"I'm Just Trying to Put a Booger on Her Face!" Our Jan. 2014 TR Update 2/10

[Rosco1]

Joining in.

I had the Strawberry Tart for the first time in November. I have HAPPY dreams about it. It may be my first stop when I head back in June.

Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Joining in.

I had the Strawberry Tart for the first time in November. I have HAPPY dreams about it. It may be my first stop when I head back in June.

Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

I love readers that comment! Thanks for following! Anytime anyone asks "what's a good counter service in Epcot?" I'm like "Go to the bakery in France! Go, go, go!" The January DISers Facebook group is probably sick of me pushing it by now!

 

[DVCmom4]

Love your report!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Thursday morning rolled around and we were up slightly earlier than in the past few days and down to Animation Hall just before 9am. Ian loved the paintings in the lobby and wanted pictures with some of them.

We each decided to get the Bounty Platter, which had potato casserole, scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, a biscuit and sausage.

The platter was good overall. Loved the potatoes. I don't like eggs but Mom loves them. The sausage was too spicy for me and the bacon was limp, Ian said it looked "sad and frowny".

After breakfast we made our normal stop back at the room to get our stuff together for the day and I took a selfie in the elevator.

Oh yeah, full out Disney! Ready to get my MK on!

Soon we were arriving at the TTC and parked in the handicapped lot. It turned out the the entire heroes side of the parking lot was closed for the marathon so the line for the villains side and the handicapped area was long. We made it eventually and then began the short walk to the monorail.

The line for the express monorail wasn't terribly long but the ramp was packed so we got in line for the resort track. The woman in line behind us said she was doing the same thing and felt like she should tell some of the people in the express line about that trick!

Ian with Monorail Red.

Made our way to bag check and waited for PB. He had come early to meet with his manager and also stopped to get his haircut at the barbershop in the utilidors. By parking in cast parking behind MK, he was also guaranteeing a quick exit in the afternoon to go let the cable guy into his house!

Ian took this shot of the castle, kind of.

PB went to Big Thunder to get FPs and Mom, Ian and I were heading down Main Street to Peter Pan when Ian just got too overwhelmed and started having a meltdown that ended with him sobbing hysterically onto Mom's shirt. Poor kid. When he had calmed down we sat on the benches on the bridge to Liberty Square so he could take an iPod break. I texted PB where we were and made my way alone to Peter Pan for a DAS return time.

In all the times I've been to Magic Kingdom, I've never gone around the left side of the castle! I got some beautiful pics and FINALLY found the Cinderella fountain!

And mostly succeeded in getting the crown on her head. I think the return time for Peter Pan was 11:40 and Big Thunder was 12:30. PB stopped at Sleepy Hollow for one of the waffle sandwiches, I'm pretty sure it was the tomato and omelet one. He raved about it. Mom took a bathroom break by Crystal Palace. The Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It party came to the hub. Ian recognized the music but didn't want to participate so PB and I kind of danced along from where we were sitting.

Finally we convinced Ian it was time to go ride some rides. After doing some last minute optimization through the Lines app, we headed for Haunted Mansion. Mom was about to park the scooter next to that little wooden shack thing near the entrance when a CM asked me if we were parking the scooter there. "Yes. Can we?" He said no, we had to park it with stroller parking. So Mom rolled over there and in the meantime a huge Brazilian tour group jumped in line for the Mansion. Of course. Mom came back and said it was quite an ordeal to park the scooter even where she was told to. Skipping the Mansion for the moment, we wandered over to it's a small world. The wait was pretty short.

The CM decided to stuff us into one row, the first in the boat. It was soooooo cramped. We couldn't even move. My legs were cramping up by the time it was over.

I tried to get a shot of how the front of the boat was dipping forward with us three pooh sized people and Ian in row 1.

In our case, it was the most squished cruise that ever sailed.

Love their dresses!

Here's us, all smooshed into the boat.

After we all managed to heave our way up and out of the vessel, it was 12pm and we were good to walk right across the way to Peter Pan. The wait was short with the DAS, as opposed to an hour in stand by! Another ride with a moving walkway but Ian did slightly better with this one. He rode with Mom and I was in a ship with PB. I tried to get pictures but we were moving too fast. I never realized how swiftly those ships fly until this time!

After Peter Pan, it was just about time for our Big Thunder FPs to kick in-keep in mind, these were the only FPs we actually used on the whole trip! Back through Liberty Square, where Haunted Mansion was posting a 15 minute wait, but the queue was huge so we weren't about to try that. Mom picked up the scooter and we were off to Frontierland. We stopped near the popcorn cart by the entrance to the rafts to Tom Sawyer Island. PB used my free drink coupons (from when I was still a CM) to get us some soda and water. We drank for a few minutes and then got in the line. Almost walked right on. I think we were in the last two rows, again me with PB and Mom and Ian together. This is the only roller coaster that Mom will go on and she loves it! Ian loved it too!

I thought we had it straight about who needed to sit where to keep from being crushed by their seatmate but we were wrong. One one turn PB flew into me and I seriously thought I broke a rib from hitting the side of the train so hard!

After the ride was over we trekked back over to Fantasyland because it was now within our FP window to eat at Be Our Guest!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Arriving at Be Our Guest, PB went to the little stand to check us in. There didn't seem to be any order to that line and he had to wait a few minutes. Mom parked the scooter, and since it seemed it might rain we draped my poncho over it to protect the seat and put the nice little plastic baggie the company gave us over the handlebar and control area. PB couldn't spell my last name so he needed me to help find the reservation. Eventually it showed up and we were escorted straight to the front of the line to Fawn, who showed us into the "knight in shining armor" room, where you wait for the ordering kiosks. We ended up speaking to a real person and not using one of the self-serve kiosks.

The ballroom is so strikingly beautiful that we chose to eat there, and were lucky to get a table right next to the window with the "falling snow". This was the first time I realized how totally gorgeous and sparkly the chandeliers are!

Ian took this next one, and he didn't do a bad job!

It did take about 15 minutes for our food to arrive. In the meantime we made a bathroom trip to wash our hands, got drinks and utensils, etc. When the food came, it looked amazing!

Mom and I each had the Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich - served warm on a baguette with horeradish sour cream and Pomme Frites.

Ian and PB both got the Braised Pork - slow-cooked pork with vegetables and bacon served with mashed potatoes and green beens jardiniere.

I know PB ate every last bit of his and Ian ate at least most of it, if not all. Mom and I really enjoyed our sandwiches as well. The roast beef seemed freshly carved, the baguette was perfect, and the horseradish was tangy without being overwhelming. The french fries were much more crispy than the last time I had them.

Then the desserts...oh, the desserts. On the top is Mom's Tropical Fruit Cream Puff, filled with passion fruit mousse, topped with whipped cream. Ian had the chocolate cream puff filled with chocolate mousse and topped with whipped cream. PB and I each had the master's cupcake. I can't even begin to describe the awesomeness of this dessert. It was a chocolate cupcake that was so moist and rich, and then it had the grey stuff on top and through the middle of the cake part. I was licking the wrapper to get every last bit out. The "Be Our Guest" things in the frosting are edible, and those little pearly things were delightfully crunchy, sweet and light. Kind of like a chocolate coated rice crispie.

PB scarfed down his meal and then apologized for eating and running, but it was approaching 2pm and he had to be home to let the cable guy in so that he could finally get internet in his new apartment. We finished up eating and took our time, leaving right around 2. So really, it only took us 25 minutes to eat anyway.

That's such a classic Ian picture. You tell him what to do and he kind of does it halfheartedly and confused about why he's doing it in the first place.

It was just kind of spritzing as we walked down Main Street to the exit. We decided to just leave the car at the TTC and take a chance with the bus back to AoA for our break. I was happy to see the bus loop expansion has been completed but sad that AoA was the VERY.LAST.QUEUE. at #34, which is frankly a bit of a hike.

There were a couple of people waiting and few more families came up after us. And we finally got a picture of Mom's pink scooter, with her doing a princess wave.

The bus showed up within 10 minutes. We were loaded first. It's been over a year since Mom has tried to park a scooter on a bus and she was definitely a little rusty. But eventually she and the driver managed to get it straightened out and strapped down. I chose to stand near the rear exit because a)I'm young and can stand so I will always give up my seat to children or older adults, or even just adults in general and b)that allows me to hop off the bus as soon as it stops.

As the bus was driving to the resort, it started absolutely pouring buckets. I managed to get my poncho on and rush Ian inside to the lobby, where we waited for Mom. Her jacket was semi-waterproof. Then we made a run for it to our building, thankfully not all that far from the lobby but we were still pretty wet by the time we got to the door. Time for our daily nap/relaxation.

By the time we were ready to go back to MK, the sun was shining through and the rain had stopped, although there were still some puddles on the ground. Back out to the bus stop. Again there was about a 10 minute wait. We called my grandma and found out that the weather in Buffalo was so bad that a driving ban had been put into place and she couldn't get to our house to feed our cat for three days! But the cat (and grandma) were fine.

Back at MK, PB wasn't there yet so we took a couple pictures.

Ian really did not want Mom to take my picture!

PB said he was on the monorail and would be there shortly. We sat on a bench near bag check and Ian listened to his iPod. When PB arrived, Ian was being a grump for no discernible reason. We ended up taking his ipod away for awhile and Mom said PB and I could do what we wanted, Ian wasn't being nice so he didn't get a choice. He put up a real fit at the turnstiles and did not want to scan his ticket or his finger. Eventually we conquered that battle.

We went towards Tomorrowland. PB requested to ride the PeopleMover/TTA, whatever it's called. We thought about trying Buzz Lightyear but the wait was 45 minutes. Mom parked the scooter and we went up the walkway to the TTA...where we encountered another moving walkway. I never really payed attention to how numerous these are at attractions until traveling with someone who had difficulty with them. And we had mean CMs again. PB headed for a car and so did I. I tossed my bag in and went back to help Mom with Ian, then we started to head back to PB-the car hadn't gotten very far. But a CM yelled at us and said we had to be in a different car. The doors close at a certain point and he barely was able to hold them open for the three of us to get on. I made it in basically by climbing over the side. Super frustrating.

"The City of Tomorrow" aka the Epcot that never was.

Content on the PeopleMover.

PB was sad that he was by himself.

After that was over, we managed to get off the ride without further incident and since Ian was in a bit of a better mood, I suggested we head for Storybook Circus-Ian's one real request of this trip was to ride Dumbo. It was basically a walk on. Ian and I got the last Dumbo available so I don't think it was in a color we wanted (purple or blue).

Mom tried to get some pictures of us on the ride but was not successful. It was too dark for my camera and the Dumbos were flying at a pretty good clip! Ian was happy he got to ride though. Then PB made a request for the Barnstormer, which he loves, for reasons I can't figure out. The wait was slightly longer than the 5 minutes listed but not by much.

Ian and I sat together, and he had a blast, since he loves roller coasters big and small. At this point it was getting to be around 6:30 and we were kind of hungry so we agreed to go to Columbia Harbour House, which I remembered liking when we ate there in 2010. PB led the way and it was around this point that we discovered that if we told Ian to "Follow PB" he would stay like 18 inches behind him, zigging when PB zigged and zagging when he zagged. OK, no more worrying about Ian wandering off or getting lost!

Mom parked the scooter where she had earlier in the day and we went into the restaurant. It took us a few minutes to decide what we wanted but the cashier was so nice. Her nametag said she was "Chris from Orlando" which means she forgot her real nametag that day! I can't remember what she said her real name was but she was from Syracuse, about 3 hours east of Buffalo. We chatted briefly about the weather. I sent Mom and Ian to get a table and PB and I waited for the food. They easily found a table on the first floor in a small room near the ordering area.

Mom had the Lobster Roll with chips, as we had heard it was good. She enjoyed it but said there was other stuff mixed in with the lobster so it wasn't as pure as it could have been and was a bit strange.

Ian wanted the Garden Harvest Salad-Mixed Greens, Garden Vegetables, Green Beans, Carrots, and Chicken.

The boy loves his salads, that's for sure!

PB thought the other salad on the menu sounded good.
Broccoli Peppercorn Salad-Mixed Greens, Garden Vegetables, Chicken, Broccoli, and Parmesan tossed with a Creamy Peppercorn Dressing.

I waffled about what I wanted. I wanted something comforting but not heavy, like fried fish is. I decided to try the Lighthouse Sandwich, which is hummus, tomato, and broccoli slaw. It also came with chips.

It was okay. I'm kind of a picky eater and I'm proud of myself for trying it but it just wasn't something I'd get again.

Somehow we also ended up with a random tuna sandwich that the cashier just told us to take when we mentioned something about it. PB ate that too. I've had it before and it's good!

For dessert, Ian had super boring strawberry yogurt and the rest of us got the seasonal fruit cobbler which happened to be blueberry.

Yummy! It was warm and delicious, though more like a cake than a cobbler. PB said his didn't have enough fruit but mom's and mine were quite full of the berries.

PB showed Mom the way to the bathroom, over in Fantasyland and somehow she found her way back to us without getting lost. By the time all of that was done it was after 7 and I knew that if we wanted any chance of seeing the parade, it would have to be outside RIGHT NOW. Ian and I headed out to the route and surprisingly, he wanted NOTHING to do with it. Just didn't care. So we went back inside. While we waited for Mom to come back from the bathroom, I noticed a map inside the door to the restaurant. It showed a number of islands from an "old map" and one was Gorda Cay, which I believe is what Castaway Cay (the island that Disney owns for the cruises) was in a previous incarnation!

Walking back outside to retrieve the scooter...I had a panic attack because I thought someone had stolen it. How they would have done this, I have no idea because we had the key with us, but it was not where we left it. Well, it turned out the stroller parking area had been disassembled for the night and someone was kind enough to move the scooter under an awning near the restaurant to keep it dry.

Since Ian didn't care for the parade, and none of us really like it either, we headed around the back of Sleepy Hollow to get closer to the Hub, since Celebrate the Magic was at 7:45 and Wishes was at 8.

 

[bellebookworm9]

After the parade had finished passing by we were able to make our way just a few more feet to the hub. We got an excellent viewing spot, closer to the castle than I have been before. For Celebrate the Magic, it was maybe a little too close because you could tell that some of the projections were just that, projections. But the pictures turned out great!

Ian waiting for the shows to start.

The new Frozen segment!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Just a few minutes later it was time for Wishes! Ian knows Wishes and he loves the music. He also felt compelled to sing along during the show...except he is so tone deaf that it's actually funny. So my apologies if you were near us that night and had to listen to him warble along!

There goes Tink.

The hub was actually not very crowded, but we still decided to stay put for a couple of minutes when the fireworks ended before making our way back over to Frontierland for another ride on Big Thunder. When we started to leave the circle, a very nice guy with a stroller stopped to let us through. It seems like such a small gesture, but after our scooter experiences, it meant the world to me-I don't think Mom even noticed, actually. So yay for nice Disney guests!

 

[bellebookworm9]

When I left off, we were making our way from the hub back to Frontierland. I forgot to mention it earlier, but after we had completed our first ride on BTMRR, I got a return time, which I believe was around 1:20 or so. We parked the scooter and got in the FP line. When we got up to the cast member, he took the DAS pass and absolutely scrutinized it. And then proceeded to tell us we were no longer allowed to ride, our return time was 1:20 and we had to come back within a one hour window from that. Um, no. We told him that wasn't how it worked and he insisted it was, and that the policy had been changed recently. PB and I both went, "When, in the last twenty four hours?" "No, a couple of weeks ago." Nonsense. We were not happy and I was about to insist he call a supervisor when he said he would call on his own. He got a co-worker's attention and she came to take his place.

While he was on the phone, a girl outside the queue line asked if he was giving us trouble. I said yes and she said he did the same to her, kind of. Her "complaint" was that instead of subtracting 10 minutes from the wait time they only subtracted 5, so they "should have already been on the ride." Seriously? That's not a real complaint. In the meantime, he's still on the phone explaining to his supervisor and the girl that took his place asked what we were waiting for-we were still in the queue line and kind of blocking traffic. As soon as we told her and showed her the pass, she said, "No, that's not how it works at all, go right on in." Problem solved!

We almost walked right on again. PB rode with Ian and I went with Mom, and we had another great ride. The park was closing at 9 and it was a bit after 8:30, so we started heading up to the front. On the way we decided we should stop to ride Pirates. We walked on and were going to request two rows to avoid another Small World situation, but they gave us the last two rows without even asking! PB rode with Mom and I sat with Ian. PB told Mom about how that ride is one that is known for couples getting, shall we say, adventurous?

Blackbeard in the mist.

Barbossa:

Jack Sparrow #1:

PB and I both yell, "We wants the redhead!"

Jack Sparrow #2:

The infamous "hairy leg" pirate, which both Mom and PB noticed for the first time:

PB says the guy on the right looks like he has the mumps:

And Jack Sparrow #3:

After Pirates we stopped at Aloha Isle to get some Dole Whips, although unconventional ones, I'll admit. Ian got a plain old root beer float, but I had a creation that PB and I invented a couple of years ago, which is orange dole whip and root beer. Kind of tastes like a tootsie roll. PB had orange dole whip with Sprite.

We continued up to Main Street. I saw a Photopass photographer who didn't have much of a line, so we stopped to get our third and final photopass shot of the trip-glad we joined a share because it would NOT have been worth it otherwise. And Ian actually cooperated for this one!

I just bought picture frames for the three of us and we're going to order copies of this picture.

Mom and PB went into the Emporium to buy shirts with PB's 40% discount and I took Ian to the Confectionary to get a snack because he said he was hungry. We agreed to meet at the flag pole. Ian went straight for the circus peanuts and also picked a bag of sugar free jelly beans. I grabbed one of those Minnie's bake shop cookies for Mom, and I'm pretty sure that was the end of our snack credits.

Mom was at the flag pole by the time we got out (there was a bit of a line at the register) while PB was paying at the Emporium. Mom said it was super crowded and she was having difficulty maneuvering so PB yelled, "EXCUSE ME! SCOOTER COMING THROUGH!" and the people in the store stopped, looked, and parted like the red sea! They then proceeded through the crowd with PB going "'Scuse me, pardon me, 'scuse me". Mom said it was like she had her own gay handler. Mom and PB have met before but I think they really, really hit it off this trip, which was great.

PB came out of the store and we happened to experience the "Kiss Goodnight" which I'd never seen before. If you don't know what it is, a recording comes on thanking you for visiting the Magic Kingdom, the castle changes colors, and they play "When You Wish Upon a Star". Ian recognized it as something similar from our Disneyland Fun DVD. PB was flabbergasted by the Kiss Goodnight, because he's closed down Main Street food vendor carts before and never seen it, or maybe just never paid attention to it. So that was a Magical Moment for me, because I'm hardly ever in the park after closing.

We exited and headed for the monorail. I was glad that it was still within an hour of park close, because I HATE the ferryboat. It takes too long and it's always full of mosquitoes. I said, "Express or resort?" PB answered, "Express". Then we saw the line and he went, "Resort!" So resort it was. Back at the TTC, we were in walking distance, of course, but PB was parked in the Ursula section. The line for the tram was HORRENDOUS since only the Villains section was open. PB decided he would just walk to his car.

I've never parked in that handicapped lot before; when I went last July it was full so we ended up in the handicapped spot in/near the Aladdin section. So we exited on the opposite side of where we normally do, and ended up going past the Ursula section. If I had known, I would have driven PB to his car!

Somehow we got out of the lot made the merge onto Floridian Way/World Drive and ended up back at the hotel with very little trouble. Then it was time to pack. We sorted all of the dirty laundry into the big suitcases and packed up everything we wouldn't need in the morning. An episode of Liv and Maddie was on Disney Channel, and Maddie is trying to figure out what her relationship is with this boy, and the boy is trying to figure out that same. There was a line that was like, "Are we a couple? Are we not a couple? Give me a hint!" I really appreciated it because that's how I feel about this guy that I'm good friends with and kind of maybe seeing?

Anyway, it was time for showers and bed because we were leaving the next day, but first we'd be having breakfast at Ohana!

 

[katiee37]

Following along! I was staying at AoA the same time you were, just in a LM room instead

 

[bellebookworm9]

Welcome, Katie! I'd really like to stay in the Little Mermaid rooms, but special offers, including cast discounts, never apply to them. Good luck with the 5K and half marathon next year!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Friday morning was soon upon us and truth be told, we were ready to go home. We finished up our packing and while Mom and Ian got ready for the day, I started loading our carryons and the scooter into the car. When Mom and Ian were ready, we took our big suitcases down to Airline Check In, where they took care of getting our boarding passes and checking our luggage. If you choose not to use Magical Express but still want to take advantage of this service, it's a bit more time consuming since they don't already have your flight info. Took about 20 minutes for us. Then we got into the car and drove over to the Polynesian.

The lady at the guard house directed us to the three hour parking but I wanted valet, so I kept driving and couldn't find it. We ended up at the parking lot exit and had to go back in the entrance. When I asked the guard where the valet entry was she told me to stay in the bus lane. That's what I did, and that's when I saw the sign for valet parking-which had been hidden by a bus when I drove by the first time!

We hurried inside and upstairs to check in, because our ADR at Ohana was for 9:50, and it was already a few minutes after that. I was given the pager and PB showed up a few minutes later. He had parked at MK because he was working at 1pm. Some seats opened up right next to the photography people so that's where we went. It was about 20 minutes before our pager went off and Mom asked me if we were being punished for being late. Somehow we managed to skip the picture, which was fine because we probably wouldn't have purchased it anyway.

Dulce was our server. She was nice but quite busy; we requested more of a few things and she did bring them but not very quickly. Our table was right on the aisle across from what I think is the kitchen entrance. They grabbed a basket of bread on the way to the table: pineapple (like at dinner) and cinnamon raising with icing.

Yup, for the four of us we got those two pieces of bread. We definitely asked for more. The cinnamon raisin was especially good. They also gave us this little fruit platter, which I think looks bigger in the picture than it actually was.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p0vsdOy35K0/UtF3FRSsHII/AAAAAAAAUdk/ZgLHamRMEK8/s800/DSCN0440.JPG[/IMG
Very good and fresh, we asked for more of that too.

Then came the breakfast platter with bacon, sausage, biscuits, scrambled eggs, and seasoned potato wedges.
[IMG]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--z1bEB6t_50/UtF3F-k_RMI/AAAAAAAAUd0/P7t-VBuvTns/s800/DSCN0441.JPG
Dulce also brought around mini Mickey waffles, which are always yummy. I think the bacon and biscuits were good, PB asked for more potatoes, he and Mom both wanted more eggs, and I recall the sausage being a bit too spicy for me. I liked the juice but we did note that it's unsweetened.

The characters finally started coming to our table about 30 minutes after we sat down. First up was Lilo. Ian didn't want anything to do with her and he was a little grumpy for some reason. I don't know why PB didn't take a picture with her either, but here's one of me.

Then came Stitch.

Ian was still being grumpy and here's where I have to give MAJOR props to Stitch. He played around with Ian, not enough to make him angry, which is easy to do when he's already not happy, but got him smiling and laughing. It was one of those amazing character interactions where I wish I could write to management and give huge compliments.

A bit later we met Hawaiian Mickey.

See, look at that, all happy smiles now.

And finally Pluto.

PB goes, "Pluto, I can feel your hot slobbery breath on my head!"

I really enjoyed breakfast here. I've been three times for dinner and decided to give breakfast a shot because I'd heard it was laid back and I liked that it wasn't a buffet, so we wouldn't have to keep running back and forth for ourselves and Ian. The food was good but the character pacing was maybe a bit too slow, I think. It was almost 30 minutes before we saw our first character and then almost another half an hour for the four of them to make their way to us.

When we were done eating, PB had a mission. He and Mom had bought those shirts last night, and when we were back at our room we realized that somehow he had only gotten the regular 20% off, not the 40% holiday discount. So he took the shirts and receipt to the Lobby Concierge desk at the Poly hoping they could fix it. No dice, he had to go back to Magic Kingdom for that. *Sigh* Mom, Ian and I sat in the Poly lobby chairs, almost fell asleep, listened to music/read magazines, and enjoyed "paradise".

Which was ruined by a woman with two small children who were running around the lobby SCREAMING for about half an hour.

Our original plan was to go to Downtown Disney after breakfast to take advantage of the 40% off deal, but by the time PB got the shirts straightened out we wouldn't have had enough time before he had to be at work. As it was, we ended up taking the monorail to MK to meet him and get the shirts back! Mom and Ian stayed by the boat launch while I ran over, and we said goodbye over the fence by the turnstiles.

Then Mom, Ian and I reboarded the monorail back to the Poly and went down to the valet stand to retrieve the car. We had to be back at Art of Animation by 1pm so Walker Mobility could come pick up the scooter.

It was very warm and humid that day so we figured we'd go swimming. After parking in the check in parking we headed for the Finding Nemo pool. The main entrance is NOT scooter accessible so we had to go around to the side. Ian was being grumpy again and he did not want to swim, and as we were trying to find a suitable spot out of the sun, the afternoon pool party began. It had to be right around 1pm then, I guess. Ian (and me, for that matter) were not going to be fine with that ridiculously loud music blaring at us so we turned around and went to the Cars pool, which was almost empty.

So yeah, that's two trips to AoA and I still haven't gone in the Nemo pool. Booooo. Mom and Ian were able to get a Cozy Cone Cabana with no problem and I gave Mom my phone in case the scooter place called. Then I went into the rest room to change. The lockers are $1 in quarters so I just put my stuff in one and didn't lock it, hoping for the best. When I walked back out, Mom had somehow missed the call from Walker, so she called them back. We were a little frustrated with Ian and his crankyness so I told her to go return the scooter and go up to the food court with my laptop and relax for a bit.

We had to leave the resort by 2:30 to get the car back in time. So when all was said and done, I had about 5 minutes in the pool. I changed back into my clothes and Ian and I went to Landscape of Flavors. He and I got lunch, we both decided on the pulled pork sandwich with chips. I didn't take a picture because I think everyone knows what that looks like! He got a cheese danish for dessert and I was finally able to get my gelato. This was also the FIRST time that trip that we used our refillable mugs!

I got boring old vanilla with sprinkles. Mom eventually got lunch too. She had the caprese sandwich, also with chips.

And this cute Mickey ganache thing for her dessert.

When she was done, it was almost exactly 2:30. Then I was the one who ruined things and decided we needed a bathroom stop. We made it out of the parking lot around 2:45. The car needed to be filled with gas so we stopped at the DTD Hess station on our way off the property. I put a whopping $7.01 worth of gas in. Also, Dollar says you have to fill up within 10 miles and provide a receipt but I've never been asked for proof.

Mom had to drive back to the airport because I wasn't supposed to be driving at all. We returned the car about a half an hour late. Whoops! But they only charged us $10 extra, which was a relief.

Making our way up to the terminal, we got a little lost but made it to A side security eventually. Of course, the side we showed up on was not the side with the handicapped line, so we had to go around. This line was a little on the long side, somehow Mom got separated from us, and Ian was not in a good mood still. He was just ready to be home and started having a minor meltdown about taking his shoes off. One of the security guards asked me, "Everything OK, Mom?" Ugh. I am not his Mom. There's only a 4 year age difference! Our real Mom was able to excuse herself up to us in the line and we somehow got him through the X-ray machine. He did get an upper body pat down because he wouldn't raise his arms high enough and they couldn't get a good reading.

Finally we were on the shuttle and of course our gate was at the very end of its section. Our gate's seating was full at the time so we sat a little ways away and for whatever reason, every single announcement we heard was in Spanish. As it got closer to our boarding time we moved towards our gate. Then the microphones broke so the poor gate agents were trying to yell the boarding instructions. Finally, finally we made it onto the plane.

This was a full length plane, with two rows of two seats. In his current mood, we decided Ian should sit with Mom and I sat across the aisle. The TVs were a blessing for me, and I was able to watch Law and Order: SVU all the way home. I've developed a slight addiction to that show in the last few months and Mom was making fun of me. "Seriously, you're watching that again? While we're on the airplane?" I like that JetBlue gives you full cans of soda and I was able to get my beloved popcorn chips.

The plane took off and landed on time. We waited a few minutes to deplane and made our way downstairs. After a quick bathroom stop Ian and I went to baggage claim. All three of the suitcases appeared really fast! We had them all collected by the time Mom was out of the bathroom. Then it was out to the shuttle and back to our Jeep, where this awaited us:

The snow on the left side was literally defying the laws of physics. And it was solid packed snow, so we had to chop it off!

We didn't clean off the roof though and paid for that mistake when Mom came to a sudden stop and EVERYTHING on the roof came onto the windshield, so I had to get out and chop that off too! We stopped at Arby's for dinner and then it was back to Mom's house. A very long day but the trip was done.

Up next, final thoughts and future plans!