Chunkymonkey and Chubbyhubby Feed the Force!! A May 2015 TR - Update 10/29 Trip Epilogue!

[cajunfan]

So I have to ask...What are you taking your pictures with? Your phone or a regular camera? And if it is your phone do you mind sharing what kind? Your pictures are so clear and focused! Beautiful!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Ok the Yachtclub, that dinner looked amazing!! Haha, love the huge meat fridge and dude just standing there, hacking up steaks. Mmmmm....meat

I know! I think I even have a selfie of myself posing with the meat fridge. It was a proud moment.

The Cinderella Popcorn bucket!!! Jealous, I really really REALLY hope they have those at DL when we go in October, that is my #1 souvenir to get this time around(those and the 60th anniversary Starbucks mugs).

I know! I wanted one when I saw them several months ago. I was hoping they wouldn't be sold out so I guess I was lucky. I didn't have room in my suitcase for those park-specific starbucks mugs though, so i'll have to pick those up next time!

Love Steve's expression in the photo on the people mover "god, ANOTHER photo??" teehee

I know...he has to live with me, the crazy photographer. Ha!

That's the thing I hate about the fact that not all souveniers are available everywhere...so when you see something...you have to jump on it...but then you get stuck carrying all kinds of stuff around. Ooops about the delay lol but kinda funny!

Yes, it's quite annoying. They should allow you to send this back to the resort! I'd totally have done that...but in the end I caused a delay on the most crowded ride in MK. LOL

WOW!! It must have been super busy...I've never seen that kind of line for IASW!! Monsters looked pretty busy too...sigh...it's getting to the point where there will be fewer "less busy" times to go to WDW I think....

I know! I am so used to walking on that ride always...it was so strange to have to wait on so many lines. If Star Wars weekends were only in the fall...

So I have to ask...What are you taking your pictures with? Your phone or a regular camera? And if it is your phone do you mind sharing what kind? Your pictures are so clear and focused! Beautiful!

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you Lynn!! I primarily use a high-end Canon point and shoot, the G7X. It's meant for people who like to tinker with manual controls but in a point and shoot sized camera. It's pretty fancy and takes amazing pictures, but I find that in general, the canon powershots in the S line...like the S100 or S120 - they take pretty great pictures too and are at a reasonable price point for the quality. I also use an iphone 6+ as well to take pictures, especially the selfies with characters.

 

[disneyguy4life]

I am all caught up on your trip. DANG!!! You had a great time!! I'm like your sister. I CANNOT pass up a character M&G. I am waiting for the rest of the TR. Please keep feeding my Disney addiction. LOL

 

[Dugette]

(BTW, we meet Tracy later on that night in some sort of divine DIS coincidence! Stay tuned for that story!!)

How awesome! I met Tracy too, but it was planned.

I had to squish the carriage popcorn bucket somehow in between my legs. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Not good. They are tiny seats with no legroom.

Funny that there's a completely empty mine car behind you.

As we were getting out of the ride car, the popcorn bag fell open spilling most of my popcorn out of the bag and into the cart...eeeks!

I had to flag down a CM and tell him I was really sorry...I really felt bad because I know how long the line was for Mine Train and I probably delayed it a good 15 minutes...

Oh no! That's a bummer! But they probably have some Disney Ducks ready and waiting to be released into the vehicle to clean it up pronto!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I am all caught up on your trip. DANG!!! You had a great time!! I'm like your sister. I CANNOT pass up a character M&G. I am waiting for the rest of the TR. Please keep feeding my Disney addiction. LOL

Hi!! Thanks for reading! The character meet n greets are fun, I admit, and I've done them more in the past 5 years than I have ever did before. I am just impatient and don't like to wait on line when we already have to for rides...I kinda miss the old FP system. We're so limited with FP+ I feel. I am working on an update now!

How awesome! I met Tracy too, but it was planned.

It was such a cool moment...it really was an amazing coincidence. You'll read about it soon!

Not good. They are tiny seats with no legroom.

Yes...I don't know why they made them almost Barnstormer-like. LOL.

Funny that there's a completely empty mine car behind you.

I know...weird! Maybe there was popcorn in that seat!

Oh no! That's a bummer! But they probably have some Disney Ducks ready and waiting to be released into the vehicle to clean it up pronto!

I hope so!!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

A little PTR Update....

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! I just hung out with friends and family and BBQ'd at our house! It was casual and fun!

Here's a photopass pic from last year's trip to commemorate the 4th of July:

So if you've read my Disney cruise TR, you probably already know that we booked another cruise while on board the Magic (to secure the onboard booking discount). We picked the 7-night Feb 20th Western Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy with a Star Wars Day at Sea! It's the first time they have done this so not sure what to expect, but probably a lot more Slave Leias and some Star Wars characters. I think they also have Star Wars fireworks at night. Lets hope it's a success because this cruise sure is costing some $$$ but it also happens to be my birthday (turning the big 4-0) so its probably a justifiable splurge (I think).

I was toying with the idea of heading to the parks before the cruise too but I didn't know if I'd be able to take so much time off from work. We have other vacations tentatively planned for next year but it looks like some of them may not happen so I've decided to add on a week at WDW before our cruise! I'm hoping that we could spend Valentines day at WDW, as it might be kinda cool, but it is presidents weekend and not sure if flights/resorts those days will be pricey. I am most likely going to do Feb 15-20 at WDW and we want to stay at my favorite resort, the Polynesian Village! Of course, it all depends on cost. My travel agent (Jason from Magical Vacations Travel, who is da bomb) didn't have any Feb discounts yet for 2016 so we're waiting on those (supposed to come any day now). It's probably going to be just as expensive as the cruise...sigh...here's to already spending mega money in 2016 when 2015 is only halfway over!

But good news is that Chunky Sis will now be joining us on the cruise! She just got a new job and is getting paid more so she's going to celebrate my birthday with me on the cruise! So our cruise TR next year will probably be a lot like this TR! She won't be joining us at WDW because she doesn't have that much vacation but it's already a big deal she's coming with us! Yay!

The only way she could go was to share a stateroom with us so I upgraded us to a Deluxe Family Stateroom w/Verandah which has an extra whopping 25 sq feet of space in the cabin. It would have cost us the same amount either way and I think we'd all benefit from that tiny extra space.

I'll probably start a formal PTR once I've actually booked our WDW vacation! But here's the tentative plan for Feb 2016:

Feb 14 or 15: Fly to Orlando, stay at the Poly for 5-6 nights. Will probably get 8-day park hopper tickets.
Feb 20: Travel to Port Canaveral and board the Disney Fantasy!
Feb 20-27: 7 nights of fun with Star Wars Day at Sea! Also included are stops at Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Castaway Cay. Let's pray for some nice weather!
Feb 27 (my actual birthday): Disembark and travel back to WDW for 1-2 nights - maybe back at the Poly or try another deluxe resort? Probably will head to MK because I'd like a picture in front of the castle on my birthday!
Feb 28 or 29: Travel back home to NJ.

Does anyone have any ideas of what I should do for the actual night of my 40th birthday? Should I splurge for Victoria and Albert's? Should I go to my favorite, Ohana? Or try California Grill? Or maybe I could just do the Wishes Dessert Party? So many options!

That's the plan for now...now back to regular posts for this TR!​

 

[soniam]

Does anyone have any ideas of what I should do for the actual night of my 40th birthday? Should I splurge for Victoria and Albert's? Should I go to my favorite, Ohana? Or try California Grill? Or maybe I could just do the Wishes Dessert Party? So many options!

That's the plan for now...now back to regular posts for this TR!​

Happy 40 Spoil yourself and go to V&A. You won't regret it. It is spectacular. We did a WDW/cruise vacation last summer, but we only spent a few days at WDW. It's a great way to start out the cruise. You feel like you can push yourself more at WDW and see everything, because you are going to get a whole week to relax afterward.

 

[disney2mom]

Love your updates! I can't believe I missed Cinderella's carriage popcorn bucket when I was there, so jealous!!!!

 

[disney2mom]

Does anyone have any ideas of what I should do for the actual night of my 40th birthday? Should I splurge for Victoria and Albert's? Should I go to my favorite, Ohana? Or try California Grill? Or maybe I could just do the Wishes Dessert Party? So many options!

I'm so excited you're adding a week at WDW to your birthday celebration, woohoo!! I think you need to go ALL out for your big 4-0!! Maybe go to Ohana for breakfast and take pics with the characters then go to V&A for dinner?!?! You only turn 40 once

 

[chunkymonkey]

Happy 40 Spoil yourself and go to V&A. You won't regret it. It is spectacular. We did a WDW/cruise vacation last summer, but we only spent a few days at WDW. It's a great way to start out the cruise. You feel like you can push yourself more at WDW and see everything, because you are going to get a whole week to relax afterward.

Thanks! Can't believe that I'm turning 40 because I still feel like I'm a kid! I think we will do V&A...it seems just up my alley because I love food and fine dining. To experience it at Disney would be icing on the cake. It seems the perfect opportunity too since we'll be bringing formal clothes for the cruise that we wouldn't normally bring to WDW (hence we've never been to V&A before). I'm so excited!

Love your updates! I can't believe I missed Cinderella's carriage popcorn bucket when I was there, so jealous!!!!

Thanks!! I love that bucket. It sits in my room like a treasure. I've also convinced my 2 nieces (both under the age of 3) that that's not a "toy" so they don't trash it! God knows what state it would be in if they got their hands on it before!

I'm so excited you're adding a week at WDW to your birthday celebration, woohoo!! I think you need to go ALL out for your big 4-0!! Maybe go to Ohana for breakfast and take pics with the characters then go to V&A for dinner?!?! You only turn 40 once

That's a GREAT idea! I'd love to do Ohana breakfast again! I could live on Mickey waffles... Did you do anything special at WDW for your 40th?

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 4 Part 3: Lunch at Be Our Guest!

Today was the first of two meals we'd be having at BoG that week. We had a breakfast scheduled for our last day in the parks. We unfortunately couldn't get ADRs for dinner, which is too bad because I really enjoyed our meal there last year. Anyhoo, we figure it would be fine for lunch so we managed to get a lunch ADR fairly easily (and breakfast as well, as soon as it was announced).

We checked in and got on line to order. I didn't pre-order any meals because I honestly didn't think I knew what I would feel like eating before then. We were fine with waiting on line.

Did you know that knights talk while on line? One of them will doze off and snore, and you can wake them up!

We were on line for about 15 minutes before we got to place our order at the kiosk. I selected the croque madame, DH got the tuna nicoise salad, and CS got the turkey sandwich.

We decided to sit in the west wing because we hadn't sat there before. I took this pic while we were walking towards the west wing.

The west wing is very dark, but very cool. To take good shots here you should turn off your flash and hold your camera very steady...I usually use something to stabilize my hand, like lean my elbow on the table or a wall.

We sat next to the fireplace...it wasn't warm though!

Of course we had to take some pictures of the rose!

We got our drinks at the drink station, and helped ourselves to flatware and napkins. In about 20 minutes, our food came! That was quicker than I expected since it was pretty crowded inside.

Here's CS's turkey sandwich:

My croque monsieur (ham and cheese sandwich):

And DH's tuna salad:

Our food was yummy! We all have had lunch here before, so we knew we enjoyed the food. It's pretty normal food - sandwiches, salads, soups, etc. with a French twist, but it's all prepared very well for QS and the ambiance is awesome. We weren't ravenous since we had breakfast earlier so it was just enough food. We didn't really want dessert, but otherwise I would recommend the gray stuff cupcake! We were just not that hungry, and I already had a lefou's brew too.

After lunch...guess what, CS went to meet more characters! DH and I wanted to head back to AoA for a swim. It was getting quite hot at this point and MK was just too crowded for my liking. Did everyone decide to go to MK today? It sure seemed like it. We were due back at MK that evening to ride BTMRR and meet Anna and Elsa - so it was a nice respite from the heat. so we headed on out, back to main street.

As we were walking back, Steve was offered a chance to pull the sword from the stone...

Yeah, he was not worthy. It's ok, the PP photog took some pics of us as a consolation prize.

Here's some more PP pics as we were leaving MK:

Check out the pirate on the right below...I'm assuming a Pirate's League castaway?

You may notice that I rarely put any borders on the PP pics. I really can't be bothered. It takes too long and I just have no time. I leave that up to my sister. She spent hours doing them! She sent me her link and some of them are pretty cute. Maybe I will show them later on in this TR.

We went to pick up a few new packs of sorcerer cards so DH could play later.
Now for our excruciating walk all the way to the last bus stop for the AoA...Gate #34. Literally the furthest away from everything!
We manage to make it on a bus and back to the resort we go!

Getting ready for the cozy cone pool

The pool looks so inviting on this hot day!

It was great just playing around in the pool. We also had a few things to do here...we needed to do some laundry since we had stuff from the cruise as well. So while we were at the pool we put in a few loads and by the time we were done with the pool so was the laundry!

Here's the view from where we sat. Just behind us was the laundry room.

As soon as our laundry was done, CS joined us. She was tired from character hopping and wanted to lay out by the pool so that's what she did!
We relaxed and swam for hours before we had to get ready to go back to the park by 7pm.

CS needed a bit more time so she told us to head to MK first and she'll meet us at BTMRR!

Before we left, we got a quick dinner at AoA. I shared a plate of Indian food with DH. I like how Landscape of Flavors had a lot of variety of foods.

We got one of the platters. I think ours had chicken tikka (butter chicken with spices), spinach and cheese, cauliflower with roasted tomato and spices, basmati rice, and naan bread. The portions didn't seem that big but they were actually quite filling, especially the naan bread which I saw them make fresh. Boy, swimming makes you hungry! The food was great although I like my Indian food spicier. But it was a nice meal. I'm glad we shared as I was going to save my stomach for some ice cream later!

So we headed back on the bus to MK...it better be less crowded at this time!!!
...or is it?
​

 

[allybabba98]

Can I just say again how much I love your trip report!! My family all loved AofA, we have stayed there two times and enjoyed everything about it (the boys really liked the arcade) I am already warning DH about my plans for my 40th in a few years...I think I may just show him your post because that is the way to do it!!
I honestly thought your picture of you heading to the pool was your outfit for going back to MK...you look gorgeous!
Looking forward to reading more.

 

[KathyM2]

Star Wars Day at Sea!

That sounds like a blast!!

Or try California Grill?

That's one place I'd really like to try so I give that my vote...I think a birthday dinner there would be really special.

Best Friend's Breakfast at 'Ohana! We were all really excited about this ADR

Love that breakfast. Would love to try dinner there too one day.

I selected the croque madame

Yum...I was torn between that and the turkey and went with the turkey...so may have to get that next time.

Of course we had to take some pictures of the rose!

You got some great pics...mine all turned out crap in that dark room.

especially the naan bread

I could live on that stuff!! Your whole meal looked pretty delish!

 

[chunkymonkey]

More PTR Updates (2nd thoughts)...

Just posting more of my thoughts for our 2016 trip...
The more I look at adding a week in the parks before our cruise in February 2016, especially during President's week, not to mention it's the week before the Princess half marathon...it looks like it's going to be a crowded time to go! I looked at a bunch of crowd calendars and they all say how busy that week is and to avoid it. Soooo....I'm not so sure anymore. Can anyone who has been during President's week let me know how bad the crowd level was? I mean...we did the week before Memorial Day this year...and it was crowded, but anything is doable with good planning, right? Just not sure I want to deal with crowds again next year.

Our only other option if we want to avoid the crowds is to do the parks after we return from the Cruise...so Feb 27-March 5. This is doable too, and will be just like our vacation this year...cruise first then parks. I would have to take 1 extra day off of work. The crowd calendars said it should be relatively light and it's right before people start to arrive for Spring Break. I'm ok with this option, but I did want to try and do the parks first before the cruise.

I guess we shall wait and see what the price differential is between the 2 weeks. I think that will be the deciding factor.
​

 

[chunkymonkey]

Can I just say again how much I love your trip report!! My family all loved AofA, we have stayed there two times and enjoyed everything about it (the boys really liked the arcade) I am already warning DH about my plans for my 40th in a few years...I think I may just show him your post because that is the way to do it!!

Thank you! Yeah! The resort is awesome! I love the themes and the pools are fantastic. I think we did the arcade once a previous trip. I see from your ticker that you're headed back in a few months? Where are you staying?

I honestly thought your picture of you heading to the pool was your outfit for going back to MK...you look gorgeous!
Looking forward to reading more.

Aww thank you!! I think it was just the really good lighting in the bathroom.
You can also kinda tell I have an uneven tan on my face without my makeup. But Thank You!!!

That sounds like a blast!!

I know, right??!!

That's one place I'd really like to try so I give that my vote...I think a birthday dinner there would be really special.

That is one place that is constantly on my list! Even if I don't go there on my actual birthday, it will definitely be on my ADR list that week!

Love that breakfast. Would love to try dinner there too one day.

Dinner is delicious!! I love the grilled shrimp. My family can eat buckets of it. And the noodles...and dumplings...and don't get me started on my favorite dessert of all time....the bread pudding!! Stay tuned for our trip to Ohana on this TR!

Yum...I was torn between that and the turkey and went with the turkey...so may have to get that next time.

The turkey was good too! We all had bites of each other's food.

You got some great pics...mine all turned out crap in that dark room.

Thanks! I tried very hard to take good pictures in the dark.

I could live on that stuff!! Your whole meal looked pretty delish!

It was! Nothing beats freshly made naan...and it was really good too!

 

[kastoney]

Can't believe how crowded MK was this day, but way to take advantage of the crowds to ride the People Mover (aka what my daughter calls the Pooper). One of my favorite rides in all of the world. Your Popcorn carriage is absolutely adorable, did you actually get to eat any of the popcorn? Though can't believe you shut down Mine Train for it ; ) Bad ChunkyMonkey!

I'm a big fan of the lunch at BoG too (dinner not so much) but the non-planner that I am with ADRs now it likely isn't in our cards.

Why is it that AoA is almost always the last bus stop? During our trip there (with my elderly parents in tow) we couldn't believe it. They gotta mix it up so everyone gets to feel the wrath of the last stop. Once you did get back though, the view from the pool looks great. And agree AoA has a delicious food court, so many options.

Congrats on your trip for next year. I've never been presidents weekend, but have contemplated it a few times (my daughters birthday is usually that weekend) and the crowds just sound too awful to me. So we've avoided it and gone a bit later in February, when the crowds are much less. We went the last weekend in Feb last year and crowds weren't bad at all, so perhaps after your cruise is the better option. Likely to get a better room rate too.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Can't believe how crowded MK was this day, but way to take advantage of the crowds to ride the People Mover (aka what my daughter calls the Pooper). One of my favorite rides in all of the world. Your Popcorn carriage is absolutely adorable, did you actually get to eat any of the popcorn? Though can't believe you shut down Mine Train for it ; ) Bad ChunkyMonkey!

Yeah it was packed! I guess everyone left DHS and Epcot over the weekend and are now at MK! I can't escape!
Yes, bad Chunkymonkey indeed! I set off a ride traffic jam!!

I'm a big fan of the lunch at BoG too (dinner not so much) but the non-planner that I am with ADRs now it likely isn't in our cards.

I did enjoy dinner too, and I liked that we got to meet Beast. It was the only time I've ever met him at WDW. But the ADRs are so hard to get.

Why is it that AoA is almost always the last bus stop? During our trip there (with my elderly parents in tow) we couldn't believe it. They gotta mix it up so everyone gets to feel the wrath of the last stop. Once you did get back though, the view from the pool looks great. And agree AoA has a delicious food court, so many options.

I know!!!! We still talk about how AoA was the last bus stop at MK and how we were literally dying by the time we get there. Do they ever rotate the bus stops? I mean, I can't imagine the Deluxe resorts ever having that spot though. But yes, put the value class resorts at the back...ugh...

Congrats on your trip for next year. I've never been presidents weekend, but have contemplated it a few times (my daughters birthday is usually that weekend) and the crowds just sound too awful to me. So we've avoided it and gone a bit later in February, when the crowds are much less. We went the last weekend in Feb last year and crowds weren't bad at all, so perhaps after your cruise is the better option. Likely to get a better room rate too.

Yeah that's probably what I'll end up doing...

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Aaaak! I had to get it! I wasn't sure if they would be sold out or not, or how high demand it is right then, but I didn't hesitate to buy it!

Good Call. I never was able to get one. By the time I went to look they were gone.

The ride cars are very small!

They really are!

Now for our excruciating walk all the way to the last bus stop for the AoA...Gate #34. Literally the furthest away from everything!
We manage to make it on a bus and back to the resort we go!

You really are. You actually save a bit of walking if you park at the TTC. I charted it out on http://geodistance.com/

 

[kadrachb]

Feb 27 (my actual birthday): Disembark and travel back to WDW for 1-2 nights - maybe back at the Poly or try another deluxe resort? Probably will head to MK because I'd like a picture in front of the castle on my birthday!
Feb 28 or 29: Travel back home to NJ.

Does anyone have any ideas of what I should do for the actual night of my 40th birthday? Should I splurge for Victoria and Albert's? Should I go to my favorite, Ohana? Or try California Grill? Or maybe I could just do the Wishes Dessert Party? So many options!

I'd go with the Wishes Dessert Party or V&A. We almost have the same birthday! Mine's the 28th.

DH got the tuna nicoise salad

I tried that this year! It was delicious.

The cozy cone pool looks really nice! I love those traffic cones.

 

[bcwife76]

I'm so excited you're (hopefully) adding on more WDW to the birthday cruise bonanza! That trip is going to be epic! My big 4-0 is also this coming February eeek Let's hear it for 1976 ;-) My dh also turns 40 next year so I think we're going to be a DCL to Alaska, that's pretty splurgy (but we don't have to add on airfare). If you gotta turn 40, you might as well do it in style, right? ;-)