Mickey's Hand is in my Pocket II! & DH's P.O.V: pg 19-7/20 On Our Way Home....

[TyRy]

Dinner that night was at California Grille…on our last trip we had an absolute blast here and DIL’s really wanted to go again. Of course we had to check out BLT from the ground and while we were waiting to be seated.

And then once we got upstairs, we had a small wait, so we went outside to check it out…

We were seated only one table away from the windows and we had a MK view. It was a great spot, so I promptly took a seat so I could look at the Castle the entire night.

We started with a bottle of wine…last time we had two or three, but I wasn’t going to drink (much!) and DFIL didn’t want wine so we were good with just the one.

DFIL wanted to try the cheese course, something I’d never had before. It was really nice, but for the price I’m not sure I’d do it again, or if it was just DH and I.

For dinner they all ordered the pork tenderloin and I had a filet. My filet was good, but OMG, the pork was OUTSTANDING! I’m really hoping they still have it on the menu in September because I want my own dish of it!

We stayed in our seats for the fireworks and still saw them nicely. By the end of dinner, I started not feeling all that great (probably did too much again!) so we just headed back to AKL. This place is so nice to come back to at the end of a long day…it just screams relaxing for some reason.

Tomorrow will be actually an easy day, so as long as I feel ok…we should be good…and we are having dinner at Citricos…something I’ve been looking forward to all trip!

 

[brookelizabeth]

an update!

DH was also feeling very proud of himself as we ended up not being late…he snapped a picture to prove it

love it! Stinks that he was right though, doesn't it?!

That big hunk next to the waffle is butter…I think I must have thought I could at least get that down if nothing else

After my first few bites everything was ok…I could actually eat and not make faces or be in pain. So the first plate was quickly demolished and this was what my second plate looked like -

So glad you are feeling better! I would have totally done the same thing, cautious at first, then PILE IT ON BABY! YUM! Your comment about the butter made me laugh out loud--at work--people think I'm nutty here anyway, so all well!

LOVE THIS! What a great shot! Do you guys take one like this every year?


I love the FW sites too. It's fun to look on FW fans threads that show their campsites - Christmas seems to be a big decorating time over there as well. It's so fun! It's like they live there...which might not be so bad, huh?

Your Photopass pics are GREAT! I like it when the CMs get into their job like that.

So sweet! I love that you can't really see any people in the background either. It looks like your DH cleared the park just for you!

I have never seen one like this - and I love the idea! I am getting a pic of Henry with his chin in "Dut Dut's" hand in December! (Which might be an interesting feat with a 2 year old...)

That is so funny about your DFIL having his own car on the TTA! And I love that you got a picture to remember the moment. His look in it is perfect! Kinda saying "Ya, shut up, I'm fine, whatever..." but being slight embarassed at the same time.

I agree with you about AKL-ahhhhhh...it's quite and calm and soothing. So, so relaxing!

Love the BLT construction pics too. I got a ton of those in January - they are moving so fast on it! We hope to do CG in December. I'm making a mental note of the Pork Tenderloin-it looks awesome!

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well by the end of the day-but at least you made it all the way through, right?! Hopefully it will get even better on the next day.

 

[DisneyJo]

Wow I love what people do at FW, so creative I would never have known!!!

Love the PP photos too, so cute and sounds like you had a lovely meal, I'm glad you felt better today

 

[TyRy]

So sweet! I love that you can't really see any people in the background either. It looks like your DH cleared the park just for you!

I hadn't even noticed that until you pointed it out...see if DH was still posting and paying attention he could have pointed that out..too late now

I have never seen one like this - and I love the idea! I am getting a pic of Henry with his chin in "Dut Dut's" hand in December! (Which might be an interesting feat with a 2 year old...)

This was the first time I'd ever had a PPP tell us to go over and do this - I thought it was such a great idea.

That is so funny about your DFIL having his own car on the TTA! And I love that you got a picture to remember the moment. His look in it is perfect! Kinda saying "Ya, shut up, I'm fine, whatever..." but being slight embarassed at the same time.

I think that's exactly what he was shouting at is

Wow I love what people do at FW, so creative I would never have known!!!

The decorations at FW were so good, I'm so glad DFIL suggested we do the golf cart. If we ever go back at Christmas time, I'm definitely touring FW again.

 

[Flossbolna]

TyRy, thanks for the great update! The Cali Grill pork tenderloin is really a fantastic dish, I had it twice so far and absolutely love it! I think you don't need to worry about it being available on your next visit. As far as I know it is one of their signature dishes and has been on the menu since the restaurant opened.

 

[TyRy]

TyRy, thanks for the great update! The Cali Grill pork tenderloin is really a fantastic dish, I had it twice so far and absolutely love it! I think you don't need to worry about it being available on your next visit. As far as I know it is one of their signature dishes and has been on the menu since the restaurant opened.

I'm glad you enjoyed the update....now if I could only get another one up this week! And thanks for that tidbit about the Cali Grill Flossbolna. I think DH might have been ready to skip it this upcoming trip, but I really want my own this time

 

[TyRy]

Warning....It's lots of pictures again

Today was supposed to be AK day, but if memory serves me, DH was busy throwing a fit that he had no time to relax on this vacation. Again, I’m not sure how many times we have to go through this but we are at Disney…you either sleep till noon and then get to the parks or get up, go to the parks and then get back and relax. He chooses the sleep till noon, so I say it’s his own fault that he had no pool time. So I caved in at some point (I think he was lucky I wasn’t a 100% yet!) and said fine. We’d stay at the Lodge. So I started my day, as I always like to when at AKL with a Mickey waffle

I have no idea why, but I really do love these!!!

When DH was finally ready we decided to actually walk the long hallways. We hadn’t done this when we stayed at AKL the first time since we were there for such a short period, so it was adventure time. And wow – those were long hallways…I guess I always knew they were, but WOW. I’m not even sure I’d want a Grand Villa facing the savannah if I had to be all the way out there. We did get some great animal shots and other views of the lodge and Kidani at that time…

We then decided to see how close we could get to Kidani….of course now it’s almost finished, but here’s how it looked on our wandering….

We went as far as we could and then headed back to the lodge and snapped just a couple of the front….

And a few more inside…I’m not sure you can ever have too many pictures of this place, plus we are always finding new details like on this lamp.

Continued in next post....

 

[TyRy]

Since it has been a while and my notes don’t say anything about this, I’m not sure how the decision was made, but we ended up at POFQ. This was the first resort we ever stayed at when we stayed on property and continues to be a favorite. We were now a bit hungry and it was time for another one of my horse pills to keep my strep away so we stopped to get some food. DH ordered soup and a large order of beignets to split.

These are so yummy!!!

When we stayed at POFQ, we’d come back from a long day in the parks and get an order of beignets and I’d get an ice cream Sunday, which they didn’t really have any more. You could still get ice cream, but it wasn’t the same as it was in 2004 when we last stayed there.

We then walked around a bit and agreed that neither one of us would have any problems staying there. It’s so pretty and I love the fact that it is compact as it is…you’re never really far from your car or pool or anything.

After our POFQ adventure we headed back to AKL to rest up a bit before dinner at Citricos…I was really looking forward to this one and was hoping I would not be disappointed like I was when we dined at Narcoosee’s two years ago……

 

[brookelizabeth]

Warning....It's lots of pictures again

Oh, darn!

What beautiful pictures! Ahhh..AKL, it's just so stunning. We also thought POFQ, the very bit we saw of it, was beautiful. I could see us extending a trip by staying a few extra days there. I like to hear that it's compact-I am not big fan of having to walk a long way to the main building/pool, etc. It always seems shorter to me when you are IN a hotel (like AKL/WL) than outside.

 

[TyRy]

Oh, darn!

What beautiful pictures! Ahhh..AKL, it's just so stunning. We also thought POFQ, the very bit we saw of it, was beautiful. I could see us extending a trip by staying a few extra days there. I like to hear that it's compact-I am not big fan of having to walk a long way to the main building/pool, etc. It always seems shorter to me when you are IN a hotel (like AKL/WL) than outside.

I used to think that too about being inside is shorter than being outside...until we stayed at BWV this trip. Once DH figured out all the shortcuts we were always outside and cutting across to get to places, I think we only walked from the villa side to the hotel side inside once!

POFQ really is quick and great...even if you're at the building farthest away from the main one, you can be there in just a couple of minutes. I always recommend POFQ.

 

[DisneyJo]

Wow you were good letting DH have a lie in day, sounds like it was nice though

 

[TyRy]

Wow you were good letting DH have a lie in day, sounds like it was nice though

I have to admit it drove me crazy to let him....all he wanted to do was sleep and all I wanted to do was get out of the hotel room...I'd seen enough of it that week!

 

[TyRy]

After resting a bit we decided to meet the DIL’s in the bar for a drink before heading over to the GF. This is definitely something we once again did not take advantage of this trip as I as sick and we were running around otherwise.

If DH was still posting, he’d say: See if we could relax and take advantage of this gorgeous resort we have, sitting and having a drink at the bar would not be an event. It should be something we are doing on a regular basis!

To which I would say: If we took more trips to WDW we wouldn’t have to run around like maniacs because I wouldn’t feel like I have to fit everything in

Anyway…we met in the bar for a drink. I had to have my YOMD glow-tini as I was once again seriously behind in my collecting of glow cubes. I love the way it changed the color of the drink:

The DIL’s both had Gimlet’s and DH had a beer. We also had a great server who took a nice group photo of us:

It was then off to Citricos and a little surprise I had for the DIL’s. They are the ones who took me on my first three trips to WDW so I wanted to be able to continue to thank them. Our DVC allowed us to treat them to a resort they probably would not have stayed at otherwise, but I wanted to do something else. We get there and I make sure that DH will distract them when we check in so I can check on their surprise.

We had a short wait before our table was ready, no more than five minutes, and were shown to a lovely table in the middle of the restaurant. Our server came by to introduce himself and his name was Chafik (can’t remember the spelling.) All of the sudden I had one of those “D’OH” moments. Way back when we were at O’Hanas our server Chris told us to ask for either Chafik or his wife at Citricos. Well with everything that had happened during the week I’d completely forgotten to ask for him. It was pure luck that we ended up with him.

I think I may have scared him a bit (imagine that ) as I was so excited and immediately pointed out to Mark that Chris has recommended Chafik to us. Chafik was very happy to hear that Chris had done this. He took our drink orders and left for a bit.

He brought our drinks and a little something special…amuse bouche. For us it was a bruschetta type course, very nice and very unexpected.

Our drinks consisted of beer, wine and, of course, a martini with a glowcube. I can’t remember the name of it, but it was something at just the GF and was yummy!

He then took our orders and DH and DIL’s got appetizers. DH got the arancini

and DIL’s both got some sort of seafood soup (looks like it’s not on the menu anymore)

About the time they started their appetizers I started not feeling very well. It wasn’t my throat, but a general icky sense all of the sudden. I tried to hide it, but DH noticed something was off. I switched from my drink to pop to see if that would help…it only did a little. I had been looking forward to this meal all week and now I was in danger of having to excuse myself and go back to the hotel to collapse. I did get up and go get some air, and felt just a wee bit better.

By the time I got back, it wasn’t long until our main courses arrived. I had see Mr. K review this meal months ago and knew if they still had it, I had to have it – the bone-in ribeye. MMMMMM

Unfortunately I had two bites and was finished. DH didn’t mind this one bit as this meant he got to eat his (which I can’t remember what he had) and mine as well. We did get a couple of funny pics as he dared me to pick it up and pretend to eat it…so I did

DMIL had the short ribs (which she gave me a bite of and were very yummy)

and DFIL had the veal shank which he also enjoyed.

After dinner, Chaik cleared the plates, but did not ask if anyone wanted coffee and or dessert. DIL’s started to get a bit ancy and thought it was weird that he did not ask if we wanted coffee or dessert.

Continued in next post....

 

[TyRy]

So after a few more minutes (this meal was definitely not rushed) Chafik brought out their surprise. An anniversary cake for the two of them!

They were SHOCKED! We were so busy taking pictures of the cake, we forgot to take a picture of them, espically DMIL. Chafik waited while we took a bunch of pictures then brought it back to the kitchen to be cut and to bring out coffee. When he brought the cake back, he had brought us a little surprise…our own anniversary greeting (since we had mentioned both on the ADR.)

And here’s a view of it all cut:

The cake was delicious! And DH proclaimed this was the best coffee he ever had. He even took pictures:

Thankfully by the time the cake arrived I felt a little bit better and was able to enjoy dessert. I informed DH that we would be going to Citricos twice on our next trip so I could make up for the meal I basically missed that night . It was really very good, and I highly recommend it. However, it was pricey (which we knew) and really did take a long time to get through, which was fine. It was a very relaxing meal.

After dinner I wanted to stop in one of the shops and get something for my sister, so DH took the opportunity to take a few pics

It was then back to AKV and called it a night. Still not sure what set me off, but we figured it was probably the first martini I had and the major antibiotics I was still taking. So that meant no more drinks for me

Tomorrow we’ll try to hit AK and I’ll get to see firsthand what some people on the Dis complain about….

 

[DisneyJo]

That cake looks absolutely gorgeous and so delicious, was it strawberry filling?

So sorry you felt ill again, but I'm so pleased you were able to eat cake

 

[TyRy]

That cake looks absolutely gorgeous and so delicious, was it strawberry filling?:

Yep - it was a marble cake with strawberry mousse filling. And I have no idea what the little roll of icing was made out of around the bottom of the cake, but DH were fighting over who got to eat that , as it was yummy!

So sorry you felt ill again, but I'm so pleased you were able to eat cake

Thanks Jo - it was very weird the way it just hit. Perhaps if we'd had the cake before dinner I would have been ok the whole time.

 

[brookelizabeth]

The glow cubes are so cool! I've never ordered anything with one, but I'm just going to have to get a water with a glow cube next time or something!

That cake is beautiful! I'm so glad to hear that you were able to enjoy it.

And 48 years. Wow. MAJOR KUDOS to them! I can't believe they have been married for 48 years, seriously, they don't look old enough to have been married that long, unless they got married when they were like 8!!

I used to think that too about being inside is shorter than being outside...until we stayed at BWV this trip. Once DH figured out all the shortcuts we were always outside and cutting across to get to places, I think we only walked from the villa side to the hotel side inside once!

POFQ really is quick and great...even if you're at the building farthest away from the main one, you can be there in just a couple of minutes. I always recommend POFQ.

I can't remember if I posted this, but I told my DH about all the maps your DH posted with the routes you took and he thought that was just awesome. Something he so would have done!

That is great to know about POFQ, I'm keeping it in mind for a future trip!

 

[TyRy]

The glow cubes are so cool! I've never ordered anything with one, but I'm just going to have to get a water with a glow cube next time or something! !

If I ever get to update you'll see I did something very similar to that

That cake is beautiful! I'm so glad to hear that you were able to enjoy it.

And 48 years. Wow. MAJOR KUDOS to them! I can't believe they have been married for 48 years, seriously, they don't look old enough to have been married that long, unless they got married when they were like 8!!!

They said to tell you thank you! And my DMIL still has the flowers in the fridge...I think she keeps trying to put them on other cakes and we keep saying we're not eating anything that has been touched by flowers (even if they are sugar or gum paste) that are almost a year old!

I can't remember if I posted this, but I told my DH about all the maps your DH posted with the routes you took and he thought that was just awesome. Something he so would have done!

I shared the map thing with DH and he said your DH is a smart man I truly have no sense of direction, so his skills really are a big help to me.

Thanks everyone for sticking with me...this trippie only has a few days left...maybe that's why I keep putting off finishing. I'll definitely try and get Saturday up this week. Although as soon as this TR is done, I can start my 40th birthday pre-trip for September that has already changed so many times I'm not even sure if I can keep track!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I have zero sense of direction too, I love that DH has one though!

Looking forward to an update when you can get to it - and the PTR too!

 

[TyRy]

Today was all about the animals. Since we missed AK yesterday, DH agreed to go today…he wanted to ride EE. However, this didn’t mean he wanted to get up early or was in any hurry once he did get up. Yes, I was still aggravated and you think I’d be used to it, but I never do What we did end up doing was wandering around for just a few minutes to look at the animals:

All week people were working on the Lodge and we caught them doing some decorative painting on the outside walls.

So off to the AK we head, the trees outside the entrance were in bloom and were very pretty:

After stopping for a couple of PP pics

we went straight to EE to grab a FP, the standby was only about 30 minutes, but the FP return was only an hour later, so we opted to do that. We then headed into Dinoland so three of us could ride Dinosaur. The line claimed to be short, but in reality, it was one of the longest waits we had. I really wish our scanner was working better, because the best part about this ride is the picture on the ride. For some reason, DH always always always looks TERRIFIED in the picture. The rest of us are usually laughing and smiling for the camera, but it just catches him with the scared looks.

With a quick stop for a couple of photos

We headed back to EE, so DH and I could ride.

At this point the FP line and the standby line were about the same, so we jumped in the regular line thinking we’d save our FP and ride again later. We’ve ridden this ride before and it was great. HOWEVER, this time, it seemed to get to both of us….maybe it was because we hadn’t eaten anything, or maybe it was because I was sick (although DH didn’t have that excuse) but we both came off a wee bit wobbly. Not sure what caused it….maybe the small backwards part, but we decided not to ride it again.

Neither one of us wanted anything, but DFIL was in the mood for ice cream…so he had his first Mickey Bar of the trip and really enjoyed it.

While he was snacking on it, DH and I decided to give away our FP’s to EE…and had the hardest time. I remember Nebo having some trouble in his trippie giving his away, and I swear we had the same thing. We’d offer them to people and they’d ask us for different ones and would be all disappointed when that’s all we had….what happened to just saying no thanks? We finally got someone to take them, and about five minutes later noticed them trying to give them away or trade them. It almost wasn’t worth it and the whole experience almost makes me want to just toss them next time. Perhaps we need some kind of Dis alert and we can send out a message on FB or something asking if anyone is in the park who wants them! Although I think this was just the kind of day it was destined to be.

We spotted another PP opp so we took it…the photographer was another great one and had us do normal and a fun pose

We did a few other things (Bug, Kali) and then we then saw the Nemo show…a couple of our friends had seen it when it first opened and said we absolutely had to see it…that it was fantastic. I have to admit to being a wee bit worried….the last time a friend said I absolutely had to see something, it was Alien Encounter. He came back from DW and told me I could not miss it as it was super exciting. So on our next trip DFIL and I saw it with no line (should have been a hint!) and went in. When the braces came over us, we figured the room would spin or something just as fun as that. Then NOTHING happened except for a few effects. We were stunned and couldn’t believe we’d just wasted precious Disney time on it! Thankfully this recommendation was right on the mark and the show was really cute and even DH who doesn’t like a lot of the shows enjoyed this one.

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST...