Dreams Do Come True in Port Orleans. ~~*The End! Final Thoughts. 2/25 Pg. 41*~~

[manntra]

Hmmmm.....lets see
Mama Melrose looked really good I love calamari too...and also not a big fan of pesto!
Love the daisy chandelier...reminds me of a new Vera print
Great PP picture in front of TOT!!
Love the picture of Lumiere....he just brings such a smile to my face!!
HBD looks as yummy as ever! Love the sharing idea....like you said you get to try more foods...and look at Jen and the seafood! Woo hoo!
Love both of your t-shirts
Can't wait for more pictures of the resort....I am pretty sure that is where I am making my first night reservation for May
Oh and awesome TSM scores!!! I was lol too because while my score always beat my niece last trip, her accuracy always beat me... and she never let me forget it!

Tracy

 

[princess&her4princes]

WOW....15 pages in and I'm just joining in!! Sorry for the late arrival but I"m all caught up and I"m really enjoying your TR, as usual!!! Will stay up to date now and write as I go along, loving that you are both writing this, so much fun!!!!

 

[IluvXU]

What great eats! I am not sure what looked the best. Multiple rides on TSM, so fun!


Glad you explored POR... I love that resort and especially the gift shop, pool and food court. A beautiful place, we stayed there for our honeymoon before the cruise.

 

[Megablocks]

Ooooh, POR. We stayed there many times until we started staying at Pop. It was so nice to see the lobby and some pictures from around it, because it brought back a lot of really good memories from staying there.

The Beauty and the Beast show is something that I really want to do when we go -- I remember we saw it years ago, and I love the pictures that I've seen from it.

I love both your shirts, and the pins, too -- the TSMM FP one is really, really cute!

 

[MaryAz]

Great update!! Lovely pics and yummy food!

 

[eandesmom]

What a fabulous fabulous update! Full of food and fun.

I am kind of surprised MM didn't make it onto our list, that's the 2nd good review, I definitely want to try it one of the days.

I'd love to stay at POR...just not with the kids, I'm not sure they'd "get" it as much as some of the others but oh it looks lovely!

How wonderful that you were able to tweak your ADR's and a carriage ride....I can't wait! I would to do a carriage ride!

on the MM light fixture, my fav of the report so far.

 

[raniroo]

Hi! Thanks for joining in!

I had my surgery on August 26th. So far I have lost 52.6lbs. I go weigh in on Monday so I am hoping for a big loss since it's been a month since I've gone to the doctors.

I could not believe the amount of energy I had at Disney with just losing 50lbs. It really was an amazing feeling. I can't wait for my next trip because I know that I am just going to keep feeling better and better there. When was your surgery?

My surgery was 15th August (11 days apart!). I had some complications and ended up going back in on 16th August for a second go. My band slipped before I was out of the first surgery (due to vomiting during the first surgery)...but all is going great now Keep up the great work and looking forward to hearing more about your Disney trip!

 

[MeMom]

This is such a pretty little foyer. I love it when the sun is beaming through the glass.

Did you ever come across Paul in the gift shop? He's the CM that we met on our October trip that was fascinated that people wrote trip reports.

 

[Lady Lallie]

Ohhh, my beloved POR! I am so glad you both liked it too! Both of your shirts are really cute. I don't think you can ever have too many. We also enjoyed Mama Melrose's a few years ago. I had the penne alla vodka and it was sooo good! Beauty and the Beast is always so much fun to watch. I love the music.

I can see why you love POR so much, it is truly beautiful. I didn't have high expectations for Mama Melrose's but it was really good. I would eat there again for sure.

I am LOVING these updates!! Clearly you two are just smitten with Port Orleans. It *almost* makes a girl want to cheat on the Beach Club.

So nice to hear a good review of Mama Melrose. I'm not a calamari fan but that flatbread looks delish and I love pesto. I might have to try it! I'm a big fan of taking breaks at TS restaurants!

Hurrah for so many rides on TSM!

How great you could get an earlier ADR at Brown Derby. I think the signature might be Michael Gelman who is producer of Regis and Kelly??? I thought it was interesting that they lock that signature book away each night. Can't believe no one went for the grapefruit cake?!

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this TR. I love all of the reports both of you have done but this one just seems special b/c you can tell how much fun you both had!!

I think POR would be worth cheating on the Beach Club for...but that is just me.

I think you are right, Michael Gelman from Regis and Kelly! That makes sense.

I tried a bit of Marc's grapefruit cake and it's just not my thing.

Oh, a list is in order:

*I've never seen the Beauty & the Beast show. I think I might have to try to fit it in next time.
*The light fixtures at Mama Melrose are beautiful!!
*That pool looks really good. I've never seen it before.
*POR really is beautiful. I love the mansions.
*I love your shirt.

It looks like y'all had another great day! Can't wait to find out what changes you made!

I like the lists!!

*It's a really pretty show, worth checking out.
*I loved them, I don't think I had ever seen any pictures of them before.
*I was dying to swim in it!
*I want to stay at the mansions for sure.
*Thank you, I still haven't worn it!

The light fixtures at Mama's were gorgeous!

I'm not a big seafood lover, but I LOVE crab and I love crabcakes! Crab is so sweet and not fishy tasting.

Glad you guys decided to do a carriage ride! Hoping it didn't rain for you all like it did for us. And so glad you fell in love with POR. Isn't it wonderful??

You are from Maine and you are not a big seafood lover....*SOB*. Just kidding. Mostly.

POR really is wonderful.

Love this update! I'm happy to hear a good review for Mama Melrose. I'd considered it a few times but had always passed. That chicken flatbread looks very yummy.

I thought the signature at the Brown Derby might be Michael Phelps but the last name was definately off. Gelman!

Mmmmm, that Lava Smoothie looks yummy too. Love those pins -- especially the TSM one. Maybe we'll go for a fast pass theme next trip.

Can't wait to hear how the carriage ride went.

I would recommend Mama Melrose, it was a good meal.

I really loved trading pins this trip, I felt like I ran out too soon though!

Woot!! We got a triple dose today!! We have not done Mama Melrose since our first trip in 2005. We loved the food, just not the service on our day, so maybe its time we give it another try.

HBD-of course everything looks delicious!! My DS and I did the sharing thing with our last trip which worked out perfectly for us.

I would give it another try. I loved our flatbread. It was yummy and perfect for sharing.

The sharing thing worked out well for me.

It was fabulous meeting you guys! I knew y'all were in DHS that day because of facebook, and thought perhaps we'd run into each other, but never would have guessed we'd have been seated next to each other in Mama Melrose. Too funny!!

Jen- anytime you have any questions about Texas or need anything to help facilitate y'all's move, please let me know!!

Love the t-shirts and pins!! I ALMOST bought a lanyard and starter kit this trip. I would so be a pin addict.

Cheesecake at BD looks fabulous. I was a bit disappointed in honey hazelnut and ricotta cheesecake too. Didn't taste like anything other than Sara Lee.

You and Jen are going to be singlehanded-ly responsible for our next stay at POR or POFQ!! I've stayed at both, back in the early 90s. I loved POFQ, but POR was never a favorite of mine. The time we stayed there, my mother fell on the Streets of America and broke her foot! After looking at your pics, I think I need to give POR another chance... maybe I'm just negatively associating a broken foot with the mansions and magnolia trees! Great update ladies!!

It was too funny that not only were you there but at the NEXT table over!!

For pin trading, I highly recommend getting some pin lots on ebay. They work out well and usually you can get them so they work out to be about $1 per pin which is WAY cheaper than what Disney sells them for.

I say give POR another try. Wow, you really have a lot of injuries on your Disney trips!

I really enjoyed taking the boat at night past the mansions at POR. They were so pretty. Loved the whole boat thing too.

Glad you enjoyed your last minute sit-down lunch. I do like to do the sit-down and relax thing too.

Were your arms hurting you after 3 TSM rides?

I really like the whole boat thing.

My arms hurt after the 3rd ride a little bit. But I remember Jen saying she needed a break after our 2nd ride because her arms hurt.

There is so much I want to comment on, that I had to take notes.

I am so glad you had a lovely lunch at Mama Melrose's. Charles and I ate there in 1995, and I don't remember being wowed by it. It may have been a combination of August heat and Charles complaining about the August heat, that I was just in an all-around cranky mood. All the food you tried looks delicious!

Beauty and the Beast is a favorite of mine. I think it is in part because Belle is a reader. Gotta love that in a woman.

You know I love your DHS nighttime photos!

I have no idea whose signature that is in the book either -- that stinks. I don't think I realized that you had tried to get into the GMR dinner. Did you see the photos of it? It looked like such a great time. I would have been all about the desserts in The Wizard of Oz scene.

Yeay! You got beads at Port Orleans! The CM gave us some in 2008. I wonder where I put them...

Riverside is gorgeous -- such an Old South feel to it. Can't wait to see the pictures that you took on the carriage ride the next night!

Great vintage design t-shirt, LL!

Jen, I would have gladly taken that Lava Smoothie off your hands.

I'd give Mama Melrose's another try for sure. Heat and grumpy husbands do not mix.

We did try to get into it and we did see the photos. BAH! I really wish we had been able to get in. Talk about a once in a lifetime experience.

I love the Old South feel. I am telling you, I was meant to be a Southern Belle.

 

[Lady Lallie]

The wheels in my mind are spinning.

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Super update girls!

Great choice going to Mama Melrose's we haven't tried that yet, will have to remedy that in the future!
You made some interesting choices at HBD! Looked very tasty.
I don't blame you for moving that ressie up and heading out when you got tired, looked like a relaxing evening....
Cute souvies!
Looking forward to more!

They were all very tasty!! I'm glad that we were able to move up the ADR, we had a great night back at the resort.

Looks like Mama Melrose's has improved since the last time I was there!!! So glad you got a good meal!

Wow you guys really strayed from your plans this time around! I love it!!!

No mention of your feet? Are we to assume that the new sneakers worked????

You got the little boy Eric. Aisling traded for all the Toddler Princesses last trip and will be moving on to the boys next time. It was good for her to have a goal

I totally forgot to mention my feet! But yes, they felt great at the end of the day!!

I saw a lot of the little boy princes. They were very cute. It is nice to have a goal when you pin trade. I was all over the place this trip.

Great update(s).

TSM--can't wait to try this. You would think I would just go 5 minutes down the street and try it at California Adventure, but I HAVE to have my first ride at WDW.

Brown Derby...

That cheesecake looks

light fixture goodness...

I have to make it over to POR this trip...

Mama Melrose's--hope to make it there again someday. The food looks amazing. What are the chances of randomly running into a DISer.

I don't blame you for having your first ride be at WDW. You are going to LOVE it.

POR is very relaxing and worth checking out!

Hmmmm.....lets see
Mama Melrose looked really good I love calamari too...and also not a big fan of pesto!
Love the daisy chandelier...reminds me of a new Vera print
Great PP picture in front of TOT!!
Love the picture of Lumiere....he just brings such a smile to my face!!
HBD looks as yummy as ever! Love the sharing idea....like you said you get to try more foods...and look at Jen and the seafood! Woo hoo!
Love both of your t-shirts
Can't wait for more pictures of the resort....I am pretty sure that is where I am making my first night reservation for May
Oh and awesome TSM scores!!! I was lol too because while my score always beat my niece last trip, her accuracy always beat me... and she never let me forget it!

Tracy

I really like calamari, it was really good too.

The daisy chandelier does look like a Vera print!!

I have to cling to my accuracy.

WOW....15 pages in and I'm just joining in!! Sorry for the late arrival but I"m all caught up and I"m really enjoying your TR, as usual!!! Will stay up to date now and write as I go along, loving that you are both writing this, so much fun!!!!

Welcome!!! Thanks for joining us!

What great eats! I am not sure what looked the best. Multiple rides on TSM, so fun!


Glad you explored POR... I love that resort and especially the gift shop, pool and food court. A beautiful place, we stayed there for our honeymoon before the cruise.

POR seems like a nice place to honeymoon!

Ooooh, POR. We stayed there many times until we started staying at Pop. It was so nice to see the lobby and some pictures from around it, because it brought back a lot of really good memories from staying there.

The Beauty and the Beast show is something that I really want to do when we go -- I remember we saw it years ago, and I love the pictures that I've seen from it.

I love both your shirts, and the pins, too -- the TSMM FP one is really, really cute!

Thank you! Glad we could bring back some fond memories for you!

Great update!! Lovely pics and yummy food!

Thanks!

What a fabulous fabulous update! Full of food and fun.

I am kind of surprised MM didn't make it onto our list, that's the 2nd good review, I definitely want to try it one of the days.

I'd love to stay at POR...just not with the kids, I'm not sure they'd "get" it as much as some of the others but oh it looks lovely!

How wonderful that you were able to tweak your ADR's and a carriage ride....I can't wait! I would to do a carriage ride!

on the MM light fixture, my fav of the report so far.

Yeah, kids might not get the nice relaxing ambiance of Riverside. It would be nice for a couples getaway.

I can't wait to tell you about the carriage ride!

My surgery was 15th August (11 days apart!). I had some complications and ended up going back in on 16th August for a second go. My band slipped before I was out of the first surgery (due to vomiting during the first surgery)...but all is going great now Keep up the great work and looking forward to hearing more about your Disney trip!

Wow, we had them pretty close together!!

This is such a pretty little foyer. I love it when the sun is beaming through the glass.

Did you ever come across Paul in the gift shop? He's the CM that we met on our October trip that was fascinated that people wrote trip reports.

I have to admit I was never really impressed with POFQ's lobby in the pictures I had seen but it is really gorgeous in person!

I don't know if we saw Paul or not...Jen do you remember?? There was another male CM there but I don't remember his name.

 

[aprilisis]

I LOVE your night photos of DHS & POFQ! Let me just say, too, that the cheesecake at Brown Derby looks SO amazing!! I may have to try it in October!!! I'm looking forward to reading more of your TR. I really like your surprises & suspense...it is so fun!

 

[Tickanee]

Great updates!

The calamari looks sooo yummy. I have a hard time passing it up when it is on the menu.

As for the lava smoothie...I am reading your updates while drinking my morning vanilla protein shake. I am just not able to get my imagination to believe that I am actually drinking the smoothie instead. No comparison. I actually tried the alcohol version last time at WDW - the Pina Colava. It was SO GOOD! But I only had one. I was afraid of getting dehydrated while sitting by the pool.

Can't wait to hear about your next mystery ADR!

 

[jenjolt]

I don't remember if we met a Paul or not??? All of the CMs we met were wonderful at both places! I just really remember Leon loving his job!! He was fantastic!!

 

[carissanboys]

You are from Maine and you are not a big seafood lover....*SOB*. Just kidding. Mostly.

I know - such a waste, eh? I also don't ski or participate in any outdoor winter sports!

I hated seafood growing up, but I have grown to love some fish and of course crab. Loved the fresh haddock and salmon I had in Alaska and my favorite is Baramundi in Australia.

 

[tinkerbells mum]

another great update i love the food photos xx

 

[Happydog]

WHAT a great update!!!

Really liked all the details about your choices at MM and the Brown Derby! I also really enjoyed seeing all the POR and FQ photos... looking forward to your carriage ride, so glad you did that! How fun! It does look charming there, I would consider it for us, too! We had dinner at MM last November... we did enjoy our dinner, and had that same calamari! Thought it was great!


Nice Ts and pins!!! What is that "R" -- the red one, I surely must know but I can't remember. Cute photos of you two gals!!! Looking forward to more!

 

[If U Had Wings]

I've been hungry for something all day today, and I couldn't put my finger on what. Now I know. Crab cake and cobb salad from BD. Think I can run and get some for dinner? Looks like it was a wonderful day.

 

[TarzansKat]

Haven't read all the replies, but I'm guessing (going out on a limb) that the signature is Michael Gelman. He's the producer (?) of the Regis morning show. Let me tell you, at the bank, I see all kinds of scrawly signatures, so I've gotten pretty good at deciphering.

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed Mama Melrose! I've always wanted to try it, but have been hampered by bad reviews. I've learned I really need to get over that in general and just try a place for myself, because unless you really know your reviewer, how do you even know you have the same tastebuds?

I can't believe how many times you went on TSM! That's so much fun. And I haven't seen Beauty and the Beast in sooooo long. Maybe I should talk my mom into that.

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that the villain shop is more merchandise heavy in October because it's the fall season, and right before Halloween. Still a bummer, I like to shop there myself.

It is also the home of my favoritest junky apples!

All in all this seems like a wonderful day! You had some great park and resort time.

 

[carissanboys]

Haven't read all the replies, but I'm guessing (going out on a limb) that the signature is Michael Gelman. He's the producer (?) of the Regis morning show. Let me tell you, at the bank, I see all kinds of scrawly signatures, so I've gotten pretty good at deciphering.

That was my guess, too! Well, the one in my head anyway.

 

[kschafer]

no internet since Monday night...I have felt lost

Glad you enjoyed MM, I wasn't a fan but you had completely different food than me.

BnB, can't wait to see it!

BD...looks delish and now I am torn between the grapefruit cake and your dessert Maybe Beth and I will share! (Oh crap, just remembered she is allergic to strawberries...what to do, what to do?)

I'm not a fan of POFQ but POR sure is beautiful. Do they share the same common areas? (It the mardi gras heads and alligators that get me )