It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Disney with a 1 month old *new 2/13/15*

[TheMaxRebo]

Yes, I definitely agree, The Rose Gallery is by far my last choice for seating. You're right that as far as counter service locations go, it's hard to beat, but I just like the others more.

It's very pretty and I like the pictures on the wall in the Rose Gallery, but the others are a bit more interesting / impressive. Though, complaining about only getting to eat in the Rose Gallery is kinda 1st world problems

It seems to me now with Mine Train and Anna/Elsa that getting a PP FP is much much easier. Not that it was terribly difficult before, but it just seems easier now. It is still a classic.

Well of course you just HAD yo get pictures of Small World.

Definitely a little easier to get FP for PP now - but with it being closed our last trip we definitely wanted to get on that one and the standby line still seems to build up quite a bit there (think it just isn't the highest capacity ride)

Of course I had to get some pictures of IASW ... if you want I can private message you the video I took from the ride

Wow, you know it's really cool to see those MK landmarks fro that vantage point. Really really cool. Almost gets the horror of those Small World pictures out of my head.

Glad I could help get the horror out of your mind. I liked being able to see the landmarks with seeing some elements of the other lands in the foreground or background as well - definitely a unique view point.

Really? I liked the Rose Gallery more than the Ballroom. I guess I just like it more cause it's smaller and all the cool pictures on the walls.

Alright, I'll buy that you got on the ride based on the loading picture.

You're raising the real questions here about IASW, Phil. I don't know if I can handle not having answers to them.

*sighs wistfully over balcony views* You definitely did have to take advantage of it.

The pictures on the walls in the Rose Gallery are really cool and it is a little smaller and definitely less hectic than the main ballroom - we sat there for lunch last year it was a bit nuts at times. I was hoping to sit near the window and really get the snow effect .... figure that could help entertain the kids as well

Thanks for giving me credit for riding PPF ... though, I theoretically could have taken the chicken exit

Clearly, someone needs to write a book explaining all the odd scenes in It's A Small World ... and if that means tons of research to be done inside Magic Kingdom, I suppose I could do that

Yeah, figured we would likely not be staying in a room like that ever again so I wanted to take advantage of it. To bad the sun can really beat down on the area so was hard to stay out too long given the lack of shade

 

[schmass]

BOG lunch looks great! We haven't tried that one yet, but hope to next time!

I love your observations from IASW - I have never noticed any of those things.

Love the zoomed-in shots of MK from your balcony - so cool!

 

[Marsheliz]

Love all the pictures at the end. I can't believe you were able to capture from so far.

I want to try BOG SOOOOO bad! I sure hope we can squeeze it in, next trip. I never got a FP invite for it and since we only did that one day at MK, I didn't want to stand in line for it but I will next time

Peter Pan's Flight is my favorite in Fantasyland. I think I have mentioned it in one of my TR's that when my mom died we use the quote around our house alot to tell our boys where her heavenly home is... " Second Star to the right.. And straight on till morning"

 

[TheMaxRebo]

All caught up!!! I am a very bad Dis-er

I don't remember everything I wanted to comment on, but I do remember some:

• I LOVE Peter's interaction with Anna!!! Absolutely adorable!
• Sanaa sounds delicious, and I probably wouldn't even need to eat anything past the bread service.
• The picture of Emma's fingers wrapped around Judi's hand on the safari is precious!!
• The idea of a dessert trio is fantastic. I need to incorporate those into my life. Daily.
• Caramel Apple French Toast?? Yes please!!! This time of year, everyone loves all the pumpkin stuff, and I enjoy that in small doses. But caramel apple anything is sheer perfection to me! And I'm usually a chocolate lover!!

But most importantly, THIS made me day!!!

Thanks for the comments Sue ... and believe me, just being away for a bit doesn't make you a "bad DISer"

I definitely think just doing the full bread service and dessert at Sanna could be a meal ... we had fun splitting a number of things though.

Love the dessert trio concept (as you can tell, we like to try things). The Carmel Apple was really yummy. While I do like pumpkin/pumpkin spice things, it does get a bit nuts this time of year, I agree

glad it made your day a little brighter!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yay for BOG! Your lunch looks great. We really enjoyed lunch, but i'm especially looking forward to dinner there in January.

Your observations on IASW are hilarious! I've never really paid that much attention to details of the dolls before - just kinda looked at them and went on to something else. Now I need to find this strange Irish boy

Really love those zoomed in pictures. I think it's amazing that you're able to see attractions from the comfort of your room!

The food for lunch at BOG is really quite good - you can tell they use quality ingredients and just like the different options versus other quick service locations ... hope you enjoy dinner there!

I think the two options for IASW are to do into a brain-washing type coma or to really focus on the details!

Thanks - that was one of the best things about the view that you could see details on the attractions and hear the train pull into the station and some of the music from main st., etc.

I'm really sorry we skipped our BOG lunch after seeing your meal, and I'm with you...love that chocolate cupcake (just wish they'd put it in easier paper to get the cupcake out).

Peter Pan is very hard to get pictures on.

Ah yes...It's a Small World. Normally, I would skip the pictures as I'm not a fan. But I like your very good observations.

Nice pictures from your balcony.

Fully agree about the paper on the cupcakes Kathy - we basically would up cutting them up while in the wrappers - not a huge deal, but annoying at the time.

Thank you! I love the history behind IASW and the role it played at the Worlds Fair, etc. so try to give it it's due ... and focus on the details

Glad BoG lunch was a success and the FP+ was helpful. DH is wary about eating there for lunch, but I totally want to. I really enjoyed dinner when we had it there last year, but I'd love to try out the different things they offer at lunch...especially that Master's Cupcake!

I totally feel the same way about Small World. I feel like I'm always noticing something different when I go on it!

Great update!

BOG is great for lunch - really a high-end quick service location. If you can get a FP for it, really helps as well.

So much to notice on IASW - glad you enjoyed the update

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I love doing two castles in one day! We did that last time, so much fun!

BoG lunch looks fantastic, I just hate that you don't get to meet the "Master" at that time. It's the only reason I always lean towards dinner.

We miss Peter Pan last time, but it is for sure one of my favs! I also love small world. A trip to WDW just is not complete without that iconic boat ride! I love you odd detail pics! Some of the scenes in that ride are a little strange!

Only at Disney (or, I guess Europe) can you eat in multiple castles in a day

It is a bummer that Beast isn't at lunch at BOG ... though I think my kids would be too scared to meet him anyway so not a huge issue for us. Definitely a reason to go to dinner though .... hopefully next time

I agree - while not the most high tech it would feel weird to not ride IASW at least once during a trip to Disney ... just so much history there

Yum yum yum to the Be Our Guest lunch. It is a nice change of pace as far as counter service goes. I have yet to try a cupcake there, though. Next time, I guess!

Glad you had a nice time with Lauren and Aria!

Love the It’s a Small World observations! Never thought about the carelessness of those platypuses before!

Those are really cool pictures from your balcony! Love the different perspective on everything. I never realized how many trees are in the MK.

You definitely need to try some cupcakes from BOG in the future - they are all rather good! We definitely had a nice time with Lauren and Aria (though, of course, you would know all about that)

I know! I mean, who was the person who came up with that idea? How did that get approved?

Great update!

We have eaten at BOG for dinner twice. In April 2013, we had an excellent experience. Everything was delicious, service was fantastic. Then this past August 2014, we were not as in love. The food dishes had changed, and not for the better....

I don't think we will do dinner there again, but the lunch menu does look good so maybe we'll try that sometime!

*****Sigh***** The most amazing thing about that CR TPV is that you left the park, but didn't really leave the park...it's all still right there....I still have only the Bay Lake View booked but keep calling periodically praying that a TPV opens up for our April trip!!!

Sorry to hear your latest dinner at BOG wasn't so great. I've read a few iffy reviews of there but lately I thought they were more positive than negative. Maybe just an off night Definitely consider doing lunch there - rather good menu and definitely a good change of pace from a standard quick service location

That is the best part of the TPV room, you got it exactly right. With Space Mountain so close and you can hear the sounds from Main St. and the Train Pulling up - it really is like you are *in* the park. Good luck! I hope something opens for you!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

BOG lunch looks great! We haven't tried that one yet, but hope to next time!

I love your observations from IASW - I have never noticed any of those things.

Love the zoomed-in shots of MK from your balcony - so cool!

Definitely give BOG lunch a try! Great setting and really good food. A little crazy at times - especially in the Main Dining Room which seems to really amplify sound ... but much better option than a lot of other quick service locations

So many little things to notice on IASW! Thank you! Was fun to try and zoom in on different attractions!

Love all the pictures at the end. I can't believe you were able to capture from so far.

I want to try BOG SOOOOO bad! I sure hope we can squeeze it in, next trip. I never got a FP invite for it and since we only did that one day at MK, I didn't want to stand in line for it but I will next time

Peter Pan's Flight is my favorite in Fantasyland. I think I have mentioned it in one of my TR's that when my mom died we use the quote around our house alot to tell our boys where her heavenly home is... " Second Star to the right.. And straight on till morning"

While it is a point-and-shoot, my camera has a pretty good zoom on it (about 20x) but definitely was cool to capture those images.

I forget if we actually got an invite for the BOG FP or not - I think I just stalked the website every day until it opened up for my stay and then pounced

I think I recall that story from your TR - very sweet! I love PPF - I think it is such a neat concept to be connected to the ceiling rather than the floor and love the perspective they give when flying out of London

 

[amazingact21]

I'm a big fan of lunch at BOG, simply because it's a step above burgers and chicken tenders. But I do have to agree with you, that ordering area is small and congested, so time can drag while you wait in there.


What a view. I can't imagine how awesome it was to take an afternoon break at your resort and be able to take in Splash and Thunder Mtn. Glad you took advantage of that opportunity.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Back at work...which means getting caught up on the DIS! Just read through all the updates. THat was fun, since Aria and I were in them! JK it was fun to hear the back story for what you guys were up to before our TotWL meet & your MK day. You told me snippets (I remember you guys saying you had a TON to eat at CRT!). It will be fun to tell our side stories as well...once I get to those days LOL!

I'll give further comments on your later updates promise! Just a lot to get through.

I am surprised you didn't love the rose gallery though - in October we chose to eat there again for lunch vs. the main dining room!

Ack, this post snuck in there - definitely want to comment

Definitely interested to read your side of things as well - especially when you were off to meet Marie and stuff.

Man, I feel like people think I was bashing the rose gallery I really did like it, just of the three I think was least interesting ...plus I really wanted to sit by the snow effect

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm a big fan of lunch at BOG, simply because it's a step above burgers and chicken tenders. But I do have to agree with you, that ordering area is small and congested, so time can drag while you wait in there.


What a view. I can't imagine how awesome it was to take an afternoon break at your resort and be able to take in Splash and Thunder Mtn. Glad you took advantage of that opportunity.

Fully agree with what you say about ordering area at BOG - just a bit closed in and can be stressful - with it though.

Definitely wanted to take advantage of the view while we had the chance

 

[IheartDDuck]

You can definitely eat breakfast and lunch in separate castles! That's pretty awesome.

I've only ever eaten in the ballroom. Never in the rose gallery and never in the West Wing.

The braised pork is one of my favorite dishes there. It has yet to disappoint me.

The grilled cheese and tomato soup looks great! I'd totally eat that.

Okay, I have officially never seen the little Irish boy with the black beard. That is too funny!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

You can definitely eat breakfast and lunch in separate castles! That's pretty awesome.

I've only ever eaten in the ballroom. Never in the rose gallery and never in the West Wing.

The braised pork is one of my favorite dishes there. It has yet to disappoint me.

The grilled cheese and tomato soup looks great! I'd totally eat that.

Okay, I have officially never seen the little Irish boy with the black beard. That is too funny!

Clearly Disney needs to add a restaurant inside Prince Eric's Castle so that people can eat all three meals in a day in different castles

We ate in the Ballroom our previous trip - but kinda in the middle and it was a bit hectic/crazy and we didn't really take in the snow effect. The Rose Gallery was nice and definitely a little calmer

Fully agree on the braised pork. Other than a few fatty pieces it is a great dish - and pretty spectacular for a "quick service" option

I know! I thought the grilled cheese and tomato soup was a great option! They should have an "adult version" of it (i.e., the same thing with a fancier name and charge $4 more for it)

I hadn't noticed the blackbearded Irish boy until looking at my pictures .. there are so many odd thing on that ride

 

[courtneybelle]

I'm with you, I like looking around the Rose Gallery, but for me the ballroom is where it's at.

Peter Pan's Flight is definitely the hardest ride to get pictures on, I think, between how dark it is and how quickly you're moving.

I'm genuinely concerned about the platypus eggs now. Aren't they supposed to just be sitting on them?!

I would literally start hyperventilating if I could see Splash Mountain from my room.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Your lunch at BOG looks quite tasty! I've never been there for lunch but I really enjoyed our dinner there.

I agree with you on Peter Pan - getting decent pictures on the dark rides is practically impossible.

You did, however, get great photos from your balcony! Having such a fantastic view nearly makes up for the exorbitant price they charge for those darn rooms!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm with you, I like looking around the Rose Gallery, but for me the ballroom is where it's at.

Peter Pan's Flight is definitely the hardest ride to get pictures on, I think, between how dark it is and how quickly you're moving.

I'm genuinely concerned about the platypus eggs now. Aren't they supposed to just be sitting on them?!

I would literally start hyperventilating if I could see Splash Mountain from my room.

I think the ballroom is just the most impressive - though, at least for lunch, can be a bit loud and hectic - the Rose Gallery is definitely a little calmer and quieter

I agree - and I probably didn't do enough homework on my camera for getting dark ride photos. Oh well, if that is the worst thing that happens - pretty good trip, no?

Not sure how accurate animal attractions are outside of Animal Kingdom. Would be funny if they had platypuses at Animal Kingdom and people were all confused as to why they weren't swinging around their eggs

Not sure if I hyperventilated - but there were defiitely some *squees!* as I was checking out the view

Your lunch at BOG looks quite tasty! I've never been there for lunch but I really enjoyed our dinner there.

I agree with you on Peter Pan - getting decent pictures on the dark rides is practically impossible.

You did, however, get great photos from your balcony! Having such a fantastic view nearly makes up for the exorbitant price they charge for those darn rooms!

You should try the lunch at BOG if you get a chance Jenny- very good for a quick service ... and we waited on the line our previous trip and it moved pretty fast (though can be hot as not much cover)

I always get impressed with people who know what they are doing and can get great pictures ... though then I see how much equipment they have and then I am like "oh, ok - it makes sense now why my pictures stink"

Not sure if we will be able to swing the Contemporary again but it was great to do it once and we did feel like with that view the price was (at least somewhat) justified. The fact there is no cover though makes it hard to stay out there for long during the day though (at least in August)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 23 - A healthy dinner ... I mean, fruit is healthy, right?​

​

​

After a nice rest in the room and the air conditioning provided, along with taking in the view, we were heading back to the Magic Kingdom.

While waiting for the monorail both kids received their "wings" from a cast member there:

Olivia was also happy to be heading back to Magic Kingdom - I mean, she has been having a pretty darn good day so far

After we arrived, first thing we wanted to do was the "must do" of the trip for Peter (well, other than the monorail), and that was to ride the Walt Disney World Railroad. So we parked the stroller and headed up to the Main St. station and got aboard.

We were clear to remind the kids that there was to be no dancing ... which led to about a million questions from Olivia as to why we were not allowed to dance - so I of course told her about the great dancing disaster of 1973 which is why you no longer see Danny the Dancing Dog roaming the parks anymore. (Look, if you can't tease your kids, what the point? )

While the ride was mostly for Peter, I love it too - especially knowing how much Walt loved trains, just feels like a lot of history there. And it is fun to spot things as I learn more about the parks (like when you go through the tunnel that is when you go "over" Pirates of the Caribbean so you can't see the show building on the outside of the train loop). Also, we get to do my favorite part which is going through Spash Mountain:

We wound up riding the train all the way back to Main St. and picked up the stroller. We then walked through the Emporium some to look for souvenirs as Olivia wanted to get some Minnie ears (I'll cover souvenirs at the end of the report ... I know, greatest. tease. ever.)

We then headed into Adventureland (which is my favorite transition between lands - I love how you start to hear the drums and just the whole mood changes with the jungle plants, etc.). We had added a 4th FP+ for the Jungle Cruise and taht is where we were headed now. This, along with Haunted Mansion, are probably my top "must dos" as they just scream "Disney" to me and are so unique. Plus, every trip is a little different as each skipper is a little different, which I love.

On to the boat, and getting Emma settled:

On thing you may notice in the above is that it looks like there are multiple skippers on the boat - and you would be correct. The skipper we had (along with some others in the boat) was "earning her ears" so it was kind of a training boat. It turned out not to be an issue as she was quite good and it was actually pretty fun to watch when she would tell a new joke or just one the other skippers weren't expecting and they would break out in laughter.

The one I remember most clearly was at the scene with the explorers on the pole with the Rhino about to "poke Dr. Ahontas" who will "get the point in the end" she totally skipped those jokes and basically ignored the whole scene and just asked everyone in the boat to count the rocks.

I took video of most of the trip and in watching it back I realized that I was beating the skipper to many of the punchlines of the jokes - which I found probably funnier than I should have. In any event, I posted it to youtube and you can enjoy it yourself if you are so inclined ... and as an added bonus you will get to see the "backside of water"

(Click the image below to go to the YouTube video):



After this we had to decide what to do for dinner. We weren't super hungry and we knew we had something special planned for later, so we did the only logical thing .... and had Dole Whips for dinner. Hey, there is fruit and dairy in there so it is probably as healthy as many other options (or at least that is what we told ourselves).

The CM at the booth was super nice as we asked if we could get some extra cups to put some of the ice cream in and she just gave us extra free ice cream - so that was cool. Olivia also found that she liked to take her ice cream and pour chocolate milk over it to make her own "float"

But that was just the start of our "health kick" for the night

(continued next post)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 24 - Dessert with a view and a show​

​

​

After our healthy dinner we had time for a few more rides to hit up in Adventureland before our surprise to the kids for the evening.

I took Olivia and Peter on the Magic Carpets while Judi when to change Emma. While kind of a knock off of Dumbo I like this location a lot ... though, I liked the fact I got spit on by a camel during the ride less

We then went on Pirates of the Caribbean ... again, issues getting great pictures on this one, but at least I have one to prove we got on the actual ride:

Peter got a bit scared on the ride so I spent a good chunk of it holding him. I did manage to see the mermaids in the water for the first time - no picture to prove it though so I guess it didn't really happen.

The family in front of us also offered to take our pictures ... and if Olivia didn't look half out of it would have been a really good picture!

After this it was time to head to our surprise for the evening - which was that we were doing the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party! I had kinda wanted to try this out for a while and thought this was a perfect opportunity to do so as with the three kids including the baby the though of scoping out a spot on Main St. for a while didn't appeal.

For those of you who read my pre-trip report you will recall that this was the event that the agent I was working with informed me could only be booked 60 days out, but the good DISer that I am I informed him, no, this changed and you could do it 180 days out now and I was able to snag a reservation on my own. Unfortunately they only had an opening for 4 so we were a little crammed at our table - but it was fine.

We met a really great family in line to check in in front of us who seemed to really enjoy chatting with our kids which was great. We actually gave them one of our "thank you" cards because they really added to our vacation.

Anyway, need some pictures I suppose. So here are pictures of mine and Judi's plates loaded with desserts:

I had read mixed review of this event - mostly based around if it was worth the money. Honestly, we felt it was. While the desserts weren't the most OMG amazing things ever, a lot of them were quite good and there were a lot of options and they continued to bring out more throughout the evening. Plus we had coffee and hot cocoa and other drinks.

Some of the desserts we liked were the chocolate hazelnut one which is the oval shaped one with the striped chocolate straw thing in the middle of the top picture as well as the strawberry pena cota one which is the one that has strawberry at the top in the top picture. The chocolate covered strawberries were also good. Olivia like to eat the "ears" off of the mickey oreo things ... so there is that as well.

And a nice view even before the fireworks started:

From there we could also check out a lot of the hub constructions as we could see "over the walls" - definitely a big project.

It also provided a great view for watching Tinkerbell Fly as she basically soared right over our heads:

And, while not straight on to the Castle, did provide a pretty good view of Wishes:

I took some video of this as well ... and, I mean, who couldn't use to watch some of Wishes right about now? (it picks up right about the "Well I'll be, it's the Blue Fairy!!!!" part)

(Click the image to be taken to the YouTube video)


After that we took our time getting our fill of desserts - I think we were the last people out of the area but the CMs didn't seem to mind. The thinking was to let the crowds thin a bit and it definitely seemed to work. We then headed back to the room very satisfied with our day. We planned to take it easy the nest day and head to the parks a little later just to rest in.

TTFN

 

[MonsterWDWmom]

Looks like the rest and A/C was good for you guys

I agree a dole whip does count as a healthy meal

Jungle Cruise is so fun, it must of been nice to have a new skipper.

Just reading this report and knowing you had a baby with you makes me tired but you guys seemed to handle it awesome.

I know what you mean about the carpets, this past weekend we went to a park called Santa's Village and they had a sleigh ride that my kids were referring to as "The Dumbo ride" It did the same thing as Dumbo but instead you were flying in sleighs.

I did the dessert party last year and thought it was nice to (this was when you had to book 60 days out let me tell you Dis boards came in handy then)

Seeing Tinkerbell so close is awesome, and then watching Wishes while you have dessert, c'mon can't get better than that.

 

[missangelalexis]

Dole Whips for dinner is perfectly acceptable!

I'm glad you all enjoyed the dessert party and that it was worth it! Love the gif of Tinkerbell flying

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Awwww Olivia seems pretty darn proud of her wings.

Wow, I can't even remember the last time I boarded the WDW railroad. I'd almost think that I'd do it, if for no other reason, to avoid walking.

Oooh that's pretty cool getting an "In Training" Skipper. A little scary because, you know, new driver and all, but cool nonetheless.

I kept trying to see if that was Skipper Jen next to Olivia. Hard to tell from the angle though. I'll just wait for your other video to come back since I'm sure you set up multiple cameras for this shoot.

I do like being on that side for Tink's flight. It's pretty cool to see that close.

I actually watched Hallowishes from that location, and I am always interested in a different view of Wishes, so I may well try this some time. As long as it doesn't get too expensive.