Ellen & Pods alone at last at F&W- with a twist of Vero! 9/25-10/1/09 Update12/14 p.9

[podsnel]

WOO-HOO!!! The Yanks WIN!!!!!!!!!! My vacation fantasy life goes on!!!!!!!

 

[dvc4life]

Congrats Ellen! Hope you and Pods have a great time next September!!!!

 

[podsnel]

Hi Ellen! Here was my BLT trip report:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2265605

We had a great time at BLT and can't wait to go back!

JoAnne

Thanks for the link!! Loved your TR- and I am EXTREMELY jealous of your airfare out of BWI!!!! It's so awesome, if I were just a little closer, I'd be on those planes, too. What fantastic deals you get!

 

[5forDiz]

Happy me!!! I just booked 5 nights at AKV Concierge for another F&W Golf trip with Pods!!!! Sept 24 to 29th- I was going to book BCV, but checked AKV concierge first and it was available, so WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!! DH has never stayed there before and I think he liked the sound of FREE BEER that goes with the room! So I wanted to try to get it for him. Well....and for me! I guess I asked if he wanted to go at just the right time- he's headed to the World Series tonight!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITING!!!! Sure hope those yankees play a whole lot BETTER this game!! I'd hate to cancel the trip!!

Hooray for You !!!

A most EXCELLENT day yesterday turned out to be for you guys all around !!! You got to book AKV concierge, your DH goes to World Series AND the Yankees win Way to go!!!

 

[podsnel]

We made our way over to Sonya's, the more upscale restaurant at VB, which is located behind Shutters (you walk through Shutters to get there). We were seated and pleased to see the personalized menus welcoming us to the table. I had no idea they did this here! Such a nice touch-

Our server was the lovely Christy, who could not have been more charming. We placed drink orders and ordered a bottle of wine for Lonnie & I to share- Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, one of my favorite SBs (we became VERY good friends, Kim and I, on DCL last year). A few minutes later, Christy came back out to apologize, she had given us the old wine list- and handed us the new one, which had come out just the day before-

We chose another wine, and then, Christy came back to say she still had a couple of bottles of Kim left if we wanted that. Sounds good!! We were offered an amuse bouche of Carrot soup-

A little tepid, but our bouches were amused all the same. Next our appetizers. Loni had Hearts of Romaine Salad-

I went with the opposite of that, Wood oven baked shrimp and crab dip with house made bagel chips-

It was very tasty. Pods really enjoyed a Pan roast of Jumbo Mussels, Sweet fennel sausage, saffron-tomato broth and toasted crostini-

They were perfectly done. Mike had Coconut curried she crab soup which he said was good-

Dinner at sonya's is lovely. Dinner at Sonya's is also S-L-O-W. As in, Lonnie and I polished off that bottle of vino before our entrees had even THOUGHT of arriving. Now, we should have just had water, or maybe just gotten another glass to have with the remainder of our meal. But who says we should do anything???? So we invited bottle #2 of our girlfriend, Kim, to dinner. oops.

Our entrees arrived. Mike had Crispy Tempura Yellow Fin Tuna, Lo mein noodles, stir-fried baby vegetables, baby bok choy,lemon grass coconut broth.

Pods ordered Pan seared red grouper filet with creamy southern polenta, Florida Rock shrimp and tasso gravy, fried leeks-

Yummy. And then Loni and I ordered the same thing- and it was soooooooooooooooooooo delicious!!! OMG- we both agreed, these were the BEST scallops EVAAAARRRRR!!!! Pan Seared Jumbo Scallops, Lobster mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach, sherry lobster beurre blanc, balsamic reduction-

Seriously-

We asked Christy to pose with the creepy lady on the wall-

No, it's not Lily, it's....some creepy lady on the wall!! A pic as we made our exit-

I swear, I must be 3 feet tall. The guys were up for watching football back in the room- Lonnie and I, on the other hand, were up for a visit to the Green Cabin Room. Aren't you so glad we girls like to have fun?? Even a little too MUCH fun?? Back in a few....

 

[manntra]

Great update! I feel like I am watching an episode of Top Chef reading your descriptions!
Congrats on the AKV concierge! AKV is my home resort and I just love it there.....I will do concierge someday...especially for the free beer!

Tracy

 

[podsnel]

So Lonnie and I were on our own at the GCRoom- which was NOT a problem, since we were feeling very sociable for some odd reason. On the way, I took a few pics of just about everything imaginable-

Hellllooooooo Front Desk CM!!

This is the GCR ceiling-

And this is a LAMP!

OMG!!! Fear and PANIC!!! What happened to the bartenders????

I went to visit the Loo, making a grand departure-

No idea who these people are-

But.... we DID see our friends from the night before- who insisted on buying me that yummy margarita they were enjoying yet AGAIN! And THIS time I said SURE!!! That's EXACTLY what my brain that is soaked in alcohol needs!!! TEQUILA!!!!

Our anniversary celebrating new friends-

They were so nice, I was very glad to see them again. There was another couple sitting at the bar, they looked friendly, so i started chatting it up with them, too! I asked the question, "Where are you from?" and they answered with the most coveted of all Disney answers...yes, that's right- they were from CELEBRATION!

Let the interrogation...err, I mean, inquisition....umm, conversation BEGIN!!! What's it like? Is the sister city really Stepford? Is Mickey Mouse the Mayor? Do you live in the section of town that's allowed to have a fountain in the yard???? And on and on....it was exhausting!!! Lonnie was relentless!!!

Cont'd next post-

 

[podsnel]

Honestly, the couple from Celebration was just wonderful- they were so happy to live there, they volunteered it was not a Stepford kind of place at all, really, really a fun couple. WE spent the rest of the night all laughing together and enjoying the music. We really had a BLAST!!! And someday, when i find the safe place I put their addresses in, I'll send them a link to this report just like I promised I would! DOH!

Yay! The bartenders came back!!

Then something extraordinary happened. As we walked back through the hallways to our rooms,

we switched dimensions!! We went from the merriment, joy and hilarity of the Green Cabin Room to the total opposite- a room with our men!

Yea, that's right- it was a thrill a minute up there in Room 2424!

We did our best to try and spark things up-

But it looks like we were done having fun for the night!

Really, that night goes down as one of the funniest, bestest times I have ever had with Lonnie (and that's sayin' a LOT considering we were college roomates!), and I wouldn't change a thing. Loved Sonyas, loved GCR, REALLY love my friend.

Next up....the morning after....ugh.

 

[podsnel]

Great update! I feel like I am watching an episode of Top Chef reading your descriptions!
Congrats on the AKV concierge! AKV is my home resort and I just love it there.....I will do concierge someday...especially for the free beer!

Tracy

ooooh....I LOVE Top Chef!! Isn't that show incredible? I don't know HOW those chefs do it, the whole thing is fascinating.

I was so suprised concierge was available, because I was calling on the 29th about the 24th- I spaced out, because I'm just focused on this trip on Weds. So excited I got into Concierge for a second stay!

 

[podsnel]

Congrats Ellen! Hope you and Pods have a great time next September!!!!

Thanks! We actually may change it to late Nov/early Dec, not sure yet. I'm kinda jonesin for those holiday lights....

Hooray for You !!!

A most EXCELLENT day yesterday turned out to be for you guys all around !!! You got to book AKV concierge, your DH goes to World Series AND the Yankees win Way to go!!!

Yea, and WHY didn't I play the lottery that day??? DUH!!!!

 

[podsnel]

Happy Halloween, hope you all had a fun one! A few pics of my 2 trick-or-treaters (my oldest hates to dress up, he is glad to stay home and raid his brother's stash for lollipops and swedish fish!).

Well, that's not a costume, that's after football practice, but doesn't DS12 sport a SWELL 'stache???

Again, not a costume, he went to a Bar Mitzvah this morning. Sans 'stache.

DS10 and his buddy. I proudly call that nerd my son!

Back from the party, he gets ready to dazzle the candy givers with his award winning costume being groomed.

A nerd and Tom Selleck? A geek and the Frito Bandito minus the hat? Can't really say- they come up with this stuff on their own. $2 to the first DISer to correctly guess what DS12's costume is!

Have a great one!

Ellen

 

[podsnel]

Believe it or not, I was up AGAIN at dawn (remember- I'm on DISNEY time!) to take sunrise pics. Except....when I looked out the window, all I saw were clouds over the ocean. So that made my decision to get back in bed and catch some more zzzzzzz's an easy one! When I did wake up, I went downstairs to fill my mug with coffee and walk around to take a few more photos that I just hadn't gotten around to this weekend. Most important, I wanted to take a picture of the Inn from down on the beach.

Then I went down to the beach, and THIS happened-

My camera screen proceeded to turn completely BLACK!! I have a Canon Rebel xsi, it's a DSLR. Now, it had been very humid the entire time we were there, and the lens etc would fog up when I went inside or outside, which could be wiped away, repeatedly, no problem. But this? This was INSIDE the camera. It didn't hurt the camera, it was fine later, but unfortunately it meant no pic of the Inn from the beach today. That's ok- I'm sure I'll be back one day, and it WILL be the first photo I take!

Went back upstairs to pack up, eat the leftover fruit from yesterday's breakfast, and were ready to say good-bye. Lonnie & Mike were packed up, too- we met them downstairs in the lobby. And my DBF was NOT feeling too terrific!! So they were taking things a little slow.....

Lonnie had purchased her VERY cute dress in the gift shop- and I decided I needed one, too! So I ran in to make a last purchase, and then went into the ladies to put on my new dress. While I was walking back, i nosed around some more and took a few more pics-

I just love all the memorabilia back in all those little rooms off of the lobby-

One of my favorite places-

We took a walk outside to fill our mugs up one last time for the road. Pods and I had to get to WDW for a 2:00 Caymus wine seminar, and Lonnie and Mike were going to take a leisurely drive home up the coast and stop for lunch on the way.

The gym-

One last group photo before hugs and kisses goodbye-

And then down to the parking garage where we had NO trouble finding our car!!!

Next- lesson learned, why I will never, never, EVER leave Vero early for a wine seminar again!!

 

[podsnel]

I was sad to leave VB, we really had a lot of fun! The resort was beautiful, the CMs couldn't have BEEN any nicer, the restaurants were very good and the Green Cabin Room- well, I think I've made my opinion of THAT place pretty clear! I can absolutely see us going back with the kids, either after our next cruise or after a WDW visit. Sad as I was to see our weekend at the beach end, it was fairly easy to recover- we were, after all, headed to WDW!!! We got there in a little under 2 hours and headed straight to EPCOT. A quick stop at Guest Relations to pick up Pods' DVC AP (which I had purchased before the $ increase, Thank-you DIS!!) and we were on our way to the Festival Center for the Caymus tasting. On the way we saw the Chefinators, they were excellent-

A quick tour inside-

We were famished, and decided to share some cheese and fruit. Which came right out of the icy cold refrigerator, so it was a little hard and flavorless- I kind of prefer my cheese at room temperature. Hopefully this was corrected as the festival went on.

Soooo...this was our first F&W without the kids. It was also our first time doing anything other than eating our way around the WS booths. So I was very eager to see what these seminars were all about. ESPECIALLY this one. I left VB early for this one. Because THIS was a CAYMUS tasting. Have you ever had CAYMUS wine? They produce the most delicious, full bodied, rich, yumolicious cabernet sauvignon- it almost tastes like there is melted chocolate in the glass. Mmmmmmmmm.... and it is pricey- somewhere around $80 a bottle, which is a little (read a LOT!) more than we usually spend on wine. I had read about the "thimblefuls of wine" offered at these tastings, but, how bad could the pours be?

Oh, they can be pretty bad. Pretty, pretty bad. See for yourself-

It's basically 2 sips per glass. But it gets worse. Look closely. At the paper under the glasses. Because it does NOT say Caymus. It says Belle Glos. This wasn't a CAYMUS tasting. This was a Belle Glos Pinot Noir tasting!! And I don't care how nice the rep from Caymus was while he was talking about the Grandma this wine of theirs is named after- I was looking forward to Caymus NOT Belle Glos! Never, never, never would I have EVER left Vero if I had known that this was what was being poured. The pinot was nice, but it was no CAYMUS!!! (And FWIW, Sanford Pinot Noir is a hundred times more complex and luscious than these wines were, IMHO). Oh well, live and learn...

Next- don't worry! We have a great time at F&W, even in the rain!

 

[5forDiz]

A nerd and Tom Selleck? A geek and the Frito Bandito minus the hat? Can't really say- they come up with this stuff on their own. $2 to the first DISer to correctly guess what DS12's costume is!


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Sascha Baron Cohen ??? idk, he's stumped me !


I'd be quite irritated over the wine tasting experience Great trip report I especially enjoyed reading about your evening at GCR !!!

 

[podsnel]

Sascha Baron Cohen ??? idk, he's stumped me !


I'd be quite irritated over the wine tasting experience Great trip report I especially enjoyed reading about your evening at GCR !!!

HAHA- That's a great guess! Actually he told us he was.....are you ready.....



"A guy with a mustache". Really. He thinks his costume is so great he wants us all to wear mustaches next year as our costume on the DCL Western- on Halloween!! Do YOU have any 12 year old boys at your house? Want one more??? J/K- he's a great kid, just exhausting.

I was just so sad about the wine- and disappointed. Oh well... never again. And GCR was a RIOT!!!!!!

HEY! Only one more win and we're in!!! How 'bout that Johnny Damon???

 

[5forDiz]

HAHA- That's a great guess! Actually he told us he was.....are you ready.....



"A guy with a mustache". Really. He thinks his costume is so great he wants us all to wear mustaches next year as our costume on the DCL Western- on Halloween!! Do YOU have any 12 year old boys at your house? Want one more??? J/K- he's a great kid, just exhausting.

I was just so sad about the wine- and disappointed. Oh well... never again. And GCR was a RIOT!!!!!!

HEY! Only one more win and we're in!!! How 'bout that Johnny Damon???

LOL !! Your DS has a great sense of humor !! And the family wearing mustaches for Halloween on DCL maybe isn't a bad idea at all, no costumes to pack !!

As a matter of fact, one of our is 12! - youngest DD ! She positively runs circles around me & never stops talking

Johnny Damon! Looks like we're coming back to NY for that win; was wishing Yankees would wrap it up tonight but it's so much sweeter winning championship (fingers crossed!) at home

 

[podsnel]

Well, it looks like we'll be watching Game 6 in Kidani! That game last night...very stressful. But Johhny Damon was a rockstar AGAIN!!

 

[podsnel]

The rain was pretty heavy for a bit, so we waited it out in the FC before going out to eat the world!!! Our first stop was Ireland for the Lobster & Scallop Fisherman's Pie-

Sorry, took a bite first, shame on me! This was delish- lots of seafood, and who doesn't love mashers? We shared a Guinness. And we had the great joy and pleasure of timing it all with an Off-Kilter performance. Who, when you've left your kids at home, you actually get to sit down and WATCH!!! They are AWESOME!!!!

Next was Greece, we had Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki and a white wine-(sorry i forget which one!)

I love that sauce, I could eat it on a tire and it would taste great! Also had Spanokopita, which was crunchy, flaky and yummy-

And right then, it started to POUR!!!! And so we huddled under the F&W retail kiosk along with a hundred other people- what a riot!! And DH started complaining about the rain- and I was like, you have GOT to be kidding! This is WDW!! Helloooooo??? I was just here for monsoon week of May '09 and THIS is NOTHING compared to THAT!!! Besides, now that I had my DVC extra special rain gear jacket, I was well protected from the deluge, so the rain is no problem, Mon!!

Soon it slowed to a drizzle, plus our wine and food ran out, so we braved the elements and headed to Brazil & Argentina to snarf down a Grilled pork Skewer , a grilled beef skewer with chimichurri (WOW), and a Leblon Frozen Caipirinha. All were delicious, but I have no pics because of the drizzle- sorry! Anyway, it was time for us to take a little stroll over to the front gates- because we were havin' a DISmeet!! Karajeboo & DD Ally were on their way via monorail from MK and would be arriving any second!!
A little backround- Kara is one of my DISmom pals....she is actually a woman who I invited to stay in our AKV concierge room last May, even though I had never met her before...well, except for here, on the DIS. Her husband Jeff is I think STILL convinced I am an ax murderer just waiting for the right moment to bring her to her unfortunate demise....well, we'll just have to see, because we're doing another DISmom trip this May, so there IS still a chance...MWA-AH-HA-HA!

Pods waits-

Ahem...anyway, I was really excited because today I'd be seeing not just Kara (who HAS to be one of the funniest people on any forum ANYWHERE) but also her darling daughter, Ally!!! I couldn't wait! After all, so far I had only ever met Ally-on-a-stick, and well, quite frankly, she's just so one dimensional. Although still entertaining! (If you haven't read the DISmom TR, you are probably thinking I'm crazy right about now, if so, I apologize).

Here they are, the Sparkly Girls at long last!!

This was the last thing these two were doing before heading home- so we were very honored we got to spend this time with them. Of course, Ally IS Kara's child, cute as can be, sweet as can be....with a bit of a devilish twist! We whisper to her that Pods has never been to Club Cool before...so guess who was leading the charge!

""Oh sure, Mr Pods, I just love this Beverly and so will YOU!"

Ohhhh...that was hilarious!! That little cutie was so SMOOTH!

Sadly, the laughter died a little too soon, because it was time for the Sparkly girls to hit the road-

Awww...don't be that sad! They were coming back the next weekend!! It was time for us to go too...to check-in at OKW. But would we ever find the car in the ginormous EPCOT lot????

You betcha, Baby!!!

Well, that's it for now, i think- we do LEAVE in the morning for vacation, and although I am packed, I still have three thousand details to address today. Please remember to say a prayer tonight before bed and again in the morning tomorrow that Sean comes with us!!! Because we really and truly won't know if he's going until he gets out of the van at the airport.....

Ellen

 

[dvc4life]

Another great update Ellen! What fun to meet up with Kara and Ally. I truly enjoyed the DisMoms TR you guys did. And your report of F&W is mouthwatering. My DH can't wait for Saturday!

Best of luck leaving tomorrow. I hope Sean is able to go with you. Here is some good wishes for you.

 

[5forDiz]

........It was time for us to go too...to check-in at OKW. But would we ever find the car in the ginormous EPCOT lot????

You betcha, Baby!!!

Well, that's it for now, i think- we do LEAVE in the morning for vacation, and although I am packed, I still have three thousand details to address today. Please remember to say a prayer tonight before bed and again in the morning tomorrow that Sean comes with us!!! Because we really and truly won't know if he's going until he gets out of the van at the airport.....

Ellen

WOW !!! Very COOL ride Ellen

Have a fabulous trip - I see your ticker says 1st FAMILY TRIP HOME AWESOME !!! Your DS will be in my thoughts & prayers too. Safe trip & hope maybe you'll be checking in with some live reports from the World and don't forget to get all the Yankees fans there fired up for the game tomorrow night !!!!

~Laura