Stuck on Splash, Swimming in Sewage, & Still Laughing! A "Classy" 6/11 TR- 5/6 DONE!

[therussells08]

So sad that the trip is over, looks like you had a fun last morning though

It's not quite over yet- we've still got two days left!

Great update! The orange smell is one of my favorite parts of Soarin. Ahhh.

We've never eaten at Tokyo Dining. I'm a sushi fan and DW is not though she's starting to come around. I'll admit that I do like the orange Grand Marinier slushie. It's delicious!

Thanks! That's definitely my favorite part! I love it!

John loves the sushi at Tokyo, but it's not my favorite. I think it's worth a try sometime! YES, that slushie is AMAZING!

I have to agree with you on the orange side of Mission Space...once was enough lol though I did actually feel worse on the green side as I wasn't sure what to expect!

Oh no on coins flying out at the both of you on Sum of Thrills and ruining the experience.

Aaw my Strawberry Shortcake!!!! I love that thing SOOO much and could happily have one now!

Am sorry that the sushi was a miss but yay on the dessert and added touches

Sounds like you had fun at WS!

I'm sorry you're not a huge fan of the orange side either! Oh no for feeling worse on the green side! Hopefully it will be better next time since you will know what to expect!

Haha yeah those coins were not fun!

Yeah, that strawberry shortcake was delicious! I could go for one right now too!

Yeah, it turned out to be a great experience even though I didn't love the sushi!

Last time we went to Tokyo Dining we were pleased with the sushi. Kudos to you for trying it, but eel is always hit or miss for my husband!

The rest of the sushi we got was excellent! The miso soup was good too.

Can't wait to read about the rest of your day!

John always loves the sushi there, but I just can't find something on the menu that I like. I'm very wimpy with sushi- I don't try the really different stuff!

Yummy I love miso soup!

I'm getting ready to post another update now!

Ok- Just got caught up on your While TR, so bear with me!

I understand your Disney Depression before you got there- we were actually in Florida for our 5th Anniversary (06/17) the exact same time you were there! We started off-site because DH had a work convention. I finally got to be at Disney June 16-20th, so I'm looking forward to see if we were at the same parks on the same days as you!

I am not a sushi fan, so that didn't look good at all. But all your other food has looked AMAZING. When we go next I'm debating breakfast at Boma or Kona Cafe the day we leave for the Dream. Any suggestions?

No problem!

That's so cool you were there the same time as us! It will be cool to see if our paths crossed!

Hmm...that's a tough one..they're both amazing. I think if you're looking for variety I would definitely recommend Boma. Kona has the Tonga Toast, which I love, but Boma has a wide selection of delicious foods! Do you like goat cheese? If you do, Boma is the place to go for their goat cheese scrambled eggs!

Oh, also- were you not on the Dining Plan this trip? We've never done the Dining Plan- and I know you did on your 1st and 3rd TR trips and was wondering which one you recommend?

AND your first TR inspired me to buy a D+B crossbody bag- my birthday was 2 weeks ago, and DH told me I could buy my own present- Disney Store had them on sale, and I had a $40 DVC gift card so I only paid $80 for it!!!

We were not on the dining plan this trip. When I first booked the trip we were doing the regular DDP, but we decided to not even do that. The reason we decided was because we had just been in December and been on the DxDP, so we really didn't want to spend a ton of time eating. I think whether or not you get the DDP depends on what kind of experience you want. If you want to try a lot of different dining on your trip I recommend it because it's so easy. If you only want to do one or two ADRs then I recommend skipping it. It really depends on if you want dining to be a big focus on your trip. Also if you're not a big fan of dessert or if you want to order a lot of alcoholic beverages I would say skip the DDP. I hope that was helpful!

YAY!!! That's so awesome that you got the crossbody bag! Congrats! Wow, what a great deal. What color did you get??

 

[therussells08]

No orange side of Mission Space? I LOVE the orange side, but Brandon won't do it, he doesn't even like the green side that much, so that's gonna be a solo ride for me from now on.

I've never done the Sum of all Thrills and I can't say that I want to! I love roller coasters, but somehow, being flipped around doesn't really sound all that great. Especially if you left some coins in your pocket and they were pelting you the whole time!

I LOVE Sunshine Seasons! That strawberry shortcake looks so good, I really want to try it, but I can never pass up the cheese danish, seriously there is just something about the cheese danish in Disney, it is SO good!

HAHAHA I love the video of John! Brandon and I don't take video of each other, but we take pictures with our phones without the other one knowing, and then we'll text each other the picture...while we're in the same room. It's great watching tv, eating, and then looking down at your phone seeing a picture of yourself stuffing yourself or making a weird face! I might have to try secretly recording him, but I feel like that might get out of control a little...

Awww, Aladdin and Jasmine! Every time I see Jasmine in the parks, she is SO beautiful! I'm totally intimidated by her!

I remember when Samantha Brown had a Grand Mariner slush, I think that's when I first discovered them too! They are just so good, I can't wait to be drinking one in 30 days!

I love the Voices of Liberty, they're so wonderful! And the American Adventure is one of my favorites, I always cry during it too!

Yeah I'm with Brandon on this one- no orange side for me! We need to have a DIS meet and you can ride with John!

I wouldn't waste your time with Sum of all Thrills...it's totally not worth it.

I know what you mean about a Disney cheese danish. They're amazing!

HAHA That's a really good idea! I will have to do that to John sometime. He used to do this really creepy thing where he would hide around the house and take pictures of me then text them to me, but it freaked me out so bad I made him stop!

Jasmine is very intimidating! She's always gorgeous!

Haha thank you Sam Brown for your Disney knowledge!!

The American Adventure is definitely a tear jerker!

I've never done either side of Mission: Space! I get so motion sick so I'm very wary of it.

Oh my gosh, that does sound really painful! I'm sorry. Ouch!

Hahah! I love your little game. That sounds like something me and my sister would do. Hahahaha, "I'm hungry now."

YAY! I was in the right ballpark at least, I guessed it was somewhere in Japan because in the video John asked if you'd get another pearl. I'm sorry you didn't really like your sushi! All I know is that picture makes me want some so badly... I'm realizing right now that I haven't had any in like a year!

If you can't meet Aladdin and Jasmine, stalking them is definitely the next best thing!

The Voices of Liberty sound awesome! I can't believe I've never seen them before!

Yeah it's probably a good idea for you to stay away from Mission:Space! It makes me a little sick and I don't get motion sickness!

Haha it wasn't very fun at all!

Haha John is a man of not so many words!

I didn't realize he said that in the video! Good job! I usually like sushi, but I'm really wimpy about what I get. I won't try anything too daring.

Haha exactly! I am always happy to stalk the characters.

You MUST see them! They're voices are so beautiful and amazing and inspiring...*sigh* I love them!

I LOVE Casey's too! I like their corn dog nuggets though. And I totally agree about the lack of seating there. The last time I was there Jack was still in a stroller, so I was trying to balance everything AND push a stroler. Never. Again.

I've never had their corn dog nuggets but I bet they're amazing! Ugh that sounds like a nightmare! Get with the program, Casey's! More seating, please!

Great update! Your Epcot start sounds a lot like how ours typically is. I always send Miguel to get the Soarin' FPs and I just enjoy the quietness of the park in the meantime.

I refuse to do the orange side of Mission:Space. I am terrified! I have never tried it though, so you are far braver than me! We normally ride once together, and then I sit and wait for Miguel to do the orange side. I don't know if I'd even feel comfortable doing the green side myself. Some thing about that ride freaks me out!

I'm sorry to hear you didn't like the Sum of All Thrills. I did LOL at your story of the flying change, though!

Haha isn't it great having a fella to go get those FPs for us?

I understand what you mean, it freaks me out too! Definitely stay away from the orange side!

Haha yeah it wasn't my favorite attraction! I'd rather ride a real roller coaster!

I'm loving your tr so I'm subscribing. I can't wait for another update

I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for reading.

 

[therussells08]

Before I begin this update I would like to point out that in two days I will officially be a quarter of a century old. EESH. It sounds so much better to just say that I’ll be 25! At what point should I stop disclosing my actual age and just start calling myself a “twenty-something”? It’s started to sound pretty good right about now…

Anyway, on with the update! When I left off we were getting all patriotic in the American Adventure. After it was over we were headed to my favorite country in the World Showcase!

GERMANY!!

I love everything about this country. EVERYTHING. It’s gorgeous and wonderful, the shops are amazing, the food is delish…blah blah blah, it’s my favorite. Anyway, one of the first things we always have to do in Germany is indulge in a delicious beverage. If you’re struggling here to think of the beverage to which I am referring, think of Stacey, and the “pretzel und ______” but minus the “pretzel und.” Am I sneaky or what?

After we got our drinks, for some weird reason we walked right out of Germany into China. We didn’t hang around at all, which is made even weirder by the fact that we came back about two minutes later.

I always get really excited when I see someone wearing one of these hats around the parks, because it relieves my conscience a little bit. I always feel guilty for playing with the merchandise and never buying anything, so it’s great to see someone actually purchasing them!

Like I said, we couldn’t stay away from Germany for long, so after playing around in China for a little while we made our way right back to this beautiful spot!

YES PLEASE.

John was more than ready for some delicious caramel treats.

Hmmm, let’s see…I’ll have the entire left side of the display case. Please and thank you.

After we were finally able to pick out our treats (John went with caramel corn, I got a chocolate and caramel covered strawberry) we started backtracking through the WS even more!

Look at them in their little pantaloons! Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s not what a pantaloon is at all…I just thought it sounded nice.

By this point our core body temperatures were hovering somewhere around 150 degrees, so we decided it was time to go back to the resort for a little while. We said goodbye to Epcot. This was a very sad moment for us, as it would be the last time we saw our beautiful Epcot on this trip. Wow, I can’t believe I’m actually getting close to the end of this TR!

Anyway, when we got back to the resort I didn’t take any pictures of the animals.

I’m kidding. I totally did. Here’s a zebra.

I am so excited that Kilimanjaro Safaris is get a facelift and will include more animal spotting time. I heard they’re going to make it a lot easier to spot the zebras. Um, so I didn’t even know there were zebras on KS?? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one there, so YAY for the changes! Okay, enough rambling.

Anyway, once we were back at the resort we once again did the unthinkable and…dun dun duunnnn… TOOK A NAP. *Puss in Boots voice* I have shamed myself. We just couldn’t resist. IT WAS SO HOT. Give me a break, I’m a quarter of a century old. HAHA.

Anyway, after our nap we were feeling oddly not refreshed. What’s this? I always feel so amazing after a nap, but I think the heat was just really REALLY getting to me. Now please understand, I could have the bubonic plague and that wouldn’t stop me from continuing my Disney adventures, so we got ourselves ready and headed to DTD!

The next day (June 15) would be our non-park day, so we were already planning on coming back to DTD then. Therefore, we had a very specific plan for this day.

If it helps, we parked on this side.

So what was our plan, you ask? Well, it’s another one of our strange Disney traditions- we were going to the MOVIES. I know what you’re thinking- why on earth would you waste precious Disney time in a movie theater? Well, allow me to explain. A while back on one our trips we were at DTD when the bottom fell out of the sky and it was like a freaking monsoon. To get out of the weather we decided to see a movie. We ended up seeing Up, and it turned out to be one of my best Disney memories! The movie theater at DTD is amazing, can I just say. You get to mix your drink flavors like at Firehouse Subs, and you get to butter your own popcorn. Let me repeat that last statement- YOU CAN BUTTER YOUR OWN POPCORN. Um, would you like a little popcorn to go with your bag of butter, Joni? No thanks.

Anyway, it’s just something we really enjoy doing, and this was the perfect day for it since it was hot as hades and we were both feeling very tired. So, what did we end up seeing?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides! Hmmm…not my favorite, but still good. I insisted upon seeing a Disney movie and we both had high hopes for it, but it just wasn’t the greatest. I stand by my argument that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is the best in the series. Just sayin’.

The best part of the whole movie was this hilarious commercial. I can’t even remember what it was advertising, but it was the scene from the Notebook where Allie is confronting Noah in the rain about the fact that he never wrote to her or whatever, and when he turns around to tell her that he did write, they did a voice over and the guy said, “I was at the vet. Trixie ate dark chocolate.” I don’t know why, but that struck me as HILARIOUS and I laughed about it for an inappropriate amount of time. It was just so random and hilarious, and I guess the heat really was getting to my head!

If you'd like to see the above mentioned commercial, I found it on YouTube. Click Here.

(That's where I got the title for this update, BTW. I didn't actually help clean up any barf. Gross.)

Anyway, after our movie we wandered around for just a little while. We went in the candy shop.

You old hag, you.

We didn’t buy anything, and kept on wandering.

I don’t even know where I took that picture. The sunglasses store, maybe? I just thought it was cool because the girl was from Charlotte, which is about an hour from where I live.

After we walked around for a little while we were both burnt out, so we decided to go back to the resort. We had enjoyed our time there the previous day so much, we thought it would be a great idea to go back to the pool.

And here we go with another part of my trip title explained. Prepare yourself.

By the time we got to the pool evening was setting in, and it actually wasn’t that crowded. We found a nice spot, laid out our towels, and headed over. Just as I was about to get in, my toe dangling inches above the water, the lifeguards started ordering everyone out of the pool. Uh oh, this same thing had happened on our honeymoon. John and I looked at each other. This could only mean one thing- we’ve got a pooper. Sure enough, a few seconds later an angry woman wrapped in a towel stormed by us and we heard her say, “…can’t believe I was swimming in ****….” HAHAHA. Bless her heart. Not exactly your best Disney memory. John and I both decided that we were not too keen on waiting for the pool to be reopened. I mean really, who’s going to be the first person back in the water after they supposedly get all the poop out? Not me, that’s for sure.

We decided that since we were already in our swimsuits we would go find one of the hot tubs. We found a really private one that was completely empty. It was getting dark and it was a very relaxing moment, sitting in the hot water surrounded by beautiful plants and just chatting. This lasted about ten glorious minutes, until another couple joined us. Now I’m not above sharing waters with my fellow man, but that was the hairiest dude I have EVER SEEN. We’re talking like, Harry and the Hendersons hairy, y’all. He got in the water and his back hairs were so long they were FLOATING. John and I looked at each other and we were both out of the water in about 2.5 seconds.

It had been a very long and interesting day, to say the least. We were both absolutely exhausted, so we decided to go back to the room. We showered, ordered a pizza, and ate it in bed while watching The Disney Channel. I love Disney pizza! It’s so delicious, and we almost managed to eat the whole thing!

After we finished stuffing our faces we were both asleep before I could even update my trip journal.

Only two more days in Disney!

Up Next: We shop ‘til we drop at DTD!

 

[Torrance]

Love your updates! I get increasingly excited for our trip whenever I see you've posted another day.

I'll make sure to remember your traumatic change experience when we ride Sum of all Thrills. I'm pretty nervous about Mission: Space, but I've got to try it once at least... though I'm leaning toward the green side after reading everyone's comments!

I'm definitely going to have to keep an eye out for that slushy!

That's a bummer about the pool incident (though the lady's reaction made me laugh out loud)! At least you got to enjoy the hot tub for a few minutes before Hairy Harry showed up

Looking forward to your next update!

 

[Tracy161]

Can I just say that I really appreciate you confessing to laughing for an inappropriate amount of time at the commercial?! Because I am notorious for regularly taking a few extra moments (or minutes, who's counting?!) to pull myself together after something funny is said... it's good to laugh though, so who cares?! By the way, I viewed the youtube video and found it hilarious too!

 

[stephielela]

Ewwwww, poop in the pool and a hairy guy in the hot tub!? GROSS! I'm glad you clarified about the not cleaning up barf though because I was really curious as to where you were headed with that title!

 

[Nermel9]

I love Germany, Brandon always has to get a beer there! I never do, I usually wait for America to get some kind of Sam Adams, or I'll get one in England, but Brandon loves it! The pretzels, however, I'm addicted to! They are SO good!

Yum, Karamell Kuche! I love that place, it's so hard to decide what to get there!

You guys don't take naps in Disney? Wow, we would probably die if we didn't at least take a break in the afternoon! I'm envious of those people that can just go all day in the parks, because by 1 or 2, we're done!

Oh no, the poop in the pool incident! That is SOOOOOOO disgusting! At least you didn't get in though. Ugh who does that? I at least hope it was a kid and not an adult, that would be unfortunate...

Ewwww, that guy in the hot tub! Gross! I know some people are hairy, and there's nothing wrong with that but you don't want to share a hot tub with it! I don't like sharing hot tubs, it's just awkward! I had one to myself at WL the first time we were there and some guy got in with me and just started having a conversation with me...uh, please just leave me alone and let me soak, I don't want to talk to you. He was nice enough, but I just didn't want to be bothered!

 

[marDgreen88]

Yayyyy, tomorrow's your birthday!

BEER. Hahha (sadly I only know that because of the Stacey quote).

HELLO CHINA. GOODBYE CHINA.

I'm excited for the Kilimanjaro Safari updates too! SO MUCH IS HAPPENING AT DISNEY RIGHT NOW. It's insanity! Do you know when the KS changes are a comin'?

Hahahaha I remember that movie commercial! (I go to the movies way too often during the summer months so I know exactly what this one was). It's about keeping your dialogue OUT of the movie and turning off the freaking cellphones! Hahaha love it. "I cleaned it up." AND THEY MAKE OUT.
Ohhh... oh okay. So you posted the link aaaaand everyone probably already knows everything I just said, SO, excuse that above paragraph. (I have a bad habit of typing lots of stuff before I read the rest and then a lot of the time I end up accidentally saying what the person has already said... yeah, sorry!)

Omg... ew. Hahah I love the story though, I love when TR titles are explained! AND it sounds like yall had a really enjoyable hot tub time (even thought it was temporary)!

 

[Britard]

This may sound bad, but I think a code brown may creep me out less than the hairy guy (but not by much).

I think I really need to try the movie theater on my next trip. My oldest daughter and I LOVE buttery popcorn, and it will be awesome to do it ourselves!!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I have never been to Tokyo Dining and I have never seen it reviewed before! Yay!

I'm sorry you weren't a fan of your sushi. But I hope John liked his! And that cake looks yummy! I think I had the same one at Teppan Edo!

Hi girl who plays Jasmine. Can I be you? You're perfect. Bye.

-----

They're giving Kilimanjaro Safaris a face lift!? Since when!? And how am I not aware of this??

I went to the movies at Disney once before we left to catch our flight and I totally agree - that movie theatre is awesome! I love it!

Hahahahaha what an experience you had at the pool. Sounds like quite the night. Sitting in a hot tub right now sounds wonderful because my room is FREEZING. And mmm Disney pizza. What a wonderful food

 

[therussells08]

Love your updates! I get increasingly excited for our trip whenever I see you've posted another day.

I'll make sure to remember your traumatic change experience when we ride Sum of all Thrills. I'm pretty nervous about Mission: Space, but I've got to try it once at least... though I'm leaning toward the green side after reading everyone's comments!

I'm definitely going to have to keep an eye out for that slushy!

That's a bummer about the pool incident (though the lady's reaction made me laugh out loud)! At least you got to enjoy the hot tub for a few minutes before Hairy Harry showed up

Looking forward to your next update!

Thank you! I'm so glad I can help you get excited for your trip!

Haha, yes please make sure you empty your pockets before riding! Yeah I think it's a must-do at least once. Maybe you could start with the green side, and if it doesn't bother you work your way up to the orange? Or do what I do and just stick with green!

It is SO good! They have another one that's lemonade flavored I think, but I've never had that one.

That was such a bizarre night at the pool in general!

Can I just say that I really appreciate you confessing to laughing for an inappropriate amount of time at the commercial?! Because I am notorious for regularly taking a few extra moments (or minutes, who's counting?!) to pull myself together after something funny is said... it's good to laugh though, so who cares?! By the way, I viewed the youtube video and found it hilarious too!

HAHA I'm so glad someone else does that! I feel like things are always "ticking" me that others don't find that funny. It's awkward, but like you said- who cares?!

I'm glad you thought it was funny too! It just cracks me up!

Ewwwww, poop in the pool and a hairy guy in the hot tub!? GROSS! I'm glad you clarified about the not cleaning up barf though because I was really curious as to where you were headed with that title!

Seriously, that was NOT a pleasant pool experience that evening! Haha yeah I realize in retrospect that was a pretty weird title!

I love Germany, Brandon always has to get a beer there! I never do, I usually wait for America to get some kind of Sam Adams, or I'll get one in England, but Brandon loves it! The pretzels, however, I'm addicted to! They are SO good!

Yum, Karamell Kuche! I love that place, it's so hard to decide what to get there!

You guys don't take naps in Disney? Wow, we would probably die if we didn't at least take a break in the afternoon! I'm envious of those people that can just go all day in the parks, because by 1 or 2, we're done!

Oh no, the poop in the pool incident! That is SOOOOOOO disgusting! At least you didn't get in though. Ugh who does that? I at least hope it was a kid and not an adult, that would be unfortunate...

Ewwww, that guy in the hot tub! Gross! I know some people are hairy, and there's nothing wrong with that but you don't want to share a hot tub with it! I don't like sharing hot tubs, it's just awkward! I had one to myself at WL the first time we were there and some guy got in with me and just started having a conversation with me...uh, please just leave me alone and let me soak, I don't want to talk to you. He was nice enough, but I just didn't want to be bothered!

I'm with Brandon on Germany, but believe it or not I've never had a pretzel from there! I need to try one!

You're right, it's impossible to choose! Although I think my favorite might be the plain caramel corn. It's so fresh and delicious!

We always try really hard not to take a nap, but we end up doing it anyway, especially in the summer! It's just too hot out not to take a break!

Yeah that was really nasty! HAHA I hope it was a kid too! That's funny to think about some adult pooping in the pool. Gross!

I agree with you, sharing hot tubs is kind of awkward! That's so funny that the guy just hopped in there with you like it was no big thing! He's like, "Hey buddy!"

 

[therussells08]

Yayyyy, tomorrow's your birthday!

BEER. Hahha (sadly I only know that because of the Stacey quote).

HELLO CHINA. GOODBYE CHINA.

I'm excited for the Kilimanjaro Safari updates too! SO MUCH IS HAPPENING AT DISNEY RIGHT NOW. It's insanity! Do you know when the KS changes are a comin'?

Hahahaha I remember that movie commercial! (I go to the movies way too often during the summer months so I know exactly what this one was). It's about keeping your dialogue OUT of the movie and turning off the freaking cellphones! Hahaha love it. "I cleaned it up." AND THEY MAKE OUT.
Ohhh... oh okay. So you posted the link aaaaand everyone probably already knows everything I just said, SO, excuse that above paragraph. (I have a bad habit of typing lots of stuff before I read the rest and then a lot of the time I end up accidentally saying what the person has already said... yeah, sorry!)

Omg... ew. Hahah I love the story though, I love when TR titles are explained! AND it sounds like yall had a really enjoyable hot tub time (even thought it was temporary)!

Yay! Ugh I can't believe I'll be 25 though. That feels so old!

Haha I knew you guys would recognize that quote!

Yeah, no time for China. I need caramel!

There really is a ton of stuff going on in Disney! The KS updates are supposed to be done by the fall. They are working on them right now, but the ride is remaining open during the refurb thank goodness.

Hahaha don't worry about it, I really enjoyed your summary paragraph anyway, and it's nice to know what the commercial is actually advertising!

That was NOT a fun experience, but it did add a nice part to my title! I only have one more part to explain, and that's the "classy" part. That experience was no pleasant either!

This may sound bad, but I think a code brown may creep me out less than the hairy guy (but not by much).

I think I really need to try the movie theater on my next trip. My oldest daughter and I LOVE buttery popcorn, and it will be awesome to do it ourselves!!

HAHAHA Code brown! That cracked me up!

Yes, if you're a fan of buttery popcorn you MUST go there! I put so much butter on my popcorn!

I have never been to Tokyo Dining and I have never seen it reviewed before! Yay!

I'm sorry you weren't a fan of your sushi. But I hope John liked his! And that cake looks yummy! I think I had the same one at Teppan Edo!

Hi girl who plays Jasmine. Can I be you? You're perfect. Bye.

-----

They're giving Kilimanjaro Safaris a face lift!? Since when!? And how am I not aware of this??

I went to the movies at Disney once before we left to catch our flight and I totally agree - that movie theatre is awesome! I love it!

Hahahahaha what an experience you had at the pool. Sounds like quite the night. Sitting in a hot tub right now sounds wonderful because my room is FREEZING. And mmm Disney pizza. What a wonderful food

That's cool that you had the same dessert at Teppan Edo! Sorry my Tokyo review was not exactly pleasant, but John loved it!

HAHA seriously. I want her life!

Yeah! They're working on it right now. It's supposed to run until the fall, but it's going to remain open during the refurb. Here is a link about the updates!

It really is a great movie theater! It's so much cooler than the ones we have at home!

Yeah that was a very...um...interesting evening at the pool! It's pretty cold in my house too! It was really warm for a while there, but now it's getting kind of cool out again.

I wish I had some Disney pizza right now! There's nothing like it!

 

[Aussiesalad]

Firstly have to say I love the Are You Afraid of The Dark reference
Can totally see how you would have those two confused That show (and Goosebumps) used to seem so scary back in the day, now...not so much.

I feel the same way when I see people actually buying stuff that we generally use for photo opps! Yay consumers!

We always see a movie too, we love the theatre there! Butter galore is always a good thing right?

Yeah I'm not going to lie...the title scared me a little. Phew!

Ewwww to pool poop and ewww to floating hairs on hairy man!

Happy Birthday for tomorrow
Welcome to the 'mid twenties' club!

 

[therussells08]

Firstly have to say I love the Are You Afraid of The Dark reference
Can totally see how you would have those two confused That show (and Goosebumps) used to seem so scary back in the day, now...not so much.

I feel the same way when I see people actually buying stuff that we generally use for photo opps! Yay consumers!

We always see a movie too, we love the theatre there! Butter galore is always a good thing right?

Yeah I'm not going to lie...the title scared me a little. Phew!

Ewwww to pool poop and ewww to floating hairs on hairy man!

Happy Birthday for tomorrow
Welcome to the 'mid twenties' club!

Haha yay! Another Are You Afraid of the Dark fan! AND Goosebumps! Ahh, so you pretty much just described my childhood!

Yes, butter galore is definitely always a good thing!

Haha sorry about the frightening title!

Yeah, that was a pretty disgusting experience all around!

Thank you so much! That sounds like a pretty good club to be in!

 

[therussells08]

Tomorrow is my birthday! 90 days until I’m back in Disney! Eep! Eep! Lots of exciting stuff going on!

Okay so the next date I’m about to post about, June 15, 2011, will probably be a pretty short day. I’m thinking I can actually squeeze it all into one update because it wasn’t a park day and I didn’t take that many pictures, but I promise I will still be very descriptive about what we accomplished!

So, let’s get to it!

When we woke up the next morning we purposefully took our time getting ready, because we knew it was our non-park day and it was going to be very leisurely. We got up, showered, and went down to the food court for breakfast. I am a total health nut, so naturally I had zebra domes and Diet Coke for breakfast. Did you know they sell to-go packages of zebra domes in the AKL food court? I didn’t until that morning, and I was pleasantly surprised indeed.

After our nutritious breakfast (I’m pretty sure John had a danish) we made our way over to Downtown Disney for a day of my favorite sport: shopping! We got there pretty early so for once we didn’t have to fight to the death to get a parking spot. I love being at DTD when it’s not that crowded, because you really have a chance to look around! We decided to start at one end and work our way around, so we made our way to the Art of Disney store. Naturally we went inside and drooled over the Thomas Kinkade paintings (R.I.P) and tried to come up with a way to buy one. Selling an organ on the black market didn’t seem like a viable option at the moment, so we said, “Maybe next time,” and moseyed on.

As we were leaving I noticed the Design-a-Tee shop and I was instantly intrigued. If you haven’t been in there, it’s this really cool store where you can design and personalize your own WDW t-shirt! I started playing around on one of the computers and instantly realized that I MUST DO THIS. The t-shirts really weren’t that expensive ($21.95, I think) and they had really cute designs! John and I decided to each make one. We picked out everything we wanted, and then we took our receipts to the counter to pay. They gave us a time to come back and pick up our shirts, which was several hours later. I was SO excited. I couldn’t wait to see my creation!

When we left I was really excited and antsy about my shirt, so I decided the best course of action was to put even more sugar into my already spazzed out system.

Ghiradelli, how I love you. My favorite pick, as you can see, is the Mint Bliss, which is mint and chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate hot fudge, and whipped cream. So yeah, it’s basically the most delicious ice cream concoction ever made. Take THAT, Willy Wonka! He made ice cream, right?

Anyway, John went with his tried and true favorite, the wonderful banana split!

As I was stuffing my face with an obscene amount of frozen yogurt the other day, I stopped and thought about how insanely delicious bananas are in ice cream. Of all the fruits, I think bananas complement the ice cream better than any other. As you can tell, I don’t play around about my junk food.

Since it was barely 11:00 the Ghiradelli dining area was very uncrowded, so we enjoyed our delicious treats and discussed our plans for the rest of the day. I needed to get some souvenirs for my best friend, and John wanted to get me something for our anniversary. AWWW! He’s a keeper, y’all.

After our snacks we began our DTD wandering afresh. I had to stop and give this handsome devil a smooch.

I love Buzz, but Woody will always be my # 1.

Then it was time for John to feed his addiction and get back to buying/trading Vinylmations. I was sort of getting into it too, so I stopped to pose with our new giant mascot!

John was hopping all over DTD making trades, and he was trying really hard to complete this one particular set. We decided to go into the World of Disney so he could do some trading and I could do some shopping!

Once we got inside we split up. I went and picked out some stuff for my best friend. I got her a keychain and an antennae topper for her car. I had already bought her a beach towel earlier in the week, so these were just little extra things!

(I took these pictures later at the resort, but I figured I’d go ahead and post them now so you could see what I bought for her.)

She loves flamingoes, so I bought her this little guy for her car!

When I finished with my shopping I set off to find John. I found him totally immersed in the Vinylmation wall, surrounded by like ten different people. He was chatting and laughing with these people like he had known them his whole life, and when I approached I realized they were trading Vinylmations with one another and having a VERY in depth conversation about which ones they wanted/which ones were rare/etc. I was so proud of John! I always make connections with people based on a shared Disney love, and now he was doing it too! I’ve taught him so well.

I managed to drag him away from his new BFFs (not before numbers were exchanged, however) and we made our way out of the abyss that is the World of Disney. We shared our purchases with each other, mine consisting of the knick knacks for Jessy and his consisting of a multitude of Vinylmations. Then he got all coy and was like, “Oh, and I picked this up.” And he handed me…

THIS. AHHH it’s gorgeous and perfect and I love it!! If you can’t tell, that Mickey head in the middle is made out of pearls. AMAZING. I was so excited, and because I’m in a glass case of emotion (Anchorman, anyone?) 99% of my life, I immediately burst into tears. It was so sweet of him to surprise me with such a beautiful anniversary gift. Move over princesses, I’ve got a Prince Charming of my own! I’ll give you a little bit of foreshadowing for later- this wasn’t the only thing he got me, and the other thing will BLOW YOUR MIND. Stay tuned for that update!

After he gave me my beautiful gift I just couldn’t say no to following him around while he traded MORE Vinylmations. Bless him, I bet he traded about twenty times that day. It took a ton of time, but it was really fun watching him get so into it! I wish I had taken more pictures of him trading. Next time, I promise!

When he was finally satisfied with his trades it was time to pick up our shirts! YIPPEEEEE! We practically raced back to Design-a-Tee with my dragging John behind me. I was so excited when I finally got to see my creation!

So, what do you think? I was really happy with it. I don’t know why, but for some insane reason I didn’t take a picture of John’s shirt. I swear he was with me that day, y’all. I guess he just wasn’t feeling very photogenic. Anyway, his shirt is black with a whole bunch of the male villains on it like Scar, Gaston, and others, and it just says “Walt Disney World 2011” in red lettering. It was really cool, and he has practically worn that thing out!

If you’ve never done Design-a-Tee, I highly recommend it. It’s not much more expensive than a regular shirt in the parks, and they have a lot of designs to choose from. Also, the t-shirts are really great quality. I’ve had mine for almost a year, and I haven’t had any trouble with it shrinking or with the design fading. I think everyone should try it at least once!

After we got our shirts I realized I had eaten nothing except zebra domes and ice cream all day, and I was starving! Luckily we had an ADR back at the resort for Boma!

By this point DTD was getting pretty crowded, so we were more than ready to leave and go get ready for dinner. For once I did not take pictures of the animals when we got back to the resort! Hard to believe, I know. That’s how in the zone I was for this dinner!

I love eating at resort restaurants, because I feel like for the most part you don’t have to wait very long. We checked in at the Boma podium about five minutes before our ADR time, which was at 6:30, and we were seated immediately!

Interestingly enough, we had the same waiter from our breakfast at Boma before! I think he remembered us and our generous tip because he acted really excited to see us. He was probably just relieved that we weren’t that jerk who demanded a free meal! Anyway, he took our drink orders and told us to help ourselves to the buffet. Oh, alright. If you insist.

Okay so, as amazing at the Boma breakfast buffet is, that’s how equally amazing the dinner buffet. You have to be a little big adventurous to try some of the stuff I think, but they have a lot of staple “comfort foods” too. Here’s my first plate!

Let’s see what we have here. On the bottom there is a chicken leg that was spicy and delicious. The meat is prime rib that they saw off the bone right in front of you. At first I was hesitant because it was so pink, but OMG. Butter my butt and call me a biscuit, that stuff was GOOD. The sauce on the side is some spicy mustard sauce I dipped it in. I could have seriously eaten that the entire night. The meat was juicy and tender, and the sauce was amazing. That was my favorite part for sure! The last item on my plate this time around was some kind of fish (tilapia, I think) with a really delicious cream sauce on it. So that means for items on plate number 1, 3/3 were a success!

I guess once again I decided to ignore John for that evening. That or he just wasn’t in the mood to have his picture taken. Either way, I know he ate A LOT of that prime rib. So let’s get back to my plate!

Here’s my next one:

Okay let’s go clockwise. On the top we have pita chips. Underneath those pita chips was some very tasty hummus that I dipped them in. Next to that we have a very delicious and unique pasta. It had a very distinct flavor that I can’t exactly describe, but it was really good. Below that we have macaroni and cheese. Now on any other occasion I’m sure this mac n’cheese would be just fine, but surrounded by all these other amazing foods it just didn’t quite live up to my expectations. In the middle of the plate you will see tiny little cornbread muffins. They were crumbly and FANTASTIC. Finally we have some ribs. The flavor on them was delicious, but they were a little tough for my taste. We’ll call this plate 3.5/5 items. Not bad, not bad!

My next plate was an entire other serving of prime rib with more of that mustard sauce. I didn’t bother taking a picture of that one because I was too busy tearing into it like a rabid beast.

By this point I was getting pretty full, but not too full of course for DESSERT!

If I had a time machine, the first thing I would do is travel back to the moment when I ate this plate of dessert just so I could do it again. That’s how good it was. Let’s see what we have… on the top right is a deliciously tart apple cobbler. Below that was my favorite dessert, the caramel cheesecake bites. I can’t really remember what that thing in the middle was, but I know I didn’t like it. Then we have the infamous zebra dome, which is sent from the gods. Finally there’s some kind of bread pudding. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was really hot and still very good! So for the dessert plate, we’ll go with 3.5/5 again.

If you can’t tell from my rambling, we were VERY satisfied with our dinner at Boma. It had been a very fun and relaxing day, but the heat and walking around trading Vinylmations had gotten to us. Coupling that with our full bellies, we were feeling very tired! We decided to relax and wander around the resort a little bit. We went out and walked around the pool, just chatting about our trip so far and holding hands. It was very sweet and romantic, just saying.

We decided to head back to the room early so we could rest up for our last full day in Disney. We watched some Stacey, sorted out souvenirs, and I updated my trip journal a little bit. We ended up heading to bed pretty early, and we were both asleep almost at once!

I can’t believe the trip is almost over!

Up Next: We encounter the rudest person we’ve EVER met at Disney. Stay tuned!

 

[marDgreen88]

Ugh, RIP Thomas Kinkade. I feel like I kind of NEED to get one of his Disney paintings now, ya know? Too bad they're like a million dollars.

YUM, your ice cream looks amazing. Goodness. Hahaha I think Willy Wonka was strictly a candy guy.

I'M IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION! But seriously, that's such a beautiful necklace! How sweet of John to surprise you with that!

AHHH YOUR SHIRT IS SO AWESOME!!!! That's the coolest thing ever!

Sounds like an awesome non-park day! Your evening sounds like it was pretty perfect.

Uh oh... rude people suck.

 

[monica23535]

Hi Joni, I just discovered all of your trip reports and spent practically the last two days reading them all.

Your last two updates literally had me

I am so gonna watch a movie in DTD, there is nowhere in the UK that you can BUTTER YOUR OWN POPCORN!

That hairy man and the poopy pool sound gross.

AKL is a beautiful resort, John must have been so pleased with your sneakiness

I can't wait to hear about what else he got you for your anniversary

 

[hmgray95]

I'm normally a lurker, and not a poster, but I wanted to tell you that I've really been enjoying your reports! I even went back and read your first one since the two current ones are so much fun! Plus, I felt compelled to tell you that we are practically neighbors since I live in Greensboro....

 

[Nermel9]

Awww, Thomas Kinkade. RIP. I have his Disney calendar for this year, and when I flipped to April, I FREAKED out, April is the most beautiful painting of Beauty and the Beast...I seriously want to rip it out and frame it when the year is over!

OMG ANCHORMAN!!! Brandon and I quote that all the time...do you know I hated that movie when I first saw it? Then I saw it a few more times and now I'm obsessed...I can't believe they're making a sequel!

Your Design a Tee is so adorable! And your sundae looks SO good! We never go to Ghiradelli's I don't know why, we went once. Once. It's just not right.

Aww, I love the necklace John got for you!

Your dinner at Boma looks like it was good, but I'm still afraid to go there for dinner! I do need to try the zebra domes, though, they look amazing!

 

[Torrance]

First: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I hope you've had a wonderful day!

Second: YAY! Another update! Your t-shirt looks great, and I'm glad that John liked his too! I think the design-a-tee shop will be something we keep an eye out for, creating our own (good quality ) shirts that are exactly what we want sounds very cool.

Your Mickey necklace is adorable -- that's so sweet of John!

MMMM your Boma dinner looked so good! As did your Ghiradelli treats!

I'm looking forward to your next update! I'm really sorry about the rude person though... I hope it didn't mess with your day too much (rude people at Disney always put a sour taste in my mouth ).