Operation Photopass! First trip to Disney World - TR - COMPLETED 07/16

[DisneyStitch626]

Yep! That is true. I used to order quite a bit from there and every once in a while (not all the time though) UPS would make me pay a "customs" fee or something before I could have my purchase. Really dumb!

 

[DisneyStitch626]

And the shipping has always been kind of high, but it wasn't so bad that what I wanted usually wasn't worth it. But a bottom rate of $24.50? When usually the things I want are cheaper than that? Ridiculous.

Like right now I wouldn't mind getting some of the kids utensil sets for Seth. They are 2 for $12. I put 6 sets in my cart, which made it $36. Then they want $29.50 on top of that for shipping. I don't get it! I haven't gotten anything from them since before Christmas because of it.

 

[DisneyStitch626]

I may have just figured it out!!

I found a link for Guest Services, and it says that the $24.50 is for Express 2 Day shipping. Because of the subtotal, I never made it past entering my credit card info because I just thought that was a standard price. I wonder if after I enter my info if I could change the shipping to Standard, and then get it for the $7.50 or whatever. I don't care that I have to wait longer.

Duh, I feel silly now, doing all this complaining about it. But who knew there would be an option after entering your payment info? Once I have some $$ I will have to try it out. Maybe all this time I could have ordered the things I wanted!

 

[DisneyStitch626]

And I just read this, so maybe not:

International Shipping

Charges
The cost to ship internationally varies and depends on the size and destination of the shipment. Your total shipping charges (US dollars) will appear during the Checkout process, before payment is entered. For more information about international shipping, you can contact us at guest.services@disneystore.com.

 

[Trentmom]

Ahahahaha! I have to make a post about this because I can't stop laughing!

Well over the last 8 months or so, the disneystore.com has found it necessary to charge $24.50 or more for anything shipped to Canada. Right now they have a jewelled Cinderella Castle on the site for $37,500 and underneath it says free shipping. Well Canada never gets free shipping, so I put it in my cart just to see how much shipping would cost for a Canadian.....$6299.00!!! Six thousand dollars for a Canadian to get it shipped, but it's free for Americans. I am laughing so hard cause I just can't believe it! Not that I could ever dream of affording the $37,000 castle to begin with, but I just had to check.

WOW....That is crazy

 

[kaoden39]

At that price they must be putting it up in all the five star hotels along the way!! That is some crazy stuff!!

 

[DisneyStitch626]

On day 5 of our vacation, we decided to sleep in a little bit as we were starting to get pretty exhausted. We'd been doing a LOT of walking!

We had a breakfast reservation at Chef Mickeys for 10:50. We slept until 9:00 and were out the door by 10. Our bus had taken a little time getting there this morning, and by the time we got to MK, got on the monorail to the Contemporary, and got to the check-in booth, it was 10:55. Luckily, they didn't mention anything about us being late. Phewf! So much for it being a laid back day.

We checked in, waited in a short line for our picture, and sat down with our buzzer to wait.

It really is a beautiful building, even though my first impression was that it was really odd.

And I loved watching the monorail come in. So cool!

After about 10 minutes, we were shown to our table. We were seated way at the back up on another level. It was good though. It was quiet where we were, and we weren't far from the food stations.

I was really bad and didn't take any photos of the stations, but I did get our plates!

Here is my first plate:

Yes, I overloaded on potatoes. I am a sucker for potatoes...

And Dillon's first dish:

He just loved the oatmeal. He was looking forward to it after having it at Surf's Up in Disneyland in 2010. He was pleased it was just as good.

While we were eating our first serving, the waiter brought us this!

It was very nice of them, but we only had a bite each of it, as we were too full after our second helpings of the buffet.

My second dish was a slice of french toast, a hashbrown (yes more potatoes. They were so good though!) some fruit, and a sausage.

And here is Dillon's second, I think he was hungry:

As we were eating our second helpings, the characters started to come.

First?

The Goof!

Next up, Pluto!

And then my favourite:

I have no idea why I am holding my arm like that....

And then we noticed Minnie wasn't too far away, so we posed for a couple with her as well before we headed out. At every meal we were at, there were no more than 4 characters walking the tables. Tusker House had 5, but that included Donald at the picture area before entering for breakfast.

After a really delicious and fun breakfast, we wandered a couple of the Contemporary shops before catching a bus to Downtown Disney. We wanted to pick out some ideas for souvenirs, but we weren't going to buy too much yet, because we were saving our 20% off coupon to make a big purchase at the end of the trip.​

To be continued....​

 

[DisneyStitch626]

After our lovely meal we made our way over to Downtown Disney to wander. The forecast wasn't looking so good this day, so we didn't have as much time to wander as I would have liked. We made the best of it though.

First stop was the Christmas Shop. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of it. I wish I would have. It was huge! I guess I was just so overwhelmed, I didn't think to get out the camera.

Then we headed next door to Mickey's Pantry where we picked up some spices and wine toppers for my Dad and his girlfriend. She is a former chef, and they both love to cook, so I thought this was the best idea for them.

Next up? World of Disney!!!

Look who I spot above the crowd!

I was hoping to catch him spitting, but I missed it! If you step in a certain location he spits water at you.

In WoD, I found something I was going to pick up for Seth:

We wandered in WoD for a good 45 minutes. That store is so big! I love it.

Then we headed out towards the Lego Store where they had some cool displays.

Then we did some more wandering, stopping for pictures and not much else until we got to D-Street.

Harley Davidson:

And the Candy Store. Me admiring all the M&M's.

While in D-Street, I ended up picking up a Donald t-shirt for my brother (his favourite) that I hadn't seen anywhere else. It had a picture of him yelling and above it, it said "The Original Angry Bird". I couldn't resist! And I also picked up a couple of the Snow White Vinyl Jr.s for Grace, as they had just come out that day, and were going fast. Grace loves Snow White, so I thought those would be cool. It was a good thing I got them then, because I never saw any more for the rest of the trip.

More wandering...

Back down towards the beginning...

A cool chalk drawing that I loved:

At this point Dillon was getting hungry again, so we stopped at Earl of Sandwich so he could eat. I wasn't yet, so I took a couple photos while he ate.

As you can see at this point, the clouds were starting to role in. I really wanted to head over to the Boardwalk Resort to check it out, so I was hoping that the rain would hold back for a little while longer.

Nope! As we were on the bus, it poured buckets!! In the chaos of the rain, we ended up getting off what I thought was Boardwalk, but was actually the Yacht Club. Luckily the rain had slowed down a little bit and I had my poncho, but we still got a little wet as we made the trek to the other side of the lake where the Boardwalk was.
​

To be continued...​

 

[DisneyStitch626]

Well when we finally reached the Boardwalk, we were disappointed to find out it was pretty much deserted. Almost no one around. Except for in the bakery, which we took a peak inside, saw a huge line, and decided to just continue. Basically, we got a few photos of the resort, and then made our way back to the buses. There was just nothing going on there. It was a pretty resort for sure, but I was a little disappointed the rain had washed all the commotion inside.

Anyways, here are the photos:

You can see Epcot in the back of this one:

The Yacht Club where we had walked from to the Boardwalk.

After our few photos, we wandered over to the Swan and Dolphin where we caught our bus back to the Pop Century. We were so tired, and just wanted to relax for the rest of the evening.

Of course we had to take the bus to Magic Kingdom to get on the bus to the Pop.

Some shots while waiting at MK:

Once we returned to the resort, we stopped by the cafeteria so I could eat, since I hadn't yet. It was about 5 at this time, so I was starting to get pretty hungry. Dillon was still full from his EoS, so he just had a couple bites of my meal. I believe I had gotten the fettuccine alfredo with chicken. It was pretty good for QS food. And then I got a Mickey Rice Krispie Square for later.

We ended up hanging in our room and watched a couple movies on TV before drifting to sleep. We watched censored versions of Hang Over and I Love You, Man, which made them even more comical than the originals.​

Next Up: Day 6 - Animal Kingdom​

 

[DizNee Luver]

Maybe they do hate Canadians. Or just maybe they don't realize it's so much. Surely they've noticed a drop in international customers over the last few months. Unless there are people actually paying those prices. Geez! Lol.


Thanks again for doing that btw. I love that Vinyl.

I imagine there are people that continue to pay the price.....as long as they can get it...they'll keep charging it.

You're very welcome....I re thanked you for the keychain & pins a few pages back (I think you might have missed the post...I believe I had asked a question....but now I don't remember what it was)

The food looked pretty good at Chef Mickey's.....I know there are a lot of conflicting reviews of the food here.......we still tend to do the character meals more for the one on one with the characters then the food. (but we also don't want to get sick from eating somewhere.....lol)

Thank you for the pics of DTD!!! All those Lego creations are neat & the kids will LOVE them!!! I'll try and remember that Stitch spits.....eek!! My luck it will be me that gets spit on.......(have I said how much I hate getting wet??). Very nice shot of the fountain & Planet Hollywood!!

Too bad about the rain shower, but getting picks of the Boardwalk Resort area basically empty is really neat!! So do they have a pathway/walkway that goes around from the Yacht Club to the Boardwalk & how long did it take to walk between the two?? Just trying to decide when we do our resort day if we want to park & walk or drive between the two.

 

[wakica]

Potatos definitely are yummy!! I can't blame you for taking so many. I usually limit how much potatos I eat though but now I'm in the mood so I will be making potato patties for lunch today

You gotta LOVE WoD with Stitch Waaaayy up there spitting on everyone! I love it and we always take pics of that too. and DD (even though she's now 14) always loves to get a little Stitch spit on her.

that chalk drawing was great!! If you like that sort of thing I'm not sure if they still do it but we went the end of Oct/beginning of Nov one trip and they had some festival of Artists at DTD. It was definitely crowded there while it was going on but they had those amazing chalk drawings that are sort of 3D and look almost REAL when you get your pic by them. It was sooo cool!

We always love to pop over to boardwalk. It's such a nice place especially in the evening when the buskers are out I'm sorry the bakery was too busy to get in - it does get crowded in there. I got a keylime tart once when we were there and it was SSSOOOOOO delish!!!!

You really covered alot of ground that day!!! lol So much for a restful day hey?? We did that alot too. LOL

 

[Trentmom]

Great pics at Chef Mickeys. What is that purple stuff on the fruits?

WOD at DTD is awesome. I could spend forever in there. Cute Mickey you got for Seth

Thats shame about Boardwalk. That place is a lot of fun in the early evening

Watching Hangover censored must have been a riot

 

[Shazzasmd]

Great TR! You and Dillon look so happy in all your photos, and Seth is very cute.


As an aside, my Father was born and raised in Calgary, and I also remember he and his brother talking about Red Hill.

 

[DisneyStitch626]

I imagine there are people that continue to pay the price.....as long as they can get it...they'll keep charging it.

You're very welcome....I re thanked you for the keychain & pins a few pages back (I think you might have missed the post...I believe I had asked a question....but now I don't remember what it was)

The food looked pretty good at Chef Mickey's.....I know there are a lot of conflicting reviews of the food here.......we still tend to do the character meals more for the one on one with the characters then the food. (but we also don't want to get sick from eating somewhere.....lol)

Thank you for the pics of DTD!!! All those Lego creations are neat & the kids will LOVE them!!! I'll try and remember that Stitch spits.....eek!! My luck it will be me that gets spit on.......(have I said how much I hate getting wet??). Very nice shot of the fountain & Planet Hollywood!!

Too bad about the rain shower, but getting picks of the Boardwalk Resort area basically empty is really neat!! So do they have a pathway/walkway that goes around from the Yacht Club to the Boardwalk & how long did it take to walk between the two?? Just trying to decide when we do our resort day if we want to park & walk or drive between the two.

I will have to go back and see what question you asked, I think I missed it! And no problem about the keychain, I felt silly sending just a pin, and that keychain was just so cute!

There is a puddle of water on the ground where Stitch spits, so it's easy to tell where you shouldn't stand, haha.

To walk from YC to Boardwalk it was 5 or 10 minutes. It wasn't very far at all. It's just a path you follow around the lake.

Potatos definitely are yummy!! I can't blame you for taking so many. I usually limit how much potatos I eat though but now I'm in the mood so I will be making potato patties for lunch today

You gotta LOVE WoD with Stitch Waaaayy up there spitting on everyone! I love it and we always take pics of that too. and DD (even though she's now 14) always loves to get a little Stitch spit on her.

that chalk drawing was great!! If you like that sort of thing I'm not sure if they still do it but we went the end of Oct/beginning of Nov one trip and they had some festival of Artists at DTD. It was definitely crowded there while it was going on but they had those amazing chalk drawings that are sort of 3D and look almost REAL when you get your pic by them. It was sooo cool!

We always love to pop over to boardwalk. It's such a nice place especially in the evening when the buskers are out I'm sorry the bakery was too busy to get in - it does get crowded in there. I got a keylime tart once when we were there and it was SSSOOOOOO delish!!!!

You really covered alot of ground that day!!! lol So much for a restful day hey?? We did that alot too. LOL

I loved the sidewalk chalk, it was so cute.

And yeah, I was looking forward to the bakery at Boardwalk, but there was just so many people in there and I wasn't wanting to stand out in the rain too much longer.

Great pics at Chef Mickeys. What is that purple stuff on the fruits?

WOD at DTD is awesome. I could spend forever in there. Cute Mickey you got for Seth

Thats shame about Boardwalk. That place is a lot of fun in the early evening

Watching Hangover censored must have been a riot

I thought the Steam Boat Willie was so cute.

And Hangover was awesome censored.

Great TR! You and Dillon look so happy in all your photos, and Seth is very cute.


As an aside, my Father was born and raised in Calgary, and I also remember he and his brother talking about Red Hill.

Thank you!

What a small world.

 

[DisneyStitch626]

I'm late coming in, but I am loving your TR. Looks like you guys had a great time.

I'm sad you had a so-so time at Coral Reef. Our last trip, it was a favorite of our family!

loving all the photos!

Hi there, sorry I missed ya earlier. Welcome!!

Another great update with more wonderful photos!!!

Both of your Goofy drawings are really good!!! Those animation classes are fun & they make it look so easy!

I'm excited to ride the Rock-n-Roll Coaster.....but I'm also a bit freaked out. I've never done corkscrews before and the only inversion I've done is on California Screamin'.

So you shared a car with someone else at the Sci-Fi diner?? I guess it makes sense to get more people in there and they have their backs to you.....but it still would seem a bit strange having strangers right in front of you like that. Maybe it's just me?? Good info on the milkshakes being on the dining plan. Is that for all the restaurants or just select ones?

We're not planning on doing the Fantasmic show, I've seen videos on the show......it's different from the one at DL.....some of the differences I liked, but some I didn't. We right now only have one day planned for this park and have other things we want to do. If we add a 2nd day (our pick-a-park day) here....we might see about watching it.

Thanx for the awesome keychain!!!

I did miss this! And as for Sci-Fi Diner, it was a little strange at first being in the same car as someone, but we didn't really notice after a couple minutes. Didn't hear them talking or anything. And most of the restaurants that had smoothies or shakes, had them included in the plan. It was a nice feature for sure.

 

[Britard]

Joining in, Better late than never, right?

I love the report so far. I got my son a black and white Steamboat Willie too! He sleeps with it every night!

Can't wait for more

 

[DisneyStitch626]

Welcome! Thanks for joining in! My son just loves his steam boat Willie too! But then right now he kinda loves any squishy toy we put in his face, haha.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I did miss this! And as for Sci-Fi Diner, it was a little strange at first being in the same car as someone, but we didn't really notice after a couple minutes. Didn't hear them talking or anything. And most of the restaurants that had smoothies or shakes, had them included in the plan. It was a nice feature for sure.

Did you happen to notice larger vehicle for larger families......just wondering how we'll be doing this with 7 people??

I will have to go back and see what question you asked, I think I missed it! And no problem about the keychain, I felt silly sending just a pin, and that keychain was just so cute!

There is a puddle of water on the ground where Stitch spits, so it's easy to tell where you shouldn't stand, haha.

To walk from YC to Boardwalk it was 5 or 10 minutes. It wasn't very far at all. It's just a path you follow around the lake.

That's great to know.....we might be able to park at one & then travel by foot to the different resorts around that area!!

Ok, I'll avoid the wet ground outside of WoD.

 

[DisneyStitch626]

Did you happen to notice larger vehicle for larger families......just wondering how we'll be doing this with 7 people??



That's great to know.....we might be able to park at one & then travel by foot to the different resorts around that area!!

Ok, I'll avoid the wet ground outside of WoD.

I know there are cars where the tables are positioned so you can face each other across the table, but I am not sure how many they seat. I would guess maybe 6. But you could get 2 of the normal sized cars next to each other and have the twins sit on the inside seat or something. As you have to get in and out one way like a booth.

I think it would be an easy time exploring those resorts. And the path leads to Epcot as well. I don't think it is much longer to get there if you happened to want to see those resorts on an Epcot day.

 

[DisneyStitch626]

This should make it easier to see what I mean:

On the right is Epcot, and the lake on the left is the two resorts. You can see the path that leads from the Yacht Club to Epcot and then around to Boardwalk. It really isn't far at all to each of them. And then the Swan & Dolphin are nice to see as well (ugly on the outside, nice on the inside). And they are just behind the other two resorts.