Tale as Old as Time...a Feb 2017 Princess 5k and B-Day Trip! NEW 4/7 THE END of our trip!!

[rndmr2]

Great Update! The dessert party looked fun. I really love Tiana's dress and Jewelry. I probably have said that before but I think hers is my favorite dress. The $50 sounds like a great price for what you get too.

 

[Tracy161]

Wow, awesome pictures! I especially love the close-up of you and Steve - gorgeous! This update made me realize how much I take the Liberty Belle for granted - I rarely venture out on it and have practically forgotten all the things you see. What a great way to see the parade - sounds like it was money well spent! And how nice to hang with Betsy

 

[Imagineer5]

I'll have to check out your PTR!! I can't wait to read about the Pandora previews. I crunched some numbers and looked at flights and hotels but just couldn't make it work (esp with a newborn lol). But we do leave June 2nd so we'll see Pandora then haha.

Glad Tiana's party was so much fun!! I think we had a very similar experience in December, the only difference is that I don't remember seeing the fruit bars (which would have been nice to have for my dairy-allergic kiddo) and we also didn't get the scavenger hunt things? My DD participated in the conga line on the boat though and had some really amazing interactions with Tiana and Naveen, so we really loved it. I was hoping that terrible lemonade had been replaced, although they did have bottled water on the boat at least hahaha.

 

[wdwnut61]

Great review of Tiana's Ice Cream Social!
I love all your pictures, Tiana is DD's favorite and mine is Naveen

 

[chunkymonkey]

Great Update! The dessert party looked fun. I really love Tiana's dress and Jewelry. I probably have said that before but I think hers is my favorite dress. The $50 sounds like a great price for what you get too.

Thank you! It was a cute party, although I wouldn't say it's a must-do. It was fun to interact with Tiana and Naveen too. It's rare you get to see the prince and princesses together. For the price I thought it was pretty good.

Wow, awesome pictures! I especially love the close-up of you and Steve - gorgeous! This update made me realize how much I take the Liberty Belle for granted - I rarely venture out on it and have practically forgotten all the things you see. What a great way to see the parade - sounds like it was money well spent! And how nice to hang with Betsy

Thanks Tracy! Me too, I totally took the Liberty Belle for granted, and have not been in years. I found it was a nice escape in the middle of the day if you don't' want to leave the park and it wasn't crowded on the boat. I probably won't do the Tiana social again but I'm glad I did it that one time!

I'll have to check out your PTR!! I can't wait to read about the Pandora previews. I crunched some numbers and looked at flights and hotels but just couldn't make it work (esp with a newborn lol). But we do leave June 2nd so we'll see Pandora then haha.

LOL you are practically there on opening week anyways! Congrats on the latest addition! You have a beautiful family! It was not a cheap flight by any means but I figure we wouldn't get an opportunity like this for a while as AP holders. We decided we're not renewing next year but we will get them again before SW land opens on 2019, hehehe.

Glad Tiana's party was so much fun!! I think we had a very similar experience in December, the only difference is that I don't remember seeing the fruit bars (which would have been nice to have for my dairy-allergic kiddo) and we also didn't get the scavenger hunt things? My DD participated in the conga line on the boat though and had some really amazing interactions with Tiana and Naveen, so we really loved it. I was hoping that terrible lemonade had been replaced, although they did have bottled water on the boat at least hahaha.

I think they did change some stuff around, probably added the scavenger hunt quiz later for bored adults, hahaha. The interaction with Tiana and Naveen was the best part. The terrible lemonade is still there - we barely drank any of it, so mostly drank water which was great as it was such a warm day! We also had all these extra bags of popcorn so DH put them all in his backpack, haha. We ate them on our flight back home and they were the best snack ever.

 

[bcwife76]

Argh, we always think of Disney as a happy place so sometimes when there are RUDE people it shocks us but there are rude people everywhere I would've done the same, said loudly enough for them to hear "I hate line cutters, that is so rude" etc but in the end, what can you do. Everyone got on the boat, everyone got icecream A nice way to spend the afternoon, nonetheless! My 8 year old would LOVE this as she is so completely infatuated with Tiana right now

 

[KathyM2]

Are you going to do a Run Disney race? I see your posts on running on FB. You can definitely do any Run Disney race!

Ha thanks. I'm not so much worried about finishing a race, it's more finding the time and money to get to WDW at the right time to do one...that's the tougher part for me! But ONE DAY I WILL!!!

 

[kastoney]

We met up with Betsy before our 1:45pm check in time at the Liberty Belle. We remembered to go to the bathroom before as instructed because there are no bathrooms on board the Liberty Belle! So we went to the closest bathrooms, which are the best ones, the Tangled bathrooms!

I can't believe they don't have bathrooms on the boat. Good thing they warn you in advance, because me and my bladder need to always be in close proximity to what Jason calls "my favorite attraction."

If she just asked us we would be more than willing to let her in front, but instead she annoyed us and the line of people behind us. There was no, EXCUSE ME or SORRY on her part either.

You are so right, no excuse. The level of entitlement at Disney never ceased to amaze me. Forget a line, I paid lots of money for this trip so my time is more precious than yours. Re-dic-u-lus!

We each got these stickers to wear. The CM said you can wear them anywhere it doesn't have to be in front so I took the sticker and put it on my back so I didn't hide the print of my dress because it was a large sticker!

I'm totally envisioning them saying this to Casey and Jason and her wanting to put it on her but and him thinking the bottom of his shoe is a good place

Aren't these the cutest? I loved how the desserts at Disney are themed specifically to the dessert party. They were all very sweet and topped with a lot of icing, which is not my favorite. But I did enjoy the Tiana cupcake (what's with me and cupcakes today?) and the green chocolate frog I thought was super cute.

Yum, these look so good. Totally like a little piece of springtime.

And I got a few solo pictures, because, well, they insisted because it was my birthday!

Awesome pictures!!!!!! The dress and safety pin held up well!

Betsy had a conversation with a CM about how long the line for Haunted Mansion was...literally lines of people waiting OUTSIDE and the lines snaked around near the river...So they had to get a line selfie and the CM's name was Yancy and he said, hashtag it #ILOVEYANCY so she did!

#ILOVEYANCYTOO. Awesome pic, but what is up with that line. That is insane!!!!! I had no idea there even was room for a line down by the river.

Here's some video from the parade. It was a nice view, not like the best view, but you get to hear the music at least, and be away from the crowds and have some shade. That to me is worth the 50 bucks!

There's Tiana and Naveen!

I'm not sure what I expected, but I'm kind of surprised the view isn't better than that. I would have thought perhaps they would have adjusted the parade route to give the boat a better view.

No worries though, we'll be meeting again in May! Not our original May trip but a quickie trip I just booked last week to catch the Pandora preview for AP holders! It's just for the weekend but we're both so excited to check it out first hand! I will write more in my PTR at some point!

Ah, so jealous. 2 May trips!!!!!! Can't wait to see how Pandora is though

 

[chunkymonkey]

Argh, we always think of Disney as a happy place so sometimes when there are RUDE people it shocks us but there are rude people everywhere I would've done the same, said loudly enough for them to hear "I hate line cutters, that is so rude" etc but in the end, what can you do. Everyone got on the boat, everyone got icecream A nice way to spend the afternoon, nonetheless! My 8 year old would LOVE this as she is so completely infatuated with Tiana right now

I know, sometimes I forget that Disney is part of the REAL world and that there are people like that out there...so annoying!
Thankfully that feeling was short lived and I remembered it as I was writing my TR.

Your DD8 would love it, yes! Oh BTW I forgot to let you know that you got the same Tiana on your cruise that we did on our SW cruise!

Ha thanks. I'm not so much worried about finishing a race, it's more finding the time and money to get to WDW at the right time to do one...that's the tougher part for me! But ONE DAY I WILL!!!

Yes! One day you will! I will be there in spirit (if I'm not already at the parks, LOL) to cheer you on!

I can't believe they don't have bathrooms on the boat. Good thing they warn you in advance, because me and my bladder need to always be in close proximity to what Jason calls "my favorite attraction."

That's like me! I'm totally the person who has to sit on the aisle of the plane and at movie theaters because I'm scared I'll have to go at any time.

You are so right, no excuse. The level of entitlement at Disney never ceased to amaze me. Forget a line, I paid lots of money for this trip so my time is more precious than yours. Re-dic-u-lus!

I know, right? It's hard to believe sometimes how entitled people think they are. I'd like to think we can escape the real world a bit at Disney but sometimes you can't.

I'm totally envisioning them saying this to Casey and Jason and her wanting to put it on her but and him thinking the bottom of his shoe is a good place

At some point we all "lost" our stickers anyways...so bottom of the shoe wouldn't matter, LOL.

Yum, these look so good. Totally like a little piece of springtime.

They were so pretty! Just a little too sweet.

Awesome pictures!!!!!! The dress and safety pin held up well!

Thank you! I avoided a serious wardrobe malfunction that would have gotten me banned from Disney!

#ILOVEYANCYTOO. Awesome pic, but what is up with that line. That is insane!!!!! I had no idea there even was room for a line down by the river.

We had never seen that line. The CM had never seen that line. That's why we all had to commemorate not being on that line with a selfie.

I'm not sure what I expected, but I'm kind of surprised the view isn't better than that. I would have thought perhaps they would have adjusted the parade route to give the boat a better view.

I think at the 50 dollar level it doesn't qualify, but maybe if they charged a bit more Disney would think it worthwhile to adjust the parade, LOL. It was ok, not the best view but I got popcorn so I was happy.

Ah, so jealous. 2 May trips!!!!!! Can't wait to see how Pandora is though

I paid an arm and a leg for the second trip but figured we'll not have another chance to do these special AP-only events for a while. So we bit the bullet and booked it!

 

[Raeven]

so I took the sticker and put it on my back so I didn't hide the print of my dress because it was a large sticker!

Good idea!

Everything was decorated in the colors of Mardi Gras (of course) and it was very befitting that it was Mardi Gras the next day!

That would be so fun to do for Mardi Gras another good idea!

Here's some video from the parade. It was a nice view, not like the best view, but you get to hear the music at least, and be away from the crowds and have some shade. That to me is worth the 50 bucks!

So true, it's so hard to plan to see the parade when it's so hot out.

Not our original May trip but a quickie trip I just booked last week to catch the Pandora preview for AP holders! It's just for the weekend but we're both so excited to check it out first hand! I will write more in my PTR at some point!

Ooo! We grabbed an AP preview date on the last day of our trip, but right now we're actually contemplating a quickie beginning of June trip for the Dis party and Pandora EMH.

 

[chunkymonkey]

That would be so fun to do for Mardi Gras another good idea!

To be honest it was just a coincidence. I forget my b-day falls so close to Mardi Gras, but hey, it worked out and I got to party like I was in New Orleans, just a more G-rated version. Hahaha. Oh and my friend said that the Port Orleans resort have their own Mardi Gras parties there so that would be a fun place to stay during that time! I had no idea, LOL

So true, it's so hard to plan to see the parade when it's so hot out.

Yeah that's why we usually skip it or see just a few minutes of it before seeking some shelter.

Ooo! We grabbed an AP preview date on the last day of our trip, but right now we're actually contemplating a quickie beginning of June trip for the Dis party and Pandora EMH.

Ahhhh sounds like fun!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 5 Part 3: Evening birthday festivities!!

Once we got back to our room, I plugged in my phone which was almost dead, rested a bit, showered and freshened up. DH did the same. We had drinks before our dinner at California Grill and my friend Ann was taking us to Top of the World! So excited! For those who don't know, Top of the World is a DVC-only rooftop bar located in Bay Lake Tower, so if you're a DVC member you can bring guests with you so we were her "guests" that evening hehe.

Of course when I was about to leave and grabbed my phone I realized that it didn't charge at all! I think one of the wires was faulty and it stopped working on the trip. Argh. So I took the good charger with us so that I could charge it a bit during drinks. Sorry for the first half of this post having no pictures, because I was at about 2% and DH had no more memory on his phone.

We walked to Bay Lake Tower and waited for Ann in the lobby. I realized since I had changed that I wasn't wearing my birthday button as I had left it on the old dress. I normally wouldn't really care but since it was my actual birthday DH said just to ask for another one, and the BLT front desk was happy to oblige!

Ann and her DD Zoe walked in right then, but what we didn't realize was that Top of the World opened at 6 and it was maybe 5:35 then so we just sat in the lobby and talked and chilled. Her DH, who is also named Steve wasn't feeling well so we didn't get to meet him that night. Ann was wearing her glass slipper medal from the races that weekend. What amazed me was that Ann had run all the races that weekend and she had woken up early today to go on a "walk off" run, which is I guess a post-race run since you're so acclimated to running every day for the past 3 days! I have never met someone who had not run a single race back in 2012, did her first Run Disney event and got hooked. Now a half marathon seems easy! She also has 4 kids and is a grandparent to 2 adorable babies. I was also amazed at how much Zoe has grown. I want to say she's about...14 now? She's grown about a foot since I last saw her!

When it hit 6, we went up to the podium and Ann presented her DVC card and we were shown the elevator to take us to Top of The World! It is really gorgeous in there and the views are fabulous We were the only guests there at that time so we had our pick of seats. I managed to snag these few pics before my phone died and I found an outlet to charge my phone.

We sat on some of the couches, they were nice and comfy! DH and I perused the menu and I saw something that caught my eye. The Seven Seas Lagoon drink that I saw just premiered at the monorail resorts just a few weeks before our trip. It's definitely a shared drink as it's about 25 bucks but the drink is bigger than my head. I kid you not. Here it is:

This was a picture that DH took (after he had to delete some old pis to make room on his phone LOL) but he didn't do a good job of showing it's size in relation to other things. But it was massive. It was really good though, it was your quintissential Blue-Hawaiian-type drink with the blue curacao, and it had a glow cube and swedish fish and a gummy float in it. It really was the size of the Seven Seas Lagoon!

I believe Ann got a beer and Zoe got a lemonade topped with wildberry foam. Mmmm. We sat and chilled and talked until it was close to our 7pm reservations at California Grill. And thankfully during that time my phone was able to charge up enough to last me through the night. Sadly after the hour we had to part ways to head to dinner. Ann and Zoe were headed to Artist Point for their own signature dinner. I was just slightly tipsy at this point, that drink was huge and we managed to finish most of it too, but we were struggling at the end and tried to take really big gulps of it, hahaha.

Before we left we got this picture of all of us together:

DH, Zoe, Me and Ann! I'm wearing an R2-D2 dress which you may have seen my sister wear on our past trips. I liked it on her so much that I bought one of my own. I loved it, and I must say, I have never gotten so many compliments on my dress in one evening!

This is the view that evening from ToTW:

So pretty!

We parted ways at BLT and we walked back to the Contemporary and checked in on the 4th floor for dinner:

We were escorted up to the top and we were seated on a table that had some pixie dust on it:

And there was this cute card waiting for us. Since everything is all hooked up in the system they know we're eating where we are staying on this trip!

Open Kitchen:

We got their bread basket of rolls and foccacia:

We ordered some more drinks, DH got a really nice Riesling, and I got what I thought would be a rose type champagne but it was too dark and a bit too sweet for me, so I didn't like it as much as DH's Riesling.

Just to note, the menu is seasonal so the menu right now that is up on the website is different so for most of the offerings when we were there so if I am not able to find the exact description of the dish I'll provide some detail as best as I can!

As appetizers DH got one of their special sushi rolls of the evening, which was Truffle-scented lobster roll. I did not really taste much truffle though. We thought this was ok. I think we should have ordered one of the rolls on their regular menu and not the special.

There were chunks of lobster in the middle of the sushi which was nice and I liked the crispy topping which I think were like fried wonton strips. Not the best sushi roll I've had really but pretty good.

I got a kabocha squash bisque. I think I must have been craving soup like the one I had at Tiffins but this one was not really like Tiffin's aside from the color. It was not bad, just different, and I thought the consistency was too thick. It's a good thing I like kabocha squash. The closest I can compare it to is butternut squash soup, but let me tell you, I have been hard-pressed to find anything as close to AKL's version of butternust squash soup they serve in Mara and Boma.

We looked at our watch and realized it was time for Wishes soon. Our server told us our entrees won't be served until after the show so we headed outside to watch the show. Our first time seeing it from this angle!

It's definitely more impressive in person that what I could capture, and it was nice they pipe in the music.

It was so dark to capture still images but my videos came out better:

It's even more poignant now that Wishes is ending very soon. In fact in May I will be watching Wishes for the last time in the beginning of the month, and then 2 weeks later we'll be back right after they switch to Happily Ever After. Although I do love Wishes I am actually looking forward to the new show. I think change is for the better, I'm hoping they don't dumb down the fireworks part though as they seem to have done with the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular. Either way I can' wait to see the new show!!

We went back to our table after the lights came on and shortly after our entrees came.

As an entree, DH got the Cioppino, a spicy seafood stew with crab, shrimp, and mussels. This was quite flavorful and DH liked it a lot. It was also spicy which he really liked. It was served with a nice buttery crostini.

I got the Tuna which is still on their menu it seems. Wild Caught Yellowfin Tuna: Pan-seared, Forbidden Rice, Guanciale, Bitter Greens, Gailan, Tomato-Miso Soup. This was fantastic. Probably just as good if not better than the fish I got at Tiffins. It's rare that I order seared tuna as an entree as I like my tuna raw as in sushi/sashimi, but this one was nice and rare and served with forbidden rice and tasty veggies. I have had my fair share of forbidden rice on this trip and I couldn't be happier!

I was thoroughly stuffed now and since we already had a dessert party in the afternoon, we chose not to have dessert, even though I probably do need to get some on another trip. We were off on a mission for tonight...to get the Tangled Magic Shot! So we settled the bill, and we left to head out to MK!!
We got a picture commemorating our evening here:

We continued and walked all the way to MK. When we got in, I decided to get some castle pics:

We made a very late FP for 7DMT so we headed there first.

Then we went to get the Tangled Magic Shot!

It was indeed where Betsy said it was, so we lined up. About 20 people in front of us. but I think some were doing them as groups. We waited for about 25 minutes I want to say, many 30. But finally we were there! I told DH I'll do a solo one first and then we can both be in the picture, and DH declined to a solo by himself.

So the assistant hands you the light up box and tells you where to stand and how to angle your body. I wasn't sure what else I needed to do, so I just stared at the box the whole time.

So he's my solo shot:

And together:

I really need to work on my "resting lantern face"!!
I look a bit stiff so next time I'll smile and tilt my head and see if that makes me look more dreamy.

But we got the coveted Tangled Magic Shot! I was super excited!! I had to tell Betsy! I still think hers is the best.

As it headed to 11pm, DH said he was tired and wanted to head back, while I wanted to stay a bit and do some browsing on Main Street.
I also was able to see The Kiss Goodnight! That was pretty cool.

I closed down MK on my BDAY!

What a wonderful trip it's been so far. I'm very lucky to have my DH and all my Disney friends who made the weekend extremely special.

I exited the park and walked outside all the way to the Contemporary. I even went the long way because there were some annoying bugs close to our entrance at night, and I didn't want them to swarm inside the building then. So I went the long way through the other garden wings I didn't care, I was very happy and ready for the next day (unfortunately the day we're leaving.)

We have a brunch at Tusker House coming up soon! Stay tuned!
​

 

[bcwife76]

That's some very interesting entree's you had that night! Looks like DH got the whole ocean in his stew

What a gorgeous view from ToTW! And also for Wishes!!!

Those lantern shots are too cute, how long will they be offering them at WDW do you happen to know?

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Sounded like a great end to your birthday day! Dinner looked amazing!

I closed down MK on my BDAY!

Awesome! Seeing the goodnight kiss is on my bucket list for one day.

We have a brunch at Tusker House coming up soon! Stay tuned

Can't wait!

 

[kastoney]

When it hit 6, we went up to the podium and Ann presented her DVC card and we were shown the elevator to take us to Top of The World! It is really gorgeous in there and the views are fabulous We were the only guests there at that time so we had our pick of seats. I managed to snag these few pics before my phone died and I found an outlet to charge my phone.

Wow, how nice. What an awesome opportunity to get up there. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were at the California Grill bar, though of course there would be a lot more people

This was a picture that DH took (after he had to delete some old pis to make room on his phone LOL) but he didn't do a good job of showing it's size in relation to other things. But it was massive. It was really good though, it was your quintissential Blue-Hawaiian-type drink with the blue curacao, and it had a glow cube and swedish fish and a gummy float in it. It really was the size of the Seven Seas Lagoon!

Wow, this looks awesome. Swedish fish and a glow cube in a single drink!!! Yes please and thank you

DH, Zoe, Me and Ann! I'm wearing an R2-D2 dress which you may have seen my sister wear on our past trips. I liked it on her so much that I bought one of my own. I loved it, and I must say, I have never gotten so many compliments on my dress in one evening!

Funny when I saw this picture, I thought I remember that dress from your cruise. Didn't realize I remembered chunkysis wearing it though

So pretty!

Spectacular view!

As appetizers DH got one of their special sushi rolls of the evening, which was Truffle-scented lobster roll. I did not really taste much truffle though. We thought this was ok. I think we should have ordered one of the rolls on their regular menu and not the special.

We got the same roll on our last trip and I don't think I even realized it was supposed to have truffle and you most definitely couldn't taste it.

It's even more poignant now that Wishes is ending very soon. In fact in May I will be watching Wishes for the last time in the beginning of the month, and then 2 weeks later we'll be back right after they switch to Happily Ever After. Although I do love Wishes I am actually looking forward to the new show. I think change is for the better, I'm hoping they don't dumb down the fireworks part though as they seem to have done with the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular. Either way I can' wait to see the new show!!

How cool you'll get to see both shows in the course of just a month!!!! I"m definitely ready for a new show too, as is Casey, who when we watched them last time wasn't even remotely interested anymore.

As an entree, DH got the Cioppino, a spicy seafood stew with crab, shrimp, and mussels. This was quite flavorful and DH liked it a lot. It was also spicy which he really liked. It was served with a nice buttery crostini.

Wow this looks awesome and sounds utterly perfect!!!!!!!!

I really need to work on my "resting lantern face" before next time!!
I look a bit stiff so next time I'll smile and tilt my head and see if that makes me look more dreamy.

Great pics, but dying over your resting lantern face!!!!!

 

[wdwnut61]

What an amazing way to spend your birthday!
Stunning view from Top of the World and all your CR pics make me miss being there so much. We just loved the location and the easy walk to MK.
I think your Tangled pics are perfect no resting lantern face.

 

[soniam]

Nice meal. I love California Grill. Top of the World looks nice. I like that drink. Your husband's cioppino looks really good. It's making me hungry. I figured you got whichever dish had the forbidden rice

 

[Tracy161]

I really need to work on my "resting lantern face" before next time!!

I actually laughed out loud reading that! I do disagree though - I think your lantern shots are magical. I really need to do this! What a special momento.

The TotW experience had to have been amazing - how cool! And your dinner looked great, you can't beat seeing Wishes just before entrees were served

 

[Reflections of Earth]

I do not do well with people cutting lines, but I'm glad you didn't let it put a damper on your day. $50 is definitely a good price for all of those treats and a guaranteed view of the parade!

It seems like you had a great birthday. Watching Wishes from Top of the World looked gorgeous. I also love your lantern shots!

 

[coloredimage]

I had comments saved from the Tiana's Ice Cream social but they're saved on my work computer - oops!

Let me just sum it up succinctly: It looks like a lot of fun and I love anything with Tiana so I want to do that.

Also I love your Tiana dress.

The Seven Seas Lagoon drink that I saw just premiered at the monorail resorts just a few weeks before our trip.

I saw a picture of this the other day - I want it so badly! It's very reminiscent of a fish bowl that they used to have at a somewhat local dive bar that we used to get on a hot summer night and they really were my favorites.

Also, Top of the World is one of my favorite lounges in Disney World. I'm hoping we can go at some point during this trip but it may not be feasible. The view is my absolute favorite.

oh, my goodness you sat at just about the same table I did last time I was there! lol. I went at sunset and was super distracted watching it come down over the Magic Kingdom out the window. I don't think my distraction was appreciated lol but it was so pretty!