Sorry Gaston, They are MUCH More Interesting Than You!*6/8* NEW Trip Report Link p154

[Moira222]

I had almost caught up when I found myself asleep with my fingers perched over the keyboard again last night. No offense, its just what happens when I sit back & finally put my feet up at night!

I wanted to just comment how I LOVED the great photos of the MK on Hallowishes. The colors on the castle are so dark and eerie. awesome!

They magic shots of you three hitchhiking, and Pat's Queen of Hearts photos - awesome! so many great ones I can't remember them all.

ME I laughed so hard at you hitting the wall at Belle's Enchanted stories. and then reading Cynthia's take on the same show. just funny!

Cynthia you had great timing to see the Rope Drop show. and you both had great timing.

oh and WAHOO for college admissions!!! now the hard part - weeding through them!

Sorry I can't remember everything I wanted to say last night.

Maybe tonight I"ll get caught up after zumba!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hi ladies - had a few days away from the DIS sad2 but I'm catching up!

Had a snow day today - well the kids did! That NEVER happens!
I was supposed to have a dr. appointment, as was Paige, so I decided to take a sick/snow day.
We had so much snow, I just canceled mine since it was early, then Paige's Dr's office called to cancel hers - the dr. is going to be out a couple weeks!
So, since I have a rotten cold and have been sneezing NONSTOP, I decided a sick day was in order.

ANYWHO...I am leaving Saturday night for HHI! Nope, I have not packed a single thing! I'm really excited to get there, but totally unorganized. I do have a food list written down, and a packing list in my head (not a good place for it). Got some stuff at work to get done, conferences for Paige, my rescheduled appt., have to do some girl scout cookie business, Paige's dance competition Saturday, bake treats for a party at work Friday...
I feel like Cynthia!!!

I am totally looking forward to the big 2BR MEK! Because we took off a night (which now we could have added back on), we had enough points to switch from a 1BR to a 2BR. We are also spending a day in Savannah, and might go to Charleston, not sure yet. Then we have a day/night in Asheville NC on the way home to see the Biltmore and my college roommate!

Hope any of you in the path of this storm don't get it as bad as we did - probably have 8 -10 inches since Monday evening. Very bad timing too.

 

[MEK]

I had almost caught up when I found myself asleep with my fingers perched over the keyboard again last night. No offense, its just what happens when I sit back & finally put my feet up at night!

No worries - I do that all the time. In fact, that's why I don't like to post updates later in the evening. I am constantly falling asleep and then making mistakes.

I wanted to just comment how I LOVED the great photos of the MK on Hallowishes. The colors on the castle are so dark and eerie. awesome!

It was an awesome show and I am so glad that we were both able to get so many great pictures!

They magic shots of you three hitchhiking, and Pat's Queen of Hearts photos - awesome! so many great ones I can't remember them all.

We got a lot of fun PP pics at the party. And, surprisingly, we did not wait long for any of them. It was such a fun evening!

ME I laughed so hard at you hitting the wall at Belle's Enchanted stories. and then reading Cynthia's take on the same show. just funny!

I really hit the wall HARD that night. It was bad. You will see that Cynthia clearly has a better memory of this entire trip compared to mine.

Cynthia you had great timing to see the Rope Drop show. and you both had great timing.

I'm so glad she got to see. I'm sorry I missed it, but you can't do everything. As for the rest of the day, we did have great timing. It couldn't have been a better day.

oh and WAHOO for college admissions!!! now the hard part - weeding through them!

OMG - I think I am more confused than two weeks ago. We toured VT and I absolutely loved it. If I was a VA resident it would be a no brainer. We still have a few more revisits to do and then hopefully a decision will be forthcoming.

Sorry I can't remember everything I wanted to say last night.

Maybe tonight I"ll get caught up after zumba!

I'm glad you are caught up, or almost caught up!

 

[MEK]

Hi ladies - had a few days away from the DIS sad2 but I'm catching up!

Had a snow day today - well the kids did! That NEVER happens!
I was supposed to have a dr. appointment, as was Paige, so I decided to take a sick/snow day.
We had so much snow, I just canceled mine since it was early, then Paige's Dr's office called to cancel hers - the dr. is going to be out a couple weeks!
So, since I have a rotten cold and have been sneezing NONSTOP, I decided a sick day was in order.

Ahhhhh - I have not had a snow day yet this year, but there might be one coming! I hope you feel better soon. It is not fun to travel when you are sick, that's for sure.

ANYWHO...I am leaving Saturday night for HHI! Nope, I have not packed a single thing! I'm really excited to get there, but totally unorganized. I do have a food list written down, and a packing list in my head (not a good place for it). Got some stuff at work to get done, conferences for Paige, my rescheduled appt., have to do some girl scout cookie business, Paige's dance competition Saturday, bake treats for a party at work Friday...
I feel like Cynthia!!!

You sound like Cynthia. Well, I am confident you will get everything packed. It's such a casual place that you really can't go wrong. Just don't forget your bathing suit for that hot tub.

I am totally looking forward to the big 2BR MEK! Because we took off a night (which now we could have added back on), we had enough points to switch from a 1BR to a 2BR. We are also spending a day in Savannah, and might go to Charleston, not sure yet. Then we have a day/night in Asheville NC on the way home to see the Biltmore and my college roommate!

Like I said, the 2BR is just grand. I do suggest asking for a marsh view. Watching the sun come up over the marsh is really lovely. Just remember, if you are on the second floor all your stuff has to be carried up the stairs. They do have carts to take your stuff from the car to the stairs, but then you are on your own.

I love Asheville NC and the Biltmore is gorgeous. Haven't been there for awhile. I am certain you will have a great trip.

Hope any of you in the path of this storm don't get it as bad as we did - probably have 8 -10 inches since Monday evening. Very bad timing too.

Right now I am in the 4-6" range, but that never seems to materialize. My older son Brian called me this morning. I got scared when I saw a call from him at 7:30am. But he just called to tell me that they are supposed to get slammed where he is in Maryland and he's afraid of losing power. He lives off campus, so that could def happen.

 

[MEK]

Time for another update. Sorry I am a little slow with this one. We went to Virginia Tech last week, then my mom was admitted to the hospital (she's fine), Brian came home for the weekend, and we did another college tour Monday afternoon. It's been a little hectic at home.

If you did not read Cynthia's update, please see page 70. I never got around to updating our header or putting up links for her last update.

In other news, I booked my outbound flight for October. $104 out of BWI. Not bad. Returning flight schedule is not posted yet.

So Let's get on with it, shall we..........

Shorts & T's

When Cynthia and I arrived back to the WL I felt a little sad. I looked around at the beautiful resort and realized that we would be checking out early tomorrow morning to begin our second resort stay of the trip. I was really looking forward to moving over to the BW, but a little sad that it meant saying goodbye to the WL.

So I do what I normally do when I don't want to leave a resort. Take Pictures!

Cynthia went ahead of me because she decided she was going to pay a visit to the gym. You go girl!

I love this little pathway

It leaves so much to the imagination

As I post this picture I really wish I could be right there today. No worries. No cares. No cold. No anticipation of snow. Come on' October (we are actually spending four nights here post cruise with another couple)

I didn't have enough points for a 2BR so I booked two studios. I hope they love it and I think the studios will be just fine. We won't be doing any cooking!

Seriously - what's not to love?

In general, I don't think the Epcot resorts have the same "curb" appeal. They are wonderful - don't get me wrong. But from a visual, artistic perspective they just aren't as pretty to photograph from the outside as the WL is.

I decided to fool around with my camera settings and see if I could get some decent inside shots.

This picture brings me to a little plug for the WL. If you have never taken the lodge tour - please do so! I took it back in 2010 and it was awesome. I learned so much about the lodge. For example, did you know that that totem polls are not directly across from each other? Do you know why? Let's see if anyone knows the answer.

Love the lights

A very special bridge and body of water!

Now it was time to head back to the villas

Continued in Next Post..........

 

[MEK]

Continued from previous post.......

I just love this little lounge area

Love the train theme. Speaking of trains - Has anyone ever done the
Steam Train tour. I really would like to do that someday.

A view outside

Back in the room I got ready for dinner while Cynthia was at the health club. I probably packed up a little bit, too.

On our way to our dinner destination

Our dinner destination

Any guesses?

Tonight was a first for both of us - Citricos

For those of you who have never been, Citrico's shares a waiting area with Victoria & Alberts. After we checked in we were seated in this joint waiting area. We had plenty of time to order and enjoy a drink before it was time to be seated in the restaurant.

While we were waiting, what surprised both of us were the group of very casually dressed people waiting with drinks at the table adjacent to ours. As when I say casual - I mean T-shirts and shorts. They looked like that should have been at the bar at ESPN, not at Citricos. Cynthia and I looked at each other because we were both thinking the same thing. *Insert eye roll here* Not quite sure whether they ever entered the restaurant or not. But I'm not sure why they would have been in that area otherwise.

Here we are seated on the restaurant. I am wearing my camera bag, the latest in dinner wear fashion.

This was our server, Lonzy. He was extremely friendly, but as I recall he started to get a little busy and needed help from one of the managers.

Crappy cell picture of our table

Dinner was

I don't see a description of my entree on all ears, but as you can see it was a yummy seafood stew. It had just the right amount of kick without being overwhelming.

Dessert was wine, of course!

We did hit one of the shops in the GF, but no purchases were made and my pictures are terrible, so I will spare you.

I changed from my cute sandals to my tevas to hit the park

The plan was to return to the MK.

And in keeping with our MK mojo, we walked right into the park in time for this

Best part - We walked right into an empty space for prime parade viewing!

I took a lot of pics, but I'll try to narrow it down.

Continued in Next Post.........

 

[MEK]

Continued from Previous Post......

I want a dress that lights up!

What a great expression on his face. D'oh

How does this thing work?

This float puts out just the right amount of light ofr a good picture

Doesn't this sea creature look like it could swallow you right up?

This is my favorite float in the parade

Seriously? What's not to love?

I'm sure I've said this before - but can't I have that job. Riding up top looks so cool.

Whenever I see this last float I think of my nephew, Matt, whose mother drug him out of the parade last summer before it even started. When I asked Matt if he was able to see any of the parade on the way out of the park he answered, "Yes. To Honor America".

All I can say is its going to be my mission to make sure Matt sees the parade in its entirety this summer.

At the end of the parade look who we ran into

That Sheree! In one day we had three accidental meetings with her - in the morning in FL, at the Poly pool (when we never saw her), and at the parade!

Cynthia and I headed to Tomorrowland hoping that we might get to ride Space Mountain

Continued in Next Post.....

 

[MEK]

Continued from Previous Post.....

60 Minutes?

Nope!

So we did the next best thing (well, I guess that's open for debate). We went here

I'm not gonna lie - I think I may have fallen asleep a couple times.

After exiting CoP I knew I was done for the night. Plus we needed to be up early to get our bags to luggage services and to hit early EMH at HS. Tomorrow we were checking out and moving closer to the F&W action.

Up Next ……Moving on Up to the E side.

 

[dizneeat]

What a fun update, or better another fun update!

I know that feeling that causes you to go take lots of pictures before you move out of a resort - been there, done that.

Oh, and we have done the Steamtrain tour, very informative and fun - I can really recommend it!

 

[MEK]

What a fun update, or better another fun update!

I know that feeling that causes you to go take lots of pictures before you move out of a resort - been there, done that.

Thanks! And yes - that last minute crazy camera urge can be really hard to resist.

Oh, and we have done the Steamtrain tour, very informative and fun - I can really recommend it!

I really want to do that tour. glad to hear you really enjoyed it. I know my DH and I would both love it. I would schedule it this summer, but we are already breaking away from the rest of the group (my brother's family) for our adult meals. I guess I better defer it to another time. It just seems like it would be so cool.

 

[jenseib]

Great last minute pictures of WL. I get that way sometimes too.

How wonderful to run into Sheree once again.

 

[annmarieda]

I love your pictures of the lodge and the parade!
I love wl. We stayed there for a Christmas trip in 2011. My dh loved it so much it is his all time favorite. It was hard to get him to leave the hotel. I had thought about taking the lodge tour but didn't- now I really wish I had.

I think for the next trip this parade is going to be high atop my list of to do's.
somehow I have missed it the last few trip. I may have caught a glimpse... But not had the luck of finding a nice space to just chill out and watch. That is so cool you stumbled into a spot!

 

[annmarieda]

Ack- the dis ap on my phone was freaking out a bit and when I typed that first line it had it words offset from each other. I wondered how it would post. Well it didn't! I will have to get on my computer to edit the post tonight

 

[KatMark]

What a wonderful update filled with beautiful pictures yet again. Although I'm not sure I'll ever be sold on staying at the WL, I have to say that your pictures of the resort are breathtaking.

I have yet to see the Electrical Parade at the MK since it came back and I am determined to see it one of our trips this year. I'm with you...love the dragon float the best.

And I ALWAYS nap during COP...it's my resting time while Mark watches the show.

 

[Poolrat]

HOLY COW LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!!!


From Mouse Planet as part of an article on he history of the Boardwalk. Jim Korkis wrote the whole article Link to it HERE


Nanny Chairs
Placed on either side of the fireplace are the scary "nanny chairs" that were originally found on 19th century European carrousels. They were intended for adults to rest upon while their children rode the moving animals. From this concept developed the more traditional "chariot" benches. It would have been inappropriate for female nannies to even ride side saddle on a carousel horse. These reproductions were cast from circa 1889 originals, hand painted and highlighted with gold leaf. In a moment of cleverness, the two Imagineers involved in the reproductions printed their names on the back of each chair: Todd and Paul.



Totally makes sense now..... well maybe, but why are they so creepy??

 

[MomToPrincePhillip]

Wow,great update! I hope to catch the Electrical Parade some day, it looks like such fun.

 

[afwdwfan]

Time for another update. Sorry I am a little slow with this one. We went to Virginia Tech last week, then my mom was admitted to the hospital (she's fine), Brian came home for the weekend, and we did another college tour Monday afternoon. It's been a little hectic at home.

I understand. Life just gets in the way sometimes. I'm glad your mom is ok.

I was really looking forward to moving over to the BW, but a little sad that it meant saying goodbye to the WL.

I definitely want to stay at BW sometime, but I would definitely have a hard time leaving WL in a split stay.

As when I say casual - I mean T-shirts and shorts. They looked like that should have been at the bar at ESPN, not at Citricos.

Considering that's all we ever pack for vacation, I guess I'll just leave Citricos off our list of future places to try...

That Sheree! In one day we had three accidental meetings with her - in the morning in FL, at the Poly pool (when we never saw her), and at the parade!

Maybe you should have gone back to FL to see if Gaston remembered you?

So we did the next best thing (well, I guess that's open for debate). We went here

It is a classic in it's own way. Not like a Space Mountain, but it does hold a special place in my heart.

I'm not gonna lie - I think I may have fallen asleep a couple times.

But I can definitely understand that, especially at the end of the day.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Great WL pictures! I think that might be the next place I stay at WDW! Or Boardwalk, depending on your next set of pictures!

Wow, I just keep showing up in your TR - really, I wasn't stalking you guys or anything! It was fun to keep bumping into you though! After the BIG DISmeet, we kept our eyes open for people we "knew"!

Hope you're not getting slammed with the storm too bad! We had a tough day yesterday - first snow day in about 7 years for my kids!

 

[marDgreen88]

I love all the pictures of the Wilderness Lodge! That place is so gorgeous. I want to know the answer to the totem pole question! No clue.

Stumbling upon great parade spots TWICE in one trip? That's insane! So cool. Hahah, I love the Pete and Elliot float too, except for the Pete part. He tends to creep me out.

 

[dawnbu40]

Beautiful pictures around the lodge. I do hope to stay there in the near future.

The parade pics are great too! We haven't seen that in awhile so we're hoping to catch it in May

Thanks for the update!