**COMPLETED 4/30**Life Is Way Too Short to Take It Slow - October 2013 TR

[princess_momma]

We woke up and it was SeaWorld day!! I was so excited! I really love marine mammals and basically everything you can find at SeaWorld. One of the first things I wanted to be in life was a killer whale trainer and then marine biologist. I especially love killer whales, they are just so majestic and magnificent to me! They literally take my breath away. I also really love polar bears but we’ll get to that too.

Because we have to wake up and have breakfast first! We shared the breakfast platter from the Pop food court.



The potatoes were especially delightful.

If you recall, I really hated the Mears transportation on our Universal day, so today we opted to just pay for a cab. The total cost ended up being $25.80 from Pop Century to SeaWorld and it was really quick and hassle-free. We left Pop at 9:18am and were at SeaWorld by 9:35. SO MUCH EASIER!!



One of the first things we saw was the roller coaster. I had heard great things about the rides at SW but honestly we never made it to any of them. It just wasn’t in the cards. The lines were always long and Landon wasn’t tall enough for the big ones, so we just opted out of all of them.

Then we saw some flamingoes! Such fabulous birds. Silly, pink, can be used in a quick game of croquet, what’s not to like? (Author’s note: the croquet comment ONLY applies in Wonderland.)



The first thing I was DYING to do was feed the dolphins!!! Dolphins are such amazing cute creatures. They do maybe one or two feedings in the morning and then maybe another feeding in the afternoon. We made it JUST in time for the last feeding of the morning. (Garret tried to make me wait on this for his dad and I’m glad we didn’t because we probably wouldn’t have been able to do this at all.)





It is cash only and $7 per person. Then they bring in the whole group and have everyone stand back while they explain exactly how to feed the dolphins. Then they have everyone come out and stand next to the water and start handing out the fish! AND THEN YOU GET TO PET AND FEED DOLPHINS AND IT IS SO MAGICAL!!
















They got pretty aggressive and were pushing each other out of the way trying to get fish. They’re dolphins though, so it was kind of adorable.

Then we went through the whole Turtle Trek exhibit. There were manatees too.





There is also this movie that is projected onto the ceiling of a dome that’s pretty neat. It basically walks you through the life of a sea turtle, and while it’s not like a “must-do” or anything, it is pretty interesting! I do like turtles!

 

[princess_momma]

After Turtle Trek, Garret was texting his dad to meet up with us. So we went back towards the entrance to wait. And wait. And wait. It took over 20 minutes. I was getting so antsy because I was in this brand new place that I’d never been and just waiting by the entrance. Eventually I took Landon over to pet the sting rays because I couldn’t take the waiting anymore!

And of course there was a lapse in communication and Opa passed us and so waiting by the entrance was pointless anyway. Lol. This is why I never make my plans around other people, although they are always allowed to join at their own convenience. Eventually we found him and his girlfriend way far away from the entrance looking at exhibits.

We met up with them just in time for the dolphin show! We went into the dolphin stadium at 11:20 and it was packed for the 11:30 show. There were 5 of us but we were able to find enough seats together and they were decent enough, but there was a big pole blocking our view. Although I think they would have affected all the views.



What if that was your job? Just playing with dolphins all day. Sure, you’d probably never be able to wash the fish smell off, but still. Dolphins (and reindeer) are better than people.





I need to swim with dolphins. NEED.



How cute is her maternity wetsuit?





Eventually there were lots of people in brightly lit costumes doing twirly things and diving and swinging and it was all fine and dandy, but it went on and on and on and was at least twice as long as the dolphin parts. I wanted more dolphins!!

The show concluded at 11:55, making it 25 minutes long for anyone who was wondering.

We visited the seals and sea lions next. I anticipated going to this show, as I have been to SW in San Diego and their show was so comedic! However, it was cancelled this day for unknown reasons. They had posted the show times the last time I checked so I assume it was an unplanned cancel. I was bummed. Luckily we still got to see some!








These adorable guys are so vocal and so funny, even when not doing it as part of a show! Landon loved them and wanted to watch them for a really long time! You could feed them here, but would have to throw them because you can’t touch the sea lions like you can the dolphins. We opted out, but watched other people do it. They were SO funny and were going nuts over the fish!

After that, we walked around. SW’s newest attraction was Antartica: Empire of the Penguin. I did want to see that but the wait was 45 minutes. We skipped it because there was so much else to see!

We went to the Shark Encounter next…this was one of those giant aquariums that surrounds you on all sides as you stand on moving sidewalks. It was pretty neat!

After, we decided to go to Shark’s Underwater Grill. I had heard great things about this place and thought it would be perfect for some mid-day snacks and drinks!

To drink, I got a Key West Kiss which is Bacardi rum, Midori, vodka, peach schnapps and pineapple juice. It was a pretty fluorescent yellow-green color and SO delicious! It was easy to drink, but very strong! I would definitely get it again.

Also, I just feel like it should be noted, but this was just about the only place I got carded this whole trip. Not for lapu lapus, or multiple pitchers of Sangria, or margaritas at Margaritaville, or even to buy 3 bottles of wine (to come in the TR)…no where else. But here I got carded. Thank you SeaWorld for not making me feel old.

We all got some sort of appetizer or another and I don’t recall what anyone else got but I ordered some coconut shrimp which I thoroughly enjoyed! All I wanted was more!



So next we hit up the dolphin nursery! I forget how many dolphins were there total, but they do try to keep it so that there is one mom, one baby, and one companion.





There were two pregnant dolphins there - Tasha and Yar - but of course, I was most excited that there was one named Lily Potter. They try to keep the dolphins names related so that they can tell who belongs to who. For example, I believe there was another flower who gave birth to a Lily and then to associate Lily with her baby, they named the next one Lily Potter. It was pretty much perfect!

 

[princess_momma]

Our next stop was Wild Arctic. This feels sort of like Star Tours but Arctic-helicopter thing instead of space-themed.

First up, was a beluga whale. I couldn't get any good pictures…but can I just mention how beautiful belugas are?! Love them!



From there, we were in the polar bear section. Now, I’m pretty sure my patronus is a polar bear. If anyone else wants to share theirs, feel free. (Kylie…I really hope you can produce one and can share yours! Lol) Also, Marissa...if you recall guessing what "Klondike" could possibly mean for foreshadowing, this is where that comes into play. It was back on our first day in DHS where "Klondike is written on the side of the truck near the entrance there.



When we were here, I just wanted to cry and cry. Here is my polar bear sob story (break out the Kleenex! lol)

On November 6th, 1994 (Which is also Landon’s birthday but obviously 14 years earlier), two polar bears were born. I was 4 years old and those two polar bears were born in my hometown, at the Denver Zoo. They were quite popular because hello…adorable and I’m pretty sure everyone who lived in Denver in the mid-90s loved them. I still remember the stuffed animals I had of them! But sadly, their mother rejected them. They got sent away and because I was still so tiny I never really knew where they ended up. But I still took my picture with their bronze memorial statue every time I went to the zoo!



(And yes…I am wearing a tiara in that picture! Hard to see it, but it’s there!)

Anywho…so then I find out in the news that Snow was really sick and she was moved to Arizona. Where was she moved from? SEA WORLD ORLANDO! LFKDJSFLJHGKH!! My beloved polar bears were that close to my favorite destination spot?!?! Well, sad story, but Snow died in Arizona. But I was DETERMINED to go see Klondike! I knew I couldn’t miss SW on another trip down to Orlando and I would be reunited with my beloved polar bear friend.

So I was all excited about seeing Klondike. SO EXCITED! I don’t think I can even properly convey how excited I was.

But of course…it just wasn’t meant to be. Gosh, I feel so dramatic, but I get sad writing this. On September 13th 2013…one month, one week and four days before I was going to be at SeaWorld Orlando…Klondike died. My heart was CRUSHED and I was super sad and all my co-workers thought I was super weird because I was mourning a polar but whatever. Like, WHAT THE HECK?! How could he just die when I was so close to seeing him again? It’s just wasn’t fair.

So I was in the polar bear section and missing Klondike and Snow like crazy and I talked to this SW employee and I’m pretty sure she thought I was crazy and wasn’t used to people knowing that a polar bear had died in the last month and was so sad about it. She seemed pretty caught off guard, but oh well.

Landon and I played a game with her where we compare what humans eat to what polar bears eat in groups of proteins and fat and other things like that. When we won, she gave us a polar bear card and whispered to me that the polar bear pictured was Klondike and I now carry it in my wallet every day right next to Landon’s t-ball picture and I hope you all still read even after knowing how attached I get to polar bears!

We did have to hightail it out of the Arctic though, because we had to run over to see One Ocean, which is the killer whale show! We made it just in time and my mind was blown. I love killer whales. I can’t remember if there was a storyline or anything because I was too into the orcas to pay attention to anything else. I did take plenty of pics though!

 

[princess_momma]

We had some time to kill before our big dinner, and Opa really wanted to get a caricature for Landon so that’s what we did! I was really excited because I had gotten a caricature for him on 2/3 of our Disney trips so I was really happy this was a “tradition” of Opa’s as well!



Love it! They are so fun! (Although I will say the paper and color are of much higher quality at Disney, if anyone is interested. I wasn’t paying though, so I didn’t mind!)
Our big dinner was at Dine with Shamu! This is a buffet that includes a picture printed of your group! (Sorry, I don’t have it on the computer!)

I don’t remember what everything was, but here are Garret, Landon and my own plates!







Everything was really fresh and delicious!

While you eat, they basically do a little “backstage” show where they show you how they train and care for the orcas. They also are sure to let you know where to point your cameras and when to take the shot! So here are a ton more killer whale pics!



I think the next shot looks just like the “One Ocean” sign. I’ve included that one below so you can compare!








How they get weighed:





Basically all the tables were right next to the glass, but I feel like we had some of the best seats in the house on the very end! Here you can see where we were situated! (Also, notice my red velvet cake! It was so tasty!)









Eventually the whales had to leave for another show, but we stayed and talked basically until the park closed. It was such a perfect day and I really loved it!

Opa drove us back to Pop Century, so luckily we hadn’t prepaid for something round trip on Mears! When we got back to Pop, the sky was just insane!


(Don’t you just love how the sky is taking your breath away and then you notice it says “hot pants” in the bottom? LOL!)

SW closes pretty early (5pm) so we didn't go straight to bed when we got back to the room. We did do some laundry, filled up our refillable mugs and then relaxed by the pool. Landon just wears a life vest in the pool most of the time, but this is the first time to my knowledge that he was ever jumping in and holding his breath underwater and he was just getting so brave, I was so proud! This whole trip, I couldn't believe how big he was getting. What happened to my "baby"?!

Beyond that, my notes say "general silliness"...whatever that means! Lol. Nothing like attempting to decode your "detailed" notes months later!

Stay tuned for 3 more days of F&W and BIG surprises!!!

 

[jenny105]

I'm sorry about your polar bears

I really like Sea World. I never fed the dolphins so I'm jealous you got to do it. They're so cute! And smart. I've fed the sea lions and you have to be QUICK. Because if you don't throw it to them fast a bird will swoop in and take it right out of your hand. My ex did specifically what they tell you not to do (wave the fish around in front of the sea lion) and just like that a giant bird snatched it right out of his hand. You can see why we broke up lol.

Looks like such a fun day!

 

[princess_momma]

I'm sorry about your polar bears

I really like Sea World. I never fed the dolphins so I'm jealous you got to do it. They're so cute! And smart. I've fed the sea lions and you have to be QUICK. Because if you don't throw it to them fast a bird will swoop in and take it right out of your hand. My ex did specifically what they tell you not to do (wave the fish around in front of the sea lion) and just like that a giant bird snatched it right out of his hand. You can see why we broke up lol.

Looks like such a fun day!

Yeah so I just learned (thanks to FB) that today just so happens to be National Polar Bear Day. What a coincidence!

I love SeaWorld! It's so fun to see the animals and be so close to them! I'll have to keep that in mind if we feed the sea lions next time...especially with Landon, because he might hesitate. And I don't blame, who wants to date a fish swinger?!

 

[marDgreen88]

What a fun day at SeaWorld! Dolphins!!!

Omg, that polar bear story is so sad!! First, why would their mother reject them? And second, WHY DID THEY HAVE TO DIE? And yes, I do remember trying to figure out what Klondike meant. Hahaa

 

[princess_momma]

What a fun day at SeaWorld! Dolphins!!!

Omg, that polar bear story is so sad!! First, why would their mother reject them? And second, WHY DID THEY HAVE TO DIE? And yes, I do remember trying to figure out what Klondike meant. Hahaa

SeaWorld was so fun!

I have no idea why their mother rejected them. And I ask myself every day why they had to die! So unfair!!

 

[princess_momma]

We had 2 full days left and were ready to make the most of them! (Can you believe we hadn’t even gone to the F&W Festival at all by this point?)

We woke up and got some pastries and were ready to head to the Magic Kingdom! The bus waiting was full, but luckily there was another one right behind it!

We had some late FP+ times in EPCOT and I tried to switch them to earlier ones, but no luck.

We finally arrived at the MK! Isn’t it just so enchanting every single time?









It was a beautiful and super sunny day! The boys wanted to do Stitch, so I obliged their request and just sat way forward so I wouldn’t have to feel that nasty burp. I feel like Stitch is either really cute or really annoying. I could do without this attraction though.

Next we went to Philharmagic…LOVE that attraction. It has so many of my favorites and is so well done and OH that apple pie smell! I adore it in every way.

Splash was closed and by now I was ready to get over to EPCOT. Garret wasn’t, and normally I would choose MK over EPCOT, but we hadn’t really even been to EPCOT at this point and HELLO…FOOD and WINE. Basically my favorite things. So we headed over there.



We headed straight to to the festival!


Cranberry bog!

We started at the “Desserts and Champagne” booth and got the Frozen S’mores.



Landon liked this. I thought the stuff on top was kind of awkward to eat and didn’t like the texture of the milkshakey part.

Our next stop was Canada. I just wasn’t feeling soup at the moment, so we got 2 orders of the “Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce, mine with no mushrooms.



This was really good! I was glad I didn’t get mushrooms and loved the truffle butter sauce. Lots of people were taking it back and complaining about how the steak was cooked, but we didn’t have any problems. I can’t even really remember now, but I think it was medium-rare, but way closer to the medium side. This was Garret's favorite of the Festival.

Next was France. We got the Boeuf Bourguignon (Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Mashed Potatoes) and I opted for the Eiffel Sour Cosmo Slush (Vodka, Grey Goose Cherry Noir, Grand Marnier and Cranberry Juice).





The Bouef Bourguignon was one of my favorite dishes of the festival. I loved it so much…the meat was just so tender and it was all so flavorful.

The Eiffel Sour was really good and I would get it again.



In Japan, we got the Spicy Hand Roll and the Teriyaki Chicken Roll.





We thought both of these were “meh” and they were probably our least favorite thing we tried. We aren’t huge sushi people and like very specific things and this just wasn’t cutting it for us.

We ended up at the “Hops & Barley” section and got both the Lobster Tail and the Lobster Roll.





The lobster tail was good but tiny, so it was hard to enjoy our one bite each. The Lobster Roll on the other hand…heavenly!! That was probably one of our top favorite things. I’ve seen a lot of the other Disney lobster rolls and they are dripping in mayo and/or cole slaw and I probably honestly wouldn’t like those ones. But this had the perfect touch of lemon and just all went together really well!

Next, it was time for our Soarin’ FP+. I didn’t document the time in my notes that we headed over, so it was sometime between 1:20-2:20 pm. Another great ride!

Then we headed over to the F&W Headquarters area. I had needed to buy some Lasseter Wine!! I love it. Shipping wine is SO expensive, and I thought this would save money so I bought these travel wine carrier things to bring them back home. (They worked GREAT if anyone wants more info.)



I got 2 of the Enjoue Rose Blend and 1 Amoureux Malbec Red Blend. I love both of them, though I’d have to say the Enjoue is particularly drinkable. By that, I mean it’s a nice wine for everyone, especially if some wines can be too strong for you. (Also…they didn’t card me for buying 3 bottles of wine. Thanks for making me feel like an old lady, Disney.)

And then…we started down the path to something EXTRAORDINARY.

Back story: Garret’s dad has taken the DVC tour, but just didn’t think it was right for him especially since he lived there. But…he did like it and thought that since we knew we wanted to be back every year, we should look into it.

SO…wine in hand, we went and booked a tour. AHHHHHHH!!! So exciting! I

We had an hour left before our Test Track FP+ time, but after that, there wasn’t really anything else we wanted to do, so we headed out. On the way, we ran into Pluto with hardly any line!





Landon and Pluto had better interaction than that, with hugs and laughter, but the PP guy didn’t catch it. Ah, well.

Finally we made it out of EPCOT and went back to the resort to take a nap before our fun night!

 

[princess_momma]

Our fun night was at Downtown Disney and Raglan Road!





I think we must’ve been a tad early for our reservation, because we did wait a bit. They did look super busy! It was quite lively and loud!

Our server was…interesting. He was either there and great and thorough and knowledgable…or disappeared and awkward when he showed up again.

We started with the Dalkey Duo…and thank goodness we did!



These are battered sausages with a spicy mustard sauce, and my gosh! They are so good! We all loved them!

The soda bread came out along with those.





The dipping sauce is very sweet, and it’s as good as everyone says, but I wasn’t a fan of the bread. It’s super dense and I just wasn’t into it.

Now for our entrees, I really should’ve written down what we got, because even looking at the menu, I’m never 100%. I did notate the Garret had wanted the Pork Supreme, but they were out of that and it was 7:47pm.

I think I ended up with the Braised Beef.



OMG this was so delicious and amazing! The meat was so tender and flavorful and it was all just so good!

Garret got the Lambo (I’m pretty sure) which is a lamb shank.


He really loved it as well! Ragland Road was a hit for us!

Landon got the Little Big Burger.



I’m sure he liked it, but it was pretty hard to tell as he was mesmerized by all the entertainment!







Landon even got asked to dance by one of the girls, but he declined. I wasn’t surprised. My boys are both shy, I was probably the only one in the group who would’ve gone up!

Garret did order a beer, which was a seasonal Guinness.





Our waiter taught him how to pour it, explaining that there is a ball inside that needs to cover the hole and that it mimics the beer coming out of a draft.

We ordered dessert next. Ger’s Bread Pudding for both Garret and I, then the Strawberry Delight for Landon.





Our waiter had disappeared and someone else brought out our desserts. Our waiter came back and saw that we had already poured our sauces (he had been gone a long time!) and he was like “There’s a specific way to do that, but I guess you guys pretty much got the idea.” It made us feel a little awkward. It was good enough (maybe if we had done it right, it would’ve been better?) We were super full anyway.


That’s Landon’s Strawberry Delight. It’s described as “Vanilla ice cream with pavlova, cream, fruit coulis, and fresh strawberries”. I guess we just didn’t know what pavlova is, and we thought all the white was ice cream and Garret and I both tried it and were like “man, this is really weird ice cream! It’s not even melting!” And then we realized our error…lol.

Then it was shopping time! We went through the Lego Store but didn’t get anything.



I’m sure we’ll buy something next trip and all the other ones, as building with Legos is pretty much all Landon likes to do.

World of Disney was next. We got some kitchen stuff for my mom, and other odds and ends for us. I liked these chocolate boxes but didn’t buy them. (I think they were new at the time.)





Team Mickey followed that. I pretty much wandered in there by myself while the boys took a bio break. I found so much I loved! I’m a big ESPN fan and they had lots of women watching Sports Center stuff, and some polos that would’ve been nice for Garret. I regret not buying them now that they closed it! Oh well! I did also find this cool “how they make baseballs” thing.



We hit up Basin after that. I stocked up on bath bombs, bath salts, and got some shampoo and conditioner bars. It was heavenly! Basin products are my absolute favorite! I can’t recommend their products enough. The shampoo and conditioner bars did wonders for my hair, my only problem is that they don’t seem to last long at all. Because of that, I doubt I would purchase them again.

We finished up in the Art of Disney! Larry Dotson was meeting and he was all by himself and it was sad so we saved the day by buying a picture of his and having him sign it! It’s a picture of the castle during Wishes and it hangs in our living room!

I also found the world’s best Up! painting that was so beautiful. It was the Up house floating in front of Paradise Falls. I was going to take a picture for you guys but Garret told me not to because there were signs asking not to. I would’ve rebelled for the TR’s sake, but you can blame Garret for the lack of picture. I can’t find it anywhere online.

After that, we were ready to go home and go to bed! We had a big last day ahead of us!

 

[jenny105]

Thank you for making me hungry. I'm dying for Raglan Road now. I loved the bread pudding. OMG so good! When we were there, Kris went to the restroom and told me there were pictures of U2 along the wall by the bathrooms. I promptly got up just to take a picture of a picture lol. They were autographed though!

I'm missing F&W right now. We always say we're going to go at different times of the year and we never do and go strictly for F&W. I may be renting points from you in 2016 lol.

 

[klacey1]

I'm so glad you had fun at Sea World! I always enjoyed it! You have to go back for the rides though. Journey to Atlantis is awesome.
Ahhh polar bears! That's sweet the team member gave you a card with Klondike on it! My patronus (obvi I can conjure one) is definitely a ram. It fits me lol.
I am SO excited for the F&W Festival this year!! The beef bourguignon looks amazing-- I hope they have it again this year!
Isn't the food at Raglan Road awesome?? The Dalkey Duo is one of my favorite things I've ever eaten at Disney! And omg that bread pudding. One of my favorite desserts ever!!

 

[marDgreen88]

So much food in this update! All I can think to say is Yummmm. Hahaah. That server at Raglan Road does sound weird. I mean, if there is a specific way to pour the sauce, maybe be should've delivered it... and showed you? Just a thought? Hahaha. Seems like it shouldn't make a difference!

Disney shopping sounds so fun right now. And always.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Looks like you got a great sampling of the food items at F+W. Between those pictures and Raglan Road, I'm getting very hungry staring at them.

I've been wanting to try Raglan Road for quite some time now but never have found time to travel over to DTD. One of these days!

 

[princess_momma]

Thank you for making me hungry. I'm dying for Raglan Road now. I loved the bread pudding. OMG so good! When we were there, Kris went to the restroom and told me there were pictures of U2 along the wall by the bathrooms. I promptly got up just to take a picture of a picture lol. They were autographed though!

I'm missing F&W right now. We always say we're going to go at different times of the year and we never do and go strictly for F&W. I may be renting points from you in 2016 lol.

RR is pretty much the best!!! We never went to the bathroom, but it sounds like we'll have to next time!

Just let me know when you want to rent so I can coordinate that year with a cruise or something!

I'm so glad you had fun at Sea World! I always enjoyed it! You have to go back for the rides though. Journey to Atlantis is awesome.
Ahhh polar bears! That's sweet the team member gave you a card with Klondike on it! My patronus (obvi I can conjure one) is definitely a ram. It fits me lol.
I am SO excited for the F&W Festival this year!! The beef bourguignon looks amazing-- I hope they have it again this year!
Isn't the food at Raglan Road awesome?? The Dalkey Duo is one of my favorite things I've ever eaten at Disney! And omg that bread pudding. One of my favorite desserts ever!!

We will definitely be back to Sea World! I love that your patrons is a ram!!

The F&W Festival is amazing but EPCOT will be WAAAAYYYYY more crowded than it was last time you were!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for persuading me to go to RR!! We can't wait to go back...and there's no way we could ever skip the Dalkey Duo. MUST EAT.

So much food in this update! All I can think to say is Yummmm. Hahaah. That server at Raglan Road does sound weird. I mean, if there is a specific way to pour the sauce, maybe be should've delivered it... and showed you? Just a thought? Hahaha. Seems like it shouldn't make a difference!

Disney shopping sounds so fun right now. And always.

YAY! I love food! Yeah it was pretty weird that we had to pour the sauce specifically but no one showed us. :roll eyes:

Looks like you got a great sampling of the food items at F+W. Between those pictures and Raglan Road, I'm getting very hungry staring at them.

I've been wanting to try Raglan Road for quite some time now but never have found time to travel over to DTD. One of these days!

Lol this day was definitely a wonderful food day!!

You will not regret going to Raglan Road! It is worth the trip over to DTD!

 

[princess_momma]

So first things first on our last full day…we had our DVC Tour!!

We got picked up promptly at the designated time (which is undocumented so we’ll never know) and headed over to Saratoga Springs. We got Landon checked into the kids club and then waited to meet with our DVC rep, Wallace.

I’m sorry that I didn’t get any pics. They have models and they are BEAUTIFUL and I regret not having the pictures now. The models we saw were the GF Villas, Aulani, and I can’t remember the other but they all took my breath away. I loved them all!

So then we sat with Wallace and talked numbers and all the boring stuff, then we picked up Landon, got FREE ICE CREAM, received our $15 gift cards each and headed on our merry way. Our own personal bus took us directly to DHS.

We hadn’t eaten at all that morning, so our first stop was for some food…and this time it was normal business hours for Starring Rolls, so of course we stopped there!



Garret had the ginormous turkey sandwich, I had the Red Velvet Cupcake…which I had planned on splitting with Landon but they gave him a free cookie for his birthday! So he had that. (They must’ve heard me complaining at Via Napoli, lol.)

After that, I was DETERMINED to meet Ralph. I really, really, REALLY love Wreck It Ralph. I don’t think I ever fell so hard for a movie without seeing it, and it lived up to my very high expectations. They called me “Wreck-It Kimmy” when I worked at the Disney Store and chose me to receive the movie poster and everyone just knew I loved it! Meeting him was the only thing on my character-to-meet list!

We got in line at 11:36. Landon said, “I’m afraid to give them hugs!” I told him that was silly, to which he replied “no, that’s awkward!” HA! Maybe a little…we got through the line and was meeting him at 12:04!

Just look at my face in all of these. Seriously…cloud 9.













Also, Garret and Ralph bonded over being tall. It was just a wonderful meet for the whole family.

After my dreams came true, it was time for our first FP+ of the day - TSM!

We had a great ride as usual. While we were in line, Landon says to me, “Do you know who makes Disney World?! Walt Disney!” Proud mama moment right there, let me tell you! I never even consciously taught him that!

At some point, I realized we had some dining credits to burn and I booked us an ADR at Hollywood Brown Derby. Before it was time for that, we had to go ride ToT though! No one was surprised.





Then we were all hungry again and ready to head over to Hollywood Brown Derby.

Rolls.


Garret got the Sterling Silver Pork Chop, which he liked a lot.


I got some kind of lunch special that I can’t find the on the AllEars or WDW website, but is listed on the receipt as a “Waygu Burger”. It was a burger with pastrami and maybe avocado and it was huge and filling.


Landon got the grilled chicken.


Now you may be wondering why all these pictures suck. Well, I’ll be honest…I was highly distracted this meal. And being rude by being on the phone a lot…why, you ask?






BECAUSE I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH WALLACE BECAUSE AT THIS POINT, WE DECIDED WE WERE GOING TO BE DVC MEMBERS!!!

We were buying points at the Grand Floridian and I was SO EXCITED!!

What a dream come true! I will always love the Grand Derby just because that’s where we happened to be when we officially decided to buy in!

Everything was a blur after that, but I remembered to get dessert pics before they were devoured!

Garret got the bananas foster dessert.


I opted for creme brulee.


Landon got something called a Hidden Treasure.


And then the unbelievable happened…we finally, after a whole trip of marking birthdays and anniversaries, FINALLY got a champagne toast.



As if the meal wasn’t perfect enough as is! We paid with dining credits and floated out on cloud 9!

 

[marDgreen88]

GAHHHHHHHH CONGRATS!!! That's so exciting? So like can I stay with you at the Grand?

 

[jenny105]

RR is pretty much the best!!! We never went to the bathroom, but it sounds like we'll have to next time!

Just let me know when you want to rent so I can coordinate that year with a cruise or something!

LOL all I know is that we plan to go back in 2016. I want to rent from someone I know (kind of lol) so I'd prefer you or Lynn. But I'll go through a broker if I have to.

I love Wreck-It Ralph! Such a cute movie. You look so happy!

 

[klacey1]

Ahhh, I love your Wreck it Ralph tshirts!! Yours and Landon's shirts really make it! And I love that Garrett matches at least somewhat with a black polo!
AHHHHHHHH DVC!!! I totally LOVE the idea of DVC, but Zach prefers going with a discount, like free dining. GF is a wonderful place to own points, though. The location is just perfect for MK!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Great update and congrats on DVC! We own at VWL. You will love being in the MK area.