No cats to herd this time! It's just the two of us!UPDATED 11/24-DIS Meet & Departure

[faerieprincess]

Wow - no kidding, look at you - another update right on the last one's (probably sore) heels! Way to go - but don't go rushing now, i don't want to have to wait another three and a half months for the next one!

 

[meeko_33785]

Another nice update. Poor Shawn though. I hope he gets that hamock and some rest too.

We really did! I was thinking of trying Tony's next time since we will be on the dining plan and it's a better "value" than The Plaza when you are on the plan. What do you think? Tony's always gets mixed reviews, so I'm on the fence....:confused

I've never done the Plaza on the dining plan, but without the plan it was really a great deal. It's been a while since I've been to Tony's, but I don't remember the food being that great. The atmosphere is worth trying it at least once though, I think. It's really cute, especially if you've the kids with you. Have you ever done Liberty Tree? We've always enjoyed that one too and I would guess that's it's more of a value on the dining plan that the Plaza.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Great update, I can't wait to see that parade. The colors in your pictures are great, what kind of camera do you use? I am drooling over your pics from the GF and the Poly. Bill and I are going to try again for the Poly Dec. 2010. I hope Shawn got his hammock!

 

[mom2mek]

Wow - no kidding, look at you - another update right on the last one's (probably sore) heels! Way to go - but don't go rushing now, i don't want to have to wait another three and a half months for the next one!

I know! Go me! I am really trying to finish this poor thing up, so hopefully no more long breaks in between updates! Fingers crossed!

Another nice update. Poor Shawn though. I hope he gets that hamock and some rest too.
.

I know - he was really hurting! Update on the hammock coming up pretty soon!

I've never done the Plaza on the dining plan, but without the plan it was really a great deal. It's been a while since I've been to Tony's, but I don't remember the food being that great. The atmosphere is worth trying it at least once though, I think. It's really cute, especially if you've the kids with you. Have you ever done Liberty Tree? We've always enjoyed that one too and I would guess that's it's more of a value on the dining plan that the Plaza.

We are actually considering both Tony's and Liberty Tree for our upcoming February trip. LTT will be open for breakfast, so we might try that. And we were thinking of trying Tony's for dinner before Spectro. Still undecided though.

Great update, I can't wait to see that parade. The colors in your pictures are great, what kind of camera do you use? I am drooling over your pics from the GF and the Poly. Bill and I are going to try again for the Poly Dec. 2010. I hope Shawn got his hammock!

Thanks Tracy! Shawn has a Nikon D80. My camera is just a little waterproof Olympus. It does ok, but having that nice camera with us is always nice - I'm so grateful to Shawn that he doesn't mind carrying it around the parks. Well, I take that back, he does mind....but then he sees the pics that he gets, and he says it's worth it!

That's great that you are thinking of the Poly for next year! I think what you are doing this year is going to be a lot of fun and very memorable (once you get there and are at your happy place! Planning for non-planners is a little frustrating....been there, done that.....you'll get through it....just focus on the kids! )

Sara

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Jackpot! I got to read lotsa updates all at once! I should slack off more often.

Loved the BTMRR video! Now I can't wait to get on it!!

We ate at Tony's in '04 and we actually liked it. I know it does get mixed reviews though.

I hope Shawn got the hammock too.... his poor feet.

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Poor Shawn, he certainly needs a do-over trip don't you think?

Love your pictures of Dumbo. Classic.

And that hammock looks so inviting! I hope you guys were able to snag it for a while.

 

[mom2mek]

Jackpot! I got to read lotsa updates all at once! I should slack off more often.

Loved the BTMRR video! Now I can't wait to get on it!!

We ate at Tony's in '04 and we actually liked it. I know it does get mixed reviews though.

I hope Shawn got the hammock too.... his poor feet.

Ahhh---there you are! Hadn't seen you around for a while? Still wrestling alligators in your back yard?

Yeah, I'm really quite torn about Tony's. I really wanted to do LTT for dinner before Spectro, but now they are offering breakfast at LTT for Jan and Feb since CP will be closed, and it would be nice to go there for a pre-park opening breakfast, so that's what got me thinking about doing Tony's prior to Spectro, but IDK....

Poor Shawn, he certainly needs a do-over trip don't you think?

Love your pictures of Dumbo. Classic.

And that hammock looks so inviting! I hope you guys were able to snag it for a while.

Thanks Michelle! Yes, a do-over in February! I will be packing his shoes....

Sara

 

[mom2mek]

Here comes another update.....

Day 3 - May 15, 2009
Part 5 - "Don't underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering". ~Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne

As we left our boat and exited at the Poly dock, we made our first stop at the Barefoot Pool Bar! I ordered a Pina Colava and Shawn ordered….I think….a Mojito.

The volcano pool was bustling with activity with lots of children and families enjoying the pool and the pool games. We watched and I got a little bit sentimental about my kids as I was watching all the activity, knowing what fun they would have at this resort.

A few more minutes passed and then liquid heaven was in our hands so we set out on our goal for the next hour or so…..hammocks!

Now we didn’t want to attempt to get in the hammock together and risk it flipping over. Heavens no! Not only would that be embarrassing, but I might spill my drink. THAT would be tragic! So we opted to rest in our own hammocks! See ya honey!

I sat up in the hammock so I could drink my drink down a bit and not have it spilling all over me, and then I attempted to lay back in the hammock.

Success!

I really thought I was gonna flip that thing!

I tell you what, this was heaven! I laid there, still sipping my pina colava, with the wind swaying the palm trees above me and the distant sounds of the Magic Kingdom playing as my background music. I actually heard the castle show playing – it was very nice!

I know I drifted off at some point, but I don’t think I ever truly fell asleep. I’ll put it to you this way….I was VERY relaxed! I thought, Now, THIS is a vacation! Part relaxation, part Disney fun! What could be better?

Well, another drink….that’s what!

So I vacated my hammock and walked over to Shawn who was also drifting off. He was also in need of another drink. He wisely chose to have a pina colava this time around after having tasted mine! Those things are so delicious! I told him to stay put and I would go grab us two more drinks since I needed to use the bathroom anyway! He wanted me to hand me his camera so he could take some “lazy-man” photographs while I was gone!

I carried my shoes up until I was out of the sand (but boy, that sand was HOT) and put them on when I got up to the sidewalk and then made my way back to the Barefoot Pool Bar and around the volcano pool to the bathrooms. Funny how you walk behind the waterfall to get to the bathrooms!

As I got back to Shawn I noticed my hammock was now occupied by someone else. Whaaa….but it was fine….I just plopped myself down in the sand, leaned up against the palm tree, watched this cute little duck family that was swimming by, and listened to more sounds of the Magic Kingdom.

Here are Shawn’s “lazy-man” photographs he took while I was gone!

(gotta love the bandaged feet…so appropriate, no?)

(There’s me walking back for the 2nd round)

(I absolutely adore this picture as it brings me RIGHT BACK to that moment of lying in the hammock and watching the palm trees sway above me)

(A couple of sore feet snuck into this picture as well…LOL)

(After I returned with the 2nd round)

(Seriously, do not leave the Poly without having one of these….K???)

(Our own little afternoon fireworks as the castle show was finishing up)

Well from the time stamps on Shawn’s camera, it appears we spent about 2 hours on the Poly beach. Didn’t seem like that long, but it was fabulous!! Quiet, peaceful, breezy, just delightful!!

We thought it best to carry our sandy selves up to our room and get cleaned up to be able to leave on time for our dinner ADR at The Wave at the Contemporary that evening. I think Shawn napped while I got ready, then he got ready and I did my make-up out on the balcony while reading through the Aloha Press newsletter!

Before too long, it was time to leave the room and head towards the GCH for our short monorail ride over to the Contemporary.

We left about 10 minutes till 5:00 and within minutes we were boarding the monorail….Up front again, thank you very much. And this time we could actually see where we were going as opposed to the night before when we were in the rain and pitch darkness!

(Hello Magic Kingdom....Goodbye Magic Kingdom)

(It just doesn’t look possible for the monorail train to get through that opening…)

Here is a little video snippet of us going into the Contemporary….gotta love doing that!


We were off to find THE WAVE…..


Sara

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Wrestling alligators! Nope.... been busy with cub scouts!

Your afternoon on the beach sounds just heavenly! I loved the lazy man pictures!

Can't wait to hear what you thought of the Wave.

 

[jillyb]

What a wonderful afternoon! I nearly slithered out of my seat imagining the breeze blowing through the palm trees while lazily lying in a hammock. Shawn got some great lazy man pics! My fav is the one of the Grand Floridian. That red roof is poppin'!

 

[mrsksomeday]

I have had a Pina Colava at Pop before and really liked it, yummy .

Oh my goodness I the Poly pictures, they are gorgeous. It is great that you two got to just relax for a bit and the view of the castle was wonderful.

Ok, I am going to admit something, I watched your video and teared up when I heard the monorail spiel . I am in need of WDW stat!

 

[faerieprincess]

Another update already!

i could really go for one of those drinks and a spot on that beach right now!!!

 

[mom2mek]

Wrestling alligators! Nope.... been busy with cub scouts!

Your afternoon on the beach sounds just heavenly! I loved the lazy man pictures!

Can't wait to hear what you thought of the Wave.

Yeah, Shawn's 'lazy-man" pics are better than my best attempt!

What a wonderful afternoon! I nearly slithered out of my seat imagining the breeze blowing through the palm trees while lazily lying in a hammock. Shawn got some great lazy man pics! My fav is the one of the Grand Floridian. That red roof is poppin'!

Thanks Jill! Those pics are some of my favorites of the trip because they really bring me right back to that moment....it was really nice!

I have had a Pina Colava at Pop before and really liked it, yummy .

Oh my goodness I the Poly pictures, they are gorgeous. It is great that you two got to just relax for a bit and the view of the castle was wonderful.

Ok, I am going to admit something, I watched your video and teared up when I heard the monorail spiel . I am in need of WDW stat!

Awww Tracy...it does that to me too! Plus riding up front....

You will be there before you know it! And you get to meet up with Kathy - you are going to have so much fun!

Another update already!

i could really go for one of those drinks and a spot on that beach right now!!!

I aim to please, Sare.

Hope I can keep it up....approaching a very busy next couple of days....but I'm hoping I can finish up this day in the next update or two!!

Sara

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Wow... that afternoon sounds like heaven!

 

[mom2mek]

Wow... that afternoon sounds like heaven!

Thanks Missy. It really was....

Sara

 

[mom2mek]

Day 3 – May 15, 2009
Part 6 – A lovely dinner followed by a BIG dose of KARMA…..

As we got off the monorail, we didn't really know where we were going. I guess I failed to really research where this place was located within the Contemporary and just figured that the hotel would have some well placed signage to direct us.

Well, I was wrong.

We went down the elevator to the floor where Chef Mickey's is, and asked a CM where it was and she told us (well, this is what I thought she said) that it was down on the next level. So we took the elevator down but couldn't find it anywhere. Well, either she told us wrong, or we heard her wrong, but the restaurant was actually on the bottom floor in the lobby. We felt like such knuckleheads!

We made our way down the long corridor of the restaurant entrance to the check-in desk and the totally empty waiting area. Just like at The Plaza that afternoon, they gave us a buzzer and we sat down, only to be buzzed one minute later. Shawn did manage to snap this picture of the gorgeous, very trendy and artsy-looking, waiting area. The whole place seemed to really fit in well with the whole "Contemporary" theme.

We were led back to our table and got some drinks while we looked over the menu. I ordered a glass of wine and Shawn had his standard cocktail...a Cape Cod (Cranberry & Vodka). Shawn especially liked this restaurant because they served him his Cape Cod in a tall glass, not a traditional tumbler size glass.

(It’s a dark picture, but you get the point….he was a happy man!)

The restaurant is really quite beautiful. They took "the wave" theme and carried it all throughout the decor. The candles, the chairs, the things hanging from the ceiling....pretty much everything had a little "wave" to it!
I love these pictures Shawn took of the nearly empty restaurant before it got busy:

We had some fabulous service here. Our waitress was VERY informative about all the menu items and answered all questions that we had since the food is a little different.

First, the bread was amazing! They serve it with a pink, hawaiian sea salt that is to die for! It is delicious!

We ordered the lettuce wraps as an appetizer and they were very good. I believe the menu posted on allears now is slightly different from when we were there in May, because this old description I found sounds more like what we had –sheets of bibb lettuce and bits of lamb and bay scallops in a soy / rice vinegar sauce. They were a little spicy, but very flavorful.

Shawn ordered the beef tenderloin (I believe) and really, really enjoyed it! It was cooked perfectly, and he devoured every last bit of it!

I had a small salad and the crab cake (which is an appetizer, but I was so full from our earlier beverages, plus the lettuce wraps, plus the amazing bread!)

Anyway, the salad was Seasonal Mixed Greens with Spaghetti Squash, Edamame, Flax Seed, Baby Mozzarella, and Red Wine Vinaigrette, but it was just “eh” for me. I liked it ok, but it lacked a little something-something for my liking!

The crabcake, on the other hand, was scrumptious! Totally jam-packed with crab meat and really, really good and filling!

For dessert at The Wave, you are offered 4 different selections, each consisting of 3 small desserts. However, you can mix and match between all 12 small samplings to make your own group of “3”. The choices were not hard for us….we chose, the Crème Brulee (no-sugar added, but you would have never known it was sugar-free), the Pineapple sorbet, and the Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis. They were all 3 really good and sharing this gave us “just enough” of dessert.


Desserts

We were very pleased with The Wave, and would definitely return. We did see some families there and I think it’s a nice addition to the Contemporary, considering the only other 2 options are either a character buffet at Chef Mickey’s, or a signature dining experience at California Grill.

As we exited, I felt noticeably uncomfortable and really, really tired.

We both used the restrooms and our plan was to return to the Magic Kingdom for a night of rides and fireworks!

But, remember when I mentioned how I not-so-nicely rubbed it in to Shawn that my croc flip-flops were the best, and that my feet were fine??

Well….what’s that saying….

Karma is a “butterfly” (insert your own random B-word here)???

Well, for me….that B word was BLISTER.

It could also stand for BOTTOM of my foot.



Dang karma….



Up next....how do we spend the rest of the evening.....


Sara

 

[jillyb]

The Wave looks lovely! And those food porn pics have me drooling!

Blister on the bottom of your foot??!!!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

The Wave looks like a beautiful place! I love the picture of the place settings...very pretty.

And the food looks pretty too! Almost too pretty to eat! That crab cake looks amazing! YUM!

What a bummer to get a blister....and on the bottom of the foot no less. UGH! Stinkin' karma.

Can't wait to hear how you decided to spend the evening.

 

[ladybugmom]

Oh wow!! Again--your pictures are absolutely AMAZING!!! Relaxing on the Poly beach sounds amazing! I love how ya'll were able to capture the fireworks from the castle show! And The Wave looks fabulous!! The desserts especially sound wonderful!! The restaurant pics turned out beautifully!!

 

[mom2mek]

The Wave looks lovely! And those food porn pics have me drooling!

Blister on the bottom of your foot??!!!

Thanks Jill! The Wave was very tasty. The food was all very fresh and flavorful! I think it's a nice alternative to those who don't want to spend the big $ on CG! Of course, no view at The Wave!

The Wave looks like a beautiful place! I love the picture of the place settings...very pretty.

And the food looks pretty too! Almost too pretty to eat! That crab cake looks amazing! YUM!

What a bummer to get a blister....and on the bottom of the foot no less. UGH! Stinkin' karma.

Can't wait to hear how you decided to spend the evening.

Yeah, karma does stink!

The crab cake was as tasty as it looks! Yum!

Oh wow!! Again--your pictures are absolutely AMAZING!!! Relaxing on the Poly beach sounds amazing! I love how ya'll were able to capture the fireworks from the castle show! And The Wave looks fabulous!! The desserts especially sound wonderful!! The restaurant pics turned out beautifully!!

Thanks Becky! Yes, the Poly beach was very relaxing....I hope you are able to get some good relaxing-on-the-beach time on your next trip!! Are you going to stay at the Poly again when you go?

Sara