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

[Flossbolna]

To all of you out there with Trip Reports, I have been keeping up on my phone, but it’s such a pain to post from there, I have the next five days to catch up and post in between packing and cleaning the house!

Oh - this!! That's me!!! So, I thought I should at least jump on with some last minute comments on the wrap up! I really enjoyed your trip report! It kind of was similar to our trip last year, but also very different! Especially your Osbourne Lights experience. We were really lucky to see them fairly uncrowded and I am sure that that was one of the reasons why I loved them so much!

About half an hour later they finally packed her bag back up and let her go. "That was fascinating!" She says to me as she rides up with her bag in tow.

Staying at MCO the night before the cruise? Best decision ever! In fact we have already decided to do it for our cruise next February on the Fantasy.

I think it is such a great option! Won't work for us for our next cruise, but who knows, maybe some time in the future.

Remy was the highlight of the voyage, but since the Fantasy offers an option to dine there as well, I may be more inclined to sail on the Fantasy instead.

I understand! I know that Michael and I will never get on all Disney ships until we can at least do a 5-night cruise on every ship. I would love to see the Dream, but she is not different enough from the Fantasy for me to go on a 4-night cruise. I already feel rushed on 7-night cruises. The Panama Canal truly spoiled me!

And I agree with regard to Remy. For Michael and me this will be an absolute must do when we are on one of the ships that have Remy.

We’ll see how I like the Fantasy next February, but I am perfectly content sticking with the classic ships now having experienced one of the newer ships.

The Fantasy shares some of the issues of the Dream especially the adult pool area. If you are on the Fantasy next February, I guess your cruise has turned into a Starwars cruise now as well.

It’s not the most exciting resort, but it was relaxing and the location close to Disney Springs couldn’t be beat. We ate a lot of meals there and it was very convenient just to cross the bridge to get there. It was also great coming home from dinners at other resorts and not having to switch buses at a theme park or DTD.

I am glad that you were happy with SSR. I know that I encouraged you to stay there, so I was anxious that my advice might not have worked out.

If I were running a contest I would give points to anyone who could tell me which one is on for the April/May trip and correct guesses for the October trip!

I am still guessing: Boathouse is my guess for April/May.

Have a fantastic trip on the Mississippi! I hope it will be as wonderful as you hope! The ship does look amazing!

 

[dhorner233]

Another great trip report Alison! It amazes me what detail you can remember when you write your reports.

I will guess Prime Time as the repeat restaurant but, I bet that's not right, but I bet it's not the Moroccan one. Maybe Beaches and Cream? SO many places to eat at DW.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Very nice details on your WDW trip back in December. Going in early to mid December can be quite busy (since I have went during that time) but just as you mentioned that going in October is nice and not as bad except for the weekends during the F&W Festival. You did quite a lot of sit down restaurants during the trip and the Morimoto Asia restaurant is something that I will want to try when I go back.

Hope you and Fran have a great trip to Mississippi.

 

[franandaj]

Given those two options, I'd do the same.

Well I'm glad you would agree.

I'd like to, but I'll wait until my folks give me some of their tomatoes.

I have to settle for store bought Heirloom tomatoes from Mexico. We won't have a garden this year. Hopefully by planting time next year we will be moved out of the old place. Right now is ideal planting season.

Oh - this!! That's me!!! So, I thought I should at least jump on with some last minute comments on the wrap up! I really enjoyed your trip report! It kind of was similar to our trip last year, but also very different! Especially your Osbourne Lights experience. We were really lucky to see them fairly uncrowded and I am sure that that was one of the reasons why I loved them so much!

I can see how they could be delightful if you weren't in danger of being trampled!

I can't believe how oblivious to things she was! Standing there for 30 minutes just because she wanted to see if they would fund the soda and then to come away from the experience thinking it was fabulous.

I think it is such a great option! Won't work for us for our next cruise, but who knows, maybe some time in the future.

Well maybe once you both are coming from Germany it will be a great option. Otherwise I can see why it wouldn't.

I understand! I know that Michael and I will never get on all Disney ships until we can at least do a 5-night cruise on every ship. I would love to see the Dream, but she is not different enough from the Fantasy for me to go on a 4-night cruise. I already feel rushed on 7-night cruises. The Panama Canal truly spoiled me!

Yeah the only reason we were doing a 4 night on the Dream was because it was an "add-on" to the trip with Jim and Alberto, then it got canceled because she broke her leg. So we did it as an "add on" to the redo trip. It was definitely too short and I don't want to do another trip that short.

And I agree with regard to Remy. For Michael and me this will be an absolute must do when we are on one of the ships that have Remy.

I totally agree, it was such a treat we must do it again if it is an option!

The Fantasy shares some of the issues of the Dream especially the adult pool area. If you are on the Fantasy next February, I guess your cruise has turned into a Starwars cruise now as well.

I heard that it is a Star Wars Cruise and we are thrilled with that! However, I'm not sure how thrilled I am with the bar area on the Fantasy, but I'm glad to hear that they have Skyline.

I am glad that you were happy with SSR. I know that I encouraged you to stay there, so I was anxious that my advice might not have worked out.

We very much loved your suggestion. It worked out so well for us on this trip. Thank you for the suggestion!

I am still guessing: Boathouse is my guess for April/May.

Did you want to make a guess for which ones made the cut for the October trip?????

Have a fantastic trip on the Mississippi! I hope it will be as wonderful as you hope! The ship does look amazing!

Thank you!!!! I have no idea how the ship will be, it is so different from a Disney Cruise I have almost no expectations, but then that's hard to do. I'm trying not to have expectations. I did order a stateroom gift of a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for the sail away, so I could have my own sail away party in the room.

Another great trip report Alison! It amazes me what detail you can remember when you write your reports.

I do have to admit that I actually wrote this TR as I went along on the trip. I did it in Notepad on my phone and it was incredibly helpful. I wouldn't have had it done so quick if it wasn't done that way. I wrote the text on the trip and then emailed it to me and inserted the pictures once I was home. I added some insights after the fact but I wouldn't have been able to do it if I hadn't written it on the fly. I'm going to do that in the future.

I will guess Prime Time as the repeat restaurant but, I bet that's not right, but I bet it's not the Moroccan one. Maybe Beaches and Cream? SO many places to eat at DW.

Got it! But which one do you think will be in April vs. the ones I'll repeat in October?

Very nice details on your WDW trip back in December. Going in early to mid December can be quite busy (since I have went during that time) but just as you mentioned that going in October is nice and not as bad except for the weekends during the F&W Festival. You did quite a lot of sit down restaurants during the trip and the Morimoto Asia restaurant is something that I will want to try when I go back.

I think you would really like Morimoto Asia, they have quite a few dishes that are enticing.

Hope you and Fran have a great trip to Mississippi.

Thanks! I'm hoping everything goes smoothly and we enjoy the ship!

 

[Flossbolna]

Well maybe once you both are coming from Germany it will be a great option. Otherwise I can see why it wouldn't.

The thing is that when I come from Germany, I want more than one night as a buffer in case something goes wrong. Flights from Europe usually arrive in the afternoon/evening in the US. And there is usually one flight per day. So, if there is an issue and I can only be on the next flight, I will miss the cruise. I had an experience of a plane with a malfunctioning wheel once when departing from Orlando. And we were delayed over 20 hours. Since it was going home and I did not have to go to work that day, it was fine. But the other way, going to a cruise! No, I was more thinking if we ever combine some other place with a cruise. From a European perspective combining 5 days in New York with a cruise sounds like a reasonable vacation plan!

I heard that it is a Star Wars Cruise and we are thrilled with that! However, I'm not sure how thrilled I am with the bar area on the Fantasy, but I'm glad to hear that they have Skyline.

I really liked the bar area on the Fantasy. We never ventured into The Tube, that just seemed to be an awkward place. But all the other bars are really nice. We loved Skyline and got the passport there, so that is where we spent most of our time. We also really loved the Vista Cafe which is on deck 4 overlooking the atrium. It was light, had the same offerings as the Cove Cafe and you could watch whatever was going on in the atrium.

Did you want to make a guess for which ones made the cut for the October trip?????

No, I have no clue about that!!!

Thank you!!!! I have no idea how the ship will be, it is so different from a Disney Cruise I have almost no expectations, but then that's hard to do. I'm trying not to have expectations. I did order a stateroom gift of a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for the sail away, so I could have my own sail away party in the room.

Sounds like the sail away will be a success at least!!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Great wrap up. Only 6 days to go wow! River cruise here you come. Having a different climate and needing a different outfit eaxh night with 50 pounds of bag room I am looking forward to hearing your challenge! Fran can have different waistcoats they are light!

I will remember that re yellow scooter company. I am appalled they virtually throw Fran off that scooter on the last day.

I loved that sleigh topiary also but never managed a photo you got a good one! Folks were always in the way!

Your meal at The Boathouse sounds superb. Very generous lobster roll and I love that caramel whiskey corn cake dessert. Irish coffee yes please come to mamma.

The line at Ganachey was always twice that whenever we went your timing better than ours!

Oh too funny re the headlight. We did that with a rental car once complaining it misted up everyday. and on the last day was told about the fresh air from outside button which cleared it right up!

I bet the kitties were very happy!

I can't wait to hear about the riverboat cruise. Thank you for this TR I know they are a lot of work and I enjoyed it very much.

Enjoy your vacation xxx

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

We leave in six days, and I haven’t even started packing yet!

Plenty of time! Have fun storming the Mississippi!

She had a meatloaf sandwich and I ate what was left of the Mac and cheese as well as a chunk of meatloaf.

Breakfast of champions!

On our way Fran got a call from the Yellow Scooter company, wow! They did actually know our phone number!

Will wonders never cease?!

With all the construction for Disney Springs, this bridge was new. I thought I would take a picture of it. If you aren’t going to World of Disney or Ghiradelli you can cut off a good chunk of walking by using this bridge.

They really needed something like that. It was so hard to walk around that area.

Fran really enjoyed these rolls which were absolutely delicious. Our server called them "Hawaiian rolls on crack" which about sums it up. I thought they were good too.

Those both look and sound amazing!

They are trying to give the place a sort of Apothecary feel.

I don't know what that means.

These people didn't return any of her phone calls all weekend, but yet when it came to picking up the scooter they were impatient and hunted her down.

When that was done, Fran got the royal treatment. They took EVERY. SINGLE. THING. out of her bag.

I had planned to get this TR started on the plane because I promised Fran no more home cooked extravagant dinners until we get the old house all cleaned out and in the hands of the contractor. I know I was saying the exact same thing a year ago, but this time I mean it!

This time it will work!

They brought us some vanilla ice cream which was nice, and once Austin Powers was over I put on Caddyshack.

So you had that going for you, which is nice.

The gentleman at the store walked over to the scooter, flipped a switch on the tiller and the light came on. Both of our jaws hit the floor, and we said in unison, “There’s a switch?”

Everyone always said that the first two weeks in December the crowds are lower. Really? If that’s the case, I’m not sure that I really want to go back at that time. I’ve found that January, May and October are actually much lower crowd times than we experienced on this last trip.

Yeah, it seemed fairly busy to us too. I think Disney has gotten very good over the years at drawing people in no matter what time of year it is.

I don’t need a special season to visit WDW, just a season when not many other people will be there, that’s more important than what’s going on.

I agree. I'm glad I saw the Christmas stuff once, but I would definitely choose low crowds over special decorations.

I add another section where I fill in wardrobe choices. Usually I need to bring along one or two fancy outfits for some of our dinner choices. Into the spreadsheet I type daily wardrobe options. For a DVC trip, I know I’ll have a washer and dryer so I only pick out clothes for the first half of the trip. Then I plug the same outfits into the second half of the trip to make sure I’m not going to be wearing something inappropriate at a fancy restaurant.

On a cruise trip, there are a few considerations such as, I can not repeat an outfit during the cruise. I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I’m wearing the same clothes several days in a row!

I'm just laughing because for our NY weekend we basically packed one backpack and re-used some clothes on the 2nd day!

I’ll be back sometime in the next two weeks with a new Trip Report! Just follow along here!

Looking forward to it!

 

[IowaTater]

Of course, I get back here just as you are wrapping up the TR. I apologize for that. It's been a rough couple of weeks.

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

Beautiful shots as always. I would still love to go during Christmastime...just once.

They had cereal, but I’m not going to waste my food space on that!

It doesn't look like they have the lobster eggs Benedict anymore?? I've noticed them missing from a few recent TRs. So sad.

As I reached to check the lens it fell completely off the camera and hit the ground. We tried for a good 10 minutes to no avail to attach it to the camera. My brand new much anticipated lens is likely dead.

It's like the whole thing goes in slow motion and you get a sick feeling in your stomach. Those stupid lens aren't cheap either! I'm glad you got a new one without too much hassle.

After the HM we made my first ever stop at the Tangled Tinkle Spot. It was cute, but I really don't see why such a great movie only gets a bathroom

I totally agree!!

While I enjoy the ride, I really would enjoy sharing it with someone.

So very true. I would totally ride it with you, if I was there!

she asked if I wanted help or for her to stay out of my way.

Haha, no joke, this is the type of conversation DH and I have. And I pretty much give him the same answer you gave Fran.

I hope you have a fabulous time on the riverboat! I can't wait to hear how it went.

 

[Pinkocto]

What a fabulous trip, thanks for sharing it with us!

Oh my about Fran trying to hide that Diet Dew bottle...

Boatwrights looks yummy!

I'm really impressed how early you were finished packing. I'm never out of the room before 11.

We just missed the Ganachery opening I think. I'll have to get there next trip

Bring on Mississippi, you're going to have so much fun!

 

[dolphingirl47]

We leave in six days, and I haven’t even started packing yet!

That has come around quickly. Of course it my case, I would probably say "We are leaving in 6 hours and I have not started packing yet".

’m not sure if I’ll do any updating while we’re on the Riverboat trip so it might be until April before I start posting about the trip.

I will be here whenever you get this started. I am really looking forward to this.

I ate what was left of the Mac and cheese as well as a chunk of meatloaf.

I think you may have just described my perfect breakfast here.

When I was ready to seal up the owner's locker it was only 9:15!!!!!

That sounds like a result.

I guess she didn't feel the need to chew them a new one at this time.

I admire her restraint. I think I may have had a word or two or ten to say to them at that stage.

I love that Christmas tree.

We had scooted past this cute little sleigh topiary so many times, I finally took a picture of it.

This is really cute.

Lunch looked lovely.

After we left the Boathouse we went to the Ganachery which had opened only the day before. We picked out a few specialty chocolates to take home with us and we're on our way.

This will be a serious temptation for me on future trips.

We went all the way to end of the Westside before turning around and going back. Look at how long the line for the Ganachery had become while we went to the other end of Disney Springs!

Wow, that is an impressive line. The chocolate must be good.

We made a potty stop in the lobby and I came out to find Fran standing there with only one scooter and the scooter she had been using all weekend was "riding off into the sunset" so to speak it was just barely past 2:30.

As long as they get their priorities right. I can't believe that they never returned your calls and then turned up early to collect the scooter.

He thought Fran needed the scooter lift! We explained that she could do the stairs, and all he needed to do was stow the scooter underneath. So he said "sure!"

I am glad that this worked out for you.

But Fran had one unopened bottle of Dew that she found after we sent our suitcases on their way, so she got the brilliant idea of stuffing it deep in her carry on and hope they didn't notice on the TSA screening. On the flight to Orlando she got away with a bottle of hand sanitizer that was well over 3oz in her carry on.

Considering the line of work I am in, this made me shake my head.

About half an hour later they finally packed her bag back up and let her go. "That was fascinating!" She says to me as she rides up with her bag in tow.

That is one way of putting it.

The plane was boarded and of course it was a full flight and of course the overhead bins filled up so the poor saps who boarded late with giant suitcases that don't fit under the seat were relegated to gate checking their bags.

I thought they had become better at managing this.

They served us dinner of (supposedly) filet, and lobster mac and cheese. There was a "wedge" salad and a sort of caprese antipasto kind of salad.

This actually looks really nice.

The gentleman at the store walked over to the scooter, flipped a switch on the tiller and the light came on. Both of our jaws hit the floor, and we said in unison, “There’s a switch?”

This made me smile. I can just see me having the same reaction as I am really not technically minded at all.

However, a four night cruise is not nearly long enough and until the Dream offers longer itineraries or more interesting ports, I’m not in any hurry to go back.

I hear you on this.

Everyone always said that the first two weeks in December the crowds are lower.

Whenever we have been during this time frame, they were and definitely lower than in October.

I know that Walt Disney World is magical at Christmastime, but so is Disneyland and it’s much closer.

You have a point there.

I don’t see us planning a trip to WDW around Christmastime anytime in the near future.

That is a real shame.

If I were running a contest I would give points to anyone who could tell me which one is on for the April/May trip and correct guesses for the October trip!

I think I go with Boathouse for April/ May and Morimoto Asian and Beaches and Cream for October.

Thanks for sharing. I have really enjoyed reading along.

Corinna

 

[Malia78]

Thanks for another excellent trip report. I will be here waiting for the River Cruise details. Have a wonderful time!

 

[rentayenta]

So excited for your riverboat cruise!

Nice seeing you this weekend if only for a minute.

 

[Steppesister]

I've always loved my meals there and we've been there at least three times that I can remember. You're a pretty ambitious eater, I'm sure you'll love it. But Jill pointed out there is going to be a new chef when it reopens. I hope it doesn't change a lot.

Oh dear! I didn't know that. I'll have to do some research on what it's supposed to open again and see if that's enough time to look out for reviews.

I see no light at the end of the tunnel, and there is A LOT of furniture left in there that we need to sell/donate, but we're taking a load to the thrift store.

Load by load, you'll get there. My long-standing motto has been, "Any progress is GREAT progress!"

Well, I'm going to keep trying, but this upcoming trip will be a big blip in the process!

Keep at it! Enjoy your vacation, and you can always come back to it when you get back.

 

[orangecats2]

I don't want it to be over! What's your next TR?

Curious, how many cats do you have? I'm a crazy cat lady.

 

[franandaj]

The thing is that when I come from Germany, I want more than one night as a buffer in case something goes wrong. Flights from Europe usually arrive in the afternoon/evening in the US. And there is usually one flight per day. So, if there is an issue and I can only be on the next flight, I will miss the cruise. I had an experience of a plane with a malfunctioning wheel once when departing from Orlando. And we were delayed over 20 hours. Since it was going home and I did not have to go to work that day, it was fine. But the other way, going to a cruise!

That makes perfect sense. That's the same reasoning that I use within the states for flying the day before as opposed to trying to fly in the same day as the cruise.

No, I was more thinking if we ever combine some other place with a cruise. From a European perspective combining 5 days in New York with a cruise sounds like a reasonable vacation plan!

That does sound good. It's been so long since I've been to NYC. Fran keeps talking about going back for a "midweek weekend" to see Aladdin and do some other NY things.

I really liked the bar area on the Fantasy. We never ventured into The Tube, that just seemed to be an awkward place. But all the other bars are really nice. We loved Skyline and got the passport there, so that is where we spent most of our time.

We really liked Skyline too. I would have liked to try the champagne bar, but Skyline just kept winning out. There was so little time, everything went by so quickly.

We also really loved the Vista Cafe which is on deck 4 overlooking the atrium. It was light, had the same offerings as the Cove Cafe and you could watch whatever was going on in the atrium.

I noticed the counterpart on the Dream but when I saw it the place was crawling with small kids. I even remember at one point seeing someone spill a drink while we were waiting for a character.

No, I have no clue about that!!!

Ha! Well its funny, we had a small change in schedule and now we have two restaurants from this trip on the schedule for the next. I was surprised to get one at six weeks out. In fact I had several choices!

Sounds like the sail away will be a success at least!!

It will be interesting in the least! I hope that the weather cooperates on this trip!

Great wrap up. Only 6 days to go wow! River cruise here you come. Having a different climate and needing a different outfit eaxh night with 50 pounds of bag room I am looking forward to hearing your challenge! Fran can have different waistcoats they are light!

She doesn't necessarily care about different outfits, but she usually packs more clothes than she even wears.

I will remember that re yellow scooter company. I am appalled they virtually throw Fran off that scooter on the last day.

Yeah, if we need to rent again, it won't be through them!

I loved that sleigh topiary also but never managed a photo you got a good one! Folks were always in the way!

Thanks! It pays to be there relatively early!

Your meal at The Boathouse sounds superb. Very generous lobster roll and I love that caramel whiskey corn cake dessert. Irish coffee yes please come to mamma.

Definitely was tasty and enjoyed it as our last meal at Disney.

The line at Ganachey was always twice that whenever we went your timing better than ours!

I couldn't believe how good our timing was. When we went in the first time we didn't wait at all!

Oh too funny re the headlight. We did that with a rental car once complaining it misted up everyday. and on the last day was told about the fresh air from outside button which cleared it right up!

Funny when you don't know how the bells and whistles work!

bet the kitties were very happy!

My little Tesla really misses me when I'm gone, really I shouldn't call him little he's huge and a total brat, but he loves me more than most of the others. Although Milo loves me too. I realized today that when I get up, I check the DIS on my phone. He knows the sound of the keyboard typing. He sleeps under the bed because Tesla is a brat and whaps him in the face. As soon as I began this reply he jumped up on the bed and cuddled in front of my crossed legs.

 

[DnA2010]

Hi Fran,

At work so can't write a huge reply (well not that I ever do, one of these days I am going to figure out the multi quote thing as I'm sure it's super simple) but I really enjoyed the last few updates, fantastic food pics as always, and I am seriously excited for reading about your upcoming trip- it sounds like such a fun experience!

I'm also looking forward to the Naked Jim trip- let the meat journeying continue! (I'm assuming there will be travelling meat in your suitcases)

Well done as always!

 

[skier_pete]

Not sure if you've left on the river cruise yet, but hope you have/are having a great time.

A few comments of course: I agree with your comment about Christmastime.We went in 2009 mid-December and I thought the crowds were, while not terrible, much higher than any other time we go. Now, I admit mid-October has grown significantly in popularity as well, but I still don't think as much as early-December. What we have found is we like to go in mid-November. You still get all the Christmas decorations, and you would still get Osborne Lights and the Castle lights, but miss out on the Epcot stuff. Still, it's enough. I have no real desire for an early December trip.

As far as packing - yes it's for sure men and women tend to pack differently. I know my wife does plan out her outfits based on our ADRs, whereas I just go "do I have a decent shirt or two"? Really though how I pack depends on what I'm doing. When we came out to Cailfornia last month, we knew we were doing lots of dragging our own bags around, so I purposely packed very light. Going down to WDW with ME and SWA allowing two bags per person, I usually pack a ton of shirts such that I often wear two outfits a day, especially with how much perspiring goes on in Florida!

Take care - looking forward to hearing about your cruise.

 

[pkondz]

So here we are at the last update for this trip and I’m coming in right on schedule.

You did it!

We leave in six days, and I haven’t even started packing yet!

You?!? Not packing yet?????

To all of you out there with Trip Reports, I have been keeping up on my phone, but it’s such a pain to post from there,

Posting from a phone is the worst.
I'll do it occasionally, but only if I have very, very little to post.
And trying to quote? What a pain!

I woke up around quarter to 5 and knew that was way too early to get up,

Back to bed, young lady!

We had the TV on to the ABC affiliate station and I slept lightly because I had dreams which incorporated the news stories as well as random folks from the DIS.

You were dreaming of us! What were we doing?

Somewhere in the process Fran woke up and got dressed, she asked if I wanted help or for her to stay out of my way. I told her she could work on her carry on bag.

Polite way of saying "Stay out of my way"?

We found out before we left on the trip that bags only need to weigh in under 70 lbs, so we were good.

Really? Just for that particular airline? I always thought it was 50.

I guess she didn't feel the need to chew them a new one at this time.

Wow. Fran shows great restraint.

I like to take pictures of how they strap us in on the busses, but it made the bus driver nervous that he wasn’t doing something right!

"OMG. They're gonna sue. I just know it. They're gonna sue!"

With all the construction for Disney Springs, this bridge was new. I thought I would take a picture of it. If you aren’t going to World of Disney or Ghiradelli you can cut off a good chunk of walking by using this bridge.

Good to know.
It's been a loooooong time since I was there last.
Um.... I think briefly 7 years ago. Just to see (Ruby's request) the Princess Di dress collection.

While they had some nice hats, the prices were pretty outrageous so we passed on buying anything and instead just went to lunch.

Outrageous prices? In Disney? How odd!

I didn't recognize any of the oysters on the menu, but our server made an excellent recommendation and I got an order of three oysters to start.

How were they?

Our server called them "Hawaiian rolls on crack" which about sums it up.

Our server said that each sandwich had an entire tail and claws from a 1 lb lobster.

Whoa! You weren't kidding when you said it was a lot!

I had a Irish Coffee to go along with it and that certainly hit the spot.

Wow. It's been a long time since I've heard of someone having an Irish Coffee. For a while there, they were all the rage.

After we left the Boathouse we went to the Ganachery which had opened only the day before.

Hello! You had me at Ganache...ry.

But these babies were really the main event. I don’t’ remember which flavors we got, but they were really rich and tasty. Sorry about the blurry picture.

Oh! Thanks for letting me know the picture was blurry.
I thought it was from all the drool on the screen.

Look at how long the line for the Ganachery had become while we went to the other end of Disney Springs!

Good timing.

These people didn't return any of her phone calls all weekend, but yet when it came to picking up the scooter they were impatient and hunted her down.

jerks.

He said he couldn’t take us because he would have to remove seats and prepare the bus, and we're like

He thought Fran needed the scooter lift! We explained that she could do the stairs, and all he needed to do was stow the scooter underneath. So he said "sure!"

Phew!

so she got the brilliant idea of stuffing it deep in her carry on and hope they didn't notice on the TSA screening.

Oh.... no...

I don't recommend trying this on your next trip. Her bag was taken aside. She had to wait while the lady in front of us had her bag searched because she had two 4oz boxes of juice. When that was done, Fran got the royal treatment. They took EVERY. SINGLE. THING. out of her bag. Swabbed every surface, and this was one of those special air travel bags with like a hundred pockets for each and every little thing. About half an hour later they finally packed her bag back up and let her go.

oy. That'll learn her.... or at least, that's what I thought before reading...

"That was fascinating!" She says to me as she rides up with her bag in tow. We still had over an hour until boarding began otherwise I would have killed her right then!

I promised Fran no more home cooked extravagant dinners until we get the old house all cleaned out and in the hands of the contractor.

Wow! Quite the threat.

The plane was boarded and of course it was a full flight and of course the overhead bins filled up so the poor saps who boarded late with giant suitcases that don't fit under the seat were relegated to gate checking their bags.

Just discussed this on my TR.

About 8 minutes later we were finally in the air. Only 20 minutes late.

Not too bad.

I understood a lot more of the subtleties of the movie having seen the first 7-10 Bond movies in the last three years.

They served us dinner of (supposedly) filet

Uh, huh. How was it?

once Austin Powers was over I put on Caddyshack

Your choices of entertainment are applause worthy.

What about the headlight? Well American Airlines arranged for us to have it looked at by one of the local mobility stores. Since it was easier for us to bring it to them than wait around for someone to come to our house, we took it down there a couple days after we got home. We explained that when we got the scooter back from the airline that the light was no longer lit. The gentleman at the store walked over to the scooter, flipped a switch on the tiller and the light came on. Both of our jaws hit the floor, and we said in unison, “There’s a switch?”

No!!

We’ll see how I like the Fantasy next February, but I am perfectly content sticking with the classic ships now having experienced one of the newer ships.

What about when the two new ones show up?

It’s not the most exciting resort, but it was relaxing

That's not a bad thing at all!

Some of you have noticed that we tend to pack quite a bit of stuff.

Right now is ideal planting season.

Same up here. Well... for snowmen.

 

[Leshaface]

I slept lightly because I had dreams which incorporated the news stories as well as random folks from the DIS

OMGosh glad i'm not the only one who has dreamed of DIS peeps before!

Our server called them "Hawaiian rolls on crack" which about sums it up. I thought they were good too.

Ooh i'll take those!

Caramel Whiskey Corn Cake with berries and whipped cream.

Good grief this looks amazing!

Dan has recently started loving these types of drinks! I'll need to give them a try again when i'm able to.

I came out to find Fran standing there with only one scooter and the scooter she had been using all weekend was "riding off into the sunset" so to speak it was just barely past 2:30. These people didn't return any of her phone calls all weekend, but yet when it came to picking up the scooter they were impatient and hunted her down. I wonder if it had a GPS tracker on it? Kind of reminded me of a certain lyric from David Bowie's Song Suffragette City!

I hope you guys will submit a review to TripAdvisor or Yelp and let others know about your experience. I heavily rely on reviews from TripAdvisor and i'm sure others do as well!

I don't recommend trying this on your next trip.

"That was fascinating!"

All nonchalant about it I'm surprised the other woman got some grief about the juice boxes, unless she didn't have a kid with her. One of the best things about having a kid is getting to pack extra snacks for me-errr-him!

I decided to go ahead and watch Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. I had forgotten how many bad sexual innuendo jokes there were in this movie

Ugh these movies, I just can't!

What about the headlight? Well American Airlines arranged for us to have it looked at by one of the local mobility stores. Since it was easier for us to bring it to them than wait around for someone to come to our house, we took it down there a couple days after we got home. We explained that when we got the scooter back from the airline that the light was no longer lit. The gentleman at the store walked over to the scooter, flipped a switch on the tiller and the light came on. Both of our jaws hit the floor, and we said in unison, “There’s a switch?”

Well now you know for next time!

Staying at MCO the night before the cruise? Best decision ever! In fact we have already decided to do it for our cruise next February on the Fantasy.

Totally!

It’s not the most exciting resort, but it was relaxing and the location close to Disney Springs couldn’t be beat.

Agreed. I've found that with this trip and in 2013 it made it so much more convenient to get to Disney Springs than when we stayed at the VGF in 2015. I wouldn't mind starting off every trip at a Disney Springs Resort just so we can make a day/night out of it!

I’ve found that January

Our January trip in 2010 was probably the best for crowds, next being December 2012. These past few January's have been way busier, but i'm wondering if it's due to the implementation of the FP+ system?? October wasn't terrible, but it was kind of warm.

Some of you have noticed that we tend to pack quite a bit of stuff. On occasion it has led to joking, and on another TR it was a point of discussion when I saw how a couple other folks conducted their packing. Now granted in most cases, guys and gals pack very differently, but I realized in reading their packing philosophies how wildly different theirs were to my own and promised to share those here.

I find it's so much harder to pack for cruises than WDW because of the lack of washers/dryers. I guess I could do laundry on the ship, but I just love the convenience of having all that in my room!

 

[ACDSNY]

Well now you know about the light switch, that's too funny. I hope you're packed by now.