Sorry I Walked Where You Were Whacking -A Late September PTR/TR (Please Move to TR)

[BearcatsFan]

Oh how I hate those early a.m. flights. I learned my lesson after an out-of-town wedding where we had to fly out at 6:45 ... having to be at the airport at 4:30 after partying for hours was no fun. I try not to fly any earlier than Noon now if at all possible! I feel your pain.

Definitely keep calling about AoA. You never know what will open up, and sometimes persistance does pay.

 

[Marnm02]

Oh how I hate those early a.m. flights. I learned my lesson after an out-of-town wedding where we had to fly out at 6:45 ... having to be at the airport at 4:30 after partying for hours was no fun. I try not to fly any earlier than Noon now if at all possible! I feel your pain.

Definitely keep calling about AoA. You never know what will open up, and sometimes persistance does pay.

Yikes 6:45 would be crazy. I'm glad ours isn't quite that late! No luck with AoA, so I think I'm going to give up and just be happy to be going to Pop. I've wasted waaayyy to much time on hold with Disney over the past month!

 

[Marnm02]

We got our Mickey Mail this weekend!

I was reminded about that $15 Planet Hollywood voucher. I think we are going to change our plans a little and eat there for either lunch or dinner on our last full day. I had been kind of bothered by our lack of TS meals toward the end. I think it will be nice to have one last sit down meal the day before we leave. It will not be fun to pay for some of it OOP, but if we select cheaper items and use the $15 voucher we should be able to swing it.

 

[Marnm02]

OK, minor change of plans for our Hollywood Studios day. We got an ADR for a late lunch at Planet Hollywood. This meal will be OOP (but we'll have a $15 voucher from our booking and my parents will have one from theirs) so sneaking in at 4pm will help us save a little money by getting the lunch prices. This plan will, however, cut our Hollywood Studios time a little short. Here's the updated plan:

Hollywood Studios Day

We'll shoot for rope drop at 9, but may end up sleeping in a bit. Breakfast will either be from Pop food court, or from Starring Rolls once we get to HS.

With the new plan, we'll make sure to get there at RD, since it will be a short day. We will most likely grab breakfast at starring roles, and then hold off on eating until we leave the park. Could maybe grab an ice cream or small snack somewhere if we get hungry.


Must-do's at HS include TOT, Rockin Rollercoaster, TSM, One Man's Dream, Beauty and the Beast, LM, Indie, Backlot Tour, Stunt Show, Star Tours, Playhouse Disney, and the American Idol attraction (we missed that one in 2010).

I think we're going to head straight for TOT and RR before trying to get FPs for TSM, so we can avoid the mad rush. Or, if it seems so crowded that we worry about FPs running out right away, we'll send one person over to TSM right away for FPs.

It isn't supposed to be crowded, however, since there is no Fantasmic tonight.
Everything up here ^ stays the same[/COLOR]

Lunch and dinner will have to be all CS and/or snacks, since we are out of TS credits at this point. Anyone have any suggestions for the best CS and snack options at HS? It seems like the options are kind of limited, but we aren't too picky, so I'm sure we will find something. We may do dinner wherever we end up going after park closing...
Scratch this, we won't be doing lunch or dinner at HS
Which brings us to where we will go after park closing at 6 (or whenever we get done. We can usually get through HS pretty quickly on low-crowd days)...
Scratch this too. We won't be staying until park close. Our ADR for Planet Hollywood is at 4, so we'll start making our way out of HS around 3ish. Not sure if we will bus or drive to DTD. If buses seem to be slow we might drive so we can milk as much time as possible in the park.

I'm leaning toward relaxing and pool time back at Pop (possibly dinner at the food court, pizza delivery, or dinner at AOA food court).

If we are up for it and we still have a lot of attractions to get to at other parks, we may opt to head to MK or Epcot instead of the resort. Both are open until 10. I think we'd be more likely to go to MK, since the parade is at 8, and it isn't going on during either of our other designated MK times. I'll take it or leave it (I actually worked crowd control for the parades during my CP, so I've seen enough Disney parades for one lifetime) but I think Maddie may enjoy it if she's able to stay up that late
All of this is still possible, or we may hang out at DTD for a while since we'll be there after eating.

I'm a little concerned that we won't get enough time at HS, especially if it is crowded, but we'll still have an extra day after this one, so we can probably get back there if we need to.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Have you checked any of the crowd calendars to see how crowded HS is predicted to be on your day? Might help ease your mind some since you won't be there for a full day now knowing if it's ranked at a 3 or something manageable like that.

Yay for Mickey Mail! The $15 PH voucher is nice. We ate there once, but it has been literally years ago, so I can't speak great volumes on how good or bad the food is now. I tried to work it into our plans, but in the end I wasn't able to.

The POP CMs were pretty good about putting us where we asked last year - I'll keep my fingers crossed you get your room near the bridge.

 

[Marnm02]

Have you checked any of the crowd calendars to see how crowded HS is predicted to be on your day? Might help ease your mind some since you won't be there for a full day now knowing if it's ranked at a 3 or something manageable like that.

According to EasyWDW we will have a "5" day, with HS being the most recommended park, due to Food and Wine just starting at EP, EMH at AK, night parade/fireworks at MK, and no Fantasmic at HS. There is a 10pm running thing that night at HS, but we should be outta there well before any crowds start coming in for that. My daughter isn't interested in characters at HS, so we'll just run from attraction to attraction, but we want to do pretty much all the attractions... Think we can pull it off in 6 hours?

 

[BearcatsFan]

If you use FP's, yeah you should probably be able to get everything done no problem, especially if you're just planning to hit the biggies (ToT, TSMM, RnR, etc.). No Fantasmic will keep a lot of people away, as will F&W. Just follow Josh's suggestions on EasyWDW for that day and you should be good to go.

 

[loveshak22]

You could save a little bit of money by removing the park hopper option on your tickets. It won't save a ton but it'd give you a little extra spending money on souveniers or snacks.

We did the basic ticket last year for the first time and I thought I would miss the hopping but we didn't. And from reading your plans it doesn't look like you have a lot of back anf forth between parks. You could easily have a full day at each park with an evening event (Wishes at MK, Illuminations at Epcot, Fantasmic at HS) and then call it a day.

Some other tips I learned to stretch out the DDP - don't buy bottled water. Any CS restaurant will give you free ice water if you ask (at least as of Sept 2011 this was the case). Also, take some snack pack crackers and trail mix (things that won't squish in your luggage) and use those to help supplement your breakfasts. We found at the CS in the POFQ that a lot of breakfast foods counted as snacks and since the only credits we used on our check-in day was dinner we had 'extra' snack credits to spread out over the trip. For example, an order of bacon was a snack credit. Or you can use one CS meal and get a platter and share and that's pretty filling.

Have fun!!!

 

[Luv0fDisney]

Joining in!
I love the Pop Century. Congrats on getting all your ADR's you wanted. Unfortunately we did not book until only 75 days away from our trip and I did not get everything I wanted to a T. Yes I got the coral reef but at lunch instead of dinner. I guess that's a good thing so you don't go to bed with a full stomach. hehehehe. if anybody wants to read My PTR it's in my signature. '

 

[Marnm02]

Trip Report Days 1-2

We left home around noon on September 23 for a two hour drive to Milwaukee. I was stressed to the max after getting everything packed and cleaning the house so we wouldn't come home to a mess. I also had been to the farmers market and apple orchard right before leaving (big mistake!) so had to can like crazy so we wouldn't waste all those good fruits and veggies. Needless to say, I was a bit crabby on the car ride down, even though I was also excited.

DD napped most of the way, and we stopped for some Burger King part way through the drive.

About halfway through, I realized we had forgotten something really important -- our stroller! My DH wanted to go back for it, but I knew if we lost an hour we'd miss my niece's birthday party, which we had agreed to attend while we were down there. DH was reluctant, but I talked him into renting a stroller after looking at some of the different options on his iphone.

Once we got to Milwaukee our first stop was my 7-year-old niece's birthday party at one of those indoor bounce house things. We had a great time, and it was a fun way to pump DD up for all the craziness to come at WDW. After the party we went to my Dad's where we would spend the night. My stepmom made a nice pork roast, and we sat and talked while DD played with the ever popular grandparents' toy stash.

I finalized our stroller rental through Orlando Stroller Rental, and scheduled a 3:30pm drop off at Pop for the next day. I also printed our boarding passes.

We made it an early bedtime since we had a big day ahead.

We left at about 8am the next morning, and my dad dropped us off at the airport on his way to work, and kept our car for us. We got through security quickly, and since we were pretty early we went to a sit-down breakfast place in the airport. DD was fidgety, and in an attempt to move a glass of water out of her reach, DH ended up spilling it all over her and me. We had to do some clothing changes, but our food was there when we got back. I had an egg and mushroom frittata and DH had french toast, which he shared with DD. I was pretty excited/anxious, so only ate about half my meal, and DH finished it.

We flew Frontier, and were able to pre-board due to flying with a small child. DD was excited about the airplane and sat nicely for takeoff, but once we were in the air she started getting antsy, and we had to pretty much constantly remind her that she needed to stay sitting on the airplane, even though it didn't feel like it was moving. My stomach was upset most of the flight. That meal I had for breakfast must not have agreed with me. So, DH had to pretty much take charge in keeping DD sitting still. Shortly before landing, he quietly asked a flight attendant if he could tell DD that the rules say she must sit still. The guy was great, he knelt on the empty seat in front of her, looked her right in the eye, and sternly told her she needed to sit with her seat buckled or she'd have to stay on the plane instead of going to Disney World. That scared her pretty well, and she was still with her seatbelt buckled until we hit the ground.

Getting off the plane was a little difficult with 6 carry-on items spread out over two adults and a child who really can't carry much. DD's personal bag was a backpack with wheels. She could pull that on her own, but the other five bags had to be carefully piled up and wheeled by me and DH. After quite a bit of walking and frustration, we made it to the Magical Express pickup area.

DD was enthralled by the videos on the Magical Express, and watching them with DH while I talked on the phone to my mom, who had driven down with my stepdad, and who had already checked in. It seemed like we would be late for our 3:30 stroller drop off time, and I didn't know exactly how it worked or how long they would wait, so I asked my mom if she could go to the front desk to get it for us. As the Magical Express pulled up to Pop, I saw my mom and stepdad out in front getting our stroller from the luggage assistance area.

We all checked the stroller over while DH checked us in at the front desk, then we grabbed our refillable mugs at the food court, and headed to our room. We had connecting rooms with my parents, in the 60s (both requests met!). After unpacking, I changed DD into her Aaron Rodgers jersey in honor of the Packer game that night. We weren't sure if we'd watch it back at the room, or at ESPN Zone, and decided we'd see how we felt.

We drove in my parents' car to downtown Disney. We were early for dinner, so spent some time walking through the shops. DH is a Harley owner, so was excited to check out the Harley shop. DD loved the World of Disney store. We let her pick something out, and she ended up with a Donald Duck...keychain. We would come to discover on this trip that our daughter has pretty cheap taste...no complaints here

Our dinner ADR was at Bongos. Here's the review:
I had read mixed reviews, so was a little nervous, but the menu sounded so good when I looked online so we decided to give it a try. All four adults ordered the Cuban Tour. DD is too young for the DP, so we were given an extra plate for her to share (she wasn't offered a complimentary beverage or meal. I didn't expect it, but had heard that some restaurants do it, so just in case anyone is wondering, Bongos is not one of these restaurants). We were given huge portions of shredded, seasoned chicken, pork and beef, along with three dipping sauces, fried plaintains, black beans, and rice. The plantains were a little bland, but everyone LOVED the meat, especially my mom who talked about it the whole trip. I thought the sauces were also really good, especially the garlic one. DD had no interest in anything except the black beans, and she polished off two full bowls. Probably the healthiest meal she had all trip . Dessert was a vanilla cake in milk, it was good but not particularly memorable.
Verdict: 4/5, I'd go here again.

After dinner we drove to Walmart to get some water and supplies. Amazingly, I remembered exactly how to get there from DTD, after having made many trips there during my 2006 College Program experience. Walmart was crazy crowded, but we were able to get water, milk and hand sanitizer.

DD fell asleep in her car seat on the way back, so we decided to head back to Pop for the Packer game instead of going to ESPN Zone. We arrived just as it was starting. I tucked DD into bed and kept our room dark while the rest of us crowded into my parents' room for the game. My parents had brought down a bunch of beer, wine, and booze, and had their own mini bar type thing going on. The horrible call from the replacement refs really set my DH off, and we were all disappointed by the result, but glad we weren't in Green Bay since we were sure it would be talked about quite a bit up there. It was nice to have a week of Disney to look forward to! On that note, we went to bed in anticipation of a day at the Magic Kingdom!

 

[Marnm02]

Pictures from Day 1-2

DD getting ready to board the plane

Just some of her antics on the plane...covering herself in stickers

Arriving at WDW!

Already meeting one of Mickey's friends at DTD

DD's favorite princess

 

[Marnm02]

Day 3 part 1
We woke up at about 7am to get ready. I put DD in her Belle dress, which she had been really excited to wear, but this morning all she wanted to wear was her Aaron Rodgers jersey that she had worn the day before and fallen asleep in. Needless to say, it was a fight to get her dressed and out the door. As soon as we were on the move, however, her mood improved as she took in all the sites near the Hippy Dippy pool. We passed through the food court to fill mugs. None of the adults were hungry, but I got DD a bag of crackers to munch on in her stroller.

We took the bus to MK and arrived quickly, about a half hour before RD. We spent the time waiting taking pictures, and enjoyed the opening show. Once we were in, we headed to tomorrowland and all the adults grabbed FPs for Space Mountain. Then we all went on the first ride of the trip - Buzz Lightyear. DD was surprisingly scared of this ride. She called the robots "monsters" and whined/wimpered the whole time . After we got off, we had a long talk about how everything that looks scary at WDW is actually pretend, and it is meant to be silly and make us laugh, not to scare us. Then we headed to COP for a more mild experience, but on the way we spotted Stitch. DD wasn't scared of him at all, and ran right up to him for hugs and pictures. Then we saw Chip and Dale, so went to meet them too. We rode COP (DD loved the dog), then my parents did the Stitch "ride" while DH and I took DD on the Peoplemover. Then, it was time to use our FPs for SM. DH and I went first, while my parents took DD for another ride on the Peoplemover. While my parents took their turn on SM, DD asked DH if she could ride Buzz Lightyear again. We were a little apprehensive because of how scared she was the first time, but she seemed insistent. Since my parents would be off SM any minute, DH took her over there and rode again with her. She enjoyed it the second time!

After my parents were done with SM, they took DD to ride a racecar at the speedway while DH and I did Stitch. Then we all saw the Monsters, Inc show, which DD loved, but we did have to remind her a few times that they were nice monsters.

Next we moved on to Fantasyland to tide the teacups (DD spun ours like crazy) and check out the new Dumbo rides. The line looked short from the outside, so DH and I jumped in it with DD. Well, we found out that the line went into a tent and was actually quite a bit longer than it looked like from the outside. Before we could contemplate what to do, DD saw the giant playground inside the tent and wanted to play. The CM at the playground handed up a device that looked like those pagers they give you at restaurants and said it would hold our place in line. We decided to let DD play a little bit, and figured my parents would come in if they got impatient, which they did after a few minutes. After DD had been down all the slides, we made our way back to the CM, who took our electronic thing back, but had us just go to the end of the line . I'm still not sure what the purpose of that thing was, but it was too busy in there to ask anyone. The line moved quickly though, and we got on after about 10 minutes, but or Dumbo didn't work and wouldn't move up. Seems like there's still a few kinks that need to be worked out of that ride, but the setup was definitely impressive.

Next stop was the Great Goofini, which DD was just tall enough to ride. It was her first ever rollercoaster, and she loved it. She asked to go on it again as soon as it stopped, but we were all getting hungry, so we told her we'd get back to it on one of our other park days. After potty breaks and getting FPs for Peter Pan, we went to get lunch at the Pinocchio Haus. DH got the BBQ chicken flatbread and I had the Caprese flatbread. DH talked them into subbing his dessert for fries, and I had chocolate cake. We both shared a bit of our food with DD. I can't remember exactly what my parents had...I think they might have shared a meatball sub. Everyone thought the meal was a pretty good CS option.

After eating, we rode Winnie the Pooh and IASW, and we saw Philharmagic. We still had a lot of time before our Peter Pan FP, and the line was long, so we decided to head out of Fantasyland and make our way back later.

Part 2 up next

 

[BearcatsFan]

*all caught up*

Sounds like your breakfast at the airport was kind of crazy. And then, to top it off, it disagreed with you. At least you got to preboard - finally, something positive, right?! The meal at Bongos sounds good. It was a place I had considered, also, but decided on T-Rex instead. Maybe next trip.

*love* all the photos of your daughter! She's such a cutie! The mini Packer's jersey is adorable, also. You guys got robbed!

Your MK day sounds great thus far even with the rocky start. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Marnm02]

*all caught up*

Sounds like your breakfast at the airport was kind of crazy. And then, to top it off, it disagreed with you. At least you got to preboard - finally, something positive, right?! The meal at Bongos sounds good. It was a place I had considered, also, but decided on T-Rex instead. Maybe next trip.

*love* all the photos of your daughter! She's such a cutie! The mini Packer's jersey is adorable, also. You guys got robbed!

Your MK day sounds great thus far even with the rocky start. Can't wait to read more!

Yeah, that airport breakfast was definitely the worst meal of the trip. I thought it was a bad omen at first, but all our other meals ended up going very well.

Bongos was really good and I definitely recommend it. I've read not-too-good reviews, but I think those people must not have ordered the Cuban Tour

 

[Marnm02]

Day 3 Part 2

After leaving Fantasyland we headed to the Haunted Mansion. I was a little worried about how DD would do with this one, since she'd been kind of hung up on "monsters and ghosts" all day. DH held her in the stretching room, and she put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for most of the stretching room. She liked the actual ride, however, and said she wanted to go on it again once it was over.

Next I wanted to stop in the Christmas shop, since I always get a new ornament on each trip. Last time I got a Cinderella bell in honor of "our little princess's" first trip. In keeping with that theme, I got Aurora-themed mickey ears, since she's DD's current favorite princess. I think I'm going to let her pick a princess on each trip from now on, and get a corresponding ornament. Then, when she gets married some day, I'll pass them all on to her as part of her wedding gift.

As I was paying for my ornament, we heard the parade come through, so DH put DD on his shoulders and went to watch it along with my parents. I joined them once I was done, then we quickly snuck into Hall of Presidents as the crowd disbursed. I'm a political science major, history buff, and big Morgan Freeman fan, so I love this attraction. DD, on the other hand, wasn't too big of a fan, and she fell sound asleep against my mom about halfway through. Once it was done, we carried her out and got her comfy in the stroller with it reclined.

We had originally planned to go back to Fantasyland to use our Peter Pan FPs once we were done in Liberty Square, but DD was out cold, and Peter Pan was mostly for her. So, we decided to let the FPs expire, and take advantage of the opportunity to get on BTM and Splash Mountain while she was sleeping. We grabbed FPs for Splash, and took turns riding BTM. At this point, DH's allergies were bothering him, so he ran ahead to the first aid center to get some benadryl while the rest of us moseyed into Adventureland and got in the Dole whip line. We all enjoyed pineapple dole whip floats once DH got back, except for DD who was still asleep. We tried waking her up, but no luck. She LOVES ice cream too, so she must have been really tired!

Next, we headed back to Splash to use our FPs. DH and I went first, then waited with sleeping DD while my parents rode. The benadryl was making DH tired, and he took my About Town blanket from 31 out of the stroller basket and totally fell asleep on the ground next to the stroller while we were waiting. We were right near the stroller parking area, so we got a lot of strange looks from people going in and out, but I guess when you gotta sleep, you gotta sleep...

Miraculously, both DH and DD woke up on their own once my parents came back from the ride. We headed back into adventureland and rode POTC. DD has been really into pirates lately, and she LOVED that ride. I think she loved the gift shop outside of it even more. DH bought her a pirate sword for $5 and she was on top of the world.

At this point, we had less than an hour before park close at 7, and it was getting really crowded as people started coming in for MNSSHP. We decided we'd come back on another day to do more in adventureland. I'd promised Maddie a ride on the steam train during the opening show, so we decided to head back to Main St, take the loop around on the train, and then be done with MK for the day. When we got to the train, the were loading people in for the last round trip of the night. We just barely made it!

After a loop around the track, we took the monorail to Poly for our dinner at Ohana. We were a little early, it was about 7 and our ressie was for 8:05, but we thought maybe they'd let us in early. No such luck, they were packed, and the seating hostess informed me they were fully booked for the night.

DH was still having benadryl issues, so he zonked out on a couch in the lobby while the rest of us browsed the gift shop to kill time. We checked in 15 minutes prior to our ressie, and were seated about 10 minutes after our booked time.

Ohana Review:
We go here every trip, but I was a little worried since I had read that it had been going downhill. It was very crowded when we arrived, and it seemed like they were trying to turn tables over quickly. We were pretty much given all the courses of food right away, which was good since we were hungry, but I can see how someone who prefers some time to talk and relax between courses would be annoyed. Our waiter was attentive and gave good service, but did seem quite rushed. He offered my DD a complimentary beverage and child meal which was much appreciated, since she didn't have much interest in any of the other food. The bread and side dishes were just as yummy as I remember them (my husband and mom raved about the noodles). The chicken was better than I remember it (and I have very positive memories of everything at Ohana), really tender and flavorful. The beef, on the other hand, was so tough I couldn't eat it. My hubby and stepdad both reported having some inedible tough pieces, and some pieces that were very good. It seemed to be hit or miss. Same deal with the pork. The one piece I tried was dry and made me feel like I was choking every time I tried to swallow a piece. I just gave up on it and focused on eating the very delicious chicken, shrimp, and sides. If they had only served beef and pork, I would have been totally disappointed, but the quality and quantity of all the other food made the meat issues seem like not that big of a deal. The dessert was excellent as always.

I used to work on Main St. in the MK when I was doing the college program, so I've seen the MNSSHP parade and fireworks many times. I really wanted to see the halloween perimeter fireworks on this trip, but between a small budget and not knowing how late DD would stay awake, MNSSHP was just not practical. So, my original plan was to watch the fireworks from the beach at poly after dinner. We lingered at the table longer than I had planned for, however, but I was pleasantly surprised to see we had a perfect view from our table, and they even piped in the music. I hadn't heard that music since our honeymoon in 2008, which was shortly after my 2006-2007 CP, so hearing it really brought back some nostalgia.

After the fireworks we took the monorail back to MK, then jumped on the bus back to Pop. The bus was pretty empty with everyone at MK likely wanting to get their money's worth out of MNSSHP. There were two ladies dressed as witches on the bus with us, and DD loved their costumes. One of them gave her a big plastic spider ring, and she was SO happy. The ring didn't fit her fingers, but she carried it around everywhere with her for the whole trip, and it is currently residing in her jewelry box.

After that huge nap DD was reluctant to sleep, and I ended up having to sit in our dark room and rock her while everyone else had drinks in my parents room. By the time she finally went to sleep it was about 11. I visited for a little bit, but we were all tired and soon it was lights out all around.

Up Next...Day3 Pictures!

 

[Marnm02]

DH and DD getting ready to go into MK.

Disney girl!

First ride of the trip!

First character of the trip!

Space Mountain!

Loving the Teacups!

The big playground inside the new Dumbo

Nap time!

 

[Marnm02]

Day 4
We woke up with the intention of making it to AK for rope drop, but after stopping to re-fill mugs and get Maddie a breakfast bar, we ended up arriving by bus just after opening. We headed straight for Kilamanjoro. The signs said the standby line was only 10 minutes...it looked longer but we decided to chance it. We ended up waiting about 20 minutes before venturing out on our safari. I was surprised to find out that they've done away with the Big Red storyline, and they had part of it under construction, so it seems like they are changing things around even more. I always thought the Big Red thing was kind of corny, but I think DD would have liked it. She was, however, able to see a giraffe REALLY close...as in I had to hold her arm down, otherwise she would have been touching it.

We did the Pangani trail after, then headed toward Everest to get FPs. We grabbed a Mickey Bar for DD on the way. She made such a chocolatey mess that we ended up needing to change her clothes after she was finished.

After we got FPs, we noticed the standby line wasn't too long, so DH and I rode, then my parents rode. Next, we backtracked toward Africa for the Flights of Wonder show. On the way, we stopped at a pretzel stand to get jalapeno pretzels, but they were all out. The CM directed us and several other people looking for Jalapeno pretzels to a different stand near Flights of Wonder, but when we got there, they were all sold out too. My mom wasn't too interested in Flights of Wonder, so she ran to get pretzels from Dinoland while the rest of us went into the show. She came back after a few minutes and we all had jalapeno pretzels while watching the show (mom and stepdad split one, and Maddie and I split one).

Next we did the Majahara Jungle Trek, followed by another ride on EE with our FPs. Then, just DH and I rode Kali. As we moved down the river in the beginning, we could see there was a problem at the loading dock with people not buckling their seatbelts as their raft was about the depart. The CMs had to spray the raft with a big hose to keep it from moving on, then they stopped the ride. A guy on the raft with us made me laugh when he said "I guess they hose you down if you don't listen about the seatbelts." The issue with that raft apparently shut the whole ride down for probably close to 10 minutes. We were stuck directly on top of the lift, in direct sunlight. Everyone was baking and sweaty by the time things got moving again, so the big splash after the drop was welcomed.

When we got off the ride, we asked DD if she had to go potty since it had been a while. She kept insisting she didn't have to, but we all know how that can go with a toddler, so I bribed her with a visit to a "big sandbox" if she tried to go potty. She did, so we headed toward Dinoland, but we noticed the Lion King show was about to start, so we watched that first.

Once we made it to Dinoland, Mom and stepdad rode Dinosaur while we took DD to the excavation site to play in the big sandbox. I must say, I could have stayed there a while. DD was totally occupied, in the shade, with plenty of cold misters shooting down on us. Ahhh...

After my parents were done with Dinosaur, DH and I took our turn. Next we headed over to It's Tough to Be a Bug. This show probably scared DD more than anything else the whole trip, but it was only during the short "scary part." She liked it after that. She did, however, say she didn't want to see it again.

We still had some time before our dinner ADR, but not enough time for the Nemo show, so we decided to skip it, and instead we went back to Camp Minnie Mickey so DD could meet some characters. Lines were short, so she got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Baloo, and King Louie.

Finally, we headed toward the exit for our 5:15 Rainforest Cafe ADR. Here's the review:

We went here mostly for convenience, since we were spending the day at AK. I also thought DD would enjoy the theme. Hubby and I ordered our only alcoholic drinks of the trip here, since we had a gift card I had gotten through a daily deal site. We splurged on the souvenir glasses. I had a fruity lemonade concoction and hubby had a pina colada. Both were good, and mine actually made me a little tipsy, so they surely didn't go cheap with the booze, even though I could hardly taste it. The food really wasn't memorable. I don't remember what anyone ordered, except I know I had the portofino pasta. I was surprised at how small the portion was, compared to what I was used to from all the other WDW restaurants. I had planned on sharing with DD since she likes pasta, so I only ate about half and was still a little hungry after (usually half an entree is just fine for me). The dish was good, but not wonderful. I thought it was a lot like something I'd get from Olive Garden, but a smaller portion. We split the volcano cake for dessert, and that was really yummy and filling. Not sure if it was worth the 3 dessert credits they wanted for it though...

Verdict: 3/5, good, but I don't think we'll go back

We caught the bus back to Pop and just kind of took it easy for the night. DH and my mom took DD swimming for a bit, but otherwise we just watched TV to recharge for an early morning and long park day at Epcot.

Pictures coming soon...

 

[Marnm02]

The Fallout from the Mickey Bar. We had to change her outfit after this...

One of my favorite rides!

DD enjoying the big sandbox with Grandpa and Grandma

Meeting Mickey! Sorry my camera must have gotten dots on it from the misters in the line...

She had no idea who these guys were, but loved them anyway

Our little family outside of RC before dinner

 

[Marnm02]

Epcot
The next morning we were up bright and early at around 6 to get ready to leave for our breakfast ADR at Akershus. Today was mine and DH's 4 year anniversary, so we made sure to wear our buttons. DD had to be woken, and was pretty crabby until I got her in her Rapunzel dress and promised her princesses and more rides.

We drove to Epcot and arrived outside the gates at about 7:45, only to wait until about 8 to be let in for our 8:05 ADR. By the time we made it to Norway and waited for those with 8 ADRs to be seated, it was about 8:30. DD met Belle right before we were seated, and we all got a picture with her. Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White all made their rounds to meet DD, pose for pictures with her, and sign her autograph book. About halfway through breakfast they had all the kids line up and march around the dining room for the "princess procession." DD LOVED this, and it is one of the things she is still taking about. We actually reminded her of it this past weekend when she was the flower girl in her uncle's wedding. We told her to talk down the aisle behind the maid of honor/best man, just like the princess procession

Here is my review of Akershus:

This is another one we do every trip. The quality has remained consistent over the years, and this visit did not disappoint. My DD was thrillled to get her picture with Belle at the beginning, to see all the other princesses, and to participate in the "princess procession". I'm not a big breakfast food person, so I liked that I could fill up on stuff on the cold buffet such as salmon, bagels, salami and cheese. My hubby loves breakfast food, and is a big fan of the hot eggs, sausage and potatoes. My stepdad is all about getting the most value out of the dining plan, so he made a point of filling up on the cold stuff since he said most of it was pricier than eggs.

Verdict: 4/5: We will continue to go here


After breakfast, we headed back to Future World, and decided to head to The Land to get fastpasses for Soarin. The standby line was long, so we grabbed the FPs and then walked right on Living with the Land. Then, we went over to The Living Seas building, rode Nemo, and went right into Turtle Talk with Crush. This was a little awkward, because DD wanted to sit on the floor with the other kids, but she also wanted to be able to see us. We tried having her sit by herself, but about 5 minutes into the show she was up and trying to find us. It was so crowded that we couldn't squeeze her into the seats with us, so DH had to go lay on the floor with her so he wouldn't be in the other kids' way. We love that show, but sure wish they would find a larger, more accommodating location for it.

After the show we looked at some of the fish tanks. We tried to watch a dolphin show, but it was so crowded and people were talking so loud that we couldn't see or hear much, so we moved on. Soon, DD declared that she didn't want to see any more fish and she wanted to leave, so we made our way out. On the way, in the gift shop, a bag of Nemo bath toys caught DD's eye. It had been a struggle getting her to take a bath in the hotel room (confession: she hadn't had one since we left home because she refused to get in the tub and I didn't want to fight with her ). I asked her if she'd take a bath tonight if we got her the toys and she agreed, so the toys came with us. Money well spent, and I am totally not above bribery

We went back to The Land to use our FPs, and DD got two more rides on Living with The Land while DH and I rode Soarin, and while my parents took their turn.

Next we went to Club Cool. For some reason, I'd never been here before. I really wanted to go last time we were here, but it closed early and we never made it, so I wanted to make a point of getting there this time.
Favorites: the watermelon one from China, the lemon one from Israel, and Beverly (that's right, I thought it was good. I know, I'm a weirdo. I love LaCroix sparkling water and that's what it tasted like to me)
Yuck: the Vegi Beta (although this was my mom's favorite), the cola one, and the ginger ale
My stepdad, who is always looking to pinch pennies, loved Club Cool and wondered why he had never been there before. He led us back into there multiple times as we made our way through Future World

After a quick ride on Imagination and Captain EO viewing, my mom, stepdad and DH wanted to go on Mission Space. I'm claustrophobic and not a fan of that ride, so DD and I browsed around MouseGear while everyone else rode. DD wanted a bag of candy corn, and I figured she must be getting hungry, but didn't want to get her lunch since we had an early dinner ADR, so candy corn it was (gotta love vacation eating)

Next stop was Ellen's Energy Adventure. DD fell fast asleep on this ride, so afterward we decided to wait until she was awake to do Spaceship Earth. After another stop at Club Cool, he headed over to the World Showcase.

Pick a Pearl was at the top of my must-do list, so we took the boat to the other side and walked over to Japan. It was crowded in the store, but there was no wait to do Pick a Pearl...just a lot of people hanging out right there

I'd never done it before, and had asked DH before we left if it could be my anniversary present. I tried to find an ugly oyster, but they all looked the same to me, so I just pointed to a random one. I ended up with a 7mm pink pearl. I chose a sterling setting that also had a small (fake) diamond on it. DD's birthstone is a pearl and mine is a diamond, so there was some sentimental value. I also selected a sterling chain. We decided to wait the 20 minutes for the pearl to set, and browsed around the store while we waited. Mom found a few dishes and glasses that she liked. I tried to talk her into doing PAP, since I was now hooked and wanted to see what kind of pearls other people would get, but she didn't want to.

Once my pearl was ready to go, it was getting close to our 5:15 ADR at Yachtsman Steakhouse, so we headed toward the boat launch. After a nice ride we arrived at Yacht Club, and it started pouring rain just minutes after we made it inside. We really lucked out with our timing, because this was the only time we saw rain on the whole trip. We got DD up and took her potty, then checked in at the restaurant and were seated right on time.

Here's my review of Yachtsman Steakhouse:

The Yachtsman Steakhouse
We wanted to do one 2-credit TS restaurant, and had originally booked Le Cellier because we had been there before and liked it. Then I read some awesome reviews for Yachtsman on the Disboards, and convinced my family to try something new. We were not disappointed. My hubby and stepdad each had porterhouses. They both were able to finish them. I had a taste of hubby's and was very impressed. It's pretty amazing how they can make such a big piece of meat so tender, and it's also very well seasoned. The herb fries served with it were also amazing. My stepdad proclaimed them the best fries he's had at any restaurant, ever. Mom and I both had the prime NY strip. Mom thought it was good, but preferred the filet at Le Cellier, although it wasn't really a fair comparison since she didn't get the filet from Yachtsman. I LOVED the NY strip, and preferred it to anything I've ever had from Le Cellier. We both really liked the scalloped potato thing that came with our steaks, but I would have been even happier with some of those amazing fries I kept stealing off of hubby's plate . We shared habenero infused chocolate cake and peanut butter pretzel bars for dessert. Both were amazing. My mom particularly loved the habenero infused cake, and said that dessert alone would make her pick YS over Le Cellier, even though she liked the meat from LC slightly better. The service was good, our waitress was friendly and attentive, especially with our DD. We were not offered anything complimentary for our DD (although we did pay to get her mac and cheese from the kids menu since she isn't a bit meat eater). The seating host asked about mine and hubby's anniversary pins and wondered if it was the actual day. It was, and we told him so. He gave us a "happy anniversary" menu, but we didn't get an extra dessert. I was a little disappointed with that. We actually never got anniversary desserts from anyone on this trip, and we got them at nearly everyone one when we went the same time last year. I wonder if they are cutting back on that, or if we just didn't seem "special" enough . Anyway, it was still an excellent experience.

Verdict: 5/5, We will be back

It poured out all through our dinner, but by the time we were ready to move on the rain had stopped . We jumped on the boat back to Epcot and walked a loop around WS until we made it to Norway. WS was PACKED, but surprisingly Malestrom had no line, so we went on it. DD loved it, and kept asking to ride "the troll ride" again all night.

We went back into Future World and got on Spaceship Earth. DD rode with DH and I rode alone, so I got a cartoon "boyfriend" in my little story, while DH and DD were together in theirs.

By this time it was about 8:30 so we decided we better go find a spot for Illuminations. It was so crowded that the only place we could go was right on the ground, just a little bit away from the walkway. We stayed near the entrance to WS so we'd have an easy out, and we started walking shortly before the end of Illuminations, looking up as we moved. We successfully beat most of the crowd to the parking lot, and were able to get out of the park quickly, even though we had parked close since we had arrived so early for breakfast.

After we got back to Pop, DD did as she had agreed and jumped in the bath with her new toys. Then it was bed time all around.