Gotta Perfect That Hula - A July 2010 PTR - UPDATED 8/3 - I STARTED THE TR!!!!

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Samoans, do the Humpty Hump. Do the Humpty Hump.

Exactly! I posted that in my TR and I think ONE person got it. Every time I walked by, I couldn't help singing it!

 

[irishdancer86]

also going in July, only skimmed so far but joining in and will be back post haste to read more!

Polynesian...loverage! your list was cool, I have'nt got any ADR'S there, but on your advice, may go over to the Poly to specifically stand and take in the atmosphere and fragrance...hope they don't call Security some poor Irish girl has lost her senses and is sniffing aimlessly through the Poly lobby!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Your family sounds great. I have twins so I can relate to your relationship with your sister through them. It will be exciting to see how much alike or different they will be. Currently, they both enjoy sports and learning. I hope it stays that way!

We stayed at the Poly for our first trip -the one that was our once in a lifetime trip to the place we wouldn't be returning to for 6 years. Funny, that six years only felt like 6 months and turned into a DVC membership. It is a negative that we won't be able to stay at the Poly because of DVC, but we will be eating there! I love Ohana. I enjoyed your list, but you didn't mention Tonga Toast or Dole Whips!

I've never actually had Tonga Toast. I'm such a bad Polynesian fan, I know! I'm just not all that into eating big breakfasts while at WDW. I normally stick to a pop tart and apple juice while we're rushing to the bus stop.

And I've only had one Dole Whip! It wasn't bad, but I'm not really a big pineapple fan. My sister loves them though, so I normally have a bite or two of hers.

Joining in! And, I have a story to share, that I think you'll appreciate...

My of Disney movies began long ago, and I've been collecting them for as long as I can remember.... mostly since Disney puts the classics back in the "vault" and re-releases them every 10 years or so, and I always knew I wanted my kids to be able to grow up with all of the classic Disney films. Anyway, so back in September 2006, I met the man who is now my DH. Not long after we started dating, I was at his house, and I saw HIS collection of Disney movies. It was just as large as mine, but we only had ONE overlapping title: The Lion King. My all-time favorite Disney movie (of the ones that had been released at that time, and still in the top 3). It was also his favorite. I still joke that I married him for his Disney movies. (He doesn't always find that joke funny, though... )

Our first vacation together was to WDW, when we'd been dating about 6 months. My love of WDW was born on that trip, my 3rd to the World. We even bought into DVC on that trip! Including that first trip, in April 2007, we've been to WDW 7 times together (yes, 7 trips in under 3 years), with 3 (or 4 ) more already planned.

And apparently, I ramble just as much as you do, since that story really isn't relevant to much. I just thought of it when you mentioned needing to find a man who wouldn't mind annual WDW vacations...

That's so sweet! You guys must have an EPIC Disney movie collection now.

Exactly! I posted that in my TR and I think ONE person got it. Every time I walked by, I couldn't help singing it!

Now I'm not going to be able to walk by without singing it! I actually haven't been able to get it out of my head since last night.

also going in July, only skimmed so far but joining in and will be back post haste to read more!

Polynesian...loverage! your list was cool, I have'nt got any ADR'S there, but on your advice, may go over to the Poly to specifically stand and take in the atmosphere and fragrance...hope they don't call Security some poor Irish girl has lost her senses and is sniffing aimlessly through the Poly lobby!

Thanks for joining!

And you should definitely go to the Poly just to soak in the atmosphere. And the smell. It smells amazing! I feel like there are always probably people in there just to sniff around. They just don't want to admit it.

 

[Cat0727]

LOVE your list, especially #s 1 and 5

Poly is my dream resort to stay at someday, until I have money to splurge I will continue visiting over and over and soaking in the awesomeness

 

[HeatherBelle614]

Helloooo! Newbie to your PTR; click and subscribe!

You pulled me in with your Beatles (<3) and DWTS references. Too fantastic!!!

We haven't stayed at the Poly (yet) but went to OHana for the first time on our list trip. Absolutely loved it and the feel of the resort! (That'll be a post law school resort for us, though!)

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

LOVE your list, especially #s 1 and 5

Poly is my dream resort to stay at someday, until I have money to splurge I will continue visiting over and over and soaking in the awesomeness

That's the thing about the Poly, even if you're not staying there, it's a great place to go and recharge with some awesomeness! Or a strawberry daquiri (virgin, because I'm not old enough to drink yet ).

Helloooo! Newbie to your PTR; click and subscribe!

You pulled me in with your Beatles (<3) and DWTS references. Too fantastic!!!

We haven't stayed at the Poly (yet) but went to OHana for the first time on our list trip. Absolutely loved it and the feel of the resort! (That'll be a post law school resort for us, though!)

Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks for coming!

As I've said a million times, but really you can never say it enough, 'Ohana is AMAZING. And you'll love the Poly, whenever you get to stay there. And I totally know what you mean about the post law school thing. I'm just savoring these trips with my family, because when I'm paying for myself, I won't be staying anywhere near the Poly.

 

[Cat0727]

That's the thing about the Poly, even if you're not staying there, it's a great place to go and recharge with some awesomeness! Or a strawberry daquiri (virgin, because I'm not old enough to drink yet ).

ooo girl I'm sure you know this but when you're of age and in Disney run and get a lapu lapu!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Alright, my dear readers...

For this update, we're going to take a brief break from trip plans so that I can tell you all a story (All about how my life got flipped, turned upside down).

But first I should warn you that I am ridiculously tired, so there is a big chance that none of this will make sense. My sister's prom was last night, and somehow I got roped into volunteering at the After Prom event at the high school with my parents. (Side note: Thank god my BFF has a sister who is in my sister's grade. Our parents are really good friends, too. So she was up there volunteering with me. Otherwise I would have been the only non-parent volunteering. And that would have sucked.) Anyway, I didn't get home until like 4 AM and then it took another hour or so for me to actually fall asleep, but I am like dead today. DEAD. My feet hurt. My head hurts. But I want to get this update done now because I'm feeling inspired. So here we gooooo...

There aren't many things I hate about WDW. I mean, sure, there are some things I would change about it, but nothing is so bad that I absolutely cannot stand it. Okay. One thing is so bad that I absolutely cannot stand it.

These guys.

As a note, the pictures in this update are not mine. I found them on google. There is no way I would ever get close enough to one of them to take a picture.

I'm sure you've all seen these menaces around the World. They tend to congregate in Frontierland, by the Cantina de San Angel in Mexico, and near the Flame Tree BBQ in the AK. They aren't at all afraid to get right up near people and I absolutely hate them. HATE.

I have a terrible fear of birds. Well, not just any birds. Birds with long legs and long beaks. They are so creepy. They look at you all weird and walk funny and are just gross. Basically when I see one, I want to go running in the other direction.

Anyway, this fear of the Big White Birds as I not so affectionately dubbed them a few years ago because I have no idea what kind of bird they actually are, stems from a horrible experience at the MK in 2003.

It all started with lunch at Pecos Bill's. My family was sitting at one of the outdoor tables enjoying a well needed break from rushing around the parks. I was eating a delicious Chicken Caesar Wrap (which I am addicted to) and everything was right in the world.

Or so I thought.

Little did I know, but one of the giant terrors was flying right towards us. I had my back to the bird, but my mom (who was sitting across from me) noticed it and made a weird face. Just as I was about to ask her what was happening, the bird literally flew right over my head, kind of grazing the top.

I completely freaked out. I mean, we're talking full blown panic attack here. I was in tears and was having trouble breathing. My mom rushed me into the bathroom so I could put some cold water on my face and try to calm down. I was just so in shock of what had happened. And I was mad at my mom for not warning me. She told me she was afraid to say anything incase I decided to stand up, causing the bird to fly into me instead of overtop of me. I mean, it makes sense, I guess, but I was just too mad to understand it in the moment.

Anyway, after that horrific experience, I've never been able to be around those birds without freaking out. I'm always on edge whenever they are around. I walk faster and kind of duck down, which I had never realized until my sister made fun of me for it. I've also been known to use my dad as a human shield. I also refuse to eat outside at any of the restaurants these guys like to frequent. I just can't enjoy my meal when I'm constantly following their every move to make sure they won't attack me. It's horrible. And I'm sure it all sounds ridiculous. But god, those little guys really freak me out.

While searching for the picture I used above, I came across this, and now I think I'm going to have nightmares.

If I ever get to the bottom of Splash Mountain only to find this welcoming party waiting for me, I think I'll completely lose it. I mean, you're pretty much stuck inside the log. And it goes kinda slow. I would freak out. Majorly. Or god forbid we get stopped down there. THAT would be the worst thing ever.

So that's my bird story. Those white things are pretty much the only thing I hate about Disney. So you should be feeling pretty good about yourself, Big White Birds. You made a carefree Disney vacationer have a meltdown. You should probably learn how to not fly so close to people's heads. And you should also work on not giving off "that look" that you do. You know, the one where it looks like you're taunting me. Because I'm pretty sure that you are. But really, Big White Birds, what did I ever do to you?

 

[MarieTheCat24]

ooo girl I'm sure you know this but when you're of age and in Disney run and get a lapu lapu!

Only like a year and 2 months!! Woot Woot

In an ideal world, I'd have a trip planned for my 21st birthday. And then I'd go and get a Lapu Lapu on my actual day of birth. We'll see if I can make it happen. I really hope so!

 

[Cat0727]

I can't STAND those birds! I ate at Flame Tree BBQ and it was a horrible, horrible mistake. I was scared the entire time; the ducks were SO aggressive. They were nastily biting my bf's pant leg and my backpack strap and were all up in our personal space.

Today we had a horrific bird encounter. We were eating out in a park with my mom and out of nowhere this bird did a dive bomb and took a nip out of my mom's hamburger! She screamed like she was being murdered. And then about 10 minutes later he did the same thing to another guy, it was crazy!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

I can't STAND those birds! I ate at Flame Tree BBQ and it was a horrible, horrible mistake. I was scared the entire time; the ducks were SO aggressive. They were nastily biting my bf's pant leg and my backpack strap and were all up in our personal space.

Today we had a horrific bird encounter. We were eating out in a park with my mom and out of nowhere this bird did a dive bomb and took a nip out of my mom's hamburger! She screamed like she was being murdered. And then about 10 minutes later he did the same thing to another guy, it was crazy!

Glad to know I'm not the only one who has had horrible bird experiences. I know there's nothing Disney can do about them, but I really wish there was. And every trip I always see someone feeding them. It's like, maybe if you didn't do that, we'd be able to enjoy our meal in peace without GIANT birds fighting for food.

And OMG. I would have done the same thing as your mom. That would have been so scary!!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Kara,

You are sooo funny! I love reading your report. It makes my day!

The bird story is hilarious. When I go home tonight I am going to try and find a picture from our 2008 trip. We were we in AK during EMH and coming out of Camp Mickey, these birds were in the trees sleeping. The trees were covered in white. It was dark and very eery. YOu would have died! I will see if I can find it and post it for you.

Erika

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Kara,

You are sooo funny! I love reading your report. It makes my day!

The bird story is hilarious. When I go home tonight I am going to try and find a picture from our 2008 trip. We were we in AK during EMH and coming out of Camp Mickey, these birds were in the trees sleeping. The trees were covered in white. It was dark and very eery. YOu would have died! I will see if I can find it and post it for you.

Erika

Aw, thank you! That is so sweet. I'm glad I can make your day a little brighter! And knowing that you feel that way makes my day!!!

And, oh my goodness! I really hope you find the picture. That sounds so creepy. Remind me never ever EVER to look up into the trees. I can barely stand being around a couple of the mysterious Big White Birds. I really don't know what I'd do if I ever encountered a big flock of them. Probably run around in circles flailing my arms everywhere. Though that really wouldn't do me any good...

 

[tinkgurl]

Ugh, I hate when we're eating outside and the birds start flocking around everyone's tables!!!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Ugh, I hate when we're eating outside and the birds start flocking around everyone's tables!!!

Yep, it's the worst. And it's not like it's a bunch of little birds hopping around. Those Big White Birds of which I do not know their actual name are as tall as the table. So it's like all of a sudden you have this giant bird standing next to you. And I don't remember ever inviting one to share a meal with us...

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Kara, I'm guessing you are not a Hitchcock fan? (I'm sorryjust poking a little.) I've never really noticed them.

You are clever. I look forward to reading your published pieces when you are older and established. I can say with pride...I read her early works.

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Kara, I'm guessing you are not a Hitchcock fan? (I'm sorryjust poking a little.) I've never really noticed them.

You are clever. I look forward to reading your published pieces when you are older and established. I can say with pride...I read her early works.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Nope, I am not a Hitchcock fan. My mom has always joked that one day she'll "accidentally" stick a dvd of The Birds in the wrong case. I've always gotta be on the look out.

And thank you so much for saying that! When I win awards for my hard hitting journalism, I'll be sure to thank everyone at the DISboards. I mean, other than the people who read what I wrote in my high school's newspaper, you guys are some of my first real readers.

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Alright readers. In this update I will be discussing the REAL reason we all go to WDW...THE FOOD.

You should all know that my family never does the Dining Plan. We just aren't Dining Plan people. We don't like being tied down with ADRs every day. And you know what, there are some days when I just want to eat ice cream for dinner. Sue me. Cookies n Cream ice cream makes a wonderful meal. But I couldn't do that if we had to worry about using all of our Dining Credits. So we just don't even bother.

But that's not to say we don't make a few ADRs for the trip. Because we do. And I am really excited about the places we've chosen to dine at in July.

First up, is a lunch ressie at the one and only, Le Cellier. We've never eaten there before, so I am RIDICULOUSLY excited about it. Like it's probably the thing I'm most looking forward to. I want to try the Cheddar Cheese soup, and the pretzel bread, and the Chocolate Moose. I haven't decided what entre I'm going to order yet, but I have time to figure that out.

We also made an ADR at my favorite restaurant 'Ohana. Which I've talked about ad nauseum throughout this report. But I'm going to talk about it some more. Or I guess I could just let the pictures from last July speak for themselves.

Here's a picture of my Virgin Strawberry Daquiri. I just couldn't stand to watch all of the 21+ crowd drinking their fancy drinks. I had to order one for myself. And it didn't disappoint.

Here's a picture of my plate with the first round of food. I'm kind of obsessed with the potstickers and the Honey Coriander Wings.

Part II of my plate. Complete with noodles, veggies, and shrimp. I don't have a picture of the grilled turkey or beef. Probably because I devoured it the second our waiter put it on my plate.

And here's dessert. Which is delicious. Always.

We also have a dinner ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe. We ate there 2 years ago, and I'm excited to go back to drink out of these glasses. There's just something so fun about drinking out of mason jars.

And here's the main reason anybody goes to Whispering Canyon...the Skillet. Complete with mashed potatoes. Which are my absolute favorite. So by the time this ADR rolls around I will be suffering from severe mashed potato withdrawl. Maybe I'll ask the waiter to bring me my own serving. Although, at Whispering Canyon, that would probably end badly. I'd wind up with a bucket of mashed potatoes.

And here's the dessert I got. I think it's called the Dust Bowl or something like that. But it's basically a cinnamon tortilla with vanilla ice cream and a caramel banana sauce. It was AMAZING.

So those are the 3 ADRs we have planned. But there's always a possibility that we'll add more before the trip rolls around. So hit me up with your recommendations. Which restaurants have completely blown you away and are not to be missed?

AND because I'm in a food mood right now, I thought I'd share some more pictures of some of my favorite foods at WDW.

Here is a picture of the Earl's Club which you can get at my favorite sandwich place ever...The Earl of Sandwich. Seriously. The Earl is my sandwich boyfriend. I am in love with him and his delicious sandwiches. Except I've only ever gotten the Club because I'm afraid to try anything else. I mean, we only get to eat at EoS once a year and I don't want to order something I'll regret for 365 days!

I should also say that I am addicted to Chicken Caesar Salads. Addicted. During the trip I will probably eat like 10. Or more if you count them when they are in wrap form. This particular one is from Pizzafari at the AK. I don't know why, but I always find their salads a bit more refreshing than the ones you can get elsewhere. Maybe it's because the AK is as hot as the surface of the sun, so the chilly-ness of the salad combined with some good ol' AC equals an incredibly refreshing experience. Oh and you can see breadsticks in the back of this pic. They are soooo yummy. So yummy.

Another fun thing about me and food is that I am also addicted to slushies. Seriously. I don't know if it's because they are always fun colored and I like fun colored things or what, but I love them. A lot. And will drink a bunch of them while on vacay.

Here's a strawberry slushie that I got from a stand at the AK. You can tell it's the AK because of that darn paper straw. Seriously, AK. It's impossible to drink a slushie through one of those things. I get saving the animals and all that, but what about my needs?

And here's a frozen raspberry lemonade from MGM. I can't remember exactly what the place was called, but I can look it up if anyone wants to know. I'm pretty sure that this drink has become my new favorite drink in WDW. I mean, I LOVE regular old frozen lemonades. But, a frozen raspberry lemonade is just 10 billion times better. And I definitely recommend that y'all try one. You won't regret it. And if you hate it, mail it to me!

I should also mention one of my favorite places ever, the Main Street Bakery. Everything there is amazing. The frozen capuccinos. These giant cinnamon rolls.

These parfaits which are perfect for those mornings when you don't want a giant ball of dough sitting in your stomach.

Seriously, everything is just REALLY good. And I'm definitely of the opinion that the Main St. Bakery is not to be missed.

Finally, here is my favorite food in all of WDW. It is the absolute greatest. And I'm pretty sure that God himself gets out the Mickey Head Shaper to prepare these every morning because they are THAT good.

Yes, it is the almighty Mickey Rice Krispy Treat. The perfect snack food. The perfect dessert. The perfect food for walking to the bus stop at 7:50 AM so that you can be towards the front of the mad dash to Toy Story Mania. Basically it's just the most perfect food ever. And if you've never eaten one, well, you are missing out on MAGIC.

So that's my list of WDW food obsessions. But seriously folks, what am I missing? I wanna try some new things on this trip, so give me your recommendations. I'm sure that you all have a list very similar to mine of not to be missed foods. So share!!!

Thanks for reading!!!

 

[Nicole786]

Amazing update!! I'm a DDP fanatic but I respect your reasons lol Le cellier is amazingness!! Cheddar cheese soup, pretzel bread, moose, all excellent decisions. My favorite entree is the mushroom filet (sans actual
mushrooms lol) with the roasted potatoes and butterflied! WIN!!!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Amazing update!! I'm a DDP fanatic but I respect your reasons lol Le cellier is amazingness!! Cheddar cheese soup, pretzel bread, moose, all excellent decisions. My favorite entree is the mushroom filet (sans actual
mushrooms lol) with the roasted potatoes and butterflied! WIN!!!

I feel like the DDP is a good idea, it's just not worth it for my family. I'm a weird eater. And my sister and I will eat at weird times. So doing everything out of pocket just makes more sense for us.

And thanks for the Le Cellier recommendation.