I'd Walk a Mile for a Cupcake- an SSR Quickie! 4/4-4/7/11 FINISHED!! 6/29

THanks so much for sharing and that ice cream you had looks heavenly!!! I am glad you had a great trip and I love reading the reports. You always do such an awesome job!!!
 
I MISS Disney-- what a great update! I've never had ghirardelli ice cream, but I'm addicted to the 60% dark chocolate squares!!!! Is it any better than regular ice cream?

I have to be honest- I don't remember all that much about the ice cream- I was too busy enjoying the peanut/chocolate yumminess!! :rolleyes:

Thanks for sharing and all the pics!!!

You are soooo welcome!!! I loved all of yours from BWV- you've been getting me excited for my next vacation, which is there in May. :goodvibes So thank-YOU!

THanks so much for sharing and that ice cream you had looks heavenly!!! I am glad you had a great trip and I love reading the reports. You always do such an awesome job!!!

Hi there! You are soo welcome- and thank-you for the kind words. :hug:
 
Great Report! SSR looks beautiful as ever! I love being so close to all the fun at DTD. It's my boys favorite resort! And your title says a mouthful! My ds14 would agree!:thumbsup2
 
I was very anxious to go ride the Sum of all Thrills in Innoventions- the last time we had tried to do this, Tyler got frustrated, time ran out on him, his ride was very short, and he took my place riding with Timmy. Tyler's problem was largely due to the fact that he didn't watch the video in the beginning that tells you what to do. :upsidedow So THIS time, I made SURE he was paying attention (and he made sure, too!). We had about a 25 minute wait until we were watching the how-to. This attraction rarely has a longer line than that, and I thnk it is because most visitors don't realize it's there (like all the people I knew from home that were in WDW that week- when I would talk about it, they all said, "Isn't that in Disney Quest?"). Anywho.....

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Soon the boys were designing their rides-

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The boys decided I would ride with Timmy on this one. :goodvibes We got up to the top, and the CM said "Put your stuff in this locker". Well, because it was raining, I was in my raingear- a great DVC rain pullover I had purchased 2 years ago when I was visiting WDW during monsoon season. :rolleyes: It has, on the front, a GREAT BIG zippered pocket, and almost everything was in there. ALMOST. So no bag. ANd the kid said, "You'll be fine with stuff in your pockets". Well.....maybe not.....but I know better now, don't I! :sad2: So, Timmy & I got on our ride, and we were having LOADS of fun, and we heard a CLUNK! and Timmy said, "WHAT WAS THAT???" and I couldn't imagine what it could be- I actually checked my earrings, thinking one of them fell off, but, of course they would never have made a CLUNK!, they would have barely made a sound at all...

We exited the simulator, and walking down the stairs from the ride, I instinctively reached for my pants pocket (cargo pants, I always wear cargo pants at Disney so I can put things in my pockets) to grab my iphone....

:scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1:

So....guess what the clunk was? That's right! My two month old Verizon iphone had popped the snap on my pants' pocket during one of the inversions, and dropped to the ground from waaaaaaay up where the ride is.

DUH. Stupid Mommy.

The CMs were able to locate it down there on the floor, but would not be able to get to it until the ride closed that day (nor did I want them to get it before then- I sure wasn't going to be responsible for the first ever 50 minute wait for SOAT!!!!). So....we went outside, where the rain had stopped, and rode the Orange MS, and then TT in the single rider line, then decided we were hungry, so headed for WS. The boys were in the mood for tacos, so we went to La Cantina.

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It was 11:30 am, and there was NO line to speak of. Both boys wanted the same thing- smoked beef brisket tacos served on fresh handmade corn tortillas with pico de gallo, lime and tortilla chips. $11.95.

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This was such a large serving, and full well knowing there would be MUCH more snacking around WS that day, we got just 2 orders, and 1 order of churros. I ate 1 of each of the boys' 3 tacos- it was great! Here are the churros, already missing two in the basket (even I'm not that fast with my camera!)

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The CMs had directed us inside to sit- can I tell you I had no CLUE that this was like this? It is so pretty inside!

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What a great view this must be, minus the raindrops-
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That was a great lunch, such a pretty counter service restaurant, and the tacos were generous and delicious! :goodvibes But now there was something else I wanted to try...something which has eluded me on all these visits...and that's where we had to go next- because of my must-do's for this trip, there was one treat at the top of the list. Can you guess what it was???


 

Great TR! Thanks for sharing - I am really enjoying the details in your photos. Thank you for being so thorough! :goodvibes
 
So we left the Cantina and walked towards Norway.....

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We loved these cockatoos in Mexico-

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And I took a photo of these skulls for one of my cruise buddies-

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But really? We needed to get to Norway. Because, as many times as I have noshed my way around WS, I have NEVER, EVER tried the elusive Schoolbread. And in preparing for this quickie trip, I looked at a LOT of DIS food porn. And that Schoolbread is pretty popular- it has had it's photo taken more than once, and it has been making me CRAZY lately that I don't know what all the fuss was about. So on to Norway....where the line for Kringla Og was OUT THE DOOR in a BIG way. :scared1: Well...it WAS lunchtime, after all....but we weren't waiting in that line. It was BIG!!! Instead, the boys wanted to get on the non-existant line in Norway for Maelstrom.

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Seriously, we were on in 2 minutes.

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It is a very cool ride, what cracks me up everytime is that back in my wimpy, pre-RnRC, scared to death of rides existence, I was scared on this ride. Seriously. :rotfl2: I tell you this so that you know there is hope for EVERYONE to be bitten by the thrill ride bug! Or at least the Disney thrill ride bug- I don't see myself riding Kingda Ka at Great Adventure anytime soon, I can promise you THAT!

After the ride, the guys decided to channel their inner-viking-

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Timmy is laughing SO HARD here, that is why you can't see his face-

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When we got outside, the line was STILL too long...so I figured we'd just have to come back later. Damned elusive Schoolbread!

I thought these were so playful in China-

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These were playful in China, too-

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There were about 6 teenage boys at that stand, all playing with the Chinese toys. I could see how Tyler wanted to join them, so I would imagine he'll be playing with the yoyos on our next trip. :rolleyes: A pic of me with the birthday boy-

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They stopped to play the drums in the Outpost- it's been so long since they have done that. It used to be a place we would ALWAYS have to stop when they were small. Boys just looooove to bang on drums!!!

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Well, since we did not have the schoolbread, I went to #2 of my never before food must-dos-

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T&T were UBER excited about this shop!! They are caramel lovers, and when I had mentioned this shop existed to them, well....there was no doubt we had to stop in. I have heard the lines in here are CRAZEEEEE times 10- but not today, for us....we were alone in the sugar shack-

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They both picked the same thing (and, FWIW, it is what Tyler had asked me to bring home for him when he thought he wasn't coming. This and a marble cupcake from Starring Rolls. This choice, however, was completely DIS food porn driven!). Milk chocolate caramel drizzled marshmallows-

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I got a german caramel-

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It was filled with the ooey-est, gooey-est caramel- delicious!! I took a couple of bites, and T&T fought over the rest.

Our trip continues with some noodle fun, next!!

 
No way! Yellow carmel cupcakes?! Where have I been? You mean all those trips to the World Showcase and I miss these cupcakes? OY!! And chocolate covered marshmellows with caramel? It's like...well, like food porn heaven!
And to think I even suggested that we have a no park visit to my DH. Drooling on my keyboard;)

PS...I've had the school bread, but wait until you see the pretzel.
 
No way! Yellow carmel cupcakes?! Where have I been? You mean all those trips to the World Showcase and I miss these cupcakes? OY!! And chocolate covered marshmellows with caramel? It's like...well, like food porn heaven!
And to think I even suggested that we have a no park visit to my DH. Drooling on my keyboard;)

PS...I've had the school bread, but wait until you see the pretzel.

YEP! We didn't try them this visit, but I want one next time- they do look delicious, don't they? :love:

I dunno- I think I could do a no park visit- there IS so much else to do down there- just BEING when you are at one of the resorts is so nice- people are so friendly, CMs are amazing- ahhhhh....I just LOVE our DVC!! :love:

ANd....maybe I will see the pretzel....:rolleyes1
 
Who knew about the Caramel shop?!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup2

So happy to have my braces off for our June trip!:rotfl:
 
We continued around WS-

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Such beautiful flowers everywhere, I just LOVED all the color!! Delphiniums are one of my favorite flowers, but the NJ climate is not so great for them- I usually only get one season out of them when I plant them. Much better in the Pacific NW! And Timmy says, "Aren't we going to Japan?" because earlier I had given them the choice of lunch in Mexico or Japan, or just 2 lunches to share in Mexico & another shared lunch in Japan- which is what they chose, but, quite frankly- I was still full from the tacos and all the chips and the caramel- apparently, Timmy was not! So on to Yakitori House we went-

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This is yet another CS we have never been inside of- this one looks a little more fast-food-ish inside, but then, if it had been a nicer day, we would have taken advantage of the lovely outdoor seating, and been admiring the Japanese gardens. I asked Timmy what he wanted to eat here, and he said he would like some shrimp. It took a few minutes to decide (we were told you could order the shrimp as a side dish, even though it is not shown on the menu), but we opted for the full on Tempura Shrimp Udon - Tempura shrimp and udon noodles served in a clear broth with green onions $9.99

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In hind site, I wish we would have ordered the shrimp as a side dish, but still ordered the udon. The shrimp loose their crunchyness when they are laid on top of the soup- I wish they would serve them on the side, or maybe I would just request they be served on the side next time. Still, even though the texture was off, and even though Timmy hates, I repeat HATES soup, sauce, gravy or anything resembling any of those things, he ate the shrimp. Tyler & I worked on the Udon.

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The best part? When i told the boys the way to eat the noodles properly was to SLURP them up! Perfectly polite to slurp those noodles as dramatically as possible! WOW...now THOSE are some table manners they can get behind!!

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Even Timmy had some soup to give his slurping skills a shot!

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BTW, that was only the second time in his life that he has willingly eaten soup- the other time it was chicken noodle, onboard the Disney Magic. :lovestruc

Once the noodles had been sucked up, we went outside, and were just in time for the Matsuriza Taiko Drummers.

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We all enjoyed watching them- they are so in-sync, their timing is impeccable! At this point, both kids decided it was time to go on a ride, and they chose a boat ride over a walk. As luck would have it, a boat had just docked, so we boarded and in minutes were back to Mexico. Our next stop was Test Track....where we did our single rider dance, and hopped on in minutes!

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Here's tyler's ride-

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Next, it was on to Mission Space Orange, which had a 30 minute wait for stand-by. On the way, we ran into our friends the Webers, from town. They said they have NEVER gone on MS, not even the Green- and they wanted to know what was in the big golf ball. :scared1: We did our very best to talk them into both, and I keep meaning to call her and find out if they survived!

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It must be really hard to eat or work out sideways or upside down!

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Goofy kids-

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Timmy was laughing SO HARD again, trying on the hats-

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Cont'd next post-

 
It was finally time for our Soarin FPs, so we went over to the Land-

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It's Puddy time!

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The naughty Mouseketeer-
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Aaaahhhhhh......

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After our flight to Mars, I convinced T&T to go see Captain EO. It was a battle with 13 year old, I'm too cool for anything besides Eminem, Tyler- but even HE enjoyed it. Although he did NOT think it made ANY sense whatsoever. :rolleyes:

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We made a quick stop in the butterfly house, but it was chilly and cloudy, and that means the butterflies were not very active. I did want to try it anyway, since the boys have never been here before during F&G, and this would be a first for them.

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Bambi is one of my son Sean's favorites. Next we saw-

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There were columbines, another of my favorites, in that garden. Those I CAN grow here in NJ! :)

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Soon we were out of the park and on our way to Kouzzina, for an early 5:30 pm ADR. I had planned dinner here for two reasons. One, I REALLY wanted to eat at Kouzzina and judge it for myself. TWO, I REALLY, REALLY wanted to go to the Boardwalk with my kids- it IS our new home, having just closed on BWV points in January, and I wanted them to see how fun it is, and look forward to staying there in our future. On our walk...

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Up next- Kouzzina!

 
We were on our way to Kouzzina for dinner.

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We checked in at the Podium, and the hostess wished Timmy a Happy Birthday (as did EVERYONE, all the time! That kid was LOVIN all the attention!) and asked him if he had been having a special birthday. To which he replied, "Yea, but I haven't gotten any special desserts or anything yet, if that's what you're askin' about..." :scared1: :rotfl2: No worries, Tim- I'm sure they've got you covered! :rotfl2: We were handed a buzzer, and timmy & I went to explore, while Tyler sat on a bench.

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As we were walking, I remembered what I really, really, really wanted to shop for. Since January, I have been looking for a print of the BW to add to my other homes. I have one by Larry Dotson of AK, Jambo, and I have one of BCV, but no matter how much I searched on ebay or anywhere on the internet, I just couldn't locate a BWV one. Well, the Screen Door had one- even though it is only of the Inn side, and not the DVC side, but it serves the purpose. Larry Dotson- I wish he would paint the villas, but I am happy to have it of the Inn all the same. Just as I paid, our buzzer went off, so we went back to the restaurant. We were seated in a back room, and i ordered a Kouzzina-rita - Organic Blanco Tequila, Agave Nectar, fresh Lime Juice, and a splash of PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur $10.25

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I am a sucker for anything with PAMA in it, absolutely love the stuff, and this cocktail was fantastic! Our waiter was adorable, and he quickly took our order and brought the bread & EVOO tasting-

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YUM...that bread, the oils & the olives were FABULOUS! The boys loved the bread, too, although they were not big on the olives. Both Tim & Ty got chicken noodle soup for an appetizer (they were both ordering from the kids' menu), although Timmy immediately picked his up, put it in front of Tyler, and said, "Here's some soup."

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I ordered Spiro's Greek Salad - Vine-ripened Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Red Onions, Kalamata Olives, and Feta $7.99

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It was kind of a deconstructed salad, and while I would have preferred a crispier lettuce more than the arugula (although I am a big arugula fan), I LOVED this salad- it was SO refreshing, the cheese was delicious, the seasoning was perfect, the tomatoes truly WERE ripe tomatoes- I thoroughly enjoyed it. YUMMMMMM.... Our entrees came out, timed just right (I kept reading that the timing of the meals was off here in everyone's reviews, that was not the case for us). T&T were having Cheese Pizza - served with veggies and sliced apples $8.99

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I wanted to try Saffron Pasta - tossed with Lamb Ragu and Shaved Kefalograviera Cheese (Macaronada) $21.99

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The kids enjoyed their pizza, and I liked my pasta alot- but I think next time I would like to try the lamb shank, pork tenderloin or the whole fish (I don't mind the head- I just hesitate because of the bones). I also had a glass of wine with my meal- it was the recommended pairing, a Merlot- very nice. Once our plates were cleared, it was time for Timmy's favorite part- the Happy Birthday Timmy part!

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Charlie, our waiter, made sure Timmy felt very, very special. We did order more desserts, too! I HAD to get an order of Loukoumades - Freshly Made Greek Doughnuts drizzled with Warm Honey $6.99

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YUMMMMM...so light, but crispy outside, delicious with the raspberry & vanilla sauces. The kids had no problem polishing them off! They also had their own desserts. Tyler was building his own dessert pizza-

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TA-DAAAA!!!
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Timmy was doing a make your own sundae-

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This meant he was putting sprinkles on vanilla ice cream, and giving some chocolate sauce to his brother. We finished our desserts, and while I waited for the check from Charlie (minus my TIW discount), T&T went to shoot baskets on the Boardwalk.

Cont'd next post-


 
Hot-digady-dog, I have been waiting for a review of Kouzzina. We have a reservation there in August.

Your boys are so funny. I wonder if Timmy's comment prompted his special dessert.
 
This is what I had been sitting underneath all night. Talk about inspirational!!:rotfl:

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On the way out-

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Joy of all joys, the boys managed to win one of the basketballs- you know, nothing says happiness like lugging a basketball home on a plane. :rolleyes: I asked them what they wanted to do next, and surprise, surprise, they wanted to go back to SSR and shoot hoops! :rotfl: But first, we had to stop in EPCOT to see if my iphone was turned in. On the way....

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See you in May, BWV!

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See you in November, BCV!

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Tyler posed in front of the French flag for his French teacher-

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It was just after 7pm, when the CMs at Soarin had said I should check at Guest Services for my iphone, which had spent the day on the floor underneath the Sum of all Thrills. They went in the back, and came out with an iphone- and when I pulled up one of the pics of us on it, they felt safe it was mine.

And it still WORKED. :scared1::worship: I could NOT believe it!! My iphone flew out of a ride and hit the floor from a 15 foot drop, and STILL it WORKS!!! I loved my iphone already, but now??? Now I am a head-over-heels fan for life. :love: While we were in there, the MOST adorable, absolutely SWEETEST CM fooled around with the kids-

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Then it was on to the buses, where we once again had BIGTIME transportation mojo, hopping right on, and right back to SSR.

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Up next- a night hangin' at the resort.:goodvibes
 
Who knew about the Caramel shop?!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup2

So happy to have my braces off for our June trip!:rotfl:

Oh yea- good thing about gettin' those braces off!! :woohoo::woohoo: Braces in Karamel Kuche could be a BIG problem!! Uh-oh...Timmy is ging to be really, really sad this November- he's supposed to get Braces sometime between now & then.

Hot-digady-dog, I have been waiting for a review of Kouzzina. We have a reservation there in August.

Your boys are so funny. I wonder if Timmy's comment prompted his special dessert.

I really liked Kouzzina, and I am sooo glad I gave it a try! I have made and cancelled more ADRs there than I can count- sometimes the timing just wasn't working out, other times I was put off by bad reviews. It was hard to find reviews of the place, but I thnk now there are more. I will definitely go back (we are eating breakfast there next month, too!!

And I think Timmy was just insuring that they knew he wanted a cupcake- it was on the ADR. :goodvibes He saw me get some special desserts when we were there in October for my birthday in November, so he knew what to expect! :banana:
 
Really enjoying your Trip Report. Perfect mix of story text and pictures. Thanks for sharing!
 
Nothing better than a podsnel tr. Our oldest shows the same emotion when excited
 
Let's just say, that if you are reading this, and you are her Mom, you should break up with Andre IMMEDIATELY and go out and get yourself a JOB!!
:lmao: This part made me laugh out loud!!! I am just getting around to reading your Trip Report. Very entertaining. We leave for Disney a week from today and I am just loving all the pictures! You have reminded me that I need to get a new camera this week. BTW, I only live about 30 mins from you down the road off 78...
 















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