Coffee on the Verandah -The Last Slide, Recap & Souvies 5/29 - Link to Aulani TR 5/31

[Charleston Princess]

Hi, Cynthia!!! I am back and making notes of which page I need to backtrack to in order to catch up! I am sure I missed lots of adventures!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/04/01/lawsuit-seeks-to-ban-starbucks-in-the-magic-kingdom/

Please read ALL the way to the bottom!

 

[Poolrat]

http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/04/01/lawsuit-seeks-to-ban-starbucks-in-the-magic-kingdom/

Please read ALL the way to the bottom!

 

[eandesmom]

Happy Easter Cynthia to you and your family !!!!!

I hope you had a wonderful one yourself Pat!

Trying to get caught up. Nice pictures of the giraffes. We are looking forward to staying at AKL (Kidani) for two nights in June.

Hope your family has a nice Easter weekend!

I need to get caught up too. I am hoping this work trip will have some nice solo down DIS time! Hope your Easter was lovely

I hope you had a wonderful Easter Lisa!

Hi, Cynthia!!! I am back and making notes of which page I need to backtrack to in order to catch up! I am sure I missed lots of adventures!

Welcome back and happy spring break!

Just a few adventures...

http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/04/01/lawsuit-seeks-to-ban-starbucks-in-the-magic-kingdom/

Please read ALL the way to the bottom!

LOVE it!

 

[natebenma]

Fantastic update!!!

What an incredible view!

Nice variety of animals, an abundance of giraffes and your own little nature exhibit down below with the mother crane. That is so neat!

Despite your slow start that morning, I say you made up for it with a pretty packed afternoon!

Lunch at Mara, checkin to an amazing room, scouting out animals, procuring a bottle of wine, quality control testing the jacuzzi, some pool time and now what I am sure is an interesting dinner coming up.

Can't wait to find out where!

 

[Charleston Princess]

So, my plan WAS to read through your TR completely and then post a reply, but there is no way I will remember everything I want to comment on if I do that. So...

Bummer that the rain and boredom shortened your stay at the Sheraton -- sounds like a lovely time napping in the lounge chair while you were there, though. The images of the flooding streets and horse waste, though -- ewww. If we ever make it to Nassau, we may just limit our outing.

How neat that you had the same boat captain -- I don't think I realized that they rotated between the ships.

Brunch at Palo looks delicious and peaceful. What a wonderful start to your at-sea day!

 

[Charleston Princess]

More comments...

So glad that Kendall finally showed up for her spa appointment. If that had been Chelsea, I would have been a bit peeved at her. Glad it all worked out.

Too bad the wind hampered your relaxing, but that fruit and cheese plate looks just about perfect!

Poor kid getting stuck on the Aquaduck!

Fireworks at sea would be so much fun to watch!

Woo hoo for a cruise to Greece and Italy! OMG! How fun will that be!!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Last batch of comments!

Pretty sure I could live on Castaway Cay -- really and truly. Except maybe during hurricane season. LOL!

Mean mom about the E's showing up late and stringing them along on their purchases? Nah! I would have done the exact same thing.

I love how the conversation about visiting a park played out -- could it have been set-up any better with the boys all sad?

The Mara has such fun food choices! I love it there.

Speaking of love, you know how I feel about all those giraffe pictures! Not to mention how super cool it was to see the crane and her eggs.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Cynthia! Been trying to get caught up and I have to tell you, your last update had me squealing with delight and will have to share with Tom this evening. We had the "standard" view ourselves several years ago but we were in the wing next to where you were at. Tom claims those African cranes as his own! We watched her lay two eggs over the course of our stay. The castmember came out the first morning after she layed the egg and couldn't get near her. Tom and the CM struck up quite the conversation from our balcony and he was the one who informed her that she had laid an egg during the night. She named him the official crane watcher and chatted us with us "via the balcony" several mornings. Tom mentions those cranes every time we are at WDW and wonders if they are still laying eggs. He will be estatic!

I loved Castaway Cay. It wasn't as warm as I would have liked when we were there in November but so much fun. Sure wish Jeremy would have listened to me and held his nose when he went off Pelican Plunge like your son! Salt water got the best of him and he wouldn't do it again. Did you give it a try? I thought it was really cool.

Where was the snorkeling? I missed that somehow.

Love that you surprised the boys with AKL! I am in awe that you can keep the secret. I always have the best intentions to surprise Jeremy but I can never hold it in.

Can't wait to hear about your AK day!

 

[eandesmom]

Fantastic update!!!

What an incredible view!

Nice variety of animals, an abundance of giraffes and your own little nature exhibit down below with the mother crane. That is so neat!

It so vastly exceeded any expectations I'd had, it was amazing! I was mesmerized by the mama crane

Despite your slow start that morning, I say you made up for it with a pretty packed afternoon!

Lunch at Mara, checkin to an amazing room, scouting out animals, procuring a bottle of wine, quality control testing the jacuzzi, some pool time and now what I am sure is an interesting dinner coming up.

Can't wait to find out where!

Quality control testing love it. Yes, the afternoon really did make up for the morning, I was relieved that the rain stopped, those boys needed to move and the swim really helped.

So, my plan WAS to read through your TR completely and then post a reply, but there is no way I will remember everything I want to comment on if I do that. So...

Bummer that the rain and boredom shortened your stay at the Sheraton -- sounds like a lovely time napping in the lounge chair while you were there, though. The images of the flooding streets and horse waste, though -- ewww. If we ever make it to Nassau, we may just limit our outing.

Stay on the ship or, go to Atlantis. It was too pricey for my blood and frankly I was convinced that I'd lose Eric. Heck, I'm still convinced of that!

How neat that you had the same boat captain -- I don't think I realized that they rotated between the ships.

Brunch at Palo looks delicious and peaceful. What a wonderful start to your at-sea day!

I didn't either, Jeff was ecstatic that it was Captain Gus again, it was pretty darn cute.

Palo is wonderful, just wonderful!

More comments...

So glad that Kendall finally showed up for her spa appointment. If that had been Chelsea, I would have been a bit peeved at her. Glad it all worked out.

teen girls

Too bad the wind hampered your relaxing, but that fruit and cheese plate looks just about perfect!

Poor kid getting stuck on the Aquaduck!

Fireworks at sea would be so much fun to watch!

Woo hoo for a cruise to Greece and Italy! OMG! How fun will that be!!!

Well Greece and Italy has been replaced with the much more reasonable Southern Caribbean itinerary. It will be fun though! The wind was crazy.

Last batch of comments!

Pretty sure I could live on Castaway Cay -- really and truly. Except maybe during hurricane season. LOL!

Yeah, I'd prefer not to be there then either...though technically we were. LOL!

Mean mom about the E's showing up late and stringing them along on their purchases? Nah! I would have done the exact same thing.

I probably should have held out longer but I didn't need the drama and sulking in the morning and there would have been.

I love how the conversation about visiting a park played out -- could it have been set-up any better with the boys all sad?

The Mara has such fun food choices! I love it there.

Speaking of love, you know how I feel about all those giraffe pictures! Not to mention how super cool it was to see the crane and her eggs.

They were so sad and then so happy, it was adorable and it was evident in their pool joy. Great turn around after such a long morning.

Hi Cynthia! Been trying to get caught up and I have to tell you, your last update had me squealing with delight and will have to share with Tom this evening. We had the "standard" view ourselves several years ago but we were in the wing next to where you were at. Tom claims those African cranes as his own! We watched her lay two eggs over the course of our stay. The castmember came out the first morning after she layed the egg and couldn't get near her. Tom and the CM struck up quite the conversation from our balcony and he was the one who informed her that she had laid an egg during the night. She named him the official crane watcher and chatted us with us "via the balcony" several mornings. Tom mentions those cranes every time we are at WDW and wonders if they are still laying eggs. He will be estatic!

I loved that crane! So cool!!!!

I loved Castaway Cay. It wasn't as warm as I would have liked when we were there in November but so much fun. Sure wish Jeremy would have listened to me and held his nose when he went off Pelican Plunge like your son! Salt water got the best of him and he wouldn't do it again. Did you give it a try? I thought it was really cool.

Where was the snorkeling? I missed that somehow.

I didn't do the slide, too lazy to swim out that far. LOL! Bummer on the salt water up the nose. Evan had issues like that on the boogie board. He'd gotten burned b/c he wouldn't wear his rash guard, then the salt water stung and he didn't want to go in the ocean (in Nassau and towards the end of Vero). I am glad he got over it but they can definitely get something stuck in their heads and dig in.

The snorkeling was before you hit the family beaches, on the other side of the dock that leads out to that drink spot. It's an enclosed lagoon area

Love that you surprised the boys with AKL! I am in awe that you can keep the secret. I always have the best intentions to surprise Jeremy but I can never hold it in.

Can't wait to hear about your AK day!

I love surprises! I have to figure out something for the next trip.

 

[englishrose47]

http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/04/01/lawsuit-seeks-to-ban-starbucks-in-the-magic-kingdom/

Please read ALL the way to the bottom!

That is the second April Fools statement I've heard that involves Disney!!!

 

[eandesmom]

That is the second April Fools statement I've heard that involves Disney!!!

There were some good ones! I really liked the DVC one about the GF

 

[eandesmom]

Now I cannot honestly recall if we had told the kids ahead of time where we were going for dinner or if wed done our deliberately vague response of somewhere you've never been. LOL!

Our destination was a never done for the crew, The Wave. We had selected the Wave as we had a surprise in mind for after dinner, something the kids didn't know existed. Earlier in the trip I had let the kids choose between watching Wishes on the beach at the Poly, or going to see Yee Haw Bob. You know what they chose. What they didn't know was that we could go to the Top of the World lounge at BLT with our DVC membership. Im not sure they knew it existed though Eric is a bit obsessed with the Disney Files magazine so he likely did. Refreshed and ready we headed down to the lobby and quickly grabbed a cab to head to the Contemporary. A painless cab ride (ok painless except for the cost) later, we were quickly inside and found our destination with relative ease. Checking in, though it didn't appear truly full, we were issued a pager. Jeff had really taken one for the team all day and we decided that the kids could wait in the waiting area while the adults went into the lounge.
So we did!

The man deserved this

I, on the other hand, decided to stick with this

Well, with one of them. I couldn't decide and think the bartender was suggesting one and gave me a taste of each to help me out. He refilled whichever one I liked better. LOL! Of course since the receipt is at home and I am on a plane while I write this, I cant recall what it was. Ill update with menu descriptions later I guess. We both really liked the lounge here. Very adult and "cool".

It kind of reminded me of Blue Zoo and we felt nicely removed from the parks, which suited our moods after such a long day, a great decompression zone.

I wouldn't mind a set of these glasses

The poor abandoned children

The lighting, cool as it is, is NOT good for picture taking!

In relatively short order we were ushered in. the kids were very excited that we had the DDP for this portion of the trip. They LOVE the DDP. And really, as a kid, who wouldn't? Order whatever entree you want, no matter the price? No negotiating or begging your parents? No wonder they love it. They are pretty bummed we aren't planning on doing it next Dec but frankly with the way my nephews eat I cant see it penciling. We need to do the math to confirm once we narrow down the dining selections but I dont see it working nearly as well with the larger group.

Once we ordered, we had a few goodies to pass out.

First up, the birthday girl. You didn't really think all you were getting for your 16th was a pedicure did you? Nope, she was getting the Backstage Safari Tour, with Jeff. You have to be 16 to go on this so she was just making the cut off in time!

In case you can't tell it is a picture of the vet tables, as it was a behind the scenes tour or "A fascinating 3-hour look at how Disney Cast Members tend to the 1,500-plus inhabitants of Disneys Animal Kingdom park. " For a girl thinking about veterinary school, it was the perfect gift.

For the Es (and K as well) a new grant from the Souvenir Gods that could be spent at the park the next day.

Soon enough, food arrived.

Entrees

Mine

Grilled Beef Tenderloin - with Goji berry-red wine reduction, three potato hash, locally-sourced butternut squash risotto $33.99

Jeff's

Locally-sourced Thompson Farms Pork Tenderloin -in an apple-brine on carmelized onion and goat cheese polenta and vegetables of the moment $23.99

Maybe? probably?

Sigh. Need reciept. I think Evan had this

Whole Grain Penne Pasta - with Florida White Shrimp, Cedar Key Clams, Calico Scallops, and Roasted garlic-Tomato Broth $26.99

Who knows what the rest had. Really, I will look and confirm.

Desserts

All they have are trio's which is not my favorite approach, and the menu doesn't match up what they had over the summer so....I give you photos with no description

Ok that isn't a trio, it's a ???
stack?

Jeff volunteered to finish off the extras

Lest you think the Cheesecake was bad with the way it was getting piled on Jeff I think 2 things were happening. We were FULL and Jeff loves cheesecake. In fact, he might have stolen it from people. I can neither confirm nor deny.

What did we think of the Wave? We LOVED the food. LOVED it. The ambiance was....ok. I liked the lounge better than the actual dining room. Kind of reminded me of Kona Cafe in it's own way, not a lot of personality or ambiance to the main room but killer food. Still though, it really suited our moods and the place in our trip. Unlike Kona though, we had lovely service, or at least as far as I can recall. Honestly I think if the main dining room was just a bit smaller, it would be so much nicer. With the contemporary decor, the big room just felt...big and as a result a little cold. But I'd eat there again in a heartbeat and in fact did, for breakfast, in Oct (which was wonderful!). It is a bit of a hidden gem if you ask me.

After dinner we set off to head over to BLT. Having never been there it took us a minute to figure out how to get there but we managed. In the lobby they checked our member cards and KTTW, wrote down our party size and ushered us up. Upon arrival we went straight outside. Jeff and I decided we didn't really want another adult beverage and so we just looked at the lounge from the outside.

And&its blurry

He didn't think the kids could go in (though I think they can?) but as there wasn't really any need, we just found ourselves a lovely viewing spot.
Soon enough Wishes! I am not really sure why but we havent seen Wishes much at all, in fact I dont think weve ever seen it while inside the park. Once from a boat on the way to dinner, once from the marina at the GF and now from the Top of the World. We've seen Illuminations several times but for whatever reason we always seem to be off on the timing for Wishes itself.

I attempted "regular" pictures but couldn't get a decent shot to save my soul and instead settled for some bad cell phone shots. Kendall was mesmerized and commandeered Jeffs phone to take pictures and maybe even some video.

A different view of a favorite mountain

Zoomed out its not quite as cool but hey, theres a castle in the far yonder!

And stuff exploding by it!

Trust me, it was cool

Ooh, squiggly lines!

I tried. Really though, it was a magical experience that photos didn't remotely capture. Perfect for us at that moment. Fireworks and magical music...without any crowds. In our worn out tired, yet content state, it was absolutely perfect. In fact it was a highlight for Jeff who is dying to do it next trip again.

Fireworks over we all hit the wall and trudged over to the MK bus stops to catch our ride home.

"Mom, that bus driver looks like Uncle Joe!

I have no idea why, I didn't see it, but both boys were CONVINCED that the driver looked like my dad's brother. Who frankly is the last person anyone would want driving a bus at Disney and made the whole thing that much more odd. And hilarious. In an overtired silly way.

Back home on the savanna we all went straight to bed.
Where I learned another another interesting fact about AKV, or at least the rooms at Jambo.

You know those pictures of the big heavy wood on the tables and chairs?
Well, all the doors are kind of the same style. Big and heavy, yet kind of hollow at the same time.

Guess what.

They are loud in the middle of the night! THUNK as they close. THUNK they open. THUNK as they close again. Possibly more noticeably so due to the quietness of the savanna itself and Im not the light sleeper of the clan by a long shot. Especially when the one and only entry to the bathroom is right outside your bedroom door. Eventually all of the bladders in the villa settled in for the night and deep sleep was had by all.

Up next. Day 11, our first (and only) park day!!!!

Call me irresponsible

 

[MeMom]

In case you can't tell it is a picture of the vet tables, as it was a behind the scenes tour or "A fascinating 3-hour look at how Disney Cast Members tend to the 1,500-plus inhabitants of Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. " For a girl thinking about veterinary school, it was the perfect gift.

So cool!

I would love this for a present, as would Brooklynn, when she gets older.

 

[Charleston Princess]

What a neat present for Kendall! I can't wait to hear what she thought of it!

Yeay for the souvenir gods bestowing more money -- I wondered if that would happen. LOL.

I have never read a bad review of The Wave -- everyone always seems to really enjoy it.

Seeing the fireworks from that vantage point is the perfect way to end the day!!!

 

[MEK]

http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/04/01/lawsuit-seeks-to-ban-starbucks-in-the-magic-kingdom/

Please read ALL the way to the bottom!

Awesome! Gave me a chuckle, but since I would pick wawa coffee over starbucks any day I tend to agree.

Really, all I want is the Main Street Bakery to stay the same.

 

[MEK]

I have eaten at the Wave (dinner) three times and have consistently great meals each time. Your entrees look really yummy! I agree the ambiance is just "eh", but the food is good and its a great place to have dinner if you drive there because you can walk to the MK and right back to your car. Score!

My kids are fans of the dinning plan too. It really works very well for teens and tweens.

Do you know if DVC members can still go to the TOTWL lounge? I seriously wouldn't mind going up there this summer. Do you need to be staying on property is my second question? Boy am I going to miss staying on property, but I'll survive.

I think Jeff deserves several martinis after it taking hours to return the rental car.

Was Kendall thrilled when she got her present? I can't wait to see what they both thought about it.

 

[dizneeat]

Do you know if DVC members can still go to the TOTWL lounge? I seriously wouldn't mind going up there this summer. Do you need to be staying on property is my second question? Boy am I going to miss staying on property, but I'll survive.

YES, the TotWL is still open to all DVC members. There are just a few blockout days, which are actually main holidays.
You need to stay on property though. They will check for your blue DVC card and your room key to ANY WDW resort.

 

[mickeystoontown]

We have a dinner ADR at The Wave for our upcoming trip and I was happy to read that you all enjoyed your meal there. The food you ordered looked really good.

What a great 16th birthday gift for Kendall! I bet she was over the moon happy since, like you said, she's thinking of being a vet. I'm trying to come up with something "cool" for Hunter's 16th B-Day in the World but haven't decided yet.

 

[afwdwfan]

Jeff had really taken one for the team all day and we decided that the kids could wait in the waiting area while the adults went into the lounge.
So we did!

The man deserved this

Definitely. That might be the best decision you've made all day.

First up, the birthday girl. You didn't really think all you were getting for your 16th was a pedicure did you? Nope, she was getting the Backstage Safari Tour, with Jeff. You have to be 16 to go on this so she was just making the cut off in time!

Ok, that's a pretty cool birthday gift. And I'm sure Jeff didn't mind tagging along either.

But I'd eat there again in a heartbeat and in fact did, for breakfast, in Oct (which was wonderful!). It is a bit of a hidden gem if you ask me.

Glad to see a good review! It definitely does fly under the radar. It is a place I've thought of trying, but it just always seems to lose out to another option.

I am not really sure why but we haven’t seen Wishes much at all, in fact I don’t think we’ve ever seen it while inside the park.

What??????

Once from a boat on the way to dinner, once from the marina at the GF and now from the Top of the World. We've seen Illuminations several times but for whatever reason we always seem to be off on the timing for Wishes itself.

I'm sure it is something to behold from Top of the World, but you need to see it from the park. Yeah, the crowd sucks, but there's just something about standing there in the MK and soaking up that atmosphere.

I have no idea why, I didn't see it, but both boys were CONVINCED that the driver looked like my dad's brother. Who frankly is the last person anyone would want driving a bus at Disney and made the whole thing that much more odd. And hilarious. In an overtired silly way.

Did he hit any curbs or run over anybody?