I always love seeing pictures of the World Showcase! And I really like all your embellishments.
Hello! Thanks!
It's quite fun adding things to photos. Thanks for reading!
I LOVE this trip report.
I really need to stop reading them on empty stomachs though because all the food pictures are killing me. Out of everywhere you've eaten I think I'd like to try the Grand Flordian Cafe the most, I'm a girl of simple tastes.
How did you find eating as a Vegetarian in Disney? Was there plenty of options or did you find yourself eating the same sort of thing over and over? When did you become a Vegetarian and what do you normally eat at home? Sorry for so many questions, I am super nosy.
Thanks for joining in!
LOL! Before we went on this trip, I was reading all the dining reports here on the Dis. They certainly made me hungry too. You should definately try the Grand Floridian Cafe- it is great. I was worried originally because I don't think there were any vegetarian entrees on the menu. But it was the only place where the chef came out and said he'd cook anything for me.
I found eating at TS restaurants as a vegetarian great. Most of the restaurants served different dishes- even if something wasn't on the menu- they always had a couple of vegetarian options. There weren't very many options at each restaurant, but they were delicious in most places. There were lots of different pasta dishes at different restaurants, but if I didn't like any of the veggie options on the menu, I would ask what else they could cook. The only places I really struggled were the Rose and Crown and 'Ohana. I tried the vegetarian sheperd's pie at the R&C and it was disgusting. So then I started tucking into my dad's mashed potato until I realised it had bacon in it. Of all meat- I dislike bacon the most.
At 'Ohana there was only one vegetarian option and I didn't like it- a rice and tofu dish of some sort. That was my first taste of tofu and it was disgusting!
I started disliking some meats probably about 5 years ago. Then I gradually stopped eating it. It was about 2 & 1/2 years ago that I stopped eating meat full stop. I eat a lot of quorn- which is a meat alternative like tofu but it's meant to look and taste like meat. I also eat lots of cheese and milk, and of course lentils.
Are you a vegetarian? Sometimes I don't stick to it very well. I can eat sweets with gelatin in them and some meats (the smells are irresistable!)
Thanks for reading!
Poodles actually come in different sizes according to the Kennel Clubs, toy, miniature and standard. The standards are the big ones. I've never owned one of the big ones, but I'm sure they are awesome.
The weather when we did our December trip was awesome. It stayed in the 70s and was never too hot nor too cold once you got to 9 or 10 in the morning. In fact the temps didn't even drop much at night every night. A couple of the nights we were there. One night my Gwyneth and I both happened to wake up in the middle of the night and we went out and explored the resort grounds in the wee hours while everyone else slept; it was warm and humid at 2 in the morning! But I know that it can be unpredictable and it is possible for central Florida to have cooler winter temps in Dec, not every year, but how are you going to predict it on any given year? In December of 1989, while I was living in the Tampa area there was an actual ice storm with freezing temps, but that is not common for that area.
The bears are at my Dad's house. He lives in a community on a mountain that is a nature preserve. It's in north Georgia. Most of those pics I took standing 10 to 15 feet from the bears, but I was up on a deck so they would have had to climb or go around a good distance to get to me. I have been that close to them on ground level but I don't stay that way on purpose, I'm sure it is not safe. Also when I was on the deck I was in a good position to get inside the house really quickly if they looked like they wanted to start climbing or otherwise coming towards me.
My dad got chased by a bear while he was out hiking once. He had a sandwich he was eating while he walked and he had to throw it down and run. Of course that worked because the bear stopped to eat the sandwich.
My dad is a little bit nutty about not being afraid of stuff that all us sane people are afraid of. I know he just runs the bears off when he wants to use his grill. He taught me a bit about how to handle that kind of situation and would you believe it actually came in handy the next week. I had gone to see my dad just before going on a campout in TN with a bunch of homeschooler. And there were bears in the park. The rangers warned our whole group that there had been some sitings of bears getting closer to campers than they usually do. And sure enough when I was walking from my cabin up to the dining hall by myself at 5 in the morning to help get the group breakfast ready I almost ran smack into a bear that was trying to make a mess of a broken open trash bag. You are not supposed to leave trash in a trash can overnight in bear country, but someone who didn't know made a mistake. So just once, I have run off a bear as well.
I've seen normal poodles but I think yours is far cuter. When we took my dog for dog training, there was a labradoodle, which was really weird because it was like a labrador with curly hair!
December sounds amazing! As long as it's warmish, I would love to go at that time of year! We're at freezing temperatures at the moment so I would gladly pack up and go somewhere warmer! I'd love to explore a resort in the middle of the night. Which hotel did you stay at? I'm always interested in things like this for some reason...
We're still trying hard to afford WDW next year, but the 45% off deal we got on SSR this year has just ended. So either it comes back, or we'll have to downgrade to a moderate. I looked up the moderates and they look really nice! Especially CSR and POR. I can't believe it's reached freezing temps! Tampa is about an hour away from Orlando, right? I wouldn't like to visit WDW if it was that cold.
Wow! I didn't know your dad lived in a nature preserve on a mountain! That must be a great place to live. Are bears really unsafe? I know polar bears are very vicious but I don't know much about bears. I don't think I've ever seen one in real life- you're so lucky being so close to them. Okay, lol, by the way you're writing I get the impression they are unsafe. Would they attack without a reason? I would just love to watch them from a platform, seeing as nothing like that has ever happened to me. Infact I don't think there are any bears living in England at all- unless they're in a zoo. I don't really like visiting zoos because I find it really sad- unless the animals aren't in tiny cages.
Was your dad scared? I would be! Was the bear after him or the sandwich?
Do you have any other awesome animals in the US? All ours are... a bit lame. Lol.
How do you run off a bear? Surely it would just chase you and try and kill you? I'd have been terrified if I was camping and almost ran into a bear! Maybe they're more interested in trash bags than humans.
I don't think, even if there were bears here, we'd be allowed to camp near them. Weren't you just really scared that one would attack you while you were sleeping? It's ironic that the most famous stuffed animal is the teddy bear and yet they don't seem as 'cuddly' as that in real life.
OK, these links are here because of the volcanic ash Christmas ornaments we were talking about. AND because it bugs me the way photobucket display links put in the comments section.
You were right it blew the side of the mountain. I never thought about that angle on it before, but that was pretty significant scientifically and historically that they got to see the situation and knew it was likely to blow and then there was, probably for the first time, video footage of the first blast of a newly formed volcano!
short eruption vids:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgRnVhbfIKQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=bgRnVhbfIKQ
another eruption vid with some commentary from a man who fled and lived:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBm9kTSrxio&feature=related
This is a good one. It is documentary style:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP2dreOI8gI
This one is stills set to music and gives God the glory. The person who put it together said that it was the "most devasting" volcano, but it seems to me Vesuvius has it beat by a long shot for infamy and for lives lost. That is just wild that it has been an active volcano since what was it 69 A.D.? maybe 79? And I know it has gone off during the last century. I guess that must have been only a smaller blast. Can you imagine with how many people live close to it in that area, what the death toll would be if it had another major blast?! And what must that be like getting homeowners insurance when you live close to an active volcano?! Anywho... This video is very impressive visually and it has one of the coolest shots I've seen of Mt. St. Helens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwLYFwjhgaw&feature=related
Thanks for the links to the videos! I like the one where the guy escaped, and the documentary style one. But the first one is awesome too because it shows what the eruption really did to the volcano. It's amazing how powerful nature can be, and we could never stop an eruption like that! Like the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and the Haiti one. I seem to remember my teacher saying no one expected Mt St Helens to have an eruption the size it did. The videos look pretty scary, but still, I love how amazing nature can be, and how powerful, even if it is destructive. I think Mt Vesuvius was pretty devastating, but did any of the residents of Pompeii or Herculanium actually know what a volcano was? At least people living near Mt St Helens knew the risks, Pompeiians probably had no idea what was going on. But I think the cool thing about that eruption is that so many things have been preserved- frozen in time. Isn't there a volcano in that National Park in the US that is a 'super volcano' and could apparently split the country in half when it errupts? Sorry, I've forgotten the name of it, lol. Apparently it blows every 100,000 years (I think?) and it last erupted about 100,000 years ago. Does that mean it could go off any minute? Me neither, and I wouldn't want to live near a volcano... I'd just be worrying the whole time!
Hi, Megan!! Catching up on your TR. Great photos!! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, thanks so much for asking!! Mostly we eat the same foods you eat at Christmas (turkey, ham, dressing, etc) and watch LOTS and LOTS of football!! Then we have Black Friday - this is when all the sales and deals traditionally start for Christmas gifts. Most places now open at Midnight or even late in the evening on Thanksgiving. DH and I got out at 10 pm on Thanksgiving and shopped until 5 am on Friday!!! Then we crashed in bed and slept a few hours and right back at it. All our gifts were bought. Kindof crazy but so much fun. So, what are you asking for Christmas? Has your family started decorating yet? We will start this weekend. Take care!!!
Hi there! Nice to hear from you again!
Wow- your thanksgiving sounds fantastic! So you have mostly the same food at Christmas and Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving seems like such a fun holiday!
That's so cool about Black Friday- and leaving late on Thanksgiving night to get some bargains! I didn't know you could leave that early! So your DH likes shopping? My dad and brothers hate it.
All the Christmas shopping is done by me and my mum.
Me and my mum went Xmas shopping last week when all of the teachers and healthcare workers were on strike, so I got a day off school! We bought me a warm woolly jumper, which is one of my presents, but I wish I had it now seeing as it's so chilly! I'm also asking for some arty stuff. What are you asking your family for? Have you started decorating yet? We put our tree up this week and now I feel really festive! I can't wait for Christmas!
Hope you had a good weekend!
Hi there, I just started reading your trippie! Excellent - can't wait for another update.
I'm from Essex too!
: and like you, I have always been the planner in my family. When I was your age, I used to edit photos like that too! I probably got really into theme parks in general when I was about 13/14 and now I am a proper enthusiast. Your passion will never go - trust me. My family always thought I would eventually get 'over' Disney, but here I am nearly 19 and will be working at Disney next summer!
My parents love it, but not as quite as much as me, they love Vegas a little more! Your oldest brother sounds a lot like mine - he finds Disney boring. He prefers Universal parks and Busch (My favourite park is a Universal one but shh, don't tell Disney not by much though!) He would always moan about everything at Disney, particularly in Magic Kingdom. We went this year, but as he is now 17 he stayed behind and thought that V-Festival sounded much more exciting (I don't think so!!). I have my 8 year old step-sister though so I use her as my excuse of getting really involved with all the character greets etc
Just thought I'd say hi and look forward to your next update! I will say though that on your next trip, consider Universal, Seaworld and Busch. You will love them! Generally the Brits I have spoken to (all also Disney lovers) prefer the Universal/Busch parks, the humour there is much more 'British style'. If you ever go to these parks during August, you would think you were in Britain. SeaWorld also is filled with Brits! They each have their own kind of magic and you should try them at least once
Jealous that you stayed on-site though! Me and my family stay off-site in villas and eat outside of the parks. It works out way cheaper and then we can justify the returning year after year. However I know some people would much rather go every other/every 3 years and stay on-site with the
DDP.
Hello there! Welcome and thanks for reading!
Nice to see someone from Essex! Who knows, we may be nextdoor neighbours!
It is great to hear someone else loved Disney at my age and has never grown out of it. My parents don't think that's possible for some reason! Have you left school yet, or are you in upper sixth? What are you going to do when you work at Disney? Are you gonna be a waitress or work in a shop or something?
Wow- you've been to Vegas? My parents say they've never been that inspired to go, but then again, they have never been inspired to go to WDW and look at how much they loved that! My brother moaned the most at MK too, but that was the best park! I loved all of the performances there. I can't believe your brother stayed behind because of the V Festival! Maybe I'm just not a festival person, but I would far rather go to Florida than stay behind for a festival.
You're lucky having a younger sister- I have pretty much always wanted one but I guess I got out of luck!
We actually did go to SeaWorld but not Universal or Busch Gardens. We got tickets for free with our Discovery Cove passes. I wish we'd have tried Busch Gardens because we actually were disappointed with Seaworld. It seemed run down in comparison with the Disney parks, and the animals were in tiny enclosures. What is Universal like? We have friends that have been there and say it is amazing. We probably should have tried it but it wasn't in the budget after what we'd spent on DC. I have heard our sense of humour is very different to the American sense of humour, but I'm not sure why.
When we were at Discovery Cove, it was probably 90% Brits- I felt like I was back in England!
You should honestly stay onsite! It is so much better! We stayed at SSR at a 45% off deal and with the free dining plan- it actually turned out cheaper than staying in a villa offsite! It's so magical, and I can honestly say it made the holiday 10 times better! We stayed offsite the second week and it just didn't feel the same. Next time we are thinking about staying offsite first and then onsite afterwards.
Thanks for reading! It's really nice to have you onboard!
I would highly recommend that timing to anyone as a great time for a trip! 
It looks awesome!
