Marriage: The Trip Report - Update 2/28 - Final Thoughts & Link to Disneyland TR!

[MEK]

Have an awesome trip. It will be interesting to see what Henry has to say about the whole trip.

 

[jenjolt]

Have a great trip Brook!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[SheStang94]

Just got all caught up with your trip report and your updates (I took an UNintentional hiatus from the boards). So glad everything went well with your Grandma and your Dad. Have a great trip! Can't wait to hear about it!

 

[Cllong75]

Continued from previous post

On the way back to our room Henry tripped in the hallway and was crying. He also needed a diaper change (so glad to be done with that!). And naturally...OUR KEYS DIDN'T WORK! Ugh. It was strange to me that they worked in the door to get into the building (BLT is completely locked), but not our door. Sooooo....I went down to the lobby while Joe handled Henry. I think I had a diaper in my bag, so they went to the public restroom on the main floor, which I recall ended up being another fiasco for some reason. Our perfect little morning went to shambles in 2 seconds!

In the lobby they said our keys were fine, but our door needed to be reprogrammed. I waited for the Door Reprogramming Dude and we went to our room, he was SUCH a nice guy - pure Disney right there. He does Mickey's voice for Henry and Henry just loves him. In seconds flat he had the door fixed and we were inside. Whew!

It was such a nice day we wanted to take advantage of that pool!

Joe and Henry headed down to the pool while I took a little more solo time in the room. Apparently Henry went down the little slide over and over again, but then turned upside down on it and got scared and refused to go again.

The boys played while I lounged.

We eventually all ended up on the little beach.

The BBQ area for BLT

My view from a lounger

While Henry dug in the sand (you know he was doing that right?! ) Joe and I chilled and soaked in the sun. I remember noticing I had a tan line from my shoes, HA! and I remember posting to Facebook something like "Sometimes it's really great to do nothing." And it was at that moment.

I have no idea how long we were down there, but we eventually peeled Henry away even though he declared he was not tired and we went back to the room for a nap. He was asleep in seconds.

Around 4 PM we left our room to monorail over to Epcot - we had a dinner ADR at Teppan Edo that we were very much looking forward to!

I recently found your trip report and have spend some "work time" catching up . So far I am thouroughly enjoying it. I usually travel to Disney with my mom and nieces and we are pretty commando, my DH not so much. He has been once and although he had a good time, he said when we go again he wants a more relaxed approach, which really means he wants to take time to do World Showcase and play in innoventions. Although, I really can't wait to go with him again, I hope I don't get too antsy.
Anywho, I also wanted to say Henry is too cute and your pictures are amazing. I think that's another thing about slowing down and not going so commando is you take more time to get the good shots and notice the little things.
Can't wait to read more

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Your trip sounds fun Brook! I will follow along on FB for sure.

 

[lovegrumpy]

Your going to have a blast. Enjoy your time out there.

 

[WDW Fan]

Just got all caught up with your TR and was so excited to see that you're all in Disneyland now!!!! I hope you're having a magical time together. I can't wait to hear all about it.

 

[merbobear]

Brook, if you haven't figured a way to stitch together your panoramic balcony view yet, I would be happy to do it. I have photoshop cs5 and there is an automated function that stitches photos together, it would take me about 45 seconds

I actually never used the function before, but I tested it out just now (had to make sure I could operate it before I offered) and I made this:

 

[dolfinjuls]

I loved your relaxing day minus the couple bumps in the road! I hope you guys are having an awesome time in Cali/DL!!! Can't wait to hear about that as well!

 

[petals]

Sounds like a super relaxing day. Hope the little man enjoy Legoland tomorrow

 

[vamassey1]

Hi Brook! Thanks to your wonderful links I just got caught back up. I also see you're having a blast at Disneyland right now. I hope you do a trip report for that trip too.

 

[jenseib]

I didn't realaize you had posted more updates before you left...awesome...and I know you are having a fabulous time now too.

I wasn't big on the food at Chef Mickey's for breakfast either. Just basic plain food. But the characters were fun.
As for stitching panorama's, you should've gotten a CD with your camera (if you still know where it is). It will have zoombrowswer on it and one of the features on it is called photostitch and it works pretty darn good. There is a free site online too, but it's been a really long time since I used it and it wasn't easy, more manual, while photostitch is pretty automatic. I'm sure you could google and find it though.
I do have like 4 canon CD's, so I could probably send you one if you want.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Hope you are having a great time in California!

So neat that you managed to snag pictures of ALL the topiaries in World Showcase! Well done!

I really like that pink Orange Bird t-shirt. I hope they have it this summer!

Yeay for a hug from Bo!

The dance party looks like a lot of fun -- I would probably enjoy that. LOL!

Too funny that you were napkin twirling and taking a picture for Facebook. You are multi-talented. LOL!

What a lovely day just hanging out at the Contemporary. Sometimes those are the best days!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Your plans look awesome. Have a great time!

Thank you! We had an amazing time! I can't wait to get the report started!!!

Oh Brook, this latest flurry of updates are fabulous! Wow, you weren't kidding about the "day that never ended", were you? I'm duly impressed with all you packed into that day, impressed indeed.

Sigh, all of your F&G pictures really make me want to go during that time. Sigh, sigh, sigh. I love flowers and Disney so really, it makes perfect sense for me to go then.

Love all of Henry's sweet pics! He has the most darling little smirk I've ever seen. How adorable that he and his girlfriends were running around with those stuffed animals.

The CR pool looks like a blast. And Joe and Henry zooming off together in the sea raycer looked like fun too. I know what you mean about being a bit introverted and needing some time to yourself. I'm the same way so I can totally appreciate your staying behind to chill.

Your DL plans look great! Are you going to incorporate an update from it here in this TR? Purty please?

Have an ultra-fab time Brook!

The F&GF is fantastic if you enjoy flowers! Really, try to go during those dates (PIN codes are out...hopefully Free Dining will go public! ), you'll love it!

I truly meant to get back here and update during our stay, but being some place new was so exhausting and I hardly even updated Facebook (compared to what I normally do!). I was so engrossed in finding where we wanted to go/soaking it all in, I just completely forgot to update! I do think I'll share a few teaser/highlights here though before I start my TR!

Wowsers! I had a LOT to catch up on! I've been off the DIS since October because life has been so crazy! But i'm back for good now!!

Too much to comment on, but know that I love reading about your adventures and especially seeing those sweet pictures of your baby boy!

I hope you have the most magical time at Disneyland. I'll be looking forward to your updates!

When you get back I'll get with my most favorite travel agent about my Feb trip!

So good to see you back!!!! I completely understand about life being crazy, I was off for about a month just because I was so busy. It's a GOOD busy at least though!

Sounds good about the Feb trip too!

Have fun!!! I can't wait to hear about it and mostly see the pics

We took so many pictures! Over 3,4000! We did do a lot of video, but mostly of LegoLand. We meant to do it of Disneyland too, but about 2 videos in and the video camera was FULL. I have ones of both rooms, the SoundSational parade, and the walk from Paradise Pier to the Disneyland gates. Disneyland is amazing though - we had a blast and can't wait to go back!

Your DL plans sound great. I can't wait to hear your impressions and comparisons. Have a magical trip!

It was awesome, awesome, awesome! I can't wait to write the TR!

What a great day at BLT!!!! Got to love relaxing days like that!!!!

I hope you all have a great trip to DL!! I can't wait to follow along via FB!!

It was a great day at BLT, the perfect follow-up to our crazy never ending Epcot/DHS day.

Have a wonderful, wonderful trip!!!

Have fun in California!

Thank you ladies - we DID! Absolutely fantastic!

That is so exciting that you are headed to DLR! We did three days at Disneyland/California Adventure this past October. We also took a day to see Hollywood, the La Brea Tar Pits, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Venice. It is definitely a different experience than WDW, but you will have a blast.

You saw a lot in 1 day! You did better than we did on our Hollywood day - we saw Santa Monica but only for an hour (due to me choosing a not so great parking spot that limited our time!). The traffic was horrendous that day too, so the commute from Hollywood to Santa Monica was loooooong. Next time we'll spend more time there for sure, it was beautiful.

And yes, such a different experience, but equally as wonderful! We loved it all!

Fun update! It sounds like a lovely and relaxing day, which you guys definitely needed (even if YOU might not have thought so )

Fly safe and I can't wait to read about your trip on FB!!!!! Plans look good. Which character breakfast are you doing? We loved the one at PCH

We did need that day to relax and do practically nothing! I think we would have had a triple-meltdown otherwise.

We did the character breakfast at PCH! It was SO good, I'm embarrassed to show our plates (and plates) of food. Wonderful character interaction as well. I love that the Disneyland characters roam about more freely.

Have a great time! I can't wait to read your updates on facebook!

I hope you enjoyed them! I meant to do more, I was just so wrapped up in all the newness I kept forgetting! I guess we need to go back.

Why is it that everyone's trips seem to end with the same activity???

Character breakfast and seeing the real Chinese Theater - sounds fun. Henry will love Legoland! We will enjoy the FB updates. Safe and happy travels!

That last day always stinks, doesn't it? Ours started very early and ended veryyyyy late. Flying from coast to coast is exhausting!

Henry just flipped over LegoLand, we had a great time there!

I'm sure I am too late, but I hope you guys have an awesome trip! Your plans sound fantastic! I can't wait to see all your pictures since I have never been to DL!

We DID! I can't wait to share it all!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Have an awesome trip. It will be interesting to see what Henry has to say about the whole trip.

I think I might incorporate some of Henry's thoughts into the TR, he definitely had an opinion this trip.

Have a great trip Brook!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

As soon as I get this baby wrapped up, I'll be jumping to the Disneyland...and hopefully eventually go back for the May solo and August TA trip, both were fun and different, so I want to share it all!

Just got all caught up with your trip report and your updates (I took an UNintentional hiatus from the boards). So glad everything went well with your Grandma and your Dad. Have a great trip! Can't wait to hear about it!

Welcome back!!! I know how those unintentional breaks go!

I recently found your trip report and have spend some "work time" catching up . So far I am thouroughly enjoying it. I usually travel to Disney with my mom and nieces and we are pretty commando, my DH not so much. He has been once and although he had a good time, he said when we go again he wants a more relaxed approach, which really means he wants to take time to do World Showcase and play in innoventions. Although, I really can't wait to go with him again, I hope I don't get too antsy.
Anywho, I also wanted to say Henry is too cute and your pictures are amazing. I think that's another thing about slowing down and not going so commando is you take more time to get the good shots and notice the little things.
Can't wait to read more

Thank you for reading!!!

Your husband sounds just like Joe! The commando in me drives him bonkers, but we are finding a good pace now after so many trips. He was up and at 'em almost right away every day at Disneyland, I was so surprised!

Your trip sounds fun Brook! I will follow along on FB for sure.

I hope you enjoyed my handful of updates on Facebook! I will share a few pics here too before I start the TR.

Your going to have a blast. Enjoy your time out there.

We had such a great time! I can't wait to go back already!

Just got all caught up with your TR and was so excited to see that you're all in Disneyland now!!!! I hope you're having a magical time together. I can't wait to hear all about it.

We did! It was so different, and yet the same. It was so much fun seeing Walt's original park and just soaking it in. We are already planning to go back (not sure when...but it WILL happen!)

Brook, if you haven't figured a way to stitch together your panoramic balcony view yet, I would be happy to do it. I have photoshop cs5 and there is an automated function that stitches photos together, it would take me about 45 seconds

I actually never used the function before, but I tested it out just now (had to make sure I could operate it before I offered) and I made this:

That is awesome! I would LOVE if you could do it for me! Thank you so much for offering! I will send you a PM with my email address and I can email you the pictures - there are a lot (I wasn't sure how many to take to get the effect). Thank you, thank you!!

I loved your relaxing day minus the couple bumps in the road! I hope you guys are having an awesome time in Cali/DL!!! Can't wait to hear about that as well!

That relaxing day was necessary after our crazy Epcot/DHS day. And it was a great way to spend it. I really enjoy getting some resort time in and trips never seem long enough to really soak it up.

Sounds like a super relaxing day. Hope the little man enjoy Legoland tomorrow

Oooooh, he DID! It was a lot of fun!!!

Hi Brook! Thanks to your wonderful links I just got caught back up. I also see you're having a blast at Disneyland right now. I hope you do a trip report for that trip too.

Yep! I sure will be! After I get this one wrapped up I will start the DL. I actually started typing some of it out on the plane ride home in hopes I don't forget any details.

I didn't realaize you had posted more updates before you left...awesome...and I know you are having a fabulous time now too.

I wasn't big on the food at Chef Mickey's for breakfast either. Just basic plain food. But the characters were fun.
As for stitching panorama's, you should've gotten a CD with your camera (if you still know where it is). It will have zoombrowswer on it and one of the features on it is called photostitch and it works pretty darn good. There is a free site online too, but it's been a really long time since I used it and it wasn't easy, more manual, while photostitch is pretty automatic. I'm sure you could google and find it though.
I do have like 4 canon CD's, so I could probably send you one if you want.

I thought the food at the Chef Mickey's breakfast was pretty good, it was the dinner I didn't really enjoy. But you are right, it's pretty basic breakfast offerings for a high price! The character interaction was great though. Next time we will try 'Ohana I think...

I have no idea where our CD is...I'll ask Joe and try that! We could install it on our PC too if it's not Mac friendly.

Hope you are having a great time in California!

So neat that you managed to snag pictures of ALL the topiaries in World Showcase! Well done!

I really like that pink Orange Bird t-shirt. I hope they have it this summer!

Yeay for a hug from Bo!

The dance party looks like a lot of fun -- I would probably enjoy that. LOL!

Too funny that you were napkin twirling and taking a picture for Facebook. You are multi-talented. LOL!

What a lovely day just hanging out at the Contemporary. Sometimes those are the best days!

Well, I know we missed the zodiac ones - I realized that after we got back! And we might have missed a couple others, not sure. I guess we will have to back for the F&GF.

 

[DWGal210]

I'm back! Late but here. Your family is having so much Disney fun lately - how great!!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm back! Late but here. Your family is having so much Disney fun lately - how great!!!!

Look at all those tickers you have!!!!

I hope you had a wonderful trip!!

 

[DWGal210]

Look at all those tickers you have!!!!

I hope you had a wonderful trip!!

Thanks - isn't that fun?! I'm pretty pumped!!

 

[Moira222]

Today is Tuesday, March 8

After our marathon almost-RD to PM EMH day yesterday, it was Joe's turn. We needed a day to relax. A good 'ol "do nothing day". Compromise, remember?

WOW! this photo is awesome! what a view!

I said "Sounds good!" but didn't believe them due to our experience at the Boardwalk.

Its good that you keep some pixie dust in your back pocket to keep moments like this from getting

Onward to Chef Mickey's!

The food...

Henry's plate

is that breakfast pizza I see with eggs on it? I had to look twice!

The atmosphere...

Love these two shots

The calisthenics!

Video: Napkin Waving (55 seconds)

Tickling

We had a faaaaaaaaabulous meal! Great food, good character interaction.

good to know that breakfast is better than dinner!

Within a few minutes they were ready to go!

love Henry with his hand on his head like "Oh my gosh I can't believe I am doing this" wonder how many times in his life he will say that!

Love this one!

great pictures! Love the first one with Henry "inside" mickey!

Sounds like an awesome day, despite being locked out of your room for a little while. you knew when the dining plan part worked that SOMETHING had to fail, right?

I have enjoyed your FB updates from CA - are you going to continue this TR or do a new one?

 

[brookelizabeth]

We left off after a relaxing morning of Chef Mickeys and some fun in the water. We all rested in the room and soon it was time to monorail it over to Epcot for our dinner at Teppan Edo!

I was very excited about eating here, I had heard wonderful things over the years and we had just never tried it. We used to go to a hibachi a few times a year back in Minnesota, but we haven't gone to one since moving to NYC, so we were looking forward to the food and show.

Waiting for the monorail

Taken from the monorail

And this was the first time we had entered Epcot via the front entrance, so we stopped for a minute to admire the Toy Story 3 topiaries.

We made our way to Japan and quickly checked in and were seated within minutes. We were on the Deluxe Dining Plan for that night and I was READY!

Appetizers...

I took one look at the menu and knew which appetizer Joe would be ordering - the Gyu no Negi-maki, and that sounded awesome to me at the moment too, BUT, I wanted to be adventurous and order something different so I went for the Tuna Sensation! I love raw tuna with my sushi, so I figured I would like this too.

Dipping sauces

Our chef, Akiko making Joe's appetizer.

The finished product.

We both very much enjoyed ours! Mine was light and refreshing, Joe's was savory. I would recommend them both.

Mickey head with the oil on the grill

Everyone knows what she's doing here....!

Ah yes! It's the onion volcano!

Veggies & noodles

Steak - Joe & I both had this

Chicken - Henry's

It was all very, very good! We cleared our plates and it was onto dessert.

Chocolate Ginger Cake - Joe's

Soft serve chocolate/vanilla swirl ice cream for Henry

And....mine was not pictured! I cannot recall what I had either, likely ice cream!

A peek into Tokyo Dining on our way out

We started to wander around the World Showcase, just to see what we would see.

Continued in next post