Lightsabers, Mouse Kisses and a Man in a Lucky Shirt! A January 2010 TR

[jenjolt]

Have a safe and fun trip Kim! I will be here when you get back and get finished!!! No worries I still haven't finished mine from last October and have a May one to do LOL!

 

[FloraFauna]

Yes, I'm still here and would love to read more trip report from you

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

HEY TR Fans and followers!!!

After a brief stint on the completed thread, this TR is open for comment again!!! (Thanks to OHMari for reopening it!)

We are still on vacation although we have only 3 days left! We will be heading home this saturday! We have had a wonderful time visiting both sides of ur family but I am very ready to be home!! 3 weeks away is just a little bit too long!!

I WILL FINISH THIS TR when we get home - only 1 day left to do!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Wow, and people tell me my vacations are long!! Glad you've been having a good trip! Maybe you could tell us about it a bit at the end of the TR.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

STAY TUNED MY FRIENDS!!!!!

We are home from vacation! I will be getting to work on finishing up this TR!!! ONLY ! DAY LEFT!!!!!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

NOTE: Since this is the very last full day of our trip, I intend to drag it out a bit! I will probably do at least 3 if not 4 chapters on this last VERY magical day! Please bear with me!! Here we go....ENJOY!!!


Chapter 13 : A most Magical Morning with Mary (Poppins, that is!)

This last day of our vacation dawned cool and bittersweet. This was our very last day in WDW for quite possibly a VERY long time AND the weather was NOT very nice! As we were preparing to leave, we had turned on the weather network. The weather gurus were saying that yet another cold snap was on its to central Florida!

We were ready and out the door by about 7am, I think. My memory is getting a bit fuzzy and the time stamp on our camera is off by a bit. We arrived at the bus stop to a crowd of people heading to the MK. There were many little girls dressed in princess outfits who I suppose were going to either the BBB or to eat breakfast with Cinderella!

This was the ONLY morning we waited more than a few minutes for a bus! I seem to remember that there were quite a few ECV's as well. Our plan was to head to the MK and then catch the monorail around to the Grand Floridian for our breakfast at 1900 Park Fare.

When we were climbing aboard the bus, the driver jokingly scolded us for being up so early in the morning while on vacation and then asked us where we were going. I told him to the GF and he said that after dropping the others off at MK, he would drive us right to the GF!!! AWESOME!!! Ken was only slightly disappointed that he would not have a ride aboard the monorail!

We enjoyed the bus ride to the MK and then the ride to the GF. It was actually nice to just be able to stay on the bus and not have to rush to try and get to the monorail! We did arrive quite early to our ADR though! I believe it was for 8:00am and were at the GF by just after 7:30!

Walking into the GF for the very first time was absolutely breath taking! I don't think I have ever been in a more lovely space in my life! It is absolutely exquisite! If you have not yet had the pleasure of visiting the GF here is a little taste of what it looks like! The picture by no means does any justice to the actual room!

We walked around the main atrium and also went up to the second floor to have a peek at the yet to be opened shops. It is a very well themed resort! Lovely to be sure but I felt a little bit out of place there! Almost as if I didn't belong. Not sure that I would ever want to stay there! Just not my style I guess!

We went down to check in and were greeted by a wonderful surprise! Emily and Natalie were the given the most distinguished honour and privilege of being the “opening princesses” for the day!!! They would get to say the magic words which would open 1900 Park Fare for the day! Do you know what the magic word was???

??????????????????????????????????????????????

That's right!!! SUPERCALAFRAGALISTICEXPIALADOSHUS!!!

As soon as they said that great big magical word the doors to the restaurant flung open and who should be standing there but none other than Miss Mary Poppins herself!!! You should have seen Emily's eyes pop open!!! I believe she might have even squealed with absolute pleasure!!!

Mary led us to our table and then proceeded to pull out the girls seats for them! She welcomed us very warmly to 1900 Park Fare and then quickly disappeared! Our server was there right away to explain the buffet to us and to let us know which characters would be by to say hello!

We had been seated literally right next to the beginning of the buffet line so we didn't waste any time in getting up to go get some food! We were all pretty hungry by that point! The food smells wafting over to our table smelled pretty yummy! The choices at the buffet were pretty overwhelming! I generally tend to feel overwhelmed if I am given more than a few choices so I was definitely feeling a bit spun as I made my way around the buffet!

We were greeted by a pretty adorable yellow bear in a red shirt as soon as we sat down at our table! The girls were very happy to see their beloved Pooh and greeted him with smiles and hugs!

Here is a small sampling of what we consumed for breakfast that morning! The menu for 1900 Park Fare can be found HERE
!!!

Not too long after we started eating we were pounced upon a very stripey bouncey friend of ours! Tigger was particularly pouncey that morning!

Things were quiet for a while so we were able to finish our food in a relatively relaxed manner but almost as soon as we put down our forks we were greeted quite properly by Emily's favourite Nanny – Miss Mary Poppins!!!

She didn't come empty handed either! She brought not one, but 2 giant cupcakes!!! One for Emily because it was her birthday after all. She had also brought one for Natalie because it was her UN birthday!!! Natalie was so excited to have a cupcake all of her own!!

The girls were also given special place mats that could bring home that had been signed by ALL the characters at 1900 Park Fare! Including Cinderella and Price Charming! They are very special treasures that get used quite often!!!

Alice came out next followed quite quickly by the Madd Hatter! Alice scolded me because I was drinking coffee and not tea and the hatter gave me trouble because I did not have a hat that morning! The girl were absolutely thrilled to pieces to see these beloved characters and laughed at the Hatters antics with full on belly laughs!!! It was a VERY fun breakfast!

We settled the bill, used the washrooms and then headed up the Grand staircase to find our way to the Monorail platform! We were off to the most magical of Kingdoms!!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

What a wonderful way to start your last full day! I'm sure your girls were thrilled to pieces that they got to open the restaurant. See, it pays to be early!

I thouroughly enjoy breakfast buffets (have you seen my ADRS?? Chef Mickey's Crystal Palace, Cape May Cafe) and you can never have too many Mickey waffles.

Love all of your character pics. I had no idea the 1900 PF had so many characters!!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Awesome update Kim! We went to 1900 PF once for dinner and the kids had the best time with the step-sisters! Your breakfast looks very yummy and it looks like the girls had a wonderful time. We think the GF is very beautiful and love visiting there once every trip.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

What a wonderful way to start your last full day! I'm sure your girls were thrilled to pieces that they got to open the restaurant. See, it pays to be early!

I thouroughly enjoy breakfast buffets (have you seen my ADRS?? Chef Mickey's Crystal Palace, Cape May Cafe) and you can never have too many Mickey waffles.

Love all of your character pics. I had no idea the 1900 PF had so many characters!!!

Hey Meghan!!

Thanks for checking in!! I have been VERY MIA from your PTR ...so sorry! I promise to catch up once life gets back to "normal"!! I will be very interested to hear your review of Cape MAy Cafe - that is one the girls are interested in! Natalie loves the idea of breakfast with Minnie!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Awesome update Kim! We went to 1900 PF once for dinner and the kids had the best time with the step-sisters! Your breakfast looks very yummy and it looks like the girls had a wonderful time. We think the GF is very beautiful and love visiting there once every trip.

Hey Shelly!!!

Thanks for stopping by! The GF IS very breathtaking!! I would love to see it at Christmas sometime!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hey Shelly!!!

Thanks for stopping by! The GF IS very breathtaking!! I would love to see it at Christmas sometime!!

It is absolutely beautiful at Christmas time. And we probably only saw part of the decorations in early November. It was so neat to see them building the gingerbread house.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Wow! What a fun morning! Lucky girls - magical moments are fun (we had one this trip!) and Who doesn't love Mary Poppins???
I think that will be a breakfast we have on a future trip. It's one of the few breakfast buffets we haven't tried! We enjoyed dinner at 1900 before, but that's a fun group of characters and I really enjoy breakfast buffets. We did Cape May this trip, so be sure to check out my TR (when I get it going) for a review - it will be toward the end, it was our last day at BC.

 

[MelXThree]

Hey Kim!! Great start to the day....I have to agree with you that I felt out of place at GF....like I should have dressed up

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the day

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I also agree about that feeling at GF - but someday I'd stay there and just walk around like I own the place anyway!! Wouldn't that be fun?

 

[praisehisname]

You had a pixie-dusted morning, from the bus driver to Mary Poppins! It sounds like you had a great meal and fantastic character interaction!!!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

What a great start to your last day! I can't wait to hear about the rest of your day, but stretch it out as long as you want!

 

[disneyshakeygirl]

That breakfast looks so good! And I love the photos of the girls and the characters! I've missed your updates, I love how detailed they are

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Hmmm, VERY strange - somehow, the subscription to my own TR does not seem to be working...totally didn't even notice I had any comments?! VERY weird - sorry it has taken me so long to respond! Here goes!!!

It is absolutely beautiful at Christmas time. And we probably only saw part of the decorations in early November. It was so neat to see them building the gingerbread house.

oooh - the gingerbread house!! Now THAT would be yummy! I would love to see that when it is all said and done! I remember your pics from last year when it wasn't quite finished yet - it looked amazing!!!

Wow! What a fun morning! Lucky girls - magical moments are fun (we had one this trip!) and Who doesn't love Mary Poppins???
I think that will be a breakfast we have on a future trip. It's one of the few breakfast buffets we haven't tried! We enjoyed dinner at 1900 before, but that's a fun group of characters and I really enjoy breakfast buffets. We did Cape May this trip, so be sure to check out my TR (when I get it going) for a review - it will be toward the end, it was our last day at BC.

I will definitely be anxious to hear about that ADR!!! I want to eat @ CMC next August when we go! It looks great - and it has Minnie!!! What more could you ask for for breakfast?

Hey Kim!! Great start to the day....I have to agree with you that I felt out of place at GF....like I should have dressed up

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the day

Hey MEL!!! Long time, no see!! You must be getting so excited for your trip to DL!!! Will you share any of your trip with us?? I would love to hear about that park!! Hope you guys have a great time!!

I also agree about that feeling at GF - but someday I'd stay there and just walk around like I own the place anyway!! Wouldn't that be fun?

TOTALLY!!!!

You had a pixie-dusted morning, from the bus driver to Mary Poppins! It sounds like you had a great meal and fantastic character interaction!!!

It did start out to be a terrific day...later, however....???

What a great start to your last day! I can't wait to hear about the rest of your day, but stretch it out as long as you want!

Hello Again!!! I see you are heading back for another trip!! Will you do another TR?? I loved your first one - it was GREAT!!! Where are you staying this year??

That breakfast looks so good! And I love the photos of the girls and the characters! I've missed your updates, I love how detailed they are

Awww, Thanks Life has been a little on the crazy side so I do apologize for the lack of updates but I will finish this TR within the next few days!!! I have the week "off" so I have oodles of time to finish up!


Thanks for being so patient everyone!! I am working on the next chapter right now!!! Should be up soon!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

CHAPTER 14: Some Magic, some Melancholy and some Much needed Rest!!

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom by Monorail not too long after 9am and were greeted by some pretty crazy crowds!!! I was a little worried that the lines would be long!

We made our way through the bag check and went through the turnstiles and strolled down Main St USA with quite a few other people who were just arriving! It was a PM EMH day and I bet lots of people (like us ) were taking advantage of it!!

We had a very specific goal on this chilly cloudy morning! Natalie had been waiting ALL WEEK to ride the Tomorrowland Speedway and TODAY was the day!!! She was Soooo excited!!!

We headed in the direction of Tomorrowland and on our way there we found an unoccupied Photopass photographer just standing around looking bored!!! We stepped up to give him something to do and took some pretty great shots!! See for your self!

When we finally arrived in Tommorowland we headed right to the Speedway and immediately got in line to drive some cars! Emily and Ken drove together and Natalie and I shared a car! We only waited MAYBE 10 minutes and had a GREAT time!!! Ken had the camera so this is the only picture we have of that ride – not even one of my Nat having such a good time!!!

After we had our spin on the speedway, we went and picked up some Fps for Em and Ken to have a ride on Space Mountain later in the day! Natalie decided she wanted to try Astro Orbiter and she picked Daddy to go with her so while they did that, Emily and I went and had a Spin with Buzz and friends.

It was about this time that I noticed my tummy was NOT feeling so good. Bummer. I thought at first that it was just from eating too much at breakfast. Not so much. It just didn't get any better. It. GOT. WORSE! I soldiered on for the sake of my family. I wasn't about to ruin a great morning at the most magical place in the owrld just because of a tummy ache.

We took in the Monsters Inc show again then Nat and I went off to explore the shops of Tomorrowland while Ken and Emily had their ride on Space. By then it was starting to get particularly nasty out and threatening to rain. It actually didn't rain though. It just stayed cold and windy. ALL DAY.

After they were done on Space, we decided to walk the pathway from Tomorrowland to Toontown. That is such a great little quiet spot in MK. I truly believe that only WDW veterans and DISers know about that pathway because every time we have used it, it is completely empty!!!

We arrived in Toontown and proceeded to explore Minnie and Mickeys houses!!! By this time it was getting close to 11:30 and I was starting to feel pretty horrible. I really just wanted to go back to POFQ and lie down.

The girls had a great time exploring the mice homes and I distracted myself by having a good look at the gardening book in Minnie's living room!! It is really fun!! I am so sad that those cute little houses will be torn down! I hope very much that they will be moved or rebuilt elsewhere in the park!

Since we were planning on returning later that afternoon/evening for PM EMH we decided that it was time to head back to POFQ for some lunch and a rest. We hopped on board the train for a ride back to Main St and then headed out of the park to catch a bus back to our resort. We arrived at the bus stop just in time to watch our bus leaving the bus stop. GROAN.

We quickly turned our frowns upside down as a POR bus pulled in!!! We hopped aboard and enjoyed a lovely ride through our sister resort and then hopped off at the Main building and walked along the river to our building at POFQ.

As we were nearing the Main building at POFQ I realized that my tummy was hurting a lot less and that I was actually kind of hungry!! So Weird!! The girls were also hungry so we decided to hit the Food court and grab some lunch before heading to our room.

Emily had chicken nuggets and fries and Nat had a grilled cheese sandwich with applesauce and a cookie. I scoured the menu and finally settled on a chicken quesadilla. It came with re fried beans and rice ! I also got a rice krispie mickey AND a fuze drink!!

I can't believe I ate the whole thing!!! Especially with a sore tummy! CRAZY!!! It was VERY yummy!

Ken had gone back to the room because he wasn't that hungry but soon returned claiming he was starving! MEN!!! He got something but for the life of me I can't remember what! It was probably a burger!

Oh, I almost forgot! While I was up getting my food some CMs in the food court were handing out cookie decorating kits to the kids who were there! Emily and Natalie were each given a plate with a huge cookie, some icing and a cup full of mickey head sprinkles – TOO FUN!!!

When we had all finished eating we decided it was time for a nap!!! We all setlled down and in no time at all, Ken and the girls were all fast asleep!! Me, not so much! I am not a good napper at the best of times and being in WDW is definitely not my ideal napping spot!

Instead of napping, I took some picture of my family napping!! That's the same right?? HA!!! I also took some artistic shots of the hidden Mickey's in the bedspread!! SO COOL!!! Then I did a bit of tidying and packing (BOO!!) and then picked up my camera and headed out for a stroll around the grounds!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

You had me scared there with your tummy ache! Then when you said you ate a quesadilla and refried beans, whoa, I thought you were nuts!!! I'm glad you felt better even though you didn't get a nap. I can never seem to nap at WDW either.
What a super short wait for the race cars! That always seems so busy, we've only ridden it once in all our trips. Brave little girl riding Astro Orbiter!!! Oh, man that is high!
Cute picture of the three of you walking on the path.
Can't wait to see how you do with pm EMH!!