Let the memories (of our May 2011 trip) begin! *UPDATED SEPT. 18th- LINK to NEW TR!*

[JAMIESMITH]

Do you remember ICQ?

Does it give away my age if I say I had to google it?

You two seeem really perfect for each other

 

[Queila]

Does it give away my age if I say I had to google it?

You two seeem really perfect for each other

Thanks.

I Googled it too and was surprised to see they are still around. Anyways, we met back in 1999 and got married in 2001. Seems like yesterday specially because in my head I am pretty much still 24 years old.

 

[Queila]

VEGAS TRIP AND DISNEYLAND MINI TR- PART 3.

So after the Little Mermaid ride we went to the Disney Animation building which is SUPER COOL!!! We spent quite some time in there exploring the galleries and the interactive activities.

Then I think we crossed back to Disneyland in hopes of riding something (anything, actually) but the crowds were more insane than ever. It was really hard to even walk around. I guess that is what WDW must be like in the peak of Summer but we are just not used to it.

We tried to go to Rapunzel's meet and greet area in the hopes of making a little video for Beatriz but the waiting time was over an hour so we gave up on that too. Disneyland was just not manageable so we crossed back to California Adventure. We did manage to get Fast Passes for the Indiana Jones ride though.

So by this point we hadn't done many attractions yet but we were loaded with Fast Passes so the day was still promising and we were keeping our heads high:

Unfortunately it was also starting to get quite cold and I was a bit under dressed.

Back at California Adventure we saw a little street show with some Pixar characters and then we rode the Monsters Inc. ride which is cute for the little ones. Then we got in line for Aladdin - the musical. We were one of the first people in line (we lined up a good 45 minutes before the start of the show) because really... I did not know where else to go at that point.

I have to say the show saved the afternoon. It was INCREDIBLE!!! Aladdin is probably one of my favorite movies EVER. It was also one of my first Disney movies. I still know the lines of most of the scenes by heart and can sing along at all the songs so the show was a blast. It was funny with updated jokes and visually appealing. For the first time that day I felt like I was having a real Disney moment. Worth the trip all the way to Anaheim.

So then it was time to ride Soarin' using our FP and, as usual, it did not disappoint. It was extra special to ride it IN California though, specially at the finale scene. Just saying...

After Soarin' we crossed to Paradise Pier in hopes of getting FP's for Toy Story Mania.

That is when we found out that TSM does not offer FP's in Disneyland.

What in the world?!?

The waiting time was 60 minutes and we were feeling defeated by the crowds.

So Joey tried to convince me to do either California Screamin' or Mickey's fun Wheel that did not have a lot of waiting but I wasn't having it. I was cold and starting to get hungry again.

Before leaving home we had purchased the World of Color picnic package and I was ready to go claim my food. So we went to Sonoma Terrace to get our super.

Here is what we got. I think they call it the Mediterranean option or something:

It does not seem like much but it was delicious and filled us up:

The only inconvenient of the meal time was that we had to eat outside and the wind was quite cold at that point.

We still had a little over an hour to kill before World of Color so we decided to just face the line at TSM. By the time we made it back there the waiting time was down 45 minutes so we sucked it up and got in line.

After the ride we went to our pre- assigned viewing area for World of Color. The show was everything I was expecting and more. Simply stunning. I am sure I had a tear or two rolling down my cheeks.

So after World of Color we crossed back to Disneyland. They had already have the evening Holiday Parade and fireworks so a lot of people had already left.

We then used out FP for Star Tours. We had missed the opening of the re- imagined Star Tours in DHS last year by a couple of days so we were happy to be able to do it this time. Joey loved it. I still found it a little hard on my stomach but it was definitely better than what it used to be.

Then we walked to New Orleans Square and caught the last half of Fantasmic! and rode Pirates of the Caribbean with a 15 minute wait. This ride seems to be a little longer and more elaborate than the one in Magic Kingdom and we were very glad we got to do it. ​

 

[natebenma]

Love your mini review of Disneyland. I was there once, back in 1978, so I bet there have been one or two changes since then!

Beautiful night pictures!

I love the look of your meal.

No FP for TSM?!?

I love Aladdin, too. I would enjoy the show.

 

[Queila]

love your mini review of disneyland. I was there once, back in 1978, so i bet there have been one or two changes since then!

I was there in 1994 and barely recognized the place!

beautiful night pictures!

Thanks.

i love the look of your meal.

Tt was yummy... specially of you love cheese.

no fp for tsm?!?

I know, right??

i love aladdin, too. I would enjoy the show.

It was really special. I think they are showing this show in one of the new cruise ships. The Fantasy, if i am not mistaken. Also, I told Joey that after they open the new "Little Mermaid" area in Fantasyland they should bring that show to DHS and use the current Little Mermaid theater. I wish they would let me call the shots sometimes. I also remember back in 1996 i visited dhs and the afternoon parade was all about aladdin. It was awesome. Wonder if i can find a video of that somewhere...

q

 

[brookelizabeth]

Sorry to hear Disneyland was unbearable for the first part of the day, but glad Aladdin saved the day! It's AWESOME, isn't it?! We still quote it! Such a fantastic show (and they now have it on the Disney Fantasy too!).

I hope you were able to get on Indiana Jones!

 

[ronnmel]

I'm sorry to hear that Disneyland was insanely packed and you were not able to do much. At least you got to watch two amazing shows that are not offered in WDW. Ron has watched Aladdin's show on youtube and wishes really hard that they would bring it to Florida. And I would personally LOVE to see World of Color one day.

 

[Queila]

Sorry to hear Disneyland was unbearable for the first part of the day, but glad Aladdin saved the day! It's AWESOME, isn't it?! We still quote it! Such a fantastic show (and they now have it on the Disney Fantasy too!).

I hope you were able to get on Indiana Jones!

Give me an unbearable day at Disneyland over a day at work anytime!!!!

I'm sorry to hear that Disneyland was insanely packed and you were not able to do much. At least you got to watch two amazing shows that are not offered in WDW. Ron has watched Aladdin's show on youtube and wishes really hard that they would bring it to Florida. And I would personally LOVE to see World of Color one day.

World of Color is really special. I wish they could bring it to Florida.

 

[Queila]

VEGAS TRIP AND DISNEYLAND MINI TR- PART 4
So after riding Pirates of the Caribbean we decided we were ready for a treat. We headed to Café Orleans where I knew we could get a famous treat: Mickey beignets. I was also dying for a nice, hot cup of coffee at this point but had to "settle" for some hot chocolate.

Joey gave the beignets a little shake to make sure they were nicely coated with the powder ssugar:

And I tried to be dainty:

It was that good:

At this point I think we crossed the park again to ride Matterhorn but I have no picture to prove it:

And then we needed to sit down a bit so we did "It is a Small World" which pretty much becomes an entirely different ride for the holiday season:

So now it was probably 11 pm and we headed back to Indiana Jones. We had tried to ride it two or three different times during the day. We had FP's for it and we were ready to use them but wouldn't you know the ride was down.

That was a disappointment because we KNOW Indiana Jones is supposed to be a must- do but we just were not able to do it.

Joey was particularly upset so he decided to eat his emotions:

So by now we were really tired. We had started our day at 6 am in Vegas after all so we decided to leave. One last picture:

​

 

[natebenma]

Wow, that was a long day! Amazing what you can do without a little one in tow.

The pictures of It's a Small World are BEAUTIFUL!!!

Love the Mickey Beignets. What is that last thing Joey is eating?

Bummer about Indiana Jones!

I really loved hearing about your visit to DL!

 

[Queila]

*** I posted twice today. Don't miss the other post on the previous page. ***
But wait!

You guys didn't really think we were going to leave without visiting "The World of Disney" at DTD, did you?

We had gifts to buy to a little girl who had missed out on the fun so off we went:

We bought Beatriz a couple of gifts which to this day she thinks we got in the "Vegas Disney store". One day we will have to explain it better.

And I got Joey a little gift as part of our "anniversary celebration". It was a Muppet Vinylmation.

I took some pictures of the "reveal:

When we visited Disney in May 2011 Joey wanted to buy himself a Vinylmation but never got to do it so I was happy to do it for him. It was his first one and he keeps it at his desk at work, This Summer we visited a Disney Store in New Hampshire and he got himself two more: Mater and Mc Queen so I guess you can say he started a collection.

Overall, the day at Disney was a success. Even a over crowded day in a Disney park is better than a day at work so I am happy we made it there. Now we want to go back with Bea to visit the Cars land and see everything else we didn't get to do this time.

Looking back I wish I had had more time to plan for this trip and get more familiar with the parks before going but ùI guess we made our best given the circumstances.

After all that we walked back to our hotel, spent the night and next morning drove ourselves back to Vegas:

In Vegas we went straight to the airport and flew back home.

The day after we got home we kept the Disney spirit alive by going to the movies to watch "The Muppets".

That night I posted this picture on my Facebook account with the quote: "Reunited. Just in time for movie night".

​

 

[Queila]

Wow, that was a long day! Amazing what you can do without a little one in tow.

The pictures of It's a Small World are BEAUTIFUL!!!

Love the Mickey Beignets. What is that last thing Joey is eating?

Bummer about Indiana Jones!

I really loved hearing about your visit to DL!

I know!!! It reminded me of how "mobile" I used to be. She is growing fast though. Wondering how things will play out this year.

"It's a small World" was really something to see. The ride inside was completely modified also. Very impressive what they can do.

I comforted myself with the thought that now I just don't have a choice. I have to go back so we can wide Indiana Jones.

Thank you. It was fun writing about it.

 

[Queila]

So who else is having a super busy Summer and barely have any time to check the Disboards anymore?

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO -2012

So when we got back from Vegas we concentrated our efforts in our fertility treatment which turned into a positive pregnancy test by mid January.

Comparatively speaking we barely had any snow in Montreal this year but we did have a couple of storms and Joey brought Bea sliding once or twice.

At the end of January we took a two week trip to Brazil and I surprised my family with the news of the pregnancy. Happy times.

Unfortunately by the time Spring came life took a painful turn and we lost our baby boy. Everything else after that is a blur in my head: Joey changed jobs, my mother came from Brazil, we had to scramble to finish renovating our basement, doctor appointments, my sister came from the States, I went back to work....

With my mom and my sister in Old Montreal (April, 2012):

In the midst of it all we decided that a Disney trip was in order. So we started planning. Because of Joey's new job we couldn't take any vacation until the very end of August so we booked our vacation at Port Orleans French Quarter (our first moderate experience) from Aug. 26th to Sept. 3rd with free dining.

Our first choice was actually Coronado Springs and I was surprised to learn they had already run out of free dining rooms by mid- May. It was a bit of a disappointment because we really wanted to stay there basically for Beatriz. She is crazy about the three cavaleros and the pictures we have seen of the hotel and the grounds looked awesome. So we "settled" for Port Orleans.

However, after doing some extra research I can say we couldn't be happier with the choice of our hotel. I wouldn't go back to Coronado at this point even if I had the chance. The more I learn about POFQ the more I am convinced it will be a great fit for our family.

We are all very excited about it. Joey cannot wait to eat more beignets, Beatriz cannot wait to see the "dancing alligators" and slide in the "big, scary lizzard" and I can hardly believe we have less than a month to go.

By mid June we were talking to some friends about our trip and they decided to join us for the week. They have two kids (a 6 year old girl and a three year old boy). They have never been to Disneyworld and are completely CLUELESS about what to expect. They are the type of people who has no idea that the Disney world resort is actually four parks and Universal Studios is another company altogether.

They gave us total control over the plans and are happy just to follow around so we booked POFQ for them too and I was able to get ADR's for them with us for most of the trip.

They won't know what hit them.

They are very laid back people, happy with whatever we propose so I guess it should be ok. It is not our first time travelling with company. Our previous experience went well so we are hoping this should be fun as well.

Next up:
Quick itinerary and ADR's​

 

[Queila]

​

So I usually pride myself for being quick in my decisions concerning my ADR's. I usually know exactly what I want and once I book them I don't change my mind.

Well, this time things haven't quite worked the same way basically because of our party going from 3 people to 7 after I had already done all the reservations.

Also, Joey and Beatriz had a little more input this time around so some rules had to be broken (remember I said no repeats until I have experienced them all?) and I had to compromise but all in all I am quite pleased with our final list.

Sunday, Aug. 26th
-Check- in at PORFQ;
-Afternoon at Epcot- Exploring World Showcase;
-Via Napoli at16h30. This will be a late lunch/ early super. We have friends that went to Disney in April and they raved about Via Napoli so Joey's rule of never eating at an Italian restaurant when you have an Italian mama went down the drain.
- Illuminations at 9pm if we have the energy.

*Monday, Aug.27th*
-Magic Kingdom day (rope drop);
-Lunch at Columbia Harbour House. This is a first for us even though the urge of going back to Pecos Bill is still quite present.
-Kona Cafe at 17h30- another first. Oscar Tuna anyone???

*Tuesday, Aug. 28th*
-Animal Kingdom day;
-Lunch: Flame Tree BBQ (our family all time favorite);
-Back to the hotel for some swimming and a nap;
-Super: Sassagoula Floatworks. This is the couter service at POFQ and I am planning of having me some gumbo or jambalaya.

*Wednesday, Aug. 29th*
-DHS day;
-Early wake up call;
- Breakfast at Hollywood and Vine at 8h00. This is the earliest ADR we have EVER attempted and I am wondering if all the seven of us will be able to be there on time. Beatriz is crazy about Disney Junior's Jake and the Neverland Pirates so this should be fun and we try to have at least one table service breakfast per trip.
- For super we are splitting the two families: We are sending our friends off t the Boardwalk to have super at Kouzzina at 17h00 while we are going back to Port Orleans for super at Boatwrights on the Riverside at 19h15. I think both families will appreciate a meal on their own at this point.

*Thursday, Aug. 30th*
-Magic Kingdom
-Lunch: Crystal Palace at 13h30. This was a HUGE no-no for me. I was not impressed with our breakfast at CP in 2010 and I was in no rush to go back there. I really, really wanted to try Liberty Tree Tavern but Joey compared the menus and said he prefers CP and he is willing to give it a second chance. I am still not "on board" with this but I was willing to compromise. I guess the 3 year old boy will enjoy seeing Pooh and friends and I might come around.
- Super: Not sure yet. If we have the energy I wouldn't mind going to Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD. There is a boat from Port Orleans to DTD so we can do that at night after some swimming and a nap.

*Friday, Aug. 31st*
DHS day
- Sleeping in
- Lunch at Starring Rolls
- Super: Splitting the families again. We are heading to Cape May Cafe at 17h10 and we are sending them back to Port Orleans for super at Boatwrights at 18h30.

*Saturday, Sept. 1st*
Epcot- Future World*
-Lunch: I gave Joey the choice of any restaurant at WS for our table service I was willing to bet anything he was going to pick Biergarten or Marrakesh. Yet, he surprised me with Tokyo Dining. Oh man... I better not regret this. Notice that this is also the time we were supposed to eat our traditional princess meal at Akershus but then I broke a huge rule and ended up getting an ADR for somewhere else on our last day.
We are sending the other family to San Angel Inn. We had such a positive experience there last year that we thought they should try it.
- Super: Sunshine Seasons or any other location we decide on the spot. I really hope I get to try England's fish& chips at some point. But there is also a chance we will go back to our hotel and have super again at Sassagoula Floatworks.

*Sunday, Sept. 2nd*
Sleeping in
Lunch: still opened. Maybe at DTD if we haven't made our way there up until that point
Super: Cinderella Royal Table. I know, I know... I have vowed never to spend two credits "just" to eat inside the Castle, specially when you can see the princesses at Akershus but Joey convinced me we should do it. The meal seems to be average but as Disney fans we *have to* be able to say we ate inside the castle. Even if just once. Also, Disney is probably going to be an once in a lifetime experience for the other family so it suddenly became a "must do".

The other day Beatriz asked me if the princesses at Disney are the "real Princesses" of if they are just people wearing costumes. It broke my heart to see she is already losing some of her innocence so I guess I will eat inside the Castle while she still believes it is a real castle.

So that is it for ADR's. I will try to come back soon with a couple of more details for the trip. Hope everyone is having a great Summer!

Q​

 

[natebenma]

This morning is a little catchup day on the DIS, although it is amost time for me to head out for some fun in the sun.

I love the dining plans for your upcoming trip!

Haven't been to Via Napoli- but all the reviews I have read have been positive- I would love to try it.

Columbia Harbor House and Kona are two of our favorites! This is where we ate on our one day MK visit last summer. I don't think you will be disappointed. Have you seen the Kona Kone? Insane!

Sounds like a fun breakfast at HS with the little ones. I tried Starring Rolls for the first time in June and enjoyed it (for so many reasons)

Our very first sitdown lunch with the boys was Crystal Palace. The food was good and I think your crew will enjoy meeting the characters from the Hundred Acre Woods.

on Cape May. Say "Hi" to the Beach Club for me!

Haven't been to Tokyo Dining or seen many reviews, but one by Jenneth79 gave it RAVES! Do you like sushi? What is on the kids menu?

And finally, we have never dined with in the castle, but if I had a little girl, I think that would be a must do at least once. Enjoy!

PS- Do you have any pictures from your long weekend at the beach? I am so sorry I missed you! I took Ben and a friend there on Friday

 

[nfggirl5454]

I read all about your trip today. It sounds super fun, and Beatriz is so adorable - my favorite great-aunt was Beatrice, and we called her Aunt Bea. She was the best, and I always love hearing about people who share her name. I'm so sorry to hear about losing your baby boy.

The Vegas and Disneyland trip sounds great. I've only been to California once, and we didn't do Disneyland, but I'd like to someday. Hope your next WDW trip is absolutely delightful

 

[cherjp]

Hi , enjoyed all your updates , I also realised that you are going back very very soon, hurrah more trip reports !!! So looking forward to your adventures again.

Xx

 

[Queila]

This morning is a little catchup day on the DIS, although it is amost time for me to head out for some fun in the sun.

I love the dining plans for your upcoming trip!

Haven't been to Via Napoli- but all the reviews I have read have been positive- I would love to try it.

Columbia Harbor House and Kona are two of our favorites! This is where we ate on our one day MK visit last summer. I don't think you will be disappointed. Have you seen the Kona Kone? Insane!

Sounds like a fun breakfast at HS with the little ones. I tried Starring Rolls for the first time in June and enjoyed it (for so many reasons)

Our very first sitdown lunch with the boys was Crystal Palace. The food was good and I think your crew will enjoy meeting the characters from the Hundred Acre Woods.

on Cape May. Say "Hi" to the Beach Club for me!

Haven't been to Tokyo Dining or seen many reviews, but one by Jenneth79 gave it RAVES! Do you like sushi? What is on the kids menu?

And finally, we have never dined with in the castle, but if I had a little girl, I think that would be a must do at least once. Enjoy!

PS- Do you have any pictures from your long weekend at the beach? I am so sorry I missed you! I took Ben and a friend there on Friday

Hey Dee,
Every single dessert from the Kona Cafe menu seems to be calling my name at this point. I LOVE cotton candy so the Kona cone is a front runner but that foundu and that creme brule look so good! ANy experience with any of those??

Now you see? Cape May is actually the one repeat I don't mind doing. Clam bake just makes me so happy. However, I have never eaten at the Sci-Fi and I believe it deserves a visit (for the ambiance if for nothing else). I have been trying to switch reservations but haven't been able to find an opening. We will try to do a walk in on our DHS and then cancel Cape May. If it doesn't work out, Cape May it is. It is a win-win situation if you ask me.

Yes, we love sushi but stay tuned to learn what has happened to our Tokyo Dining reservation.

I am still not thrilled about Crystal Palace but, hey, I just might be proved wrong this time.

Beatriz is really excited about eating inside the castle. That and having her face painted at Animal Kingdom.

I read all about your trip today. It sounds super fun, and Beatriz is so adorable - my favorite great-aunt was Beatrice, and we called her Aunt Bea. She was the best, and I always love hearing about people who share her name. I'm so sorry to hear about losing your baby boy.

The Vegas and Disneyland trip sounds great. I've only been to California once, and we didn't do Disneyland, but I'd like to someday. Hope your next WDW trip is absolutely delightful

Thanks for commenting and to my TR! Beatrice is a bit of an old name but it suits my little one perfectly. I guess the "z" at the end gives her some extra character too. I also like to hear about other Bea's. I have a patient at work who was born at the same week as my daughter and is also called Beatrice. I love when she comes over.

Hi , enjoyed all your updates , I also realised that you are going back very very soon, hurrah more trip reports !!! So looking forward to your adventures again.

Xx

Only two weeks to go! I drag my TR's for so long that I end up losing most of the readers along the way. Thank you for sticking by. I will try to be more effective on my next one.

 

[Queila]

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Alright then, I thought I was done with the ADR's but as it turns out, I wasn't .

For Monday, Aug. 27th (Magic Kingdom day) I pushed our reservations at Kona Cafe from 5pm to 8h20pm. That sounds late but it will allow us to go back to the hotel for some swimming and nap time in the afternoon. The goal is to be refreshed, reenergized and make our way to Polynesian in time.

I just didn't think all the kids were going to last all day long in the park and make it through super.

A later reservation will also give us time to eat and maybe go watch Wishes from the beach at the Polynesian. I have always wanted to do it.

I know if Bea takes a nap in the afternoon she can last all the way to Wishes with no major melt downs. I hope the other kids can too. Hopefully we will be able to pull this off.

For Wed, Aug. 29th (DHS day) I canceled our friends' reservation for super at Kouzzina because I finally found an opening at Cape May Cafe for them. I think as first time visitors to Disney they will get more of an "experience" out of Cape May and it will give them the chance to visit the Beach Club. We won't be together for that meal though. We will be at Boatwright's that night.

I chose a meal at Boatwright's because of its location (I guess not many people make the trip to POR just to eat there) but one good look at their menu and I am convinced it will be one of our favorite meals of the trip!

Would you just take a look at that?

Gumbo-

And that:

Prime rib-

Can't wait!

On our second day at DHS (Fri, Aug.29th) we will switch around: we go to Cape May and our friends go to Boatwright's.

However, Cape May is a repeat for us and I have been very interested in eating at Sci-Fi. I guess Sci-Fi falls in the same category of Coral Reef and San Angel Inn for me. I just want to experience the ambiance so if I am ever able to find an opening for Sci- Fi I will cancel Cape May.

Not sure why but I only came up with that idea lately so no ADR's available at this point.

And, lastly, I ended up cancelling our ADR for Tokyo Dining on Sat. Sept 1st. We love sushi and I have no doubts that we would enjoy our meal over there. However, it just seemed quite limited when it comes to the Disney Dining Plan. It didn't look like a smart use of our credit. Joey agreed to let that one go and we decided we will eat there on a future trip but probably just pay for it out of pocket.

So instead of Tokyo Dining we will be heading off to Marrakesh!! This restaurant has been on our radar for the longest time and I am very excited about it. I think we are going to a lot out of it: the food, the live music, the belly dancing. I am sure it will be a memorable meal.

So that is it! Hopefully no more changes from here on.

Two weeks to go!!!!!​

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I've followed yOur two previous trip reports, but I just realized you're about to go back! My family's first trip is a month away I'll be looking forward to reading about your trip. Beatrice makes me think of the Beezus and Ramona books. I hope you'll get them for your Bea when she's a little older