"One Step Ahead of the Slowpokes!"- A Dec '10/Jan '11 Trip Report! FINISHED 3/9 pg 38

[therussells08]

Yayy for shopping!!! My little sister is DEFINITELY going to want one of those Marie Osmond dolls.

I Thomas Kinkade! I want the Peter Pan painting, but man they are pricey! Oh well, maybe someday! The Princess and the Frog one is gorgeous as well! And that's saying something coming from me, because I'm not too big on Tiana. The movie was super cute though.

Yayy for pin trading and a new shirt! That's a really pretty color!

Can't wait to hear about T-REX! I'm so excited to go there in July, it's soo cool!

AND YOU'RE GOING TO WDW IN 10 DAYS!!!!!!

Is your little sister a doll collector too? My mom loves them!

Isn't Thomas Kinkade amazing? I know what you mean, I don't really like Tiana either but that painting is beautiful!

Thanks! I still wear that shirt all the time! It's getting a little worn, so I probably won't take it on this trip. Maybe I can get a different color!

My T-Rex post is coming up next!

I can't believe my trip is only four days away! I will be in WDW in six!

Yay on DTD shopping!! Looks like a lot of fun and I can't wait to visit all the stores.

I think I've mentioed this before but I love the paintings by Thomas KinKade!

Great pin purchases. I'm trying to stay away from the addiction of collecting pins - I visited our Disney store today and was so tempted to purchase one

You are going to love the stores! They are wonderful!

I love his paintings too! They're gorgeous!

Thanks! Pins are so addicting and fun to collect! I like them because they are easy to store. I have so many, though. I shudder to think how much money I've spent on them!

So I'm a little behind again. We visited my parents over the holiday so let me catch up:

The sleigh ride looks so fun! We may have to try that if we're ever there at Christmas again. And I love the decorations that were the icons and resorts that you pointed out - so cool!

Sorry about your crabby server but I am glad the food was good at Kona! We had this scheduled on our last trip but didn't make it. I have an ADR for our departing day in October...we'll see if we actually do it though! I couldn't fit it anywhere else.

And I too love the Art of Disney stores! I know I'll be spending some money there on our next trip. I almost bought something in December but decided not to since we flew but now I regret it. That's a store I could spend some serious money in for sure!

I recommend the sleigh ride! It was very fun and romantic.

Despite the grouchy server Kona was very yummy! I hope you get a chance to try it!

We were so close to buying something this past trip in Art of Disney! Maybe I will this time...

I love the Then and Now pin that you bought. I'll have to keep an eye out for those next trip.

We took the kids to T-Rex a few years ago. I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought about it. I'll save my comments until then.

Thanks! I thought that was pretty cool too. They had them for other rides as well, but I can't remember what they were!

I am about to post my T-Rex update now!

Whoa I missed three updates! I'm slacking haha

After reading about your sleigh ride I'm seriously considering booking one for my christmas trip. It's for my family of 4... but I know that we would all enjoy seeing the decorations. Plus, we love chatting with the CM's and such like you did! I went on a carriage ride in August one time when I was like 11, so that was really fun! It would be enjoyable to do it again!

I'm glad you loved the Tonga Toast! Sorry to hear about your bad service

And I love love LOVEE shopping! It looks like you had fun! I can't wait till the day I can contemplate with my husband on whether or not to buy expensive disney art He's going to think I'm insane and I'm going to secretly want it really bad

I think you would love the sleigh ride! Plus, the sleigh can easily seat four people! Two of you would just have to sit backwards.

The bad service couldn't ruin my love for Tonga Toast!

I am so lucky that John loves Disney almost as much as I do, because he doesn't think I'm insane when I want to drop $430 on a Bambi painting! Thank goodness!

 

[therussells08]

John's favorite restaurant in all of WDW is T-Rex, so he was thrilled for our lunch ADR!

T-Rex is not on the DDP, so we would be paying OOP for this meal. We didn't mind though! It's just such a cool restaurant!

We went inside to check in and John immediately grabbed the camera so he could take all of the pictures!

It was pretty crowded but we only had to wait a few minutes before we were seated. Unfortunately we were seated in the same room we were seated in on our last trip! I'm not sure what it's called, but I call it the Meteor Room. It's the room right by the entrance that's all red. We were both kind of bummed because we really wanted to sit in the ice room. I have already decided that next time I am going to request it!

Our waiter came and we ordered our drink and an appetizer. We both got sodas (mine diet) and we decided to share the Megalosaurus Mozzarella as the appetizer!

It was really tasty and it looked really cool because there were cheese sticks on one side and "seared mozzarella" on the other. The seared mozzarella literally looked like molten lava!

We both decided on Bronto Burgers for our entree, and while we waited on those to arrive John decided to wander around and take some pictures!

See? I just think the Ice Age room is so much cooler than the other rooms!

Ugh, I hate this last one! I am deathly afraid of praying mantises, and there's a huge one on the tree behind that dinosaur!

I had to call John's cell and tell him the burgers had arrived because he was so busy taking pictures. I got sick of waiting for him to get back so I started to eat mine, so unfortunately I have no entree pictures! I'm sorry! I can tell you though that the burgers were pretty good. I think I am going to start a new term known as "theme restaurant burgers." I feel like all burgers in the heavily themed restaurants (Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex) taste the same. They're good, don't get me wrong, but a little generic. We have an ADR here for our upcoming trip and I won't be ordering the burger!

I didn't take pictures of the food but I did take pictures of the Kitchen of Fire that we were sitting right next to!

We finished our lunch pretty quickly and left without getting dessert. We had other ideas for dessert that day! Overall we had a very nice time at T-Rex. It was disappointing that we didn't get to sit in a different room, but I am going to request to sit elsewhere next time. If you enjoy theme restaurants I highly recommend this one!

On our way out of the restaurant I saw another photo opportunity!

After my photo op we stopped by the Lego store so John could look around. My husband is a big kid at heart and he loves putting together Legos! We were there for about twenty minutes while we tried to decide. I was trying to be patient, but this place was SO crowded! He finally decided on a Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Lego!

After we finished in the Lego store we decided to capitalize on the warm weather and go to Ghiradelli and have some dessert! This is one of our favorite places to go and we try to make it here every trip. I snagged us a table outside while John went inside to order.

I ended up choosing a simple hot fudge sundae. Oooh, it was so good!

John went with his favorite, the banana split! It was gone in about thirty seconds, so I'm guessing it was delicious too!

While we ate our icecream we discussed what to do next. We had noticed earlier that there was a little cottage-like structure set up near World of Disney that offered the opportunity to meet Santa Goofy! We both really wanted to, so we finished up our icecream and hopped in line.

It was only about a fifteen minute wait, and before we knew it we were next!

I love that picture!

It was really fun meeting Santa Goofy! He was sweet and paid a lot of attention to John. Unfortunately the Photo Pass photographer was rushing us so our time with him was short. Oh well, we still got to see him! I love meeting characters or versions of characters that you can't meet year round!

After we met Goofy we decided to wander around a bit more. We were walking by the Disney Rewards Visa booth when John pointed out a sign saying that you could get a $50 gift card just for applying for a credit card! I already had one, but John had been talking about getting one for awhile. What a perfect time to do it! We went up to the booth and John filled out the necessary information. Within seconds he was approved! The CM asked us if we wanted a tote bag or the $50 gift card. Um...the gift card, please!
We had to walk over to Guest Relations for John to pick it up, but it only took a few minutes!

Woo hoo!

Okay, now this is where our day got crazy. We came out of Guest Relations and I had to stop by the bathroom. I was coming out of the ladies' room when I saw a lady in line for the companion/family restroom who was obviously upset about something. She was pointing at the family restroom door and talking to the people around her, saying things like "Did you see what she did?! I can't believe that! I was waiting in line!" I used deductive reasoning to figure out there was a lady in the family restroom who had cut in front of this lady. I wandered over to John and sat down on the bench where he was relaxing. Pretty soon the offending woman came out of the family restroom. She was a blonde lady with about four kids with her. The lady who was angry had brown hair and probably about four kids too. The brown haired lady muttered something nasty to the blonde lady as she walked by, but the blonde lady didn't saying anything.

I thought the whole thing was over, but blonde lady stopped to stand nearby and use her phone. She was telling someone on the phone what had happened and was obviously not happy about it. I remember being very surprised that she would use that kind of language in front of her children. While she was still on the phone brown haired lady came out of the bathroom and walked right up to her. This was when I nudged John and told him to watch too. Brown haired lady walked by blonde lady and said, "You're PATHETIC." Uh oh. That was when it blew up. These two grown women were standing there with all of their kids around screaming in each other's faces right in the middle of Disney World! Everyone around them was openly staring but they didn't seem to mind. At one point brown haired lady said, "Where are you from? You must be from Mississippi, because only FAT COWS come from there!" I couldn't believe she said that! I thought that the blonde lady was going to hit her, but she finally decided to end it so she got her kids and walked off. I couldn't believe the drama!

After seeing that fiasco John and I agreed it was time to head back to the resort to rest up for our dinner reservation.

Up Next: We visit a deluxe resort that wins our hearts! Stay tuned!

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

I love the Santa Goofy photos! So cute! I can't wait to go during Christmas time again...that unfortunately wont be until Nov/Dec 2012.

Wow! Can't believe a fight almost happened on Disney property! I have gotten aggravated with other adults at Disney but not enought to actually say anything to anyone.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

We love T-Rex, too! In fact, that is the only restaurant that Miguel ever requests an ADR for. We didn't have time to get there on our November trip, but we will be visiting on the honeymoon and we're both excited! I am hoping for the ice age room, too! We've been sat in the meteor area (too loud) and the entrance of the forest area (not as neat), but every time I hope for the ice room!

I love the Goofy PP pictures! And wow to the two women in the bathroom! I am always shocked when people have attitudes at Disney. Don't they know it's supposed to be a happy place?!

 

[TanzUnited99]

T-Rex sounds like fun - I hope you get seated in the Ice Age room next time round.

Mmm Ghiradelli's - can't wait to try a Sundae from here!

Love the santa Goofy pics! Yay on getting a gift card but eek at that fight! Doesn't sound very ladylike at all.

 

[Disneyfreak616]

OMG! What crazy drama! As Stephanie Tanner would say, "How rude!"

Yay for getting a gift card though!

The banana split is my favorite too, good choice John.

You are very good at finding those photo ops!

I am SOOO requesting the ice room when we go in July!

OMG! 4 DAYS!!!!

 

[therussells08]

I love the Santa Goofy photos! So cute! I can't wait to go during Christmas time again...that unfortunately wont be until Nov/Dec 2012.

Wow! Can't believe a fight almost happened on Disney property! I have gotten aggravated with other adults at Disney but not enought to actually say anything to anyone.

Meeting Santa Goofy was so fun! I'm sorry you won't be able to go until Christmas 2012, but that gives you plenty of time to plan the perfect trip!

I couldn't believe it either! I've been aggravated too (like when the kid sneezed in my face) but I always control myself. I couldn't believe the brown haired lady called the blonde lady fat in front of her kids. That's low.

We love T-Rex, too! In fact, that is the only restaurant that Miguel ever requests an ADR for. We didn't have time to get there on our November trip, but we will be visiting on the honeymoon and we're both excited! I am hoping for the ice age room, too! We've been sat in the meteor area (too loud) and the entrance of the forest area (not as neat), but every time I hope for the ice room!

I love the Goofy PP pictures! And wow to the two women in the bathroom! I am always shocked when people have attitudes at Disney. Don't they know it's supposed to be a happy place?!

That's so funny, because it's the only ADR John request too! He just loves those dinosaurs! I'm glad you get to go on your honeymoon! We have only been in the meteor area and I agree, it's too loud! Plus it kind of ruins the ambiance because you can see the entrance and the gift shop!

I know, I hate seeing people on vacation who act like it's their job to be there. If you're not having fun then why waste your money being there?!

T-Rex sounds like fun - I hope you get seated in the Ice Age room next time round.

Mmm Ghiradelli's - can't wait to try a Sundae from here!

Love the santa Goofy pics! Yay on getting a gift card but eek at that fight! Doesn't sound very ladylike at all.

It is so much fun! Thank you, I hope we do too! I am definitely going to request it!

Ghiradelli's is AMAZING! I usually get the dark chocolate mint sundae, but anything from there is wonderful.

Santa Goofy was great! The gift card was a nice surprise, but the fight was not!

OMG! What crazy drama! As Stephanie Tanner would say, "How rude!"

Yay for getting a gift card though!

The banana split is my favorite too, good choice John.

You are very good at finding those photo ops!

I am SOOO requesting the ice room when we go in July!

OMG! 4 DAYS!!!!

I love the Full House quote!

He gets a banana split everytime we get icecream, but he says Ghiradelli's is the best!

Thank you! I was about to drive John crazy with my photo ops.

I hope they accomodate room requests at T-Rex! I don't want to eat in the meteor room again!

I can't believe it's so close! We leave for FL the day after tomorrow, so in 48 hours we should be pretty darn close to ORLANDO!

 

[therussells08]

After the drama we witnessed in Downtown Disney John and I were more than ready to go back to the resort and rest a bit before our dinner reservations. On our way into the room I stopped for one more photo opportunity.

We went inside, took a nice nap, and woke up with about an hour to spare before our reservation. We freshened up, watched a little Stacey, and then hopped in the car and headed to...

Animal Kingdom Lodge! (*Note: Please forgive how horribly dark these pictures are. I considered not posting any of them but I didn't to make a boring no-pictures post!)

We had dinner reservations for Boma and we were both really excited. AKL was another deluxe resort that we had never seen, and John was beyond thrilled to be checking it out! As we were walking into the entrance I took a picture of the "Welcome Home" sign. It's really dark, but I still wanted to share it!

Here's a really cool lizard painted on the wall. I think this was as you are entering the lobby.

Both of our first reactions to the lobby was something like this: . It was absolutely gorgeous! We couldn't believe how big and beautiful it was.

Check out this Christmas tree!

I have no idea what this thing is, but it was really cool!

The lights were amazing!

This was one of my favorite moments of the entire trip, because John was so completely in awe of this resort. He spent at least twenty minutes wandering around with his mouth hanging open. He loved it! It was so nice seeing him so happy!

I had him stop to pose for a quick picture.

Then we decided to go check out the gift shop for a minute before heading to Boma for dinner! We only stayed for a second, but I did take a quick picture.

We only had a few more minutes until our reservation, so we decided to go ahead and check in at Boma!

Despite our earliness we were seated instantly! I loved the atmosphere of this restaurant!

Unfortunately I was a really bad DISer this evening and I didn't take any pictures of my meal! I remember the buffet was full of all kinds of regional foods, and it was really tasty! The meats they offered like the spiced roasted chicken and pepper steak were awesome, and I loved trying fun things I had never had before like couscous. The selection of African breads was really nice too!

I did remember to take a picture of my dessert plate!

I wasn't really impressed with the apple crisp in the upper corner, but the other stuff was really good. The thing in the middle is a little piece of caramel cheesecake. I went back and got about ten more of those! The zebra domes were delicious too! I had heard so much about them and they didn't disappoint!

Overall this was a wonderful dining experience. Some of the food was a little too different for me, but the buffet still offered classic foods like macaroni and cheese and chicken tenders. I loved sampling all of the desserts! The atmosphere was comfortable and relaxed but still fun. Definitely the highlight of the meal was just visiting AKL and seeing John's face light up! This is why I sneakily changed our POR hotel reservation to AKL for our upcoming trip! Shhh, don't tell John! It's a surprise!

After we finished our dinner we said goodbye (or see you later) to AKL and headed back to POP. On our way back we talked about how when we someday join the DVC we definitely want our home resort to be AKL! We got back to our room, full and exhausted, and went straight to sleep!

Up Next: We go wild at Animal Kingdom on our last full day at Disney!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Another photo op!

Yayy for Boma!!!

It's a family favorite and a must-do for us every trip.

I am so glad John loved AKL!!! I can't WAIT to hear about how his surprise goes!!!

 

[Nermel9]

TRex looks like so much fun! I love the Ice room, can you really request it? If I keep my ADR there this October, I'm definitely going to request that room!

Aww, Santa Goofy is so cute! He's never been at DTD when I've gone, but I think it's too early in the Christmas season when I go for him to be out. Some other time, I hope!

AKL is so beautiful! I have to admit, I've been kind of sad lately that I'm not staying there. My sister just got back from Disney a week or so ago, and she stayed there for a few days and loved it! I think if we end up going in May for our anniversary I'm going to see about renting points and stay in AKV, because it's just so amazing there! You guys are going to have such a great time!

I've only been to Boma for breakfast, but it looks yummy for dinner too! I want to try those zebra domes!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Judging by John's reaction to AKL, I can safely say that you guys are going to have such an amazing time on your upcoming trip! I can't wait to hear how the surprise turns out! AKL is definitely a "take your break away" kind of resort.

I'm so glad you enjoyed Boma! And I love the first picture with the Jungle Book characters. I can't believe how big they are!

 

[QuirkyButterfly]

I am very happy that you enjoyed AKL and boma. We are going to be staying at akv for 4 nights, it looks so wonderful. We plan on spending a lot of time exploring both the village and the lodge. Look forward to reading more.

 

[magichusky]

Finally caught up- what a fabulous TR! You guys are super hilarious! I went to WWoHP the week before and it was so disgustingly crowded I practically had a panic attack. Like you guys, we made the mistake of going on Jurassic Park. We had ponchos but were seated in the front row, which was pretty much the equivalent of someone throwing a bucket of water in our faces! (Haha- SO wasn't really expecting that!) I hope your new D&B bag recovered- it's too awesome in all of its hot pinkness! I was horrified to read that it was "Jurassic Park-ified."

Also have to say- what a completely insane confrontation in DTD!! I'm pretty sure that I've seen way more adult temper-tantrums at Disney than child tantrums!

 

[TanzUnited99]

I can't wait to try all the photo opportunities at Pop!!

That is soo great that John loved AKL - can't wait to see how he reacts when he finds out it is where you are actually staying. The Christmas decorations look great.

We are eating dinner at Boma on our trip and can't wait to try them caramel cheesecakes!

 

[sbprincess]

Ahhh, I just love Ghiradelli! Their ice cream is soooo good. I'm definitely planning at least one stop there in October. YUM!

I can't believe how some adults act in front of their kids (and others), especially at Disney! I had a different but slightly similar experience last May in DHS (it's in my TR). Long story short though is that some lady was loudly swearing at what looked like her mother and her child. I said aloud, but more to myself (unfortunately she heard me), that she needed to watch her mouth...oops! Big mistake. I didn't get into it with her but she was ready to kick my butt. Luckily, I just kept walking and she didn't follow! I won't make that mistake again though.

What is it with guys and Legos?!?! My DH loves them too. I wouldn't mind so much except he likes the complicated sets that cost $150+ Why are guy-hobbies usually so expensive???

I am so scared to try Boma for dinner. LOVE it for breakfast though!

I'm glad to hear ya'll are staying at AKL since you seem to have liked it so much!!

 

[Cat0727]

The Ice Age room in T-Rex looks awesome! I'd definitely request (if they take requests) to eat in there!

People can be so crazy. All over a bathroom line? Come on, lol.

AKL has that effect on everyone, I think I really cannot wait to hear about his reaction when he finds out that's where you guys are staying!

 

[therussells08]

Another photo op!

Yayy for Boma!!!

It's a family favorite and a must-do for us every trip.

I am so glad John loved AKL!!! I can't WAIT to hear about how his surprise goes!!!

We really enjoyed Boma! I can see why it's a must do for your family!

I am SO ready to surprise him! I can't believe I've held it in!

TRex looks like so much fun! I love the Ice room, can you really request it? If I keep my ADR there this October, I'm definitely going to request that room!

Aww, Santa Goofy is so cute! He's never been at DTD when I've gone, but I think it's too early in the Christmas season when I go for him to be out. Some other time, I hope!

AKL is so beautiful! I have to admit, I've been kind of sad lately that I'm not staying there. My sister just got back from Disney a week or so ago, and she stayed there for a few days and loved it! I think if we end up going in May for our anniversary I'm going to see about renting points and stay in AKV, because it's just so amazing there! You guys are going to have such a great time!

I've only been to Boma for breakfast, but it looks yummy for dinner too! I want to try those zebra domes!

I'm not sure if you can request it, but I'm going to try!

I am so excited for AKL! I think renting DVC points on a future trip is a great idea!

Judging by John's reaction to AKL, I can safely say that you guys are going to have such an amazing time on your upcoming trip! I can't wait to hear how the surprise turns out! AKL is definitely a "take your break away" kind of resort.

I'm so glad you enjoyed Boma! And I love the first picture with the Jungle Book characters. I can't believe how big they are!

I am SO excited about surprising him! I think that will be a fun update in my TR!

Boma was great! Those big characters at POP are fun!

I am very happy that you enjoyed AKL and boma. We are going to be staying at akv for 4 nights, it looks so wonderful. We plan on spending a lot of time exploring both the village and the lodge. Look forward to reading more.

I am really looking forward to exploring AKL on our upcoming trip!

 

[therussells08]

Finally caught up- what a fabulous TR! You guys are super hilarious! I went to WWoHP the week before and it was so disgustingly crowded I practically had a panic attack. Like you guys, we made the mistake of going on Jurassic Park. We had ponchos but were seated in the front row, which was pretty much the equivalent of someone throwing a bucket of water in our faces! (Haha- SO wasn't really expecting that!) I hope your new D&B bag recovered- it's too awesome in all of its hot pinkness! I was horrified to read that it was "Jurassic Park-ified."

Also have to say- what a completely insane confrontation in DTD!! I'm pretty sure that I've seen way more adult temper-tantrums at Disney than child tantrums!

I'm so glad you are enjoying my TR! I'm glad someone else had shared my negative experience on the Jurassic Park ride! I thought I was just being hard to get along with, but it really does get you TOO stinking wet! Thankfully the D&B bag has made a full recovery! I won't make the mistake of taking something brand new and leather on the ride next time!

I think you're right about the adult temper tantrums. Kids seem to get the whole "we're at Disney so we should be um...having fun" thing a little better than the grown ups!

I can't wait to try all the photo opportunities at Pop!!

That is soo great that John loved AKL - can't wait to see how he reacts when he finds out it is where you are actually staying. The Christmas decorations look great.

We are eating dinner at Boma on our trip and can't wait to try them caramel cheesecakes!

You are going to love POP! We barely even looked around but everything we saw was so fun!

I am SO excited about surprising him!

The caramel cheesecakes are fabulous! You will love them!

Ahhh, I just love Ghiradelli! Their ice cream is soooo good. I'm definitely planning at least one stop there in October. YUM!

I can't believe how some adults act in front of their kids (and others), especially at Disney! I had a different but slightly similar experience last May in DHS (it's in my TR). Long story short though is that some lady was loudly swearing at what looked like her mother and her child. I said aloud, but more to myself (unfortunately she heard me), that she needed to watch her mouth...oops! Big mistake. I didn't get into it with her but she was ready to kick my butt. Luckily, I just kept walking and she didn't follow! I won't make that mistake again though.

What is it with guys and Legos?!?! My DH loves them too. I wouldn't mind so much except he likes the complicated sets that cost $150+ Why are guy-hobbies usually so expensive???

I am so scared to try Boma for dinner. LOVE it for breakfast though!

I'm glad to hear ya'll are staying at AKL since you seem to have liked it so much!!

Ghiradelli is AMAZING! I can't wait to cool off with some of their wonderful icecream!

Good for you for standing up to that lady, and I'm glad to hear she didn't attack you! Some people are just so ridiculous!

I will never understand boys and their toys! John is a Lego fiend!

The Ice Age room in T-Rex looks awesome! I'd definitely request (if they take requests) to eat in there!

People can be so crazy. All over a bathroom line? Come on, lol.

AKL has that effect on everyone, I think I really cannot wait to hear about his reaction when he finds out that's where you guys are staying!

I'm not sure if they take request but we are definitely going to try! I want the Ice Age room so bad!

Seriously, there's a lot of toilets in Disney. Go find another one.

I am so excited already to write my TR about surprising John!

 

[therussells08]

Hi everyone! I wanted to post really quickly and let you all know that I will be away from my TR for 10 days. I have a pretty good excuse though...I'm going to DISNEY!

I promise I will not abandon this TR when I get back and start my other. We've come too far! I've got to get you all through my last day at Disney.

I hope you will join me on my new TR when I get home! See ya real soon!

 

[dancin_princess]

I hate parking at DTD. Usually if I have time, I'd rather park at a resort and ride a bus over just to avoid the hassle of parking there.

I can't believe the drama that went down.

I've ate at Boma once and I loved it!! I liked the carmel cheesecake and zebra domes the most.