Excuse me, you'll need to see security. What has Mickeystoontown done? Update 3/25x2

[haleofafamily]

I think you have debated this before but have you considered renting points and staying in a 2 bedrm DVC resort? They sleep up to 9, have full kitchens and if you stay AKV or BLT 3 bathrooms. When we priced out the difference it was a huge savings for us. You wouldn't get the dining plan, but can really save money with a kitchen. If you decide to look into that, we have stayed at almost every DVC property and can give you the pros and cons.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I think you have debated this before but have you considered renting points and staying in a 2 bedrm DVC resort? They sleep up to 9, have full kitchens and if you stay AKV or BLT 3 bathrooms. When we priced out the difference it was a huge savings for us. You wouldn't get the dining plan, but can really save money with a kitchen. If you decide to look into that, we have stayed at almost every DVC property and can give you the pros and cons.

We have debated this before...each time Mama goes with us. I thought about renting points at the Treehouse Villas because they look sooooo neat but I can't talk anybody else in the group into doing it.

Lurker here. If memory serves, Pop is actually in a different county (or town or something) than All-Stars and therefore has a slighter higher tax amount. It stinks!

Lisa, thanks for your trip report! Sorry you didn't enjoy the cruise so much, but I'm glad you were able to start and end your trip at your happy place!

ps. Deedeew80, I told my husband the other day that I hope our DS looks just like your DS in your siggy pic - he is SOOOO adorable! Love that big, happy baby smile!

Hey there! It's nice to see you come out of lurkdome! I think that you are right about the various value resorts. From what I remember, some are in different Counties.

Hi Lisa!! I know what you mean about dropping down to a value resort! We are in the same boat if we want to go on the trip in May! Not staying at CBR and going to a value would be saving us $640!!! That is a huge difference to us!!! However, like you, if a good offer comes along we will definitely be going to CBR!!! (Crossing my fingers that happens!) DH and I did stay at Pop Century back in 2007. It wasn't too bad. One of the biggest things we didn't like was waiting for the bus out in the blazing hot sun in August! (No covered bus stops!) But I figured, going in early May it probably won't be so bad. Not sure which value we sill choose yet though. Still looking around! I am just SO excited that we are actually going!!!!!

Forgot to add that I compared prices of all the value resorts.....POP is actually coming out the most expensive!! I don't understand why though. Very interesting!!!!

$640 is a lot of money for us too! It's nice to hear that we aren't the only ones who are so concerned about the non-covered bus stops. I thought it was just us who worried about it.

I know that you guys are super excited to be going back to Walt Disney World! Those little ones of your's are going to have so much fun!

Come to the POP side, we have cookies, and tie-dye cheesecake!!!! Seriously though, I understand why you wouldn't want to "downgrade", but POP is an awesome resort and I'm sure it wouldn't cause you to lose any magic. Plus, there are lots of pluses! Shorter walks to the bus stops, gift shop, food court and arcade then at CBR (unless you are right next to OPR), just one bus stop so the buses get going to the parks/DTD faster, and the values just got free wi-fi and the mini-fridge, so it's not as much of a downgrade as it used to be! And POP has lots of fun activities going on all the time, the gorgeous walk around the lake and the ability to go over to AoA for a meal and to explore quite easily. And think of the money you will save If you do go with POP you know I will help if you have questions. And I have tons of pics that I can share too.

I wanna eat some cookies and tie-dye cheesecake! We have been over to Pop for a visit and to eat lunch there and it was a really cool resort. At the time of our visit, they were changing out the mattresses and doing a little maintenance on the rooms. We were able to talk a supervisor into letting us take a peek into one of the rooms.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I pinky promise that I'm coming back with replies and an update before the Noon hour today. Just need to do a little work around the office first.

I did change our resort last night. We are now booked in a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation. The pictures that lovethattink and MEK are what made up our minds for us. That, at the fact that it's a brand new resort. Oh and there's that little thing called MONEY that helped in the decision making as well.

Mama will save $653.62. We will save $653.56. Lacey and Jesse will save $400.42.

By changing resorts, we are guaranteed to save money. If a special offer comes out that we can take advantage of and it's good enough, we'll jump back to a moderate resort. Let's say they offered 20% off your room at the CBR: 1) We would save approximately $436; 2) Mama would save approximately $436; 3) Lacey would save approximately $298. So, we're keeping our fingers crossed that there's an offer for our travel dates. If not, we know we are saving by staying at the AoA.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Nice! I'll be visiting AoA when I'm staying at POP in 2 months. And the Little Mermaid rooms are the newest of all, as they JUST opened. And if you do get a great offer for CBR than I don't blame you for switching back. But if not I'm sure you will still have a great time, and enjoy that extra money you have.

If you want me to check anything out at AoS while I'm there in December, let me know and I will.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Soarin’ over California and eatin’ in Italy!

We made it back to the resort in no time at all and the first thing that I did was get John’s meds out of the SCAR. I don’t know what came over us leaving his meds there. We never do that and it’s always in John’s pocket or in my purse at all times. I checked my text message again and saw what room number we were assigned to and we set off to find it. Before we left for EPCOT, we already knew what building we would be in but didn’t know our room number. Our room was easy to find and we were very pleased with the location. It was just up the stairs and looked out over the beautiful landscaping. Perfect!

I told John to go ahead and lie down on the bed and Hunter and I would get the luggage out of the SCAR. Being the manly-man, he tried to object but I was hearing nothing of it. He was going to lay down right then or I would knock him out. He could choose one or the other. He chose to let Hunter and I take care of seeing that the luggage was unloaded and in the room. Wise man!

I pulled the SCAR around to the circle/unloading area near our building, put everything out onto the curb and then parked back out in No Man’s Land while Hunter started taking things up to the room. Before long, the two of us had everything in the room and I got busy organizing our things. Hunter immediately turned on the television to start watching the “Top 10" while I flitted about the room. John was already sound asleep. Most times, when his trough levels are low or they’ve been inconsistent for a day or so, sleep is his best medicine. And, honey, I’m here to tell you that he was o–u-t and snoring like crazy.

Lacey called at some point in time to check in and give us an update on where they were. It was looking more and more like they would be arriving later than they originally thought due to being held up at the car rental desk that morning. The guy at the rental desk had tried to get them to upgrade to a larger car, to purchase additional insurance, to do this, to do that, etc. etc. She said that she wanted to scream “Will you just shut up already! I’m headed to Walt Disney World Mister!” but she refrained and kept declining everything he had to offer.

I finished unpacking our things and stacked the luggage in between the bench and dresser. The space was just right for the two large suitcases to sit on end and then the other to sit right on top. John woke up at some point in time and asked what time it was and whether or not he needed to do anything. I told him the time and that I had already put things in their place. Because we have been married for 28 years now, the man knows me well which led him to suggest “Why don’t you and Hunter go do something and then come back and get me when it’s time to leave for our dinner reservation”. Yep, he knew that I was going to go stir crazy sitting there in the room. And, because I know my man, I knew that he was going to go back to sleep.

Hunter and I decided to take a ride back to Downtown Disney and spend a little time there. We walked over to the Jamaica bus stop and I took pictures while we waited on the bus:

Peaking around the corner of the bus stop and looking towards one of the resort villages:

The “side entrance” that only buses and service vehicles use:

A Downtown Disney bus pulled up, we hopped on and were soon at Downtown Disney. Apparently, I wasn’t very snap-happy because I took two, count ‘em, two pictures:

Want or need a child’s umbrella stroller? Well, it’s gonna cost ya:

We didn’t stay at Downtown Disney for a super long time but we did walk through and in several stores. Most of the shopping that we did was window shopping but it was better than just sitting around in the resort room. We made our way back to the bus stop and, about 15 minutes later, the bus to Caribbean Beach Resort arrived:

The bus made the mandatory stop at the Pleasure Island stop and, once again, we had a bus driver switch. I would be willing to make a pretty good wager that this is one of the main bus driver switch locations. I could be wrong but it sure seems like every time we go, they make a driver change. After the change, we left Downtown Disney and made the turn into Typhoon Lagoon. Not one person was waiting on the bus stop so the driver didn’t even stop. He just slowed down to make sure nobody made a run for the bus and left the water park parking lot.

Not long after, we were turning into the CBR and Hunter and I got off at the Jamaica bus stop and walked over to our building. This time, I remembered to take a picture of the outside of the building. Well, sort of. I took pictures of the banana tree growing right beside the stairway:

We found a still sleeping John right where he was when we left. I roused him awake and told him that it was time for him to get up. We were going back to EPCOT! We had Fastpasses to use and a new restaurant to try!

Once everybody was freshened up, we made our way to the bus stop and, once again, I’m happy to report that the bus came mere minutes after we got there. Just 10 minutes later, we were pulling into the EPCOT parking lot and being dropped off. I went through bag check while John and Hunter went through the entrance used solely by those without bags or packages.

The first place we headed was to The Land building so that we could use our Fastpasses. I think that I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I had gotten the Fastpasses before we left the park that morning. Anyway, we had to wait until 6:05 p.m. before we could use the Fastpasses and it was:

When we looked at the standby entrance time, we were super glad that we had gotten the Fastpasses. Look at the wait time. Yikes!

**continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

Our minute wait passed and we were ready to board our flight over California:

First, though, we had to listen to the instructions given by our Flight Attendant:

Can’t forget to buckle up:

And store all personal items in the storage area underneath our seat. All personal items....even the cute little Mickey ears:

Got that Hunter?

As always, our flight was absolutely gorgeous. We dangled our feet over the canoers, ducked when the golfball came at us, sniffled the wonderful smell of oranges, soared over the mountain ranges and watched the fireworks at Disneyland. I don’t think we’ll ever tire of this attraction! It’s definitely a must do for our family!

We had dinner reservations at a new restaurant so we didn’t dawdle too long in The Land and started to make the walk to World Showcase via the walkway lined with rose bushes. Along the way, we spotted the Brave sand sculpture. It was amazing!

Lacey called to tell us where they were. She chatted a while because she said that she was bored from riding and ready to get to Walt Disney World. We told her that we were ready to see the two of them and that they could call when they were getting close so we could leave the park and meet them at the resort. We were anxious to see them since we hadn’t seen them since March when my niece got married.

We decided that we’d take the boat over to our destination. Which was? Italy! Our dinner ADRs were for Via Napoli, a new restaurant for us. I had read some really good reviews, some so-so review and then some really bad reviews. Tonight, we’d try it for ourselves!

While we were waiting on the Friendship boat to arrive, my sister called John’s phone. Usually, my family doesn’t call much when we are on vacation. We check in with them a couple of times in the evenings but that’s it. So, I knew that something was up. She said that Mama had washed her cellphone and it wasn’t working properly. They had tried putting it in a bag of rice but the screen still hadn’t cleared up. Lois (my sister) said that Mama was beside herself for washing the phone and was semi-freaking out.

One of the things that I didn’t mention in my earlier updates was the fact that my aunt passed away the day we left on the cruise. Her passing, combined with the phone washing, did my mother in and she was really upset. You’re probably wondering why they were calling me about Mama’s phone. You see, Mama is on our cell phone plan and without John’s password and/or consent, they wouldn’t discuss a single thing with my sister or my Mama. We gave her the password and promised to call Verizon and give them the go-ahead to talk with whoever they needed to to get Mama a new phone.

During the time that I was passing along password, last four digits of Socials, etc., John checked us in for our ADR. About 10 minutes later, our name was called and we were led to our table near the back of the restaurant. Our server came to our table and, boy, did we have a hard time understanding her. Her accent was thick and she spoke a bit fast. Being from Louisiana, we are used to a slow Southern drawl so I had to listen very closely to understand her. John was pretty much screwed when it came to hearing/understanding her.

She took our drink order and then gave us a few minutes to look at the menu. As we usually do, we decided to each order a different entree so that we could sample a bit from each other’s plates. Our server returned with the drinks and bread. While waiting for our food, I took pictures:

**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

I can’t remember how long we waited but it didn’t seem long before our food was brought to the table. John ordered (descriptions courtesy of Allearsnet.com) Candele - candle stick pasta, sausage ragu, polpettine meatballs, mozzarella, ricotta $23.00:

My pizza: Signature Pies, Individual $18, Pepperoni - pepperoni, tomato, mozzarella

Hunter’s pizza. Quattro Formaggi - mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone. This pizza does not normally come with a “red sauce” but we asked that they add it which was not a problem at all.

Everything was delicious! The individual pizzas are large enough for two people and Hunter and I could have easily split one. Our server was very attentive and came back to make sure that everything was okay, that we had drink refills, etc. She asked if we were ready to order our desserts and Hunter said that he was too full. She told him that he couldn’t come all the way to Italy and not order some sort of dessert even if it was “a wee little one”. He agreed and we all placed our dessert orders. In the meantime, I took a couple more pictures:

We received another call from Lacey who said that they were getting close and would probably be at the resort in about an hour! Hip hip hooray! I couldn’t wait to give our kids a big hug!

Our desserts arrived just as I hung up with Lacey. I ordered: Zeppole di Ricotta - Ricotta cheese fritters, served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce $10.00.

John ordered: Tiramisu - Mascarpone cream, espresso coffee, lady fingers, and chocolate $8.00

Hunter ordered. Hunter ordered? What did Hunter order? Hum, I’m not seeing it on the menu on Allearsnet. It was some sort of yummy gelato float thingie and it was definitely not a “wee little one”. It was a “tall one”.

Holy moley! The zeppole dessert was amazing! The tiramisu was pretty darn good too but John and I both thought it had too much powder on top. Hunter’s dessert was delicious as well. I’m so glad that we tried Via Napoli as it’s now on our list of top restaurants.

Just as we were finishing up dessert, Lacey called again and said that they were almost there! Our server came by about that time and gave us our bill. We handed over our KTTW card and off she went. When she came back, we gave her the tip, signed the receipt and we were outta there. We had our kids to go see!

On our way out of the park, I took a few pictures but they didn’t turn out very well.

When we got back to the resort, Lacey and Jesse were already there and in their room which was right next to our’s. Hugs were exchanged all around. It was so good to see them! Jesse and Lacey hadn’t eaten any dinner so we all walked over to the food court and they ordered a pizza. We visited while they ate and then we made a trip to the store just because. I took the next set of pictures for the CBR picture thread:

After looking around a bit, we walked back to our rooms and settled in for the night. Tomorrow would be our first visit to the Magic Kingdom!

**Up next: Jesus! Is that Jesus? Why it certainly is!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Whew! Would you look at what time I posted the latest installment! 11:56 a.m. I barely made it before Noon!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

You are true to your word!!!
That was a great update - I laughed when you said you took 2 pictures at DTD! I don't take a lot there either for some reason - too busy shopping I guess! Glad that sleeping helped John feel better so you could all enjoy Soarin' - probably my favorite ride! - and have a good dinner!

I would like to try Via Napoli soon. I love all things Italian!! Food, wine, art, culture etc. Plus my DH is 1/2 Italian! Maybe we'll check out Tutto Gusto. We didn't make a lot of ADRs this trip because of F&W and staying in the villa - none are in Epcot.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I have had that same experience at DTD with the buses changing shifts at Pleasure Island. In fact, all 3 times I went to DTD in February our drivers switched at Pleasure Island, and it made the trip 20-30 minutes longer due to it.

That Brave sand sculpture is AMAZING!

The food and desserts at Via Napoli all look delicious. I would love to eat there. I thought about doing the Candlelight Prosessional Dinner Package, but Via Napoli is booked already for it

Yay for Lacey and Jesse being there!!!!

 

[MissLiz]

Wow! Great update!

First off, I'm glad John got to rest a bit. I'm sure he needed it.

We spent a while at DTD in May. My 10-year-old had money burning a hole in her pocket to use at Little MisMatched. She absolutely loves crazy socks and to be able to mix and match them? She was in heaven!

We loved the Brave sand sculpture...until the rain made it look like it had some sort of disease. I wish I would have known how much my girls were going to love that movie. We would have done more with it when we were there, but it was before it came out, so we had no clue.

We love Via Napoli! We always get the pizza and a salad. We are actually heading there for lunch in November. I can't wait! It's always really good when we go.

Yay for Lacey and Jesse making it!!! Boo for poor Mama having a hard time. I'm hoping y'all were able to get everything taken care of for her.

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[natebenma]

Oh, my, I was way behind!

Back to the port. Good thing you were able to get your iron back without a big hassle. I guess. I don't even know where my iron is! I am very fortunate that my husband's work attire is casual- jeans and sports shirts, and when I am teaching at the farm, I don't need to dress up.

Well I'm sure John made that bellman's day with that tip.

Glad for your arrival at Disneyworld and your checkin.

It was fun reading your Electric Umbrella flashback.

Sorry that your fun at EPCOT was cut a little short, and your DISmeet was quick, but it sounds like getting John back to the resort was important. I'm happy to hear that you and Hunter got out for a little DTD time.

Yum, your dinner at Via Napoli looked fabulous. We haven't been there yet. But if we go, those zeppoles WILL make it onto our table.

for the arrival of Lacey and Jesse!

I hope Mama's phone issues are resolved. I had world's cheapest phone, a pay-as-you-go Trac phone, for the longest time. That thing was run over, and dropped in a "body of water" (not saying where exactly ) and the darn thing kept working!

 

[eeyoresnr]

I haven't read your TR yet but I'm subscribing so I can come back to it....with a title like that there is no way I could pass it up

 

[Mrs. Buzz Lightyear]

Love reading your posts! We will be in WDW in T – 34 hours Your posts have helped me make it through the last few months. I get so excited every time I see a new post!

 

[MEK]

Yeah for an AoA reservation and saving some $$$$$$$$. I hope you do get a discount, but I hope you use it at AoA. I'm serious - that place is super cool. And you could still walk to CBR (carefully). I actually do know how to walk there and enter in Trinidad South.

So glad you like Via. You mean there are actually people who hate it? REally? Your food looks yummy and those desserts - Wow!

So glad that Lacey finally arrived.

Poor momma putting her phone in the wash. What a drag.

 

[Caretames1]

YAY! Mega update!

I'm glad John got some rest and meds so he was feeling better. Who wants to be grumpy in the happiest place on earth!

Via Nappoli! I want to eat there so bad, I just couldn't fit it in this time. Everything I seen so far has been so good, reviews too. The deserts looked too yummy, is there such a thing as too yummy?

The Family is together! Lets get this trip going!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm glad to hear that John was feeling a bit better after resting! I agree, even just window shopping in DTD is definitely better than just sitting around the room!

Soarin is a beautiful ride! 110 minutes is a bit long of a wait for it though!

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your dinner at VN! Agreed, you can't have an Italian meal without dessert!!

Yay for Lacey and Jesse arriving!!!

 

[sherylcin]

Your dinner at Via Napoli made me so hungry!! The dessert you had is the one I want to try next time. Glad to hear it was as good as it looked!

It's too bad your family doesn't want to rent DVC points cause that is a great option!! I really like having the villa space BUT, having said that, I would be very excited to stay at AOA. I love Pop but the new AOA resort just looks so fun. I think it'll give Pop a run for its money! Of course, there's always a good chance there WILL be a discount offered and you can be right back at CBR!

Glad John was feeling better and Lacey and Jessie arrived safely. Looking forward to more "land" adventures!

 

[lovethattink]

Great updates! We never tried Via Napoli either.

When you said the one pizza doesn't normally come with a red sauce, what kind of sauce does it usually come with? Anakin loves alfredo sauce. Do they have an alfredo pizza?

When you walked by the Brave sand sculpture, did you also partake in the Highland Games?

 

[shan23877]

We tried Via Napoli for the first time last trip, and we LOVED it! We were too full for dessert though, and I'm still kicking myself for that.

So glad that Lacey and Jesse arrived safely. You must have been so happy to have your whole brood with you at WDW!