DONE 7/28!! My Life on the DVC Blacklist - an August '09 Pre-Trip.

[Sooze]

Or a bar.

This is great! Love the picture!

But it’s off the list for a good long time now, I’m afraid.

OH, NO!!

Much like GG, service was terrific. Our server was super efficient. But the food quality just wasn’t great. The meat was dry and bland. The noodles… were just noodles. The broccoli was good, but what happened to all the other vegetables? The bread pudding was soggy. The salad was the only shining star on our table.

Maybe they just had an 'off' night??! Say it isn't so!!

He proclaimed the singing “too loud” and rudely covered his ears when the singer strolled by.

I'm sorry, I'm sure you were embarrassed, but this makes me laugh!



Thanks for sharing some more WONDERFUL pictures!! Loved the update!

 

[lisalonglash]

What a great update, V! As usual, fabulous pictures Way to work that iPhone I'm afraid that if we got one, dh and I would spend way too much time playing with it LOL Oh, but if there's an app called "look kids, it's quiet time now", I'll fork out the dough for it!

I'm glad the neighbours quieted down - no sleep is no good!

Poolside drinks... ahhhhh... I'm way too cheap to pay for RideMax, but I can't say I'm not tempted...

It's funny how children change their minds, isn't it? Honestly, ds#2 is soooo fickle, it's not even funny

That cinnamon bun looks delish! Not to be combined with the pina colava though - I must remember that

Looking forward to your next update

 

[PrincessV]

Looks like your phone was worth every penny

Seriously, how did I live without this thing?!

OK, I think that may be the final straw for me - I am just like you in terms of sleeping at home vs. away from home.

It was soooo nice. And much more convenient than lugging one of those sound machines around.

I love this one. Plus, you know, it reminds me of August and OFF (Our Friend Fay...)

So true!

I, too, cheer for the backside of water!

Isn't it fun?!

"There's an app for that"...too funny! Is there an app that magically transports me to WDW??

How 'bout some WDW maps, current wait times and dining lists? All apps!

Seriously? Wolves????

Have you met my child?! For the record, I requested "average" whilst pregnant.

OMG, V...I'm sorry. I can SO picture this whole scene.

I'm pretty sure you've more or less seen this scene - just insert some other ride, right?!

Was anyone ordering pizza?

OMG, I literally can't ride JC anymore without thinking of that and laughing all over again! Hands-down one of the funniest Disney memories ever.

What is this? Is it an app for the iPhone, or something online? Can you give some more info.. or can I find it on this TR somewhere? Thanks!

I so should have inserted a link! I just fixed it and I'll PM you to make sure you get it!

This is so funny. People are just walking by her. It's like she's just another residents on Main Street!

It was hysterical - tons of people just walked right by!

 

[KatGarcia]

First off we cheer for the backside of water every time! It's generally hard for KC to not step on the poor skippers joke before he gets it out. Depends on the skipper how they take it.

I'm sad about Ohana. We used to love it and it just got worse and worse. The menu changes have not been good and the price for it all is not worth it anymore. I surprised KC with seeing wishes there our first trip after our honeymoon, the memories will have to do tho ebcause we prob won't be going back there anytime soon.

Loving the apps at Disney method of touring. LOL

 

[PrincessV]

Maybe they just had an 'off' night??! Say it isn't so!!

I really hope so, but it lines up with an awful lot of DIS reviews I've seen lately.

I'm sorry, I'm sure you were embarrassed, but this makes me laugh!

To be honest, it made me laugh, too!

Way to work that iPhone I'm afraid that if we got one, dh and I would spend way too much time playing with it LOL

Honestly, that's a legitimate concern!

Oh, but if there's an app called "look kids, it's quiet time now", I'll fork out the dough for it!

There is, for Leo at least: checkers!

I'm way too cheap to pay for RideMax, but I can't say I'm not tempted...

It's steep, in my opinion. I don't think it's worth it for trips in slow times, but absolutely worth it on a busy day!

First off we cheer for the backside of water every time! It's generally hard for KC to not step on the poor skippers joke before he gets it out. Depends on the skipper how they take it.

Oh, I'm the same way, lol!

 

[Trentmom]

Great update

That is soo cool about the Ichilling app....glad it worked and that your neighbors quieted down after you called them

Ridemax sound awesome. Glad it worked for you

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

For Gramma and I, I went with “English Lakeside” which includes some lapping water, birds calling and crickets chirping. Bliss!

OMG, that one would freak me out!! Crickets?? Ick!

(Admittedly, I swear like a sailor, but not around Leo. Much. )

No comment.

1. Ridemax ROCKS!

Ok, I haven't even used my Ridemax subscription yet, but it DOES rock! Uh-huh... yeah, I can tell.

2. Don’t assume anything when it comes to kids and rides.

Noted.

Leo clung to me with a force stronger than gravity throughout the ride and spent the entire exit walk repeating that “that was NOT fun” and he was “NOT going on it again. Ever.”

Perhaps a little peer pressure in August is just the ticket.

3. I found a new favorite menu item![/size]

REALLY????

I was hot and really didn’t want a pizza, so I tried the Mediterranean Salad. YUM! It was really, really good. Grilled chicken breast, mixed greens – and fresher than fresh, too! – cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, olives… it was delicious and perfect on a hot day. I still love my Magical Tuna, but this ranks right up there.

Hmmmm... I may have to try this one .... cause you know I trust V.

Guess what – there’s an app for that!

Sure enough, my Weather app showed all clear for at least a few hours, so we scurried off the Poly. And the pool time for which we’d been impatiently waiting.

Oh. Em. Gee. Stop it, right now!

Nothing says “Pirates!” like Crocs and Vera Bradley.

Ok, see that hipster looks fab on you. I'm like twice your size and it would look like a snack sized ziploc on me. I better go BIGGER.

Much like GG, service was terrific. Our server was super efficient. But the food quality just wasn’t great. The meat was dry and bland. The noodles… were just noodles. The broccoli was good, but what happened to all the other vegetables? The bread pudding was soggy. The salad was the only shining star on our table.

Oh crap! I was soooo looking forward to this one too...even the little ..gulp.. chicken wings.

Fantastic pics, V!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Awesome pictures, V! I love the unique angles. They're all beautiful!! Sorry that two restaurants got axed off your list this trip. Good thing there are so many to choose from!!

I am going to have to check out Ridemax and I SO want an i-phone!!!

Looking forward to more!

 

[jcc0621]

OK, you got me. I'm trying ridemax, since we are there a shorter period of time this year I wnat to be able to do as much as we can. I'm already questioning some of their suggestions. I will be emailing you

 

[englishrose47]

V you and Judy think alike she was not imprssed by the Family Style meals at all!! That has been her only request for Dining this Sept. NO Family Style !! Of course with the litle she will eat it wouldn't matter but I guess she wants QUALITY in her tiny portions !!
Great Updates !!!

 

[dlwharp]

I politely asked if they could please keep it down as I had a young child tryig to sleep (BTW, Leo never so much as stirred through all this – I was the one trying to sleep!). To her credit, the girl apologized and the noise stopped immediately. Whew!

-----


FYI, on the ride home at the end of trip, he announced that he’d changed his mind and I should plan on putting BTMRR back in the mix for our next trip. Sure am glad I bought the year-long subscription to Ridemax; it’ll be getting a workout!

--------------

For those who don’t know, I’m in love with the Magical Tuna Sandwich served up at Columbia Harbour House;

-----------

for you for stopping the party. No way I would have had the guts to do that.

Leo changing his mind - does your head ever stop spinning?????

I'm trying me some of that Magical Tuna in August - it's already on the "foods I must try this time" list!! I am so bummed that O'Hana got a thumbs down - that's one of our favorites and we're taking DD for the first time this year. Hopefully they were just having a bad day!!

Cinnamon rolls and Pinacolava - I'm going into sugar overload just thinking about it - and I DO like sweet things! Oh my!

Again, your photos are fantastic!!

I need to learn to quote better - and figure out how to get my photo back in my sig!!

 

[DisneyJo]

V hope you don't mind - http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?where=home&sort=&page=&qid=46378&pid=80&cid=146 My friends come in handy

 

[englishrose47]

V hope you don't mind - http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?where=home&sort=&page=&qid=46378&pid=80&cid=146 My friends come in handy

Good Plug Jo!!!Although I think the Dis is the best resource going !!!

 

[Lauralee131]

Sadly, the answer to that question was “yes.” I knew exactly where our Poly neighbors were… because they were having a flipping PARTY next door!

Ugh - if you're looking for a place where you can't hear your neighbors...any time of day...sadly, it's not the Poly...Paper thin walls...

But since I got my iPhone, my standard response to any challenging situations life may throw at me has become “There’s an app for that!” And, indeed, there is an app for that! Allow me to introduce iChillout. Ambient noise for the iPhone. You can select anything from lapping water, to chimes, to monastic chants.

iChillout? Seriously? OMG - I need an iPhone...big, heavy sigh...

Leo chose “Prairie Wolves” for his go-to-sleep sounds. I was more than a little skeptical, but it worked beautifully; he was out in about 10 minutes. For Gramma and I, I went with “English Lakeside” which includes some lapping water, birds calling and crickets chirping. Bliss!

Prairie Wolves? For real??

iChillout was the answer to my sleep-away prayers… I had no problem falling nor staying asleep.

I've often thought of getting some kind of sound machine for the bedroom...if I get an iPhone, it'd be 2 birds with one phone...Hmmm.....

The next morning, I admonished Gramma and Leo to please stop shouting at each other between the bathroom and living area. I figured if our neighbors were kind enough to be quiet while we slept early, we should do the same so they could sleep late. We had no further problems with them, thank goodness.

Awwww....you're such a good citizen...and I'm impressed that they got quiet...and quickly. You're lucky!

Moving on, that next morning called for a MK rope drop. I actually hate the whole opening show thing, but I hate waiting in ride lines even more, so we get there early and I suffer through the schmaltzy show.

I love that whole schmaltzy show...makes me cry every time. And I'm not afraid to admit it...it just makes the start of my day more....I dunno...magical...

1. Ridemax ROCKS!

Like totally. Fur sure. My DIS buddy T turned me onto Ridemax and I decided to give it a shot. Holy mother of Mickey, it’s like the Unofficial Guide’s (UG) touring plans on steroids! Actually, it’s a lot like the customized plans UG used to provide via email, in which you could specify arrival and departure times, lunch breaks, touring speed, and which attractions you wanted to see, and it produces a plan to get it done. But UG stopped doing those a while ago and I’ve been on my own. Until now!

Ridemax takes it a step further, giving you actual times that you ought to be arriving at each attraction, how long you can expect to wait for each, and how long it should take you to get between attractions

Still have yet to check Ridemax out...I will though...no doubt...

Dudes, it blew my socks off. We hit every single attraction within a few minutes of the time shown by Ridemax, and we were almost always ahead of schedule! I’ll keep my UG subscription for its extended best/worst park days and crowd calendar, but Ridemax is my new Plan coordinator.

Good to know - I know something's awesome with it comes with a recommendation from V!!

2. Don’t assume anything when it comes to kids and rides.

Speaking of attractions and planning… knowing just which rides to put into the Ridemax engine was something of a challenge. On one day, Leo wanted to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMRR). On another it was deemed “too scary.”

Ummm...hopefully this fear does not go back to when we rode it at night, does it???

BTW, he’s been on the ride a bunch of times. He used to love it and then, suddenly and without warning, decided the bats scene was too scary to be endured. He hadn’t been on it for a long time before this trip.

Awww...my little buddy. Michael has his moments too...hard to tell what will be on and off the list until we actually get there. These days it's EE...one day it's awesome and the next it's too scary....

It’s A Small World was also put in and out of The Plan a few times, as one day he “loved that ride” and another it was “just okay.” Barnstormer was initially okay to toss in favor of BTMRR… but was later thought to be an absolute requirement.

"Just okay" is probably one more trip away from "That ride is so lame!"

In the end, Leo selected the BTMRR plan and understood that it meant skipping Barnstormer.

Any guesses on how that went?!

Ummm...I'm guessing not good...

Leo clung to me with a force stronger than gravity throughout the ride and spent the entire exit walk repeating that “that was NOT fun” and he was “NOT going on it again. Ever.”

Oh no! Not again!!!

FYI, on the ride home at the end of trip, he announced that he’d changed his mind and I should plan on putting BTMRR back in the mix for our next trip. Sure am glad I bought the year-long subscription to Ridemax; it’ll be getting a workout!

I can't keep up...just can't...

3. I found a new favorite menu item!

We wound up eating lunch at Pinnochio Village Haus because Leo wanted pizza. For those who don’t know, I’m in love with the Magical Tuna Sandwich served up at Columbia Harbour House; to eat anywhere else is a sacrilege. But I wasn’t willing to fight about it, so off we went to Pinnochio’s. I was hot and really didn’t want a pizza, so I tried the Mediterranean Salad. YUM! It was really, really good. Grilled chicken breast, mixed greens – and fresher than fresh, too! – cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, olives… it was delicious and perfect on a hot day. I still love my Magical Tuna, but this ranks right up there.

Mmmmm...making a mental note of this...sounds yummy!!

See? Alice covets the ooey-gooey goodness of Main St. cinnamon rolls, too.

What a cute shot!! Good timing!!

I’ve mentioned the heat… it was HOT. No rain and few clouds. But what had the afternoon in store?

Ummmm.....adult beverages????

Guess what – there’s an app for that!

Sure enough, my Weather app showed all clear for at least a few hours, so we scurried off the Poly. And the pool time for which we’d been impatiently waiting.

OOoooohh...you're talking about weather...ok...I'm guessing the air was just right for drinking, too!!

More random MK pics…

Nothing says “Pirates!” like Crocs and Vera Bradley.

I'm a couple days late here, but LMAO at T's snack size ziploc comment...

Why am I the only one who ever cheers for the Backside of Water???

Nope - we do too!!!

 

[Lauralee131]

I don’t think we’ve ever changed into swimsuits so fast as we did that day! It’s not like we’re swim-deprived, for goodness’ sake – we have a pool not 15 steps from our front door! But. It doesn’t have a volcano. Or bubbly section. Or attached beach. Or a view of Cindy’s castle.


Or a bar.

Mmmm...looks refreshing...wishing I was there right about now actually...

Wouldn’t it be great if I had some pictures of me and Leo playing in the pool, so we could remember that awesome afternoon? Yeah. Well, Gramma needs another tutorial on how to work the iCamera. Dabnabbit. She thought she took a bunch… I got home and found none. Oh well.

Is there some kind of tutorial app for that???

Eventually, Gramma wanted a turn in the pool and I wanted some quality time with a mojito, a lounge chair and the latest US Weekly. Yes, I read that crap, but only whilst poolside. (Remember the location of our home pool?!

I also took a little walk along the beach and drunk-dialed Lauralee. I wasn’t actually drunk, and I got her voicemail, but it’s the thought that counts.

I was so bummed I miss your call...I was discovering that there was no "sweet home" in Alabama that day...in fact I think if I'd slowed down and opened the car windows I'd have heard banjos...much rather would have heard your voice!!

When we’d all had enough Volcano Pool action, we headed back to the room and I grabbed a Pina Colava to go. I really don’t know what possessed me; I’ve never liked those things. Too sweet and too rich; I don’t approve of mixing ice cream with booze. But it sounded good for some reason.

What's up with that? You never drink those things...well, not when I'm with ya anyway...

It may have been a mistake, but it was an even bigger mistake to use it as a chaser after downing the other cinnamon roll half. Ugh, all that sugar overwhelmed my low-carb system and I think I went into insulin shock! I flopped down on my bed and just laid there for a while willing my heart rate down and my legs to stop twitching. Apparently I fell asleep, too, because Leo tapped me on the shoulder a while later to tell me his movie had ended. Oops.

That settles it - no more Pina Colava's for you...

Ahh...me, on the other hand...absolutely can not wait for my first one...been - GASP - a year since the mis-adventures of Shark Boy and Pina Colava Girl...I should make them at home...it'd be a nice treat...

Good thing he woke me up, because Gramma’d fallen asleep too, and we had an ADR at ‘Ohana.

~sigh~

What's that sigh for????

I really wish I could say something glowing about that meal. Esepcially since ‘Ohana holds a special place in my heart; we’ve enjoyed a few meals there with very special friends over the years.

May 2007, with my friend Char.

January 2008, with Lauralee and Michael

May 2009

But it’s off the list for a good long time now, I’m afraid.

What??? Say it ain't so!! That's one of our favorite places to eat!!! What? Why????

Much like GG, service was terrific. Our server was super efficient. But the food quality just wasn’t great. The meat was dry and bland. The noodles… were just noodles. The broccoli was good, but what happened to all the other vegetables? The bread pudding was soggy. The salad was the only shining star on our table.

OMG - I'm so sad to hear/read that...I can't bring myself to cancel my ADR there though...and I'm not even going to mention this to Tony...it's one of the few requests (errrr...demands) he makes for vacation...I'll be so sorry if it sucks....

All of which wouldn’t be a big deal… except that we didn’t utilize the entertainment, either. Leo wanted nothing to do with the cocoanut racing or limbo contest. He proclaimed the singing “too loud” and rudely covered his ears when the singer strolled by.

LOL - remember when M didn't want to do that stuff and I made him go with Leo...the pic's of his misery and "thumbs down" were just priceless!!

And the kicker? It was a “holiday” weekend, so we were charged an extra $5 per person! After dropping over $100 on that not-so-great meal, I vowed to skip any family-style restaurants in the future.

Shame, shame... I'm so disappointed to read that. And I honestly think they ought to be ashamed of themselves for upping prices because it's a holiday...like WDW isn't a freakin' wallet drainer to begin with...

 

[princessjv]

I'd been here sooner if I'd known I'd be treated to some TR action inside of the PTR.

Great Shots, my friend! It does help to bring the mac-daddy with you, too bad it doesn't come with the a camera boy a.k.a pool boy to help lug the thing around with you. Big difference when there is no more stroller action for the little man.

Mine ds is smitten with yelling over my shoulder, "Hey! Thats Leo!. When are we gonna visit him again?!"

Super glad the trip was a success... really say it ain't so that O'hana is going to the B list? We were there in March and had a yummo meal of epic proportions and we were a party of 10!

 

[PrincessAlways]

Entertaining update V!!!! All I can say is "got an App for that?" LOL!

 

[PrincessV]

Ridemax sound awesome. Glad it worked for you

Me too! I was genuinely surprised; the UG plans have always been good, but not quite accurate. This was unreal!

OMG, that one would freak me out!! Crickets?? Ick!

Perhaps a little peer pressure in August is just the ticket.

I'm, all for giving it a hot, but it hasn't worked so far. Ask Kate, who witnessed Leo assertively say he'd rather hang out with her and me than ride Start Tours with bites 1, 2 and 3!

Ok, see that hipster looks fab on you. I'm like twice your size and it would look like a snack sized ziploc on me. I better go BIGGER.

It's actually about the same size as the backpack, and holds roughly 2/3 of what the backpack does.

Oh crap! I was soooo looking forward to this one too...even the little ..gulp.. chicken wings.

Okay, eeeewww!!! Even I don't eat those!

Awesome pictures, V! I love the unique angles.

Thank you! I've been making a concerted effort to mess with different angles and views lately.

OK, you got me. I'm trying ridemax, since we are there a shorter period of time this year I wnat to be able to do as much as we can. I'm already questioning some of their suggestions. I will be emailing you

Question away, but follow them religiously my friend! At least for MK - I'll be sure to let you know immediately about the others.

V you and Judy think alike she was not imprssed by the Family Style meals at all!! That has been her only request for Dining this Sept. NO Family Style !! Of course with the litle she will eat it wouldn't matter but I guess she wants QUALITY in her tiny portions !!

Yep, that's my thinking too. I just don't eat enough to make it worth the money and I'd rather have high quality.

Leo changing his mind - does your head ever stop spinning?????

Nope!

Cinnamon rolls and Pinacolava - I'm going into sugar overload just thinking about it - and I DO like sweet things! Oh my!

Seriously, what was I thinking?!

V hope you don't mind - http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?where=home&sort=&page=&qid=46378&pid=80&cid=146 My friends come in handy

Not at all - thanks for the mad props Jo!

]Ugh - if you're looking for a place where you can't hear your neighbors...any time of day...sadly, it's not the Poly...Paper thin walls...

SO true! As compared to SSR, especially, where I've yet to know if I ever even had neighbors.

Prairie Wolves? For real??

Yep, he loved them! He's, um, interesting.

I've often thought of getting some kind of sound machine for the bedroom...if I get an iPhone, it'd be 2 birds with one phone...Hmmm.....

I love that whole schmaltzy show...makes me cry every time.

I know, and I don't hold it against you! Remember, I'm not a morning person; getting going early is bad enough - adding in a line of smiling, singing, perky, jazz hand-waving cast members is just too much.

Ummm...hopefully this fear does not go back to when we rode it at night, does it???

LOL!

"Just okay" is probably one more trip away from "That ride is so lame!"

True!

That settles it - no more Pina Colava's for you...

It's like T's champagne mojito - NEVER again!

OMG - I'm so sad to hear/read that...I can't bring myself to cancel my ADR there though...and I'm not even going to mention this to Tony...it's one of the few requests (errrr...demands) he makes for vacation...I'll be so sorry if it sucks....

I recommend pre-medicating. You won't notice the dry meat after a Lapu or 21.

And I honestly think they ought to be ashamed of themselves for upping prices because it's a holiday...like WDW isn't a freakin' wallet drainer to begin with...

Know when that "holiday" ends? Flipping JULY!!!

Big difference when there is no more stroller action for the little man.

OMG, yes! It's a tough call - he's really too heavy to push comfortably, but it was so nice to have a rolling basket handy!

Mine ds is smitten with yelling over my shoulder, "Hey! Thats Leo!. When are we gonna visit him again?!"

Aw, we do need to visit again!

Entertaining update V!!!! All I can say is "got an App for that?" LOL!

Y'know, it's been plaguing me the past few days... why isn't there a DIS app yet?!?!

 

[boysmom5150]

Hey V

Great update as usual...Love the pics.

Good to hear about ridemax..gotta give it a try thanks
I too like the Med salad at pinnocc,its funny cause I was telling a friend and also used the word "fresh" to describe it
We cheer for backside of water too
ICHILLOUT---gotta give that a try have you seen the wait time apps for WDW.Its still new and is updated by users. I just got it to try for $0.99
Ill get the name if you want it.

****if you like mango, try a Frozen Mango Daiquiri with coconut rum
YUMMY!!!! I like a frozen drink every now and them at the pool but cant do anything with pineapple and dont like the heaviness of icecream in my drink. THIS IS YUMMMY.

 

[debraW76]

Hi V. Just catching up.
Great update I all the way through

You are a great photographer! I am just loving all of your pics. So sad about your dining experiences so far.

Thanks for the ridemax tip I will def check them out if we go during peak times again.

My DH wants me to get a blackberry but I am afraid of having another addiction.