Screw In the Light Bulb-All New x 13 4/25!!

[Captain_Oblivious]

This update is going to be short on photos, but don't worry I have plenty for the rest of the TR

Can't say I was too worried!

We got to the airport and got through security quickly (you know what’s not easier for men? Security at the airport. I breeze right through, but it takes Bry forever with the belt, wallet, shoes, watch etc. Much easier to throw your purse in the bin and go).

Man, you're not kidding! I've learned over the years to try and throw my wallet, keys, loose change, watch, etc. into my carry-on bag before I get into the line.

Unfortunately, once we were on the bus we sat there for 20 minutes or so. It seems that one of the families on the bus was missing one member of their party so the whole bus was waiting for him to get back (he was getting snacks. True story).

Seriously? Snacks? At least make up a story about rescuing people from a burning airliner or something.

We were immediately impressed with POR. Even at night it was easy to see how beautiful the resort is, and the mansion buildings certainly did not disappoint.

Love POR! I wasn't expecting much the first time we stayed there and it really blew us away.

For those of you that aren't aware, the story behind the Royal Guest Rooms is that Princess Tiana has decorated these rooms with some help from her royal friends.

I actually hadn't heard that story, but all of the details are really cool!

It’s a massive L shaped building with the lobby in the center, gift shop toward the front, and restaurants on the end by the water wheel.

One of the best food courts on property!

Back in the room, we ate our food in our princess beds while enjoying Stacey and fiberoptic fireworks from our headboard. Trust me when I say that the headboard fireworks did not go unused during our stay. We enjoyed them often.

And sometimes, we even let Maddie use them.

The call center transferred my call to POFQ bell services by mistake, and the CM there transferred me to what should have been POR bell services. I’m not sure where my call was answered, but the Spanish speaking CM who answered had no idea what the heck I was asking. I speak some Spanish, but not nearly enough to know how to ask for the ‘suitcase room’ or even front desk. After trying to communicate with her for 5 minutes or so I finally just said “gracias, gracias” and hung up.

Even the "don't drive here dummy" posts were pretty!

I'm totally stealing that phrase.

 

[pkondz]

Hey Shanoopie! Made it! And caught up!

And yes... I did the "screw in the lightbulb" wave.

Looks like the concert was awesome. I kept scrolling down thinking, "Surely, it can't keep going on? Look how many songs he played!"


And don't call me Shirley.

We were immediately impressed with POR. Even at night it was easy to see how beautiful the resort is, and the mansion buildings certainly did not disappoint.

That was our first on-site resort. It's amazing, isn't it? We stayed right beside where you were, in Magnolia Terrace.

Having never been to POR before, we didn’t really know how the building was set up, and we ended up making a full circle around the building before we found our room number.

I think we did just about the same thing!

Once inside, Maddie almost burst with the sheer princessness of the room.

You don't want that.

Nothing worse than a burst kid.

I hear Mousekeeping might not even clean it up for you!

She ran from detail to detail exclaiming and asking me to take pictures of everything.

I do that too.

For those of you that aren't aware, the story behind the Royal Guest Rooms is that Princess Tiana has decorated these rooms with some help from her royal friends.

Did not know that.

Super bad picture of the Tiana portrait. It was a lenticular portrait with subtle changes depending on where you were standing

Like what? Facial expressions, or something?

I was too excited to hold the camera straight apparently

I can’t say enough good things about our room location. It was a short, beautiful walk across the bridge to the main building.

Yup. Magnolia Terrace and Oak Manor are considered the 'preferred' mansions.

Back in the room, we ate our food in our princess beds while enjoying Stacey and fiberoptic fireworks from our headboard.

Bet mom was feeling warm and fuzzy right about then.

The call center transferred my call to POFQ bell services by mistake, and the CM there transferred me to what should have been POR bell services. I’m not sure where my call was answered, but the Spanish speaking CM who answered had no idea what the heck I was asking. I speak some Spanish, but not nearly enough to know how to ask for the ‘suitcase room’ or even front desk. After trying to communicate with her for 5 minutes or so I finally just said “gracias, gracias” and hung up.

Nice to know that you've just purchased $800,000 worth of time share in downtown Mexico city, right?

Sure it's in the middle of a slum where a drug war is currently raging... but it shouldn't last for more then another decade or two... After that, it's all good.

The awesome CM who answered the phone very nicely told me that the bags could take up to 5 hours ONCE YOU CHECK INTO THE RESORT-not once your flight lands like I thought (oops!),

Well there ya go. I thought it was from landing time, too.

He was back on the phone in a jif saying that he had our stuff-all 3 bags and he’d send them up right away.


Unfortunately we had 5 bags.

Ruh-roh!

He said it was possible that the last 2 hadn’t been scanned in yet and not to panic yet

There will be no panicking at Disney!

It seems silly now, but at the time we were really worried that someone wasn’t going to have any underpants.

Actually, I worry about that all the time.

The bell services CM was there really quickly, and thank goodness, was pulling 5 suitcases behind him.

yay!

one of those bags was nearly empty and earmarked for souvenirs on the way home

You must be at Disney.

love that 2 free bags policy that Southwest has!

Nice. I know some airlines are considering reducing the number of bags you can check to zero. Or charging for carry-ons.

we finally, finally went to bed around 1:30 am.

The next morning we were up bright and way too early at 6 am.

ugh... But oddly enough... at Disney it doesn't feel the same as when you do it at home before going to work.

Even the "don't drive here dummy" posts were pretty!

I like your name for them, too.

So let's see... I'm stealing it... Capt. Oblivious is stealing it.... you may have started a trend here.

Spanish moss?

Better then spanish fly?


I guess it depends on what type of vacation you want.

the receipt showed that I’d just agreed to pay over $50 for the mugs that were supposed to come free with our dining plan.

Whoops! But the first thought that crossed my mind was, "$50 for mugs??? Ouch!"

But I remember doing the math and realizing that it was cheaper then paying each time.

At least for us.

Up Next: Our First Character Meal of the Trip![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

Thanks for the chapter(s). Looking forward to more!

 

[Cinderella909]

I just love the toes! Perfect way to start a holiday. Just enough sparkle and bling! I think I like the new pictures of the princesses better than the silly ones. Call me old fashion, but I prefer my princesses in the 'princess' mode.

Did you just love the room. I love those bathroom aladin lamps! Wasn't fun to see all the princess connections in the room! And, the headboards were so fun to watch at night. How lucky that you got upgraded to a garden view room!

Maddie is the cutest Alice! Love her silly faces.

Can't wait for more, more more!

Thanks Karen

 

[shan23877]

Yay, finally some good Princess Maddie photos! Glad she enjoyed the Royal Room, the details look pretty intricate. I'm glad for the pictures of POR, this is where my family will be staying in April. Can't wait for more updates!

I hope you love your stay at POR as much as we did! I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I knew Maddie would though...

Great fun so far! Good thing Bryan told you to pick the royal rooms and they were such a hit! The things daddies do for their little girls!

Side note, my husband started emptying his pockets and tossing his belt into my bag for security at the airport. This typically means a larger bag for me (that I would carry anyway) but it's much less frustrating for him. Works for us, but I totally agree tossing the purse in the bin and being on your way is awesome!

It was a really good move on his part. We loved the room, and POR as a whole.

That's a good idea! I'm always busy getting Maddie through so Bry fends for himself, but maybe if we planned a little further ahead while we're in line...

Your pictures are making me sooooo excited to stay in a royal room! It looks amazing! I might never leave! Glad to hear you got such a great location and view, too!

Maddie looks adorable! I had a similar dress when I was little

Awesome! I cant' imagine anyone not enjoying POR. It's not as heavily themed as POFQ but it's lovely and the rooms couldn't be more cool.

I can't blame her. I'd be the same way. I mean somebody is keeping me from getting to Disney World because they need a snack.

Hey, guess what they have plenty of at each resort?

Snacks!

And if we'd left 20 minutes ago, you'd be eating a Mickey shaped ice cream bar right about now.​

I think I'd have lost it. I tend to be tired and irritable after flying anyway. If it is a bathroom emergency or something, I could understand,

Thank god someone understands! I was sooo annoyed. Who holds up an entire bus so that they can get snacks? You need them that badly you get them before you get in the ME line! So rude!

I'm glad that it had the desired impact. I think a video tour from her would have been a lot of fun.

Next time for sure! She was disappointed that we forgot.

I'm glad that they were able to get all of your bags located and to your room. I always feel like I can relax a little more once I'm unpacked and settled into the room for the week.

And most importantly, I'm glad that no dresses, tiaras or underpants were lost in transit.

especially no dresses or tiaras. We always need to unpack too. It makes the rest of the trip more relaxed.

She really looks like she should be on some Disney World TV commercial or something the way she's posing around in that Alice dress.

thanks! She has the posing thing down for sure!

Gotta love a trip to Disney with a young girl

great pics! We stayed a few times at Port Orleans when I was a kid but the new royalty rooms look great

I'm a little jealous of parents of boys.

They are really fun! I loved the mansion buildings too.

First off: YAYAYAYAYA

Second off: Every time I scroll past the into pic with you and Maddie I’m all “IT’S SO CUTE” seriously, love it.

Thanks! I like that one too, if only my hair wasn't sitting funny...

So glad that Maddie loved all the videos!! I’ll always do what I can to create magic for anyone!! Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3bCF5AtmNs

Thanks for sharing the link! Maddie LOVED them!

Cute toes!! I have to say, I’ve gotten a pedicure once and that will be the only time. The polish chipped off so soon, and being a dancer, it was NOT great to have them rub off all the calloses on my feet, like, I need those, bahaha!!

I bet you do! We only do pedicures once or twice a year, but she loves it.

Aw man, security at airports can be so annoying, I’m one of those people who has my shoes off, the things I need out of my bag out and I’m ready to roll once I can grab a bin, yet I’m always trapped behind someone who’s slow as molasses and has no idea what they’re doing!

Wow! WAIT TO GET SNACKS TIL DISNEY! It’ll taste better! #truestory

I know right?? So rude!

Aw man, that’s insane that everything was over! I’ve got to the second and third? Cartoons before but never had them finish! How great that you wouldn’t have to switch rooms!

it took forever....

Ahaha, I always make like, three circles around the building before finding my room!

Awe, I liked the less formal pictures of the princesses! Although, I do like that they updated them with the redesigns!

The room looks absolutely AMAZING!! I will have to definitely splurge for one of those when I’ve got a little princess! Or maybe in the near future…lol…

You should! The rooms are really cool. Even having seen lots of pictures of them we were still really impressed.

Oh man, five hours after checking in?! That’s insane!!

Okay…Maddie is seriously the cutest thing in the world, the poses! Ah! So cute!

So excited to read more, it’s looking like a great start off to the trip, glad all the bags showed up when they did too!

Thanks Katt! It was a pretty good start!

Really cute pics!

Thanks!

This update really had me missing POR and the Royal Rooms! They're so beautiful! I think we were in the exact same building. So fun!

Edited to say: Just kidding. Definitely not the same building! Hahaha. I spoke too soon, I forgot to click through the pics before I commented. This is what happens when you have to do your DISing on your phone.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

no worries! They are such great rooms aren't they? I loved the location too!

I love the pedicures. The jewels make them awesome.

Maddie thought so too

One the Princess Maddie photos. Her Alice outfit is way too cute. That is the outfit I bought myself for the a halloween parties (although not as cute as Maddie's I am sure).

Don't drive here dummy! I am still laughing. You are too funny. Yes, the poles are cute.

I LOVE the room. You were right to switch. My favorite details (after the headboard of course) are the genie lamp faucet and the magic carpet in the carpet. Such clever ideas that were executed well.

They were such clever ideas! The ottoman was one of my favorites, it was such an unexpected detail.

I like to unpack the first night too but staying up until 1:30 just to get up at 6 does not agree with me. More power to you. Even though you were super tired, you caught the $50 mistake sooner rather than later, which was good.

I would have been really annoyed if we'd payed for those mugs. We use them a lot, but we consider it a big perk of the DDP.

I love all of your room pictures. I have a feeling we would also definitely make use of the fireworks headboard. This sounds like a good beginning to your trip, cannot wait to hear more!

The royal rooms are great! I'd recommend them to anyone. The fireworks really are cool!

 

[shan23877]

Wow! Those rooms are amazing. We stayed at POR with our son back in 2010, but now that we have a Princess of our own- I see another stay in our future!

You'll have to treat your little princess to a royal room someday. I couldn't believe how perfect they were. Maddie was in princes heaven.

My God, the detail in that room is amazing.

I know these are obviously tailored to young girls or at the very least females in general, but... fireworks in the headboard??? Sadly, I think I would probably play with that more than anyone probably should.

The rooms really are outstanding. Each princess's tiara was on the bedspread, the wallpaper border with the sidekicks, no detail was left out. The fireworks are what really put the room over the top for Maddie. I may have activated them myself a time or 12

Katt is so cute with her videos to Maddie. I love them!

Aren't they sweet? Maddie was so excited!

Awwww. Love the pedicures!

Hahahaha. I can't explain why, but your "he was getting snacks. True story." Seriously made me crack up. I must be in a mood today.

At least I know I'm amusing someone. Please check in here when you are in your moods please. I like to be funny.

I absolutely LOVE the pictures of the room. So beautiful!

She's so freakin' cute in the Alice dress!

The room was great! I really thought I'd be underwhelmed since I'd seen so many photos, but nope! We all loved it.

Thanks!

I don't know what came over me tonight but the picture of your's and Maddie's toes made me well up....i think cause I remember how quickly those little toes grow into big girl toes.....ok, I'm good now!

Well that made me tear up too. I know I've said it before, but I can only hope that my little girl grows up to be as wonderful a young woman as yours has, and that we have as great a relationship as the two of you do!

We may have a problem now....Shan was reading your posts behind me and asked why we have never stayed in a princess room....a little girl can grow up but they're always a little girl inside! Love those rooms!!! Guess who wants to stay there next trip.....ME!

Maddie...cute as ever!!!!!

You ladies should try the princess rooms at least for a few days! They really are lovely, and the resort is gorgeous. Totally worth it!

Maddie made a good choice with Red Lobster! Those biscuits alone make me happy.

Those are her favorite part! She ALWAYS asks for more!

What a cute idea with the video of Cinderella inviting Maddie. Katt is too sweet again! I love how you guys have it that she has to be invited to BBB. It's such a great way to make her realize it's something special without shoving the expense down her throat.

Wasn't that sweet of her? Thanks for that Courtney. We don't want her to hear too often how expensive stuff is. I want her to stay little for as long as I can

I can't say I blame Maddie for wanting a sparkle on each toe. Why have a little sparkle when you can have more?!

Really? Holding the ME up for snacks? Didn't he know he was headed to WDW where there are 100000 infinitely better tasting snacks?

It was sooo annoying. The snacks weren't even for a kid!

Glad to hear the resort and room were a hit! I knew the rooms were Princess themed but I never realized they had a touch from each princess. That's amazing! I'm sure Maddie was in heaven!

Oh gosh Maddie never fails to delight with her cuteness. That first picture of her in the Alice dress is priceless.

Yikes! Glad you caught the error on the receipt! That would've been an expensive one! Can't wait to hear about the trip!!

The room was beautiful, we couldn't have been happier-especially Maddie.

You are so sweet! Thanks so much!

Sounds like ya'll had a good trip down even if it was late when you got there. I stayed at POR on my honeymoon, they didn't have royal rooms yet, but I think we were in the same area that you were, because that fountain was right outside of our door.

Isn't it a great area? We could have been happier with the location.

Playing catch up from the beginning! The Paul McCartney concert trip looks so amazing!!! What a great way to kick-start your trip!!

I love POR!!! I am so excited to go back!! The Royal Rooms are so cool with all of those details!!! I had booked a Royal Room but changed to regular standard afraid my older guys would turn their noses up! My princess is also almost 18 so it would be a little different if I had a younger princess!

You should book it and pretend that you got a surprise upgrade! The rooms really are great, and we loved POR

Maddie's outfit is so cute! She looks so excited.

Beautiful view! I stayed in a similar location on my very first trip to world many years ago and those pictures bring back good memories.

Your room looks so cool. Thanks for pointing out all the great details. They really did a lovely job.

So glad all your luggage came together even though it was a bit of a wait.

Thank you!

It was a fantastic location, and I'm happy the pictures brought back nice memories!

I should have known about the luggage taking so long. I was relieved that we got it that night though.

Ahhhh...love the updates! Those rooms are amazing!! Wonder if I could convince DH and DS that we should stay there "just for momma"?

Your packing and leaving post makes me so excited...we are 32 days out and I am making the "official notebook" this weekend! You know, instead of the "unofficial" one I've been working in!

Maddie looks fantastically adorable! I love the Alice dress! Can't wait to read more updates and see more pics...your trip reports are the best!

Make those boys stay there for you! The rooms are great!

Awesome! I have an unofficial notebook too. I used it to plan ADR for our next trip while I was waiting to pick Maddie up for school today

Thank you so much! More on the way...

YAY! Y'all made it to Disney! I love, love, love the princess room! I want to stay in one sooooo badly but I've been vetoed by all the testosterone in my family. Maybe if I go for my birthday one year.....

Anyway...glad the room was great & that they were able to find all 5 bags for y'all. I would have been stressed.

Maddie is so adorable in her Alice dress! That has to be one of my favorites!

The rooms are so pretty Amanda, you make those boys stay there with you.

I was pretty upset at the idea of the bags not making it. I'm sure it would have been all of my stuff.

Thank you so much!

You've inspired us to book a Royal Room when we spend a few days at WDW before our Disney Cruise in May! So gorgeous!

I don't think you'll be disappointed. The rooms are gorgeous, and so are the grounds.

I am so jealous right now. POR is my resort and I love it dearly. Our next trip (not this year) is going to be back at POR. To me it's just the most relaxing place we've ever stayed.

I think it's become our place too. We all loved it so much!

Maddie looks like she grown! Why can't our girls stay little! I'm going to post some new pics of Kadence soon and you'll freak when you see how old she looks and how tall she's gotten!

Love the Alice costume! I need to get over and check out your esty store.

I've asked Maddie repeatedly to stop growing, but she refuses. She loves being such a 'big girl' though, so its' hard not to enjoy it with her.

Thanks Carey! You know I'd be happy to make some stuff for Miss Kadence!

 

[shan23877]

All caught up! Glad you enjoyed staying at POR! I just LOVE it there! I also stayed in oak manor, it's the most beautiful manor! Your room looks very similar, but we did have the silly pics. I think I prefer those. Glad all of your luggage arrived on time! Sounds like you had VERY little sleep, but who can sleep when there's Disney right outside your door? Can't wait to read about your first character meal!

POR was perfect! I think it's our new go to resort. I would have liked the silly pics I think, but these were nice too.
I operate on no sleep better at WDW than I do anywhere else

Yay, you started! I am very late, sorry.

Great start, the concert sounds like it was amazing.

I love your room. It is perfect for girls who like princesses. May have to try and stay here one day.

Can't wait to read more.

So glad to have you! The concert was awesome, and a really fun way to kick off the vacation.

The royal rooms are great. I can't recommend them enough!

OMG, I love that room. We have tried convincing our girls to stay there, but after staying in the pirate room at CBR, we can't get them to change. Even with the promise of all the princesses and fireworks over the bed. They just want to drive those pirate beds. That resort is gorgeous. I love New Orleans. Some day I'll stay there, with our without my kids.

The pirate rooms do look pretty cool. I don't blame them one bit.

Seriously? That guy needed a snack? Did he not know where he was going? I would have been so mad.

It was obnoxious! Honestly I couldn't believe the driver agreed to hold the bus for him!

I love Maddie's Alice dress. It is so cute. I love her poses in it. Can't wait to hear more.

I'm going to Wrigley on Sunday! Can't wait! I got free tickets from work because they are playing the Brewers, but I'll be there in my Cubs jersey.

Thanks!

And AWESOME! Have a hot dog for me! Go Cubs!

Can't believe I missed the start of your TR!!! But, I'm all caught up--at least for now. We leave Saturday for our quick pre-deployment Disney fix so I'm sure I will get behind again!

Can't wait to read about all of your awesome Disney meals and see all of Maddie's costume changes!

So glad to have you! Enjoy your trip, and you know I won't have gotten very far while you're away.

You know us too well...

Oh wow! The Royal Guest rooms at POR are just beautiful!!! LOVE the princess theming and the fireworks headboard. My 3 girls would be in heaven! But as a family of 6, we would never fit into one .... well unless we decided to leave the boys at home!! (haha, maybe someday!)

Maddie looks adorable in her Alice dress!

That's too bad! There really aren't many girly rooms for parties of 5 or more are there? A girls trip sounds great though!

Can't say I was too worried!

Man, you're not kidding! I've learned over the years to try and throw my wallet, keys, loose change, watch, etc. into my carry-on bag before I get into the line.

I'm not sure why he doesn't do that, but I do feel for you. It's a pain!

Seriously? Snacks? At least make up a story about rescuing people from a burning airliner or something.

I know right? He didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed!

Love POR! I wasn't expecting much the first time we stayed there and it really blew us away.



I actually hadn't heard that story, but all of the details are really cool!

We fell in love with the whole resort. It's such a nice place, and the royal rooms are outstanding.

And sometimes, we even let Maddie use them.

[QUOTE



I'm totally stealing that phrase.[/QUOTE]

Feel free! My lips are sealed!

Hey Shanoopie! Made it! And caught up!

And yes... I did the "screw in the lightbulb" wave.

So glad you're here Ponzerella! And I knew I could count on you-that man card is long gone, what have you got to lose?

Looks like the concert was awesome. I kept scrolling down thinking, "Surely, it can't keep going on? Look how many songs he played!"

That's how I felt while we were there. It was endless! I can't believe he played for so long.

That was our first on-site resort. It's amazing, isn't it? We stayed right beside where you were, in Magnolia Terrace.

I'm so glad we gave POR a try. Bryan and Maddie have declared it their favorites, and I loved it too. The mansion areas are gorgeous!

You don't want that.

Nothing worse than a burst kid.

I hear Mousekeeping might not even clean it up for you!

Can you imagine the tip I'd have had to leave for that mess?

Like what? Facial expressions, or something?

Her pose changed a bit, and the dress swished. Not as cool as the rest of the room, but since it's her resort I felt the large portrait was warranted.

Bet mom was feeling warm and fuzzy right about then.

I didn't hate it

Nice to know that you've just purchased $800,000 worth of time share in downtown Mexico city, right?

Sure it's in the middle of a slum where a drug war is currently raging... but it shouldn't last for more then another decade or two... After that, it's all good.

I really need to brush up on my Spanish. I'm sure we'll enjoy our vacations there.

Well there ya go. I thought it was from landing time, too.

Glad I'm not the only one! My TRs are officially educational!

Nice. I know some airlines are considering reducing the number of bags you can check to zero. Or charging for carry-ons.

It's terrible isn't it? We'll be on Southwest for the foreseeable future.

ugh... But oddly enough... at Disney it doesn't feel the same as when you do it at home before going to work.

Oh yeah, that would never happen at home. Well, it happens, but no one wants to be around me in the morning. I'm assuming they wanted to be around me at WDW...

I like your name for them, too.

So let's see... I'm stealing it... Capt. Oblivious is stealing it.... you may have started a trend here.

Steal away guys, I won't tell...

Better then spanish fly?


I guess it depends on what type of vacation you want.

Disney really does have something for everyone!

Whoops! But the first thought that crossed my mind was, "$50 for mugs??? Ouch!"

But I remember doing the math and realizing that it was cheaper then paying each time.

At least for us.

We make really good use of them as well. I don't care to pay for them if they come with the DDP though.

Thanks for the chapter(s). Looking forward to more!

Thanks for joining in! There's more comin' right up!

I just love the toes! Perfect way to start a holiday. Just enough sparkle and bling! I think I like the new pictures of the princesses better than the silly ones. Call me old fashion, but I prefer my princesses in the 'princess' mode.

Did you just love the room. I love those bathroom aladin lamps! Wasn't fun to see all the princess connections in the room! And, the headboards were so fun to watch at night. How lucky that you got upgraded to a garden view room!

Maddie is the cutest Alice! Love her silly faces.

Can't wait for more, more more!

Thanks Karen

We LOVED the room Karen! You can imagine how excited Maddie was to see everything.

The comforter and the wallpaper border were awesome too. I loved that they had all of them represented on those.

Thanks!! She's a goofball.

More to come!

 

[shan23877]

The One Where We Utilize Disney Transportation
​

We got to the main bus stop at POR at 7:15, and waited all of 2 minutes for a Magic Kingdom bus to arrive.


At the Magic Kingdom we grabbed the Monster’s Universityorail and took off for the Grand Floridian.

Princess on a monorail!


​

We arrived at our destination by 7:55, and proceeded straight to the Photo Pass desk on the second floor. We needed to exchange our voucher for PP+, and since I hadn’t heard of many people who had ordered this as part of their Magic Your Way Package, I was nervous about how it would go. I needn’t have been. Within minutes we had our CD case containing the disc of stock photos and code to redeem our photo CD after the trip as well as the red PP+ card on its lanyard. For those of you that order from Disney direct rather than the website, be prepared to carry that disc around with you all day. Luckily we'd brought Pack Mule Bryan who tucked it into the back pack.



From there we popped into M. Mercantile to purchase the first autograph book of the trip. We’d forgotten to buy one at POR the night before, and we’d left the resort before the gift shop opened. The CMs at the store that morning made a huge fuss over little Alice and sent us on our way.



We descended the grand staircase of the Grand Floridian (where my daughter refused to step on anything but the red stripe of carpet-declaring it to be her own personal red carpet) and checked in for our first meal of the trip




Up Next: We eat!

 

[shan23877]

The One With the Dining Review Disclaimer​

As I said before we chose to once again do the Deluxe Dining Plan. I realize that many people consider the DxDP to be “too much food”, but for us it’s just right. We can do all the character meals that Maddie wants, and also do several signatures for us. We aren’t typically the types to treat ourselves to fancy dinners out, or to add on appetizers or dessert (much less both in the same meal!) so this is a nice indulgence for us. At the end of the report I’ll summarize what the meals would have cost us OOP, and what we paid for deluxe dining-a significant savings.


I’ll be doing many dining reviews, but here’s the thing… sometimes dining reviews bother me. I’ve worked in high end restaurants (steakhouses) for the better part of the last 15 years and I know first hand that some hastily written comments on the internet can really affect a restaurant and the business it does. Of course I also know that WDW restaurants are a whole different animal, but I still hesitate to try to influence anyone’s choices.



I am not and have never been employed as a restaurant reviewer. I am well educated on food and service, but I’m usually fairly understanding when a restaurant is having a bad day. The only thing I find absolutely unforgivable is rude service. I hope that I'll be able to give you a good idea of the quality of food and service that we received on a given day and you'll get a good idea of what's offered whether we liked it or not.

Character meals especially seem to get stamped with sweeping generalizations here on the DIS. I truly believe that the character experience on any given day depends mostly on the children the characters are interacting with. By and large we’ve seen that characters won’t push too hard when Maddie is tired or so excited to see the character behind them that she barely acknowledges the ones right in front of her. Keep in mind that these characters will feed off of your kids, there is no rule that one restaurant hosts better characters than the other.

We also tend to not expect much from the food at the character meals. We know that the high ticket price is for the interaction rather than high quality eats. For this reason we tend to stick to breakfast for character meals.

Having said all of that I’m happy and eager to share our experiences with all of you, just remember that they are just that-our experiences. I’d hate to think that anyone is cancelling an ADR based on the meal we had, but I’d love it some of our positive experiences opened someone’s eyes to a place they’ve never considered.

Now Let’s Eat!

 

[shan23877]

The One With 1900 Park Fare-Breakfast​

We checked in for our 8:15 reservation at about 8:05 and were led immediately to the PP area to have our photos taken. In the past (this is our 4th time dining at PF for various meals) the photographers have taken only one photo, but on this particular day they took a few of us as a family as well as a few of Maddie by herself. I can’t say if this was due to the very noticeable red PP+ card around Bryan’s neck, or the lack of crowds waiting to get in, but we definitely noticed that more pictures were taken.

​

We were shown into the dining room immediately following our photo session. We were seated in the area closest to the buffet once again (not that I’m complaining). The restaurant is decorated in creams and golds with carousel horses serving as the main décor. I’ve never been blown away by the ambiance here, but as I looked around some more on this particular morning I realized that it is quite pretty.

​

Our sever arrived to take our drink orders, and while she wasn’t the most pleasant gal we’ve ever met, she was efficient enough. Being character breakfast vets we knew we’d have time to fill some plates before the first round of friends arrived to visit so we did just that.

Waiting for our server to come by, someone was excited!





She made her dad get in on the action



​

I had Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, and bread pudding (it’s vacation! Why not!) The eggs were delicious, but unfortunately on this particular morning the waffles were very hard all the way through-just an overcooked batch I’m sure. The bacon I had high hopes for since 1900 Park Fare was the one place that I’d had good bacon the year before, but alas this year it was back to typical Disney bacon. And, as it turns out I don’t really love bread pudding for breakfast. It was kind of soggy. Live and learn

​

Maddie had chosen waffles, eggs, and fruit for her first plate. Once the characters started to come by her food was all but forgotten, but she did manage some eggs and fruit. She did't like the waffles either.

​

Bryan has a pretty strict “no photographing my plates at buffets” rule, but he tried the waffles, ham, bacon, potato hash, and some pastries. He felt the same way I had about the waffles, but enjoyed the ham and bacon (he likes his bacon on the less crispy side). He declared the potato hash “good, spicy” and didn’t comment on the pastries so I assume they were fine.


Up Next: More Park Fare

 

[shan23877]

The One With 1900 Park Fare-Breakfast Part 2​

Soon enough it was time to meet our first character of the trip. Pooh stopped by for some hugs and photos. He was very, very excited about Maddie’s outfit and hopped up and down (as much as a portly bear can) when he saw her. He gave her lots of hugs, and even noticed my birthday button and wished me well and gave me a few hugs too. We had a lot of fun with Pooh Bear.

Sneaking in a few bites



​

Tigger bounced by next. He’s always a fan favorite and at most meals there’s a big lag between Tigger and the character before him, but since Pooh had been such fun we didn’t notice that on this morning. He did lots of bouncing at our table, and Maddie had a lot of fun with him.

​

We saw Mary Poppins next. I’ve never met a friend of Mary’s that I didn’t like and today was no exception. She was lovely as always and said she was very eager to see what Alice thought of Maddie’s outfit. Maddie told her that she would be changing outfits after breakfast, and Mary regaled us with tales of Flora and Fauna arguing and turning her beautiful white dress pink, then blue, then pink, then blue again. Mary had to tell them to behave. Unfortunately Maddie’s attention was slipping since she was so eagerly anticipating the visitor we’d have next, but Bryan and I loved hearing her stories!

The stories about the fairies made Maddie giggle








​

The main reason we’d gone to Park Fare that morning- Alice! Last year Maddie had an amazing time visiting with her, and that meeting had sparked the interest in having mom create an Alice dress of her very own. I know Maddie had very high hopes for this meeting, and was very eager to see what Alice thought of her outfit.


I won’t keep you in suspense, Alice did not disappoint. She was VERY excited to see her “twin” and insisted that they take pictures together in many different poses and gave her dozens of hugs. Maddie was over the moon.

​

We got a few more bites of food in our mouths before we were visited by our last character of the day, the always entertaining Mad Hatter. He kept calling Maddie the “real Alice” and pretended to be very confused when Maddie pointed across the room at the real Alice. He was pretty funny, and knew to give up when Maddie started to take him too seriously.

Already arguing with him






"The real Alice is over there!"















​

Knowing we’d be ready to leave once we’d seen everyone we’d been keeping our eyes peeled for the server since the characters had started coming around so that we could pay early. That hadn’t worked out so well since she hadn’t been back since she brought our drinks, but once she did resurface she was carrying a birthday cupcake for me as well as 2 autographed placemats for Maddie and I.


While Bryan settled the bill, Maddie and I slipped out to the ladies room for her first costume change. A tip? If you leave through the doors on the opposite side of the dining room you’ll come out right by the restrooms by Grand Floridian Café. We found them to be much less crowded than the ones in the hallway leading to Park Fare.


So how did we feel about the meal overall? We’ve decided to give each restaurant a score from 1-10 in a few categories, but what matters to us is whether or not we’d care to return.


1900 Park Fare-Breakfast

Service-4 not too friendly, not around much

Food- 7

Character Fun-8

Would we return? We will. It’s on Maddie’s “must list”, and Bryan and I don’t mind it a bit! We've always had a good time there and eaten enough to get full. It's a fun breakfast stop.




Up Next: We go “straight to the magic!"

 

[merbobear]

First, Maddie's dress is adorable and so is she! She looks a lot like you. I love the picture of her grabbing a bite of waffle between characters, she is a gal after my own heart, leaning over her plate to avoid syrup drips on her outfit. What a little lady

 

[foodrocksluver]

I love Maddie's Alice dress. She looked so beautiful (as always). I found myself thinking about how big and grown up she looks compared to the first TR of yours.

 

[katt789]

Four updates?!?1 I only have half my hair curled for work and I don’t even care, TR is more important!! Awwwee, I can just imagine Maddie walking down the stairs in the grand just livin it up, being the princess that she is! Ah! So perf!

Great disclaimer!

I really like the ambience in there, it’s very Alice and Mary like! Lol Awee! Pooh is so cute, and I love that he made sure to stop and get you in a picture and hug too! Cute!! Double Alice! Yay! She’s so cute, I’m glad that the interaction was great!! AHHH!! That’s by far the best Hatter I’ve seen, and my favorite! He was the one we met at our first MNSSHP and he was just amazing!! So glad that Maddie had fun with him too!

Glad you guys enjoyed it. I do find that the servers always disappear at buffet meals, I always try to just settle the bill up front! Good washroom tip!!

 

[kmedina]

I agree with so much that you said in these posts. The characters really do feed off the kids at most restaurants. When my kids are in a great mood, they get great reactions from the characters. Often the opposite is true when they are not. That is probably a good thing, because a persistent character could probably upset a kid not in the mood. I can think of two big standouts as an exception to this rule for my kids. One meal at Minnie and Friends Breakfast in the Park (Disneyland), Minnie saw that Xander was not in the mood for characters that morning. It may be because it was early and not busy, but she came by our table three times and tried really hard to change his mood. On her third stop, she succeeded. We have some amazing photos from that. She even insisted on signing the portrait package we bought for him (and we never get autographs, so that was special). The second time was Captain Hook. Xander is not a fan, so he pretty much ignores him every time he comes around. Captain Hook was determined to get Xander to play with him. It finally worked the second time he stopped by the table when he "stole" Xander's balloon. It was pretty neat.

I love the pictures of Maddie with Alice. They are super sweet. I agree with the restrooms. The ones closest to Park Fare are busy all day long.

I agree on the food too. You are paying for the interactions sans lines, so the food is not the best. We like to stick to breakfasts mostly, because it just works better with our schedules. We are actually doing a lunch character meal on our upcoming trip though. I am thinking of doing a dinner on the one after that again too.

Getting absolutely terrible service is rare for us too. Although I do dislike when you never see the server again after they bring your drinks (especially at buffets where the check is paid up front), I know it could be worse. At least table service restaurants have to bring a check, so I can get a refill when they bring it (as long as it has not been too long). Then, I am just anxious to leave when the check arrives.

The only thing I disagree on is the necessity of reviews. Crap works in quality assurance, so he and I are both used to reviewing restaurants, hotels, spas and more. His last two jobs often picked up his check in favor of his reviews (which worked as long as the server did not know who he was). If they recognized him, our service was always over the top, so I went in alone sometimes. His new job does not pick up the check often, so he is not able to personally review places as much. He relies on the reviews provided by customers to analyze employee performance and strive for improvement. Every review whether good, bad or indifferent is super important to him. Since he gets the importance of reviews, he often writes reviews for other companies as well.

That said, I do get your point that an off night can negatively affect a restaurant. That is why Crap and others should look at all of the reviews collectively rather than a single one. If the majority of the reviews are negative, a picture is probably being painted that someone needs to step in and improve the service. The only WDW restaurant I disliked for food and service was Coral Reef. I discovered a lot of other people did as well. Therefore, I will not likely return or it will be a long time before I do. They need to hire someone like Crap to fix the issues and I may return.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

wow - what great interactions at the breakfast!

And some great pictures - I love the family one with Maddie courtesying and also the ones with Alice and the Mad Hatter.

I definitely agree with you regarding food reviews and that you have to keep in mind restaurants can have good and bad days. Just because your particular steak was overcooked doesn't mean "this restaurant overcooks their steaks." That said, if you start aggregating reviews and start seeing trends that can tell you something

 

[elphie101]

Geeze lousie, a busy weekend in Real-Life Land and I come back to your TR to a slew of updates!

I literally just messaged DBF as I was reading your report of the royal rooms - whenever I (eventually) make it over to POR I absolutely want to stay there! Your photos completely won me over. I feel like those rooms are full of hidden mickeys AND hidden princess references!

I know they say there's no sleeping on a Disney vacation, but man that's a rough wake-up time. But Princess Alice-Maddie is simply adorable! That dress is the cutest, I can't wait to see her costume change.

Hooray for food porn! Looks like you had some fantastic character interaction! Though I feel your pain on a bad batch of Mickey waffles - that's pretty disappointing. Still, where they're such a Disney breakfast staple I'm sure this isn't the last we've seen of them!

Can't wait for your next update!

 

[pkondz]

So glad you're here Ponzerella! And I knew I could count on you-that man card is long gone, what have you got to lose?

True. I don't think I'll ever get it back, no matter how many times I sit in front of a TV watching sports and just grunting responses...

Oh yeah, that would never happen at home. Well, it happens, but no one wants to be around me in the morning. I'm assuming they wanted to be around me at WDW...

You know what they say about people who assume....

We got to the main bus stop at POR at 7:15, and waited all of 2 minutes for a Magic Kingdom bus to arrive.

Sweet!

Luckily we'd brought Pack Mule Bryan who tucked it into the back pack.

Well... isn't that why you married him?

The CMs at the store that morning made a huge fuss over little Alice and sent us on our way.

Only at Disney. Can you imagine going into any store, anywhere else, and that happening?

Me neither.

We descended the grand staircase of the Grand Floridian (where my daughter refused to step on anything but the red stripe of carpet-declaring it to be her own personal red carpet)

Well, of course she did... and she was perfectly correct in doing so.

As I said before we chose to once again do the Deluxe Dining Plan. I realize that many people consider the DxDP to be “too much food”, but for us it’s just right. We can do all the character meals that Maddie wants, and also do several signatures for us. We aren’t typically the types to treat ourselves to fancy dinners out, or to add on appetizers or dessert (much less both in the same meal!) so this is a nice indulgence for us.

I hear ya. Last time we had free DDP and really enjoyed it. Not DxDP, but still... We went to way more TS restaurants then we otherwise would have.


Of course by the end of the trip we were soooooo full!

At the end of the report I’ll summarize what the meals would have cost us OOP, and what we paid for deluxe dining-a significant savings.

I'm really curious to see that.

Guess I'll stick around.

I am not and have never been employed as a restaurant reviewer.

And yet, everyone posting reviews on these boards are! :

The only thing I find absolutely unforgivable is rude service.

How about just a complete lack of service? For the first time in my life, I left no tip after a restaurant meal. We saw our server exactly three times. Once after waiting for quite a long time to take our order... once about 30 minutes later to say, "You still don't have your food, right?" And once to ask if anyone would like any water (we were just about finished eating.. and hadn't had anything to drink in quite a while). We said yes, but gave up and left 20 minutes later.

I was extremely tempted to just walk out. I figured since we couldn't even get a bill, that there must not be one. Ruby vetoed that, so I went up to the cashier, looked at my watch and said, "It's 1:25. If I don't have my bill by 1:30, I'm leaving."

Total time spent at an IHOP type of restaurant? Over two hours.

I truly believe that the character experience on any given day depends mostly on the children the characters are interacting with.

We also tend to not expect much from the food at the character meals. We know that the high ticket price is for the interaction rather than high quality eats. For this reason we tend to stick to breakfast for character meals.

Any time the meal is buffet style, you shouldn't expect too much.

It is what it is.

I’ve never been blown away by the ambiance here, but as I looked around some more on this particular morning I realized that it is quite pretty.

I think in Disney, there's always so much that just blows you away, the "merely" pretty pales in comparison.

Waiting for our server to come by, someone was excited!

You. It was you, right?

I had Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, and bread pudding (it’s vacation! Why not!)

Calories don't count when you're on vacation.

It's a rule.

This pic cracks me up. I love how she's just barely in her chair while grabbing a few bites between visits.

We saw Mary Poppins next. I’ve never met a friend of Mary’s that I didn’t like and today was no exception.

Well, she is practically perfect ya know.

Unfortunately Maddie’s attention was slipping since she was so eagerly anticipating the visitor we’d have next, but Bryan and I loved hearing her stories!

As much as the wee ones love the cartoon characters, the face characters amaze me at how well they can interact and remain in character.

I won’t keep you in suspense, Alice did not disappoint. She was VERY excited to see her “twin” and insisted that they take pictures together in many different poses and gave her dozens of hugs. Maddie was over the moon.

That's great!

Already arguing with him

The seriousness on her face is hysterical!

but once she did resurface she was carrying a birthday cupcake for me as well as 2 autographed placemats for Maddie and I.

Nice.

Up Next: We go “straight to the magic!"

Can't wait! Thanks for the chapters!

 

[RGirl]

Awesome updates! You know I totally agree with you on the subjectivity and depends-on-the-circumstances dining review issues. We had a few meals that were not great, mostly due to service, and I will totally go back to those places because I do know that it was either a bad night or one particular person. Repeated terrible experiences - yeah, not going back.

Wow - the 1900 breakfast looks really fun! If we go back sometime soon, I think we may have to try that one. Had never really considered it before!

All the pics of Maddie with the characters are so cute. Willow really loved seeing them. I was reading your TR while she was watching a movie, and I hear, "HEY! Is that Maddie??? Where is she???"

 

[tralin]

The One With the Dining Review Disclaimer​

As I said before we chose to once again do the Deluxe Dining Plan. I realize that many people consider the DxDP to be “too much food”, but for us it’s just right. We can do all the character meals that Maddie wants, and also do several signatures for us. We aren’t typically the types to treat ourselves to fancy dinners out, or to add on appetizers or dessert (much less both in the same meal!) so this is a nice indulgence for us. At the end of the report I’ll summarize what the meals would have cost us OOP, and what we paid for deluxe dining-a significant savings.


I’ll be doing many dining reviews, but here’s the thing… sometimes dining reviews bother me. I’ve worked in high end restaurants (steakhouses) for the better part of the last 15 years and I know first hand that some hastily written comments on the internet can really affect a restaurant and the business it does. Of course I also know that WDW restaurants are a whole different animal, but I still hesitate to try to influence anyone’s choices.



I am not and have never been employed as a restaurant reviewer. I am well educated on food and service, but I’m usually fairly understanding when a restaurant is having a bad day. The only thing I find absolutely unforgivable is rude service. I hope that I'll be able to give you a good idea of the quality of food and service that we received on a given day and you'll get a good idea of what's offered whether we liked it or not.

Character meals especially seem to get stamped with sweeping generalizations here on the DIS. I truly believe that the character experience on any given day depends mostly on the children the characters are interacting with. By and large we’ve seen that characters won’t push too hard when Maddie is tired or so excited to see the character behind them that she barely acknowledges the ones right in front of her. Keep in mind that these characters will feed off of your kids, there is no rule that one restaurant hosts better characters than the other.

We also tend to not expect much from the food at the character meals. We know that the high ticket price is for the interaction rather than high quality eats. For this reason we tend to stick to breakfast for character meals.

Having said all of that I’m happy and eager to share our experiences with all of you, just remember that they are just that-our experiences. I’d hate to think that anyone is cancelling an ADR based on the meal we had, but I’d love it some of our positive experiences opened someone’s eyes to a place they’ve never considered.

Now Let’s Eat!

Well Said!

 

[KatMark]

Shannon, I am finally all caught up. What a great night you had at Paul McCartney. I've never been a fan of the Beatles, but I do appreciate Paul's talent.

I just love your room...it is gorgeous (I'd not seen pictures of all you posted).

Maddie looks simply adorable as Alice. Disney really needs to do something about their bacon. The only place I've found good bacon at Disney is Kona.

Love the character pictures.