The 75% All New Trip! - All done! Bonus Material finished, Link to new TR!

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Oh yes I am British re the dress. I see tardis...

That is good progress on the plant diet. Like you say not a lifestyle choice but a kick start to get you going.

How we adore Prime Time! We were virgin PTimers until our Christmas trip. Well with meatloaf on the menu that was me. Jo had the same as you loved it.

With the Osborne lights it's very sadly too late now but I think they should treat them more like the attraction they are. So have fast pass times so folk can enjoy their time slots without getting mobbed. They were staggering it but not enough. I was knocked in my wheelchair by strollers, scooters and walkers! People were crazy.

I am always shocked by people's impatience with the buses. In the UK not every public vehicle is accessible so the fact that every disney bus takes 2 well this is wonderful to me. I am on vacation I can wait!

Enjoyed the update. Yum to the sandwich!

 

[skier_pete]

One of the times we went to see the Osborne Lights we made the mistake of going on a Sunday and it was completely insane. Last time we went in November (2013?), and also during the week on a Wednesday. We also got to the lights about 30 minutes before they lit them - so when we got there it was relatively empty, and even when they lit them it wasn't too crowded. It does get severely crowded in there - and I imagine the last year makes it all that much worse as people are trying to get that "last chance to see".

I didn't think I'd like them the first time we went, but they are so over-the-top excessive they move past being gaudy back around the circle to being amazing in my book. I will miss them as they are my favorite part of the holidays, but we'd still rather catch Food and Wine.

 

[ljcrochet]

Did the scooter company ever call you back? Having a bad battery has to be so annoying.

I know how crowded it is walking under the lights i can't imagine trying to get through with a scooter.

 

[afwdwfan]

Is this a “lifestyle change”? Heck no!!!!! BUT. I have lost 10 lbs in 6 days, so that’s no laughing matter.

Well, impressive results to say the least. But no way I could completely cut meat out.

I thought it was relatively impressive. We'll if the "A" in Earth could have been lit up, and maybe if the place we're not wall to wall people. I would like to think that it was due to the fact that the lights are closing thus year, but @afwdwfan reported a similar situation last year with his family nearly being trampled and no one knew the lights would be closing then.

I'm sorry it was so crazy. Obviously, I can relate, but I will say that I think our crazy experience was on a Friday or Saturday night just over a week before Christmas. So could have just been a crazy night for locals. Our other late evening in DHS ended up being much more peaceful. But I can't even imagine how crazy it could have been this year with it being the last year for the lights.

We got a table in the back and our waitress was very low key. Even with her other tables she didn't seem big on antics. I did see her try the Choo Choo train on one gal who didn't eat all her green beans, but other than that she mostly cracked jokes at her customers.

I can understand. It would be hard to play the role and be completely in character on a night like that when the restaurant is busy and even running a little behind schedule.

We had pretty much closed down the place. I didn’t realize it, but DHS closed at 8PM that night and our reservation was for 7:50PM. So I took some photos of the empty restaurant.

Cool!

When we arrived at the bus stop there were already two scooter/wheelchairs in line so I got out my phone and got to work on catching up on Journaling this trip as well as catching up on the DIS. It wasn't too long before another bus came along and we were boarding. By this time two more people in (rented) scooters were behind us. They actually had the nerve to get mad at the bus driver for not taking them on the bus. He explained that he could only hold two scooters and that he would radio in and another bus would be coming along for them. "But that could be 20 minutes!" They complained. Well geez what do you expect when you leave the park over an hour after closing? There's always a taxi I thought.

Everybody has the choice to make. If you choose Disney Transportation, this is part of it. Get over it.

At one point Fran gave me a tow it was so low on battery.

Providing your late night resort entertainment...

I’m sure I took a bath before calling it a night. Pretty soon I was going to be back in the land of water rationing.

 

[DnA2010]

Your PT pictures were great and good idea sharing- yum!

10lbs in 6 days? whoa! impressive indeed!

So pretty such we are going to be in Edmonton when you are in Vancouver too bad as I was hoping we could meet for a drink!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

So Tuesday I stopped eating anything that wasn’t derived from a plant. Is this a “lifestyle change”? Heck no!!!!! BUT. I have lost 10 lbs in 6 days, so that’s no laughing matter.

Congratulations! I wouldn't have lasted nearly this long without meat!

I suspect that I will be reincorporating meat into my diet sooner than I mean to just because Fran is already having trouble dealing with my choices to do this. She keeps asking me if I want to put meat into something when I am really trying to just go veggie. It’s not forever, but with the amount of weight loss, I need to go with it!

This is what you need: those closest to you tempting you to break your commitments, right?

Pretty sunset was going on.

Gorgeous skies!

When we finally got our first glimpse of the lights, Fran said, "This is way too excessive."

Bah, humbug!

I would like to think that it was due to the fact that the lights are closing thus year, but @afwdwfan reported a similar situation last year with his family nearly being trampled and no one knew the lights would be closing then.

I heard some CM's remarking they were surprised at the crowds. That final year announcement really did pack 'em in, I think.

People everywhere were not paying attention to what was going on around them, they were so caught up in the moment that they were oblivious to their surroundings.

It did make me feel rather sardine-ish.

I just followed behind an aggressive guy with a scooter who was practically using it like a machete in a forest of people.

I wonder if that guy's related to the person who rammed @afwdwfan there.

I commented to Fran that it was really a waste since there wasn't even a casino anywhere on there!

Even with her other tables she didn't seem big on antics. I did see her try the Choo Choo train on one gal who didn't eat all her green beans, but other than that she mostly cracked jokes at her customers.

I'm sure the energy flags as the evening progresses.

So here’s the menu, pretty basic comfort food.

Isn't it glorious?

We got an order of onion rings, they came with a horseradish sauce that was absolutely delicious. We polished off those suckers in no time.

So good....that gingerbread milkshake looked yummy, too.

Then we split the fried chicken. It was really good too and we completely cleaned our plates!

That fried chicken is like crack, if it was deep-fried!

Outside the restaurant the park was fairly empty so I tried a long exposure shot using a trash can as my tripod.

Not too shabby.

By this time two more people in (rented) scooters were behind us. They actually had the nerve to get mad at the bus driver for not taking them on the bus. He explained that he could only hold two scooters and that he would radio in and another bus would be coming along for them. "But that could be 20 minutes!" They complained.

Yep, and lots of other people will be waiting for it too.

At one point Fran gave me a tow it was so low on battery.

Yikes!

I’m sure I took a bath before calling it a night. Pretty soon I was going to be back in the land of water rationing.

Gotta enjoy it while you can!

 

[jedijill]

Congrats on the loss!

I've been at the Osborne Lights and the crowds are insane! I don't blame you for almost having a panic attack!

Your dinner looks delicious! I love the chicken at PTC.

Jill in CO

 

[dolphingirl47]

Good, you are about to be behind again

Not for very long this time though.

but then again I am horribly behind on your TR!

This is not going anywhere. I am trying to get this wrapped up so that I can then concentrate on the one for the Arabian Gulf cruise. I also still have a mini trip report for Warwick in the pipeline and then there is the matter of the pre-trip report. For some reason real life keeps getting in the way.

I have lost 10 lbs in 6 days, so that’s no laughing matter.

Well done. That is an amazing achievement.

What a shame that your experience with the Osbourne lights was less than magical. I went on a weekday in 2013 and although there were people about, it did not feel particularly crowded. Your photos brought back wonderful memories.

she had wanted to check out one of the shops on the main drag ao we headed over there. After browsing for about 7 minutes she proclaimed that Elias & Company is a far superior store and we went to dinner to check in.

I am starting to get concerned about Fran's wellbeing. Two days in a row she was not tempted by the shops.

Dinner looked lovely and the photos of the empty restaurant are really neat.

Corinna

 

[Steppesister]

Beautiful update! I am sick that I'll never have the chance to see the Osborne Lights, but ah well.... what can ya do? I think Prime Time would be so fun for us, but the food just doesn't really sing out to me. We have that fare pretty regularly, and on vacation I like to try to find stuff we don't get to have very often. But I do admit, the place looks like a hoot!

So glad you're still on track to a healthier you! It'll be great to have more energy and an pep. Let alone not have to buy all new clothes! That gets spendy!!!

I need to lose about 10 pounds before my trip, and I'm thinking of going plant-based too. I"ve been told by multitudes of people though that during the VERY stressful season of Nursing School is a BAD time to try to add dieting too. We'll see....

 

[franandaj]

I'm also behind and slowly catching up.

Good luck! Like I mentioned about a month ago, I'm going at a breakneck speed so as to have this TR posted by the time I leave on my next trip. It's all written so it's just a matter of me keeping up with the comments.

YAY for dropping some weight. I think I need to bite the bullet and go on a plant based diet too.
I'm so far behind that there's too much for me to comment on.

It's not something that I'm thrilled about but putting on 25 pounds since last September isn't anything I'm thrilled about either. Especially since I lost 20 of those pounds between February and May last year, maintained it over the Summer and then between my October Cruise and This trip (I'm writing the TR about) I gained back about 15 pounds, and the last 10 I managed to do from January to February.

I think I've read everything....but my mind is so mush at the moment, I'll have to come back and read everything again.

I know the feeling.

Suffice to say....loved that you made it to you M&G FP. I thought you were going to miss it at one stage.
Love the food and yes, Mexico is very dark.

I was afraid that we were going to miss it to, we cut it pretty close. I'm glad they have the grace period.

I hope that Disney find a way to put Osborne out somewhere. It's a shame to see it all packed up, never to see the light again.

It would be nice if they could find a location for them. I wouldn't mind seeing them again.

Osborne Lights is an overcrowded madhouse. I can totally see why you felt like having a panic attack as I'm sure the crowds got worse as the year went on.

OK well its good to know that was the status quo and it wasn't just me.

Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Prime Time! Home cooking southern style is always a nice treat! Love your long exposure shot!

It hadn't been on my radar, but we were trying new places and after all the fancy food on the ship I thought it would be a nice break. It worked out well.

Judgment Time from Dis_Yoda, re:scooter bus stupid people - Comments like that make me so annoyed - you can probably tell they aren't normal scooter users if they make comments like that - the buses only allow for 2 scooters - always have! (Except way back when they only allowed 1 in the super old style buses) What did they think when they already saw people in line?

I assume most people in rental scooters don't use them often. Heck I only use one when I have multiple days when I will be walking 2 miles or more. If it's one day and I can put my foot up and not do anything for a couple days afterwards, I'll go without. But a lot of folks in rental scooters, I think they just get them so they don't have to walk and not because they have a specific ailment. You can never judge by looking so I don't, but using a scooter doesn't give you the right to act entitled.

 

[mvf-m11c]

The Osborne Family Lights that night from your pics looked crowded. I remember seeing the Osborne Lights in 2011 and it was crowded as well but not like what you have described. It is sad to see it go and didn't get to see it for one last time. The 60's Prime Time Cafe looks like a nice place to eat at DHS. This is one thing why I don't like to ride on the bus and just get a rental car.

Speaking of scooters, my aunt (DAW) was not smart the other night when we were at the DLR this past weekend. She didn't charge her scooter (which she has her own that we brought down) on Saturday night and it was low. So we did have to find an outlet at the parks and then we decided to get it charge at the Wheelchair/ECV Rental area. The CM's were nice to let her charge her scooter yesterday and she was hurting while walking after leaving her scooter. But this is a good lesson for her to charge her scooter after every night so something like this won't happen again even if it is for part of a day.

 

[Leshaface]

Love that they decorate the island too!

Wow didn't even think about that. Very cool.

Actually the island has quite a past, it’s rumored that Pirates frequented the island in the 1700s, later it was used as farmland by farmers from the mainland. In the 60s the island was purchased by a businessman who put in the runway, but soon in his absence the runway was used by drug smugglers to bring narcotics into Florida. Eventually the island was sold to a private company owned by one of the main drug smugglers. This continued well into the 1980’s until he was arrested and put in prison where he died. Years later Disney purchased the island and created the backstory in the link above. Why go into all this? Because there are all sorts of “things” around the island that are supposedly left over from that backstory. I’m sure these cannons are part of that story. They were across from the tram stop where we waited for the Tran to Serenity Bay.

What a neat story thanks for sharing that!

They had a fairly extensive buffet for an island paradise.

I remember after spending the morning and some of the afternoon on the beach, this buffet tasted AMAZING! I guess that's what sun, water and drinks do to ya.

and I decided that I’m not a “beach person”

Gorgeous.

it consisted of Grand Marnier, Grey Goose Vodka, black Currant, Champagne and a drop of pineapple.

Oh my, that sounds yummy.

@Captain_Oblivious I KNOW this place will not be getting a Homer award from you

But seriously, a water menu is crazy! I want to know how many people really order water from that menu.

I was a little afraid of it, it had foie gras, some kind of nuts, Macadamia I think, and heavy cream or something similar.

I'm shocked you were afraid of it, you're pretty open to foods...except Cilantro, I know you hate that!

Fran asked me as she took her bite, "why don't they sell pork belly at Ralph's?"

Heck I’ve been able to create a cheese course from the salad bar at Sizzler!

So I had quoted this to yell at you and ask, "Where's the honeycomb!?!"

I asked for more honeycomb because that is sooooo good

But I see it's on a separate plate That stuff is just amazing.

I noticed how much of our "trashed room" you can see in this picture!

Are you serious?! You call that trashed?? Never come see our room when we're on vacation...EVER!

I think you look great in that bright teal color, you should wear that color more often

Our "main" was Chicken Oscar. I didn't give it much thought. It sounded good enough, but in actuality it was one of the most amazing preparations of chicken that I have ever tasted. It was moist and tender, melt in your mouth like, but yet the skin actually had some crispiness to it. I had to ask the server about the preparation and it turns out that it was seared on the skin side on a very hot grill and then cooked in a sous vide. For those who don’t know about this method of preparation, it like boiling the meat in a bag, but the water is not actually hot enough to boil. It’s a slow cooking method in a vacuum sealed bag. If you watched Iron Chef America, they used it on that a lot.

I've never had something prepared like that but you make it sound exquisite.

The story we were told by the Sommelier at the beginning of the meal was that back in the day Madame Pomeroy was a "party girl". She liked to go out to the theater and other events, but she liked to bring her drinks along. So she invented this bottle in her Champagne house to fit in her purse so she could bring her beverages with her. Sounds like my kind of gal!

Me too!

Love this, very cool!

I haven't had one of these in soooooooo long. I'm way way overdue for one!

Cake Shot which was Frangelico and Absolute Citron. It was pretty good, but then he kicked it up a notch and made it into a Pineapple Upside down Cake shot by adding pineapple juice and amaretto! Woooo boy! That was a really tasty little drink!

You did a great job on your door!


Okay will be back to finish!

 

[Pinkocto]

Love those Osborn Lights, I'm very sad to see them go I hope they're keeping something from us and will be moving them somewhere. Unfortunately I found out from mom that after all these years she's not crazy about them...

Dinner at PTC looked quite yummy! and it's always fun to see an empty park.

Oh my about the scooter's battery. Did the company ever get back to you?

 

[Leshaface]

The first thing I checked was the shower and immediately I realized there was a problem. Evidently there was a language barrier problem as the person I spoke to in the morning thought a regular bathtub shower combination was an appropriate solution since there were bars on the wall. Because I know that even a non handicapped room has a more appropriate shower than this, I picked up the phone immediately and called the front desk. They told me that EVERYTHING was full and there were no other rooms available. I was put on hold several times and before the last time, the gal told me she was going to triple check something.

Oh gosh how annoying! And i've never heard of someone being completely switched to a different resort before.

What a cool view thought!

All in all, we really enjoyed our meal at Marrakesh. I don’t know why it took me so long to dine here. Maybe since I’ve had such great Moroccan food at home, I didn’t feel the need to try it at WDW. And as you saw there was no problem eating there as a walk up, the place was practically empty when we ate there.

I would love to visit someday (just to knock off some more restaurants on the list!)

A gingerbread cookie and egg nog with Kentucky Bourbon.

That eggnog sounds DELICIOUS!

Yay for a meet!

We stopped in Germany for Caramel. Not just a piece for now, but for the week and what ended up lasting until about a month ago.

Such restraint you have.

@Pinkocto got me hooked on these! Oh my gosh they are the best thing ever.

Dang this dish could stand up at 50's PTC for sure!

I woke up sometime in the middle of the night to the washer still in it's wash cycle. Definitely a problem. I moved it over to rinse and after a little while to spin. I figured I should put it in the dryer so we had clean dry stuff for the next day, but as I picked up the items I noticed brown splotches all over them. What??????

Geez can't get away from all these issues!

Isn’t this view nice without the bloody hat?

Uh no The hat was all I knew though

Such determination!

While the rides on each coast are identical, I have to say that the queue in this park is far superior. It’s really fun and whimsical. I understand that they are going with a Boardwalk arcade feeling in DCA, but it’s not nearly as interesting as this one.

Totally agree. It just looks like they had a deadline and were trying desperately to make that deadline. Literally all they did was frame posters in the queue

I never had this happen though! Best in Vehicle! Woo hooo.

Woot woot!

I thought that little boy was in chains!!

Wow that fireplace is beautiful! And ew! Look at that camera guy staring down your camera!

We did good huh?

Yeah you did!

They had the coolest display IMHO.

It is so impressive, I wish I could do something like that at my house.

This is cute, never noticed the camper before.

Love the small ones!

It was a zoo getting to the restaurant. Disney Springs is really crowded on a Saturday night.

You ain't kidding!

I hate you. You keep posting all these amazing drinks that sound so delicious and I can't have any of them!

These both look yummy. Is the brunch a limited time offering?

Now that is beyond amazing!

And boy does she ever have one larger than life personality!

Totally, she's so adorable!

Or if Champagne is your beverage it was like a split of Dom perignon reserve if they made them. Even the bottle of Madame Pomeroy's Champage that we purchased at Remy was cheaper than this!

What a beautiful restaurant!

It wasn't so much I didn't want her in there while we were there, it was that the last thing we do before we leave is use the bathroom! Now that she was all up in our business in the bathroom I couldn't really use it until she was done. I should have just shut the door and made her wait! But I'm weird about that.

I'm too nice also

started running people through full body scanners. So this was just the beginning of the heightened security.

Yep this was full on happening during our trip but we never had to go through them.

These pictures crack me up!

I love looking at peoples pics on this ride, they are hilarious!

I was going to try and ride Mission space, but the posted wait time was 60 minutes for orange. So instead I got some Starbucks

Good decision.

We made a beeline for the Osborne Lights along with about 20,000 other people. Crowd control was along the lines of Disneyland before F! Or after the fireworks when they have traffic flowing in only one direction and CMs have those lighted stick things that guys use to guide planes.

This was my third time seeing the Osborne lights and it was by far the WORST I have ever seen them! As soon as we started our 'tour', I immediately wanted to get the heck out of there! It was nuts.

finally I just followed behind an aggressive guy with a scooter who was practically using it like a machete in a forest of people.

Same but it was a crazy lady with a double stroller and she was pissed about something! Worked for me!

What's on top?

Never seen it empty like this, very cool!

 

[dhorner233]

Yay! I'm caught up again!

I rent a scooter when I go to the Disney parks. I don't have a specific ailment but I do not like walking 10 miles a day, day after day. It's a vacation, not a death march!! But, I have had to push a dead scooter around and have learned to make sure I charge the battery every night and bring my charger w/me just incase. And I rent a car when I go to DW.

I'm sorry the Osborn Lights were SO crowded! I went in Dec. 2014. It was well attended but certainly not packed. I thought it was very cool and a sorry they are stopping it. Obviously is it a popular attraction. Why are they stopping it? Are they putting in a Carsland where Lights, Camera, Action is?

Prime Time is one of my favorite restaurants. I love the 1950's/60's decor and love watching TV while I eat! I like the food and was drooling over your food porn

When do you leave for your Mississippi cruise? You don't have a ticker tape for that trip?

Notice my new ticker tape??

 

[franandaj]

Oh yes I am British re the dress. I see tardis...

OK good!

That is good progress on the plant diet. Like you say not a lifestyle choice but a kick start to get you going.

Only 10 more pounds until meat!

How we adore Prime Time! We were virgin PTimers until our Christmas trip. Well with meatloaf on the menu that was me. Jo had the same as you loved it.

I'm not sure if you saw, but I made meatloaf in the room two nights before.

With the Osborne lights it's very sadly too late now but I think they should treat them more like the attraction they are. So have fast pass times so folk can enjoy their time slots without getting mobbed. They were staggering it but not enough. I was knocked in my wheelchair by strollers, scooters and walkers! People were crazy.

Who knows? If they put them back up maybe the will be in a area that can be properly monitored with FP+ and such.

I am always shocked by people's impatience with the buses. In the UK not every public vehicle is accessible so the fact that every disney bus takes 2 well this is wonderful to me. I am on vacation I can wait!

I thought that it was rather rude and entitled of them. Chill out!

Enjoyed the update. Yum to the sandwich!

She loves almost anything between two slices of bread.

One of the times we went to see the Osborne Lights we made the mistake of going on a Sunday and it was completely insane. Last time we went in November (2013?), and also during the week on a Wednesday. We also got to the lights about 30 minutes before they lit them - so when we got there it was relatively empty, and even when they lit them it wasn't too crowded. It does get severely crowded in there - and I imagine the last year makes it all that much worse as people are trying to get that "last chance to see".

In hind sight I should have picked another night, either Monday or Tuesday, but oh well. It's over now.

I didn't think I'd like them the first time we went, but they are so over-the-top excessive they move past being gaudy back around the circle to being amazing in my book. I will miss them as they are my favorite part of the holidays, but we'd still rather catch Food and Wine.

I would still rather catch Food and Wine as well. In fact both of us need to get planning on that trip, well I suppose you are already steps ahead of me. I haven't even really picked out many restaurants. I guess that's good since we want to graze at the kiosks.

Did the scooter company ever call you back? Having a bad battery has to be so annoying.

Not as of this point. It was very annoying!

I know how crowded it is walking under the lights i can't imagine trying to get through with a scooter.

It was really scary. No one was paying attention to what was happening on the ground. Everyone was just looking up at the lights. I'm sure if someone backed into my wheels, they would have blamed me for running over them.

Well, impressive results to say the least. But no way I could completely cut meat out.

It's hard. And I just keep looking at the light at the end of the tunnel. One TR I was reading today talked about corned beef, and I was thinking "what I'd give for a nice thick Reuben Sandwich!" 10 more pounds!

I'm sorry it was so crazy. Obviously, I can relate, but I will say that I think our crazy experience was on a Friday or Saturday night just over a week before Christmas. So could have just been a crazy night for locals. Our other late evening in DHS ended up being much more peaceful. But I can't even imagine how crazy it could have been this year with it being the last year for the lights.

Yeah, it was bad. I couldn't wait to get out of there once we hit the really congested part on the street.

I can understand. It would be hard to play the role and be completely in character on a night like that when the restaurant is busy and even running a little behind schedule.

She also didn't seem like one of the "crazy antics" type, which was fine by us. We were more there for the Fried Chicken and milkshake, not to be scolded for putting elbows on the table.

Cool!

I love when you get to close down a place like Disney and see it all empty and quiet.

Everybody has the choice to make. If you choose Disney Transportation, this is part of it. Get over it.

Exactly

Providing your late night resort entertainment...

Luckily no one saw us!

 

[franandaj]

Your PT pictures were great and good idea sharing- yum!

We try to share meals at Disney often since most places have crazy portion sizes. We also get to try more things.

10lbs in 6 days? whoa! impressive indee

I hope it won't taper off. I still need to lose another 10-12 lbs before the 20th.

So pretty such we are going to be in Edmonton when you are in Vancouver too bad as I was hoping we could meet for a drink!

That would have been fun. Maybe next time you visit Disneyland I won't be on a cruise.

Congratulations! I wouldn't have lasted nearly this long without meat!

Well it appears I will be having some at dinner tonight.

This is what you need: those closest to you tempting you to break your commitments, right?

It's gone way beyond attempts at tempting. See comment above.

Gorgeous skies!

Bah, humbug!

That's her middle name.

I heard some CM's remarking they were surprised at the crowds. That final year announcement really did pack 'em in, I think.

I heard similar things from the locals.

It did make me feel rather sardine-ish.

I'll be interested to hear about your experience.

I wonder if that guy's related to the person who rammed @afwdwfan there.

Isn't it glorious?

See I told you there were meals in this report that you would approve of!

So good....that gingerbread milkshake looked yummy, too.

It sure was!

That fried chicken is like crack, if it was deep-fried!

We ate every last bite!

Yep, and lots of other people will be waiting for it too.

Lines are everywhere at WDW.

Gotta enjoy it while you can!

Exactly! Only two more months until I can take a bath again!

Congrats on the loss!

Thanks! I hope that I can finish it. Halfway there.

I've been at the Osborne Lights and the crowds are insane! I don't blame you for almost having a panic attack!

And I guess they were worse with the announcement that they were in their final year.

Your dinner looks delicious! I love the chicken at PTC.

It was sooooo good!

 

[franandaj]

Not for very long this time though.

Good for you! Now I'm trying to keep up.

This is not going anywhere. I am trying to get this wrapped up so that I can then concentrate on the one for the Arabian Gulf cruise. I also still have a mini trip report for Warwick in the pipeline and then there is the matter of the pre-trip report. For some reason real life keeps getting in the way.

I just got through another day, I hope you only have one more for me to catch up on.

Well done. That is an amazing achievement.

What a shame that your experience with the Osbourne lights was less than magical. I went on a weekday in 2013 and although there were people about, it did not feel particularly crowded. Your photos brought back wonderful memories.

Thanks! I wish we could have visited years earlier, but it never happened.

I am starting to get concerned about Fran's wellbeing. Two days in a row she was not tempted by the shops.

Dinner looked lovely and the photos of the empty restaurant are really neat.

Dinner was lovely, and it was fun to photograph the empty restaurant.

Beautiful update! I am sick that I'll never have the chance to see the Osborne Lights, but ah well.... what can ya do? I think Prime Time would be so fun for us, but the food just doesn't really sing out to me. We have that fare pretty regularly, and on vacation I like to try to find stuff we don't get to have very often. But I do admit, the place looks like a hoot!

It was perfect for us on that night. I normally like to eat stuff that we can't have at home, but after a week of eating a lot of fancy food that fried chicken totally hit the spot.

So glad you're still on track to a healthier you! It'll be great to have more energy and an pep. Let alone not have to buy all new clothes! That gets spendy!!!

Over the years, I've already outgrown a lot of my clothes. I'm not sure I'm feeling all that much better since doing this. People always say how they have more energy, but I haven't noticed that. I would just like to get smaller so I can fit back into some of my clothes I used to wear.

I need to lose about 10 pounds before my trip, and I'm thinking of going plant-based too. I"ve been told by multitudes of people though that during the VERY stressful season of Nursing School is a BAD time to try to add dieting too. We'll see....

Yeah that sounds about right! Maybe it would be better to wait until July.

The Osborne Family Lights that night from your pics looked crowded. I remember seeing the Osborne Lights in 2011 and it was crowded as well but not like what you have described. It is sad to see it go and didn't get to see it for one last time. The 60's Prime Time Cafe looks like a nice place to eat at DHS. This is one thing why I don't like to ride on the bus and just get a rental car.

Thanks. I'm glad that I saw them once. Dinner was really good. We may go back there someday, but I'm not running back there. Considering a vehicle would run $5-600, I'm happy to wait for the bus.

Speaking of scooters, my aunt (DAW) was not smart the other night when we were at the DLR this past weekend. She didn't charge her scooter (which she has her own that we brought down) on Saturday night and it was low. So we did have to find an outlet at the parks and then we decided to get it charge at the Wheelchair/ECV Rental area. The CM's were nice to let her charge her scooter yesterday and she was hurting while walking after leaving her scooter. But this is a good lesson for her to charge her scooter after every night so something like this won't happen again even if it is for part of a day.

We plug in every time we go back to the room, and if we can do it during a meal we'll take advantage of it.

Love that they decorate the island too!

It was so festive.

Wow didn't even think about that. Very cool.

But Paula tells me that they are incredibly hard to push on the sand.

What a neat story thanks for sharing that!

Google is my friend!

I remember after spending the morning and some of the afternoon on the beach, this buffet tasted AMAZING! I guess that's what sun, water and drinks do to ya.

Pretty much. Either that or the buffet is amazing!

Gorgeous.

I love Sunrise and Sunsets at sea!

Oh my, that sounds yummy.

It was! I was kind of like..."Can I have another one of those?"

But seriously, a water menu is crazy! I want to know how many people really order water from that menu.

Good question. Maybe people who want to feel fancy and throw their money away...

I'm shocked you were afraid of it, you're pretty open to foods...except Cilantro, I know you hate that!

Foie Gras has a weird texture and sometimes I'm not that keen on it. I'm always afraid of another instance where it gets me like that.

So I had quoted this to yell at you and ask, "Where's the honeycomb!?!"

But I see it's on a separate plate That stuff is just amazing.

I wouldn't let you down!

Are you serious?! You call that trashed?? Never come see our room when we're on vacation...EVER!

I try my best to keep things as tidy as possible. Our house is a mess, so on vacation I like to be as organized as possible. I even bring a pop up hamper along.

I've never had something prepared like that but you make it sound exquisite.

If you watched Iron Chef America, they used it on there all the time. Google it, evidently Jenny's husband has done the same thing with a ziploc bag. I also have one of those vacuum sealers, Food saver. That would probably do it too.

I haven't had one of these in soooooooo long. I'm way way overdue for one!

And you'll have to wait a while longer too. Maybe you can get out one night this summer and have a bunch of milk pumped to cover a couple days, so you can have one!

You did a great job on your door!

Thanks! I wonder if people decorate their doors on the American Queen.

Love those Osborn Lights, I'm very sad to see them go I hope they're keeping something from us and will be moving them somewhere. Unfortunately I found out from mom that after all these years she's not crazy about them...

I'm actually not all that crazy about them now that I've seen them. Maybe if there weren't so many people around it would be cooler.

Dinner at PTC looked quite yummy! and it's always fun to see an empty park.

I know. I see DL empty all the time, but rarely do I see the parks at WDW empty.

Oh my about the scooter's battery. Did the company ever get back to you?

Not as of yet.

 

[franandaj]

Oh gosh how annoying! And i've never heard of someone being completely switched to a different resort before.

I guess they ran out of Handicapped rooms at SSR, I really wish that they didn't try to switch resorts on us. It makes me scared about upcoming stays at WDW where we have requested HA rooms.

What a cool view thought!

I enjoyed it!

I would love to visit someday (just to knock off some more restaurants on the list!)

We will definitely go back sometime. When? Not sure. I need to get in gear and start making some decisions for our October trip, but I'm so busy worrying about all the other trips that we have coming up! First world problems!!!!!!

That eggnog sounds DELICIOUS!

It was! I polished it off really quickly!

Yay for a meet!

It was great to see them again, even if it was only for 10-15 minutes.

Such restraint you have.

That's probably why I'm having to do this vegan diet. I bet Karamel Kuche put all those extra pounds on me!

@Pinkocto got me hooked on these! Oh my gosh they are the best thing ever.

I can't decide if those or the chocolate covered salted caramel ones are my favorite.

Dang this dish could stand up at 50's PTC for sure!

Thank you! I'm putting that on the menu as soon as I start eating meat again. Although, I'm only supposed to have carbs like that on vacation.

Geez can't get away from all these issues!

I know it seemed to be one thing after another!

Uh no The hat was all I knew though

I remember when they were putting it up, and thinking "why would they cover up the Theater?" I thought it was only going to be up for a year or two for whatever anniversary they put it up for and it stayed close to 20 years!

Such determination!

Fran said "act like you're concentrating really hard."

Totally agree. It just looks like they had a deadline and were trying desperately to make that deadline. Literally all they did was frame posters in the queue

Pretty much.

I thought that little boy was in chains!!

Too funny! I see it now!

Wow that fireplace is beautiful! And ew! Look at that camera guy staring down your camera!

I know, he is really giving me the evil eye!

Yeah you did!

It is so impressive, I wish I could do something like that at my house.

I can't even have a Christmas Tree, until the contractor builds us a pulley system to mount it from the ceiling. The first thing the cats did when I got it out was chew on the branches. It might be OK for a real tree, but not a plastic one.

This is cute, never noticed the camper before.

Being my first time seeing it, I tried to notice every detail I could!

I hate you. You keep posting all these amazing drinks that sound so delicious and I can't have any of them!

Only 3 (or so) more months.

These both look yummy. Is the brunch a limited time offering?

I don't know. It seemed pretty successful, so I would imagine that they would keep it going as long as it books up.

Now that is beyond amazing!

I looked at it for quite a while. Insane amount of detail.

Totally, she's so adorable!

Hopefully our paths will cross again on another trip.

What a beautiful restaurant!

It was very nice, and the food was good too. I hope the service improves.

I'm too nice also

Like I said, next trip I'm locking our door on T&T day.

Yep this was full on happening during our trip but we never had to go through them.

Good thing you lucked out!

I love looking at peoples pics on this ride, they are hilarious!

They always get the worst snapshot of your face too!

This was my third time seeing the Osborne lights and it was by far the WORST I have ever seen them! As soon as we started our 'tour', I immediately wanted to get the heck out of there! It was nuts.

I guess everyone wanted a piece of the action!

Same but it was a crazy lady with a double stroller and she was pissed about something! Worked for me!

Yeah, let someone else be the jerk!

What's on top?

Those are caramel popcorn on top of whipped cream.

Never seen it empty like this, very cool!

I thought of you guys when I was taking these pictures. Well, more your husband and mother! And how he drunkenly convinced you to give up the HBD reservation to eat at PT!

Yay! I'm caught up again!

I rent a scooter when I go to the Disney parks. I don't have a specific ailment but I do not like walking 10 miles a day, day after day. It's a vacation, not a death march!! But, I have had to push a dead scooter around and have learned to make sure I charge the battery every night and bring my charger w/me just incase. And I rent a car when I go to DW.

I can understand.

I'm sorry the Osborn Lights were SO crowded! I went in Dec. 2014. It was well attended but certainly not packed. I thought it was very cool and a sorry they are stopping it. Obviously is it a popular attraction. Why are they stopping it? Are they putting in a Carsland where Lights, Camera, Action is?

Your favorite. Star Wars land.

Prime Time is one of my favorite restaurants. I love the 1950's/60's decor and love watching TV while I eat! I like the food and was drooling over your food porn

It was definitely good, and we will be back one day. Maybe when we go with a group, so it would be more fun.

When do you leave for your Mississippi cruise? You don't have a ticker tape for that trip?

No I don't have a ticker for that one. I figured it's not Disney and I have enough Disney trips to countdown, so those are in my signature. We leave in 17 days.

Notice my new ticker tape??

Yes, I do and that is right in the middle of my trip. I will be in Nottoway on Easter and taking a Cajun Swamp Tour.

 

[franandaj]

Day 10

And so it was upon us. The last full day of the trip. We had an early breakfast and had already discussed wake up times prior to going to sleep. I woke up well in advance of my scheduled "get out of bed" time which meant I could take a bath.

We were on our way later than I wanted, but things went quickly and we were in front of the MK before 9AM. I commented that we had arrived even before the rope drop show. And just as I said that the show began. We decided that since we were already here we might as well catch the show, so we pulled up right before the bag check and just watched. The security guys eyed us suspiciously as if we were going to rush the gates, but I guess they eventually figured out that we came in peace and stopped eyeing us.













Then we headed off to catch the monorail. We were on the Monorail well before 9AM and our breakfast reservation wasn't until 9:30 and I remembered that Fran said the Poly gift shop got deliveries on M,W,&F, so I suggested we stop there and see about getting her a Trader Sams shirt. They had indeed restocked and she got what she wanted and we amazed the guy at the monorail when we showed back up so quickly.

Once we got to the Grand, I was able to take all the shots that I wanted on Sunday with no one blocking them.













I went to join Fran who had just reached the front of the check in for breakfast. We parked and we're seated immediately. We got drinks, the characters came by and then we got down to eating.

















Alice was commenting to me about the hot air balloon on my shirt. I think she had said that rode in one and was asking me if I had even been on a ride in one.



We had quite a long exchange before finally taking pictures.














[Continued in Next Post]