"Norway? More like No Way!" Goobers' Jan 12 TR! Up.x2 4/6: FINAL THOUGHTS!

[danimaroo]

Chapter Sixteen: A brilliant idea is born... CONTINUED
Day 4: January 21st, 2012​

Yup, if you guessed Wilderness Lodge, you were correct! A bus was actually sitting at the stop, so we hopped on at around 3:30 and made our way over the Wilderness Lodge, a resort that we both LOVE visiting.

Okay so, another side tangent alert: We love the Wilderness Lodge because it reminds us of home here in the Pacific Northwest. However, this is also the reason we'll probably never stay here. I LOVE the PNW, but when I'm on vacation in Disney World, I kind of want to feel like I'm far away, you know?

What I love about the inside of the Lodge is how much it reminds me of one of our favorite local getaways here in Washington, the Paradise Inn up on Mount Rainier. In fact, I read somewhere that when Disney was designing the WL, the Paradise Inn definitely influenced some of the design elements.

Here's a photo of the inside of the Paradise Inn:

Anyway, we do love visiting Wilderness Lodge as it's got one of my favorite lobbies of any Disney resort.

We headed outside to look at the pool and just walk around, since we had a lot of time to kill before dinner.

We spotted the Fire Rock geyser, which was being worked on during our honeymoon so this was our first time seeing it... and realized since it goes off every hour, it would be erupting here pretty soon. A small crowd gathered, and soon enough the Fire Rock geyser shot out tons of water into the air.

After hanging outside for a few more minutes, we headed back in to look at the gift shop and hang around the lobby. On our way in, I spotted a few CMs near the pin stand with pins on their lanyards and decided that since we had some extra time, it might be kind of fun to do some pin trading...

Believe it or not, this was my first pin trade during this trip! I traded with the first CM as we began chatting, as I'd spotted a Stitch pin on her lanyard that we did not have yet. We have a pretty extensive collection of Stitch pins, so I had to have it!

The other CM, an older man, started talking to us and he was SUCH a character! We spoke with them about our previous day in MK, about our Splash Mountain incident, and we also talked about Haunted Mansion..

This is where the female CM told us about how in the interactive queue (yes, you'll remember this from earlier in my TR), the first set of statues is like a game of CLUE, and how you have to solve who killed who based on the weapons and riddles on each of the headstones.

The older man told us about something I'd known about, the key under the mat over at Muppet Vision 3D. I pretended I didn't know about it just because it was fun listening to him tell me all about it.

This duo of CMs were awesome and so much fun to talk to, and I think they enjoyed chatting with us. Eventually, I decided to pick up these two pins from the older gentleman's lanyard, because, hello, Star Wars + Muppets = LOVE.

We said goodbye to the very friendly CMs, then headed over to the gift shop to kill even more time. I made Matt try on a fun hat, and thought he looked quite cute in it..

Random, but my lips were super chapped, so I looked around for some chapstick, and came across this:

UHH BEAVER BUTT CHAPSTICK?! Yes please! Matt told me I HAD to buy it, so we paid for my new beaver butt chapstick (and no, it does not taste like beaver butt), and found a seat in the lobby before our ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe (I'm guessing you all figured this was where we were eating by now)..

Dug was happy to be hanging out with us in such a pretty lobby:

Next, we'll see how many shades of red Matt turns in 5 seconds, with a look of horror on my face...

Continued in the next update​

​

 

[Susan121302]

Great update. The Beaver Butt chapstick is quite disturbing though!

 

[marDgreen88]

YUM! Those sundaes look really good... especially the one with chocolate in it.

DUG!!! Oh I love Dug. He's so precious and look at that HONKER of a nose! Hahaha love it.

Hahah um... I didn't guess Wilderness Lodge. I guessed Polynesian! BUT THAT'S OKAY.

Wilderness is certainly beautiful in it's own rustic way! Very nice. :thumbsup: That geyser is pretty awesome!

THOSE KERMIT LUKE AND GONZO DARTH PINS. Hahahaha those are perfect!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Okay, I'm a little late, but I'm here. I mean, who doesn't love funny one-liners!

The gauntlet challenge....I love that. My brother and I have done something like that before. It's fun to try to do, but it is definitely possible, but only when it's not super busy for sure. I can't wait to hear how it went!

 

[jecskc]

Matt looks like he was BORN to wear that hat.

Beaver butt chap stick ??? For realz ?? Talk about random ...... I wonder what the story is behind that ...

 

[danimaroo]

Great update. The Beaver Butt chapstick is quite disturbing though!

Thanks! It was pretty hysterical when I found it. I REALLY needed chapstick!

YUM! Those sundaes look really good... especially the one with chocolate in it.

Oh em gee they were so so good. Like, amazing. Matt loves anything with espresso/dark chocolate so he was pretty darn happy with his sundae!

DUG!!! Oh I love Dug. He's so precious and look at that HONKER of a nose! Hahaha love it.

Dug is the best. He says the best things, too. "My name is Dug, and I looooove you!" He really does have a honker of a nose! I laughed out loud when you said honker, hahahaha.

Hahah um... I didn't guess Wilderness Lodge. I guessed Polynesian! BUT THAT'S OKAY.

OOOOH! Okay, so, I don't even know why I'd expect people to magically know where we were going. I think when I wrote it I'd had more hints there or something, I don't know. BUT ANYWAY, the Poly is such a good guess, that's where I would've guessed we were going, too. We have yet to have a dinner there, but we're thinking about Kona or Ohana during a future trip!

Wilderness is certainly beautiful in it's own rustic way! Very nice. :thumbsup: That geyser is pretty awesome!

I just like that it's different than other resorts and of course reminds me of home. A nice touch of the Pacific Northwest, definitely. And yes, the geyser was pretty awesome!

THOSE KERMIT LUKE AND GONZO DARTH PINS. Hahahaha those are perfect!

I KNOW! HAHAHA, what is funny is I think I was only supposed to trade one pin with the CM but we definitely traded 2. BUT HELLO, it only made sense that they had to go together! I'm glad I got them!

Okay, I'm a little late, but I'm here. I mean, who doesn't love funny one-liners!

OH YAY! I'm excited you are here! It's okay if you're late, I'm not even halfway through this bad Larry, so come on in and join the party! Also, I am glad that you enjoy the one-liners. Matt seemed to be full of them this trip.

The gauntlet challenge....I love that. My brother and I have done something like that before. It's fun to try to do, but it is definitely possible, but only when it's not super busy for sure. I can't wait to hear how it went!

Yes, glad someone else thought that this was a fun idea! We'll see if we actually complete it, I'm pretty excited to get to Day 5 and our shenanigans. And yes, you can only do it when it's a slower time of year. I can't imagine doing it with massive crowds! Can't wait to share it with you and everyone else! Thanks again for commenting and joining in!

Matt looks like he was BORN to wear that hat.

Beaver butt chap stick ??? For realz ?? Talk about random ...... I wonder what the story is behind that ...

Haha he seriously was born to wear it! I thought he was looking pretty dapper in it.

And yes, Beaver Butt chapstick really was bizarre. But, we eventually figured out that it's part of a product line out of Canada, as we were in Canada at World Showcase and the store there had even more ridiculous products.. Like Bear's Breath, and some other absurd soap products. But they smelled really good and made us laugh!

 

[mouseketeer70]

Great "off" day so far! There's so much to see and do and enjoy outside the parks. That's just another thing I love about WDW.
Can't wait to hear about your Gauntlet Challenge! We just did what we like to call the "quadfecta" when we were down for my DS 18th birthday. It was soooooooo much fun Our rules were: We had to be at rope drop of one park, had to stay til closing of one park, at least two of the major attractions in each park, at least 1 ice cream in each park, no ice cream could be repeated (keep in mind these rules were made by a teenage boy), all forms of Disney transportation must be utilized, and at least 1 restroom must be visited in each park (yep, that one is mine). We did it all and then some and while we couldn't do this every day, it was certainly one of our best days ever at WDW!

 

[projectGemini]

I just caught up on this TR, andI have to say iadvt is a whole lot of fun to read! Can't wait to hear about your adventures trying to complete the Gauntlet! The GF and I might even give that a whirl when We go down in August!

 

[danimaroo]

Great "off" day so far! There's so much to see and do and enjoy outside the parks. That's just another thing I love about WDW.

I know, it was such a fun day even though we didn't go to any parks! That's why I love Disney World; there is tons to do outside of the parks, and we didn't even hit a lot of it!

Can't wait to hear about your Gauntlet Challenge! We just did what we like to call the "quadfecta" when we were down for my DS 18th birthday. It was soooooooo much fun Our rules were: We had to be at rope drop of one park, had to stay til closing of one park, at least two of the major attractions in each park, at least 1 ice cream in each park, no ice cream could be repeated (keep in mind these rules were made by a teenage boy), all forms of Disney transportation must be utilized, and at least 1 restroom must be visited in each park (yep, that one is mine). We did it all and then some and while we couldn't do this every day, it was certainly one of our best days ever at WDW!

Okay, that is the most intense challenge ever! I am seriously impressed out guys pulled that off! Our challenge was wimpy compared to that! but that is so much fun, seriously. Seems like it is going to be a memory you guys cherish forever.

 

[danimaroo]

I just caught up on this TR, andI have to say iadvt is a whole lot of fun to read! Can't wait to hear about your adventures trying to complete the Gauntlet! The GF and I might even give that a whirl when We go down in August!

Awesome, I am so happy you caught up and decided to comment! also doubly happy that my TR is lots of fun to read; it has been a BLAST to write! It is really funny when you look back at how much you did in one day, every day!

Day 5 is epic and I'm excited to share it! And we also had a lot of awesome things happen to us along the way.

You should give it a whirl! I won't say much yet, but, yeah. Thanks again for commenting and I hope to see you stick around.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

I think I know where this is going....Ferb and I were at WCC on our first vacay with my Dcuz and her family and they asked who was celebrating an anniversary. My Dcuz pointed to Ferb and I...I won't give anything away...but I am interested to see if they did the same thing to you.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I cannot wait to hear about your epic day! I had never even considered it, but it sounds like fun and I think we may have to try this on our next trip! I'm still rolling about the beaverbutt chapstick!!!!!! OMG!

 

[amyrella]

Yay 2 updates!!! I want to stay at the WL someday, although I've never even seen it in person... Looks beautiful there!! I guess I want to stay at all the resorts... Hmm. Maybe I will....

Can't wait to hear about your gauntlet day!!

 

[danimaroo]

I think I know where this is going....Ferb and I were at WCC on our first vacay with my Dcuz and her family and they asked who was celebrating an anniversary. My Dcuz pointed to Ferb and I...I won't give anything away...but I am interested to see if they did the same thing to you.

Haha, I have a feeling you know as well! Please let me know if it was the same thing, it was such an awkward moment for us.

I cannot wait to hear about your epic day! I had never even considered it, but it sounds like fun and I think we may have to try this on our next trip! I'm still rolling about the beaverbutt chapstick!!!!!! OMG!

Ohhh I am soooo excited to post those chapters. It was quite a day with some extra pixie dust tossed in, which was a total added bonus! And yes, the Beaver Butt chapstick.. I still use it now! It was too good not to buy... Totally made Matt and me giggle like 5 year olds.

Yay 2 updates!!! I want to stay at the WL someday, although I've never even seen it in person... Looks beautiful there!! I guess I want to stay at all the resorts... Hmm. Maybe I will....

Can't wait to hear about your gauntlet day!!

Haha glad someone else was excited about the 2 updates! WL is beautiful, though it's just a place to visit for me whenever we go to WCC. Too much like home for us! I think it'd be fun to try to stay every where! Though it's hard to want to stay anywhere else but Beach Club, I have to be honest!

I can't wait to start up the Gaunlet day tomorrow!

 

[danimaroo]

Chapter Seventeen: No, I'm not going to sing to my wife in front of all of these people
Day 4: January 21st, 2012​

Soon enough, we checked in for our 5 o'clock ADR and were seated promptly as some of the first guests in the restaurant.

Our server was very friendly, asking if we'd ever eaten at WCC, to which we replied that we had, and explained the menu to us.

Neither of us were feeling up to the skillet (it's good, but an absurd amount of food), so I ordered the Grilled New York Strip Steak, with Canyon Steak Fries and Garden fresh vegetables, while Matt ordered the Chipotle Espresso-marinated Loin, Chorizo-Tillamook grits and seasonal vegetables.

Our server said that Matt's was her favorite dish, then brought us out come cornbread to eat with our drinks.

We enjoy WCC for the food and experience, though this night we were more there for the food. It was still fun seeing them bring 20 bottles of ketchup over to the table next to us when they asked for ketchup, and really fun to see the little girl get excited to help bring ketchup to the next unsuspecting person.

This is an EXCELLENT restaurant to take your kids, and I know one day when we have kids, it will probably be a family favorite.

Anywho, our food eventually came out...

My steak with potatoes and veggies:

Matt's dish:

Unfortunately mine was a little disappointing. Part of it was that I was still a bit full from our sundaes from earlier, and part of it was that the steak was too charred for me. Matt tasted his and INSISTED that I try his.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Right then and there I wanted to steal his plate, run out of the restaurant and find a corner of the Wilderness Lodge to sit and eat all of his dinner.

Yup, it was that good... The grits were out of this world amazing, as was the pork. I now understood why the waitress said it was her favorite.

I was so beyond jealous of Matt's dish that I ate a few more bites of mine and decided to take the rest back to our room for later. My dish could not even compare... and I was pretty full.

We were both pretty full so we decided to split a slice of the Apple pie dessert, which is always tasty:

Theeen our waitress decided to bring out champagne and announce to everyone we were celebrating our anniversary. Yyyyeah, I forgot I put that on some of our reservations, whoops.

Usually not a big deal, until our waitress yelled,

"AND NOW, MATT HERE IS GOING TO SING 'YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE' TO DANIELLE!"

I think I nearly died. I didn't even want to look in Matt's direction because I was fairly certain he was going to be staring at me with a look of, "WHYYYY DANI, WHY?"

Remember how I said Matt doesn't like being the center of attention? Yeah well, he's now being told he has to SING in front of a packed restaurant of people for me. I felt so bad.

Matt stuck with his guns and politely said no, and that he has a terrible singing voice (which he doesn't). I'll give the waitress credit for trying one more time, but Matt said no again, and I think at that point I suggested he just give me a kiss.

She finally let him get away with a kiss, and everyone gave a little cheer. I told Matt I was sorry and he was okay with it (though the red on his face from embarrassment said otherwise ), and we toasted with our pretty champagne.

Right after we drank our champagne, the little girl (with the ketchup earlier) from the table next to us came over, and her Dad told us that she had something she wanted to say to us...

She said "I just wanted to say happy anniversary!" It was SO CUTE and we thanked her. I just thought it was really kind and thoughtful for a little kid to do something like that. I love when that stuff happens.

We settled our bill and headed out of WCC, which we definitely plan on returning to next year so we can BOTH eat that amazing dish!!

We decided to take a boat from Wilderness Lodge to Magic Kingdom. We'd never been on that boat, and we figured it'd be a perfect time to do it, especially with the sun going down.

We sat outside on the boat, and of course photo-taking ensued.. OH! And yes, you get a photo of my new hoodie I bought, too!

As we made our way over, I snapped a ton of photos on my nice camera because it was SO beautiful out.

We finally arrived at MK, and waved a hello and a goodbye (yes, this was a weird feeling) as we headed over to the bus stops to catch a bus back to Beach Club.

After a relatively quick trip back, we got to our room and grabbed our laundry bag so we could get some laundry done! Even though it was only our 4th day in Disney, between changing a lot and using lots of fresh socks (I think I went through 2 pairs a day because I can't stand even slightly dirty socks), we already needed to do some laundry.

We'd asked the front desk earlier in the morning where the Villas' laundry room was (FYI, it's on the 4th floor near room 409), since we couldn't find it before that point, and walked down the hallway to hunt for it.

While we definitely missed having our own washer/dryer in our room from our honeymoon, I was happy that we still had access to free laundry, just down the hall.

We threw a load of laundry in, then decided to go down to the quiet pool for a little bit. I think this is one of the few nights where the temperature dropped fairly quickly, so we didn't last in the pool too long before we hopped into the hot tub.

I have to say, there is nothing better than spending time in the hot tub to relax your aching body when in Disney World... Wait no, ASIDE from the huge jacuzzi tubs in the 1 and 2-bedroom DVC units, there is nothing better. While we definitely missed having that tub in our room, the hot tub by the quiet pool was a very nice substitute!

Anyway, we headed back upstairs, switched the laundry over, and hung around the room, watching TV and relaxing. I ended up eating my leftovers, which weren't too bad (I just think the steak was a little too charred and under-seasoned for me), and we grabbed our laundry once it was done from the laundry room.

At 9, we went outside and watch Illuminations from our patio. It's hard to get photos of the lower fireworks because as you can see, there's a tree blocking it. However for us, we could see the fireworks through the tree, so it wasn't that big of a deal...

After the fireworks, we decided to eat our cupcakes from earlier this morning! I KNOW I had a photo of Matt's cupcake, but I seemed to either have forgotten to upload it OR accidentally deleted it. Oh well, here's mine though:

So basically, our cupcakes were massive but delicious. Matt liked his but said the frosting was a little intense, especially because they put an Oreo cream filling INSIDE of the cupcake as well.

I ate my S'more cupcake which had a chocolate ganache inside of it. Again, very good, but also massive. We put sizable dents into our cupcakes, but I know it left me with a stomach ache.

Not as good at the ones from Trophy Cupcakes here in Seattle, but DEFINITELY a good use of snack credit. We'll see if this reigned as my favorite cupcake of the trip...

We called it a night shortly after, as we needed to get a good night's rest for what would quite possibly be the most EPIC day we've ever had in Disney World.

Continued in the next update​

 

[Moodyzblu]

Great updates !! LOVE your Dug. (and your hoodie !)

We're eating at WCC in April and am looking forward to it .. not sure what to order though .. but what Matt ordered looks and sounds pretty tasty !

Can't wait to hear about your EPIC day !

 

[kimbo0569]

Loving your TR so far and cannot wait to hear about your EPIC feat!

 

[projectGemini]

I went to WCC in 2008 and Loved it! I had a similar experience as it was my Parent's anniversary and they made them kiss for the entirety of a song (I don't recall what song it was) My parents are very non-PDA, so this was hilarious for my sister and I.

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

hopefully this isn't a double post....I don't know what happened to my 1st post...

anyway...seems like you had a wonderful day....love the hoodie! and your Dug...he's just the right size to snuggle with!

I am sooo hungry now after seeing the Sundaes and cupcakes....now I will spend the next hour opening the fridge 12 times in hopes something as yummy magically appears - LOL


Can't wait to hear about your Epic day!
p.s. free laundry - thats great!

 

[Susan121302]

aargh! your cliff hangers kill me!