Stop and Smell the Roses But Watch Out for the Bees! July '12 It's a Wrap Folks! 2.23

[pinkxray]

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear about the sting. It sounds awful


I have a good feeling about Keith's ability to get into to wherever it is he wants to eat


I never really paid attention to the balloons in Sunshine Seasons. How cool that they have the 4 seasons. I guess it makes sense, but who really notices stuff like that? I need to pick up a copy of the book you mentioned. Is it full of good stuff you wouldn't notice otherwise?

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

You poor thing! I'm so sorry you got a bee sting on the back of your neck. OUCH!

Yay for getting Row 1 on Soarin'! Best spot ever.

I love walking around World Showcase! It never gets old.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm seeing your plans unraveling as we speak...we'll type. But, you did say this was a stop and smell the roses trip so I guess the plans going out the window was okay.

Ouch! I haven't been stung by a bee in quite a while but I do remember the pain. At least you didn't have any adverse reaction.

Goodness gracious...the hornet is huge! I'm not scared of bees but I think a hornet that size would make me run and hide.

 

[Angies1274]

Thanks for the info on the balloons over Sunshine Seasons. I didn't know that and it's funny because I take a picture of those balloons every trip too. I love learning all those little Disney secrets.

Love Soarin'! So cool that you were in the front row!

Ugh! Sorry about the bee sting. I never knew which bees died after they stung either. Now I do...thanks for the head's up!

 

[ddstratton]

LOVE Soarin'.... Just love it!

OUCH on the bee sting! We just learned that DD (13) is allergic to bee stings. She had no problems breathing, and her lips never went numb or anything. She did, however, break out in hives and a rash ALL OVER - within about 20 minutes of getting stung on her arm. She believes it was a hornet - like your pictures above - that stung her. She was given a prescription for an epi-pen to carry, because they told her that since this reaction was quite severe, future reactions could be worse.

Looking forward to the rest of your day, changes and all.

 

[sherylcin]

Great pics from Living with the Land! Love that ride too! It's very calm and I enjoy seeing the veggies, fish, etc. (I guess I'm a farmer at heart). I agree that front row on Soarin' is the best. Kind of get a kick out of everyone lifting their feet so they won't get "wet"! Ouch on the bee sting! You'd think Disney bees wouldn't sting!! Seriously, though, glad you didn't have a reaction. Now THAT could ruin your day!

Can't wait to see if VN wins for lunch or if you continue on your "throw the plan to the wind" ways!

 

[TinksThree]

Ouch on the sting! When I saw the title of your report and saw you stayed at POFQ, I thought it had to do with the resort. On one of our last days there, we went to the pool and there were swarms of bees all around the chairs closest to the bar area! We, luckily, escaped any stings. Enjoying your report and can't wait to read more!

We saw few bees at POFQ but more than enough geikos!! That sting hurt like crazy! I tried being brave and brushing it off but I was shaking so badly they could tell! Glad you are enjoying the TR!!

I always wish that I could dip my toes in the water on Soarin'! It's so immersive that it seems like you should be able to!

Love the note about the balloons! I did read that book, it was great! Thanks for recommending it!

I'm so sorry about the bee sting! I hope that it didn't affect the rest of the trip too badly.

Can't wait to hear how the plans changed!

Yay! I'm not alone! Madison said I was "weird" but I chalked it up to her being a teenager and moms are "weird"! I am so glad you enjoyed the book! I really liked reading it and noticing new things!

All I could think was that I knew how far the first aid station was and I didn't want to waste my 1st park day of my long awaited vacation in First Aid or the ER!

What a nice day............until that darn bee!

I get so terrified anytime I see a bee or wasp or anything that can sting me. Thank goodness you were okay! I sure hope that bee sting didn't keep you from eating at 'Ohana that night. But, I have a bad feeling that it just might have.

I haven't been stung since I was 6 or 7 and that was a long time ago! I run the other way when I see any kind of stinging insect! I am glad it was me and not Chris because we would have had to rush him to get medical attention...he is very allergic and we had no epi-pen with us!

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear about the sting. It sounds awful

Thanks...it was not the best moment of a vacation!

I have a good feeling about Keith's ability to get into to wherever it is he wants to eat

His overseas travels with the military have taught him a lot! Saturday in New Orleans he talked down a vendor at the French Market but had it been me, I just pay what they say! He does have a way!

I never really paid attention to the balloons in Sunshine Seasons. How cool that they have the 4 seasons. I guess it makes sense, but who really notices stuff like that? I need to pick up a copy of the book you mentioned. Is it full of good stuff you wouldn't notice otherwise?

I know! Some things I see but I never realize the significance! That book is so good and full of things that made me appreciate WDW all the more! It changed how I looked at a lot of the World! It is definitely full of things you wouldn't notice otherwise. The only thing is it was published in 2009 so some things no longer exist like Mickey's Toontown and some new things have come about that aren't included but overall it has it all!!

You poor thing! I'm so sorry you got a bee sting on the back of your neck. OUCH!

Yay for getting Row 1 on Soarin'! Best spot ever.

I love walking around World Showcase! It never gets old.

Thanks! It was a shock, so unexpected and I had a hard time being a "big girl"! Row 1 is the BEST spot EVER!!!!

World Showcase is one of my favorites! I am so excited to spend lots of time there in October!!

I'm seeing your plans unraveling as we speak...we'll type. But, you did say this was a stop and smell the roses trip so I guess the plans going out the window was okay.

Ouch! I haven't been stung by a bee in quite a while but I do remember the pain. At least you didn't have any adverse reaction.

Goodness gracious...the hornet is huge! I'm not scared of bees but I think a hornet that size would make me run and hide.

They are unraveling at super sonic speed!!! But somethimes it really can be a good thing....and sometimes it can be disappointing!

It has been a long time since I have been stung so I really had no idea how I would react! Chris swelled up like a balloon one time with a wasp sting and I was terrified that was going to happen to me!

Isn't that hornet huge!!

 

[TinksThree]

Thanks for the info on the balloons over Sunshine Seasons. I didn't know that and it's funny because I take a picture of those balloons every trip too. I love learning all those little Disney secrets.

Love Soarin'! So cool that you were in the front row!

Ugh! Sorry about the bee sting. I never knew which bees died after they stung either. Now I do...thanks for the head's up!

I always take a picture of those balloons too and had never noticed the seasons on each one! I love learning little things like that too and I am glad you got some new knowledge!

I always thought they all died but when we found the hornet and started discussing Google was consulted. It is cool the things you can learn from Googling!!

LOVE Soarin'.... Just love it!

OUCH on the bee sting! We just learned that DD (13) is allergic to bee stings. She had no problems breathing, and her lips never went numb or anything. She did, however, break out in hives and a rash ALL OVER - within about 20 minutes of getting stung on her arm. She believes it was a hornet - like your pictures above - that stung her. She was given a prescription for an epi-pen to carry, because they told her that since this reaction was quite severe, future reactions could be worse.

Looking forward to the rest of your day, changes and all.

I was so scared I was going to have a reaction. Chris was stung at the eyebrow by a red wasp and he had a severe reaction. It was bad...very scary. His face swelled to three times the normal size and his eyes were little slits. We went to the doctor/ER three times and he got so many shots before it went down (over a 36 hr period). I wish now I had taken pictures because he looked funny but we were so scared then it wasn't funny! Thankfully the bee got me that day since we didn't have the epi-pen with us!

There are so many changes I am hoping I don't confuse you guys! And changes can occur minute to minute!!

Great pics from Living with the Land! Love that ride too! It's very calm and I enjoy seeing the veggies, fish, etc. (I guess I'm a farmer at heart). I agree that front row on Soarin' is the best. Kind of get a kick out of everyone lifting their feet so they won't get "wet"! Ouch on the bee sting! You'd think Disney bees wouldn't sting!! Seriously, though, glad you didn't have a reaction. Now THAT could ruin your day!

Can't wait to see if VN wins for lunch or if you continue on your "throw the plan to the wind" ways!

I am a want to be gardener at heart so that is probably one reason I love LWTL...I just wish I could be that successful!! I lift my feet too but I also swing my legs to feel the air...I try to make it feel like I am really flying since I would never do that in real life!!

You're right...Disney bees should not sting!! That is not very "Disney" is it!?!?

Lunch post will be coming soon!!

 

[TinksThree]

Deciding that I may not need First Aid care we head off towards Italy to see if we can get into Via Napoli. Along the way...

Once we get to Via Napoli we discover hardly any crowds. Actually we commented along the way of how empty the park felt and I snapped two pictures as a reminder!

We spot our destination!!!

We go in and check if it is possible to have lunch.

A walk up ADR is absolutely no problem at all! We give our names and sit for a few minutes. Our wait is just long enough for me to snap these:

I love this chandelier!

A closer look at the grapes hanging

And the kitchen area

The restaurant is really nice...and empty!

We are led to our table and look at the pizza options (this is what we knew we were getting). We decided on the Mezza. From AllEars:

Wood Fired Authentic Pizza Napoletana

Caputo flour imported from Naples, San Marzano tomatoes, handmade fior di latte mozzarella, water from our own wells identical to the water found in Naples, to make our pizza as authentic and delicious as that found on the streets of Naples.

Build Your Own
Individual $16, Large $28 (serves 2 - 3), Mezzo Metro $39 (serves 3 - 5)

Pepperoni - pepperoni, tomato, mozzarella

Once we order the waiter asks if we would like half pepperoni and half Italian Sausage and we decide we do! That was a good move!

I order a white Sangria and it was delicious!! It was probably one of the best Sangrias I have ever encountered!

Madison ordered a strawberry fresca. It was delicious!!!

We play around some, taking goofy pictures

And then the pizza comes out….

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! Keith decides we may have to alter our altered (which I have not revealed yet) plans by returning to the room with leftovers. We begin eating. One bite and we are loving the pizza!!

By the end we realize no plan alteration is needed!!

We scarfed that sucker down!! The pizza is so much lighter than what we get from Pizza Hut or Domino’s and we decide this allows you to eat more. I am not sure if that is good or not!!

As we were finishing up eating the head chef came out and stopped by our table. That was pretty cool and he was interesting to talk to! It was just a little added something to our meal that made the day a little more special.

One last picture of the restaurant:

Continued in the next post....

 

[TinksThree]

As we are leaving some photos of Italy:

We stop at the United States for a few minutes:

Madison sees Jasmine so we decide to stop for a photo op:

We finish up our meal and head out on a now diverted journey! By this time I had thought we would be headed to the resort to find our room, unload and so on….but since that was already taken care of Keith had an idea at the same time he changed his mind about lunch: he wanted to see Indiana Jones at DHS!

We have Park Hoppers on this trip and while I have used Park Hoppers before (and wish I’d had them last year) this is Keith’s first venture at WDW with PHs and we may never go again without getting them!! He loved the options allotted to us with this handy little add-on!

So, we finish lunch and make a journey on the Friendship Boat to Hollywood Studios.

By the time we got to DHS I was “sweating like a sinner in church”!! The boat was so blazing hot that when we exited, the air got 10 degrees cooler!

Next up...do we get there in time for Indy and what else can we do with a no plan visit to DHS!?

 

[shan23877]

I'm so glad that you enjoyed your lunch at Via Napoli! We loved it too! I hadn't noticed that it was grapes hanging from the chandelier. Thanks for pointing that out!

I love Park Hoppers! Something that Kieth can embrace! They're perfect!

 

[amandaw]

So much to comment on.....hope I don't forget anything!

I can't get over the empty park pictures! Was anyone at EPCOT that day?

So glad y'all were able to get into Via Napoli. I love all of the interior pictures. But my favorite pictures are the silly pictures. That's just fun!

I just put in my update last night that we will be going to Via Napoli on our EPCOT night. So, I was super excited to read your review. I'm so happy to hear that y'all really enjoyed it. That pizza looks delicious! And I'm especially glad to hear that it's thinner & not as filling as chain pizza. Let me ask you one question: did you prefer the pepperoni or the sausage?

I love that Madison stopped to meet Jasmine! When I see TR's with older kids who get into the fun still, it gives me hope for when Reid is that age.

Ok - I am seriously loving how Keith is getting into Disney. I mean, he's making suggestions of things to do, he's loving the Park Hopper.....I think this a very good sign for you for future trips!

 

[ddstratton]

Oh, that pizza looks DELICIOUS!!!! Seriously. Sounds like a good lunch!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Via Napoli! I'm glad to hear that you guys like it. We ate there for the first time on our last trip and we said it's one of our favorite restaurants in Epcot.

It's been years since we've had park hoppers and every once in a while I miss them. I can see how having the park hoppers would work for ya'll especially if they keep Keith happy.

 

[solana131]

Ouch! Bee stings are not fun! And you just totally ruined my whole perspective on those things too. I always tell my son (who is terrified of them) that if you just ignore them and leave them alone they will leave you alone. Yeah, thanks for ruining that idea for me.

Oh Via Napoli....oh how I love thee...
It was a first for me this past trip and I just fell in love. We chose two individual pizzas to share: one pepperoni and one 4 cheese. Yum! And we sat at that table for two right behind your kiddos. By the window with the sketchy white rabbit statue

I totally agree about the parkhoppers! So many people preach about the waste of money and you don't need them. Yeah, it isn't a "necessity", but they sure do make those go-with-the-flow days so much nicer. I will not go to WDW without hoppers. I just like the freedom of hopping around to wherever, whatever, and whenever I want. I can't imagine being limited to one park each day. What if you have an ADR at MK at 5pm, but it is pouring and crowded??? Waste of a day in my opinion. With a hopper you can go to Epcot (where most of the rides are inside) and hop back over for dinner at MK. So worth the extra $$. Anything that makes planning less stressful is a plus in my book!

 

[sherylcin]

So glad to hear you got in to Via Napoli and enjoyed it. We had lunch there last trip and absolutely LOVED it! I have that exact picture of the chandelier in the Lobby. I thought the restaurant was beautiful and the food was so yummy! Wow! WS really IS empty. Surprising to see that in July!

I so agree about the PH's. We have vowed to never go without them again! There are too many places we like to eat in Epcot and we had a couple of days with 2 sit-down ADR's to accommodate that and our non-PH tickets. It was just too much of a good thing all in one day. Much better to be able to spread those ressies out over the trip and not cram them in to just our Epcot days.

By the time we got to DHS I was “sweating like a sinner in church”!!

 

[pinkxray]

Via Napoli is one my list of places to make an adr for Feb, but for the last few days I was thinking of switching it with something else. I am so glad you ate there and ordered exactly what I was hoping to get Dsis and DD to agree to order b/c I think we'll stick with Via Napoli. Yum.

 

[TinksThree]

I'm so glad that you enjoyed your lunch at Via Napoli! We loved it too! I hadn't noticed that it was grapes hanging from the chandelier. Thanks for pointing that out!

I love Park Hoppers! Something that Kieth can embrace! They're perfect!

Via Napoli was so good! I loved pretty much everything about it! I told Keith I wanted a light fixture just like that one! It is so pretty. Yes, Keith found several things to embrace on this trip and PHs were just the beginning!

So much to comment on.....hope I don't forget anything!

I can't get over the empty park pictures! Was anyone at EPCOT that day?

There was an eerie feeling with so few people around! In one way I loved it but in another I felt like we had broken into the place and were commiting a crime! Especially with the weather being nice!

So glad y'all were able to get into Via Napoli. I love all of the interior pictures. But my favorite pictures are the silly pictures. That's just fun!

It was very good!! We had fun making the silly pictures all week but sometimes we had people give us strange looks...I guess they didn't like us having a good time since their faces were like !! I am glad you enjoyed them!!

I just put in my update last night that we will be going to Via Napoli on our EPCOT night. So, I was super excited to read your review. I'm so happy to hear that y'all really enjoyed it. That pizza looks delicious! And I'm especially glad to hear that it's thinner & not as filling as chain pizza. Let me ask you one question: did you prefer the pepperoni or the sausage?

The pizza was very good! I wish we had something like that around here because chain pizza is just so filling! I preferred the sausage. It wasn't a heavy sausage. The pepporoni was good too but if I chose one it would be the sausgae for sure!!

I love that Madison stopped to meet Jasmine! When I see TR's with older kids who get into the fun still, it gives me hope for when Reid is that age.

I am thankful Madison still gets into the characters and magic! We don't look for every character but if the line is short or it is a character meal she jumps right in! You'll see Chris doesn't shy away either a little later!

Ok - I am seriously loving how Keith is getting into Disney. I mean, he's making suggestions of things to do, he's loving the Park Hopper.....I think this a very good sign for you for future trips!

Keith is definitely beginning to figure things out! When he realized exactly how the PHs worked he couldn't believe I skipped them before! You haven't seen anything yet, though where his decisions are concerned!

Oh, that pizza looks DELICIOUS!!!! Seriously. Sounds like a good lunch!

It was a seriously deliciously good lunch!!!

Via Napoli! I'm glad to hear that you guys like it. We ate there for the first time on our last trip and we said it's one of our favorite restaurants in Epcot.

It's been years since we've had park hoppers and every once in a while I miss them. I can see how having the park hoppers would work for ya'll especially if they keep Keith happy.

It is definitely tops on my list and if it weren't for the food at the F&WF plus wanting to try new places I would be going back in October!

The PHs were a part of the ticket price with the military tickets. The previous two years we would have had to pay extra. after this year, we will be paying the extra money because it did make Keith very happy!!

Ouch! Bee stings are not fun! And you just totally ruined my whole perspective on those things too. I always tell my son (who is terrified of them) that if you just ignore them and leave them alone they will leave you alone. Yeah, thanks for ruining that idea for me.

That is how I have always lived my life...I freeze. This one just decided to attack! Which really made it more shocking since I didn't even know he was there until the buzz and bam!

Oh Via Napoli....oh how I love thee...
It was a first for me this past trip and I just fell in love. We chose two individual pizzas to share: one pepperoni and one 4 cheese. Yum! And we sat at that table for two right behind your kiddos. By the window with the sketchy white rabbit statue

I loved that little table! I thought the decor was so great!! I have always had a love affair regarding Italy though so my perception can get blurred!

I totally agree about the parkhoppers! So many people preach about the waste of money and you don't need them. Yeah, it isn't a "necessity", but they sure do make those go-with-the-flow days so much nicer. I will not go to WDW without hoppers. I just like the freedom of hopping around to wherever, whatever, and whenever I want. I can't imagine being limited to one park each day. What if you have an ADR at MK at 5pm, but it is pouring and crowded??? Waste of a day in my opinion. With a hopper you can go to Epcot (where most of the rides are inside) and hop back over for dinner at MK. So worth the extra $$. Anything that makes planning less stressful is a plus in my book!

Our trip last year involved a meltdown after an overcrowded and hot DHS day with no Park Hoppers. Had we had the PHs I think a lot that happened would have been diverted! I firmly believe things were averted this year due to them so I will pay the extra $$$ without any questions--unless Disney decides to go bonkers on the pricing!! I love your reasons why too!!

So glad to hear you got in to Via Napoli and enjoyed it. We had lunch there last trip and absolutely LOVED it! I have that exact picture of the chandelier in the Lobby. I thought the restaurant was beautiful and the food was so yummy! Wow! WS really IS empty. Surprising to see that in July!

I so agree about the PH's. We have vowed to never go without them again! There are too many places we like to eat in Epcot and we had a couple of days with 2 sit-down ADR's to accommodate that and our non-PH tickets. It was just too much of a good thing all in one day. Much better to be able to spread those ressies out over the trip and not cram them in to just our Epcot days.

I was surprised how empty it was for a sunny July day too. And there was no rain in the forecast either (well except for pop-ups). VN is very pretty!

I totally agree! I think when you try to do all that cramming into a day it only results in being tired and irritable! It is much nicer to spread it all out!

Via Napoli is one my list of places to make an adr for Feb, but for the last few days I was thinking of switching it with something else. I am so glad you ate there and ordered exactly what I was hoping to get Dsis and DD to agree to order b/c I think we'll stick with Via Napoli. Yum.

Hooray! I am glad I was able to help you out!! I think you will enjoy it very much!!

 

[Angies1274]

Yum! Your pizza at Via Napoli looks so good! I'm definitely going to put it on our list for next time!

Beautiful pictures in Italy! But, especially inside the restaurant. Love the chandelier!

We didn't have park hoppers this trip and looking back, I really wish we would have added them on. We ended up missing a few things we really wanted to do. We've done okay in the past without them but we've always went at a much cooler time of year so there wasn't really a need for an afternoon rest if we didn't want to. The heat really wore us down this trip. PH would have come in so handy!

 

[TinksThree]

Hey all!! So sorry I have been MIA! I work at a college in financial aid and today started the fall semester. Needless to say.....I am slightly swamped!! I am even missing out on the TRs I have been following! I hope to get back on track soon so please do not desert me!!

Yum! Your pizza at Via Napoli looks so good! I'm definitely going to put it on our list for next time!

Beautiful pictures in Italy! But, especially inside the restaurant. Love the chandelier!

We didn't have park hoppers this trip and looking back, I really wish we would have added them on. We ended up missing a few things we really wanted to do. We've done okay in the past without them but we've always went at a much cooler time of year so there wasn't really a need for an afternoon rest if we didn't want to. The heat really wore us down this trip. PH would have come in so handy!

Via Napoli was so delicious! It is definitely a place worth making the effort to go to!

I love the flexibilty of the PH and Keith really used that flexibilty this year! We almost always take breaks due to the afternoon heat since it is always hot when we go! So it is nice to break the day into many parts!