BUT... she didn't give the poor kid anything to do while on the flight so about 30 mins into it, he was already getting antsy. Kicking the seat in front of him (she did nothing about it...felt so bad for the old man sitting in that seat), screaming, screetching, etc. When he started wiggling and writhing on the floor and pounding his fists, she FINALLY stood up and got some toys and games from the overhead compartment...an hour and a half into a 2 hour flight!!! I wanted to flat out ask her "Wait... you've had these toys THE WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDNT GIVE THEM TO HIM?!" Seriously...this poor kid was losing his mind he was so bored, so I don't blame him for having a mental breakdown. Did she really expect a two year old to sit on someones lap like an angel for 2 hours?! Poor kid wailed the whole decent and landing to...which totally caused me to get a headache and mom a migrane! NOT a good start to the trip but I will say the headache/migrane went away very shortly after we got off the plane. Oh...that was the worst meltdown we saw all trip, all other children were pretty well behaved and parents all knew how to parent. hahaha
Whew...ok, rambled on a little too long about that! We quickly deplaned at around 10am (yay for being in the first 10 rows!) and made our way to the monorail. Followed signs and headed to Magical Express. It was still pretty quiet down there, so we were pointed towards the correct line and saw that there was maybe 5 people in front of us. Score for having choice of a great seat!
Tweet Update, 10:05 AM Sep 26th: Landed on time...on line for dme...not many in front of us! Good flight minus the screaming 2 year old next to us =(
By 10:10am we were on the bus, and were lucky enough to get the very front seats on the right side of the bus. I wanted to make sure I got a good shot of the welcome gates. I totally expected to sit there for a bit until the bus filled up. Luckily, the bus was MAYBE half full and we were on our way!
Tweet Update, 10:16 AM Sep 26th : Wow..got on line for dme at 10am...on the bus and already on the road by 10:15!
And finally we see....
Happy dance!!!
We were the second stop on DME, Saratoga Springs was the first. We would have stopped at Old Key West first, but luckily, there was no one that needed to stop there. Quickly walked into the resort and immediately knew I'd love it. It was so cute and quaint, and... I don't even know how to describe it. Not too gaudy, not over the top. Just really nice.
There were a few people on line already but I saw the Online Check-In line was completely empty. Walked right up and it was the easiest check-in ever. All I had to do was hand over my ID and after a few keystrokes, the CM went in the back and came right back out with a folder that contained everything..maps, keys, birthday button already filled in, etc. Sadly the CM told us that our room wasn't ready yet. Not sure when it would be ready but he told me that they would call my cell phone to tell me when it is. He mentioned that we'd be in Building 4, but there MIGHT be a room in Building 7 available now. After talking to mom, we agreed to wait for the 4 room since it's so close to everything. I was happy because I hadn't sent in any room request and we got a great location! Yay for a little pixie dust for my bday!
At 11:11am (according to our receipt), Mom and I were pretty hungry but didn't want to have a full meal so we headed over to Sassagoula Food Court (which the WHOLE trip I totally called Sassalouga until I sat and read the sign on the last day...oops!). Decided to just share a cheese pizza and pick up our mugs so we have drinks.
We were given a buzzer and then went to fill our mugs while we waited. Picked up the pizza at the pizza window when it was ready and dug in!
The pizza was typical Disney pizza, but we enjoyed it. Mom really liked the pizza around the World....she hates when the cheese is realllly stringy and doesn't break. Disney cheese apparently is exactly what she's looking for. Score! I think I'm just a snobby NY/NJer and wish all pizza could be thin crust NY pizza. I'm just not usually a huge fan of the Domino's style pizza but I will eat it if I'm in the mood. I will say that this pizza was a very good Domino's style pizza. The sauce had flavor, wasn't bland, and actually had some seasonings in it. The crust was crispy yet chewy, and the cheese....like mom said....wasn't too stringy and broke off right as you bit into it, even when it was still really hot.
Oh...and apparently there is no way to actually cut this pizza with the plastic forks and knives they provide. We mutilated one slice while we attempted (mom likes to cut her pizza) but finally gave up after awhile. If anyone knows the trick on how to cut this pizza, let us know!
2 Refillable Mugs:
If OOP: $12.99 each, $27.67 total after tax
With DDP: FREE!
Personal Cheese Pizza:
Paid OOP: $6.38
At that point I decided to Tweet and give an update...
Tweet Update, 11:44 AM Sep 26th: Room not ready yet but we'll be in building 4!
We finished eating but decided to relax at the table for a bit and go through the folder they gave us. Just as we started to go through everything, my phone rang and it was a random (407) phone number.
It was a recording telling us that our room was ready and that we were in Room 4143. We gathered everything up and headed out into the heat to put some stuff down. It took us a few days to finally figure out the fastest way to get to our room but it was definitely close to everything. The buses were practically right outside our doorway, which was perfect.
When we got to our room, we realized we got a corner room with two windows. Definitely made the room brighter, even when we had the shades drawn. Waiting patiently for us were a few friends...
There MIGHT have been one more animal lying around the TV but I don't remember!
And our favorite mouse....
Dropped some stuff off, freshened up a little bit, and then decided to just head directly to the MK, with a quick stop in the gift shop in POFQ first. Tried to fit the laptop in the safe but it was one of the REALLLY small thin safes so I just hid the laptop under all my clothes. Problem solved.
Tweet Update, 12:11 PM Sep 26th: Spoke too soon. Just as I tweeted...got a call our room is ready! Settled and slowly heading to mk with a stop at the gift shop to browse
We just did a quick walk through of the store to get a feel for what was for sale. We knew we wanted a photo album, picture frame, and Christmas ornament to bring home. Saw some options but wanted to see what else was out there. Then we headed out to the bus stop for the MK.
Can I point out that our plane landed at 10am...and we took DME, checked in, eaten, gotten into our room, and were at the bus stop by 12:15pm? That's a serious record I think!
OK...time to get ready for bed so I'm going to pause this here. Hopefully I can get some more posted soon! If I remember anything I left out, I'll add it in the next installment!
jordanyosh
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2003
- Messages
- 17,647
How nice your room was ready so quickly!
The DME and online check in and other enhancements over the last few years have made things go much more smoothly..in general....
The DME and online check in and other enhancements over the last few years have made things go much more smoothly..in general....
annnewjerz
If I had a world of my own, everything would be no
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2008
- Messages
- 4,229
Yayyyy for updates. 
I think Scott struck gold when he decided to incorporate his tweets into his TR. I'll be doing the same for our October TR---it just seems like a really easy way to keep a TR on track if you have a tendency to ramble a bit (which I totally do).
2.5 hours(ish) MUST be some kind of record. For our trip in December I estimated 2 hours just from the plane landing to arriving and checking in at our resort.
Hopefully it'll be just as quick and painless for us this weekend. 
ITA about the pizza. Being from NJ (even if I am from the dreaded Southern half)---any time we go out of state, it seems that pizza is something I know will be a bit of a disappointment.
Can't wait to hear more!
I think Scott struck gold when he decided to incorporate his tweets into his TR. I'll be doing the same for our October TR---it just seems like a really easy way to keep a TR on track if you have a tendency to ramble a bit (which I totally do).2.5 hours(ish) MUST be some kind of record. For our trip in December I estimated 2 hours just from the plane landing to arriving and checking in at our resort.
Hopefully it'll be just as quick and painless for us this weekend. ITA about the pizza. Being from NJ (even if I am from the dreaded Southern half)---any time we go out of state, it seems that pizza is something I know will be a bit of a disappointment.
Can't wait to hear more!
scoot241
Geaux Tigers!
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2009
- Messages
- 877
Yayyyy for updates.
2.5 hours(ish) MUST be some kind of record. For our trip in December I estimated 2 hours just from the plane landing to arriving and checking in at our resort.
ITA about the pizza. Being from NJ (even if I am from the dreaded Southern half)---any time we go out of state, it seems that pizza is something I know will be a bit of a disappointment.
Can't wait to hear more!
I still tend to ramble a bit.
Between pictures and tweets, it really helps to keep track of what you were doing when though.Yay for online check-in. That's very similar to how our check-in went. We went to the desk, they gave us our folders, we went to eat, and then I got a text saying my room was ready. My parents didn't get theirs until much later, but their room was also ready at the same time; they just tried their key in the room next door since we had connecting rooms. Between it and DME, it was great not fooling around with getting all the bags to the room, etc.
Sassalouga...
I was trying to find the origin of Sassagoula, but the only thing I can find is a miniature golf course in West Monroe, LA. Oh well...Can't wait to read more!
disneygirlinnj
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2007
- Messages
- 3,092
I was very surprised..pleasantly surprised
That plane ride did not sound fun! Some people just don't think!
Anyway,
It definitely wasn't but the rest of the trip made up for it!
Yayyyy for updates.
2.5 hours(ish) MUST be some kind of record. For our trip in December I estimated 2 hours just from the plane landing to arriving and checking in at our resort.
ITA about the pizza. Being from NJ (even if I am from the dreaded Southern half)---any time we go out of state, it seems that pizza is something I know will be a bit of a disappointment.
Can't wait to hear more!
Scott definitely had a great idea with the tweets
He started a trend! They've already helped me remember a few things I forgot. I still tend to ramble a bit.
Yay for online check-in. That's very similar to how our check-in went. We went to the desk, they gave us our folders, we went to eat, and then I got a text saying my room was ready. My parents didn't get theirs until much later, but their room was also ready at the same time; they just tried their key in the room next door since we had connecting rooms. Between it and DME, it was great not fooling around with getting all the bags to the room, etc.
Sassalouga...
Can't wait to read more!
I'm a huge fan of online check in now. I won't do the normal way ever again! So there is no Sassagoula?! It's supposed to be Sassalouga, right? I'm not losing my mind? Disney is the one with the huge typo?
HEY!!!!!! Glad to see you started! You and your mom are so cute. Your pictures look great! Can't wait for more
Thank you Lynn!!
Thank you!! Luckily every single child on the flight home was an angel. Small crying but understandable, even my ears hurt! I wanted to go thank every parent for doing a good job..haha!
Life's been getting in everyone's way! Glad to see you over here though Kat! And I think I owe you and email..hmm.... I'll have to go check!
scoot241
Geaux Tigers!
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2009
- Messages
- 877
I'm a huge fan of online check in now. I won't do the normal way ever again! So there is no Sassagoula?! It's supposed to be Sassalouga, right? I'm not losing my mind? Disney is the one with the huge typo?
No it's Sassagoula. I just don't know why. It sounds a lot like Pascagoula, MS, but I tried to Google Sassagoula and most everything that came up was Disney-related. Sassalouga comes up with only Disney-related stuff where people had typos lol.
jordanyosh
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2003
- Messages
- 17,647
A pleasant surprise is always a good one, especially at WDW...
disneygirlinnj
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2007
- Messages
- 3,092
I'm back! Thanks everyone for keeping up with me! So now on with the show...
Last I left you guys, we were heading to the bus stop to head over to the Magic Kingdom for the first time of the trip. We honestly had really great luck with the transportation system at Disney on this trip. I was worried because before we left I had read some horror stories about the buses at POFQ. The bus was just pulling up as we walked out of the front door so we hopped right on.
Almost every bus we took to the MK went directly there and didn't stop at POR. I timed it, and it takes 13 mins from POFQ to MK. So much for allowing 90 mins to get to your destination! We got through the gates and just tried to take it all in. We were at Disney!!! I saw a photopass photographer in front of the train station so we quickly got our first official photo and headed towards Main Street.
Now...it was HOT! DAMN HOT!! I was already dripping sweat just from walking from the bus stop to the train station. I could tell today was going to be a nice short and sweet trip to MK and probably just down Main Street and back. We wandered around the lower half of Main Street for a few mins and then quickly jumped into Crystal Arts for some air condition. Lucky for us though we found this guy performing his magic...
He was creating a glass castle it seemed. When we went on the other side we saw more of the finished product. The things in this store are amazing. When I win the lottery I WILL buy this $37,500 crystal Cinderella's Castle! I drool over it every time I walk into this store.
We heard the Main Street Trolley Parade so we stepped outside for a little bit to watch. Love watching them and love the song...even if I did hear it 45 times when I was on hold for ADRs!
After watching for a few minutes, we turned towards the Ice Cream Parlor and I spot the Mayor from the corner of my eye. Before I can even turn around completely he starts belting out the 'Happy Birthday' song to me! Seriously, I melted. He's such a sweet guy and he was making everyone around him smile. I got all mushy when he finished the song and he gave me a big hug. We chit chatted for a few minutes...including his horrible 'howyouuudoin' imitation after I told him we were from Jersey...haha! Of course I had to grab a quick photo with him and then he continued down Main Street to cheer up other guests.
Tweet Update, 1:05 PM Sep 26th At the mk...just got serenaded by the mayor of main street =)
Just as we parted ways, the Celebrate Today parade was going through. Mom stepped into the shade and air condition while I took a few shots... It was a cute little parade but hearing that song was my downfall. For the rest of the week I had it in my head!!
After the parade went by, we crossed the street to browse through the other shops and head towards the exit to start making our way over to the GF. I also wanted to upgrade my park pass to an annual and pick up the TIW card.
Leaving the Emporium, we ran into my favorite barbershop quartet, the Dapper Dan's!!
We only watched for a few minutes because I swear it was 15 degrees warmer on this side of the street! When we got back towards the gates, I ran over to guest relations to do the ticket upgrade. The CM knew exactly what to do and I had my annual pass (happy dance!) and TIW card all within 5 minutes.
Even though it was hot, I saw the boat pulling up to the MK for the GF and Poly so we headed over and grabbed a seat in the shade. The ride over was nice and relaxing and nice and cool from the breeze. As we got off the boat, the captain made sure to announce to everyone that it was my birthday... I could tell that this whole birthday thing is going to be entertaining...or get very annoying! Luckily it just stayed entertaining!
I love love love the Grand Floridian! I've been lucky enough to stay there two or three times and think it's just gorgeous. It's just so elegant and I love the time period the resort is designed after. We quickly walked to the main lobby and loved the air condition the minute we stepped in.
Since we had some time to kill we wandered through all the stores. Basin is my favorite at the GF so we took some time going through all of the soaps and stuff they have. Most of the things haven't changed since we were there last time but they did have a few Halloween soaps that were really cute and smelled great. Sadly I didn't get a chance to buy anything though!
Took a few shots around the hotel too...
After taking our time and looking around, we headed downstairs to the Garden View Lounge. There was a bride taking her wedding photos so there were a bunch of people around admiring. Reminded me of my friend Lisa's wedding last year. We checked in at the hostess stand and were told to go sit by the couches for about ten minutes because we were early for our reservation. I quickly took a peek into the tea room and there were very few tables sat already. Oh well...mom and I headed over to sit. About 15 minutes later, we were called over to be seated.
We were seated on the right of the tea room as you walk in, right by the windows. My back was to the rest of the room but it was beautiful. The sunlight was just coming through the windows and it was what i would think a typical tea should look like!
The view out the window...
Our server and at first I thought was going to be pretty cold but she warmed up throughout the tea. She had a really large table with a few little girls so I think she might have been a little overwhelmed at first with them and her other tables. But she was pretty helpful and around if we needed anything. She explained the different teas and gave us some recommendations. Also explained the different meals you can get or that it can all be ordered a la carte too.
Mom chose the Chamomile, which on the receipt is Herbal Rooibos, and on the allears menu is: Chamomile Flowers - A tranquil and calming herbal infusion of sweet and fragrant golden chamomile blossoms combined for a mild and sweet taste. Soft and musty aroma combined with a smooth, apple-like finish.
I chose the Eros, which was recommended by our server.... Eros - Medium bodied Ceylon: Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish.
Mom enjoyed her tea and said it was very good chamomile. I thought the Eros was delicious! You could taste the mandarin and vanilla but neither overpowering.
The presentation of the tea was beautiful as well. The china used was gorgeous and dainty, for lack of a better word. I did find it odd though that my tea was brought out in a normal classy tea pot, while my mothers was brought out in a regular coffee french press pot. Does anyone know why they do this and how they pick which teas will be served how?
My Eros (and you can slightly see moms Chamomile in the background):
We decided to just order a la carte off the menu because we wanted a little bit of everything. Ordering everything we wanted separately was actually cheaper than choosing one of the meals and not eating some stuff. And we ordered a LOT I feel! Sadly I TOTALLY forgot to take a photo of most of moms choices, but they're typical so you can imagine what they look like.
Mom ordered the Lemon Pound Cake for one option. It came out as two one inch thick pieces of typical lemon pound cake. She enjoyed it and ate every last bite. I tried a piece and thought it was kinda dry and nothing special.
We also ordered the strawberries and cream, with the cream on the side. It came out in separate bowls so we obviously lost a little in the presentation but the girls next to us also ordered and it looks YUMMY when combined together. The strawberries were ripe and sweet, not mushy or bruised at all. The sweet cream was definitely made in house and was delicious. I'm usually not a fan of whipped cream but could have eaten this alone with a spoon. Light, airy, and perfect.
I ordered the Freshly Baked Scones with Devonshire Cream and Preserves. Now you'd think when it says 'scones'... it would mean more than one, right? Well when I ordered she asked me if I wanted one or two, so naturally I said two. Little did I know that there was an extra charge for the second one! I didn't mind though because they were seriously the best things I had the whole tea. Wow, I could have eaten 5 more. They were sweet enough, moist, and with the Devonshire Cream? Heaven. I even forgot to try them with the preserves! I was upset when the girls next to me pulled out the preserves. I was tempted to order another one just to try it all together.
In the photo is also a Jam Tart and this is where it gets a little fuzzy. I remember asking for them, but they're not on the receipt and there's supposed to be two of them, according to the menu. So I'm thinking our server might have just thrown one in complimentary OR the 'extra scone' on my receipt is actually the jam tart...and the two scones I got were the correct number. Does that make sense?
Anyways...the Jam Tart was just that... a raspberry (or strawberry) jam tart. It was good, but I took two bites and left the rest. The scones were just calling my name.
For the next round of food, we both ordered from the pastry tray. You were allowed two per order. Mom was eyeing the white chocolate covered strawberries so she had two of those. She devoured them, which meant she loved them. I didn't try them since I'm not a fan of white chocolate.
For my two pastries I chose the hazelnut mousse and the raspberry mousse. The hazelnut was good, but nothing that amazed me. The raspberry mousse, on the other hand, was delicious! Again, I wished I ordered two of these instead. Light and creamy and just all around great!
After we were done, the server came by and took my TIW card and brought the bill.
Here's the breakdown:
Eros Tea: $6.29
Herbal Rooibos: $6.29
Pound Cake: $3.50
Strawberries/Cream: $6.95
English Scone: $3.50
One Scone (or jam tart?): $1.75
Pastries 2@2.75: $5.50
Subtotal: $33.78
TIW Discount: -$6.76
Total OOP after tax/tip: $34.86
Overall we really enjoyed the tea and I can't wait to go again. It was relaxing and something different to do at Disney, but still had the Disney magic. The atmosphere was just what we needed after traveling all day. And where else can you go for such a nice tea? Other than having Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel in NYC, I can't think of a better place. If any of you get the time and chance to go, please do. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
After we finished the tea, the piano player was playing so we stopped and listened for a little bit. On the way back up to the monorail to head back to the MK I snapped this photo..
The monorail came in a few minutes and the but to POFQ I'm pretty sure was either waiting for us or we waited less than 5 mins for it to come.
Oh...and Scott's favorite stickers...
When I checked Twitter, there were a ton of you guys wishing me a great trip!
Tweet Update, 3:45 PM Sep 26th: Thank you everyone! Hard to reply to everyone. Just had a lovely afternoon tea at the gf. Now back to the room to rest before citricos
We got back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit before heading back out... which will have to be another post!
Last I left you guys, we were heading to the bus stop to head over to the Magic Kingdom for the first time of the trip. We honestly had really great luck with the transportation system at Disney on this trip. I was worried because before we left I had read some horror stories about the buses at POFQ. The bus was just pulling up as we walked out of the front door so we hopped right on.
Almost every bus we took to the MK went directly there and didn't stop at POR. I timed it, and it takes 13 mins from POFQ to MK. So much for allowing 90 mins to get to your destination! We got through the gates and just tried to take it all in. We were at Disney!!! I saw a photopass photographer in front of the train station so we quickly got our first official photo and headed towards Main Street.
Now...it was HOT! DAMN HOT!! I was already dripping sweat just from walking from the bus stop to the train station. I could tell today was going to be a nice short and sweet trip to MK and probably just down Main Street and back. We wandered around the lower half of Main Street for a few mins and then quickly jumped into Crystal Arts for some air condition. Lucky for us though we found this guy performing his magic...
He was creating a glass castle it seemed. When we went on the other side we saw more of the finished product. The things in this store are amazing. When I win the lottery I WILL buy this $37,500 crystal Cinderella's Castle! I drool over it every time I walk into this store.
We heard the Main Street Trolley Parade so we stepped outside for a little bit to watch. Love watching them and love the song...even if I did hear it 45 times when I was on hold for ADRs!
After watching for a few minutes, we turned towards the Ice Cream Parlor and I spot the Mayor from the corner of my eye. Before I can even turn around completely he starts belting out the 'Happy Birthday' song to me! Seriously, I melted. He's such a sweet guy and he was making everyone around him smile. I got all mushy when he finished the song and he gave me a big hug. We chit chatted for a few minutes...including his horrible 'howyouuudoin' imitation after I told him we were from Jersey...haha! Of course I had to grab a quick photo with him and then he continued down Main Street to cheer up other guests.
Tweet Update, 1:05 PM Sep 26th At the mk...just got serenaded by the mayor of main street =)
Just as we parted ways, the Celebrate Today parade was going through. Mom stepped into the shade and air condition while I took a few shots... It was a cute little parade but hearing that song was my downfall. For the rest of the week I had it in my head!!
After the parade went by, we crossed the street to browse through the other shops and head towards the exit to start making our way over to the GF. I also wanted to upgrade my park pass to an annual and pick up the TIW card.
Leaving the Emporium, we ran into my favorite barbershop quartet, the Dapper Dan's!!
We only watched for a few minutes because I swear it was 15 degrees warmer on this side of the street! When we got back towards the gates, I ran over to guest relations to do the ticket upgrade. The CM knew exactly what to do and I had my annual pass (happy dance!) and TIW card all within 5 minutes.
Even though it was hot, I saw the boat pulling up to the MK for the GF and Poly so we headed over and grabbed a seat in the shade. The ride over was nice and relaxing and nice and cool from the breeze. As we got off the boat, the captain made sure to announce to everyone that it was my birthday... I could tell that this whole birthday thing is going to be entertaining...or get very annoying! Luckily it just stayed entertaining!
I love love love the Grand Floridian! I've been lucky enough to stay there two or three times and think it's just gorgeous. It's just so elegant and I love the time period the resort is designed after. We quickly walked to the main lobby and loved the air condition the minute we stepped in.
Since we had some time to kill we wandered through all the stores. Basin is my favorite at the GF so we took some time going through all of the soaps and stuff they have. Most of the things haven't changed since we were there last time but they did have a few Halloween soaps that were really cute and smelled great. Sadly I didn't get a chance to buy anything though!
Took a few shots around the hotel too...
After taking our time and looking around, we headed downstairs to the Garden View Lounge. There was a bride taking her wedding photos so there were a bunch of people around admiring. Reminded me of my friend Lisa's wedding last year. We checked in at the hostess stand and were told to go sit by the couches for about ten minutes because we were early for our reservation. I quickly took a peek into the tea room and there were very few tables sat already. Oh well...mom and I headed over to sit. About 15 minutes later, we were called over to be seated.
We were seated on the right of the tea room as you walk in, right by the windows. My back was to the rest of the room but it was beautiful. The sunlight was just coming through the windows and it was what i would think a typical tea should look like!
The view out the window...
Our server and at first I thought was going to be pretty cold but she warmed up throughout the tea. She had a really large table with a few little girls so I think she might have been a little overwhelmed at first with them and her other tables. But she was pretty helpful and around if we needed anything. She explained the different teas and gave us some recommendations. Also explained the different meals you can get or that it can all be ordered a la carte too.
Mom chose the Chamomile, which on the receipt is Herbal Rooibos, and on the allears menu is: Chamomile Flowers - A tranquil and calming herbal infusion of sweet and fragrant golden chamomile blossoms combined for a mild and sweet taste. Soft and musty aroma combined with a smooth, apple-like finish.
I chose the Eros, which was recommended by our server.... Eros - Medium bodied Ceylon: Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish.
Mom enjoyed her tea and said it was very good chamomile. I thought the Eros was delicious! You could taste the mandarin and vanilla but neither overpowering.
The presentation of the tea was beautiful as well. The china used was gorgeous and dainty, for lack of a better word. I did find it odd though that my tea was brought out in a normal classy tea pot, while my mothers was brought out in a regular coffee french press pot. Does anyone know why they do this and how they pick which teas will be served how?
My Eros (and you can slightly see moms Chamomile in the background):
We decided to just order a la carte off the menu because we wanted a little bit of everything. Ordering everything we wanted separately was actually cheaper than choosing one of the meals and not eating some stuff. And we ordered a LOT I feel! Sadly I TOTALLY forgot to take a photo of most of moms choices, but they're typical so you can imagine what they look like.
Mom ordered the Lemon Pound Cake for one option. It came out as two one inch thick pieces of typical lemon pound cake. She enjoyed it and ate every last bite. I tried a piece and thought it was kinda dry and nothing special.
We also ordered the strawberries and cream, with the cream on the side. It came out in separate bowls so we obviously lost a little in the presentation but the girls next to us also ordered and it looks YUMMY when combined together. The strawberries were ripe and sweet, not mushy or bruised at all. The sweet cream was definitely made in house and was delicious. I'm usually not a fan of whipped cream but could have eaten this alone with a spoon. Light, airy, and perfect.
I ordered the Freshly Baked Scones with Devonshire Cream and Preserves. Now you'd think when it says 'scones'... it would mean more than one, right? Well when I ordered she asked me if I wanted one or two, so naturally I said two. Little did I know that there was an extra charge for the second one! I didn't mind though because they were seriously the best things I had the whole tea. Wow, I could have eaten 5 more. They were sweet enough, moist, and with the Devonshire Cream? Heaven. I even forgot to try them with the preserves! I was upset when the girls next to me pulled out the preserves. I was tempted to order another one just to try it all together.
In the photo is also a Jam Tart and this is where it gets a little fuzzy. I remember asking for them, but they're not on the receipt and there's supposed to be two of them, according to the menu. So I'm thinking our server might have just thrown one in complimentary OR the 'extra scone' on my receipt is actually the jam tart...and the two scones I got were the correct number. Does that make sense?
Anyways...the Jam Tart was just that... a raspberry (or strawberry) jam tart. It was good, but I took two bites and left the rest. The scones were just calling my name.
For the next round of food, we both ordered from the pastry tray. You were allowed two per order. Mom was eyeing the white chocolate covered strawberries so she had two of those. She devoured them, which meant she loved them. I didn't try them since I'm not a fan of white chocolate.
For my two pastries I chose the hazelnut mousse and the raspberry mousse. The hazelnut was good, but nothing that amazed me. The raspberry mousse, on the other hand, was delicious! Again, I wished I ordered two of these instead. Light and creamy and just all around great!
After we were done, the server came by and took my TIW card and brought the bill.
Here's the breakdown:
Eros Tea: $6.29
Herbal Rooibos: $6.29
Pound Cake: $3.50
Strawberries/Cream: $6.95
English Scone: $3.50
One Scone (or jam tart?): $1.75
Pastries 2@2.75: $5.50
Subtotal: $33.78
TIW Discount: -$6.76
Total OOP after tax/tip: $34.86
Overall we really enjoyed the tea and I can't wait to go again. It was relaxing and something different to do at Disney, but still had the Disney magic. The atmosphere was just what we needed after traveling all day. And where else can you go for such a nice tea? Other than having Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel in NYC, I can't think of a better place. If any of you get the time and chance to go, please do. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
After we finished the tea, the piano player was playing so we stopped and listened for a little bit. On the way back up to the monorail to head back to the MK I snapped this photo..
The monorail came in a few minutes and the but to POFQ I'm pretty sure was either waiting for us or we waited less than 5 mins for it to come.
Oh...and Scott's favorite stickers...
When I checked Twitter, there were a ton of you guys wishing me a great trip!
Tweet Update, 3:45 PM Sep 26th: Thank you everyone! Hard to reply to everyone. Just had a lovely afternoon tea at the gf. Now back to the room to rest before citricos
We got back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit before heading back out... which will have to be another post!
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