MagicBands + Margaritas + Muggles + Minions = TRP. New TR link is up! 10/31

[rentayenta]

I hear ya on Napa Rose, probably not the best option then. I forget everyone doesn't share like we do. I also have tiny birds for kids, shrimps.

I forgot you were doing Mrs. Knott's. Their pie is out of this world. They're very different chickens but I totally get it. Knott's mashed potatoes clearly trump the Plaza Inn's but like Alison said, the Plaza Inn does have other great options and the portions are truly huge.




Love the CP pics. I'm glad you got to experience that.

The bag situation? No bueno.

 

[natebenma]

Just caught up on your last couple of updates.



That is great news on your cruise transfer and luggage delivery. I just hope you have more luck receiving your bags than you did at the BW!

I agree with Jeff on the HM line for the Doom Buggies- that has got to be the most DISORGANIZED part of a queue in all of Disney! Although as I recall, the old Test Track line was like that too after the preshow...

That is awesome that you were able to enjoy a visit and Space Mtn with Pat! Great ride photos.

The boys rode IASW!!! That is freaking hilarious!

That picture of your parents on Splash is priceless!!!!!!!!

Too bad they got soaked. And then got caught in the rain.

*******************************************

Love the view from your balcony! Can't wait to see more later.

Oh, my, sounds like it started to be a recipe for disaster at Rose & Crown. But thankfully it seems like the food and drink saved the day.

What a nice chance to spend some time at CP with your mom- nice pictures of the two of you.

for Illuminations from your room.

 

[eandesmom]

I'm taking notes on all the DL suggestions especially the food!

I will need notes from you since you are going first!

Something smelly fishy about the bag situation. Glad you finally got them!

Jill in CO

I agree, I mean ok, I get it that it was 4:30 or so and check in isn't technically until 4 but given that we'd gotten the text hours before and I know the bags were physically there...it's almost like they should say they guarantee they will be there without you calling...by 7pm. If that's the "real" story.

Rain delay my patootie.

I hear ya on Napa Rose, probably not the best option then. I forget everyone doesn't share like we do. I also have tiny birds for kids, shrimps.

That makes us sound so greedy! Just big eaters, full size adult portions. I can get by with burgers, flatbreads, sandwhiches. One skewer? Might cut it for lunch. Maybe. Problem becomes when the cheaper options are a much smaller section of the menu than what the boys perceive as the "real" food. And of course having been allowed to order off of main menus much of the time...they rebel when told to stick to figuring out a dinner out of appetizers. It just isn't worth it. It's why we love brewpubs so much. Generally a huge section of burgers and sandwiches (not just 2-4) and so they still feel like they get a real choice and can skip the more expensive entrees. The whole "dollar limit" conversation is always a little draining and they will always try to push it..somehow their dream menu item is always $1-2 more than we've set the limit at. Or they want to switch from fries to ceasar salad or sweet potato fries...which ususally cost $1-2 more.

It also doesn't help that they are foodies. In general, pizza, corndog, brat...doesn't excite them much. Snobs.

They are fun to take out though pretty much anywhere, I will give them that!

I forgot you were doing Mrs. Knott's. Their pie is out of this world. They're very different chickens but I totally get it. Knott's mashed potatoes clearly trump the Plaza Inn's but like Alison said, the Plaza Inn does have other great options and the portions are truly huge.

OMG I love that pie. And I really don't have a sweet tooth but fruit and pastry...especially berry pie...Sigh. The boys still recall eating takeout from there back in 2010. We were SO full we didn't eat the pie. We took it back to Seattle with it, eating it 2-3 days after we bought it.

OMG it was still amazing. So worth hauling on a plane

While all 3 of us "could" happily eat fried chicken twice in one week, I'm not sure my winter waistline or my swimsuit would like that plus there are so many other good options! I have it on the list as an option, we are definitely playing most of this by ear.

Love the CP pics. I'm glad you got to experience that.

The bag situation? No bueno.

The bag situation was not cool, I am SO thankful that they really did get there quickly after I called.

CP was magical.

Just caught up on your last couple of updates.



That is great news on your cruise transfer and luggage delivery. I just hope you have more luck receiving your bags than you did at the BW!

Yikes, I sure hope so! DCL would have to treat us to a shopping spree until they caught up so as long as they make it to San Juan in the first place, we should be ok.

I agree with Jeff on the HM line for the Doom Buggies- that has got to be the most DISORGANIZED part of a queue in all of Disney! Although as I recall, the old Test Track line was like that too after the preshow...

The "new" one, before you design your car, is awful. One of our major drama spots. I think. Memory is getting fuzzy.

That is awesome that you were able to enjoy a visit and Space Mtn with Pat! Great ride photos.

It was fun! And hysterical that she spotted them.

The boys rode IASW!!! That is freaking hilarious!

You know you've got Disney kids when they have their own list of "never done's" and do them on their own. Teen boys and it's a small world. Didn't see that one coming!

That picture of your parents on Splash is priceless!!!!!!!!

Too bad they got soaked. And then got caught in the rain.

They expected to get soaked on Splash, the rain was a different story but oh that picture just kills me!

Love the view from your balcony! Can't wait to see more later.

there will be more!

Oh, my, sounds like it started to be a recipe for disaster at Rose & Crown. But thankfully it seems like the food and drink saved the day.

We really did blow it not feeding them earlier, I don't know what we were thinking.

What a nice chance to spend some time at CP with your mom- nice pictures of the two of you.

for Illuminations from your room.

It was a lovely lovely evening all around!

 

[annmarieda]

I did. I figure at a minimum I save $25. That is assuming they don't bridge the ticket so I am paying the difference between what I paid for my PAP and the Premium. If they do bridge it to the current DVC PAP promo price, I'll save quite a bit more.

$25 is $25! I just am not sure I will get enough use to warrant the premier.

That's assuming I do 4 days in April and 3 in August. The reality is I could end up doing 5 and 4 but who knows. Plus I'll get the 20% discount so that's all "extra". Or at least an extra 10% off as I think most places I'd have gotten 10% off anyway with DVC. Or at least some. So, it seems worth it, can't really see a reason not to do it. I don't need the free parking since we are staying at GCV but it's nice to know I have it if I want.

I think for 9 days it totally makes sense... add in the extra discount and sounds like a good plan.

I had not thought about it that way. As a general rule I find most CS to be meh so that's nice to hear!

I feel the same way... and it really was a bit of a shock for me when the cs there was much better than I anticipated. It was still counter service, but honestly better than I ever expected.

Ooh Fritters! I love fritters

Do know they are sweet and served with a fruit dipping sauce. When my son and his fiance went, I told him to try them and he was not a fan. I love sweet fried treats so it was pretty yummy to me.

Thanks! I really like that picture. My hair had been soaked and all I had time for was a brush and a ponytail so I felt pretty grimy, glad it turned out as well as it did.

Seriously it is an awesome picture of you!

Yeah, they don't appear to offer that any more which is a bummer. It's the 3 sit down options at 32+ pp for lunch or 45+ ppp for dinner. Which after the NYE trip, I just can't justify. If it was the only trip this year it'd be different but...it's not. Eric's lucky to be going at all (as am I) and we are definitely scaling the cost down as much as possible. A few treats but...this one it s bit too rich for me.

That sucks! The picnic was so good!

 

[rentayenta]

You're not greedy. I'm just weird about throwing food away so sharing works. Seriously. I'll eat leftovers for a week as opposed to throwing them out. Guess who's having 5 day old pasta with meatballs tonight? This girl.

 

[Leshaface]

I've been hearing the same thing about the Jingle Cruise. That's too bad! Hopefully the big guys at Disney is hearing feedback about this and can make it better next year (if there will be a next year)

What a fun DIS meet on Space Mountain!

Love the sneak peek from your room! Hopefully you'll be showing us more pics of your room later.

I've heard the best things about Raglan Road, especially that dessert Too bad your Boddingtons wasn't very good. I really enjoy that beer and Harp!

Love the PP pics with your mom

 

[eandesmom]

$25 is $25! I just am not sure I will get enough use to warrant the premier.

I hear you there. At a minimum it's 25, that's if I only go 4 days this trip and 3 at the half. It could be more.

I think for 9 days it totally makes sense... add in the extra discount and sounds like a good plan.

I don't know that I will go 9 but it is nice to know I could! The extra discount will be nice

Do know they are sweet and served with a fruit dipping sauce. When my son and his fiance went, I told him to try them and he was not a fan. I love sweet fried treats so it was pretty yummy to me.

good to know. I love ALL fritters. Sweet and Savory.

Seriously it is an awesome picture of you!

Aw, thanks!

That sucks! The picnic was so good!

It does, that would have been a much better fit.

You're not greedy. I'm just weird about throwing food away so sharing works. Seriously. I'll eat leftovers for a week as opposed to throwing them out. Guess who's having 5 day old pasta with meatballs tonight? This girl.

Oh I do the same thing. Funny thing is that in general when we eat out, there are NO leftovers. On the occasion the kids can't finish something, Jeff the human garbage can, eats it.

The only reason we even have leftovers is I deliberately cook extra or said human garbage can gets cranky. He likes them for his lunches.

I've been hearing the same thing about the Jingle Cruise. That's too bad! Hopefully the big guys at Disney is hearing feedback about this and can make it better next year (if there will be a next year)

Very cute idea to be sure.

What a fun DIS meet on Space Mountain!

It was!

Love the sneak peek from your room! Hopefully you'll be showing us more pics of your room later.

Most definitely

I've heard the best things about Raglan Road, especially that dessert Too bad your Boddingtons wasn't very good. I really enjoy that beer and Harp!

Love the PP pics with your mom

Well this was actually Rose and Crown but we do hit Raglan Road later in the trip.

The Harp was lovely!

 

[eandesmom]

I had set my alarm to get up. I had a mission in the morning that didn't involve the rest of the crew.

Grocery shopping!

Sounds exciting I know.

Pat was kind enough to offer to run me over to the store to pick up some things.

Ok, a LOT of things.

I had originally planned to use a delivery service. However the service I prefer was going to be unavailable until the 31st. I had made mention of running to Hess or to the BW grocery store to pick up a few basics to tide us over until the 31st, milk in particular. A very thoughtful and unexpected offer came my way, a rather insistent one. I of course didn't want to offend but didn't want to cut into anyone else’s vacation either! We had chatted the day before about what time to meet and I want to say it was either 8 or 8:30. If memory serves I had set my alarm for 7:30. As quickly and quietly as possible I got up, dressed and out of there, leaving a fully sleeping villa. I did make coffee (I think, can't fathom that I didn't) but my living room sleeper, Melissa, didn't stir.

Nothing like being the last to bed and the first one up!

I met Pat out front and we headed off to the Super Target. Where I completely filled, actually possibly overfilled, a cart. I admit, I bought a few things that were not on my list. The danger of shopping at a store you aren’t familiar with is twofold. One, you make extra trips trying to find where stuff is. Two, as you make those trips, you see things and go "oh, that would be good too!". Even if it wasn't on your list. It is even more dangerous if you are hungry while doing it. I'd also elected to do ALL my shopping instead of worrying about fitting it in later in the week for the treehouse once we had a car. I wasn't exactly sure of Jeff's flying schedule and relalized that we could have issues getting dinner stuff for our first night there if I didn't do it now.

By 9:30 I was checked out. Actual checkout took FOREVER! The scale on the scanner was not working so anything I had that needed to be weighed, the manager had to do at the register adjacent and then verbally tell the cashier what it was so he could ring it up. It wasn't his fault and they kept apologizing but oh, it took a long time. Made me want to take all the produce and deli stuff back. Except we did need it.

I felt like I stood there for hours and Pat was missing park time. It had to have taken at least 15 minutes but man it felt like longer and I'd hardly been efficient at filling up the cart in the first place. We have things to do people! Mission, and then some, complete we headed back to BWV. I'd be seeing Pat again later so said goodbye, with a HUGE thanks, for now. With a full cart I couldn't exactly carry it all up to the villa myself so corralled a cart via Bell Services and we wheeled away. I want to say it was something like 16 bags. On arrival, I found the gang all up and kids ready to hit the park. So they did! Jeff stayed behind to help unload. MUCH easier to do with them all gone to be honest. Thankfully he and Melissa had either made a fresh pot of coffee, or hadn't had the whole thing so there was a cup in my hand almost immediately. Jeff and I spent some time putting away all the groceries, unpacking our stuff, and getting ready for the day. We also checked on the laundry, with the intention to flip it and start a load of whites as my poor shorts had gotten rather splattered in the downpour the day before. I found my sister had already put the first load in the dryer…but it wasn’t dry. I started it again and decided that maybe the whites should wait while we figured out what was up with the dryer.

Finally, I ate! I was going to take full and immediate advantage of those groceries.

So many groceries they wouldn't all fit in the cupboards…



Breakfast was on the balcony of course



With a very lame coffee cup.



Not the leisurely coffee on the balcony of my dreams but better than inside!
Oh and I may have HAD to try a special treat Pat had brought with her for the gang



YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I had to test them before the kids. Of course!

While we were busy getting settled, the gang was doing their own thing. Mom and Dad had arrived at the park before anyone else. What park? Why the one next door. The other one. The Studios!

And stopped for a photo







Given that I'd not even eaten until 11:21 we had to book it to meet the gang. We walked well, because that's how we roll. Had we seen a boat we might have jumped on it but we didn't and so, we didn't. Our first Fast Pass started at 12:05 and I knew kids would NOT be happy about waiting for us to use it. We fought our way through bag check and crazy crowds, and a packed Jedi Training academy to finally find everyone at Star Tours. FINALLY I got a different ending! I was so excited it was a bit ridiculous but literally on my last trip, the 2-3 times I rode it had the same ending every time. I was happy. With all the rushing though, I hadn't bothered to take a single picture. OOPS!

Quin had seen something he really wanted to do, and had grabbed a time slot, so we headed over to something new for all of us. The legend of Jack Sparrow. We had a little time to kill before going in and waited in our assigned areal. Everyone seemed to be very intent on planning!



Or bored. I know Eric was jonesing for RRC or ToT and was not being very quiet or cooperative about it.



Soon enough, we went in. I had ZERO idea what to expect, I don’t think I even knew this existed.

















I thought it was a very cool combo of technology and live action, really really enjoyed it. As did most, especially Quin, who was happy he’d "fought" for it. Jeff was less than thrilled, I don't think it’s on his list for September for sure.


Continued in next post

 

[eandesmom]

Continued from previous

After hanging with Jack we were off for a little Aerosmith! The boys had huge plans of doing our FP+ and then hitting single rider line. Imagine their disappointment to find it closed. YAY for FP+! Now, not everyone wanted to go on this ride, a few sat out.

Not me.











I love this ride.

Can you tell?



By now it was after 1 and Jeff the human garbage can was HUNGRY. Melissa had fed the boys before we'd gotten there (corndogs somewhere I think) and my folks had eaten. We decided to split up with 3 different missions.

Jeff and I to get him a snack. Fries were his request

Mom, Dad and Mel to find an adult beverage

Kids to hang out and see if single rider RRC would open.

We could not find a side of fries anywhere to save our soul. Fries WITH stuff, but not sold as a side. Or at least not advertised as such and with the length of the lines, we didn't want to risk it. We considered a snack at the Brown Derby Lounge, which is adorable, but there was a wait. With the clock ticking, we made a call.

If we can't have fries...we can have some carbs another way!
In front of the Tune in Lounge there was a holiday drink cart.

Yes please!

Berry Merry margarita. For me



And a Ranger IPA for Jeff

YUM!



By this point in the day we were starting to wonder where Kerri was. They had been due to land at 11:46 and shortly the reports came in that they were on their way. YAY! We knew we probably wouldn't see them that day but it was nice to know they had made it

We wandered back towards Star Tours, probably still in search of fries.

This area was SUCH a bottle neck this trip!



Mission NOT accomplished we headed to our next FP+. For this one I'd been unable to get us all at the same time, but did have all of us within 15m of each other which I thought was pretty impressive!

Let's see, we'd used our FP+ on Star Tours and RRC...whatever could the third one be?



Yep.

FP+ has it's pro's and cons to be sure but let me tell you, on December 30th in a PACKED park, strolling in around noon and knocking out 3 headliners by 2:30 was pretty stinking cool. Amazingly cool.

I forget what Mom, Dad and Melissa had done with theirs but everyone was able to use all 3 FP+ this day without any issues. One thing became clear. Everyone BUT Jeff and I had planned for a full day out. We had somehow thought we’d be going back to the villa for lunch or snacks or whatever. Or we had just rushed out trying hard not to be late to meet everyone and really, hadn't thought beyond that at all. As a result, we were not prepared for warmer clothes to get us through the entire evening which we suspected would go quite late. At least that was our plan. Everyone else..had their stuff with them. While we were plenty comfortable at the moment, we knew we would have issues later.

What to do?

Chips with a view

 

[annmarieda]

So many groceries they wouldn't all fit in the cupboards…



Breakfast was on the balcony of course



With a very lame coffee cup.

Love the pics! Sorry you didn't find your coffee mug yet though and had to make due.

Quin had seen something he really wanted to do, and had grabbed a time slot, so we headed over to something new for all of us. The legend of Jack Sparrow.

I actually love this new attraction...so much better than the naria thing.

Soon enough, we went in. I had ZERO idea what to expect, I don’t think I even knew this existed.

I am not sure that there has been much attention given to it. I wonder if people still think it is the narnia thing.

I thought it was a very cool combo of technology and live action, really really enjoyed it. As did most, especially Quin, who was happy he’d "fought" for it. Jeff was less than thrilled, I don't think it’s on his list for September for sure.

there is live action?

After hanging with Jack we were off for a little Aerosmith! The boys had huge plans of doing our FP+ and then hitting single rider line. Imagine their disappointment to find it closed. YAY for FP+! Now, not everyone wanted to go on this ride, a few sat out.

Not me.

You are so brave! I have never... probably will never go on this ride.

If we can't have fries...we can have some carbs another way!
In front of the Tune in Lounge there was a holiday drink cart.

Yes please!

Berry Merry margarita. For me

I think I would have had a hard time choosing between that and the gumdrop. Both look very yummy!

FP+ has it's pro's and cons to be sure but let me tell you, on December 30th in a PACKED park, strolling in around noon and knocking out 3 headliners by 2:30 was pretty stinking cool. Amazingly cool.

That is super cool!!!

 

[Leshaface]

Well this was actually Rose and Crown but we do hit Raglan Road later in the trip.

The Harp was lovely!

Oops sorry! I was going over a list of restaurants with DH about our trip in January and I kept insisting that we do RR and clearly that's all I could think about!

Continued from previous





I love this ride.

Super cute!

Berry Merry margarita. For me

Oh my that looks good. I have never seen a cart outside of the tune in lounge before! Need to keep my eyes open next time. Maybe those drinks will still be there when I go!

Wow, seriously. No fries for Jeff.

 

[cstorm65]

I am enjoying your report so far. Nice day at Hollywood Studios. I am glad to hear FP+ is working well for you all. I have been roughly planning our park days for our trip and like some of the things we can do with it that we couldn't do before. Like you siad you all were able to do the headliners on a crowded day and didn't even have to get there are rope drop. Can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[franandaj]

I can't believe that you shopped that quickly. I know it took a long time to check out, but you haven't been grocery shopping with Fran! In and out in an hour doesn't happen!

Yay for too many groceries that they don't fit in the cupboards! That means you got enough. DVC is great except they don't have enough room in the pantry when you buy groceries.

Also Yay for getting in the top three attractions arriving after noon and doing them in less than three hours. Boo for no fries. I'm sure that they could have sold them to you separately, but maybe not. It's Disney, unless they had a button on the register for that they couldn't.

I love RnRC too! It's one of my favorite rides too. Ever.

 

[PrincessInOz]

What a great update and time at HS. Love the pictures and it looks like you really shopped out that Super Target!

Whilst I love the pictures, it made me realise something. Dang!!! I COMPLETELY forgot that RnRC has those ride pictures and I forgot to claim ours!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Cynthia! I'm glad your bags weren't lost - that was my thought How special you got to see CP with your mom, and that you had Amy Grant!

You know, there are so many awesome choices for food right outside the parks at DLR, I thought I'd mention those. We love MiMi's café on Katella across the street from DL, and the new Gardenwalk area is where we usually end up on the CA side http://www.anaheimgardenwalk.com/dining/

I always love the Pacific Wharf café clam chowder bread bowl at CA, and Flo's looks like a fun new choice.

 

[teekathepony]

How sweet of Pat to take you out grocery shopping!

Breakfast was on the balcony of course

Of course, would expect nothing less.

With a very lame coffee cup.

Not a lame cup for long, I'm sure!

I have yet to do the Jack Sparrow thing. I'd like to see it some time, just to say I did.
LOVE the RnR pics!! That's one of my absolute favourites.

FP+ has it's pro's and cons to be sure but let me tell you, on December 30th in a PACKED park, strolling in around noon and knocking out 3 headliners by 2:30 was pretty stinking cool. Amazingly cool.

Without a doubt, that's one of the best parts of the new system.

 

[rentayenta]

Great update! Nothing beats a full and overstocked kitchen, especially on vacation!

Your view is awesome! I'm sorry for your lame coffee cup. I find the villa cups so small!

Best RnRC pic ever. Love the hands.

We've had two trips to WDW with large groups. Everything seems to move at a slower pace as we spent so much time corralling/coordinating. You guys are doing great! I forgot how much I like big group trips. I've put WDW out of my mind for this year until now.....

No side of fries? How odd. They can do the entree minus fries so you'd think they could just do the opposite?

I'm intrigued with FP+. By the time I get back to WDW I'll need a tutorial if it hasn't changed. Do you love FP+?

New grocery stores are so hard for me. I'm a creature of habit.

 

[afwdwfan]

By 9:30 I was checked out. Actual checkout took FOREVER! The scale on the scanner was not working so anything I had that needed to be weighed, the manager had to do at the register adjacent and then verbally tell the cashier what it was so he could ring it up.

Yuck. Not the best way to spend a morning, but at least that chore was behind you. Very nice of Pat to help out.

Breakfast was on the balcony of course

Naturally

I thought it was a very cool combo of technology and live action, really really enjoyed it. As did most, especially Quin, who was happy he’d "fought" for it. Jeff was less than thrilled, I don't think it’s on his list for September for sure.

I'm glad Quin spoke up and convinced everyone to check it out. Id love to see it myself, but I'm pretty sure our kids wouldn't care much for it.

I love this ride.

Can you tell?

You look mildly excited...

One of my favorites too!!! Speed, thrills and rock n roll. Hard to beat.

If we can't have fries...we can have some carbs another way!
In front of the Tune in Lounge there was a holiday drink cart.

So in other words... you should have just gone with Mom, Dad and Mel to begin with.

FP+ has it's pro's and cons to be sure but let me tell you, on December 30th in a PACKED park, strolling in around noon and knocking out 3 headliners by 2:30 was pretty stinking cool. Amazingly cool.

Ok... admittedly, I'm an FP+ skeptic, so I'm going to be Devil's advocate here. What do you think you'd have done if you booked FP+ after the tier system was put in place? You wouldn't have been able to do RnRC and TSMM both.

I will say though, for your case, it definitely did work very well. Getting to the park late like that and doing those attractions would be virtually unheard of any other way.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

It looks like you and your mom had a great time at CP. I love that show. Such good memories you made with her.

How nice of Pat to take you grocery shopping. We met her several years ago in Charlotte. She is such a nice person. She gave the boys tickets to her water park for the day while I was in meeting. Jeremy still talks about it.

Too cute about the boys riding It's a Small World!

Glad the luggae worked out okay.

We only did one table service at DL. It was Carthay Circle World of Color Package. We loved the food and the restaurant and would highly recommend it. You do get a DVC discount on those packages.

As far as counter service, we really liked Tortilla Joes. Flo's is good in CA as well. It is more home cooked style foods. One thing is for sure, if you or your boys like Churros, they are easily to find at DL. I never saw so many churro carts. I am not sure I have ever saw one at WDW but they are everywhere in DL.

We missed out on Mrs. Knotts. We went to the park Thanksgiving Day with plans to get it to go for a late lunch back at the hotel. The line was super long when we got ready to leave so we decided against it. I have eaten there years ago and it is delicious. We did get a boysenberry funnel cake in the park which was delicious too.

So excited that you get to see your son perform in DL. Hoping that Jeremy sticks with band. His school goes every 4 years in the spring and performs in Epcot. They just went last year so it should be his sophomore year when they go again.

Anxious to see if you get a few more Disney days before your cruise!

 

[Pinkocto]

That was so nice of Pat to take you shopping

They were able to sell us fries only at Rosie's All American Cafe on Sunset Blvd, but they weren't on the menu, we had to ask.

The special effects of Jack were fabulous. It almost felt like he was there jn the room.

Great pic on RNRC!