July 2012. Yes it was hot. Yes it was crowded. Yes it was FUN! ***COMPLETED***

[solana131]

Congrats on the 10 years! And it looks like a lovely spot to spend a weekend. Nice pictures!

Thank you! Sometimes those 10 years feel like 100 years But I think I'll keep him...as long as he continues to let me go to Disney!

Great updates, Suz. I love that you had such an enjoyable morning at AK (I love that park). I'm glad you enjoyed EE (Mark loves it, I sit it out) and that you got to see my favorite Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore.

for TOT! Isn't it wondefully themed (by far my favorite ride in all of DW). Glad you got to do the Backlot (I hear it will be going away soon).

Happy Anniversary a little late; your weekend away sounds wonderful.

Thanks Kathy AK and HS are still my least favorite parks....but they are growing on me after this trip.

And it was a great weekend away. I hope you are having fun in Marco, and that in spite of everything going on you can make some more happy memories! I actually might be down that way next month. My mom is going down to their house in Cape Coral (about 45mins north of Marco) to get things set up for winter and she wants Bradey and I to go with her this year. Not sure though now that Bradey is in school, it is harder to just take off at the drop of a hat

You are a supremely awesome Aunt... and Dani deserves a lot of credit for getting into Bates... It is a great school! I hope that she is enjoying it...

Cousin...but thanks, she is a pretty cool kid! She got in thanks to her grades and also a fieldhockey scholarship. So she is very busy with practice and games right now. I think it is a little overwhelming and she is very homesick. But she's a trooper and I have no doubts she will make it through just fine.

I'm enjoying your tr... you have a great attitude about the heat and crowds...hey even if its hot and crowded... you're at Disney...

My "attitude" might've been a little bit different if I had my little guy with me, but with just us it was easy to deal with the craziness

The first day of school prayer... weepy... I hope your little man is having a good year so far...

He is doing great. Loving it!

That part of NH is very lovely... We've driven up Mt. Washington and ummm I was a little scared... the weather changed pretty dramatically by the top and it was hard to see... not good... I think I'd rather look at it from the distance...

I've only been to Southeastern Maine, well up to Portland... and from what I've seen of it- it's lovely as well...

I wanted to drive up MW, but hubby was a little worried about ruining our brakes coming back down. We did the Cog Railway a few years ago and that is definitely the way to go!

Yeah, Portland isn't a very good representative town of Maine. Next time come see me and I will show you around

Looking forward to the rest of your tr...

Coming soon....I promise! Only two days of it left, but I want to get it over with so I can start a PTR for my next fall trip.

Solana - Great pic's of N.H. DD and I enjoyed your weekend trip report. Reminded us when we went to Durango Colorado and then drove to the Grand Canyon.

DD and I need to take a couple of side trips next summer..

Yes....side trips to Maine!! It's a whole different world up here

Ack!!! Suzi - that was the perfect anniversary trip - and exactly what I am looking for... Except - I would like some palm trees please.

Picky picky picky Actually, we already have plans to go back there this winter for the XC skiing. There is a place called the Christmas Farm Inn & Spa in Jackson that looks just amazing for winter. Bill gave me permission to book a few days during Bradey's Feb vacation this year

Everything sounds so wonderful! Your anniversary dinner sounded amazing, and that little hotel sounds glorious!

Glad you had an amazing anniversary!

Thanks D~! It was a great time

Happy Anniversary!! What a nice mini-trip!

Thank you!

What a fabulous mini trip!!! Weekend getaways are awesome!!! SO beautiful!!!
What did you buy?

Thanks Mo. Actually, I didn't buy a thing other than our dining. Shopping isn't his thing Now I need to go back for a girlfriends weekend to make up for the lack of shopping

 

[hollyrose]

It was great! I thought the Yetti was broken and didn't move anymore...so when it's arm swooped down to get us, I admit I was freaked out a little. But I was ready for the the second time around.


I knew it! I was there in Feb. 2012-- and I was so disappointed that there was no Yeti! I asked people if it was just broken or if they had taken it out and everyone just shrugged their shoulders and looked at me like I was crazy! lol. Thank you for confirming that I'm not crazy and there SHOULD be a Yeti swooping down at you, it was just broken in Feb.

 

[solana131]

I knew it! I was there in Feb. 2012-- and I was so disappointed that there was no Yeti! I asked people if it was just broken or if they had taken it out and everyone just shrugged their shoulders and looked at me like I was crazy! lol. Thank you for confirming that I'm not crazy and there SHOULD be a Yeti swooping down at you, it was just broken in Feb.

I didn't go on it in Feb...didn't have anyone to ride with me and I didn't want to try it the first time by myself. But yeah, he definitely moves now (or did in July)! It was cool

 

[Chicago Mo]

Thanks Mo. Actually, I didn't buy a thing other than our dining. Shopping isn't his thing Now I need to go back for a girlfriends weekend to make up for the lack of shopping [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

is this an invitation??!?

 

[solana131]

is this an invitation??!?

Sure....I'm always up for a shopping trip Come on up! It's only a short drive from Chicago...right? I have some family in the Chicago area, they do the drive about once a year

 

[Chicago Mo]

Sure....I'm always up for a shopping trip Come on up! It's only a short drive from Chicago...right? I have some family in the Chicago area, they do the drive about once a year

Ummm Shopping in Chicago sounds better... Right??? We DEF have awesome Disney stores!!!

 

[solana131]

Ummm Shopping in Chicago sounds better... Right??? We DEF have awesome Disney stores!!!

Or....we could all fly out to the Mall of America and bombard D~ Sounds like a plan to me!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Or....we could all fly out to the Mall of America and bombard D~ Sounds like a plan to me!

Excellent plan!!!

 

[solana131]

Back to the Trip Report....

Sunday July 22, 2012​

This was our last full Disney day And we were going to make the best of it. When I last left off, we had spent a great evening at Hollywood Studios, but since we didn't get there until after 5pm we didn't get to do one of the big ones....Rockin Rollercoaster! I was very excited about this ride. It was a first for me as well as Dani.

So we got up nice and early. It was EMH at HS today, but I didn't really want to be there right at opening because I had no interest in being caught up in the TSM rush. So we had a little something at the food court then hopped a bus just after EMH opening. It was already hot and crowded, but we stopped to get a Photopass shot first.

Then quickly made our way over to RnR. The wait was already 45 mins, but the return time was only at 10am. We grabbed FPs and walked over to see how the wait for Star Tours was since we loved it so much last time. It said 20mins, so we were going to wait, but as we were walking in a lady and her daughter asked if we wanted their FPs Great! Less waiting is always a good thing! We thanked them over and over then walked right on the next mission. I just love how every mission is different, but parts are the same. We loved it...again.

We strolled down through the area by TSM just to see what the line looked like. Someday I will go on this, but I am not ready to deal with the hype just yet. Buzz in MK is just fine for me for now.

So after wandering around a bit it was time for RnR! Yep, we both loved it. The line was too long and we had Epcot plans that day, so we headed for the exit. We did a little browsing in the shops on the way out, but didn't buy anything.

We planned to take the boat up to Epcot, but it was really hot in there and it looked like a nice breeze blowing outside. So we hopped off at the first stop for Swan/Dolphin. Wow! Those resorts are beautiful. Maybe someday....but I guess when I want to stay on Disney property, I want to be at a Disney resort.

We walked up through the Yatch/Beach Club boardwalk and drooled over those resorts. I kinda wish I had booked Beach Club for Dani and I since they just seem more adult oriented and I'm not sure I would go there with my little guy. But POFQ was fine.

So upon entering World Showcase we turned right and the first "person" we saw was Miss Marie. Dani's favorite movie is Aristocats....so of course we had to get a picture!

I was disappointed that there was no PP photographer here, so I didn't get a picture. The little girl behind me was very impatient. Next time.

Then we saw Aurora right next door, so we got a pic with her.

She was very nice and pretty chatty. She told us she liked our shirts and that blue was Periwinkle's favorite color. There was no one else in line behind us, so I think she took more time than usual. It was great! It was the first face character Dani had met and I think she was impressed that they were so in character.

So at this point our breakfast was wearing off and we just happened to be in France....so what do you do when you are hungry in France?? Get a pastry of course! We walked up to Boulangerie Patisserie. No line at 11:30 So we took our time deciding what to get. It all looked so wonderful, but I settled on the Napoleon and a frozen cappucino

The pastry was so incredible! Very creamy and flaky. It wasn't too sweet, but just hit the spot perfectly. The iced capp was horrible. I guess I was expecting something sweet....like normal iced capps I get. It was just bitter. I even went back inside and grabbed a couple packets of sugar, but it was still just wrong. I ended up getting a bottled water instead. But the Napoleon more than made up for it.

Dani got a sandwich and a coke.

She said the bread was rather hard (which baguette is supposed to be) but that it had a great flavor.

After enjoying our little snack and watching a few people stop by for the Agent P game, we got on our way. Walking out of France we got to see the waiter on the chairs show (sorry, don't know the official name) and it was very entertaining.

 

[solana131]

We kinda ran through WS on our last visit, so we wanted to take our time exploring this time around. Movng along to the right....we came to Morocco

And I just love this fountain!

Then on to Japan...

Here we spent a lot of time in the stores. I wanted to surprise Dani with a pick-a-pearl. Her birthday (as well as mine) is in June, so pearl is our birthstone. And I just wanted to do this for her for a little something she could have to remember the trip by. A piece of pearl jewelry is way better than Mickey Ears right??

This was my first PAP experience too. We were there before they really got started I guess....or maybe they had just come off break But it wasn't busy at all anyway. And the male CM did it for us (I took it that it is usually one of the female ones and the male does the setting of the jewelry) but he was so great! Dani went first and got a beautiful 7 3/4 gray pearl! I have to say...I was a little disappointed that she got that one! Mine was a very pretty and very respectable white 7 1/4 mm pearl, but I would've been so happy to get a gray one. But it made her soooo happy, so I didn't say anything.

Dani is such a sweetie....she picked the cheapest setting she could find at first. I had budgeted for this...so I told her to pick whichever one under $100 she wanted. She then chose a very simple ring setting that really let the pearl shine.

They told us it had to sit for 24 hours before she could wear it, so like a good little girl we waited until the next day to wear it, but she wears it all the time now! It was sooo worth the price. Only $59 for that setting.

I had really wanted to do PAP to have the experience, but I have so much pearl jewelry at home....I just didn't know what to do with it. All week I had been searching for something to get for D as a thank you for rushing to get my bag done and just generally being a sweetheart. So I decided right then and there that this would be a good gift. So I chose the only "Disney-ish" design they had. Honestly....why don't they have more Disney themed designs?? Wouldn't you think maybe a Mickey Ears with a pearl in the middle would make a cute necklace?? But this fit my image of D very well since she is kinda like a fairy godmother sometimes.

Hope she likes it. It was better than having it just sit in my jewelry box not being used.

We had to wait an hour for them to set the pearls. So we wandered over to the American Adventure next door. We caught the wonderful singers about in the middle of their song. Can't remember what they are called, but they were great. Then we went up to watch the show. I have to say...I thought it made us Americans out to be war-hungry bullies! They just seemed to focus only on the wars of our past instead of all the great things we have done.

But after the show we walked back to get our PAPs then continued on around the showcase. We grabbed some gelato sandwiches at the little kiosk in Italy. These were yummy, but they melted so fast on that hot hot day.

Skipped both Maelstrom and the Mexico boat ride because we had hit them both the first day. It was about 515 when we were heading out planning to go over to the Poly for dinner at Captain Cooks when I remembered that I had an ADR at 6 at Chef Mickeys! Yikes! I totally forgot about that!

Will we make it in time?? You'll have to check back later to see.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Back to the Trip Report....

Sunday July 22, 2012​

The pastry was so incredible! Very creamy and flaky. It wasn't too sweet, but just hit the spot perfectly. Dani got a sandwich and a coke.

Wonder how long it will take D~ to show up and drool all over your Nepoleon picture?

That sandwich looks delicious. I have heard they are incredible, but with so many more "out of the box" food choices in Epcot I am not sure I could talk DH into trying one of those.

 

[solana131]

Wonder how long it will take D~ to show up and drool all over your Nepoleon picture?

She's off crafting it this weekend....so I bet she won't see it until Monday

That sandwich looks delicious. I have heard they are incredible, but with so many more "out of the box" food choices in Epcot I am not sure I could talk DH into trying one of those.

It was turkey and cheese with a little mayo I think. I meant to try it so I could give a better review, but I just couldn't tear myself away from that napoleon! I didn't even offer Dani a bite Mine mine mine!

 

[204charity]

What an awesome day! So you guys obviously had park hoppers, and were able to really get your $'s worth out of them. I have a question for you - when you went in February with your DH and Brady, did you guys use hoppers then as well? I was wondering with shorter park hours if it was worth it or not.

 

[solana131]

What an awesome day! So you guys obviously had park hoppers, and were able to really get your $'s worth out of them. I have a question for you - when you went in February with your DH and Brady, did you guys use hoppers then as well? I was wondering with shorter park hours if it was worth it or not.

Yes we did Charity. I will never go to WDW without hoppers. They are so worth the extra money for me. We definitely used them more this time because of the heat and crowds, but I will continue to get them if only for the ease of planning. You never know when you will want to switch parks mid-day due to crowds, shows, dining, or weather. They are soooo worth it to me!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Or....we could all fly out to the Mall of America and bombard D~ Sounds like a plan to me!

Excellent plan!!!

Time and Date please...
Don't think she would mind a bunch of us showing up at her house unannounced..

 

[solana131]

Time and Date please...
Don't think she would mind a bunch of us showing up at her house unannounced..

Not as long as we help her sew

 

[Chicago Mo]

I had really wanted to do PAP to have the experience, but I have so much pearl jewelry at home....I just didn't know what to do with it. All week I had been searching for something to get for D as a thank you for rushing to get my bag done and just generally being a sweetheart. So I decided right then and there that this would be a good gift. So I chose the only "Disney-ish" design they had. Honestly....why don't they have more Disney themed designs?? Wouldn't you think maybe a Mickey Ears with a pearl in the middle would make a cute necklace?? But this fit my image of D very well since she is kinda like a fairy godmother sometimes.

Hope she likes it. It was better than having it just sit in my jewelry box not being used.

Ummmm did she get it already? If not you kinda killed the surprise?!?!

 

[solana131]

Ummmm did she get it already? If not you kinda killed the surprise?!?!

It's okay....she got them a while ago. She's been patiently waiting for me to get to this day so she could post something about it

 

[Chicago Mo]

It's okay....she got them a while ago. She's been patiently waiting for me to get to this day so she could post something about it

Awesome..

Would like to do this for Meg... What are the pricing and settings???

 

[DMGeurts]

Here we spent a lot of time in the stores. I wanted to surprise Dani with a pick-a-pearl. Her birthday (as well as mine) is in June, so pearl is our birthstone. And I just wanted to do this for her for a little something she could have to remember the trip by. A piece of pearl jewelry is way better than Mickey Ears right??

This was my first PAP experience too. We were there before they really got started I guess....or maybe they had just come off break But it wasn't busy at all anyway. And the male CM did it for us (I took it that it is usually one of the female ones and the male does the setting of the jewelry) but he was so great! Dani went first and got a beautiful 7 3/4 gray pearl! I have to say...I was a little disappointed that she got that one! Mine was a very pretty and very respectable white 7 1/4 mm pearl, but I would've been so happy to get a gray one. But it made her soooo happy, so I didn't say anything.

Dani is such a sweetie....she picked the cheapest setting she could find at first. I had budgeted for this...so I told her to pick whichever one under $100 she wanted. She then chose a very simple ring setting that really let the pearl shine.

They told us it had to sit for 24 hours before she could wear it, so like a good little girl we waited until the next day to wear it, but she wears it all the time now! It was sooo worth the price. Only $59 for that setting.

This turned out awesome!

I had really wanted to do PAP to have the experience, but I have so much pearl jewelry at home....I just didn't know what to do with it. All week I had been searching for something to get for D as a thank you for rushing to get my bag done and just generally being a sweetheart. So I decided right then and there that this would be a good gift. So I chose the only "Disney-ish" design they had. Honestly....why don't they have more Disney themed designs?? Wouldn't you think maybe a Mickey Ears with a pearl in the middle would make a cute necklace?? But this fit my image of D very well since she is kinda like a fairy godmother sometimes.

Hope she likes it. It was better than having it just sit in my jewelry box not being used.

This was just the nicest thing... It really brought me to tears when I received it. Annnnd... You'll be happy to know - when I was at the craft fair this weekend - I not only got one, but TWO necklaces to string it on... I really want to splurge and get a silver one some day - but I need to wait until I go up north to go to my regular jeweler. I can't wait to show you pictures - and I can wait to finally wear it! Thank you so much!!! I really am so lucky to have the best Dis friends in the world.

We had to wait an hour for them to set the pearls. So we wandered over to the American Adventure next door. We caught the wonderful singers about in the middle of their song. Can't remember what they are called, but they were great. Then we went up to watch the show. I have to say...I thought it made us Americans out to be war-hungry bullies! They just seemed to focus only on the wars of our past instead of all the great things we have done.

But after the show we walked back to get our PAPs then continued on around the showcase. We grabbed some gelato sandwiches at the little kiosk in Italy. These were yummy, but they melted so fast on that hot hot day.

Skipped both Maelstrom and the Mexico boat ride because we had hit them both the first day. It was about 515 when we were heading out planning to go over to the Poly for dinner at Captain Cooks when I remembered that I had an ADR at 6 at Chef Mickeys! Yikes! I totally forgot about that!

Will we make it in time?? You'll have to check back later to see.

ACK!!! I hope you made it on time!

Time and Date please...
Don't think she would mind a bunch of us showing up at her house unannounced..

Yes, time and date please...

Not as long as we help her sew

Yup! You will all get a crash course in sewing... and I will work you like dogs. while I... And you'll love it so much that you'll never want to go home.

It's okay....she got them a while ago. She's been patiently waiting for me to get to this day so she could post something about it

I really have been patient, haven't I? LOL

I missed you all this weekend, can't wait to show you some of my pics.

D~