DaveInTN’s Off-Site, Off-Topic, Off His Rocker Trip Report (Updated w/FINAL DAY)

[VACAMPER]

Beautiful family and great trip report!

 

[KimIce]

GREAT Trip Report and your family is beautiful!!!
I never new about the carrot cake cookie, that will definately be on my list on our next trip to try.

 

[DaveInTN]

2 things

1. where did you get the carrot cake cookie ?

It was either from Starring Rolls...or a bakery next to Starring Rolls? Or maybe the bakery is part of Starring Rolls?

2. if you ever hear us say "you might want to get in front of me" when walking, don't hesitate, run.

Good to know.

More please.

Beautiful family and great trip report!

Thanks! Looking forward to reading your Christmas trip report now that you have a site!

GREAT Trip Report and your family is beautiful!!!
I never new about the carrot cake cookie, that will definately be on my list on our next trip to try.

Definitely try the carrot cake cookie. Awesome!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

OK, let's see . . .

My comments/questions/observations, in no particular order:

1. Great report!!!

2. Ohhhhhh-Hanna

3. Great acting job. I have only been chosen to stand on the deck of the patrol boat, man the machine gun, and shake my fist menacingly at the imaginary enemy aircraft. It is fun and all, but nothing like being drenched.

4. I have never tried the carrot cake cookie. I never heard of it before FWG menitoned it. I have that on my to do list.

5. What kind of outlandish tale are you trying to have us believe here. Are you saying you drove to WL, and ate there, instead of getting a GAG at the Fort and eating on the porch of Trail's End. I am not buying this.

6. Nice job on the Tom Foolery! And, I believe it is OK to talk about it, since we are over here on the community board.

7. I might have said this already, but great report!

TCD

 

[DaveInTN]

Monday, October 18th

We made it to Animal Kingdom on Monday morning in time for rope drop, and immediately headed to Expedition Everest. I went straight to the FP machines while DW, DD14 and DD13 rode the beast. We then killed a bit of time at Dinoland waiting for our FP times, and I then rode EE with It’s Not Cindy.

I’ve mentioned in past reports how much I love the theming of EE. IMO it is some of the best at Disney.

This is an interesting shot. Is the Yeti a girl?

After the ride, DW took DD4 to the character greeting area while I got back on EE with DD14, DD13 and DD10. After that ride, I had had enough of the Yeti. And I was getting hungry.

We met up with the rest of the family in time for this.

And then we decided to leave AK and grab lunch off site before heading back to the house for a rest. We had seen a Perkins along 192 on the way to the house, and DW and I both have great memories of Perkins from growing up in Western NY. So that’s where we went. And you know what? Other than being dirty, and having terrible service, and the food being just “ok”…it was exactly how we remembered it!

After rest and swimming at the house, we headed to the Magic Kingdom for the evening.

Does anyone ever get sick of these sights?

To be continued below....

 

[DaveInTN]

Monday, October 18th (cont)

We hit the MK in the late afternoon, in time to do a couple of rides before our dinner ADR at The Plaza Restaurant. I really enjoyed our stroll down Main Street. The sun was providing beautiful lighting of the Halloween decorations.

We grabbed SM FP’s for the evening, and then rode the Peoplemover.

And we all did the Tomorrowland Speedway.

It was then time for our dinner reservation, so we strolled over to the Plaza. We’d never eaten here before, but I’ve heard great things about their fries and the ice cream. We weren’t disappointed!

The fries were probably the best I’ve had at WDW. DW and DD13 split the Club sandwich…it was very good!

I had the tuna sandwich, which I would HIGHLY recommend.

Afterward, we all got desert. I had the Hot Fudge Sundae.

DW and DD13 split the Brownie Sundae.

We will definitely eat here again. Can’t beat the location, the food was good, and it was fairly reasonable considering where it is.

After dinner, I headed to SM with my 3 older girls while DW and DD4 went to the Barnstormer. It turns out SM was closed for technical issues, so we hightailed it to the Barnstormer to get in on the fun.

Next we rode the Carousel.

We then rode Snow White’s Elusive Adventures. Look at all those guys. She definitely puts the "loose" in elusive.

Eat the damn apple!

I love these birds.

Hooray! A happy ending! She’s dead!

We then went back to SM and it was running again. I love Space Mountain! The new music they added is pretty cool.

And that was our evening.

Next up….even MORE Magic Kingdom….and Food & Whine!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Quick question:

Did you know where the camera was, or were you just caught in a candid pose?

TCD

 

[Total Joker]

THE SMILE!!! we saw the SMILE!!!

 

[DaveInTN]

Quick question:

Did you know where the camera was, or were you just caught in a candid pose?

TCD

I usually look that way when I'm scared.

 

[DaveInTN]

THE SMILE!!! we saw the SMILE!!!

Yes, now Jim can go back to sleep.

 

[DaveInTN]

5. What kind of outlandish tale are you trying to have us believe here. Are you saying you drove to WL, and ate there, instead of getting a GAG at the Fort and eating on the porch of Trail's End. I am not buying this.

Sad but true. We were going to get a GAG and visit with Deb and Donnie earlier in the evening. Then, we just weren't in the mood for anything fried. I know, ridiculous, right? But we wanted to hit RF, and then the boat to the Fort took FOREVER, but Debbie and Donnie were very gracious and waited for us.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I usually look that way when I'm scared.

OK

Good to know.

I thought maybe you had turned into a Texas Rangers fan.

Have you seen the antlers nonsense?

Sad but true. We were going to get a GAG and visit with Deb and Donnie earlier in the evening. Then, we just weren't in the mood for anything fried. I know, ridiculous, right? But we wanted to hit RF, and then the boat to the Fort took FOREVER, but Debbie and Donnie were very gracious and waited for us.

Sorry.

I still don't believe you.

I have never heard anything so unbelievable.

TCD

 

[mgsmom]

Your DD4 is so cute on the Barnstormer! We put my DD2.5 on there and she was fine - didn't cry or anything - then we asked her if she wanted to ride again and she said "No thanks"

We enjoyed the Plaza for lunch as well - but SHHHH don't tell anyone! Then we might have longer than a 5 min wait next time... Actually, I think a lot of people on the dining plan don't go there because they don't get their money's worth on those credits like they do at more expensive restaurants. I seem to remember my sammich and fries were only like $2 or $3 more than a counterservice I'd had.

Those desserts look AWESOME! I'm going to have to get one of those for my lunch next time.

 

[DaveInTN]

Actually, I think a lot of people on the dining plan don't go there because they don't get their money's worth on those credits like they do at more expensive restaurants.

I have heard the same thing. The dining plan has certainly made some restaurants very hard to get into, like Le Cellier, and others are easier than you would think, like The Plaza. It all comes down to perceived value with the dining credits. Le Cellier has benefited as it is one of the only places on property to get steak for one TS credit. That changes next year when it becomes a 2 TS credit restaurant for dinner. I bet dinner reservations get a bit easier to come by...and lunch will be even harder if it stays 1 TS credit.

We've never done the dining plan, so I just stay away from the hyped up places when possible.

 

[We4mickey]

Awesome trip report! I was laughing so loud at your Ohana, that DH woke up from sleeping on the couch. LOL

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Kids in braces. Love it. Thanks, Dave.

 

[Lil' Lisa]

This is an interesting shot. Is the Yeti a girl?

All you need to know is in the last sentence...

Priceless!!

...She definitely puts the "loose" in elusive.

I'll say!!! Look at the way she is hiking up her skirt in both of these pictures! One word... Easy!!

 

[WhitShores]

I'll say!!! Look at the way she is hiking up her skirt in both of these pictures! One word... Easy!!

Dave, your family is beautiful. Enjoying your TR!!

 

[DaveInTN]

Tuesday, October 19th

I have always wanted to visit EPCOT during Food & Wine. Never had the opportunity before, but this year was finally different. I was pumped. I LOVE walking around the WS enjoying some beers and snacking on different things…and F&W would be just that much MORE of everything!

Even though we arrived on Saturday, we purposely avoided Epcot over the weekend as we figured it would be a zoo. Monday was a planned MK day for us as it was a non-MNSSHP day, and was thus open later. So Tuesday would be our first F&W day.

Since Epcot for me is usually a “later in the day” park, we hit the MK again for a couple hours in the morning. I wanted to eat lunch at the Poly that day, so we parked there and rode the monorail to the park. (No, I wasn’t trying to get free parking…as we get that with our AP’s anyways). Love the Halloween decorations on monorail black.

We did the Hall of Presidents. I am always SO inspired when I see the President.

THIS president.

We did the HM, then we went back to DD4’s favorite…BTMRR

Now, DD4 LOVES this ride...but she HATES the first part when you enter the mine shaft. So whoever rides with her has to cover her ears while she covers her eyes, until you clear the first hill.

All is well now.

We walked around a bit more, then headed out of the park.

On the way out, we happened upon a character greeting just before the train station. Yes, it was none other than….HER! My dear Ms. White.

Jackpot! I had her now!

If any of you are unfamiliar with my tale of despair regarding Snow White, you can read about them in my Nov 2009 and March 2010 trip reports, linked in my signature. I’ll just summarize by saying that she hates me, and apparently will go to great lengths to avoid contact with me.

But now, here she was for the taking. I was going to get a picture with her, and unlike last time, I wasn’t going to pay for it.

But then, like a recurring nightmare, it happened again. As we approached, a CM appeared and told us that the stupid little bird whisperer was done seeing families.

I was speechless. Her hatred of me has no end. But I did snap a pic from a distance. The restraining order doesn’t specifically preclude that, so here you go.

After that, I needed a snack. So we hit Capn Cooks at the Poly for lunch. And after lunch, I had one of these.

Yep, a Dole Whip. Believe it or not, I had never had one. It was good!

We then drove back to the house for some swimming and down time, in preparation for F&W!

We arrived at Epcot late afternoon, and headed straight to Test Track for FP’s. Got those, and then strolled over to the festival area. We enjoyed several things before I remembered to snap some pics, as I had forgotten the camera. We shared the Taco de Chilorio from Mexico, Medianoche Sandwich from Puerto Rico, and Barbecue Short Rib with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi from South Korea. DW then started taking pics with her phone.

We had both the Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream and the Golabki from Poland.

Now, I really enjoyed everything we tried, but we were NOT having a good time. It was way too hard trying to share everything between the six of us. The kids wanted to try everything, and I can’t blame them for that, but it was tough. They kept whining that they didn’t get a big bite, or one had two bites but they didn’t get any. Blah blah blah! So, we decided to put an end to it. I told them I’d buy them each a school bread at Norway if they would all go ride the Maelstrom while DW and I enjoyed some peace and quiet (and some adult beverages).

So I had a beer and It's Not Cindy enjoyed a margharita. We also enjoyed the Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles and the Potstickers from China, while the kids were still on the Maelstrom.

As I mentioned, when the kids returned we had school bread.

Afterwards, we made our way to Germany for another beverage…the Altenmünster Octoberfest.

And finally stopped by Italy for Baked Cheese Ravioli, Creamy Bolognese Sauce, Melted Mozzarella and Cannolo Al Cioccolato.

The kids argued over the cannoli and I never got any…so that was it for F&W that night. I devised a brilliant strategy for our next visit to F&W on Thursday however….stay tuned!

We then used our Test Track FP’s and went home.

Coming up…we visit the 5th Theme Park.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I'm sorry Dave, but you are not impressing me here.

Good job on finally trying a Dole Whip.

But bad job on filling up your cup. You could have gotten a lot more in there.

Good job on the beer purchase in Germany.

And on the numerous food choices from the F&W Festival.

But bad job on not getting a Nuremberg Sausage on a Pretzel Roll while in Germany.

Good job on stalking your girl friend.

But, still no photo!

Oy!

So, far, you have a B- on this report.

Not bad.

But I expect more from you.

Hopefully you will get this potential train wreck of a report back on track.

I know you can do it.

TCD