off to neverland
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2004
- Messages
- 703
Cast:
Me, Rae, 34, Disney lover
Dix, 43, Great guy who who makes Love Coffee
Boo, 4.95 year-old picky eater wearing a Brat Hat
Sis, 1.95 year-old who can holler louder than a blowhorn
Goldi Locks, Nice DVC member who traded her points with us
Laser-accuser guy: Nice man helping out with world safety
Mr. Customs Man: Grumpy, serious guy in uniform with no patience for drugs or childbirth
Mr. And Mrs. No Manners: Rude people who pop up with different faces throughout our trip
Cute little girl in the front: Loud mouth who unintentionally traumatizes kids young kids on rides
Cousin: Make-up-less advisor whose areas of expertise include hats and droopy b**b prevention
My Dad: Fearless landrover driver who makes great spaghetti
My Mom: Woman who loves blue and might show up unannounced
Love-Boat-bellhop-guy: CM who likes to rescue damsels in distress
Inventory of important trip items:
Three new premium annual passes
Fancy Laser Camera
Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld
Missing Disney Dining Experience cards
Brat Hat
Old Key West Key Card
Love Coffee
I unpacked the groceries and made Shake and Bake chicken, which I threw in the oven. While it cooked, we opened a can of green beans and made microwave rice.
I was in a bad mood. I felt like the second half of the day had been wasted. Sis had almost no nap, the kids had been fighting, and I had spent at least an hour dealing with the lost key card fiasco. We were too tired to go to theme park that evening, and in the past two days I had virtually zero minutes of alone time.
On top of that, I was hungry. I had only eaten two bites of Boos Mickey Mouse waffle in the morning, and a sandwich at Pizzafari at lunch. That was it.
Dix handled my mood well. I told him I wasnt mad at him or the kids, I was just in a bad mood.
He told me to snap out of it.
I just couldnt.
I ripped open a bag of baked tortilla chips and cheese dip and started eating while I waited for the chicken tenders. I had asked Dix to buy baked tortilla chips, cheese, and salsa. Thats not a bad snack, if you dont overdo the cheese. He came home with baked tortilla chips and a big jar of Nabisco queso. His reasoning: the cheese and salsa were mixed.
Yes, honey, they are, but thats not real cheese. Its chemicals. And its 90% fat, which defeats the purpose of the whole baked tortilla chip thing.
But I had to admit it tasted very, very good.
I ate more than my fair share, and found comfort in the knowledge that Gopherit had done the same thing on her bad Disney day, only she did it in the closet in the middle of the night. (For those of you who havent read Gopherits trip report, you must. Its fantastic.)
We sat down to eat dinner together and the kids ate more than they had since we started the trip. Boo actually liked this new kind of chicken and I started to feel better as I ate. I decided it was time to be done with this mood.
I snapped out of it.
Dix and I agreed that we needed to get back on track with the Unofficial Guide and go to Magic Kingdom at opening in the morning. Walking into a theme park this evening was just too much for us at this point. We didnt want to waste the evening, though, so we thought it might be nice to take a drive and look at Saratoga Springs and Beach Club.
Saratoga is our home resort. We bought it sight unseen and we were both very excited to finally go there. The drive over was very short and a security guard stopped us at the gate and walked to the side of the car.
What is it with men in uniforms? The feeling that we were doing something wrong started to wiggle its way into my conscience! I have to get over this authority intimidation thing, I told myself! I need to act like I own the place! Hey, I DO own the place! .000001 percent of it! So there!
When we told him we had come to see the resort, he couldnt have been friendlier. He waved us through and yelled a very long, drawn-out, WELCOME HOME! The kids liked that.
It was dark when we arrived at SSR so I was unable to see very much of the landscaping, but the buildings were beautiful. I loved the color scheme and patterned carpet throughout the main building. It was very masculine, yet upscale and elegant. My kind of place.
I had not been impressed with the pictures I had seen of Artists Palate, and was pleasantly surprised when we walked by it. What a nice place! Its very open, and I knew I would enjoy the food served there. We will surely make that a dining option when we stay.
The DVC open house had closed for the day, so we were unable to see the rooms but we did walk out in the cold to see the pool area. It looked like a great pool!
After seeing SSR, do we have any regrets about choosing it as our home resort? Not a one. I would stay there in a heartbeat. Its a classy place.
Boo was enticed by the gift shop, which is situated in an open area next to the walkway by Artists Palate. For two days that child passed through countless stores and kiosks without buying a thing. At Disney World, almost all rides exit through a store that shares the same theme as the ride. It is all very visually stimulating, and hard not to look, or notice, or want . It had been difficult even for me to resist the urge to buy, because the marketing is just so well done. It is a feat for a child to pass through six or more stores in a day, all filled with toys he would love, and not demand to have.
The urge to buy was finally getting the best of him, and he wanted something NOW. I told him we could look and if he found something he truly wanted and it wasnt available when we shopped Downtown Disney, we would come back and buy it. There wasnt anything particular that he wanted; it all looked great to him. Dix and I decided wed have to do our Downtown Disney trip soon because the waiting was getting hard on Boo, and he had been patient so far. I was proud of him.
We left SSR and drove to Beach Club. Dixs driving was very proficient; he had come to know his way around quite well. I, on the other hand, had no clue what direction we were going, should be going, or had been going.
The Beach Club lobby didnt take my breath away or leave me with that WOW feeling one might get when they enter a place like Wilderness Lodge, but there was a relaxed, fun, summery feel to the area. I liked it. I instantly felt at home, relaxed, and cheerful.
On our way to Beaches and Cream, we passed Cape May Café. The dinner buffet was in progress and though I couldnt see the food closely, it looked and smelled wonderful.
Beaches and Cream was very busy. When I asked the hostess if we could be seated, she told me there were no available tables but we could have the next available one.
I looked around noticed a small empty table behind her.
What about that table? I asked.
It doesnt have any chairs, she replied quickly. She must have already answered that question several times that night.
I looked across the room. There was a stack of chairs against the wall.
What about those chairs? I asked.
She studied the chairs and the table. I could tell she was trying to come up with a reason why it couldnt be done, but she couldnt. She relented, and gave us permission to sit at the table. Dix didnt wait for her to move the chairs, he picked them up and placed them at the table himself.
I wonder how many people she had turned away that night simply because she had a "CAN'T DO" attitude?
Our server was great, and we had our food in no time at all. After seeing the size of our portions, Im embarrassed to admit that we had briefly considered ordering The Kitchen Sink. I cant imagine how many people it would take to get through one of those!
The kids had the Mickey Mouse sundaes and Dix and I shared the No Way, Jose. It was wonderful! Not only was the ice cream good, the serving was a perfect size for both of us.
I loved the loud, cheerful atmosphere of Beaches and Cream, and have a sneaking suspicion it will end up as one of my favorite Walt Disney World eateries.
After we had finished our sundaes and were ready to leave, the kids and I waited in the lobby for Dix to bring the car from the parking lot. While we waited for him, a nice CM came by and gave each of the kids a balloon and stickers. It was their second balloon for the day.
Back in the room, we quickly gave the kids a bath in that HUGE tub, and put them to bed. We had a big day ahead of us at the Magic Kingdom. They fell asleep quickly; the day had taken its toll and they were both tired.
Remember my Hanky Panky Promise to Dix in the pretrip report? For those of you who have forgotten, or didnt read it, shame on you!!!
Ill fill you in, anyway. It was a promise I made to Dix in an attempt to convince him we should go to WDW in January. I wrote:
Wanna find out?
Click on the link for the answer.
Did romance prevail?
Next Installment:
Part 9...Forgive me, Zurg, for I have sinned!
Me, Rae, 34, Disney lover
Dix, 43, Great guy who who makes Love Coffee
Boo, 4.95 year-old picky eater wearing a Brat Hat
Sis, 1.95 year-old who can holler louder than a blowhorn
Goldi Locks, Nice DVC member who traded her points with us
Laser-accuser guy: Nice man helping out with world safety
Mr. Customs Man: Grumpy, serious guy in uniform with no patience for drugs or childbirth
Mr. And Mrs. No Manners: Rude people who pop up with different faces throughout our trip
Cute little girl in the front: Loud mouth who unintentionally traumatizes kids young kids on rides
Cousin: Make-up-less advisor whose areas of expertise include hats and droopy b**b prevention
My Dad: Fearless landrover driver who makes great spaghetti
My Mom: Woman who loves blue and might show up unannounced
Love-Boat-bellhop-guy: CM who likes to rescue damsels in distress
Inventory of important trip items:
Three new premium annual passes
Fancy Laser Camera
Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld
Missing Disney Dining Experience cards
Brat Hat
Old Key West Key Card
Love Coffee
I unpacked the groceries and made Shake and Bake chicken, which I threw in the oven. While it cooked, we opened a can of green beans and made microwave rice.
I was in a bad mood. I felt like the second half of the day had been wasted. Sis had almost no nap, the kids had been fighting, and I had spent at least an hour dealing with the lost key card fiasco. We were too tired to go to theme park that evening, and in the past two days I had virtually zero minutes of alone time.
On top of that, I was hungry. I had only eaten two bites of Boos Mickey Mouse waffle in the morning, and a sandwich at Pizzafari at lunch. That was it.
Dix handled my mood well. I told him I wasnt mad at him or the kids, I was just in a bad mood.
He told me to snap out of it.
I just couldnt.
I ripped open a bag of baked tortilla chips and cheese dip and started eating while I waited for the chicken tenders. I had asked Dix to buy baked tortilla chips, cheese, and salsa. Thats not a bad snack, if you dont overdo the cheese. He came home with baked tortilla chips and a big jar of Nabisco queso. His reasoning: the cheese and salsa were mixed.
Yes, honey, they are, but thats not real cheese. Its chemicals. And its 90% fat, which defeats the purpose of the whole baked tortilla chip thing.
But I had to admit it tasted very, very good.
I ate more than my fair share, and found comfort in the knowledge that Gopherit had done the same thing on her bad Disney day, only she did it in the closet in the middle of the night. (For those of you who havent read Gopherits trip report, you must. Its fantastic.)
We sat down to eat dinner together and the kids ate more than they had since we started the trip. Boo actually liked this new kind of chicken and I started to feel better as I ate. I decided it was time to be done with this mood.
I snapped out of it.
Dix and I agreed that we needed to get back on track with the Unofficial Guide and go to Magic Kingdom at opening in the morning. Walking into a theme park this evening was just too much for us at this point. We didnt want to waste the evening, though, so we thought it might be nice to take a drive and look at Saratoga Springs and Beach Club.
Saratoga is our home resort. We bought it sight unseen and we were both very excited to finally go there. The drive over was very short and a security guard stopped us at the gate and walked to the side of the car.
What is it with men in uniforms? The feeling that we were doing something wrong started to wiggle its way into my conscience! I have to get over this authority intimidation thing, I told myself! I need to act like I own the place! Hey, I DO own the place! .000001 percent of it! So there!
When we told him we had come to see the resort, he couldnt have been friendlier. He waved us through and yelled a very long, drawn-out, WELCOME HOME! The kids liked that.
It was dark when we arrived at SSR so I was unable to see very much of the landscaping, but the buildings were beautiful. I loved the color scheme and patterned carpet throughout the main building. It was very masculine, yet upscale and elegant. My kind of place.
I had not been impressed with the pictures I had seen of Artists Palate, and was pleasantly surprised when we walked by it. What a nice place! Its very open, and I knew I would enjoy the food served there. We will surely make that a dining option when we stay.
The DVC open house had closed for the day, so we were unable to see the rooms but we did walk out in the cold to see the pool area. It looked like a great pool!
After seeing SSR, do we have any regrets about choosing it as our home resort? Not a one. I would stay there in a heartbeat. Its a classy place.
Boo was enticed by the gift shop, which is situated in an open area next to the walkway by Artists Palate. For two days that child passed through countless stores and kiosks without buying a thing. At Disney World, almost all rides exit through a store that shares the same theme as the ride. It is all very visually stimulating, and hard not to look, or notice, or want . It had been difficult even for me to resist the urge to buy, because the marketing is just so well done. It is a feat for a child to pass through six or more stores in a day, all filled with toys he would love, and not demand to have.
The urge to buy was finally getting the best of him, and he wanted something NOW. I told him we could look and if he found something he truly wanted and it wasnt available when we shopped Downtown Disney, we would come back and buy it. There wasnt anything particular that he wanted; it all looked great to him. Dix and I decided wed have to do our Downtown Disney trip soon because the waiting was getting hard on Boo, and he had been patient so far. I was proud of him.
We left SSR and drove to Beach Club. Dixs driving was very proficient; he had come to know his way around quite well. I, on the other hand, had no clue what direction we were going, should be going, or had been going.
The Beach Club lobby didnt take my breath away or leave me with that WOW feeling one might get when they enter a place like Wilderness Lodge, but there was a relaxed, fun, summery feel to the area. I liked it. I instantly felt at home, relaxed, and cheerful.
On our way to Beaches and Cream, we passed Cape May Café. The dinner buffet was in progress and though I couldnt see the food closely, it looked and smelled wonderful.
Beaches and Cream was very busy. When I asked the hostess if we could be seated, she told me there were no available tables but we could have the next available one.
I looked around noticed a small empty table behind her.
What about that table? I asked.
It doesnt have any chairs, she replied quickly. She must have already answered that question several times that night.
I looked across the room. There was a stack of chairs against the wall.
What about those chairs? I asked.
She studied the chairs and the table. I could tell she was trying to come up with a reason why it couldnt be done, but she couldnt. She relented, and gave us permission to sit at the table. Dix didnt wait for her to move the chairs, he picked them up and placed them at the table himself.
I wonder how many people she had turned away that night simply because she had a "CAN'T DO" attitude?
Our server was great, and we had our food in no time at all. After seeing the size of our portions, Im embarrassed to admit that we had briefly considered ordering The Kitchen Sink. I cant imagine how many people it would take to get through one of those!
The kids had the Mickey Mouse sundaes and Dix and I shared the No Way, Jose. It was wonderful! Not only was the ice cream good, the serving was a perfect size for both of us.
I loved the loud, cheerful atmosphere of Beaches and Cream, and have a sneaking suspicion it will end up as one of my favorite Walt Disney World eateries.
After we had finished our sundaes and were ready to leave, the kids and I waited in the lobby for Dix to bring the car from the parking lot. While we waited for him, a nice CM came by and gave each of the kids a balloon and stickers. It was their second balloon for the day.
Back in the room, we quickly gave the kids a bath in that HUGE tub, and put them to bed. We had a big day ahead of us at the Magic Kingdom. They fell asleep quickly; the day had taken its toll and they were both tired.
Remember my Hanky Panky Promise to Dix in the pretrip report? For those of you who have forgotten, or didnt read it, shame on you!!!
Ill fill you in, anyway. It was a promise I made to Dix in an attempt to convince him we should go to WDW in January. I wrote:
"I thought Id add a little something to sway him even more. I mentioned a possible reward in the one bedroom. He laughed at that one because he knew the honest truth: I would probably be in that bed with both kids while he slept on the rollout sofa."
So
.. what do you all think? Did I step up to the plate and fulfill my promise, or did Dixs common sense truimph?Wanna find out?
Click on the link for the answer.
Did romance prevail?
Next Installment:
Part 9...Forgive me, Zurg, for I have sinned!
Keep up the great work I can't wait to read more.
We stayed for 9 nights at the CR with our kids....this may be TMI, but we had to resort to the locked bathroom late at night! Life is so romantic with kids, ain't it? 
