First time back in 14 years!

[Disney Addicted]

Friday, September 20 = Animal Kingdom!

I was determined to see the birds at the Tree of Life later in the day.



We wanted to get up early for FOP, but once again found ourselves walking into the park at 7:30. My first photo inside AK is time stamped 7:28. I knew this meant we were in for a long wait. Sure enough, it said the standby was 45 minutes but it took an hour. We were sent way down this walkway by a river and back again. I was excited that our daughter was going to experience it this time. I reminded her that she didn't bat an eye at Soarin', Star Tours, ROTR, and Smugger's Run so she'd have no problem with FOP. While I had death grips on the handlebars and couldn't take my eyes of the screen (for fear I'd somehow fall - wry grin), my husband said he kept looking over at our daughter and she had a huge grin on her face the entire time. For me, FOP is the most intense screenride ever, but I wouldn't ever skip it! During the soaring and gentle gliding, I'm able to lean foward or left/right and get right into it. The fast drops/dives are what scare me and make me gasp. I know this is Pandora, but in the same token, part of me imagines being a Dragonrider on Pern. I grew up on Anne McCaffrey's books and this is the closest in my dreams of ever being there.

Five years ago we were staying at Universal Studios for the first time and I purchased us 1-day tickets to AK. The first ride was FOP. Our daughter and son didn't want to try this and stayed outside. It was a shorter line (maybe 30 minutes). My husband & I loved it! I had a hard time keeping my eyes open as I had never experienced a screen ride like this before. While I loved feeling like I was flying, it was also scary - lol. We came out excited to hop back in line for a second ride. This time our son decided to try it as well. Unfortunately, I ended up having a panic attack the second time, before it started, so a CM undid the restraints and I left. Our son ended up being confused and followed me, worried he wouldn't like the ride. Then he became upset that he left and gave me heck for the panic attack! One of the CMs was very nice and let us sit in seats somewhere just outside the room, and told us when my husband was finished, she would bring us back in for another try. I was then able to experience FOP again, with my eyes open the entire time. So on our first experience of FOP, my husband did it 3 times, myself twice, and our son once. 3-2-1.



I forgot there would be a time when someone comes out and explains how to use the suit. Darn it.


My sister-in-law sews. Clothing and other items, but not quilts. My daughter & I sew quilts but do not know how to sew clothing and most other items. She has made my daughter a couple of wallets and a purse. For her birthday, she made another purse/bag. My daughter prefers the "bad guys" to the "good guys" most of the time. Anyways, she knew we were going back to Disney and created this - completely from scratch mind you! - including piecing together the characters. Look at this work of art! Look closely and you'll see "smoke" coming out of the dragon's nostrils.



While in the queue for FOP, we discovered the backlight/blacklight? made Malificent's eyes glow. Such a cool effect! And now I'm noticing some of the other items in the fabric glow as well, but we were focused on her eyes.

 

[footballmouse]

 

[Disney Addicted]

We finished FOP about 8:30 and spent some time in the gift shop. Then moved on to Na'vi River and on Kilimanjaro Safaris by 10:30. Na'vi is so beautiful but my photos never come out looking half decent.



We stopped for a Pineapple Dole Whip. Surprisingly, this was my very first one. It was good, but I really liked the orange one my husband bought in Magic Kingdom better. Browsed around the shops and purchased some kind of mango chocolate (good). Then I heard these guys start.


Does anyone know what this is? I took this photo somewhere near Expedition Everest. There is this amphitheater at the water's edge here. This was only our second time in AK (I don't count our first as we had to leave barely 2 hours in) and do not remember seeing any of this area before.



I loved the paintings all over this truck! Wish I had waited for the peoplel to be out of the way.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Flame Tree BBQ! I have read so much about this place, and the menu sounds so good, I just knew my husband & I had to try it. I was sure our son would like the food here as well but knew our daughter wouldn't. Luckily, Pizzafari was close by. Turns out both kids wanted pizza instead. So they went off to search out Pizzafari with the intent of bringing the food back to eat with us. However, they ended up eating there instead and locating us afterwards.

I already posted a review in the Restaurant section so some of you may have read this already.

This QS was amazing and beautiful! I did not take a photo of the QS itself (which I now regret). It was very busy when we arrived and a lot of people sitting on the small walls around the garden/tree area or holding containers. Thanks to DIS, I knew there would be seating in the back somewhere. This was the best seating area in all of Disney! Tucked to the side of Flame Tree but you can walk all the way back to the water and find lots of seating. Sun or shade. Out in the open or under a pavillion. There was a boat with a band playing that kept coming by us as well. This was a great place to enjoy a good meal and relax in the shade.

We easily found a table under a blue pavillion by the water's edge. I mobile ordered our food, and after about 15 minutes, went to grab it. My husband had a pulled pork & coleslaw sandwich that looked very good. He enjoyed it. I was tempted but wanted something healthier from what I had been eating so far, so I went for the Smokehouse Chicken Salad and cornbread. (Pulled Chicken on top of Mixed Greens Salad tossed with Smoked Cheddar, Diced Granny Smith Apples, Dried Cranberries, Cornbread Croutons, Crispy Onions, and Barbecue-Ranch Dressing). More cups of ice water as well.

No food pictures either... I normally take photos of everything so I blame the heat. It made me not want to take the effort. lol

 

[Disney Addicted]

By 3:30 we were in line for Dinosaur. Our daughter refused to ride this, so she browsed around outside and waited for us. I rode this before, 5 years ago. I was looking forward to it, knowing it will be closed and gone by the time we come back. Though I must admit, I'm looking forward to it as I rode Indiana Jones in California and LOVED it!

This time? OMG - it was awful! This ride was the most jerky, disorienting - I just don't have words. I KNOW I didn't have a problem with it years ago. I swear Disney ramped it up or something. By the time we were maybe halfway through, I gave up listening and watching, and concentrated on holding on and trying not to get thrown around all over the place. I completely understand why it's my daughter's hated ride now. If it wasn't for the fact the ride is going away, I would never ever ride this again.



I have a 2 hour gap in photos and do not recall what we did in this time period.

By 5:30, we were entering It's Tough to be a Bug. I don't believe my husband has seen this before. He liked it. He was surprised when the spiders dropped.

Afterwards, we decided to walk back to Pandora, get a bite at Satu'li Canteen and see if FOP's ride times had dropped. Originally we intended to share the cheeseburger steamed pods (never had them) but we just weren't hungry as it was too early after a late lunch. Instead, we indulged and had the Metkayina Mousse (first time) instead. This is one of the prettiest deserts I ever ate!


By now it was just after 6 PM, and even though FOP said the wait time was 60 minutes, we decided to walk past it and see if there really was a long line-up or not. I read that often the wait times get inflated near park close to encourage people to leave instead of gettting in line. The front was empty. We walked in, and walked and walked. Finally we hit the line. Surprisingly, although it seemed like our wait was going to be maybe 30 minutes, it actually did take close to an hour even though the line was not backed up. We really wanted that second time on however, as we will not be back for years again. I enjoyed it even more this time!

It was just after 7 when we left the gift shop where the ride ends. All the outdoor shops/kiosks were closed and not a Cast Member in sight. This surprised me as I thought CMs would be ushering people toward the front of the park to leave. I really wanted to dawdle/sit around and wait to see darkness fall and the lights come on. We've never seen Pandora all lite up at night. However, multiple read posts keep tooting the buses run an hour before the park opens and an hour after the park closes. There were SO MANY PEOPLE though and seriously - NO CMs pushing people out! How would they get home?? I couldn't believe all of them had their own cars or would take an Uber. I couldn't find a CM to ask.

We headed for the front of the park and caught a bus to the resort around 7:40 pm. It wasn't labelled for Music but either Movies or Sports.. I forget. The driver told us at this time, he stops at all or any of the 3 as needed as they need to get people back. When I told him I had hoped to see Pandora all lite up before leaving but we were worried about not catching a bus after 8 pm, he said we could have! He said buses do NOT stop an hour after park closing. There are too many people in restaurants or shops. The buses usually run a good 2 hours afterwards, that they need to get everyone back to their resorts. I wish I had thought of asking the driver in the morning.

This day we rode:
Flight of Passage - twice
Na'vi River Journey
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Dinosaur
It's Tough to be a Bug
saw Finding Nemo (saw both shows previously so we didn't really miss Lion King)

Completely missed looking for DiVine, forgot about the Pandora Rangers, missed Winged Encounters and the Harambe acrobates.

Couldn't convince anyone to go on Kali River Rapids - I'm never going to get to try it at this rate.

We've walked through M Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Trail previously. Did not want to put more steps on our feet this time!

Finally had a pineapple dole whip but forgot to look for the cinnamon-glazed almonds/pecans or the pistachio honey crossaint.

On the way out, I took this photo. I like the look of the building. The blue and browns and the carvings around the window frames.

 

[disneyseniors]

By 3:30 we were in line for Dinosaur. Our daughter refused to ride this, so she browsed around outside and waited for us. I rode this before, 5 years ago. I was looking forward to it, knowing it will be closed and gone by the time we come back. Though I must admit, I'm looking forward to it as I rode Indiana Jones in California and LOVED it!

This time? OMG - it was awful! This ride was the most jerky, disorienting - I just don't have words. I KNOW I didn't have a problem with it years ago. I swear Disney ramped it up or something. By the time we were maybe halfway through, I gave up listening and watching, and concentrated on holding on and trying not to get thrown around all over the place. I completely understand why it's my daughter's hated ride now. If it wasn't for the fact the ride is going away, I would never ever ride this again.

View attachment 899626

I have a 2 hour gap in photos and do not recall what we did in this time period.

By 5:30, we were entering It's Tough to be a Bug. I don't believe my husband has seen this before. He liked it. He was surprised when the spiders dropped.

Afterwards, we decided to walk back to Pandora, get a bite at Satu'li Canteen and see if FOP's ride times had dropped. Originally we intended to share the cheeseburger steamed pods (never had them) but we just weren't hungry as it was too early after a late lunch. Instead, we indulged and had the Metkayina Mousse (first time) instead. This is one of the prettiest deserts I ever ate!
View attachment 899630

By now it was just after 6 PM, and even though FOP said the wait time was 60 minutes, we decided to walk past it and see if there really was a long line-up or not. I read that often the wait times get inflated near park close to encourage people to leave instead of gettting in line. The front was empty. We walked in, and walked and walked. Finally we hit the line. Surprisingly, although it seemed like our wait was going to be maybe 30 minutes, it actually did take close to an hour even though the line was not backed up. We really wanted that second time on however, as we will not be back for years again. I enjoyed it even more this time!

It was just after 7 when we left the gift shop where the ride ends. All the outdoor shops/kiosks were closed and not a Cast Member in sight. This surprised me as I thought CMs would be ushering people toward the front of the park to leave. I really wanted to dawdle/sit around and wait to see darkness fall and the lights come on. We've never seen Pandora all lite up at night. However, multiple read posts keep tooting the buses run an hour before the park opens and an hour after the park closes. There were SO MANY PEOPLE though and seriously - NO CMs pushing people out! How would they get home?? I couldn't believe all of them had their own cars or would take an Uber. I couldn't find a CM to ask.

We headed for the front of the park and caught a bus to the resort around 7:40 pm. It wasn't labelled for Music but either Movies or Sports.. I forget. The driver told us at this time, he stops at all or any of the 3 as needed as they need to get people back. When I told him I had hoped to see Pandora all lite up before leaving but we were worried about not catching a bus after 8 pm, he said we could have! He said buses do NOT stop an hour after park closing. There are too many people in restaurants or shops. The buses usually run a good 2 hours afterwards, that they need to get everyone back to their resorts. I wish I had thought of asking the driver in the morning.

This day we rode:
Flight of Passage - twice
Na'vi River Journey
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Dinosaur
It's Tough to be a Bug
saw Finding Nemo (saw both shows previously so we didn't really miss Lion King)

Completely missed looking for DiVine, forgot about the Pandora Rangers, missed Winged Encounters and the Harambe acrobates.

Couldn't convince anyone to go on Kali River Rapids - I'm never going to get to try it at this rate.

We've walked through M Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Trail previously. Did not want to put more steps on our feet this time!

Finally had a pineapple dole whip but forgot to look for the cinnamon-glazed almonds/pecans or the pistachio honey crossaint.

On the way out, I took this photo. I like the look of the building. The blue and browns and the carvings around the window frames.
View attachment 899643

Loving your trip report It brings back so many happy memories. Animal Kingdom was our favorite park, even over MK I sew and quilt, but am amazed at the beautiful back pack your sister in law made for your daughter. It was just perfect.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Our last trip was in 2020, just as Covid was being reported. Haven't been back since.

Loving your trip report It brings back so many happy memories. Animal Kingdom was our favorite park, even over MK I sew and quilt, but am amazed at the beautiful back pack your sister in law made for your daughter. It was just perfect.

Thank you @disneyseniors! I'm sorry I was unable to get back to it last week. Monday was my first day back to work of course, and I was slammed by Wednesday. I only have 3 days left however, so I'll work on getting it done this week.

I do love Animal Kingdom! I know a lot of people say it's their least favorite, or a half-day, but not to me. I think it's my favorite.

And yes, my SIL did great work! She's sewing my daughter a matching wallet for Christmas.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Saturday, September 21 = Rest Day and Disney Springs!

By now we have had 4 straight days in the parks. My fitbit was reporting an average of 20K steps a day and we were tired. Thankfully nobody stuffered from blisters or anything. Feet were fine again by morning, though I noticed by Animal Kingdom mine were become sorer earlier.

I originally meant to make Friday a rest day, but we pushed it to Saturday, figuring AK would have less crowds on Friday than Saturday. So... we slept in! So nice not to wake up at 5:30 or 6 AM. It was after 8 AM when we finally rolled out of bed and into the shower. Considering the kids normally sleep in until 9, 10, 11 AM - I was surprised to find they woke up aroud 8 AM as well.

Because we wanted to make sure we had room in our carry-ons/personal items to bring stuff back, we deliberately did not pack an outfit for each day. We gathered up all the dirty laundry and headed for the Piano Pool area. FIguring out the washers took a bit of thought. Thankfully there were people in there who explained we needed to scan the QR code on the washing machines. Dumped in 2 loads and headed off for breakfast. I love there's an app to keep track of the time the washer takes and when it is finished. About 5 minutes before the laundry was done, I left the Food Court and headed back so I could transfer everything into a couple of dryers. By this time it was 11 AM. Here's a photo just because I took a picture to make sure which dryers were ours.



While waiting for everyone else to come back from the food court, I took more photos of our area. These are our connecting rooms - 3rd floor, the 2 rooms in the blue section. The kids' window has the curtains drawn, ours has the curtains open.





All-Star Music (and I believe the other resorts) have a scavenger hunt game. At Music, they hide this Goofy prop in a different spot each day. Take a photo of it and bring it to the Front Desk. They give a button that has 4 spots for stickers. Keep finding Goofy until you fill all the sticker spots on the button. At least twice a day we ended up in the gift shop to trade pins with the pin board. We (my son & I) were told by one of the Front Desk CMs when we filled button, to bring it back for a surprise. On our last night, we brought them back to two puzzled ladies who said there was no surprise. After our trip, back home, I read in an All-Star Music facebook page how another family brought the buttons back and and they were all given Mickey Head Krispie treats on a stick. Ah well.

Part of me wishes I bought the Halloween bag below. However, I didn't think I would have room.

 

[Disney Addicted]

I believe it was about 12:30 pm when we finally headed out to Disney Springs. Our son decided to stay in the room. I think his feet were hurting and he wanted to rest (and play games or watch tv on his phone).

I love the fun signs we kept seeing from the buses. Most of the time it was difficult to get a snapshot, but I managed for this one.


We walked from where ever we were dropped off to one end, and then back the other way. We did not have any real plans on anything specific to purchase but wanted to browse through all the stores that caught our interest.

I don't know what was wrong with me on this trip. I have hardly any photos in comparision to what I normally take! I blame the heat. I remember too many times wanting to take a photo but not wanting to bother pull my phone out of my purse. And I did not carry a massive purse either. Just a small crossbody bag. Someone posted this bag on DIS and I fell in love with it. Here's a stock photo. I have a similiar one called a Baggalini Triple Zip I was going to use, but found I much prefer the strap Lug uses than Baggalini. The Lug strap actually stays where I put it while the Baggalini strap slips across my shoulder until it's cutting into my neck. I see future Lug bag making their way into our house.



I'm sure most of you have seen photos of these before, but here's a bunch of photos I took around Disney Springs anyways. Mostly of the lego outside. This M&M bowl - I was so tempted to purchase it and bring it home.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Hello! Happy Thanksgiving from Canada!

Earlier in the week, Thursday I believe, I managed for the first time ever to see the Northern Lights with my eyes! Around 9 pm I was seeing lots of photos from people on Facebook of photos they took between 8-8:30 pm. I figured I missed it. I went to pick up my daughter about 9:30 and we decided to try stopping in a couple of somewhat dark spots on the way back to the house. The last place was just down the street, at a soccer/baseball field beside the school. I turned the headlights off, we stepped out of the car, and we saw something that looked like a streak, spreading vertical. Then a second and a third. In a few minutes this had spread west through east, and horizontal to high in the sky! It got brighter as it spread and we could see faint tinges of pink and green! I took about 5 dozen photos with my phone and the color intensified in the photographs. This was very cool. I never thought I would see the Northern Lights outside of driving perhaps hours north or going to Iceland!

Did anyone else get to see them last week? I found out they also appeared on the Wednesday (missed) and Friday (too cloudy here).

These photos are the closest as to how the lights appeared with our naked eyes - no tech help.


I played around with the settings on my camera, trying to get night shots, slow speeds, etc and the color intensified.


My husband had gone to a friend's house for a couple of hours. I phoned his cell yelling for him to go outside, right now! LOL Turned out by this time he was home. So he and our son jumped in the car and took off to find the lights. He didn't hear me saying we could see them just down the street at the soccer field. They found a nice spot though and were able to view the lights.

We've tried before, in the past year, when media said the Northern Lights would be out, but we never had any luck. It always seemed cloudy, and even though others were posting photos, we figured we were too far south to actually see them with our eyes. So this was very nice indeed.

 

[Disney Addicted]

While walking around Disney Springs, just down a bit from the Paddlefish, this came by! Is this a water taxi, going from Disney Springs to one of the resorts? We were sure not expecting to see a car in the water!



Here's some more phots I took in Disney Springs:



We took the kids (when they were much younger) to Rainforest Cafe years ago. There once was a location in Toronto (Yorkdale Mall). Now I believe the only location left in Canada is in Niagara Falls. When I heard about T-Rex 14 years ago, I really wanted to book a reservation here. I love the Jurassic Park/World franchise and want to see the inside of T-Rex. I tried to work it in this trip but it just did not happen. The next time we visit Disney, I am eating here! Do the animatronic animals move and roar like in Rainforest Cafe? They must. I haven't viewed any videos as to not spoil for the day I finally make it here.


Today was the first day it actually rained - or at least that we ever noticed. It wasn't bad and didn't really rain that long or that hard. We just hopped inside stores and waited until it wasn't hard. Our daughter put a poncho on but my husband and I didn't bother.

My husband was craving some wings. I used the app and booked a reservation for House of Blues. Of course, we have never been there so it was new to us. On the way there, we had previously passed by a marketplace kiosk selling these huge waffle cone things. Our daughter purchased one. I can't figure out where she put it all! Man, I wish I had taken a photo of it. At the time, they had to back-track to it while I waited somewhere where I could sit. It had finished raining but was still threatening to rain more. I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of it. I googled and believe it is called a Bubble Waffle. It was huge and had all kinds of stuff in it. It cost $10! Apparently it was very good.

We liked the atmosphere at House of Blues. The wings were a bit hotter than I normally eat. I ended up only eating half of them and brought the other half back to our rooms for our son as he likes hot foods. We also ordered the BBQ Brisket Nachos. These are so good! Of course our daughter was quite full after the Bubble Waffle and just picked at some of the nachos. We decided to order a desert and went with the bread pudding, which comes with bourbon sauce. OMG - this was so very rich and very good. Even just a third of it tipped me over to the STUFFED point. I do not regret it though!

 

[Disney Addicted]

Originally I thought it would be nice to sit by the pool and watch Frozen II but discovered (as we headed out for Disney Springs) that was on Friday. Saturdays there are no movies. There's some kind of pool party instead.

After we dropped everything off in our room, I grabbed a couple of bottles of cold water, my e-reader and phone and went to sit out by the outdoor bar. Just for an hour or so. It was nice to relax for a bit instead of jumping into bed after a long day of walking in the parks.

The pool area was just on the other side of the hedge, across from where I was sitting.

All Star Music has a shuffboard down the path to the right of this photo. I never did play a game. I meant to but time ran out quickly. I also never ordered a drink at the bar like I meant. By the time I sat down to read, all I craved was water.

I love the lime green color of the Calypso buildings. If we were to ever stay here again, I would book a preferred room for sure! I guess it's a sign of being older? On our first stay, we were in the Cabanas 8A and NEVER found it long to walk to the main building or the buses and back. Or maybe because even though we went in September then as well, it was NOT as hot as it was this time. Or, maybe just because CSR is so serene, peaceful, beautiful, calming, that the walking was never a chore?

The next day we would be going back for the other half of Epcot! Only two more full days left! It was partly disappointing to realize how few days were left, but I was also starting to hit the point of not being able to wait until we could go home!

 

[Sacahara]

Hello! Happy Thanksgiving from Canada!

Earlier in the week, Thursday I believe, I managed for the first time ever to see the Northern Lights with my eyes! Around 9 pm I was seeing lots of photos from people on Facebook of photos they took between 8-8:30 pm. I figured I missed it. I went to pick up my daughter about 9:30 and we decided to try stopping in a couple of somewhat dark spots on the way back to the house. The last place was just down the street, at a soccer/baseball field beside the school. I turned the headlights off, we stepped out of the car, and we saw something that looked like a streak, spreading vertical. Then a second and a third. In a few minutes this had spread west through east, and horizontal to high in the sky! It got brighter as it spread and we could see faint tinges of pink and green! I took about 5 dozen photos with my phone and the color intensified in the photographs. This was very cool. I never thought I would see the Northern Lights outside of driving perhaps hours north or going to Iceland!

Did anyone else get to see them last week? I found out they also appeared on the Wednesday (missed) and Friday (too cloudy here).

These photos are the closest as to how the lights appeared with our naked eyes - no tech help.
View attachment 903312View attachment 903313

I played around with the settings on my camera, trying to get night shots, slow speeds, etc and the color intensified.
View attachment 903314View attachment 903315View attachment 903316View attachment 903317

My husband had gone to a friend's house for a couple of hours. I phoned his cell yelling for him to go outside, right now! LOL Turned out by this time he was home. So he and our son jumped in the car and took off to find the lights. He didn't hear me saying we could see them just down the street at the soccer field. They found a nice spot though and were able to view the lights.

We've tried before, in the past year, when media said the Northern Lights would be out, but we never had any luck. It always seemed cloudy, and even though others were posting photos, we figured we were too far south to actually see them with our eyes. So this was very nice indeed.

Wow! I didn't get that kind of view but I was able to see pinkiness in the sky! Great photos, thanks for sharing!

 

[Disney Addicted]

Wow! I didn't get that kind of view but I was able to see pinkiness in the sky! Great photos, thanks for sharing!

Thanks @Sacahara!

 

[Disney Addicted]

I am so sorry two weeks have gone by without an update. It got crazy.

Over Thanksgiving weekend I realized I had to bite the bullet and spend some money. Our freezer died (it lasted 20 years!) a couple of weeks before our vacation. Plus, I realized winter is almost here and since I bought a new (to me, used SUV) in March, I needed a set of winter tires and rims.

I ordered everything through Costco. Oddly, the tires were delivered to Costco - which is what I expected as they will be changing the tires on Thursday - but the rims were delivered to my house. I have 4 large boxes sitting in my living room as I do not want to cart them around for a week in the back of my car.

The freezer was delivered on Thursday. It was adverised with reversable doors. I asked the delivery men about switching the door to open towards the left once they brought it downstairs but they were reluctant to do so. My husband has had to do this in the past so fine. Anyways, my husband took his time yesterday to switch the door - making sure all the holes were lined up; took care not to strip any of the screws, etc. A couple of hours later we hear the freezer alarm - the door is ajar. Push it shut and it reopens. Push harder and we can see the door seal start to slowly peel away from the unit and open again. Checked the seal - no rips, tears or nicks.

I phoned Costco concierge and he refused to send anyone out to look/fix it. He insisted Costco does not touch anything until after the 1 year manufacturer warrenty is over. Yet, right on their website it says "Receive in-home service when in-home service is covered under manufacturer's warranty." Then he insists Fridigaire will not do anything about it either until 30 days has passed. What? That sounds crazy! He then transferred me to Costco.ca where that person said the Concierge should be handling the issue. This guy offered to have the freezer removed and a new one delivered. This seems a bit insane to me. Just send someone to fix the door that is a feature of the freezer!

I will be phoning Fridigaire tomorrow to talk with them, and may be calling Costco Concierge back again as well. At the moment, the freezer door is taped to keep it closed. Wish me luck!

The next big purchase happens tomorrow. A treadmill. Finally! The one I had for (3 years?) died in the spring. With winter coming, I need one. I won't go outside daily in the winter to walk. I tripped and fell in Disneyland and broke 2 knuckles. Only 1 was treated (casted) and healed correctly. My finger is distorted, thick and won't close all the way when I make a fist. Still hurts a little, though that happened 7 years ago. There's too much ice on the sidewalks all winter. I'm not risking slipping and breaking more bones. However, if I don't walk regularly my back gets upset and throws itself out. I can't risk it siezing up and not being able to move/walk without much pain for weeks again. Last time that happened was almost 3 1/2 years ago and it took 3 weeks of pain killers and muscle relaxents before I could walk without a cane.

I almost purchased one a couple of weeks ago, but it was only good up to 240 lbs. More than enough for me, but our son has gained quite a bit of weight and will use it as well. Yesterday I discovered one of the ones that supports up to 300 lbs has gone on for $800 CAN. I tried to order it and discovered it's an in-store purchase only - none online. Ugh. So no delivery. My husband is sure it will fit in the SUV but he and our son will have to get it out of the store, lift it into the SUV, out again and into the house. Since he's insisting they can, I was hoping to get it this morning but he wants to pick it up tomorrow. After work when both of them will be tired.

SINDHU VEE! Has anyone heard of her? She's an Indian-born British stand-up comedian and actress. I see a lot of her clips on Facebook and love her stuff. She's in Toronto today! I bought tickets and my husband and I are going to her 4 PM show!

Have a good week everyone!

 

[Disney Addicted]

Good morning! A month and 5 days ago we were walking into Epcot for the second time on our trip. Last time we visited Japan to Canada, so today would be Mexico to Amercia.

Oh, yes, our son did not come with us this morning. Just as the bus was pulling up at our resort, he said he was having stomach issues and wanted to stay in the room. We had decided to spend 4 hours in the morning, go back to the resort for 2-3 hours, and then go back to Epcot for the rest of the afternoon/evening. He would join us in Epcot when we went back.

Instead of starting off in Mexico, we hightailed it to France as the line up for Remys was crazy on our first visit. We still had a long line-up but the wait time was shorter and the line moving well. I forget how long we were in line. My daughter's stomach was bothering her and she stepped out of line 2 or 3 times for the bathroom. No one kicked up a fuss at letting her rejoin us. After reading some reports, I was worried about that.

This was our first time on this ride. It was cute and fun but I would never wait long for it again. That is, until I come back with grandkids. The photo below was taken at 8:59 am and I have another photo of the mouse "car"? taken at 9:42 am.

See the guy at the bottom of the photo, with the hat and light colored leaf shirt? That's my husband




After Remy's, we found the QS serving Crepes and ordered & split the red berries crepe. Tasty!

Instead of continuing up and around towards America, we worked our way back Canada and around to Mexico. There were a couple of places our daughter wanted to visit that we didn't stop at on our rush to Remy's. Along the way, I found a Joffrey's and ordered the Citrus Frosted Ice Tea again. I had it earlier in the week and loved it!



We tried the Crispy Duck Bao Bun in China but I didn't like it. I was expecting better. I completely missed the Mexican cornbread with chocolate sauce. I love cornbread and wanted to try it. The Mango Lassi with Somrus Chai Cream Liqueur was all right. I love chai and was excited about chai cream liqueur, but the mango overpowered the chai.

Rode the Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico. I liked how Mexico had the gift shop area inside and the layout but man it was dark. A little too dark to see the items as clear as I would have liked.

We saw Reflections of China for the first time and enjoyed it.

Afterwards we went back to the resort for an afternoon break.

 

[Disney Addicted]

After lunch at the resort and a rest, we head back out to Epcot. This time it's our son who joins us and our daughter who stays back at the resort. By 4 PM we are back in Epcot. Even though we are suppose to be finishing off the other side, we head up to catch the boat to take us to Morocco. Here's the boat arriving and some more scenic photos. It's 4:45 by the time we arrive at Morocco.





On the Wednesday past, our first time in Epcot on this trip, our son was checking out the swords in Japan and was debating on purchasing one. We purchased a lot more candies to bring back home. This time our son found a frozen Japanese treat. A Mochi ice cream - strawberry flavoured - 6 pieces in the box. That was nice! Especially as it was so hot out.

So, swords! Our son examined them all again. Paced back-and-forth. Talked with his Dad, and, finally, made a decision after what seemed to be too much. Started the process and then discovered shipping is only with the U.S. - they do not ship to Canada! Frankly, I was happy about that. Still am! That's when he went on a spree of purchasing candy instead. And he did another pick-a-pearl!

On our way out to America, I kept seeing people holding purpled colored drinks. Finally I stopped one couple and asked them what it was. The lady said it was voilet sake found in Japan and that it was amazing, a must try. She was so insistent about it that we turned around and went back to look for it. It wasn't a hard sell - the color itself was attracting me. O M G! This WAS the most amazing drink ever! The sign said it is a mixture of sake, prickly pear syrup, and citrus juice. Or was it lime juice? We only purchased one to split as it was $10 or $12. I regretted that after my first sip! I wanted the entire drink to myself! If the line was shorter (it was long ), I would have made my husband get his own drink. I should have taken a sip before I left the counter. Then I could have said hey, we need a second drink! I really wish we had come across that drink the first time we were in Japan a week ago. No. I did not take a photo of it. I was too busy savouring it to think about that! Here's a photo from All Ears though.

Seriously - go buy this amazing drink!



We then started walking back to America and around to the entrance. Completely missed the American Adventure show. I'm not sure how.

On to Italy. I was a bit disappointed by what was available to purchase. My Dad and his side of the family is Italian. They came to Canada in the late 50's when my Dad was an older teen. I was hoping for more products. According to the time stamp on my photos, it's 6 PM now. There's a lady enjoying herself, dancing, spinning, in the tower photo.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Somewhere along the way we found the Greece F&W Pavailion and I bought the griddled cheese with pistachios and honey. It was ok. I wouldn't purchase it again.

I missed the Pistachio CAke with cinnamon pastry cream and candied walnuts. I think it was in Morocco.

Germany: No photos! Man, I really slacked on the photos this trip. I'm surprised - I really thought I took a couple. ACtually, I did! But of the train display only.



Back in China again today, but this time with our son. I found a fan here and a couple of evil eye bracelets for friends back home. Oh and cute pens with a cat on top using the tail to push the pen in and out. I bought a white one. It's cute!

Norway: Seriously - no photos again! I wonder if I copied them all off my phone to the computer's hard drive, or if there's some still on there. I'll have to check later. We spent a bit of time here. Our son purchased some stuff for friends back home.

Went through Mexico again but no ride this time.

After Mexico, we found the Brew-Wing Lab were our son ordered the Pickle Milk Shake. Now, I read reports that said this drink was good, not a strong pickle flavour but I wondered. Surprisingly, it was not bad. Almost kind of good. The pickle flavour was subtle. Maybe more of vanilla in there. I wouldn't drink an entire glass, but I'm glad he let me sample it.

I was originally going to try the peanut butter & jelly sticky wings but by the time we got to Brew-Wing Lab I changed my mind.

Then back over to World Nature to go on Soarin' again! Twice - yay.

It's about 8 PM now and we decided to skip Luminous. Tomorrow would be our last full day and it was going to be a busy one. We were already tired and didn't want to fight crowds to get back to our room. We're spending 1 day at Universal with a park-to-park ticket. We went back to our resort, had a late dinner and went to bed.

I took so many photos on our way out of the changing color!