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

[TinksThree]

Quite the marathon day!! It's a great day when everyone is happy with the plan and enjoying themselves! I really like being in the parks at night. Something about all those lights.............

Funny about Keith giving your cousin Disney tips! I think he's secretly a pretty big fan!!

I think we have gotten into a marathon type mode. I do love the parks at night...they seem even more special! Maybe it is the lights!!

Yes, it is really funny hearing him recommend things when he was so adamant about disliking Disney in the past!

 

[Angies1274]

Wow! You got a lot done that day!! We are definitely looking into park hoppers on our next trip! It sounds like you had a fun-filled day!

Loved all your pictures in One Man's Dream and The Great Movie Ride!! Definitely two new favorites for us on this trip! Oh and I completely agree about ToT! I love that it feels like a whole new experience riding at night.

 

[amandaw]

Sounds like y'all really had a nice ending to a busy day! And I agree....ToT is so fun at night!

 

[TinksThree]

Wow! You got a lot done that day!! We are definitely looking into park hoppers on our next trip! It sounds like you had a fun-filled day!

Loved all your pictures in One Man's Dream and The Great Movie Ride!! Definitely two new favorites for us on this trip! Oh and I completely agree about ToT! I love that it feels like a whole new experience riding at night.

We love the Park Hoppers! It gives us such flexibility! I love ToT at night but I have said that already haven't I?

Sounds like y'all really had a nice ending to a busy day! And I agree....ToT is so fun at night!

It really was a very busy day but it was such fun!!

 

[TinksThree]

Friday, July 13, 2012

Thank goodness I am not superstitious! It was mid-day before I realized it really was Friday the 13th!!

For those of you that read my PTR and remember the title (hint it is in my signature below!), you will see that by the end of today this TR and my PTR will have come full circle!!

The “plan” for today was to first go to Animal Kingdom. We had already been on Tuesday but there were a few things we had missed. Then we would eat at Rainforest Café before spending the rest of the evening at Epcot!

Well, at some point it was determined that after AK Keith would go to the resort and the kids and I would head over to MK to try to do a few things we had missed. Then Keith decided he would just join us….well, let’s see how all of this pans out! Oh yeah! I forgot to mention above that we also nixed the Rainforest Café plans since it was clear we would not be at AK long enough to spread out the time! So now we have no final night dinner plans either!

We arrive at the bus stop and there must have been a wiat since I have two random pictures!

We head to Animal Kingdom first thing and arrive about 40 minutes before Rope Drop. We get into the bag check line and this is where it just falls apart! Those tour groups…!!!!!!! For starters, we are in line and you know how those tables are with people splitting up left and right, well, our table gets pulled because after we had been there, a huge tour group had walked up…and then another!! So they pull the people off of our table and send them over to the tour group. The tour group gets quickly checked in and are off having a grand time while we wait and wait and wait…..our table that should have split into two was now having to force their way into another line! So inefficient!! Everyone was griping plus it was getting warm already! Finally we get into the park at 9:15am!!! And we had gotten in the line at 8:20am!

Shaking off the frustration, we walk along the paths and decide to skip Kilimanjaro Safari since we had done that already. We head off to Expedition Everest and Chris goes to grab Kali River Fast Passes. Chris got lost going to Kali so we wait and wait and finally we get in line for EE. The wait is still only 10 minutes so it wasn’t too bad!

I still love walking through the EE queue area! But since it was a walk-on I did not snap any pictures!

Before we know it we are off tracking down the Yeti. Once again this ride did not disappoint!!

Keith chooses to sit this one out and while we could have gone back through with a 5 minute wait, Keith isn’t too keen on waiting around so onward we march! This time to Dinoland!!!

First up, we head off to try and bring a dinosaur into the present and narrowly miss being part of a meteor shower casualty!

And of course our redneck picture!!

We exit and try to make up our minds on the next steps to take!

We decide to give Primeval Whirl a ….whirl!! The kids and I rode this one in 2009 but not since. It is a fun ride but feels very much like something at the state fair. Still we had fun going PW!

This always makes me giggle:

No dancing!!

We exit Dinoland and head off to use our Fast Passes! Next up is Kali River!! As we go towards Kali River, we get a few pictures:

Continued in the next post....

 

[TinksThree]

Silly girl, let's try it again!

That's better!!

We get to KR and the FP is really a walk on! Soon we are loaded into our raft and heading towards the river wild!

I had originally purchased the waterproof camera for this ride but the waterparks took up most of the pictures so all I got were these:

Did we get wet? Of course!!! But thankfully not as drenched as the other family in our raft! They were on the side that has the 10 ton bucket of water dumped on you! We exit KR and make our way to the exit.

As we head down the pathway we see DeVine! I feel lucky that this is the third trip in a row to see her! We stop for a few pictures and then move along so others can have their opportunity.

A restroom break is needed so while Madison and I waited on the guys, we stopped to watch a little musical show!

They were wrapping up and while they got their things together, one of the performers had Madison do a little dance:

One final picture before we are off to our next adventure!

We exit Animal Kingdom and try to decide where to go next.

 

[saintstickets]

We get to KR and the FP is really a walk on! Soon we are loaded into our raft and heading towards the river wild!

I had originally purchased the waterproof camera for this ride but the waterparks took up most of the pictures so all I got were these:

Did we get wet? Of course!!! But thankfully not as drenched as the other family in our raft! They were on the side that has the 10 ton bucket of water dumped on you! We exit KR and make our way to the exit.

KRR is my favorite ride in AK. I just wish it was as long as the comparable ride at Universals IoA.

As we head down the pathway we see DeVine! I feel lucky that this is the third trip in a row to see her! We stop for a few pictures and then move along so others can have their opportunity.

I have yet to see Ms DeVine at AK. Lucky you! 3rd trip in a row to see her? So much for bad luck on Friday the 13th!

Keep 'em coming Tinks....great TR!!

 

[TinksThree]

KRR is my favorite ride in AK. I just wish it was as long as the comparable ride at Universals IoA.



I have yet to see Ms DeVine at AK. Lucky you! 3rd trip in a row to see her? So much for bad luck on Friday the 13th!

Keep 'em coming Tinks....great TR!!

KRR is one of Keith's favorites too! I hope to make it to IoA soon and will definitely need to be sure to take a turn on theirs! I love seeing DeVine! I was pretty lucky!!


I had planned to come on and post an update. My heart is so heavy right now seeing what has happened in Connecticut that I am putting it off just a bit. I feel guilty thinking about Disney when so many are suffering right now!

 

[TinksThree]

At some point that I can no longer remember the details on, Keith had suggested we head back to Magic Kingdom for us to ride the things we had missed Thursday so that was the initial plan. Plus I wanted him to experience a few things he has yet to do and I think he would enjoy. Plus we planned on eating lunch at Columbia Harbour House since Madison loves it so much and had requested this. Keith’s shorts got pretty wet at KR so a discussion was had whether for me and the kids to go on to MK and Keith to the room to change or us all to go to the room. Eventually we decided on Magic Kingdom.

Then on the way to MK, moods began to get irritable. We arrive at the TTC and I decide that in order to try and keep some peace we would forfeit MK and go to Epcot. I love Epcot anyhow plus it is our last day. I don’t want the final day ruined due to moodiness!

So onto the Epcot monorail we load as I hold in the little bit of disappointment that I only got to spend 3 hours in MK this whole 8 day trip! We arrive at Epcot and are in search of food!! Where to go????

We stop briefly here since the kids love sampling the different flavors!

Moving along towards World Showcase...

Well, first we make our way through Canada and to view the movie “O Canada!”

I stop to take a few pictures, Keith and I have words that weren’t real Disneyish (not terrible, just not full of Pixie Dust), and then we head on to the movie with very sour moods. So as you will see I only took a few photos during this point.

We exit the movie and decide to find some nourishment even though we still aren’t a complete, happy family. And that is all I will say about that because it all gets better very, very soon!!!!

Well, we all remember the place we had planned to go on Sunday before diverting to Via Napoli. We make our way to the lovely country of England and the Yorkshire County Fish Shop!

We place our orders and make our way to the patio behind the building along the lake. There is very little seating here so we were glad to find some place to eat!

We begin eating and watching the clouds over Mexico and Norway…

Then the clouds get closer and closer…

Then I make a statement that you can see the rain approaching. We barely have time to grab our belongings and meal and move under the covered area. A family sitting at the tables under the covering was so nice to allow us to join them!

We also had another little guy join us for the meal. I am pretty sure this is against the rules but he was so darn cute!!

Keith loved his new friend whom we named Chipper. We are Braves fans and this was in July so Chipper it was!!

We finish lunch and decide this is probably one of the best Counter Service places! You don’t have much to choose from so if you don’t want fish and chips (fries) go somewhere else but the food is DELICIOUS!!!!

The rain was still spotty with occasional downpours. This had lasted maybe 30 minutes or so. We darted in between buildings and the shops in England looking for the restroom. Somehow we overlooked the obvious!!

I did snap a few pictures during this break:

Continued in the following post....

 

[TinksThree]

Then we make our way to France, when we see the World Showcase Performers performing King Arthur and the Holy Grail! We stop and observe for a few minutes.

A man is chosen to be Galahad (the son of Lancelot):

Galahad arrives in the story with a vision of the Holy Grail and this leads to many adventures in the search for the Holy Grail. During the presentation, some of these adventures are played out and then Perceval appears from the audience with wonderful imagination and humor!

On one of the adventures they run into a “beautiful maiden” (I am quoting the man!). He walks in our direction and I think he is about to give a scarf to Madison when he says no you and puts it around my neck! I hand all our gear to Madison and walk out.

The adventures continue and this “beautiful maiden” is really an old, shriveled up woman (I can’t remember the exact description since I was concentrating on not looking like a fool) but an old woman that holds the secret to where the Holy Grail can be found.

Conditions are given and instructions made before Perceval is off to claim the Holy Grail for Sir Galahad.

It was getting very steamy by this time and they were so nice to provide an umbrella:

Getting my instructions:

In the end, all ends well with Galahad being able to see and hold the cup. This makes his life complete. The End!!

I really hope I did not totally mess that tale up but it was so much fun. That was a first to me to be pulled from the audience. The first thing I told Madison was “I wasn’t even nervous! Did I look like I was?” For those who really know me, I may ham it up around my family but I am much more timid in public and not a very good actress! The WS Performers tell you exactly what to do step by step which made it easy. I am not good on improv! This was so much fun though that I really enjoyed it and it totally added to the magical experience that had carried over from 50’s Primetime the previous night!

As a token of their appreciation, I received this pin that also “keeps me safe from future debacles” if I so choose!

So after so much fun in England we decide to move on towards France.

A fleur de lis for saintstickets!!

It is warm, oh okay it is hot, so we decide Impressions de France is in order!

There is a wait of about 15 minutes so the guys rest and Madison and I wander around into some of the shops.

The first shop was a perfume shop. There was a very nice man working in one (from New York, not France). He was a rep in town and since there were so few people in the store, we talked to him a bit and then I slipped out. I always hate going into these stores that I know I will not be purchasing anything and then feel guilty for taking up their time. This was one of those cases!

We then wandered to the shop with all of the kitchen stuff. I love this little shop!!

We return to the waiting area where I snap a few pictures

and soon we were entering the beautiful country of France! This movie also prompted Chris to want to go to France for his senior trip; however, after pricing plane tickets I think we have him almost convinced to go back to his original wish….a cruise!

Continued in the following post...

 

[TinksThree]

We exit into the blazing surface of the sun and decide it is time to go to our next destination. But first I know we probably will not make it back to this area today. Chris heads to Japan to buy his candy and soda he likes and Keith and I begin to walk to Germany because there were some things I wanted. However, it is so hot I decide it isn’t really worth it and we go back to France to wait.

We stop in Japan and watch the drums:

And I walk around a bit waiting on Chris to finish his shopping:

Then we walk back to Morocco:

The we begin back towards France....

This is supposed to represent the Strait of Gibralter. Ever notice this change in concrete before???

While in France, Madison gets a chocolate ice cream and I get the OGGM. It is delicious!!! So cool and refreshing. I am not a real big drinker and try to limit myself but this was one item I couldn’t pass up!

We all regroup and sit and enjoy our surroundings a bit.

Then we decide to make our way out of Epcot…you see Keith has come up with an idea. Can we do all four parks in one day? Well by this time it is around 2:30pm and we head off to DHS. We aren’t sure if we will make it due to the heat but we are willing to try!

 

[saintstickets]

As a token of their appreciation, I received this pin that also “keeps me safe from future debacles” if I so choose!

Woohoo....Movie Star Tinks! I bet Keith and the kids were loving this!!

A fleur de lis for saintstickets!!

You know me too well. Thank you ma'am!!

Can this pic be for me too?

 

[amandaw]

UGH! Those darn tour groups! And that really stinks that they made y'all get into another bag check line at AK.

Sorry moods weren't the best for a while there. Happens to all of us though. But, it definitely sounds like things got better at EPCOT. Love that you got pulled out of the audience. Such fun!

Can't wait to see if y'all get to all 4 parks!

 

[TinksThree]

Woohoo....Movie Star Tinks! I bet Keith and the kids were loving this!!

Oh, yes, they were definitely loving it!

You know me too well. Thank you ma'am!!

You are welcome!! Surely you got to the Buc game!? Great game and how bought that Cowgirl game!!

Can this pic be for me too?

UGH! Those darn tour groups! And that really stinks that they made y'all get into another bag check line at AK.

Sorry moods weren't the best for a while there. Happens to all of us though. But, it definitely sounds like things got better at EPCOT. Love that you got pulled out of the audience. Such fun!

Can't wait to see if y'all get to all 4 parks!

The day definitely began looking up!

 

[TinksThree]

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours has been a very busy, fun-filled holiday thus far! I had hoped to do more updates being off work for a few weeks but, yea, that hasn't happened! But here's a little one at least!

Let's see for Friday, July 13, we have made it to Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Now Hollywood Studios is in our sights!.....

We get to the boat dock to go to DHS just a little too late.

Waiting for the next boat...

An idea is formed to walk so we head off. We cross the bridge towards Boardwalk.

As we walk along the boardwalk, Keith once again asks the question why we don’t stay at a deluxe….I say next time we will! Of course no we won’t since October is a surprise/happy trip but the next “real” trip will be at a deluxe I hope!

Pictures along our walk…….

A huge turtle cooling off!

Finally we see DHS in our sights

and then very soon we are entering the gates!

It was a perfect afternoon after the previous showers!!

We see the same Streetmosphere show as before but we enjoyed it so much the first time that we stop to watch again.

We then head off to……..WATER!!! We find some tables next to Min and Bill's by Echo Lake where we got some water. Keith was having the beginnings of a blister so thanks to my March trip I knew right where to head for band-aids! I go back to the front of the park and the First Aid ladies are so nice and give me 5 band-aids even though I only asked for 2!

Back I go to our tables and the kids are getting restless. We send them off to ride Rock-n-Roller while we sit a little longer. Then I begin to get restless so I walk around and take a few pictures.

Continued in the following post on page 26....

 

[TinksThree]

The week or so before our trip we lost one of my favorite actors from one of my favorite shows so I took this in his honor!

And then a few more...

We then walk towards American Idol and then before too long the kids are back. So what do we do next?

Of course Tower of Terror has to be on the agenda if we are in DHS so we head there!!

This was actually going to be a trolley that would move up and down Sunset Blvd. but now this is all that remains!

Tower of Terror!!!!! Times 2!!!!

Just Keith and I ride:

And then the kids and I ride!

So long until the next time!!!

After we get through riding ToT we try to decide what to eat for supper. Originally we were going to be at Animal Kingdom most of the day and have a late lunch/early supper at Rainforest Café but since we aren’t there we have no plans. But it is our last night so we want something good but not overly expensive. We toss around a few ideas and after deciding on one we head off to the Customer Service desk to see if reservations are available at a reasonable time.

Score!! It is around 6:30pm by now and there is a reservation available at 8:30pm which gives us plenty of time to head there! But where are we going? Let’s think about this: 1) we have been to AK, Epcot and DHS so to make 4 parks in one day it must be close to MK, 2) This is a place I have never mentioned before…EVER, 3) It is a location that gets good enough reviews that I am able to recommend it knowing what they serve and that my family should like it. Any guesses?????

 

[amandaw]

Looks like it was time well spent in DHS. 2x on ToT! Woo Hoo!!

Hmmm....I'm trying to figure out where y'all were going for dinner. I can't remember if you've ever mentioned this place or not but was it Whispering Canyon @ WL?

 

[sherylcin]

So happy to say I finally am caught up! I think you all ARE definitely in marathon mode! That is quite a walk from Epcot to DHS although you get to see lots of pretty scenery, especially along the Boardwalk. Yea for riding TOT twice!!

So..............I'm going to guess Kona Cafe. No real good reason just a guess. Will you then head into the MK to make it officially a 4 park day???? Hmmmmmm.

 

[TinksThree]

Looks like it was time well spent in DHS. 2x on ToT! Woo Hoo!!

Hmmm....I'm trying to figure out where y'all were going for dinner. I can't remember if you've ever mentioned this place or not but was it Whispering Canyon @ WL?

The time at DHS was great and I was so happy to ride TOT twice!!! It was not Whispering Canyon.....

So happy to say I finally am caught up! I think you all ARE definitely in marathon mode! That is quite a walk from Epcot to DHS although you get to see lots of pretty scenery, especially along the Boardwalk. Yea for riding TOT twice!!

So..............I'm going to guess Kona Cafe. No real good reason just a guess. Will you then head into the MK to make it officially a 4 park day???? Hmmmmmm.

We were definitely in marathon mode....not a trend I have kept on doing TRs! But maybe I made it easy for you to catch up! Great guess!!! It was Kona!!

 

[TinksThree]

I left off with us about to leave DHS and find a bus for our destination: Contemporary/Polynesian/Grand Floridian. We load up and quiet honestly rest while we are in transit. Another reason I love using the Disney transportation!!! There arent a lot of people on the bus so the stop at the Contemporary is quick. Then we reach our stop: the Poly!!! We are headed to Kona!

Kona Café

I have heard so many people proclaim this as the best restaurant on property that I was excited to eat here! We actually arrive early (7:45pm) so we make a stop in Bou-tiki. Of course Madison finds lots but again she buys nothing. Then she and I head off in search of medicine because she is getting the beginnings of a cold or something similar.

I snapped a few pictures while we waited:

Before long we are called and we are seated well before our 8:30pm ADR time.

Our waiter comes and takes our drink order and we peruse the menu.

A few pictures of our surroundings...

Keith ordered a Hawaiian beer that he deemed okay...he likes his regular!

The bread is delivered to our table and this is so very delicious!!!!!

After much discussion we decide on what to order.

I went with the Prix Fixe and chose the fish of the day. This turned out to be Walleye. I also got an appetizer: Pot Stickers (no picture here). And a dessert.

The Fish dish consisted of the Walleye grilled and served with black rice, Swiss chard and spicy cashew-cucumber relish. Eh, this was okay. Definitely not a big fan of Walleye, I now know. The rice was crunchy or very chewy. The dish overall was bland. I am all about flavors and this simply missed the mark. The pot stickers and dessert was spot on, though. I would not say the fish dish was awful but just not great.

Chris chose the Coconut-Almond Chicken which is breaded and baked chicken breast served with a salad of Asian Greens and fresh fruit, and almonds. Now this was very good! After I saw his plate, (and tasted a little) mine looked less enticing which may have been why I ranked mine low.

Madison and Keith both chose the Pan Asian Noodle bowls. These come with chicken or shrimp, Yakosoba noodles, and Wok-seared vegetables (primarily red bell peppers, broccoli and other typical Chinese style veggies.Both Keith and Madison chose the shrimp. The bowls are huge! This is actually a pretty good deal. Madison enjoyed her dish but could barely eat most of it. Keith wasnt too impressed but then he is more of a meat and potatoes type of guy. I tasted the food and they were good. Not something I would order for supper though.

Since we were paying out-of-pocket and wanted as inexpensive as possible yet a nice last meal, we were very price conscience. Had this not been the case I would have gone with the steak which is what everyone raves about. I had wobbled between the fish and the coffee rubbed pork chop. I now wish I had gone with the pork chop. This was definitely not one of our favorite meals. I would return to give some of the more popular dishes a try but I would not order any of our entrée choices except for Chris Coconut-Almond Chicken.

The restaurant is very open which seemed odd for a table service restaurant but the décor is lovely. Our waiter was very attentive and talkative. He probably made the experience a lot more pleasant. Overall, the time spent at Kona was pleasant and aside from the food not knocking our socks off, we had a good time. As of right now, though, for a table service at Polynesian&Ohana wins hands down!! The value and food rank much higher! (But again, I havent tried the Kona dishes people rave over!)

One thing I forgot about&I did order Kona coffee with my dessert and this was as always delicious!!

We pay the bill and head off for the monorail.

By this time we are dragging pretty good but we are so close to making the four parks in one day! Soon we are at the Magic Kingdom and as we walk down the ramp from the monorail, we see a Donald Duck painted on the sidewalk!

Then we whip out our tickets and head to the entrance. Soon we are in and we have officially entered FOUR PARKS IN ONE DAY!! But before we entered, Chris had to check the bag with sodas from Japan bought earlier at Epcot.

This becomes an ordeal when we are ready to leave! CMs send us on a scavenger hunt to locate where the bag has been deposited! Note: Do not carry purchased liquid products from one park to another!

I will leave you this go around with one final picture just as we had met our goal for the day!! And next up...what we do once we enter into that Magical Kingdom!! I am almost done with this TR folks, so hold on!!