The Empty Nesters Magical Mystery Tour *1/28* Link to New Girl's TR p141

[englishrose47]

Great AK shote Mary Ellen, I see Pat posted her monkey . I have a pix of Pat with my CHEEKY Monkey!!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Plans are sounding great.

Have you done Busch Garden in Tampa before? We weren't thrilled with it the last time we were there.

I think part of the reason we've not committed to a cruise is those darn fish extenders. I have no desire whatsoever to participate in them and I am afraid it makes me an unfriendly DISer.

I really want to go to Williamsburg one day.

Great pictures of the gorillas, and spectacular photos of the Finding Nemo show. I'm torn between Nemo and Lion King for our September trip (and don't think we'll have time for both).

Kathy, there are lots of DISers who don't do the FE, for various reasons. I think it's fun, but I find that I bring back way too much stuff that I never use, so I'm going to play "secret Santa" next time and bring stuff to put in, but not hang one up - it will be fun sneaking around and delivering! Once you do DCL, you will wonder what took you so long!

 

[annmarieda]

I'm sorry I didn't get around to replies today, but I do have some great news!

I booked the BWV for the Princess Half Marathon 2/21-2/24!!!!!! SO EXCITED IT WAS AVAILABLE!!!!!

That is all....

You probably know this already, but those are the dates we have as well. I have the first two nights (2/19 and 2/20)at kidani... the BW view studio was not available for the first two nights.

 

[teekathepony]

Congratulations on registering for the PHM! I'm so impressed by all of you runners.
I'm so excited to see the new FotLK theatre! Where did you see the pics? I wouldn't mind getting a sneak peek.
I love that show so much. Love all the pics you got of it too! I always take so many, it's just so beautiful!
I still haven't seen ITTBAB. I just refuse to... I'm not overly scared of bugs, but I still don't want to go and be trapped inside a tree just to let fake bugs crawl all over me.

 

[natebenma]

I'm sorry I didn't get around to replies today, but I do have some great news!

I booked the BWV for the Princess Half Marathon 2/21-2/24!!!!!! SO EXCITED IT WAS AVAILABLE!!!!!

That is all....

That is exciting news! Congrats on deciding to run the PHM.

Your future trip plans sound great- the Florida/Cruise combo and Disneyland. Can't wait to share our recent trip with you.

Love your pictures of the gorillas. I have not seen the sign about the bachelor gorillas and river boundries before. That is interesting.

The pictures from Nemo and FotLK are spectacular. Great color. They are both such outstanding shows but unfortunately my guys are not interested! I finally had to ditch them all at DL/CA to see the Aladdin show solo (note: DO NOT MISS THIS!)

 

[rentayenta]

Yay for the PHM! When is it?

Love the fire photos. Michael loves his fire. FOTLK is a must next time.

 

[glaserjm]

Finally all caught up! I love the side-trip to St. Augustine, it's a place I've been wanting to visit for a while but I never seem to get around to it!

 

[MEK]

Sorry I was a bit of a slacker this week with replies and an update. I am going to try to get caught up tomorrow night and work on a new update. Plus I need to get caught up on everyone elses' TRs.

 

[MEK]

Fantastic update MEK and great pics...especially FOTLK! I hate taking pics there because I always take a gazillion pics and then have trouble deciding which ones to post. I know everyone has already seen the same thing but there are so much good pics to take that I don't want to slight the other pics by leaving them out!

Bill - I think you are totally overthinking this! But in a way I know what you mean. I am totally guilty of taking FAR too many pictures and then not being about to delete them. It's a disease, I tell you!

Congrats on the BWV ressie and the PHM! I don't know what it is about you runners but I can't seem to get into it. I guess if I tried it might help, right? Does running to get something to eat or running to the bathroom during commercials count?

Ummmmm - in one word - NO! Running takes awhile to actually enjoy. I started doing it in my 20's and I've stuck with it, although my speed and distances have decreased considerably. I think once you hit a certain age its really hard to embrace running. It's just not natural. (Not that I am implying you are OF that certain age).

I totally know the feeling. Having read a run of AK updates today as I'm catching up on TRs, I am really missing it since we didn't visit in May! It's still going to be SO long before we are back, and that makes me sad!

Ugh - I hate that feeling!

Cynthia and I actually didn't visit in May, but I did get to visit twice in October and once in March. When I see pictures they always remind me how much I love AK.

On the plus side, your amazing FotLK photos made me feel like I am there watching it. Hands down, my favorite stage show in all of WDW! The talent in that show is absolutely incredible. As I was scrolling through, I thought, "That's definitely my favorite part...No wait, that is! Oh but I love that part too!" It's so stunning.

I'm so glad you enjoyed the pics considering your DH must have hundreds. It really is a great show and you are so right, there is a ton of talent in that show. It's amazing!

A million times YES! I am exactly the same! I think that's why I will always put MK last whenever I can, because I can't imagine saying goodbye to it a moment sooner than I have to.

It's hard to say goodbye to all the parks. I think the hardest for me are Epcot and AK. It used to be MK but I have sort of reached an equilibrium (for lack of a better word) with MK. I feel like I have gotten to know that park so well that I'm OK when I say goodbye. That sound weird, I know.

Wonderful news Mary Ellen!!!

Thanks! I am SO excited! And I got BCV for the end of the trip! Woo Hoo! I think after that trip I can say that I have stayed at BWV more times than any of the other DVC resorts.

 

[MEK]

I'm so happy for you all dong the Marathon together. That's going to be so much fun!!

I know! I am so excited! I know I have a lot of work ahead of me and there are going to be some rough moments, but I am looking forward to this new experience!

FotLK is so spectacular. I can't wait to see it in its new home.

Me too! It sounds like the new theatre is amazing!

Sorry Bob! Looks like Carol has given you a little competition.

Great to hear! Congrats!!!

SOOOOOOOO excited for that! It's going to be a convenient location for the race, plus I'll be at the same resort with Cynthia and Ann Marie!

Good luck with the half marathon. I've run in two of them, one of them at Disney. And then for kicks, my DH and I ran one of those family fun 5K races that they held a day or two before the half marathon. That was not your typical neighborhood 5K. The Disney fun run was filled with baby strollers and kids and people who had never trained at all. But it was a lot of fun.

Thank you!

How did you like doing a Disney Half Marathon? It's weird for me to think of a race that has so much entertainment. Normally I think of athletic events as serious. But the flip side of that is the lack seriousness makes it less intimidating for me. The last half marathon I ran was over 10 years ago and it was total hills and very painful. I swore I would never run that far again. But I am looking at this as a totally different experience.

Hmmmm - about the 5K - I'm not sure if I would like that very much if I was stuck behind people who never trained at all. That seems sort of annoying, for lack of a better word.

I'm here and have a LOT of reading to do! I miss the Dis and have time on my hands right now to get in on it and read away!

Eeyore! Long time, no see! I hope you are well! Thanks for joining in! Have you been to Disney lately.? I see a 2014 announcement in your signature!!!!!

Consider going or running a half? Running a half may not be in the cards, but a 5K is doable.

Then come and do the 5K!!!!!! Please, please, PLEASE! I would love to see you guys again. It would be so fun!

AP expires in Oct. and I wasn't planning for another one so soon but..... never say never.

I know what you mean about the expiring AP. I did not renew mine and I won't have one for October, but I am going to buy another one in February because I also want to visit during Christmas of 2015. I wonder what an AP is going cost by then.

Following along

cas714! Thanks for joining in! And welcome to the DIS boards. I hope you enjoy this site and especially the Trip Report Forum. I have met some wonderful DISers here.

Great AK shote Mary Ellen, I see Pat posted her monkey . I have a pix of Pat with my CHEEKY Monkey!!!

welcome back stranger!!!!! How was Williamsburg??? I love this picture and Bob and Carol. Too funny! I bet you really enjoyed seeing them again!

 

[Poolrat]

Then come and do the 5K!!!!!! Please, please, PLEASE! I would love to see you guys again. It would be so fun!

Well the PHM is completely sold out and the 5K is at 99% ( maybe sold out by now) so running may not happen. Can't say I can't cheer though. Need to look at the points and what I might need later in the summer.

 

[MEK]

Kathy, there are lots of DISers who don't do the FE, for various reasons. I think it's fun, but I find that I bring back way too much stuff that I never use, so I'm going to play "secret Santa" next time and bring stuff to put in, but not hang one up - it will be fun sneaking around and delivering! Once you do DCL, you will wonder what took you so long!

That sounds like an excellent idea. I don't care for the idea of bringing back too much useless stuff.

I hope I feel that way after I do my first cruise.

You probably know this already, but those are the dates we have as well. I have the first two nights (2/19 and 2/20)at kidani... the BW view studio was not available for the first two nights.

I noticed that the studios were totally booked that week. It must be a popular week. I feel very fortunate that I was able to get the studio for the weekend! Woo Hoo!

Congratulations on registering for the PHM! I'm so impressed by all of you runners.

Thanks! I am very excited for the race. It should be a good time. I just need to make sure I do the right training so I don't die.

I'm so excited to see the new FotLK theatre! Where did you see the pics? I wouldn't mind getting a sneak peek.

I think I saw Caitlin post on them on FB. It looks pretty cool. I can't wait to see it.

I love that show so much. Love all the pics you got of it too! I always take so many, it's just so beautiful!

Thanks! It's really hard NOT to take multiple pictures. There is just so much action and movement. There is always something wonderful to capture with the camera.

I still haven't seen ITTBAB. I just refuse to... I'm not overly scared of bugs, but I still don't want to go and be trapped inside a tree just to let fake bugs crawl all over me.

Really? REALLY? You have to do it. At least once. It's not all creepy. There are parts of it that are very entertaining.

 

[MEK]

That is exciting news! Congrats on deciding to run the PHM.

Thanks! I'm pretty excited about it. I think its going to be an interesting experience. Definitely a first for me!

Your future trip plans sound great- the Florida/Cruise combo and Disneyland. Can't wait to share our recent trip with you.

I can't WAIT to hear about your DL trip! I KNOW you had a fabulous time! So excited for that. Please send out the bat signal!

Love your pictures of the gorillas. I have not seen the sign about the bachelor gorillas and river boundries before. That is interesting.

I love how educational AK. There is always something new I am learning about the animals and their habitats. It's such a fabulous place.

The pictures from Nemo and FotLK are spectacular. Great color. They are both such outstanding shows but unfortunately my guys are not interested! I finally had to ditch them all at DL/CA to see the Aladdin show solo (note: DO NOT MISS THIS!)

Thank you. glad you like. I seriously can't believe your guys don't watch those shows. They are SO good. Have they seen them even once?

I heard the Aladdin show is fabulous. I really can't wait to see it. I've heard that it is the BEST Disney show EVER!

Yay for the PHM! When is it?

It's Feb 22. Our DVC use year is March so I had over 100 points left over. I really wanted to used them and not bank them. I have no idea the PHM was that weekend until I saw a FB post. That's how I knew I had to do it. I've gone a ton of training to do, but I feel like I am already making progress.

Love the fire photos. Michael loves his fire. FOTLK is a must next time.

What firefighter DOESN'T love their fire? I hang out with enough of those guys to know its much more than a job!

FOLTK is such a great show. So much action! Love it!

Finally all caught up! I love the side-trip to St. Augustine, it's a place I've been wanting to visit for a while but I never seem to get around to it!

Yay for getting caught up!

Saint Augustine is amazing! I definitely recommend a visit. It's really not that far from Disney and its so wonderful in its history. I hope you eventually get a chance to visit.

Well the PHM is completely sold out and the 5K is at 99% ( maybe sold out by now) so running may not happen. Can't say I can't cheer though. Need to look at the points and what I might need later in the summer.

Really? WOW! It really does sell how fast. Oh well. Then come and cheer! But that will probably make you want to run. At least that's how I am.

 

[MEK]

Hey All - Sorry I've been such a slacker. I guess training for this bike ride and now the PHM is keeping me busy. I never found the time to update this weekend and this update is a little on the skimpy side. But you get what you get! As you know, I was able to get the BWV for our first three nights there. Then I was thinking of heading to Vero for two nights, but two nights in an ocean view studio was 48 points. Goodness! That's a lot of points. So I didn't book anything for those nights. Right now I am considering Vero (in a regular hotel), Tampa, or St Augustine. I'll decide as Feb gets closer. Our last 3 nights are back at Disney and I scored the BCV! Did you hear that Dee???? BCV for 3 nights! Woo Hoo!

On to the update - Breaking the Cardinal Rule -

When I last updated, ions ago, when had just wrapped up a great day at the AK park. We headed back to the Jambo house to do a little sight seeing. Now it was time to head back to the room and get ready for a little pool time.

Since I know you guys never tire of animal pictures, especially when they are from the verandah of your room, I present MORE animal kingdom reclassified view room pics.

With the phone - a view



Then the main attraction



This was too good to miss, so I grabbed my camera.









Watching the beautiful animal just chill, then eat, then chill, then eat, was so cool.



This guy may or may not have been a little camera shy!



Hmmmm - Maybe he finally got enough to eat.



See ya later friend



P and I headed to the pool. I think the guys joined us, but there were so few lounge chairs available that they sat in a completely different location.

I didn’t take too many pictures of the pool, simply because I didn’t feel like getting out of my chair. But this caught my eye



I recall posting one of these pictures on Facebook because it struck me as, well, for lack of a more DIS friendly word, different.



It was a nice relaxing hour or so at pool. But the clouds started to move in and it got a little coolish. We finally decided to go in and get ready for dinner.

The last view with my phone before we headed inside



Dinner tonight was at Jiko. I was really looking forward to this meal as I had a fab meal here back in May 2011 on the girl’s trip. I loved the restaurant and the only thing I didn’t care for during that visit was our waiter, who come off just a tad snooty.

So will you hate me if I tell you I only took one picture during the entire meal. Yup - that’s right. One measly picture of my own entree.

I do recall that we were seated promptly. We had a lovely server. I passed on wine with dinner, which I absolutely NEVER do, but I was trying to nurse my stomach into better health.

We started with the bread service. Loved it and wish I had taken a pic so I could remember what dips we got.

I do not recall what P & T had for dinner, but I had the

Maize-crusted Monkfish - vegetables of the moment and tomato-butter sauce $39.00



This was tasty. Certainly not the best fish dish I have ever had. I would give it a B-. That is if I was using a rating system.

and Denny has the Tagine Chicken - preserved lemon, artichokes, olives, cinnamon couscous, harissa and saffron jus $34.00

I didn’t take a picture of Denny’s dish. What I can tell you is that, first of all, I was surprised he ordered chicken. I never order chicken when I eat out. It seems silly because chicken is something we cook at home a lot. Why bother to order it at a restaurant?

I really didn’t like the way Denny’s entree looked when it was plated. It was sort of a skimpy piece of chicken and it just didn’t look all that appetizing. As it turns out, it wasn’t. But Denny ate it and he broke our cardinal rule- which is - If you don’t like it, send it back. It’s not like we do that on a regular basis. We are both pretty adventurous eaters and enjoy a variety of foods, so it has to be a poor meal for either of us to send it back. Unfortunately, this was one of those meals for Denny. He equated it as a top chef moment where the chef’s comment might have been “And you are going to serve this to a costumer? Unacceptable”.

Of course, he made this comment after dinner was done. I told him I didn’t want to here it because he broke the rule. End of story

We all passed on dessert, so it was a fairly quick meal. Our friends were kind enough to treat us to dinner, which was lovely. So once again P & D - Thank you!

I think we all turned in fairly early that night since we didn’t go back to a park. It was a nice laid back day where we basically spent all day at either the AK Lodge of the AK Park. Not a bad way to spend the day, IMHO!

The next morning was Saturday and I was up in plenty of time to see the sun rise.





Are you getting tired of this view yet?







Too bad - here’s another one!











Then I spotted them - the Zebra family!











There’s the baby zebra hiding behind a tree







This morning I decided just to run down to Kidani and run on the treadmill in the gym. Afterwards I went outside and took pictures of the pool











Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

I took all these pictures with my cell so they are not the greatest, but I love how calm the water looks







I only took a hand full of pics and then I ran back to the Jambo house.

Hasty picture in the lobby



A little humid today?







So where to today? Any guesses?

Does this give you a hint?

Check out the Christmas decorations. Halloween was over and *bam* Pointsettas at the ticket and transportation center. I was hustling to catch the ferry, so this was an “in-motion” picture.







I was rushing to get here







All aboard the Richard F Irvine!



Rob - I dedicate this picture to YOU!





I remember it was really cool this morning and it was really looking like rain.





As soon as we got off the boat it started to rain. And guess which couple only had one poncho?

Yup - that would be us!

We stopped on Main Street to try to buy a Disney poncho, but they were all sold out. So we practically ran to get to our first FP - Space Mountain.











This T-shirt was particularly appropriate for the day as it looked like the rain was going to be with us for a while. But the good news is we found a poncho at the space mountain gift shop! Hey - it’s the little things!



I’m going to stop here.

Up Next - Down came the Rain. (and remember that stomach pain I had been experiencing? )

 

[Poolrat]

Sounds like an absolutely lovely AK and AKL Day and a beautiful sunrise over the savannah.

Sorry Jiko was not a fantastic meal for all of you.

Hooray for MK but Boo for the rain and ONLY one poncho....

Sorry the stomach issue was making a return visit.

 

[Wood Nymph]

As you know, I was able to get the BWV for our first three nights there. Then I was thinking of heading to Vero for two nights, but two nights in an ocean view studio was 48 points. Goodness! That's a lot of points. So I didn't book anything for those nights. Right now I am considering Vero (in a regular hotel), Tampa, or St Augustine. I'll decide as Feb gets closer. Our last 3 nights are back at Disney and I scored the BCV! Did you hear that Dee???? BCV for 3 nights! Woo Hoo!

I really didn’t like the way Denny’s entree looked when it was plated. It was sort of a skimpy piece of chicken and it just didn’t look all that appetizing. As it turns out, it wasn’t. But Denny ate it and he broke our cardinal rule- which is - If you don’t like it, send it back. It’s not like we do that on a regular basis. We are both pretty adventurous eaters and enjoy a variety of foods, so it has to be a poor meal for either of us to send it back. Unfortunately, this was one of those meals for Denny. He equated it as a top chef moment where the chef’s comment might have been “And you are going to serve this to a costumer? Unacceptable”.

I read other trip reports that talked about food that was served at a signature restaurant that looked really bad plated. I am surprised that those entrees are served. And the badly plated food always tasted bad, too.

Up Next - Down came the Rain. (and remember that stomach pain I had been experiencing? )

I'm glad that you are coming back to the stomach pain. I was afraid you forgot about it.

We're worried about getting lots of rain during our upcoming trips in Sept and Oct. We've mostly traveled in the winter, when it seldom rains. I have a feeling we won't be so lucky this fall.

 

[scottny]

St. Augustine is so pretty.
The tour you took looked so nice. Pretty buildings.
I know people who did a ghost tour in Savannah and they got their money back. LOL. They said it was so bad.
The decorations are cool at the restaurant.
Looked like a nice lunch by the water.
Ooh! Love Jambo House.
Beautiful sky pics from Epcot.
Nice pics around AKL.
Nice safari pics.
The plans for future trips look good.
Nemo pics came out good.
We ate at Jiko once and it was terrible. I might have to try it again.
I am all caught up finally.

 

[natebenma]

Thank you. glad you like. I seriously can't believe your guys don't watch those shows. They are SO good. Have they seen them even once?

I heard the Aladdin show is fabulous. I really can't wait to see it. I've heard that it is the BEST Disney show EVER!

We have seen Nemo once, and FoTLK either 2 or 3 times. I made these the conditions of our 2009 trip. The other show I would like to see is Flights of Wonder. The chances of that, however, are "Yeah, right!"

Oh, well, more EE for me!

Yes, I would rate Aladdin as the best Disney show. Visually awesome and hilarious!

 

[natebenma]

As you know, I was able to get the BWV for our first three nights there. Then I was thinking of heading to Vero for two nights, but two nights in an ocean view studio was 48 points. Goodness! That's a lot of points. So I didn't book anything for those nights. Right now I am considering Vero (in a regular hotel), Tampa, or St Augustine. I'll decide as Feb gets closer. Our last 3 nights are back at Disney and I scored the BCV! Did you hear that Dee???? BCV for 3 nights! Woo Hoo!

That is awesome news!!! What nights? You can PM me (FB) if you want.

Have you considered a couple of days at the Dark Side???