In the Spirit of the Season

I read somewhere that 10% is appropriate for buffet...but I ended up usually leaving 15%...most of our buffet meals the service was not up to 18%! I am really picky, I want my water refilled!

I agree... water needs to be refilled. Course... ya know some of the BEST service I have had in WDW has been at the buffets. Once, at CP... I was not feeling well. The cm went out of her way to get me something to settle my stomach. Another time at Tusker, a cm spent a bunch of time with Zoe (when she was 4 or 5) She sat with her and colored and just over all went WAY overboard with her. Those times I know I tipped a good 20+% Mostly I stay near 20 unless it is bad... but yes, one of my criteria is the darn water. I have kinda a point system. If refills are not coming and I have to hunt down.. - a point. If I get one without asking + a point. Your meal in City walk would have made me take off too many points. I probably would have left 10 to 15% then....:rolleyes:
 
As a side note, I really need to get this TR done. I have another trip to plan and am feeling a bit anxious to not have a PTR going. My ADR day is coming up... in just a couple days. :confused3 What a shame to have not spent the time leading up to it agonizing over the details with all of you.

Late Night Dinner at the Movies

It is amazing to me that this is day 10. There was still so much trip ahead, but obviously so much behind us at this point.

With Fantasmic over, we braved the crowds and made our way to Star Tours. Steve HAD to be able to at least ride this.

Here he and Alex are as they stand in awe of something they are watching. Preshow? Must have been.
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I know this ride is suppose to have different sequences so it should have been different from the time earlier that we rode. It wasn't.:rolleyes:

Next, we had to hustle over to Sci Fi for our very late dinner. It was scheduled just at park closing. As we approached the restaurant, I could see Osbourne lights and I was so sad that we could not go and enjoy them. Alex had missed them the night we did go since he was sick. I had him walk outside the doors briefly just to catch a glimpse. It made Steve too nervous to have him too far away though, so he didn't get to see much. I wish Steve wouldn't have been quite so nervous/anxious about him wandering a bit. We had to wait, and wait... and of course, wait to be seated.(ok :rolleyes: maybe not that long, but long enough that Alex could have at least walked to the entrance and back)

Zoe was very tired and so plopped down here while we waited.
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If I were doing that same game that I did in my PTR, I am sure no one could guess that was in a corner of Sci Fi.

Once seated though, she found something to do.
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I had a turkey sandwich for dinner. It wasn't bad, but as far as sandwiches go, I think I far preferred the tuna at RF.
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Zoe and Alex had steak. And... had already begun to eat by the time I got around to take this picture.
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Steve had a chicken sandwich, and he too was not terribly impressed. I did not however get a picture. I think that is one of my biggest complaints about SF... you don't really dine WITH your party so much as near them.

I did get a picture of his dessert though. Just a simple fruit salad. :scratchin you think they could have dressed it up a bit.
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Zoe and Alex had milkshakes with their meals. (strawberry and oreo) Since Zoe did not then also want dessert, the cm counted the milk shake as her dessert and gave a bottled water to her to take back to the resort. (which is so nice since :crazy2: the water is nasty at WL)

Alex did want dessert though, it was the big reason we went to Sci Fi. He wanted the chocolate peanut butter cake.
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I also had to get some dessert and usually I don't go for the ice cream, but this time I wanted a hot fudge sundae. YUM
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The server took our picture. Which could be better.. but could be worse. I think they should have a pp photographer at this restaurant.

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After dinner we fought our way to get out of the park. I must have been wrong in when I thought the park was closing since I had noted it closed 2 hours before we were leaving and it was PACKED. We had to wait for the buses quite a while, but we made it back to WL safe and sound. It had been a long day. I had got up at 7:30 am and I wrote in my notes that it was 12:30am when I was finally in bed. :eek:

Next Chapter: The Plan; To Be Up at 6am?
 
Another day down and what have we accomplished in our 10 day adventure?


Rides
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (3)
Haunted mansion
Cinderella's Carrousel
Pirates of the Caribbean
Finding Nemo
Journey Into Imagination
Living with the Land Boat ride
Sum of All Thrills
Toy Story Mania
Kilimanjaro Safari
Expedition Everest
Universe of Energy
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
Tomorrowland Speedway
Astro Orbiter (2)
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Splash Mountain
The Great Movie Ride
Backlot Tour
Star Tours (2)



Shows/Attractions
Enchanted Tikki Room
Living Seas Aquarium
One Man’s Dream (2)
Beauty and the Beast Musical
Osbourne Family Lights
Flights of Wonder
Pangani Trail
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Candle Light Processional
Country Bear jamboree
Honey I Shrunk the Kids Play Area
Indiana Jones Stunt Show
Fantasmic

Parades/Firework Displays
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade(2)
Holiday Wishes
Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party (2)
Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade

Characters Met
Seven Dwarfs
Terrance
Tinker Bell
Lady Trumaine
Cinderella (2)
Prince Charming
Druzella
Anastasia
Mickey (3)
Minnie (3)
Belle
Aurora
Ariel
Snow White
Marie
Duffy
Pluto
Goofy(2)
Donald
Daisy
Stitch
Green Army Man

Dinned At
Garden View Tea Room
Earl of Sandwich
Everything Pop (3)
Casey's Corner
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Columbia Harbor House
Aloha Isle
Ohana
Sunshine Seasons
Coral Reef
Karamell-Kuche
Kringla Bakeri og Cafe
Roaring Fork (3)
Starring Rolls
Wolfgang Puck Express
Tusker House
Yak and Yeti Quality Beverage Window
Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery
Safari Pretzel Kiosk
Safari Egg Rolls Kiosk
Sanaa
Le Cellier
Main Street Bakery
Pecos Bills
Writers Stop
Backlot Express
Mama Melrose
Sci Fi Dinning.
 
Hi Ann,

Wonderful update again. I cannot believe you are already at day 10. :scared1:

Your dinner looks nice, even if it didn't quite live up to it! ;) Your sundae looks yummy though - the fruit salad .... well, not so much!
Given the time you got to bed, I would not blame you for not getting up the next morning! ;) :hug:
 

Hi Ann,

Wonderful update again. I cannot believe you are already at day 10. :scared1:

Your dinner looks nice, even if it didn't quite live up to it! ;) Your sundae looks yummy though - the fruit salad .... well, not so much!
Given the time you got to bed, I would not blame you for not getting up the next morning! ;) :hug:


I can't believe I am not done with this TR. 3 months... I think my last one only took me a couple. Things have been so busy for me. I think I mentioned the absorption of another position into mine. I still only work part time, but I was only getting about 15 to 20 hours a week. Now I am getting between 30 and 35. It is keeping me busy.

:rotfl: We did stay up late and I had got up early. I am not sure about where I thought the energy would come from in order to get up the next day at 6am. However, you will just have to wait and see what happens. ;)
 
I really like Sci Fi... though I have only ever had a burger and onion rings there. I think I have to try a milkshake next time!
 
Too bad that Alex wasn't really able to see the lights! But you do kind of get the idea from glancing in too!

Your meal at Sci-Fi looks pretty good! I could totally go for some old B-movie clips and an ice cream sundae right now! (Yes, it is 6am here. That makes no effect on my decision!) :thumbsup2
 
What you can't do a PTR and a TR at the same time? I thought you were super woman! I miss not stressing over ADRs and hearing you go back and forth...plus I need some flight stress too! LOL

Love the peanut butter cake...wishing for some now! I so like Zoe eating what she wants!
 
Love the last update! I could really go for one of the desserts right now!

I understand about needing to finish a TR before writing a PTR. I think TRs are much easier to write though!
 
I really like Sci Fi... though I have only ever had a burger and onion rings there. I think I have to try a milkshake next time!

I didn't have the milkshake, but the ice cream sundae was pretty awesome.:goodvibes


I hope to do an update tonight. Soon... I promise. :goodvibes

Too bad that Alex wasn't really able to see the lights! But you do kind of get the idea from glancing in too!

Your meal at Sci-Fi looks pretty good! I could totally go for some old B-movie clips and an ice cream sundae right now! (Yes, it is 6am here. That makes no effect on my decision!) :thumbsup2

I hear ya... this morning I was craving a burger and fries. I guess it didn't help that I skipped dinner last night.. So on my way to work I stopped at Mickey D's. Not the best breakfast but it hit the spot. I even thought about getting a milkshake... then thought coffee... but settled on a soda. :rotfl:

What you can't do a PTR and a TR at the same time? I thought you were super woman! I miss not stressing over ADRs and hearing you go back and forth...plus I need some flight stress too! LOL

Love the peanut butter cake...wishing for some now! I so like Zoe eating what she wants!

:rotfl2: Oh... I wish I were super woman! I need to be... my house is trashed (and how it gets this way when it was spOTless just a week ago? :confused3) I will be done with this TR soon enough and then I will start a PTR. I figure it will be by the time I hit the 5 month mark. 5 months won't be a too bad for a PTR. I still have to get a few things straightened out and of course, there is still airfare issues to contend with. I figure that will be there still when I get to the PTR.

Zoe is a good eater. She listens to her body pretty well and doesn't always go for the dessert.

Love the last update! I could really go for one of the desserts right now!

I understand about needing to finish a TR before writing a PTR. I think TRs are much easier to write though!

PTRs are easy in that I tend to ramble... so basically I just start up the PTR and ramble. Then I ramble some more... oh and then ramble allllll the way up until the time I leave. With the TR, at least mine, I try and stay a bit more organized. I have fewer "random" posts. Plus... the pictures. I have to edit, export, upload and then post all the pictures I want included. The TR is easy though since it does have a pattern... day 1.. day 2... etc.
 
The Plan; To Be Up at 6am?

Monday, 12/19 - I had planned for breakfast at CP before park opening. It was a brilliant plan. I knew it would likely be just Zoe and I since... well, 1. it would be early. 2. Oh, it would be very early. 3. It would involve a buffet and last 4. Well, have you read about the guys in my life? :rotfl:

This brilliant plan caused me a small amount of stress right before the trip since park hours changed. Instead of opening at 9am, the park would now open at... 8am. Our reservation time? 8:05 :headache:

Going to bed the night before so late made me wonder if we would be able to (any of us) get up at 6am to get ready and out the door.

6am rolled around and low and behold.... I was up. I was excited. Everyone else? Not so much. :rotfl: I begged Zoe to wake and go with me. At first she was a bit reluctant, but soon enough she too was up and before I knew it we were on our way to MK. We were up early enough though that we stopped to get some pictures in the lobby.
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They guys you ask? Did they get up? By now, I am sure you can guess the answer before I have even go this far. Nope, they needed their beauty sleep. :rolleyes:

When Zoe and I arrived at MK, we made our way to the special line since we would still be allowed in early since our ADR was at 8:05 and one should should up prior to then, right? I found the roped off corridor interesting and I believe I heard a few comments from others wondering why we were allowed to venture down it.

So the stress when park hours changed, was it worth it?

Look at this picture of the castle... I think it was what I was looking for when I made the reservation.
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Once we got down to CP and checked in we heard the rd ceremony and Zoe was all of a sudden full of panic. It was then that I realized something horrible had happened in my planning. This was to be our last day in MK and not a single day on our trip had we seen the ceremony. It was also at this moment that I realized how much that meant to Zoe. It won't be something I miss on the next trip!

To help Zoe calm down, I let her take a picture. Not too bad a pic of the decorations, eh?
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Soon enough the feelings of panic, sadness and guilt were gone as we were the very very first people called to be seated. THE FIRST in the day. Again, there were others commenting near by. Was it the same group that stood at the entrance to the park commenting why it was we got to enter now also commenting one how could it be that we alone were going in to the restaurant? I am not sure.

Just as we were first into the restaurant, we were first up to the food. It was such a special moment. It totally made up for missing rd (ok so not really, but kinda ;))

We very much so enjoyed our breakfast. I had never been to CP for breakfast and LOVED the Pooh's Puffed French Toast. It reminds me of something my grandmother made in large, very large batches once a year. It was a special time and I remember people would come with large tuppermaid containers to get their share of the yummies from her. Sadly, when she passed away we all realized no one knows how she made them. I have tried to find or reproduce for many years, but this is absolutely the closest thing I have come across. Now if I could just figure out what she called shtairrits (not sure how to spell that):rolleyes:

Our plates...
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Pooh..
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Eyeore..
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Piglet...
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Tigger...
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Aside from the yummy pastries and the breakfast lasagna (omg, that is the best too) I loved this egg dish!
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At the end, I was brought a cupcake for my birthday. Ok, so my birthday was a week away, but still gonna celebrate!
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Next Chapter: F is for Fantasyland and Fun!
 
PP at SciFi is a great idea! My pictures never turn out in that dark environment.
Those CP pictures made me hungry. BABY NEEDS POOH'S STUFFED FRENCH TOAST NOW!!!
 
:worship: :worship: :worship:

You DID get up!!!!!!!!!!!!! :scared1: :lmao:

Sorry you missed the RD ceremony, but being first in the restaurant is nice too! :thumbsup2
Your plates look very yummy and the photos of darling Zoe are just adoreable! :goodvibes
 
Awww I'm sorry that you guys missed the rope drop ceremony during your trip! Definitely something to plan for for next time! :thumbsup2

Yay for being first into Crystal Palace!!! You should get a ceremonial puffed French toast or something like that! :laughing: Your breakfast looks great! Too bad the boys missed it!
 
I am officially caught up!

So happy you were able to recover your phone. That is seriously my worst fear and when I got my phone last year, several days later I dreamed that I lost it in Disneyworld. Crazy right? :rotfl:

I love Zoe's belle dress and her cute little pink sneakers. So cute.

I think we were in HS the same day. We originally had a lunch ADR at Sci Fi, but canceled it to save time. Your food looks yummy!
 
PP at SciFi is a great idea! My pictures never turn out in that dark environment.
Those CP pictures made me hungry. BABY NEEDS POOH'S STUFFED FRENCH TOAST NOW!!!

:rotfl2: How is baby making you feel? I take it hungry?

:worship: :worship: :worship:

You DID get up!!!!!!!!!!!!! :scared1: :lmao:

Sorry you missed the RD ceremony, but being first in the restaurant is nice too! :thumbsup2
Your plates look very yummy and the photos of darling Zoe are just adoreable! :goodvibes

Yup, I was kinda surprised myself. Even now! :rotfl: I wanted CP though and a nice breakfast so... it was worth getting up for. Course, if I had known that the guys would sleep soo long and then look at the EMH that was until 3am that day/night/morning:confused3:confused3:confused3 then maybe I would have been a bit more cautious about shorting myself on sleep.

Awww I'm sorry that you guys missed the rope drop ceremony during your trip! Definitely something to plan for for next time! :thumbsup2

Yay for being first into Crystal Palace!!! You should get a ceremonial puffed French toast or something like that! :laughing: Your breakfast looks great! Too bad the boys missed it!

The boys were happier getting the sleep. It is hard for me at times, but I have to remember that what is important to me...isn't necessarily important to the guys. For them being able to sleep in and keep those thick curtains drawn... blocking out the light... making it so they had a bit of a cave going on... that was HEAVEN to them. Then to be able to go grab a bite(that they didn't have to dig up themselves) and come back to the room to have it all made up (without me yelling at them about doing it for them or wanting them to do it) It was the best vacation ever! For me... I wanted to do stuff. For me, unfortunately it wasn't the best since I was missing things (like rd) in order to try and include them. If I had just realized then that I should not go out of my way to include them... I think my vacay would have been the best too.:rolleyes:

I am officially caught up!

So happy you were able to recover your phone. That is seriously my worst fear and when I got my phone last year, several days later I dreamed that I lost it in Disneyworld. Crazy right? :rotfl:

I love Zoe's belle dress and her cute little pink sneakers. So cute.

I think we were in HS the same day. We originally had a lunch ADR at Sci Fi, but canceled it to save time. Your food looks yummy!

:woohoo::woohoo: for being caught up!!

And yes.. the phone!!! It wasn't fun. It wasn't horrible either. We just shut off service once we realized it was going to not be recovered soon... and then turned it back on once it was. It is easy enough to lose a phone though...and I am surprised more people don't...so your dream isn't totally crazy. ;)

I love to read other TRs from people who have gone the same time as me... it makes me remember where I was and what I was doing at points in their TRs. Like you being in DHS when we were... Makes me look at pictures posted to see if I see myself. So far... I have never seen myself. Closest I ever came was to see the same rd ceremony. That was totally weird since I could imagine that we were not very far from each other taking pictures at the same time. Such a small world it becomes.:goodvibes

Sci Fi wasn't too bad. It wasn't my favorite, but the icecream was really yummy. Can you believe I never get icecream in WDW?? I think this was the first time to get it (well unless you count the American Dream in Epcot..but that is more of an icey drink..with softserve. Does soft serve count? :rotfl:)
 
Delurking .....

I am loving your TR. I need to talk DH into splitting up sometimes, unfortunately for me our boys are all early risers.:sad2:

I have also tried staying late....they love that too!!!

We have been during the holidays a couple of times and honestly I think those are my favorite trips!

Thanks for sharing!
 
I don't even know where I left off anymore. I'll have to go back and figure it out. But I'm here!
 
Officially caught up.

Yay!!!

I can tell you guys were getting tired by the end. Out of three of us that I've talked to, we've all lost something on this trip. 2/3 of us got our stuff back.
 












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