Our Rockin' Trip to the World~February TR! UPDATE 5/15 ~ LINK TO PTR!!!!!!

[tinacaplan]

After our yummy breakfast, we made a bee line for Fantasyland. Just to review... my master plan for the morning was to conquer one land and one land only. Would we make it? Would we be able to ride everything in Fantasyland? Or was I living in a fantasy? (Sorry...couldn’t help it...)

There was a rope set up just on the other side of the castle, where we waited patiently for clock to strike nine. As soon as it did, we got in line at Dumbo. The line wasn’t too bad, but there was a woman who wormed her way ahead of us and was just ridiculous. She was super concerned about staying on schedule that cutting ahead of several people didn’t matter much to her at all. She was determined to get her and her family on Dumbo’s first trip of the day. It was just another chance to make friends with the people behind us in line, and we all shared a good chuckle over the Crazy Schedule Lady. I mean, seriously...five minutes is not going to make or break your touring plan, especially when you start off with a head start!

Dumbo was fun. Max liked it, that’s for sure. Then we went over here:

You can see how empty Fantasyland still was:

In fact, there was no wait whatsoever, so we walked right on. We should have slowed it down a bit here and played for awhile, but...live and learn.

From Winnie the Pooh, I am fairly certain we walked over to get Fastpasses for Peter Pan. And wouldn’t you know? We also FPs for Mickey’s Philharmagic, which I’d never seen before. In the meantime we went here:

We all got on and followed Max to pick our horses. This not so great shot is the closest I came to getting a picture of Max actually enjoying himself on the carousel. I promise he liked it!

We made a short pit stop behind Pinnochio’s Village Haus and when we came back we ran right into the boy/puppet himself!

A bit blurry, but at least Max looks happy.

We still had time before our FPs for Peter Pan, so we went into Philharmagic, which I hadn’t seen before. I loved it! What a great attraction. Max enjoyed it, too, but was not as enthusiastic as Mark and I were. He’s not a huge fan of 3D, if you can believe it, so that aspect wasn’t so thrilling for him.

We also rode IASW, which he loved. He really just loves that song. I guess all small children
do! You think Walt knew what he was doing, or what? Next, we went over to Snow White, which might have been a mistake. He was excited about the dwarves and their song, which he loves to sing. The scary darkness of the ride itself, not so much.

It was now time for our Peter Pan FPs, but Max was clearly just done. I think we probably gave a him a choice about riding Peter Pan or not, which was certainly a mistake. But, apart from missing Peter Pan, we did accomplish everything I had set out to. Max just wanted to go back to the room and his kiddie pool, which is exactly what we did.

Again, let me apologize... I have no pictures of any of the next segment. Woops!

While we were hanging out in the room, deciding our next move, my mom called to tell me that she was at the Front Desk checking in! Wow. I went down to El Centro to meet her. And, of course, she was a bit confused about whatever the CM at the Front Desk was telling her. I took over and she did get a room only a couple of doors down from ours. It wasn’t ready, yet, though. We headed back to our room. My mom loved how beautiful the resort was, but she thought there was a lot of walking. I hadn’t realized that my mom had such a hard time with long distance Disney walking until we were there. She was more or less fine, but she had moments where you could just tell her age is catching up with her a bit.

Everyone got changed into their bathing suits and we headed over to the Dig Site, where yet, again...I TOOK NO PICTURES! I know that my mother and I stretched out in some nice lounge chairs and had Pina Coladas with a rum floater on top. Delicious! Only problem is that they make you want to keep drinking them, but at ten dollars per drink. Well, I think we stopped after one. While we relaxed, Max and Mark explored the wilds of the Dig Site playground. A bit later, Karin and Tom came by, so my mom go to meet them, too. We spent a few minutes talking to them, and it wasn’t long until my mom got the call that her room was ready.

We all headed back to her room and called bell services for her luggage before heading back to our own room for naps and some quiet time.

Up next...dinner at ‘Ohana...and my wish for Wishes!

 

[All7OfUs]

Sorry about your computer Liesa. That's tough. Ours died awhile ago and we had to replace it. When I think back to how long I had my original computer and printer and how many we've gone through in the last ten years or so...it boggles my mind.

Glad to hear the job is going well. What is a clinometer?

The cheese was great. Its truly one of my favorite things in the world.

See my saga on my thread... long and the short is that my data was retrievable, but computer must go in for repairs. I do hope they can both restore my OS (Windows 7) AND fix the keyboard issue.

Clinometer is an instrument that measures slopes, and I think even how fast or not a slope is creeping or moving. It is something a geologist who needs to determine if a certain slope or forested area is safe to log or not.

Are you kidding me? Do NOT let Rosie see this comment.

Wasn't she looking for a HOT Italian?

Yeah, Rosie's got the goods on HOT Italians. I'll take mine hard.

You're killing me, Glen. I didn't even pick up on that!



Too funny! But I like the hard Italians, too! Parmigiano is just so good!

My bestest is a Tuscano. I found one at Trader Joe's that is to die for. Truly aged well and with a rind of cinnamon- OMGosh- I about died and gone to heaven.

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Sounds like a great morning in Fantasyland and even a character picture So cute Max and Pinocchio hugging

Sorry you didn't get on Peter Pan, but there is always next time, right

I can't wait to read about your Ohana dinner and wish

 

[All7OfUs]

We all got on, and followed Max to pick our WHA...? I swear the first time I read it, it said pick our noses. That was followed by a snort laugh.

Well, mi'lady... that was not a bad conquering of FLand. At. All!! GREAT job!!! Ok, I have a not- so- popular opinion here, but honestly, I can take or leave PP. I like it ok, but I won't stand in line for it, nor waste a FiP on it. I know it's one of the original darks, and I'll probably be sad to see it go someday, but still it's, to me, just meh.

 

[glennbo123]

Guess what? I don't know the song reference this time. I guess I'll have to take the risk that someone else might overtake me.

I'm glad that you were able to see Philharmagic....it's a great show!

Yep, when the kids're done, they're done. I'm sure you did the right thing heading back to the resort for some kiddie pool time.

 

[annmarieda]

Its very easy! I went to college in Bronxville, which is just north of the Bronx, so I've been making the drive for a very long time. I'm used to it now and have my own preferred way of going. I can do it in under two hours, as long as I don't hit crazy traffic. I tend not to hit a lot of traffic by traveling at off times, like late Sunday afternoon, for example.

I hope you get to come to New York. It is amazing and something everyone should see at least once. I can't imagine actually living there full time, though. Its too much for me. Too much of pretty much...well, everything.

And who knows...maybe there could be a Dismeet while you're here, too!

Wow, that is even closer than I thought. A Dismeet? That would be awesome. But... I know you teach and... it would be midweek when we went. (I think) Who knows... I will definitely let you know how plans shape up though.

 

[tinacaplan]

Sounds like a great morning in Fantasyland and even a character picture So cute Max and Pinocchio hugging

Sorry you didn't get on Peter Pan, but there is always next time, right

I can't wait to read about your Ohana dinner and wish

Thanks! There is always next time and I have a feeling that Max is going to be a bit more receptive to the rides. And I think we'll skip Snow White.

We all got on, and followed Max to pick our WHA...? I swear the first time I read it, it said pick our noses. That was followed by a snort laugh.

Well, mi'lady... that was not a bad conquering of FLand. At. All!! GREAT job!!! Ok, I have a not- so- popular opinion here, but honestly, I can take or leave PP. I like it ok, but I won't stand in line for it, nor waste a FiP on it. I know it's one of the original darks, and I'll probably be sad to see it go someday, but still it's, to me, just meh.

OK, Liesa, I had to go back and find that and you are indeed correct. I had a good laugh over that one myself. And I wrote it.

And I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't think all that much of Peter Pan. I like the part where you fly over London. That's about it, though. Then again, I have an even less popular opinion: were it not for my son, I wouldn't spend much time in Fantasyland at all.

I thought out morning was pretty successful, actually. I felt like I could have gone for another hour or so and Max just didn't. Which is fine. The bottom line was: am I seriously going to argue with a three year old because he doesn't want to go on a ride at Disney? Yeah...no, thanks!

Oh, and thank you for the information about the clinometer. That's interesting.

Guess what? I don't know the song reference this time. I guess I'll have to take the risk that someone else might overtake me.

I'm glad that you were able to see Philharmagic....it's a great show!

Yep, when the kids're done, they're done. I'm sure you did the right thing heading back to the resort for some kiddie pool time.

Glen, be glad you don't know that song. Its not a good one and I was really reaching for this one.

Wow, that is even closer than I thought. A Dismeet? That would be awesome. But... I know you teach and... it would be midweek when we went. (I think) Who knows... I will definitely let you know how plans shape up though.

This is all true, but who knows? Thursdays, for example are more do-able because I only have one more day to get through. Its hard for me to even conceive of September at this point. Seems like its so far off. I know it isn't, but...it feels that way right now.

 

[tinkmom2]

My oldest daughter is petrified of anthing having to do with wind blowing in the face or 3D. She's 12 now and still won't even step foot into Philharmagic or Bugs Life at AK. Hopefully I can get her to change her mind on this next trip

 

[PirateKate]

I was all set to overtake Glenn and win another point in the contest, but sadly, I don't know the song, either. Closest thing I can think of is Fantasy by Earth, Wind, & Fire, but I don't think that's quite right.

That sounds like a great morning at Fantasyland. I like Peter Pan's Flight. I agree that it's often not worth the crazy long line, but it's a still a fun ride. It's always good to know when to stop with a little kid.

 

[Disneyfreak616]

I love the new Pooh queue!! Looks like it wasn't crowded at all in Fantasyland!

Max and Pinocchio are so adorable! Little Pinoch is such a cute character. When I was there in January, he was jumping and skipping around in puddles. It was the most precious thing EVER.

 

[tinacaplan]

This was my very first time going to the Poly and I was pretty excited. Mark and I had a breakfast reservation at Kona last February that we ended up cancelling. We had excellent bus mojo throughout the trip and this evening was no exception. Before I knew it, we were walking into this:

We were probably about twenty minutes early for our reservation, so we wandered around a bit and looked through the gift shops. Max played with some hats.

My mom took a seat in the lounge area, while Mark and Max did some exploring on their own and I went to wait in line at the podium. I ended up having a very nice conversation with some folks from North Carolina who were super excited about their dinner.

I had read many reports and reviews of ‘Ohana, but I quickly found that I was not entirely prepared for the experience. For one, I did not know we would have an incredibly enthusiastic server who, right in line with the theming, called us “cousin,” all night. She was incredibly efficient and had a great personality. Can’t ask for much more in a server than that. They sat us at a large, round table which was very nice.

I also need to pause here for a moment, before I even begin dissecting our delicious dinner, to just say that it was during this meal, in particular, that I began to wonder why in the world I had insisted that my mom come down for part of our trip. My mom have a complicated relationship. Obviously, I love her very much and we are extremely close. She only lives about ten minutes away from me, after all. We talk on the phone at least once a day, usually. She is my ultimate sounding board for almost all decisions in my life. But, we often disagree and have issues with communication that lead to arguments which end with one of us being very upset and hurt. I had wanted her to have a nice break, because after this winter and the various health issues with my adad, she certainly desrved one, but perhaps I should have suggested a solo vacation for her. OK, I”m kidding...sort of!

Remember how I was feeling so relaxed and happy? Yeah, my mom kind of messed that up. She and I differ on Max’s behavior to some extent. She thinks he should have better manners, be quieter when we’re out, that sort of thing. Trust me, Max is not a wild child, by any means, but he is an active, exuberant three year old. My general attitude was that we were at Disneyworld, for one thing, and we were at a family restaurant that was noisy and a bit chaotic to begin with. My mom picked at everything Max was doing and in turn, what I was not doing by allowing him to be a bit loud and kneel in his seat, rather than use a booster. Oh, and I have mentioned, that our table was sort of off in a corner? I know we were not disturbing anyone else.

That said...onto the FOOD!

We started with the bread, which was good, but didn’t wow me as I had expected it to.

A picture of Mark actually SMILING. I had heard rumors that such things existed, but I had never seen one before.

The fresh, crispy, cold salad that did WOW me. I love that lime dressing and they didn’t glom too much of it on the salad, either. Just the right amount.

While I would like think that this a picture of Max with his mouth stuffed full of lettuce, it is more than likely bread.

Oh, and did I mention I tried one of these?

Easily the best picture of me from the trip. Seriously, though, the Lapu Laup was delicious, but what drink with rum and fruit juice isn’t? And the presentation in the hollowed out pineapple is certainly impressive. I was just surprised that for the price (and the exterior size) that there wasn’t more in there. It was great, nonetheless, and I’m glad I ordered one so I can say that I ordered one.

Somehow I managed not to take anymore food pictures! Oh, the horror. Sorry!

The rest of our dinner was great. We all enjoyed the pot stickers and the sticky chicken wings. In fact, between that and the salad, I was stuffed. Seriously...my meal could have ended right there and I would have been perfectly happy. The noodles were good, too.

We were brought out plenty of meat and I liked the beef the best. The pork was a bit dry and I don’t often eat peel and eat shrimp, so I found that a little bothersome. The bread pudding was really good, too.

Overall, ‘Ohana was great. Its super fun and the food is great. I’m currently debating whether or not to keep the ADR we have here in July, though. Its a great deal on the regular dining plan, but since we’re going without a dining plan on this trip, I”m not sure I want to spend the money.
That said, I would highly recommend ‘Ohana to anyone, especially to anyone with small children.

At this point, my original plan had been to hit the Magic Kingdom for some rides that my mom had requested. Mainly, she wanted to visit some pirates. I had also planned on seeing Wishes! All of that was not be, however, as Max was very cranky and had a rather loud meltdown while we were leaving the restaurant. I know now that perhaps a bribe of some kind should have been involved for Max, but I hadn’t thought about that then....of course! So we headed back to our home away from home to call it a night.

 

[All7OfUs]

Awww, such a bummer your mom was bringing you down. I made a vow in 2008 never to take family again (other than my immediate), but now, wondering if I will re-consider sometime soon. My mom has expressed interest in going again, but she and I tour sooooooooooooooooo differently, it makes if difficult for both of us.

That said, your dinner sounds like it was great as usual. Rarely do I read about a bad meal at 'Ohana.

As for kids' behavior- it is always a joy to see kids who can sit still, speak quietly, and use basic table manners, appropriate TO THE SETTING they are in. It really has to be guaged by where you're at. DisneyWorld is one place you can be a bit noisier and "wigglier" than normal. Our basic rule is that if our children are drawing attention to our family by their behavior then it needs to be modified. Pretty simple.

 

[pinkxray]

Love the 'Ohana update! This is my one can't miss adr, I love the food. I would have been happy skipping all the skewers of meat and just having wings, noodles and dessert. I don't really like lettuce but surprisingly liked the salad there. I even tried to make the lime dressing once but it didn't taste anything like theirs.

My mom would be the total opposite. She lets Caitlin do whatever she wants. Caitlin is the only grandchild my mom has so she gets whatever she wants and is able to do pretty much whatever she wants at Grandma's.

 

[Torrance]

Hi Tina! Just wanted to say that I'm loving your trip report Thanks for sharing (and allowing me to live vicariously for a bit... we're planning for our first trip to WDW, so I love reading about other people's adventures).

Sorry that your mom was being a downer, that's really frustrating to have someone that's being negative... especially in a place that's fun and happy like Disney!

Looking forward to reading more about your trip

 

[tinkmom2]

I totally can relate to the relationship you have with your Mom. My Mom and I are the same way. One year I brought her down to Disney with us and got her an adjoining room. We paid for everything. I know she has never traveled and it was something we wanted to do.
We were fighting like cats and dogs the whole trip! She did nothing but complain the whole trip and is a smoker so she was stopping to smoke every few feet. I haven't brought her back since. She has commented she would love to go on a cruise but I am not going to put myself through that... anywho..lol
Ohanna's is awesome! We have done the Spirit of Aloha dinner show and the breakfast both were very good.

 

[KatMark]

Tina, two great updates. I'm glad you were able to accomplish what you set out to at the MK in the morning. And I'm sorry your mom was a "downer" on your trip...it sure can dampen an otherwise delightful time.

 

[glennbo123]

"Almost Paradise", sung by Mike Reno of Loverboy (I was almost going to say it was a Loverboy song, but remembered it was a duet) and Ann Wilson of Heart.

I love the lapu lapu picture!

 

[annmarieda]

I am not sure how I missed your updates

The line wasn’t too bad, but there was a woman who wormed her way ahead of us and was just ridiculous. She was super concerned about staying on schedule that cutting ahead of several people didn’t matter much to her at all. She was determined to get her and her family on Dumbo’s first trip of the day. It was just another chance to make friends with the people behind us in line, and we all shared a good chuckle over the Crazy Schedule Lady. I mean, seriously...five minutes is not going to make or break your touring plan, especially when you start off with a head start!

I am so glad that people like that are the exception. I mean... I think we all encounter someone like here at least once on a trip, but really it is not as often as on might expect given the crowds, lines and or heat.

You can see how empty Fantasyland still was:

In fact, there was no wait whatsoever, so we walked right on. We should have slowed it down a bit here and played for awhile, but...live and learn.

That is so cool. When we were there in September, the queue was not finished. I am excited to see that in 8 or so months.

From Winnie the Pooh, I am fairly certain we walked over to get Fastpasses for Peter Pan. And wouldn’t you know? We also FPs for Mickey’s Philharmagic, which I’d never seen before.

That happened to us too when we got fp's for PP. I love Philharmagic so it was a definite win for us.

We made a short pit stop behind Pinnochio’s Village Haus and when we came back we ran right into the boy/puppet himself!

A bit blurry, but at least Max looks happy.

What an awesome picture!

He really just loves that song. I guess all small children
do! You think Walt knew what he was doing, or what?

I know... when my dd was only 1, she was mesmerized by the song and dolls. Honestly, I could take it or leave it.

we went over to Snow White, which might have been a mistake. He was excited about the dwarves and their song, which he loves to sing. The scary darkness of the ride itself, not so much.

I am so glad that FINALLY, my dd likes this ride. It was too scary for a while.

I hadn’t realized that my mom had such a hard time with long distance Disney walking until we were there. She was more or less fine, but she had moments where you could just tell her age is catching up with her a bit.

I went through that in September. I don't see my mom but a few times a year, but even if I saw her more I think I would still have been struck by the realization that she is getting older. I think it is hard to think of our parents as "slowing down" .

Overall, ‘Ohana was great. Its super fun and the food is great. I’m currently debating whether or not to keep the ADR we have here in July, though. Its a great deal on the regular dining plan, but since we’re going without a dining plan on this trip, I”m not sure I want to spend the money.
That said, I would highly recommend ‘Ohana to anyone, especially to anyone with small children.

At this point, my original plan had been to hit the Magic Kingdom for some rides that my mom had requested. Mainly, she wanted to visit some pirates. I had also planned on seeing Wishes! All of that was not be, however, as Max was very cranky and had a rather loud meltdown while we were leaving the restaurant. I know now that perhaps a bribe of some kind should have been involved for Max, but I hadn’t thought about that then....of course! So we headed back to our home away from home to call it a night.

I am glad you enjoyed Ohana. It is on my list for December. I hope my guys will like it.

I am sorry your mom kinda ruined your calm. Going on a trip with family is a challenge... FOR SURE! (just remember my September TR )

 

[that's nice]

Yeah, Rosie's got the goods on HOT Italians. I'll take mine hard.

I have no idea how this quote made it this far with no one commenting on it.

And I will leave it at that!




Tina- Love your updates! Our touring style and your style are TOTALLY different! I'm glad you were there at RD to be able to hit all those rides. I think I would be going bonkers if I had to keep leaving the parks like you did.

We LOVE 'Ohana. I can eat there for hours. Love the Smiling Mark pic! I had a sip of a Lapu once.. I prefer beer.

Sorry your mom was bringing you down a bit. I'm sure she means well but you know your son. I am thankful that my parents and Mel's parents have never questioned our parenting. I think I would lose it if they did.

 

[dizneeat]

Great update, Tina!

Sorry your mom brought you down. I do not understand what Max could have done wrong. I mean we did see him behave at breakfast at Cape May and he was such a good kid!

And I am glad you liked Ohana. We have been many a times and our experiences were quite mixed. Fun, fun, fun times with exceptional food and stressed out waiters and so so food.

No wonder Max was tired - his day was looooooooong and so many new things to take in!

Can't wait for more ......