I Knew There Was A Reason Why I've Always Hated My Birthday - COMPLETE

[MarieTheCat24]

You are looking good in the snow am photo. He would make you a good trophy husband. Bummer about the arms, though. That means he can't take out the trash.

That is a bummer. Maybe Disney can do a little snowman refurb before I take him home with me.

I just started reading your TR, and I already began tearing up. I'm so sorry about your pup. I have been in that place twice, and the feeling is indescribable. I still hold a void for each of my furbabies. Both were also sudden losses. My most recent was only 2 years old. It was absolutely heart-breaking. I know every bit of how you feel. I assure you: it does get easier, but you don't ever forget him/her. This is especially heart-breaking being away from your baby and it being your birthday. Such a terrible combination. Keep your head up, though.

I'm glad you continued your vacation, in somewhat good spirits. I look forward to continue reading your TR. I feel like I can relate to every single emotion you felt.

Welcome! I'm so sorry about your furbabies. Riley was 11, so it probably shouldn't have come as that much of a shock to us, but he seemed pretty darn healthy right before he died. I can't imagine losing at pet at only 2 years. It's just heartbreaking.

The streets of America look SO EMPTY when the Osborne lights aren't up. I will never be able to go there again and look at it the same way.

EVERY WHERE YOU LOOK, EVERY WHERE, THERE'S A HEART, THERE'S A HEART... A HAND TO HOLD ON TOOOOO

I like your San Francisco dream. It's perfect.

Chicken Quesadillas can make anything a little bit better. Those look delicious.

Very nice Coronado pictures! Pretty!

Thanks for updating!

I can only imagine how crazy it is back there during the Osborne lights. I mean, even in the summer when there are 80 gajillion people in the parks, the Streets of America never have more than like 20 people walking around lol. It's kinda ridiculous.

Chickan Quesadillas CAN make everything better. It's like they're magical or something.

Hahha judging by your tweets I had a SLIGHT sense that you were an Idol fan. I must admit, I'm one of those fans who has been to five of the live tours, yet I cannot get into the American Idol Experience! So I understand not being in the mood to see it. I'm always not in the mood to see it.

Ah, the Streets of America. I always said that the one thing my town was lacking was a large Kermit balloon. Also, I don't know about anyone YELLING at you in NY, but I do know they'll be more than willing to laugh at your 'southern' accent.

I LOVE your Maria/Full House dream! It's a beautiful thing.

I totally feel for you. I know I've said it before, but I can't even imagine going through that at Disney. Honestly though it seems like you handled it really well.

Also, your poor mother. I would have been terrified seeing a Casey Anthony look-alike. ESPECIALLY since she lives in Orlando! AHH.

Love the Coronado pictures! I love all the different types of buildings they have there.

Yeah, it's an addiction. What can I say, I enjoy trainwreck television, and more often than not, that's what Idol is. I don't know what I'll do when the people at Fox finally come to their senses and cancel it.

The funny thing about the Casey Anthony "sighting" is that she was found not guilty only a few days before.

I wish they would do more with Streets of America. Like that section you say looks papery. No movie sets are like that anymore, though they used backdrops like that a lot in the early days of filmmaking. But hello, it's 2012. Turn it into a real clothing store. Turn everything into something real. I mean I know it's supposed to look like a set but a lot of sets I've worked on that are meant to be streets have real stores and restaurants on the inside. 90% of the businesses on the Boardwalk Empire boardwalk set are actually there on that set, like the taffy shop, flower shop, palm reader, etc. And yeah, it's one of the most expensive shows ever made but YOU'RE DISNEY!!! SO DO IT!! Make it into a second Hollywood Boulevard!!! I guess maybe they don't have room or something. I don't know. It would just be so cool. Cause certain parts of it REALLY DO look like NYC (except the street is too wide) and it would just be awesome if they made it even more realistic. And you're right, they should have someone yelling at people from the midwest. With a REALLY thick NY accent. GOD GAVE YOU LEGS SO YOU CAN USE EM, LADY! Uuuughhh I have such RAGE for people who walk slow in Manhattan. I would take that job at Disney just to vent these frustrations. Whew. I'm rambling. The whole point of this big paragraph is: You're right.

You look adorable next to the snowman. I never even knew there was a Christmas shop right there which is bizarre considering I WAS JUST THERE DURING CHRISTMASTIME. I'm dumb. The ornaments you bought sound adorable!!

Coronado is soooo pretty. Enjoying your pics as usual. That food looks really good and REALLY fresh! Yuuuum.

I hope you don't go too long in between updates, no TRs feature nearly as many 90's TV/movie/music references as yours. Some people!! UGH

I just wish Disney would include actual movie/tv sets somewhere in the park. Like, how hard would it be to recreate beloved sets from our favorite movies/tv shows?

Oh, despite my Midwesternness, I also cannot stand slow walkers who insist upon blocking the entire sidewalk. Without fail, whenever I'm running late, I always get stuck behind one of these people. And 9 times outta 10, they're smoking and I'm trapped in a trail of their secondhand smoke. I need to buy a jetpack or something so I can just fly over these people on my way to class.

You didn't miss much. The Studios' Christmas store is kinda lousy. It's not nearly as cool as the ones in DTD and MK.

Time for that extremely anti-climactic sigh *phew* So glad I'm not the only person who disappeared... anyways... Glad to see you're back, Kara! So happy to hear you will be going back to the world this summer! So very jealous due to the fact since, right, at this moment a year ago, I was walking around the Magic Kingdom, but as of right now, I'm in the coldest place on Earth on a pullout couch, with the TV turned on to who knows what. All I know is Joan and Melissa Rivers are talking about plastic surgery *death wish* Yeah, just in the total opposite mood as I was a year ago. Alright... I'll shut up now. Happy to hear you are going to push through and finish this TR, yours is always good when I need a good dose of sarcasm and magic Well... can't wait to read more!

I'm sorry about your I'm-not-in-WDW-right-now depression. I definitely know the feeling. I hope you get to go back soon!

 

[giantstoindy]

Hey Kara! I don't know if I've commented on this username before (I've PMed you before about OSU on another username ) but I'm definitely switching to this one. Anyhow, I am LOVE, LOVE, LOVING your report! Hollywood Studios is amazing. Walking the streets is so much fun because it doesn't drain your day but it's something different. I see you have a trip planned a few weeks after mine! That would have been neat to meet a Buckeye! I was just in Columbus this weekend and I told my mom about you being a grad student there. She was like, "I wonder if she's going to watch the spring game next month, too?"

Oh, and I wanted to add the "watch" sounded like "wartch" because like us Ohioans, we say warsh instead of wash!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Well, hello there, trip report. Long time, no update. Lucky for you, I'll be posting one momentarily. Also, ONLY A LITTLE OVER THREE MONTHS UNTIL I'M BACK IN THE WORLD. THANK GOODNESS.

Hey Kara! I don't know if I've commented on this username before (I've PMed you before about OSU on another username ) but I'm definitely switching to this one. Anyhow, I am LOVE, LOVE, LOVING your report! Hollywood Studios is amazing. Walking the streets is so much fun because it doesn't drain your day but it's something different. I see you have a trip planned a few weeks after mine! That would have been neat to meet a Buckeye! I was just in Columbus this weekend and I told my mom about you being a grad student there. She was like, "I wonder if she's going to watch the spring game next month, too?"

Oh, and I wanted to add the "watch" sounded like "wartch" because like us Ohioans, we say warsh instead of wash!

Hi! Thanks for joining in with this username! Aw, it's too bad we'll just miss each other.

I'm still recovering from OSU's loss in the Final Four. It was heartbreaking.

 

[MarieTheCat24]

JULY 6TH PART FOUR: In Which I Bust Out My Acting Skills (Or Lack Thereof)
Around 3 o’clock, my aunt called to let us know that Dad got home safely, but that Riley had passed away about an hour before his plane touched down. Because I don’t exactly want to relive that moment, I’m just gonna skip ahead to the evening. I hope that’s OK. You all know how much this affected me, so I don’t really see a need to go into further detail. I cried. I spiraled into depression. It was bad. You know that.

So, even though I wasn’t entirely in the mood for it, we went ahead with our plan of returning to MGM/Hollywood Studios/The Park with the Giant Hat for a little while before heading to dinner at Cape May Café. Katie had been looking forward to this meal all trip, so I threw a bunch of Kleenex in my bag and put on my best “What? No, I’m not sad at all. I’m totally happy! Let’s go have fun because that’s totally what I want to be doing right now omg” face. I mean, I’m no Katniss Everdeen, but I can make a sacrifice for my little sister.

We didn’t want to worry about having to take 80 bajillion (or 2, same thing) different forms of transportation to get back to our hotel after dinner, so we decided just to drive. In case you’re one of the fortunate ones who hasn’t experienced it, getting in a car that has been sitting in the hot Florida sun for days is not at all enjoyable. I don’t care what science says, the air in a Florida-hot car is well on its way to becoming a solid. Thankfully, the drive to MGM is short, so we held our breath, piled in, drove.

OK, we didn’t hold our breath. Because that would have been unsafe. Instead, I took the dog-with-its-head-out-the-window approach. It worked well. Dogs really have the right idea on that one.

Anyway, we parked, climbed out, triple checked that the car was locked, and headed for the entrance. Thankfully, since a lot of people had already left for the evening, our spot wasn’t too far away.

I miss just being able to see the Tower of Terror in the distance as I walk places. Every skyline should include one of these babies, am I right?

If there’s one thing WDW has taught me, it’s that Hollywood is (was? Never was?) very teal.

Billboards! And palm trees! It’s so Hollywood-errific.

I love Hollywood Boulevard. The architecture is freaking cool. And teal.

We picked up a set of Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania earlier in the day, so we headed back there first. I tried to enjoy it as best I could, but it’s just not as fun when there are a million other things on your mind. I know. Even the most fun, most awesome, most rootin’ tootin’ ride ever in existence can be not fun sometimes. Isn’t that depressing?

Even though my eyes were still all red and puffy, I still managed to do pretty well. We can add it to the long list of things that prove my awesomeness.

When we exited, we found these guys hanging out with the crowd:

THE GREEN ARMY MEN! I love the extra plastic on their feet. Very authentic.

We left Pixar Place behind and headed for Sunset Boulevard. Katie and Wade booked a stay at a certain Hollywood hotel earlier in the day (they got Fastpasses) and I wanted to do a little shopping.

I never took a picture, but I bought a really cute quilted 40th Anniversary tote here. I had been eyeing it all trip, so I finally went ahead and bought it. It was kind of expensive, but what can I say, I shop when I’m depressed. Plus, it’s Disney. Everything’s expensive. And it’s not like totes aren’t useful. In fact, I’ll probably use it to hold all the extra stuff I can’t cram into my suitcase this summer, so I’m sure it’ll be making an appearance in that TR.

I found these in what I think was the Planet Hollywood store and freaked the heck out:

IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME.

Yep, that’s right. These are ACTUAL COSTUMES FROM MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE. It was like my childhood was staring me right in the face. JUST LOOK AT THE DETAILING!! I mean, they’re all well-worn and beaten up…my inner four year old was convinced that these were worn while defeating evil. Heck, my outer 21 year old was convinced that these were worn while defeating evil. Forget camo, I think we need to put our military personnel in these. Everyone can choose their own special animal helmet/color combo. It will be great. Trust me.

This table was in the window of one of the shops and it’s pretty much the coolest thing ever:

I’m realizing now that I took a bunch of really random photos on this particular evening. And the rest of the trip. I guess since my heart wasn’t really in it, my ‘Document EVERYTHING for the Trip Report’ mentality went out the window. I have a day and a half left to cover and it will probably be the most dull, uninteresting chunk of TR you’ve ever read.

So, this is the official disclaimer: It will be an unsatisfying ending to a so-so trip report.

It’s kind of perfect, if you really think about it. You’ve all gotten to take a little trip inside my headspace during vacation, and Ms. Frizzle didn’t even need to shrink you down to a microscopic size. I mean, you were all like “YAY ANOTHER SUPER ENTERTAINING TRIP REPORT TO LOOK FORWARD TO! THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT!” And it was great for a while. There were delicious foods and fun times and plenty of 90s references. But then it got really dark and weird and there were some tears shed. And now, you’re all, “Well, this was fun and great, but I really just want to go home.” But you can’t go home because I’ve got a day and a half’s worth of rambling left to do. So you’ll try to enjoy it, but really it will just be incredibly unsatisfying.

Like, Albus Severus Potter levels of unsatisfying.

Yeah, I’m not a fan of the HP epilogue. Well, I don’t mind the epilogue as much as I mind the name Albus Severus Potter. Poor kid. There’s a reason we call Dumbledore “Dumbledore” and Snape “Snape”. Just sayin’.

But back to the trip…

After browsing through the stores, Mom and I hung out and people-watched on Sunset Boulevard while we waited for Katie and Wade to finish at TOT. At one point, I was convinced that it started raining and was just about to ask Mom if we should go buy ponchos when I realized that it, in fact, wasn’t raining and I was only wet because there were tears streaming down my face. Oops. So much for projecting happiness…

Anyway, I got the old tear ducts under control just in time because Katie and Wade were headed toward us, fresh from their stay at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. There wasn’t really anything else we wanted to do at MGM, so we decided just to head over to the Beach Club and see if we could check in a little early for dinner. So, it was off to the parking lot for us.

A lame crowd/architecture/more teal buildings pic:

One last shot of MGM:

UP NEXT: Cape May Café (And, hopefully, it won't take me a month to get it posted )

 

[__disneygirl]

FINALLY! I have been sitting here for over a month, refreshing approximately every four minutes. You have no idea what a relief it is to see you have updated! WHEW.

Maybe I'm just jaded, but the NYC skyline really doesn't have much on Disney b/c of the lack of The Hollywood Tower Hotel. WHAT exactly is stopping me from moving, again?

I have a feeling that when I actually go to Hollywood, I'm going to be really unhappy because, AGAIN, there won't be a Hollywood Tower Hotel but ALSO b/c of the lack of teal.

Whoa. WHOA! Even with your grief, you scored 168,300?! Your grace! I have great admiration for you.

OMG. One of the Green Army Men yelled at me in 2010 (It was an honor tbh) and I didn't even notice the extra plastic! That is such a perfect little Disney detail.

Sigh. I used to be so in love with Jason, the red ranger. I actually think he was my first ever crush.

YOU BETTER HURRY UP ON THE NEXT POST! I hope you took food pics at Cape May Cafe. I long to see a crab leg here, some lobster meat there, and the little desserts that say EACH CLU and things like that b/c of how they cut the chocolate. So get going!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Once again, I'm so sorry about Riley But at least you could do something to slightly distract yourself at that moment. Like.. go to DHS with intentions of eventually eating some food. That's always a semi-decent solution to most problems.

LOL Teal. You're so right about that.

Hahaha the other day my one friend (who has never been to Disney) was asking me about how the green army men move if they have the plastic on their feet when they're greeting people in the park. I had to explain that their feet were separated but they still had big chunks of plastic on them

I always say... if you're gonna use what you buy, it's okay if it's a little expensive. That tote sounds great!

I promise I will still enjoy your trip report because I love reading whatever you have to write, even if it is the dullest of the dull You're a talented writer and can make anything readable!

I really hope that you enjoyed your Cape May Dinner! That's one of my top favorite restaurants so I hope it was good to you!

Thanks for updating! It made my night!

 

[marDgreen88]

Ugh, you are certainly braver than I am!

I know everyone knows about the famous HOLLYWOOD letters but what you can't see is that underneath it says "land of the teal, and some famous people." So Disney definitely had the right idea.

YOUR TSM SCORE is amazing. I'm so jealous hahaha I've never gotten anywhere close to that score and I've always been happy while riding. BRAVO!

Honestly though, the rest of your TR will NOT be boring or mediocre! As a rule, your writing is always awesome. I hope you write about Cape May soon! I need a good Beach Club fix hahah.

 

[Aussiesalad]

I am so sorry again about Riley, such a hard thing to go through
We recently lost our family cat and it's just such a hard time when you have been so attached for so many years.
I really appreciate you sharing your feelings about the what happened and everything you went through.

Florida car air is insane! The head out the window tactic is always a win.

POWER RANGERS!!!! Ahhhh I wanted to be one so badly it's ridiculous! Mainly Kimberly- she was so rad!
I had a pretty big crush on the green one that came into the series late...with his pony tail...Tommy?...He was so edgy.
There is no accounting for my childhood taste in crushes

Of course Hollywood is teal from head to toe. Factual!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Yikes. I'm sorry I never responded to all of your lovely comments. I'm so bad at this lol.

FINALLY! I have been sitting here for over a month, refreshing approximately every four minutes. You have no idea what a relief it is to see you have updated! WHEW.

Maybe I'm just jaded, but the NYC skyline really doesn't have much on Disney b/c of the lack of The Hollywood Tower Hotel. WHAT exactly is stopping me from moving, again?

I have a feeling that when I actually go to Hollywood, I'm going to be really unhappy because, AGAIN, there won't be a Hollywood Tower Hotel but ALSO b/c of the lack of teal.

Whoa. WHOA! Even with your grief, you scored 168,300?! Your grace! I have great admiration for you.

OMG. One of the Green Army Men yelled at me in 2010 (It was an honor tbh) and I didn't even notice the extra plastic! That is such a perfect little Disney detail.

Sigh. I used to be so in love with Jason, the red ranger. I actually think he was my first ever crush.

YOU BETTER HURRY UP ON THE NEXT POST! I hope you took food pics at Cape May Cafe. I long to see a crab leg here, some lobster meat there, and the little desserts that say EACH CLU and things like that b/c of how they cut the chocolate. So get going!

I know, right? Why the heck am I still in Ohio?

One of my friends went to LA over spring break to visit one of her friends and she's now obsessed with the place and I'm just like IS IT TEAL? NO? THEN IT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE AS AMAZING AS YOU'RE SAYING.

There is a picture of the EACH CLU desserts! Except it was taken at a weird angle so you can't really see the EACH CLU, but it's there. I promise.

Once again, I'm so sorry about Riley But at least you could do something to slightly distract yourself at that moment. Like.. go to DHS with intentions of eventually eating some food. That's always a semi-decent solution to most problems.

LOL Teal. You're so right about that.

Hahaha the other day my one friend (who has never been to Disney) was asking me about how the green army men move if they have the plastic on their feet when they're greeting people in the park. I had to explain that their feet were separated but they still had big chunks of plastic on them

I always say... if you're gonna use what you buy, it's okay if it's a little expensive. That tote sounds great!

I promise I will still enjoy your trip report because I love reading whatever you have to write, even if it is the dullest of the dull You're a talented writer and can make anything readable!

I really hope that you enjoyed your Cape May Dinner! That's one of my top favorite restaurants so I hope it was good to you!

Thanks for updating! It made my night!

Thanks, Jess! I just wish I was half as good at this whole TR thing as you are. How many TRs have you written in the time it's taken me to push this thing out? And I'm not even finished! I guess it's better this way, though, because I'll be finishing up right as we're leaving for our next trip! WOOOO!

Very true. DHS + Food is a winning combo.

They should have left the plastic connected so we could point and laugh as the Green Army Men attempt to move around without falling over. It would be so much fun. For us. Not for the Army Men. They would not be happy.

Ugh, you are certainly braver than I am!

I know everyone knows about the famous HOLLYWOOD letters but what you can't see is that underneath it says "land of the teal, and some famous people." So Disney definitely had the right idea.

YOUR TSM SCORE is amazing. I'm so jealous hahaha I've never gotten anywhere close to that score and I've always been happy while riding. BRAVO!

Honestly though, the rest of your TR will NOT be boring or mediocre! As a rule, your writing is always awesome. I hope you write about Cape May soon! I need a good Beach Club fix hahah.

HAHAHAHA Thanks for pointing that out. I would hate for Hollywood to false advertise. And thanks! It's good to know I'm not boring the heck out of all of you.

I am so sorry again about Riley, such a hard thing to go through
We recently lost our family cat and it's just such a hard time when you have been so attached for so many years.
I really appreciate you sharing your feelings about the what happened and everything you went through.

Florida car air is insane! The head out the window tactic is always a win.

POWER RANGERS!!!! Ahhhh I wanted to be one so badly it's ridiculous! Mainly Kimberly- she was so rad!
I had a pretty big crush on the green one that came into the series late...with his pony tail...Tommy?...He was so edgy.
There is no accounting for my childhood taste in crushes

Of course Hollywood is teal from head to toe. Factual!

I'm so sorry about your cat!

I totally had a crush on Tommy. Green was (well, still is) my favorite color so that made him extra desirable.

 

[MarieTheCat24]

JULY 6TH PART FIVE: If nautical nonsense be something you wish...
When I last left off, we were en route to the Beach Club for dinner at Cape May Café. Thankfully, driving there from MGM was super simple. Those beautiful, magical, purple Disney road signs did their job and the traffic wasn’t bad at all. Hooray.

After a quick chat with a very friendly woman working the guard shack, we dumped the car in the parking lot and headed in.

This picture’s a bit blurry (oops) but the road/walkway leading up to the resort is adorable.

I love this shade of blue. I wish you could purchase Disney paint for your home. And not like the stuff they sell at Home Depot. The stuff they actually use in the parks. I would like 10,000 gallons of Hollywood Studios teal, please. I've got a town to paint.

Is there anything better than the swoosh of the automatic doors and the burst of air conditioning you’re hit with as you enter a Disney hotel lobby?

Well, OK, yeah, there are a few things better. Namely, Mickey Rice Krispy Treats, sweatpants, Post-It notes, dramatic irony, and boybands. But this is up there.

This was my first time at the Beach Club, so I made sure to take a few seconds and absorb everything. The lobby isn’t quite as grandiose as many of the other Deluxes, and it doesn’t smell nearly as heavenly as the Polynesian, but I really liked it. It’s cozy and comforting. It really does feel like you’re visiting someone’s beach house. I’d very much like to stay there sometime.

I took the most random lobby shots. I have no clue what I was doing.

Yep, that’s a seahorse chandelier. Awesome.

We checked in at Cape May, were given one of those come-back-when-it-buzzes things, and found a place to sit and wait.

The colorful beach umbrellas are a nice touch.

The lighting in this picture is weird, but that’s what the view from our bench looked like. The windows are so homey. Again, it feels less like you’re visiting a hotel and more like you’re a guest in someone’s home.

After about ten minutes, our buzzer went off and we were led to our table. I don’t have a picture, but we were seated near the buffet which was nice. Winding your way through a sea of tables to and from a buffet is never fun. I mean, who wants to go through like a freaking hay maze to get to the food? I sure don’t. I like to enjoy my food sans obstacles.

As you either know or can probably guess, dinner at Cape May Café is a clambake. However, while the seafood is the big draw, it’s not like the entire buffet is of the fish/mollusk/crustacean variety. There are also plenty of “normal” options. If you aren’t prepared to do some serious chowing down on seafood, though, I don’t know that the $42.59 per person + tip is worth it.

Here’s a picture of my plate:

From the top and going clockwise, it’s some sort of baked fish, penne pasta, Caesar salad, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and, in the center, flank steak from the carving station.

I also shared some crab legs with my mother, but they aren’t pictured.

Everything was delicious. Nothing was bad-buffet lukewarm and everything tasted fresh. To be honest though, I kind of just picked at my food. I was still super emotional (and had to excuse myself to the restroom mid-meal for a good cry when I saw someone eating macaroni and cheese because it was Riley’s favorite) so I didn’t have much of an appetite. I spent most of the meal nursing a glass of water while everyone else pigged out.

Here’s a picture of one of Katie’s plates so you can get an idea of some of the other offerings:

The crab legs are obvious lol. Underneath them, there are some clams, chicken nuggets, and baked fish.

Even though I didn’t have much of an appetite, I did make sure to sample the ever popular oreo bonbon and raspberry cheesecake. YUMMY.

While everyone else was indulging in seconds and thirds, I took full advantage of the fact that they leave crayons on all the tables and went to work. It doesn’t matter that I’m 21. If you hand me a crayon, I’m going to use it. I practiced drawing Sorcerer Mickey as we learned at the Animation Academy earlier in the day. I also drew a classic scene from one of my all-time favorite movies…

Yep, that’s Mr. Narwhal bidding adieu to Buddy the Elf as he leaves on his journey to New York City. It’s one of the top moments in cinematic history. “Hope you find your dad” is basically the new “Here’s looking at you, kid”.

When she brought the check, our waitress also brought some salt water taffy.

I didn’t know they did this, so it was a nice surprise. Frankly, someone should always give me candy in restaurants. And stores. And concerts. And classes. And bed.

Overall, Cape May Café gets a thumbs up from me. I feel like I didn’t get to fully enjoy it, but I liked what little I did. I really want to go back sometime for the full experience. And to stuff myself with crab legs and liquid butter. Forget nectar and ambrosia, crab legs and liquid butter are the food and drink of the gods.

After dinner, we headed outside to look around.

Pretty lights.

I really liked this tree. But, apparently, I didn't like it enough to make sure it was centered when I took the picture.

We absolutely had to take a picture of Katie in front of this topiary:

We mock her fear of butterflies as often as possible. Well, I mock her fear of butterflies as often as possible. It makes me feel better about the fact that I’m afraid of everything. I’m a bully, OK? That's part of what being a big sister means.

I loved the little beach and view of the Boardwalk. It’s not quite as awesome as the view from the beach at the Polynesian (and it doesn’t have MY hammock) but it’s not too shabby.

I don’t know whether the chick on the boat is cool or creepy. I’m leaning toward creepy. Wood carvings in general are pretty creepy. I mean, I totally understand why Pinocchio wanted to be a real boy because having a wooden body would be the worst. I get grossed out when veins show through my skin. I don’t think I’d react very well to wood grain.

One final shot:

So pretty.

It was only a little before 9:00, but we decided to call it a night and go back to CSR. Before heading to our room, though, we made a quick stop at Panchito’s (the gift shop) to do something we never ever ever in a million years thought we’d do.

We bought matching t-shirts.

UP NEXT: We do stuff in our matching t-shirts!!

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Your meal looks so good I was drooling as I was looking at it

 

[cindianne320]

YUM! I'm drooling over the crab legs. YUM! My sister would love it there!

can't wait to see your matching shirts

 

[wdwgirl03]

LOL, your drawing from Elf is awesome. Didn't even have to read what you wrote to know what is from, so that must mean you did a pretty good representation.

That is a most excellent picture of the view from the BC looking toward the Boardwalk. My dad and I just got back from a week at the BWV. I miss seeing those things every day.

I want to see the matching t-shirts!

 

[__disneygirl]

"Is there anything better than the swoosh of the automatic doors and the burst of air conditioning you’re hit with as you enter a Disney hotel lobby?" NO. There is nothing better. It has been tested in a lab (?) and the truth is there is nothing better. I actually prefer this even to boybands.

UGH I just feel so bad that you weren't able to properly enjoy anything because of the situation. I give you so much credit for not completely shutting down.

OMG YOUR DRAWING. ahahhahahahaha. I always draw when they provide crayons, but never have I illustrated a scene from Elf. Amazing.

“Hope you find your dad” is basically the new “Here’s looking at you, kid”. SERIOUSLY. I keep waiting for them to close down the Great Movie Ride to add this iconic moment. IDK what Disney is waiting for. Sure, change Monorail Voice Guy. THAT MAKES SENSE AND DOESN'T MAKE ME SUICIDAL AT ALL. EVERYTHING IS FINE.

Ahhh, I love the Beach Club at night. Sitting on the beach looking out at the Boardwalk is one of my favorite things to do. I can never get good pictures though, ugh. One of these days I'm going to buy a good camera. And by one of these days I mean probably never but you know. I'll keep saying it and taking the same old bad pictures. B/C if I buy the 2,000 dollar camera I want then I have 2,000 dollars LESS to spend on Mickey Rice Crispie treats. Which is not cool at all. Don't know why I'm rambling but hey! Look at this weird smiley: It's called "biting lip"... uhh, okay. I also enjoy this one: LISTEN!!! and That one's called smokin'. Not "smoking", but "smokin'", cause he's cool. It's Danny Zuko. Anyway, great update! BYE!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I can't WAIT to feel that air conditioning when I enter the beach club. THE BEACH CLUB IS MY FAVORITE OMG. There's just somethin' about that place.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OMG BUDDY AND THE NARWAHL. That just made me so happy.

Oooh that first picture you took when you exited the beach club is REALLY pretty!

Can't wait for the next update!

And ps ONLY A FEW SHORT MONTHS/WEEKS UNTIL YOU GO TO DISNEY!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Going to Disney in the summer, then having air conditioning blast you in the face when it's 90 plus outside and high humidity.... it's got to up there on the list of things that make you happy.

Cape May did look great. Ahhh those crab legs.

 

[marDgreen88]

Purchasing REAL GENUINE DISNEY PAINT would be amazing. I think I would go Beach Club Blue... only because I have a slight (huge) obsession with that place. That is basically the best idea ever!

I think the fact that BC is NOT as fancy dancy as the other deluxes is the reason I love it so much. I'm not a very fancy dancy person. That being said though, it's lot like I'm complaining about staying at BLT.

HAHAHA. Omg. Your Elf drawing is amazing! "Thanks Mr. Narwhal." I have to wonder how that scene popped into your mind in the middle of a clambake at Disney World!

I FULLY understand Katie's fear of butterflies. Your BC pictures are all so pretty! Love that place so much.

I genuinely cannot wait for you to go back to Disney this summer and have a re-do trip! Are yall going back to Cape May?

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Your meal looks so good I was drooling as I was looking at it

It was really good. I'm so glad I finally got to eat there.

YUM! I'm drooling over the crab legs. YUM! My sister would love it there!

can't wait to see your matching shirts

The crab legs were delicious!!

LOL, your drawing from Elf is awesome. Didn't even have to read what you wrote to know what is from, so that must mean you did a pretty good representation.

That is a most excellent picture of the view from the BC looking toward the Boardwalk. My dad and I just got back from a week at the BWV. I miss seeing those things every day.

I want to see the matching t-shirts!

Thanks! My crayon drawing skills are pretty awesome.

Oooo BWV!?! I can't wait to catch up on your TR!

"Is there anything better than the swoosh of the automatic doors and the burst of air conditioning you’re hit with as you enter a Disney hotel lobby?" NO. There is nothing better. It has been tested in a lab (?) and the truth is there is nothing better. I actually prefer this even to boybands.

UGH I just feel so bad that you weren't able to properly enjoy anything because of the situation. I give you so much credit for not completely shutting down.

OMG YOUR DRAWING. ahahhahahahaha. I always draw when they provide crayons, but never have I illustrated a scene from Elf. Amazing.

“Hope you find your dad” is basically the new “Here’s looking at you, kid”. SERIOUSLY. I keep waiting for them to close down the Great Movie Ride to add this iconic moment. IDK what Disney is waiting for. Sure, change Monorail Voice Guy. THAT MAKES SENSE AND DOESN'T MAKE ME SUICIDAL AT ALL. EVERYTHING IS FINE.

Ahhh, I love the Beach Club at night. Sitting on the beach looking out at the Boardwalk is one of my favorite things to do. I can never get good pictures though, ugh. One of these days I'm going to buy a good camera. And by one of these days I mean probably never but you know. I'll keep saying it and taking the same old bad pictures. B/C if I buy the 2,000 dollar camera I want then I have 2,000 dollars LESS to spend on Mickey Rice Crispie treats. Which is not cool at all. Don't know why I'm rambling but hey! Look at this weird smiley: It's called "biting lip"... uhh, okay. I also enjoy this one: LISTEN!!! and That one's called smokin'. Not "smoking", but "smokin'", cause he's cool. It's Danny Zuko. Anyway, great update! BYE!

I think we should make seeing how much people enjoy certain things at WDW our career. We can wear fun lab coats and hide in the bushes and watch as people enjoy Starring Rolls cupcakes, find that Soarin' is a walk-on, etc. On the opposite end of the spectrum, watching people freak out because they're unable to get into Le Cellier could also be interesting. For research. And for my own entertainment.

Right? I can just picture an animatronic Mr. Narwhal slowly popping up from out of the water as Buddy starts to float away. The entire ride vehicle would be brought to tears as he delivers his line because unity between man and narwhal is all we strive for as specie. Plus, this way, kids (and me) will already be so touched and empowered that the Alien scene won't even scare them. It'll cut down on the number of tantrums. Win-win.

I still can't believe the Monorail Voice Guy is gone. It won't fully sink in until I hop on a monorail and he's not there. Maybe the meltdown I experience will be enough to convince Disney to bring him back...

I can't WAIT to feel that air conditioning when I enter the beach club. THE BEACH CLUB IS MY FAVORITE OMG. There's just somethin' about that place.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OMG BUDDY AND THE NARWAHL. That just made me so happy.

Oooh that first picture you took when you exited the beach club is REALLY pretty!

Can't wait for the next update!

And ps ONLY A FEW SHORT MONTHS/WEEKS UNTIL YOU GO TO DISNEY!

I can't wait to stay at the Beach Club someday. Preferably during the Food and Wine Festival so I can skip over to Epcot all the time for some grub.

Elf is just the best movie. It makes me so happy! Plus, it's so quotable! It's like the Mean Girls of Christmas movies.

AND ONLY A FEW SHORT WEEKS UNTIL YOU GO TO DISNEY, M'DEAR! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Going to Disney in the summer, then having air conditioning blast you in the face when it's 90 plus outside and high humidity.... it's got to up there on the list of things that make you happy.

Cape May did look great. Ahhh those crab legs.

It's such an amazing feeling! Thank goodness for AC.

Purchasing REAL GENUINE DISNEY PAINT would be amazing. I think I would go Beach Club Blue... only because I have a slight (huge) obsession with that place. That is basically the best idea ever!

I think the fact that BC is NOT as fancy dancy as the other deluxes is the reason I love it so much. I'm not a very fancy dancy person. That being said though, it's lot like I'm complaining about staying at BLT.

HAHAHA. Omg. Your Elf drawing is amazing! "Thanks Mr. Narwhal." I have to wonder how that scene popped into your mind in the middle of a clambake at Disney World!

I FULLY understand Katie's fear of butterflies. Your BC pictures are all so pretty! Love that place so much.

I genuinely cannot wait for you to go back to Disney this summer and have a re-do trip! Are yall going back to Cape May?

I can't wait to hear what you think of BLT! It doesn't seem too fancy dancy so I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Plus, the Contempo Cafe has yummy cupcakes or so the Disney Food Blog tells me.

My mind is a strange place. Like Mickey's dreams in Fantasmic strange. I would've fit right in in the 1960s. With everyone on LSD, I would've seemed totally normal.

Thanks! I can't wait to go back! We're kinda just winging our dining plans this year (aside from 'Ohana which I've had booked for months) so we might head back to Cape May. My parents aren't huge fans of being tied down to ADRs and having to book them months in advance (I really don't understand how I'm their child) so I'm letting them have their way and we'll see how we feel/what we want to eat/if we can get a reservation when we get there.

 

[sue_88]

That was a good ending to the update. I am really looking forward to the matching shirts.
The wood grain skin comment made me laugh. I think I might actually like that. I love a little fantasy mixed with real life. Seeing veins isn't very magical though, so I agree with that.

 

[MarieTheCat24]

That was a good ending to the update. I am really looking forward to the matching shirts.
The wood grain skin comment made me laugh. I think I might actually like that. I love a little fantasy mixed with real life. Seeing veins isn't very magical though, so I agree with that.

Thanks! There are quite a few wild tattoos out there, so I wonder if anyone's ever done the whole wood grain thing. I'd google it, but it would creep me out.