My WPASADI Prize Trip. (Thank You Pete!) TRIP REPORT COMPLETE WITH PICS!
- Thread starter mrzrich
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mrzrich
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Sunday June 15th was Father's Day. I offered to take DH out for breakfast, but he wanted breakfast in bed instead. Having enjoyed Picabu the night before I returned there for some carry out.
I got two of the Breakfast sandwiches on Ciabatta bread with two coffees.
The bill after AAA discount was $25 which was more then dinner for all four of us the night before.
We didn't make this mistake for breakfast again.
The kids just wanted Cereal, which we had brought from home.
We lazed around in our room for a while and headed down to the pool around 11. The S/D share a beautiful pool. I hear people on these boards fawn all over SAB. I think I like the S/D Grotto Pool better.
This is the view from the Pool Area
Servers came around taking orders for the nearby Cabana Bar and Grill
A DJ Played music and led games and Activities
DH really enjoyed the day in the pool with his sons
OK I admit it I had fun too!
I got two of the Breakfast sandwiches on Ciabatta bread with two coffees.
The bill after AAA discount was $25 which was more then dinner for all four of us the night before.
We didn't make this mistake for breakfast again.The kids just wanted Cereal, which we had brought from home.
We lazed around in our room for a while and headed down to the pool around 11. The S/D share a beautiful pool. I hear people on these boards fawn all over SAB. I think I like the S/D Grotto Pool better.
This is the view from the Pool Area
Servers came around taking orders for the nearby Cabana Bar and Grill
A DJ Played music and led games and Activities
DH really enjoyed the day in the pool with his sons
OK I admit it I had fun too!
mrzrich
DIS Veteran
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- May 13, 2005
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- 5,786
After pool time we went back to our room to nap. We were resting up for MK EMH. We woke up around 5 and were hungry! We got dressed and ready to eat.
DISCLAIMER: I told this story late last week on the Dining Board, so I am repeating myself here:
So I promised my DH a burger and ice cream for Father's Day and we schlepped the kids over to Beaches and Cream. No tables, 45 minute wait at least.
We decided to walk back and check out the choices over at the Dolphin. We walked in the door, and were face to face with "The Fountain"
To Go Counter:
Some of the seating.
The food was Diner fare, burgers, dogs, onion rings, salads, flat breads, and sandwiches. Kids liked their viewfinder menu:
This Picture doesn't do this hot dog justice. It was huge. Oh, and its boring like that because I'm boring. I could have had my choice of toppings, chili, cheese, onions, relish, whatever I wanted. I wanted it boring.
as was DH's Burger it had to be at least 1/2 a pound:
Kids Burger and Mac and Cheese:
On with Dessert.
Now on this particular night we were boring and pretty much just got Ice Cream. (They have Soft Serve as well as hand scooped)
This was ONE SCOOP!
DH Did have a banana split with soft serve ice cream
On another night we got Ice Cream Floats. You could get any flavor ice cream you wanted with any flavor soda. (They had Stewart's bottled Sodas in a few flavors.) The floats themselves were in very tall glasses, and the extra soda was brought to the table in the bottle.
Couldn't convince DH to order the Fountain's answer to the Kitchen Sink, but the Fountain does offer it's own giant sundae called "The Funnel"
Something I couldn't get myself to order were the "Beer Floats" Ice Cream and Guinness Stout
I saw lots of large brownie sundaes being enjoyed. They also had a "make your own sundae" where you chose the ice cream, the sauce and the toppings.
All the food and treats were yummy. They even accepted my AAA card for 20% off (As did Fresh and Picabu)
The bill on this particular night for diner and ice cream was around $45 after the discount. Plus tip.
We noticed lots of great eateries over at Swan/Dolphin sit nearly empty this week as mediocre Disney run places were turning guests away. If you aren't on the DDP or have some OOP meals to plan, consider taking the boat from DHS or Epcot to the S/D. (Especially on your DHS day where the choices can be )
DISCLAIMER: I told this story late last week on the Dining Board, so I am repeating myself here:
So I promised my DH a burger and ice cream for Father's Day and we schlepped the kids over to Beaches and Cream. No tables, 45 minute wait at least.
We decided to walk back and check out the choices over at the Dolphin. We walked in the door, and were face to face with "The Fountain"
To Go Counter:
Some of the seating.
The food was Diner fare, burgers, dogs, onion rings, salads, flat breads, and sandwiches. Kids liked their viewfinder menu:
This Picture doesn't do this hot dog justice. It was huge. Oh, and its boring like that because I'm boring. I could have had my choice of toppings, chili, cheese, onions, relish, whatever I wanted. I wanted it boring.
as was DH's Burger it had to be at least 1/2 a pound:
Kids Burger and Mac and Cheese:
On with Dessert.
Now on this particular night we were boring and pretty much just got Ice Cream. (They have Soft Serve as well as hand scooped)
This was ONE SCOOP!
DH Did have a banana split with soft serve ice cream
On another night we got Ice Cream Floats. You could get any flavor ice cream you wanted with any flavor soda. (They had Stewart's bottled Sodas in a few flavors.) The floats themselves were in very tall glasses, and the extra soda was brought to the table in the bottle.
Couldn't convince DH to order the Fountain's answer to the Kitchen Sink, but the Fountain does offer it's own giant sundae called "The Funnel"
Something I couldn't get myself to order were the "Beer Floats" Ice Cream and Guinness Stout
I saw lots of large brownie sundaes being enjoyed. They also had a "make your own sundae" where you chose the ice cream, the sauce and the toppings.
All the food and treats were yummy. They even accepted my AAA card for 20% off (As did Fresh and Picabu)
The bill on this particular night for diner and ice cream was around $45 after the discount. Plus tip.
We noticed lots of great eateries over at Swan/Dolphin sit nearly empty this week as mediocre Disney run places were turning guests away. If you aren't on the DDP or have some OOP meals to plan, consider taking the boat from DHS or Epcot to the S/D. (Especially on your DHS day where the choices can be
)
mrzrich
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- 5,786
After Dinner we hopped on the Bus to the MK. The buses to the S/D were very prompt. We never waited long and always got a seat. Sometimes we shared with the BC/YC and BW, sometimes not.
It had rained for a little while earlier that evening, I don't know how much impact that had on the crowds, because basically the crowd level was very nice. We caught the end of the first Spectromagic as we walked up Main Street. We went to Fnatasyland and FP'd PP. (They were giving out FP's for the EMH) We tackled Adventureland sans POTC (refurb
) and then had Snacks at the bakery and watched Wishes.
We then watched Spectro in its entirety on Main Street.
After the second Spectro the park cleared out. A better word would be emptied out. I know all the touring plans say AVOID EVENING EMH!!!!! But in our experience evening EMH can be lovely. Perhaps so many people are following the advice to stay away, that they are actually getting less crowded.
The rides were mostly walk on. Occasionally we saw wait times posted as 15 or 20 minutes that were actually walk on. The time was just the length of time it took you to walk the queue. Anything that we did have to wait for was less than 20 minutes with the exception of Peter Pan. The wait for PP was 45 minutes, but we had FP'd it earlier in the evening, so we got on quickly.
The thing that struck me was how hot it had been that morning. When I was a rope drop commando I would have been in the hot sun. (There are days in Florida that it is hot the minute the sun comes up) Now that I was a sleep in-napper, I got to walk down a cool and empty Main Street at 1:30 AM. I loved it!
Tomorrow Breakfast and Desert at Fresh. AK Evening EMH.
It had rained for a little while earlier that evening, I don't know how much impact that had on the crowds, because basically the crowd level was very nice. We caught the end of the first Spectromagic as we walked up Main Street. We went to Fnatasyland and FP'd PP. (They were giving out FP's for the EMH) We tackled Adventureland sans POTC (refurb
) and then had Snacks at the bakery and watched Wishes.
We then watched Spectro in its entirety on Main Street.
After the second Spectro the park cleared out. A better word would be emptied out. I know all the touring plans say AVOID EVENING EMH!!!!! But in our experience evening EMH can be lovely. Perhaps so many people are following the advice to stay away, that they are actually getting less crowded.
The rides were mostly walk on. Occasionally we saw wait times posted as 15 or 20 minutes that were actually walk on. The time was just the length of time it took you to walk the queue. Anything that we did have to wait for was less than 20 minutes with the exception of Peter Pan. The wait for PP was 45 minutes, but we had FP'd it earlier in the evening, so we got on quickly.
The thing that struck me was how hot it had been that morning. When I was a rope drop commando I would have been in the hot sun. (There are days in Florida that it is hot the minute the sun comes up) Now that I was a sleep in-napper, I got to walk down a cool and empty Main Street at 1:30 AM. I loved it!
Tomorrow Breakfast and Desert at Fresh. AK Evening EMH.
Tinker'n'Fun
Apple peaches pumpkin pie, not ready holler "I"
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What a great trip report... Could I possibly not go gung-ho in the parks this September?? I will definetely think about it more now! Your boys are very cute and look so well-behaved!!
mrzrich
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- 5,786
Monday June 16th-
We woke up around 9 following last night's late night. By the time we got dressed and ready to go out it was 10:30, almost lunch time. But we wanted breakfast! We didn't want eggs that had been under a heat lamp since 8:30 either.
We rushed to Fresh at the Dolphin. They were still serving breakfast, and as the name implies, although it is a buffet, the food is made fresh to your order.
Our waitress took our drink orders, and our toast orders as well. In addition to coffee we had delicious fresh squeezed orange juice. I love rye toast with my eggs, she brought us a big fresh stack of buttered rye toast a few moments later.
There was a nice assortment of fresh pastries, and our waitress brought out a few lovely jellies to accompany them.
I went up to get some breakfast for the kids, they had made to order scrambled eggs, and split this fresh made waffle.
Here is my Plate:
Lovely seasoned homefries, big fat sausages, fresh made french toast and made to order over easies
DH had the chef make him an omlette from a huge selection of omlette fixins. (I failed to take a picture )
Also on the buffet was a selection of fresh juices. I wasn't able to get a picture before they started clearing them for lunch, but they were interesting combinations with ingredients like wheat-grass and pomegranate.
Since in was almost lunch time, our waitress reassured us that we could stay as long as we wanted and that the chefs would continue to cook for us. About that time we noticed the breakfast pastries being put away.......BUT.....something else was coming out.
DESSERT!!!!
Our waitress told us that lunch is a la carte, but it includes the dessert buffet, she then said "Help Yourself to whatever you would like to try."
I think my DH thought he'd died and gone to heaven.
We were full from breakfast, but we did share a few items:
The Eclipse
A Raspberry Chocolate Tower
And a Violet Eclair
All three items were delicious.
Here are some pictures of the entire dessert buffet:
I hope to return to Fresh for breakfast and lunch on upcoming trips. It was delicious. Another S/D eatery that not many Disney travelers think of. Lunchtime on your DHS day? Try Fresh! Oh and they took the AAA card for a 20% discount too!
We woke up around 9 following last night's late night. By the time we got dressed and ready to go out it was 10:30, almost lunch time. But we wanted breakfast! We didn't want eggs that had been under a heat lamp since 8:30 either.
We rushed to Fresh at the Dolphin. They were still serving breakfast, and as the name implies, although it is a buffet, the food is made fresh to your order.
Our waitress took our drink orders, and our toast orders as well. In addition to coffee we had delicious fresh squeezed orange juice. I love rye toast with my eggs, she brought us a big fresh stack of buttered rye toast a few moments later.
There was a nice assortment of fresh pastries, and our waitress brought out a few lovely jellies to accompany them.
I went up to get some breakfast for the kids, they had made to order scrambled eggs, and split this fresh made waffle.
Here is my Plate:
Lovely seasoned homefries, big fat sausages, fresh made french toast and made to order over easies
DH had the chef make him an omlette from a huge selection of omlette fixins. (I failed to take a picture
)Also on the buffet was a selection of fresh juices. I wasn't able to get a picture before they started clearing them for lunch, but they were interesting combinations with ingredients like wheat-grass and pomegranate.
Since in was almost lunch time, our waitress reassured us that we could stay as long as we wanted and that the chefs would continue to cook for us. About that time we noticed the breakfast pastries being put away.......BUT.....something else was coming out.
DESSERT!!!!
Our waitress told us that lunch is a la carte, but it includes the dessert buffet, she then said "Help Yourself to whatever you would like to try."
I think my DH thought he'd died and gone to heaven.
We were full from breakfast, but we did share a few items:
The Eclipse
A Raspberry Chocolate Tower
And a Violet Eclair
All three items were delicious.
Here are some pictures of the entire dessert buffet:
I hope to return to Fresh for breakfast and lunch on upcoming trips. It was delicious. Another S/D eatery that not many Disney travelers think of. Lunchtime on your DHS day? Try Fresh! Oh and they took the AAA card for a 20% discount too!
mrzrich
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 13, 2005
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- 5,786
We decided to drive off property and check out the town and some little gift shops. We pretty much drove around aimlessly, wasted gas, walked into a gift shop and walked out again as soon as we realized it was a giant rip off.
"Why do we ever even bother driving off property?" I asked DH.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was after 2 PM. We wanted to do AK EMH that night, which was until 11. I had the kids lie down for a nap and I joined them. DH went exploring.
He took the elevator up to the top floor and went out onto a tiny balcony overlooking the roof. (I'm sure he didn't belong there
)
He got some cool pictures from the top of the Swan.
"Why do we ever even bother driving off property?" I asked DH.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was after 2 PM. We wanted to do AK EMH that night, which was until 11. I had the kids lie down for a nap and I joined them. DH went exploring.
He took the elevator up to the top floor and went out onto a tiny balcony overlooking the roof. (I'm sure he didn't belong there
) He got some cool pictures from the top of the Swan.
mrzrich
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We headed for AK a little after 6. The bus there was only my family and one other person. I was truly worried that I had read the schedule wrong and that there was no EMH. Much to my relief they were giving out wristbands near the entrance.
We rushed to the Safari before it closed for the evening. For all you people who rush to the Safari in the morning, try it right before dusk. I've never seen the animals out so brazenly as this evening.
We ate dinner at Flame Tree. We shared an order of Ribs and the Fruit Plate.
(NOT MY PICTURES!)
We always get that fruit plate, its soooo good!
The kids had Hot Dogs. After DDE discount the bill was around $25 including drinks. Cant beat that!
DS5 and I rode dinosaur with 20 minute wait. While DS8 and DH rode prim-evil whirl with a similar wait time.
We headed to EE. DS5 is not tall enough to ride, so we did a single rider baby swap combo. DH rode single rider first, then DS8 and I used the rider switch pass to go through FP. The standby time was 45 minutes at this point in the evening. There were still FP's being given out for the EMH at that point.
It was Kali River Rapid Time. There was a wait time of 15 minutes posted. It was a lie. Walk the queue, walk on the ride. We did it 3 times. We got soaked DS5 love KRR because he gets to be the captain. He takes his job seriously. He tells total strangers to fasten their safety belts and put their valuables in the middle compartment.
The last thing we did was ITTBAB. It was so cold in there, because we were wet. It seemed extra scary at night. Which I know makes no sense since its an indoor attraction
We had a great time at the AK evening EMH. This is the 3rd time we've been to the AK at night and we will continue practice this tradition.
We got on the bus, which was shared with YC/BC, Dolphin and BW. We were the first stop at 10:45, and we ran to the Dolphin Fountain before it closed at 11. We had ice cream treats before bed!
Coming Soon Day #5 DHS, Blue Zoo and Mandara Spa!
We rushed to the Safari before it closed for the evening. For all you people who rush to the Safari in the morning, try it right before dusk. I've never seen the animals out so brazenly as this evening.
We ate dinner at Flame Tree. We shared an order of Ribs and the Fruit Plate.
(NOT MY PICTURES!)
We always get that fruit plate, its soooo good!
The kids had Hot Dogs. After DDE discount the bill was around $25 including drinks. Cant beat that!
DS5 and I rode dinosaur with 20 minute wait. While DS8 and DH rode prim-evil whirl with a similar wait time.
We headed to EE. DS5 is not tall enough to ride, so we did a single rider baby swap combo. DH rode single rider first, then DS8 and I used the rider switch pass to go through FP. The standby time was 45 minutes at this point in the evening. There were still FP's being given out for the EMH at that point.
It was Kali River Rapid Time. There was a wait time of 15 minutes posted. It was a lie. Walk the queue, walk on the ride. We did it 3 times. We got soaked
DS5 love KRR because he gets to be the captain. He takes his job seriously. He tells total strangers to fasten their safety belts and put their valuables in the middle compartment. The last thing we did was ITTBAB. It was so cold in there, because we were wet. It seemed extra scary at night. Which I know makes no sense since its an indoor attraction
We had a great time at the AK evening EMH. This is the 3rd time we've been to the AK at night and we will continue practice this tradition.
We got on the bus, which was shared with YC/BC, Dolphin and BW. We were the first stop at 10:45, and we ran to the Dolphin Fountain before it closed at 11. We had ice cream treats before bed!
Coming Soon Day #5 DHS, Blue Zoo and Mandara Spa!
mrzrich
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I can only imagine how hard it is to meet the needs of your child, you seem to do it quite well and with much love. I have a friend who has an autistic child. Her daughter continues to amaze everyone as to how incredibly smart she is.to you and loving your report!!!!
Thank You for the words of encouragement!
you made me laugh that used be me too,I go with the flow more now we,ve been a few times
lovin your trip report,your Children are adorable and all your food pictures are making me so hungry
That Imagination Station has become a running joke with me and DH cause I used to really get upset when he would want to play and hang out in there.
Its easier to take it easy when the parks are open late. Its also easier when you have a few trips under your belt. And your frame of mind is that if you miss anything, you'll be back next year. (Or next month if you are lucky)
~Fisharefriends~
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what a great day. I love your more relaxed approach. I know how tempting it can be to want to be at rope drop!!!
What fantastic pictures your dh got from the top of the swan (even if he wasnt meant to be there!!)
What fantastic pictures your dh got from the top of the swan (even if he wasnt meant to be there!!)
mrzrich
DIS Veteran
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- May 13, 2005
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- 5,786
We had gotten to sleep at around 12:30 the night before.
DS8 got up at around 5:30 AM. Even though we weren't in a Disney owned Resort, he managed to find Stacey on TV. He had her on at FULL VOLUME
I decided to get up about third time I heard her call the Gelato Guy in Italy "Yummy"
I showered and got dressed. I leaned over DH and said "I'm going for a walk"
I walked over to the Boardwalk Bakery.
I got breakfast for everyone and an large orange juice. The bill was only $19. Ten dollars less than I paid for breakfast for just me and DH two days before at Picabu. Definitely worth the trip
Mickey Muffins for the kids:
Bacon Egg and Cheese for DH:
And a Bagel and Croissant that I shared with the kids (With Cream cheese)
We also made some starbucks coffee in our in room coffee pot.
So it was 8:30. We had eaten, we were dresses, might as well go ride something. We got to DHS just as the rope was dropping.
We headed straight for TSM we waited about 20 minutes. Its such a fun ride! By the time we got off the line for the FP machine was about 10 people deep. We got a FP for 1 - 2 PM.
We walked on to Star Tours, watched Muppets 3-D, and rode TGMR.
DS8 has a love hate relationship with TOT. On one trip he'll beg to ride it. On the next trip, he'll shriek if we even walk toward it. This was a shrieking trip. He normally loves RNRC, but he would not step foot in that direction without crying "No TOT, No TOT!" There was no consoling him.
We decided to skip TOT and RNRC. We headed toward LMA.
It was stinkin' hot. I felt like this guy!
After the show we had lunch. I had promised the kids Pizza Planet, so thats where we went. I also packed extra quarters for games.
We didn't take pictures, but we got 2 combo meals and split them. DH and I split a veggie pizza, the kids split a cheese pizza and the adults ate the 2 salads. It was plenty for our family. We sat in the upstairs area. Then we let the kids play some video games.
We then headed back to TSM and used our FP.
By then, DS8 was getting hot and overtired, so we decided to take the boat back to the Swan.
It was a miserably hot day, so when we got back to our room my kids took a cool bubble bath. For some reason, they won't take baths at home (they shower), but they love them when we are at a hotel.
DS8 laid down and fell right to sleep. DS5 wasn't far behind.
As DH showered I ironed everyone's clothes for tonight's big dinner at Todd English's Blue Zoo!
By the time I got showered it was time to get ready for dinner.
Part of my prize was $150 Gift certificate for Blue Zoo at the Dolphin.
We could have put the kids in Camp Dolphin for this evening. Camp Dolphin is free if you dine at the signature restaurants at the S/D. While Blue Zoo and Il Mulino have children's menus, Shula's does not. Earlier in the week I had called to inquire about whether they felt the could accommodate an Autistic child. Their "yes" was less than convincing, or perhaps I am an too overprotective, but we decided to take the kids to Blue Zoo. We opted to go right at opening so that we would have less of a chance of disturbing other diners. It was a good call. We had the whole place to ourselves for the first hour of our meal! It was almost creepy because the waitstaff was hovering us.
Our server Eric was wonderful. He explained all of the dishes, and pointed out a few favorites. He was also very good with the kids.
We ordered appetizers and Eric put in the kids dinner orders so that they would arrive in synch with our appetizers.
I had the Garlic Roasted Jumbo Shrimp - Served with creamy polenta & fennel butter. - OMG I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
Dh had Yellowfin Tuna Tartare - From the "Olive's" table, twisted cucumber salad, crispy rock shrimp, orange glaze, & scallion cream. He gave it an enthusiatic thumbs up!
DS8 had cheese pizza which was huge. Enough that the kids really could have shared.
DS5 has spaghetti. I tasted this. The sauce tasted just like my grandmother's sauce.
For our entrees Dh order the Swordfish which was presented differently than the menu here on the DIS or Allears has it listed. It was on a layer of Marscapone Cheese and a risotto of some sort . He absolutely loved it.
I had the Two-pound Maine "Cantonese" Lobster, fried and tossed in sticky soy glaze
I'll be honest with you, I should have gotten the Surf and Turf.
While the dish was pretty good, it wasn't "To die for". The fact that in was in a batter and a soy glaze made it difficult to taste the lobster itself. I still managed to eat all but one big claw piece which I gave to DH.
I left most of the rice and stir fried veggies though.
By this point we were stuffed. I know, I know we left without dessert. Blasphemy! But we were truly stuffed. The room was starting to fill up, and my kids were starting to get antsy.
Besides it was almost time for my massage!
DS8 got up at around 5:30 AM. Even though we weren't in a Disney owned Resort, he managed to find Stacey on TV. He had her on at FULL VOLUME
I decided to get up about third time I heard her call the Gelato Guy in Italy "Yummy"
I showered and got dressed. I leaned over DH and said "I'm going for a walk"
I walked over to the Boardwalk Bakery.
I got breakfast for everyone and an large orange juice. The bill was only $19. Ten dollars less than I paid for breakfast for just me and DH two days before at Picabu. Definitely worth the trip
Mickey Muffins for the kids:
Bacon Egg and Cheese for DH:
And a Bagel and Croissant that I shared with the kids (With Cream cheese)
We also made some starbucks coffee in our in room coffee pot.
So it was 8:30. We had eaten, we were dresses, might as well go ride something. We got to DHS just as the rope was dropping.
We headed straight for TSM we waited about 20 minutes. Its such a fun ride! By the time we got off the line for the FP machine was about 10 people deep. We got a FP for 1 - 2 PM.
We walked on to Star Tours, watched Muppets 3-D, and rode TGMR.
DS8 has a love hate relationship with TOT. On one trip he'll beg to ride it. On the next trip, he'll shriek if we even walk toward it. This was a shrieking trip. He normally loves RNRC, but he would not step foot in that direction without crying "No TOT, No TOT!" There was no consoling him.
We decided to skip TOT and RNRC. We headed toward LMA.
It was stinkin' hot. I felt like this guy!
After the show we had lunch. I had promised the kids Pizza Planet, so thats where we went. I also packed extra quarters for games.
We didn't take pictures, but we got 2 combo meals and split them. DH and I split a veggie pizza, the kids split a cheese pizza and the adults ate the 2 salads. It was plenty for our family. We sat in the upstairs area. Then we let the kids play some video games.
We then headed back to TSM and used our FP.
By then, DS8 was getting hot and overtired, so we decided to take the boat back to the Swan.
It was a miserably hot day, so when we got back to our room my kids took a cool bubble bath. For some reason, they won't take baths at home (they shower), but they love them when we are at a hotel.
DS8 laid down and fell right to sleep. DS5 wasn't far behind.
As DH showered I ironed everyone's clothes for tonight's big dinner at Todd English's Blue Zoo!
By the time I got showered it was time to get ready for dinner.
Part of my prize was $150 Gift certificate for Blue Zoo at the Dolphin.
We could have put the kids in Camp Dolphin for this evening. Camp Dolphin is free if you dine at the signature restaurants at the S/D. While Blue Zoo and Il Mulino have children's menus, Shula's does not. Earlier in the week I had called to inquire about whether they felt the could accommodate an Autistic child. Their "yes" was less than convincing, or perhaps I am an too overprotective, but we decided to take the kids to Blue Zoo. We opted to go right at opening so that we would have less of a chance of disturbing other diners. It was a good call. We had the whole place to ourselves for the first hour of our meal! It was almost creepy because the waitstaff was hovering us.
Our server Eric was wonderful. He explained all of the dishes, and pointed out a few favorites. He was also very good with the kids.
We ordered appetizers and Eric put in the kids dinner orders so that they would arrive in synch with our appetizers.
I had the Garlic Roasted Jumbo Shrimp - Served with creamy polenta & fennel butter. - OMG I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
Dh had Yellowfin Tuna Tartare - From the "Olive's" table, twisted cucumber salad, crispy rock shrimp, orange glaze, & scallion cream. He gave it an enthusiatic thumbs up!
DS8 had cheese pizza which was huge. Enough that the kids really could have shared.
DS5 has spaghetti. I tasted this. The sauce tasted just like my grandmother's sauce.
For our entrees Dh order the Swordfish which was presented differently than the menu here on the DIS or Allears has it listed. It was on a layer of Marscapone Cheese and a risotto of some sort . He absolutely loved it.
I had the Two-pound Maine "Cantonese" Lobster, fried and tossed in sticky soy glaze
I'll be honest with you, I should have gotten the Surf and Turf.
While the dish was pretty good, it wasn't "To die for". The fact that in was in a batter and a soy glaze made it difficult to taste the lobster itself. I still managed to eat all but one big claw piece which I gave to DH.
I left most of the rice and stir fried veggies though.
By this point we were stuffed. I know, I know we left without dessert. Blasphemy! But we were truly stuffed. The room was starting to fill up, and my kids were starting to get antsy.
Besides it was almost time for my massage!
mrzrich
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 13, 2005
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Another one of my prizes was $150 at the Mandara Spa at the Dolphin. A few days earlier I had made a reservation for a 50 minute Swedish Massage at 8 PM. The day of my appointment there was a message on my phone saying they were running a special and my massage would only be $80!
Now I am a Pooh sized girl and I was a little nervous about this entire experience. Let me just say that the staff at Mandara Spa is so professional. They made me feel right at home.
I checked in about 15 minutes before my appointment time as instructed. Carol took me on a tour of the Spa, and then showed me to the locker room. They have lockers with programable combinations to secure your belongings. There is a steam room (the women's was broken that night), showers with all kinds of soaps and shampoos, mouthwash, lotions, deoderant and a hairdryer.
I was instructed to change into a robe and slippers, and to wait in this room (photo from Starwood site)
There was tea, and fruit infused tea to enjoy while I waited for my masseuse Heidi. I waited a few minutes, and Heidi emmerged and showed me to a private room. She showed me the table and left the room for a moment to give me privacy to disrobe. I was instructed to lie table under the top sheet.
When she came back she told me that I was to do nothing but relax for the next 50 minutes. She massaged my feet, legs, arms, hands, back, neck, scalp! It was wonderful!
When she was done she left the room again, giving me privacy to put my robe back on. Heidi gave me some water and led me to another relaxation room.
She encouraged me to stay a while and enjoy the quiet. I had a nice cup of tea before heading back to the locker room to dress.
When I went to settle my bill, the attendant tried to sell me some foot cream . I gave a simple "no, thank you" and was not given a hard sell.
The bill with automatic gratuity came to $105. This left me $45 on my card. I immediately made an appointment for DH to come the next evening and enjoy the same treatment I recieved.
I returned to my room refreshed and energetic. You'd think I'd be all relaxed and ready for sleep, but I was actually raring to go. We decided to make good on the desserts we'd skipped at dinner.
DS5 and I walked over to the BW Bakery.
I got the Tiramisu, second item on the top, I phoned DH with his choices, he chose the Cheesecake (second thing on the third shelf) and a Fruit Tart (last item on top).
Now DS5 was in heaven. He took choosing a treat for him and his brother very seriously. He looked over each item very carefully. The staff was taken by him. One of the CM's allowed him behind the counter to look at the cookies and muffins on the racks. He finally settled on 2 chocolate chip cookies. After I checked out, one of the CM's handed me a small styrofoam box, and said "Tell him to share with his brother". When we looked in the box Mickey was looking up at us.
This small cake had chocolate frosting and yellow cake with what I think was rainbow sprinkles inside.
All the desserts were yummy!
I went to sleep that night refreshed and relaxed.
Now I am a Pooh sized girl and I was a little nervous about this entire experience. Let me just say that the staff at Mandara Spa is so professional. They made me feel right at home.
I checked in about 15 minutes before my appointment time as instructed. Carol took me on a tour of the Spa, and then showed me to the locker room. They have lockers with programable combinations to secure your belongings. There is a steam room (the women's was broken that night), showers with all kinds of soaps and shampoos, mouthwash, lotions, deoderant and a hairdryer.
I was instructed to change into a robe and slippers, and to wait in this room (photo from Starwood site)
There was tea, and fruit infused tea to enjoy while I waited for my masseuse Heidi. I waited a few minutes, and Heidi emmerged and showed me to a private room. She showed me the table and left the room for a moment to give me privacy to disrobe. I was instructed to lie table under the top sheet.
When she came back she told me that I was to do nothing but relax for the next 50 minutes. She massaged my feet, legs, arms, hands, back, neck, scalp! It was wonderful!
When she was done she left the room again, giving me privacy to put my robe back on. Heidi gave me some water and led me to another relaxation room.
She encouraged me to stay a while and enjoy the quiet. I had a nice cup of tea before heading back to the locker room to dress.
When I went to settle my bill, the attendant tried to sell me some foot cream . I gave a simple "no, thank you" and was not given a hard sell.
The bill with automatic gratuity came to $105. This left me $45 on my card. I immediately made an appointment for DH to come the next evening and enjoy the same treatment I recieved.
I returned to my room refreshed and energetic. You'd think I'd be all relaxed and ready for sleep, but I was actually raring to go. We decided to make good on the desserts we'd skipped at dinner.
DS5 and I walked over to the BW Bakery.
I got the Tiramisu, second item on the top, I phoned DH with his choices, he chose the Cheesecake (second thing on the third shelf) and a Fruit Tart (last item on top).
Now DS5 was in heaven. He took choosing a treat for him and his brother very seriously. He looked over each item very carefully. The staff was taken by him. One of the CM's allowed him behind the counter to look at the cookies and muffins on the racks. He finally settled on 2 chocolate chip cookies. After I checked out, one of the CM's handed me a small styrofoam box, and said "Tell him to share with his brother". When we looked in the box Mickey was looking up at us.
This small cake had chocolate frosting and yellow cake with what I think was rainbow sprinkles inside.
All the desserts were yummy!
I went to sleep that night refreshed and relaxed.
~Fisharefriends~
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2008
- Messages
- 713
what a lovely day. The spa sounds fantastic, i so have to leave the boys with dh for an hour and treat myself one evening!
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