Flowers, Segways & DIS Meets, Oh My! - Updated 10/26, Final Thoughts-FINALLY!

[SoonerGirl]

I'm finally all caught up and loving your TR!

The restaurants you guys ate at look awesome...i've never considered Kona or the Grand Floridian cafe but your posts have me rethinking it.

Your niece is absolutely precious! We just welcomed my nephew on the fourth of July and it's amazing how much he's changed even in those few days. The pics of your niece with the the pink headband are just adorable!

Can't wait to hear more

I was very happy with our restaurant choices this trip - lots of good ones in the mix!

Congratulations on your new nephew! I've got a couple pics of Baylee in her 4th of July outfit - how cute are these:

Loved the Segway update!!!!! I think Elton was our tour guide too....sounds just like the guy we had..happy, giggling & smiling. A little bit older gentleman? He gave Eric his bday button & bday gift card.

I know what you mean about driving back into Future World......scary with people around but fun too because of the envious looks you get.

I love my pin & I'm not a pin collector.

No, probably not the same guy, Elton was probably about my age. Sounds like you had a great CM for your tour too though!

I didn't think I was ever going to be a pin collector, but Disney pins are so cute, I just can't help myself!

Oh YAY for Elton! I love CMs like that. We had some amazing CMs at the Pirate's League during Christmas it was neat to see them so into it! That is great! How fun to take those segways! I am with CP on this though. I panic on a bicycle. I would flip out on a segway, trying to make it stop, etc. NOT a good thing for me!!!

Looks so much fun though! And I think the pic with you and your mom is just fine! Looks nice!

I think you girls are under estimating your abilities, the Segways aren't as hard to drive as you would think - you girls would do fine, if I can do it, anyone can!

 

[RachelNinja]

Driving the Segway is lots of fun, but I'm not sure if you could do it - not because of ability, but because you are basically standing in the same position for about 2 hours, I'm not sure if your condition would allow you do it.

Haha, I love how I didn't even think about the fact that I'd be on my feet! It's easy to forget when thinking about standing on a vehicle that moves for you. That'd actually be WORSE than walking because my legs would be in the same position! And I'm sure fainting off a segway is a lot worse than fainting while walking!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Loved the zoo pictures!!!

Thanks!

Your meal at Kona looked delicious! How do scallops taste? I am a HUGE seafood lover, but have never tried scallops. I used to work for a seafood company & after working there & cleaning scallops, I can’t bring myself to eat them. I really want to try them though, what do they taste like? (are they similar to any other seafood? please don't say clams, squid, or oysters! )

Not sure if there is another seafood that scallops taste like. I can tell you they aren't chewy like clams or squid, they are much more tender than that.

If I had had to clean them in the past I'm not sure I would eat them either

I love the Poly!!! Its definitely #1 on my list of resorts to try. I really wanted to stay there this past trip…until I saw the price for 9 nights/10 days!!! Lol It looks so pretty there. Maybe if we don’t stay there next trip, I will at least make ressies for Kona!

Yeah, as much as I want to stay deluxe I do have a hard time swallowing the price. That's why I make dinner ressies at those resorts so that I at least have a chance to visit them

Dessert Party…yum, yum, yum!!!! I am soooo obsessed with desserts at Disney! Normally at home, I skip dessert & always say I just can’t eat the extra calories or I’m too full to even try to eat dessert. But whenever we went to Disney, I LOVED eating dessert at every single meal since we were on the dining plan!!! I hope they continue the dessert party for along time because I would love to try it. I think my favorites (from looking at your pictures!) were the chocolate-covered strawberries, key lime tart, tiramisu, and crème brulee!!! Everything looks so yummy, I’m not sure what I’d pick!

I don't eat dessert at home either, but when I'm at Disney it's almost like I HAVE to! They are all so good, and a treat that I don't allow myself at home, so while on vacation I indulge. Not to mention, calories don't count on vacation.......

I completely feel your pain about not having a ticker in your siggie! After our trip in June, I doubt we’ll be back until at least next October…maybe not even next year at all. Actually, I might be lucky if I get back there by the time the new Fantasyland refurb is finished in 2013...yikes!

I hate not having a ticker! I'm afraid it might that long before I can talk DH into another trip too!

Your niece is sooo cute! I loved her cute little matching outfit & hat in the last picture! So cute!!! I know what you mean about not having girls in the family…mine is the same way! Except its my side and my husbands side…we had no girls until my niece was born this past March!!! Now we have a little girl & I keep telling her that she is my little Princess. She will, of course, someday get the opportunity to travel with her aunt to Disney and go to BBB!!! I loooove buying pink stuff now! (although I agree with you…love having the newborn around, but not enough to have another of my own! Lol)

I hope to someday be able to take her to WDW and do all those princess things that I can't do with boys!

Driving a segway is so weird yet so fun! I haven't done one of the WDW tours, I did one in Raleigh, NC. It was so much fun! I'm glad you had such an awesome CM! I would love to do that someday and its good to know that you enjoyed it.

Driving the Segway was so much different than I thought it was going to be, I agree, weird but fun!

Those are gorgeous pics of your niece!!!

Pity about the cruise...but I'm sure you'll find a way to make it happen.

That segway looks great...you've convinced me that I need to give it a go. I had always thought it would be too tricky to learn how to use one.

I'm not giving up on the cruise yet, I've got lots of time to work on him

Maybe you can do the Segway tour on your "might/might not be going back" trip, while your DH is attending that conference.........

Sounds like a fun time on the tour! Glad Elton was such a great CM. I love it when the CMs really seem to have fun and enjoy what they are doing.

Staging a way to die in the park?! YIKES!

It's always great to come across a wonderful CM, Disney does seem to have a bunch of them!

I thought that staging a way to die thing was kind of odd, what a crazy request!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Haha, I love how I didn't even think about the fact that I'd be on my feet! It's easy to forget when thinking about standing on a vehicle that moves for you. That'd actually be WORSE than walking because my legs would be in the same position! And I'm sure fainting off a segway is a lot worse than fainting while walking!

Yeah, I can't imagine fainting off of a segway would be much fun!

 

[goofy's_gurl]

Baylee looks so cute in her 4th of July outfit.

 

[MHTeacher]

The Segway tour sounds great! Glad you and your mom enjoyed it so much. Sounds like Elton was a 5star CM.

 

[JenAusty]

awww.. a cute little baby! I love her outfit- she is soo precious!

 

[marsa1969]

I love the little miss firecracker outfit!! Baby clothes are just so cute, my DD is starting to get away from cute outfits - she is into Justice clothing.

 

[MEK]

Wow - what fun the Segway tour looks like! I have always wanted to do one and I would beel exactly like you did. I would be worried that I was the only person who would fall off, not be able to stop, or run into someone. But you did it and you guys look great in your picutre (poofed hair and all!).

Thanks for the fun update!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Baylee looks so cute in her 4th of July outfit.

The Segway tour sounds great! Glad you and your mom enjoyed it so much. Sounds like Elton was a 5star CM.

He was, and the tour was so much fun!

awww.. a cute little baby! I love her outfit- she is soo precious!

Thanks Jen!

I love the little miss firecracker outfit!! Baby clothes are just so cute, my DD is starting to get away from cute outfits - she is into Justice clothing.

I thought the 'little miss firecracker' was cute as well. I went to the store that made it for her this weekend to look for a gift for my soon to arrive great niece (I can't believe I'm old enough to be a great aunt ) Anyway, I found the cutest outfit with a little crown on it and it said 'the princess has arrived' it was all blinged out and had a pink bow on it too - so stinkin' cute! It's probably a good thing that I don't have a daughter, I'd go broke buying all the cute clothes!

Wow - what fun the Segway tour looks like! I have always wanted to do one and I would beel exactly like you did. I would be worried that I was the only person who would fall off, not be able to stop, or run into someone. But you did it and you guys look great in your picutre (poofed hair and all!).

Thanks for the fun update!

I was nervous, but ended up being surprised that it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be. It was fun, you and Denny should give it a try sometime

*******************

I had a crazy busy weekend and wasn't able to DIS hardly at all, and yesterday was just as bad! We leave early Friday morning for Jared's last tournament of the season, it's in St. Louis and we will be there all next week. Should be fun, but it's crazy getting ready to go. I made bags for all the boys that contain their trading pins, towels, big league chewing gum, baseball cards, sunflower seeds, snickers and I also made each one of them a personalized door hanger to hang on their hotel room door. The boys are so excited, Justin has been on several big tournament trips like this, but it's Jared's first and he's pumped!

I'm going to do my best to get at least a couple of updates up before I leave, one later today (after I catch up on everyone else's reports!) and hopefully one on Thursday.

 

[MeMom]

Sounds like Elton was a 5star CM.

True. It's nice to come in contact with those people who are truly striving to make a guest's stay the very best it can be.

*******************

I had a crazy busy weekend and wasn't able to DIS hardly at all, and yesterday was just as bad! We leave early Friday morning for Jared's last tournament of the season, it's in St. Louis and we will be there all next week. Should be fun, but it's crazy getting ready to go. I made bags for all the boys that contain their trading pins, towels, big league chewing gum, baseball cards, sunflower seeds, snickers and I also made each one of them a personalized door hanger to hang on their hotel room door. The boys are so excited, Justin has been on several big tournament trips like this, but it's Jared's first and he's pumped!

I'm going to do my best to get at least a couple of updates up before I leave, one later today (after I catch up on everyone else's reports!) and hopefully one on Thursday.

Hope you have a great tournament. I miss our June basketball tournaments. The boys would play so many games in a week's time, and it was so much fun. They were exhausted, but it was great experience, and the parents were able to bond some, too, when there would be long enough breaks between games for us to go eat out.

Hope the boys have much success and a very fun time together!

 

[stace208]

Hi Michelle!
I'm back and trying to catch up...getting there slowly but surely!

The dessert party looked great. I hope they do it next summer so I can try it. The Segway tour looked really fun and I am glad you had such a great CM give the tour-it makes it so much better!!

Congrats on your new niece-she's adorable!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

True. It's nice to come in contact with those people who are truly striving to make a guest's stay the very best it can be.

Hope you have a great tournament. I miss our June basketball tournaments. The boys would play so many games in a week's time, and it was so much fun. They were exhausted, but it was great experience, and the parents were able to bond some, too, when there would be long enough breaks between games for us to go eat out.

Hope the boys have much success and a very fun time together!

Thanks MeMom, it's a tough tournament but if they play like they are capable they'll have an opportunity to do well. I know there will come a day when I miss this too, sometimes I wish it would slow down though!

Most of our friends we have met through our boys sports, so I totally agree that it can be a great way for parents to bond as well

Hi Michelle!
I'm back and trying to catch up...getting there slowly but surely!

The dessert party looked great. I hope they do it next summer so I can try it. The Segway tour looked really fun and I am glad you had such a great CM give the tour-it makes it so much better!!

Congrats on your new niece-she's adorable!!

Hey there Stacy, welcome back! Hope you had a great trip. Are you writing a TR???

 

[SoonerGirl]

As we were leaving our tour the CMs told us to be sure and drink plenty of water and to walk around for awhile, not to go sit for any length of time right away. I never thought about it until they said something, but this is because we had basically been standing in the same position for the better part of the last two hours. We needed to get our circulation going again. So we decided to venture over to the Seas and check out all the aquariums.

Hidden Mickey

Agggg, SHARK!

Look - it's Nemo!

We stopped for quite awhile to watch the manatees, they aren't the most graceful creatures but they were interesting to watch.

We were getting hungry by this point, and wanted to put some food in our stomachs before our DIS meet at the tequila cave, so we made our way over to The Land to have lunch at Sunshine Seasons. While we were in the area we grabbed a set of FPs for Soarin'. For lunch I had a chicken ceaser salad

And, surprise, surprise, I had crème brulee for dessert

Mom got the spicy cashew chicken

And the DIS famous strawberry shortcake

I had always avoided eating here in the past, never even stopped to look at the menu, simply because it always seemed like such a madhouse. It gets such great reviews here on the DIS though, so I decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did! They have a wide variety of selections and their dessert case is to die for. We will definitely be going back!

After lunch we made our way over to Mexico. I took a couple pictures of the fountain outside the Imagination pavilion

another of the ostriches

and a couple more of the vegetable garden - this area was so cute!

And finally we made our way to La Cava del Tequila for our much anticipated DIS meet!

I've met a few DISers over the years and it never ceases to amaze me just how nice they are. We all sat around the table and chatted about our trips thus far and enjoyed the yummy margaritas that they had to offer. There are some really interesting flavors on the menu and most of us decided to be adventurous and try something different. I ordered the Cactus Pear, you can see PrincessInOz's drink behind mine, she had the lime. I loved mine, and they do not skimp with the alcohol here either, these are well made drinks!

Mom really went out a limb and ordered the Avocado margarita. It was very creamy and had an interesting flavor. I don't think I would have been able to drink the entire thing, but it was good.

Right before Mom and I left I decided we needed a group pic. I was kicking myself for not thinking to do this while everyone was there, this is just a few of us

Seated is Kayce (kcandbella), standing from left to right we have Tracy (manntra), I think 100acrewoodfan is next, didn't really get a chance to talk to her, then Katie (kschafer), me and finally Sharon (PrincessInOz). Two others that I met but neglected to get photos of were Stacy (kanga&her2roos) and Trish (cdolta).

Sharon had brought all of us a little something from Australia, she had a grab bag full of pins. This is the one I got. Sorry the pic is so blurry - I used my old camera for this and couldn't get it to focus on it for some reason!

I snapped one more pic on our way our - Katie and flat Beth (Katie's friend who had to back out on the trip last minute for medical reasons) enjoying the classic margarita and I think the other one is passion fruit

Continued in the next post

 

[SoonerGirl]

Once we left we walked around the market a bit, then went in search of Donald on the boat ride. Next headed over to use our Soarin' FP. We enjoyed it again, and talked about how it is one of those rides that, for us, just never gets old!

We weren't quite ready to leave the park yet so we decided to go explore a couple more World Showcase countries. Canada was up first. We bumped into a few forest friends as soon as we arrived

Flower was almost hidden by all the plants!

Then we walked around and took some pictures. I love this pavilion it's so beautiful!

We also took some time to watch the movie. I had never seen it before and aside from the fact that it made me slightly nauseous, I thought it was beautifully done. Definitely makes me want to visit Canada some day!

We headed into the UK next

We enjoyed the lovely gardens

And also came across Peter Pan and his nemesis Captain Hook!

At this point we decided to head back to the resort so that we could get cleaned up and ready for our plans for the night. We had tickets to Cirque

One last pic as we said goodbye to Epcot for the night

 

[micandminforever]

Your pictures of Thumper, Bambi, and Flower are so cute. Disney does a wonderful job with the flowers. It sounds like the Dis meet was fun.

 

[cdotla]

Michelle - do you remember when the segway tour wrapped up exactly?

Loved your recap of the DisMeet! I so wish I had thought to get photos with the group before I left!

Once again, love your topiary photos! And can't wait to hear about La Nouba! I love that show!!!

 

[kschafer]

Hooray for margaritas!! You said it nicely, those were well made drinks!! I could totally go for another fantastic dismeet like that one again!

thanks for the group picture, there were several cameras so I didn't bother with mine. You may see it again in my TR when I get to it

 

[brookelizabeth]

Good luck to Jared and team! You have been a very busy Momma...but those boys are going to love those goody bags I bet!

Wonderful update...the F&GF has just blown me away this year, I am loving everyone's pictures and dying to go to it even more now! The teacups are my favorite.

And what a great DIS meet! I laughed out loud when Katie had 2 in front of her! But I didn't notice any cheeks that were (too) flushed in that group shot.

 

[jenniferkeala808]

hey michelle! sorry I've been MIA but i'm back. I haven't quite caught up yet but I just read the last update! I'm super bummed Roman and I didn't make it to the Cinco De Mayo meet but looks like you folks had a blast!! you got really great pics of Epcot! and all of F&GF! Sunshine Seasons was good wasn't it?! We ate there also and were happy with all their selections! Well, I gotta go back and catch up! Can't wait for next update!