I Want to Quit This Whole Disney World! -- (Update 2/20)

[annmarieda]

Ginny woke up during the fireworks and was not happy. I think she was a little hot because we were so close together. I tried to comfort her, but as we were walking out of the park, SIL snapped at me and told me that babies are 10 degrees hotter than adults. I don’t know if that is true, but she said it to me as if I don’t have experience with kids, which is completely untrue.

Oh my gosh... after 20 + years of parenting and 4 kids... I just learned I did something wrong! Every time I took a temp, I checked for 98.6.


Good grief....


I am sorry you had a stressful day. I hope that this isn't the pattern for the rest of your trip. Your sil seems like she would wear on my last nerve. Given how my trips go, that says something...cause I can be pretty patient. But, I digress... traveling with two small children can put any parent off their game. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.... for now...

 

[oboedm]

Day 3: Part One—High Fives, As Good As It Gets

Welcome to my next installment! My goal is to post every day for the next 2.5 weeks. I will have this entire trip done before I leave for the next one, I promise! I already have a few more posts done—I just have to post them when I get home each day.

Anyway, we planned our second full day in the park for Animal Kingdom. We woke up and got to the bus stop at 7:10. We must have just missed a bus because it seemed to take forever for another one to come. Then, we had to detour around some sort of marathon. AK and DTD are the furthest apart, so we didn’t even exit the bus until 8—our reservation was for that time.

By the time we got to Tusker House, it was 8:20 a.m. The line to see Donald was short, but I was a bit upset when we couldn’t get his autograph. It would have taken 5 seconds, but the photographer insisted. Here is a blurry shot taken with my point and shoot. I appreciate whoever played Donald—he/she looked at my camera, not the PhotoPass person! Donald is the best!

We walked in and were seated in a small room on the side. I can’t describe it accurately. You walk into the restaurant, the buffet is in front of you, you turn right and go all the way to the end of the building—that room. I forgot how crowded Tusker House is, especially that room. Oh well, I LOVE the Safari gear and the carved ham.

Here is a nice shot my SIL got of the tapestries in the buffet room.

We got some food and the characters started coming around. Daisy was first! We had just seen her the previous day, but it was fun regardless.

Hayden didn’t want to sit in the chairs closest to the characters, but we were able to convince him that high fives were the “way to go”.

I love that he isn’t even looking at Goofy in this picture.

Goofy also signed our book and posed with the brothers

Eventually Hayden acknowledged that Goofy existed.

In my mind, Mickey was the best of all the characters at Tusker House. There were several reasons for this. The first reason is because he marched right up to our table and squeezed between Hayden and the next table without a second thought. He was going to get a picture with Hayden, if Hayden liked it or not! Here was Hayden’s reaction.

HILARIOUS!!! The second reason why I enjoyed Mickey was because he was so “into” his character. Look at this cute salute/hat pose!

Third, when signing out book, he had the courtesy to tell us that our pen was running out of ink. We quickly swapped the Sharpie for another one. (Mental note: bring extra Sharpies).

Here he is—our last shot with the big cheese!

One thing I forgot to mention previously was that Tusker House was so accommodating for Ginny. By the time we reached Tusked House she was asleep in her stroller. The restaurant cleared the way for the strolled and even moved a bit pile of booster seats so it could sit next to our table.

Overall we really liked TH, despite how close together the tables are. There is a nice variety of food and you never feel disgustingly full because of that variety. I really liked the carved ham, and it was cool to try things like rice for breakfast. Here is a picture of my second plate.

BIL and SIL liked it too. BIL especially liked the French toast, ham and hot chocolate, while SIL liked the chocolate croissants!

The characters at TH were great, even though they didn’t spend tons of time at each table and even though Donald couldn’t sign our book. The CMs let us take a few pieces of fruit with us because they saw that Hayden didn’t eat much. That was a definite plus.

The food round up is listed below. In the next post I will talk about our morning at AK.

Food Round Up:
I want to see how much we would have spent on all this food and see if it saves as much as Disney claims it would save.

4 Adults, Tusker House: $91.96
1 Child, Tusker House: $12.99
Total Food Costs, Day 3: $104.95
Total Food Costs, Trip: $790.37

Cost of upgrade to DxDP: $1161.00
Cost of DxDP w/o Free Dining: $2780

 

[oboedm]

Day 3: Part Two—Potatoes and Parenting

Ginny was still asleep when we left Tusker House, and DH volunteered to grab Kilamanjaro Safari FastPASSES and walk slowly over to Asia with Ginny and Hayden while SIL, BIL and I booked it to Everest.

I was excited. This is one of my favorite rides at WDW—maybe even my favorite. Here are some pictures of our journey:

The most wonderful thing about September at WDW is the crowds—or lack of them. We just flew through the queue!

I don’t think we had to wait at all for the ride! SIL brought a Flip Video Camera with her and took videos of us on the rides. She was able to take some stills from the video, which was really cool! We are bringing one of these on our next trip. Should be fun for the girls!

And of course, the obligatory picture of a picture:

During this time, DH went to Dinoland USA with Hayden and Ginny. Ginny was still asleep. Hayden took one look at the rides and said something like, “I don’t want to ride anything”. By the time this sentence was uttered in Chester and Hester’s Dinorama, we were done with the ride and showed up 5 minutes later.

SIL really liked Expedition Everest, but it made BIL a bit sick. He said, “It wasn’t as fun as riding on a helicopter”. Too funny!

Since BIL was queasy, he let DH go on Primeval Whirl with me and SIL. We love this ride! It is so much fun. SIL liked it as well. I wish that it wasn’t closed for refurbishment. I would have loved to take my nieces on the ride.

We caught up with Hayden, Ginny, and BIL in the gift shop. Hayden was chosen to make the Mr. Potatohead of the Day! He was so proud of his creation and the certificate. BIL and SIL looked around the shop a bit and bought a few things. I ended up getting the “Finding Nemo: The Musical” CD. I almost bought 4 Parks, 1 World, but I didn’t I wish I would have!

As they were shopping, I was trying to convince Hayden to ride Triceratop Spin. He refused (of course). I wish we would have forced him on the ride, because he ended up REALLY liking Dumbo a few days later. Turns out he just needed to feel “in control”! We will get back to that later, though.

BIL was still feeling a bit sick, so SIL, DH and I went on Dinosaur! We didn’t like this ride last year, but we were pleasantly surprised by it! For some reason I was really disoriented by the darkness in 2009. It didn’t bother me this September. I still prefer Indiana Jones at DLR, though. Here is our ride picture!

Ginny was still sleeping when we got off the ride, so Evan and I offered to stay with her so Hayden and his parents could check out the Boneyard. They all came back 5 minutes later because Hayden was scared. That way okay with DH and I, because Ginny was awake at that point. To get Hayden on the Safari, we told him that we had to take truck to lunch.

On our way there, we endured the first awkward fight between BIL and SIL.
It was all about the best way to parent Hayden. SIL was quoting child development books to BIL like he had never been around kids. The tone of voice was just so superior, I felt bad for him. The thing is, BIL isn’t a pushover or anything, and he is a GREAT dad. Both of them are good parents and they work well together.

I also thought it was weird to fight about “how to parent the kid” in front of the kid. My parents never fought in front of us. They were always consistent with each other when it came to parenting us. Now that I am older I know that they disagreed, but it was behind closed doors. Is that weird? I don’t know. I know that DH’s parents were the same way, and it is something we want for our kids.

Anyway, we hung back and were a few feet behind them, hearing what they were saying but not getting involved. Here are some pictures of our journey. I think they had stopped fighting by the time we got to the Tree of Life, as she started taking pictures again! =)

 

[oboedm]

Day 3: Part Three—Safari Discoveries

Kilamanjaro Safari had a 15 minute FastPASS wait, which was great. I really liked how the stroller parking was set up, how you deposited the stroller in the line and could pick it up on your way out of the exit.

Hayden really liked the ride! I had him sit on the left because I knew from reading different tips, that he would see more animals here. They were right! Here are some highlights:

Then came my favorites… the elephants!

Hayden was super excited about seeing these guys:

We even saw lions! They were asleep, but we didn’t see them last year, so I was happy:

Since Hayden wasn’t crying as we got off the jeep, we took advantage of the situation and decided to walk the Pangani Exploration Trail. We were REALLY ready for lunch, but didn’t know how long Hayden’s good mood would last.

BIL cuddling up to his new love…

Glad we don’t have these in AZ!

I love these fish!

Don’t know what Hayden is trying to tell us here, but it must be important!

More funny BIL pictures:

Such tiny hands!

While on the trail we found one of those Kid Discovery Club stations. Hayden was interested in what the guide was saying, and he was able to figure out who the poo belonged to. I think this was one of the best parts of the trip for him. He was enthralled!

Once we solved the mystery, we were on our way to lunch. Who would we see along the way? Would we enjoy Yak and Yeti? Stay tuned!

 

[oboedm]

I think you're right-- knowing what to expect when traveling with others is half the battle.
IllumiNations is wonderful! Your pictures are great-- especially of the Mickey head!

Thanks! My SIL is really good at taking pictures!

Oh my gosh... after 20 + years of parenting and 4 kids... I just learned I did something wrong! Every time I took a temp, I checked for 98.6.


Good grief....


I am sorry you had a stressful day. I hope that this isn't the pattern for the rest of your trip. Your sil seems like she would wear on my last nerve. Given how my trips go, that says something...cause I can be pretty patient. But, I digress... traveling with two small children can put any parent off their game. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.... for now...

Ha ha! Thanks for the hilarious comment. DH found it funny too. We are still chuckling every few minutes or so! =)

 

[annmarieda]

Your safari pictures are amazing!!

We did TH for breakfast on our last day. We love TH and had already had dinner there on our last trip. By the time we had breakfast, I think we were just a bit full. Now looking at your review, I wish we had enjoyed it a bit more.

I can't believe you are heading back in a couple weeks. How exciting!! I hope you are able to do a TR for that trip as well.

BTW, glad I could make your dh and you chuckle.

 

[Joyciemc]

I agree with Ann- your safari pictures make me actually want to ride the safari again!

Add me to the list of folks happy to see that you are finishing your TR!

I think traveling with others always has its highs and lows... but it seems that a good time was had mostly...

 

[oboedm]

Your safari pictures are amazing!!

We did TH for breakfast on our last day. We love TH and had already had dinner there on our last trip. By the time we had breakfast, I think we were just a bit full. Now looking at your review, I wish we had enjoyed it a bit more.

I can't believe you are heading back in a couple weeks. How exciting!! I hope you are able to do a TR for that trip as well.

BTW, glad I could make your dh and you chuckle.

I know! I love the pictures she took. I do love my SIL, despite my complaining. She is wonderful, I promise, and she did edit all of the pictures, so...

I want to eat dinner at TH, but haven't yet. For some reason we don't seem to stay at AK late enough for dinner!

I do plan to do a TR for that as well. Provided I get this one done, LOL!

I agree with Ann- your safari pictures make me actually want to ride the safari again!

Add me to the list of folks happy to see that you are finishing your TR!

I think traveling with others always has its highs and lows... but it seems that a good time was had mostly...

YAY! Good to see you again! =) I have been enjoying your PTR. I am still so jealous of your DVC purchase. Maybe someday I will be able to convince Evan that its a good idea!

We definitely had tons of fun, probably the best trip I have ever taken. It's just all those little personality quirks that you can't really account for sometimes, you know? I have been posting these updates on my blog as well (minus the complaining about them, of course), and they always seem to comment "correcting" things.

For example, SIL commented that it was her arm and that she was holding Ginny, not BIL. BIL commented today that he got a migraine from the ride, he wasn't sick/queasy. If they wanted accurate information like that, they should have written about the trip on their blog!

 

[oboedm]

Today’s update will just be the PhotoPass pictures up to this point, but at least something will be posted! =) We just finished painting one of our bedrooms because we received from free bunk beds from Evan’s and want to set up a room for the nieces and nephews when they spend the night. Hopefully it can be a nursery someday!

Anyway, here are our PhotoPass pictures for the first couple of days. Stay tuned to a real update tomorrow!

 

[annmarieda]

The pictures are great. It is nice to see you all together (I did notice Ginny must have been asleep in the stroller for a couple of those) I think despite dealing with another adult couple and their quirks, it must have been nice to spend the time with another adult couple. Don't get me wrong, I have loved traveling with my kids...but I think on some level being able to share adult conversation while on vacation must be a good thing.

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

I'm loving your pictures. They are awesome!

 

[klacey1]

Great AK updates! Tusker House looks really good! I do hope Hayden starts enjoying rides soon-- Triceratop Spin would have been fun for his age!

 

[stayhomemom77]

I am SO loving the trip title. Gotta love the funny things kids say sometimes!!

Subbing for more!

 

[onescgirl]

WOW, your photography is amazing! I loved looking at all your pictures.
Hopefully SIL will start acting better soon
I agree that I'm sure it can stressfull at 1st traveling with others.
I love Hayden's shirt, it is too cute.
The pic with Goofy & the brothers is just priceless!

I'm jealous that your going back in a month! It will be a better trip for you traveling with older kids.

 

[oboedm]

The pictures are great. It is nice to see you all together (I did notice Ginny must have been asleep in the stroller for a couple of those) I think despite dealing with another adult couple and their quirks, it must have been nice to spend the time with another adult couple. Don't get me wrong, I have loved traveling with my kids...but I think on some level being able to share adult conversation while on vacation must be a good thing.

Yes, she was asleep for a few of them! And yes, it was nice having other adults to talk with. It was tons of fun when it was just DH and I in 2009, but it's not like we were on our honeymoon where you are just so excited to be with the other person. DH and I are together ALOT. We carpool together to work, we work at the same place, we don't have kids to interrupt our time together, etc. It was nice to throw another couple into the mix!

I'm loving your pictures. They are awesome!

Thanks!

Great AK updates! Tusker House looks really good! I do hope Hayden starts enjoying rides soon-- Triceratop Spin would have been fun for his age!

Yes! He ended up liking Dumbo-- I think he has control issues... if he thought he was controlling the ride, he was just fine.

I am SO loving the trip title. Gotta love the funny things kids say sometimes!!

Subbing for more!

Thanks! Good to have you with us! I should be done within the next few days, and then I will start a new TR!

WOW, your photography is amazing! I loved looking at all your pictures.
Hopefully SIL will start acting better soon
I agree that I'm sure it can stressfull at 1st traveling with others.
I love Hayden's shirt, it is too cute.
The pic with Goofy & the brothers is just priceless!

I'm jealous that your going back in a month! It will be a better trip for you traveling with older kids.

Yes! I am looking forward to older kids. The dynamic will be so much fun. The girls are in freaking-out-from excitement mode. The mom is in freaking-out-because-it's-so-close mode.

 

[oboedm]

Day 3: Part Four—“Yakkin’” Yeti

I am back… and terrible at following through with my goals. In all honesty, I have been really busy. I haven’t even had time to watch my DVR and things are piling up! Anyway, I have 10 days until I leave, which means I better get going on this thing.

The great thing is that I only have trip notes through today, and those were written two months after the trip, so my posts will be mostly pictures, some writing. Less for you to wade through!

Anyway, after we walked through the Pangani Trail, we started our journey to lunch. On the way, we saw DeVine! We didn’t see her last year and loved our random encounter with her!

We also saw Flik making his way towards some character greeting area, I am sure.

For some reason, these are the only PhotoPass pictures that we got at AK, and they are at the back of the tree! I like the pictures, though.

The photographer was nice enough to come over and take a few of Ginny. She really loved the fans on either side of her!

We finally made it over to Yak and Yeti, hot and miserable. The lunch took forever, but the time in the air conditioning was heavenly!

We loved our lunch here. They were gracious enough to bring out cups of ice for our Camelbaks and kept the water flowing. We were SOOOO thirsty!

Somehow SIL had enough energy to make faces when Hayden wanted to take pictures.

Ginny was falling asleep at this point, but they wouldn’t let us bring the stroller in because she wasn’t fully asleep. We decided to just put her down for a nap when we were done. Little did we know that the lunch would take two hours!

DH had the Pork Pot Stickers - pan seared or steamed, soy lime dipping sauce $8.49. He loved these! They were flavorful with some spice but not too much. 4 stars.

I had the Lettuce Cups - minced chicken breast, chopped vegetables, maple tamarind sauce, crisp lettuce cups $12.99. I thought these were okay. I liked the concept, and the filling, but something about them were lacking, especially when compared to…

… SIL’s choice, Wok-Fried Green Beans - battered green beans, sweet Thai chili dipping sauce $7.99. I don’t know what it was about these, but they were wonderful! I kept eating them, even though I was full. Probably not a great idea. SIL stated that she had no desire to each, but she could not stop eating them! 5 stars

BIL had the spring rolls. He gave then 4, but he was so full so he only really ate a ½ of one. Maybe he ate a lot at Tusker House, I don’t really remember.

For his meal, DH ordered the Kobe Beef Burger - 10 oz grilled American Kobe beef burger, sesame-soy sauce, mayonnaise, crispy shoestring fries. topped with choice of shiitake mushroom & scallion compote or Asian slaw $17.99. He said it was the most flavorful hamburger he has ever eaten. It was so messy, though—he had to eat it with a fork and spoon. He would like to order it again, but there are also other things he would like to try.

I ordered the Duck with Anandapur Glaze - roasted half duckling, orange wasabi glaze, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables $21.99. I thought it was good! The sides were just okay, but the duck was good. I would order this again. However, I must say that this is the second time I have been to Yak and Yeti with the intention of ordering the steak and shrimp but defaulted to something else. When I eat there in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS, what will I order? Time will tell!

SIL and BIL both got Sweet and Sour Chicken- Tempura chicken or pork, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, pineapple $17.49. One of them may have had pork, I am unsure. This time, BIL made the comment about how it made him hungry because it was so good. SIL said that it “equaled” the best sweet and sour she has had. It didn’t blow her away, but it was good.

Hayden had the noodles. The great thing about this was that they brought out his meal WAY before they brought ours. Thank you Yak and Yeti!

Ginny kept us entertained before dessert with her dancing:

BIL and SIL both chose the same thing for dessert, the Sorbet - Mango, lemon, raspberry $6.99. BIL liked that it was refreshing and the mango tasted like real mangos. The sorbet didn’t blow SIL away, but she did say that it was good for sorbet. She just wasn’t in the mood for it.

DH got the Mango Pie - shortbread cookie crust, fresh whipped cream, raspberry sauce $6.99. It was better this year, I think the shortbread crust last year was a bit stale. This time it was fresh and crumbly.

I had the Fried Wontons - Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle $7.99. This was good, just like it was last year, but not as good as the mango pie was this year. Last year it was the opposite.

After we ate, there was a “situation”….

Food Round Up:
I want to see how much we would have spent on all this food and see if it saves as much as Disney claims it would save.

4 Adults, Yak and Yeti: $151.29
1 Child, Yak and Yeti: $8.98
Total Food Costs, Day 3: $265.22
Total Food Costs, Trip: $950.64

Cost of upgrade to DxDP: $1161.00
Cost of DxDP w/o Free Dining: $2780

 

[oboedm]

Day 3: Part Five—Chocolate Shakes

… Ginny was sleeping at this point and SIL somehow managed to get the CMs to give their permission to bring the stroller into the restaurant. She stated that Ginny would wake up if we transferred her to the stroller outside?!?! We were in the smallest corner of the restaurant so it was awkward and I am sure it annoyed other diners. I believe I mentioned that I would carry her to show, but I don’t remember clearly, as that didn’t end up happening.

I needed to leave at this point, so I took Hayden outside. I REALLY wanted to catch the 2:30 Finding Nemo show, so we told everyone to meet us there.

Hayden and I booked it over the theater and hopped in line. I was so excited!

This is my favorite show! It took awhile for everyone else to join us since SIL was taking pictures along the way. Sure, they are great pictures and I am grateful for them, but the line had started moving by that time and Hayden and I were going with it!

They got to the line and still had to park the stroller. SIL didn’t want to wake Ginny with another transfer, which is understandable, but this was why I wanted to carry her there. She would wake with the transfer but sleep through the show.

Long story short, I ended up getting out the line and we didn’t see the show. This was frustrating to me because I loved the Nemo show and wanted to watch it with Hayden. I don’t know why we just didn’t split up at that point. I think it was because I wanted to accommodate them and do what they wanted to do.

We then decided to go to the stations so Hayden could get his stamps, and I was excited about that because Hayden loved it. BIL, Hayden and I set out to find it while SIL took more pictures:

After wandering around, we couldn’t find the one for Discovery Island so we just shopped. For an hour.

At that point, I was frustrated because I was hot, really wanted to be go to the show. I should have said something about the 3:30 show, but decided to go back with the group. We left AK around 3:30 and waited a while for a bus. Probably 20-30 minutes.

I don’t think that anyone bought anything—we just looked—for an hour. So frustrating! There were solutions for that in hindsight, but we didn’t think of them there. I just wish that the baby would have been carried to the show. We will definitely see this in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS, or I will just die.

We got back to the room around 4:30 and needed to leave around 6:30 for Jiko.I took a nap and we ended up leaving around 6:15 or so. I took Ginny in the sling ad she fell asleep. We took a bus to MK (that was the first one that arrived) and transferred to AK. We pulled up as the AK bus pulled up. Jiko here we come!

First stop was Kidani. We actually got off the bus, as we didn’t realize that Kidani was the first stop. I knew it wasn’t right the second we walked in the door—I knew what the lobby looked like! We got back on the bus and disembarked at Jambo Hour. It actually took us a while to realize you had to go down the stairs to the restaurant. =)

The lobby is AWESOME! I loved it! I would love to stay here, and I was actually thinking about it for Feb, but all of the value rooms were taken and the savannah view rooms were too expensive. As such, we are staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge (on rented DVC points). Looking back, I should have splurged. When you are spending that much money, what’s a bit more?

Anyway, we made our way to Jiko and were seated in the sunset room where the lighting changed colors as the sun set. It was an AMAZING place. Ginny was asleep in the sling.

Our waiter was from Chile, DH was excited about this, as he lived in Chile for two years. He said it was so nice to hear the accent again and talked Spanish with him. Soon after that, breads from Africa were brought to our table. These breads were pretty good, but I liked the lighter colored bread more.

As his appetizer, DH ordered the Barbecue Chicken Flatbread- with Apple-Jicama slaw, African barbecue sauce, and four cheeses $10. He thought this was okay, but thought the apples were a bit too overpowering. I liked his a lot better than mine….

…. I had the Taste of Africa - Trio of Dips with Assorted Breads and House-made Naan $9. Yeah. Not so great. I am not an “exotic food person”. I vaguely remember making an joke about starving if I lived in Africa because I couldn’t eat the food. It wasn’t really bread. It was like the THOUGHT of bread. Like it was God’s first try at creating bread, so it was full of mistakes and awfulness.

To be fair, I didn’t mind the tortilla/pita bread, as I live in Arizona and eat a lot of Mexican food. The weird saltine like corn bread was awful and the dipping sauces tasted like feet. Seriously… the bread had the nutritional value of paper.

SIL ordered the Kalamata Olive Flatbread - With four cheeses and Laura Chenel soft goat cheese $9. DH actually really liked this and will probably order it the next time we go… IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! SIL was pleasantly surprised and said that it tasted like good, healthy, fresh pizza.

BIL ordered the Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin - with Mealie Pap, Chakalaka, White Truffle Oil and micro cilantro $16. This is what I want to get IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS if it is still on the menu. He said it was fresh, like he had just chased it down through the jungles/forests of Samoa and exacted his revenge. He gave it 5 stars and said it was gamey, but good.

For our meal, we all ordered the Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon - with two potato gratin, gruyere, broccolini and red wine sauce $41. We asked for the red wine sauce on the side. We don’t drink, and we were afraid that the wine sauce would overpower everything because we are sensitive to the taste of alcohol. We made the right call.

AMAZING! We loved this! SIL wasn’t that hungry, but she thought it was really good and liked the combination. BIL thought that it wasn’t as good as the board, and that is was “expected”. DH and I can’t wait to eat this again in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. And yes, we will ask the waiter to substitute the mac for the potatoes, as I have heard that it’s still on the kids’ menu.

Hayden wasn’t eating well at this meal. However, in order to get his dessert, he had to eat his dinner. I REALLY wanted him to get the Jiko “Fun-Do”, because it looked really awesome. We ended up making it into a game. We would each take a piece of pizza. I would say “Pizza” then lift mine into the air, he then repeated it. We did the same thing with “Friends”, “Dance” (we would shake the pizza at this point), then “EAT”! At that point, we had to take a bite. I faked it, as the pizza wasn’t good.

For dessert, BIL, SIL and DH ordered the Tanzanian Chocolate, Cherry and chocolate - Chocolate cremeux with chocolate crunch, chocolate-cherry mascarpone and cocoa nibs $10. BIL and SIL gave it a 4.5 because they wanted more. DH said if you don’t like chocolate, this dessert would destroy your soul.

I ordered the Three Sisters - Chocolate Pistachio Creme, Cheesecake with vanilla creme anglaise, and peach and corn cake “shortcake” $9. This is a bit different from the menu now. The first two are the same, but now it comes with a “madeleine with strawberries and cream”.

It is a good thing that they changed the last offering and it was gross. The sad thing is I saved that for last because I love peaches!

The “Fun Do” was ordered, and it was so much fun! Hayden shared with me and I was so excited!

We were so hopped up on sugar at that point that we made something up called the “Chocolate Shakes”. He started shaking after every bite, like he was overloaded on chocolate or so excited about the “Fun Do” process. Here are a few pictures of our chocolate shakes! DH called them the early onset of diabetes.

It took us forever to get back to our resort. We took a bus to DTD, and we planned to catch a boat back to POFQ. However, the boats weren’t running because of the rain. It took 20 minutes to get back to POFQ, and when we got there, we went right past and dropped off the POR people first. SIL was upset about that and was shouting her dissatisfaction across the bus. It is only fair that they switch things around every once in a while. The bus driver said he received orders that it was time to switch the order. It was really embarrassing, especially since he was just trying to do his job.

Stay tuned for another report about our next day at Epcot! Akershus, Pick a Pearl, and a failed Kim Possible mission.


Food Round Up:
I want to see how much we would have spent on all this food and see if it saves as much as Disney claims it would save.

4 Adults, Jiko: $267.00
1 Child, Jiko: $19
Total Food Costs, Day 3: $531.22
Total Food Costs, Trip: $1216.64

Cost of upgrade to DxDP: $1161.00
Cost of DxDP w/o Free Dining: $2780

 

[annmarieda]

As always, I love your updates. I am so jealous you are about to go back!!!

Your description of the bread at Jiko had me cracking up. Too funny... I am such a bread person. I guess if I ever do go there I will stay away from the bread.

Love the chocolate shakes.... you are such a good aunt. Hayden is lucky to have you. My kids have never had much involvement/interaction from any of their aunts or uncles.

So, being on the ddp, you get an appetizer with the meal? Very cool... lots of food though!

I so appreciate your totals on the food. I am anxious to see how the total ends up comparing.

 

[oboedm]

As always, I love your updates. I am so jealous you are about to go back!!!

Your description of the bread at Jiko had me cracking up. Too funny... I am such a bread person. I guess if I ever do go there I will stay away from the bread.

Love the chocolate shakes.... you are such a good aunt. Hayden is lucky to have you. My kids have never had much involvement/interaction from any of their aunts or uncles.

So, being on the ddp, you get an appetizer with the meal? Very cool... lots of food though!

I so appreciate your totals on the food. I am anxious to see how the total ends up comparing.

I am torn on the DxDP. You do get appetizers, but they weren't necessary. However, because we take people with us, and we don't want them to look at the cost, we want them to order what they want, it works out well. We also want them to eat at places that they couldn't if they had taken themselves.

However, in the future, with our family, I don't know that we would do the Dx. I think that we would do the DDP and pay OOP for a few TS meals. I am not a fan of CS breakfasts, so we may do TS breakfast OOP, CS lunch, and TS dinner.

Thanks for the compliment about my aunti-ness! It is appreciated. I feel glad that I can have good relationships with my nieces and nephews. It fills un the void until we have our own!

 

[oboedm]

Day 4: Part 1—Getting in the Groove

I remember waking up in a good mood this morning. I think it was because we had all settled into our routines and felt comfortable where we were.

Here is DH, happy at the bus stop and BIL/Hayden with the stroller all ready to go.

Hayden was pretty happy this morning as well. He even posed for some pictures in front of SSE!

Ginny was awake and happy as well. We were ready to meet some princesses!

After taking pictures, we headed over to Akershus for our ADR. Here are some lovely pictures along the way.

Don’t you love how fast this TR is going by, now that I am working from my sketchy memory and not from my journal? I thought you would!

We made it to Norway, checked in for breakfast, and started our wait in the courtyard. SIL was able to get some great pictures, as usual.

It seemed busy to me, or maybe I was just hungry and hot.

We must have waited a long time, because SIL got a lot of pictures that morning. We probably got in around 8:30 ish, and our reservation was at 8.

Last year DH and I met Aurora, this year it was Belle in the yellow dress. I prefer the blue one, myself. We got a few pictures, Hayden hiding as usual.