The Most Magical Time of Year in the Most Magical Place on Earth! Nov. 2010 NEW 4/5!

[Softballgirl27]

lol Do you have a favorite store at down town disney?

 

[lilpapsgirl]

I love you and Miguel's "Whatever" looks. I like how the whole back row is whatever and the two kids in the front look like they might be about to die...lol

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

My son LOVES rides like primeval whirl!!! LOL
Great idea to use ponchos for water rides!!!! I might have to steal that idea when we go in September so that I do not get wet!!!

The ponchos really were a good idea. The ones that Disney sells are pretty expensive for a piece of plastic, but they are really heavy plastic so they are definitely reusable.

Yay update! I think if you're going to wear ponchos on any ride, Kali is ride to do it on! People just get SO WET. Last time I went on it, bf and I were the ones who had our back to the geyser that's right at the beginning! 2 minutes in and we were already soaked!!!

That sammie looks delicious. I love the AK tree. The ornaments are just so unique!

My favorite part of Kali is seeing who's going to back up to the geyser! It's so fun watching them scream as you approach it! Although, I've been in that seat, too!

Fun afternoon! I agree-- there's something about Dinoland that doesn't quite fit in with the rest of AK. I don't know how they could make it more cohesive, tough!

I guess it's supposed to be that way, but it really bothers me!

lol Do you have a favorite store at down town disney?

Definitely DTD! I could spend hours in there! Basin is fun, too, although I can't really use the products because I have very sensitive skin. It's fun to browse, though!

I love you and Miguel's "Whatever" looks. I like how the whole back row is whatever and the two kids in the front look like they might be about to die...lol

I love seeing how the other people in your ride vehicle react! There are some really funny one's!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

DAY 5 - Pt. 4

Obviously, no one looks forward to the final night of their Disney vacation, but we did have something to be excited about on this night. Miguel and I originally had an ADR at Chefs for this night, but when I found our that the new Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda would be open by the time we were in the world, we were excited to drop the original ADR for a new one at Hacienda!

The excitement of trying a new restaurant made going into Epcot even more exciting. I think Epcot is so beautiful and peaceful at night. I love the lights that shine on Spaceship Earth.

We didn’t really allow any attraction time before our ADR, so we headed right over to the Mexico pavilion to check into Hacienda. I really love what they have done with this area!

We were given a buzzer and waited maybe 10 minutes or so for it to go off. I was so excited to see the inside of this restaurant! It really is beautiful. I think that Disney did a great job on this one.

We decided to order a couple of margaritas to get started. I can’t remember exactly which one I had, but it was fruit flavored. Strawberry, maybe?

Miguel had a more basic margarita. He said it was ok. I, on the other hand, couldn’t really get through mine. I’m not much of a drinker anyway and this thing was strong! Plus, the fruit flavor is more of a puree instead of a juice, so it was kind of chunky. I did my best, but left quite a lot.

Finally it was time for some food! We debated between the queso fundido and the botana, and ultimately decided to go with the botana. And I’m so glad we did! This was a great way to start the meal. The plate contained a chicken tostada, marinated pork and a cheese empanada. Each one was delicious!

For our entrée we chose to chare the parrillada dish, which is designed for two people. They offer a seafood parrillada and a meat parrillada. We went with the meat ,which had chicken, steak, sausage, vegetables and corn. It was also served with rice and beans.

Oh my goodness was this good! The meat was so tender and flavorful and the corn dish was amazing – I’ve been craving it ever since! I’m so glad we tried La Hacienda – it’s a new favorite of ours! I would definitely recommend anyone to try it. It’s certainly not the typical tacos and burritos fare, but it isn’t “weird” food, either. I can’t wait to go back on the disneymoon!

We were way to stuffed for dessert, so after our entrees we paid our bill and left to find a good Illuminations spot. We wandered around WS, and around again, and again (or at least it seemed). I really wanted to try out some of the spots that people recommended in my PTR, but Miguel wasn’t quite ready to wait. We still had a little while before the fireworks started, so we just kept walking. Finally, he decided on an area at the entrance to WS, to the left of the store.

It ended up being a pretty bad spot, mostly because it was so crowded by the time we got there. Still though, Illuminations was wonderful. At the end of the normal show, there was an additional holiday routine that was just beautiful. They played “Let There be Peace on Earth” – I definitely shed a tear!

Finally, it was time to head back to POR. Sadly, our vacation had come to an end and we needed to be well rested for the seven hour drive that was ahead of us in the morning.

Next up: Final Thoughts!

 

[Nermel9]

Oh no, your TR is over too?? It sounds like you had a great night at Epcot! Hacienda looks so pretty! I keep wondering if we should try it, but every time I look at the menu, it kind of scares me...when I think of Mexican food, I think tacos and nachos, and that menu looks a little more authentic!

Illuminations sounds amazing with the extra holiday song added in! Another reason I need to go later in November or December!

Your SE pics are amazing!!!

 

[pjennings]

We are eating at La Hacienda in just a few short weeks. I made my husband come into the computer room so I could read him your report

 

[klacey1]

I've honestly only heard great things about La Hacienda-- that meat platter looks amazing! It is kind of weird that there's two Mexican restaurants, though (especially since they seem pretty similar). I wonder if San Angel is going to go...?

 

[IheartDDuck]

Dinner at La Hacienda looked really good! I haven't been to the restaurant yet, but I have heard good things from a lot of people already.

I can't believe your TR is over!

 

[ronnmel]

It always sad when a trip report (and the actual trip, obviously) ends. At least it seems like you had a very enjoyable last night in Epcot, with a great meal.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Mmmm that food looks delicious! I agree about Epcot at night - it is so beautiful!!

 

[Softballgirl27]

The ponchos really were a good idea. The ones that Disney sells are pretty expensive for a piece of plastic, but they are really heavy plastic so they are definitely reusable.



My favorite part of Kali is seeing who's going to back up to the geyser! It's so fun watching them scream as you approach it! Although, I've been in that seat, too!



I guess it's supposed to be that way, but it really bothers me!



Definitely DTD! I could spend hours in there! Basin is fun, too, although I can't really use the products because I have very sensitive skin. It's fun to browse, though!



I love seeing how the other people in your ride vehicle react! There are some really funny one's!

cool i don't know if i have a fav store there..

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Oh no, your TR is over too?? It sounds like you had a great night at Epcot! Hacienda looks so pretty! I keep wondering if we should try it, but every time I look at the menu, it kind of scares me...when I think of Mexican food, I think tacos and nachos, and that menu looks a little more authentic!

Illuminations sounds amazing with the extra holiday song added in! Another reason I need to go later in November or December!

Your SE pics are amazing!!!

You should give it a shot! I think as long as you don't go in to it expecting typical Mexican food you'll have a good experience. The parrillada plate is great!

We are eating at La Hacienda in just a few short weeks. I made my husband come into the computer room so I could read him your report

I hope you love Hacienda as much as we do!

I've honestly only heard great things about La Hacienda-- that meat platter looks amazing! It is kind of weird that there's two Mexican restaurants, though (especially since they seem pretty similar). I wonder if San Angel is going to go...?

I've wondered about SAI, too. The atmosphere at SAI is really neat, but it doesn't seem like anyone really likes the food there. Now that I've eaten at both I can definitely say that Hacienda is the better of the two.

Dinner at La Hacienda looked really good! I haven't been to the restaurant yet, but I have heard good things from a lot of people already.

I can't believe your TR is over!

It really is a great restaurant!

It always sad when a trip report (and the actual trip, obviously) ends. At least it seems like you had a very enjoyable last night in Epcot, with a great meal.

It is always sad for a report to end - although I say it's time to put this one to rest! I can't believe it's been almost 5 months since our trip!

Mmmm that food looks delicious! I agree about Epcot at night - it is so beautiful!!

It was so good! Spending the last night at Epcot was a great choice.

cool i don't know if i have a fav store there..

There's definitely a lot to choose from. There are still quite a few stores that I haven't even been in, yet!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

FINAL THOUGHTS

I can't believe that it has taken me so long to complete this relatively short TR! It is hard to believe that our trip was nearly 5 months ago! I think having another trip weighing more heavily on my mind (the honeymoon) kind of took the focus off of this one and made it a little difficult to really enjoy the reminiscing that usually happens with a TR. So, I think the time has finally come to wrap up this TR so I can focus solely on the next one!

Here are my thoughts about some of the various aspects about our trip:

PLANNING TWO TRIPS AT ONCE:
Going off of what I just said, I realized that I actually don't like having two trips to plan at one time. I know, I know, things could be worse, right?! Don't get me wrong - I am very grateful that we were able to take two trips within a year's time and have while another (very big) trip was on the horizon. Still though, I am a bit of an obsessive planner, and I really like to dedicate a lot of time to a trip and plan out every detail and it's kind of hard to do that for multiple trips, especially when one is such a big trip and the other is kind of a last minute idea (well, if you could call six months in advance last minute!)

DISNEY DURING THE HOLIDAYS:

This was our second trip to Disney during the holiday season, with out first being 10 months earlier in January of 2010. It really is a wonderful time to be at Disney - the decorations are amazing and the amount of "extras" (MVMCP, Epcot storytellers, Candlelight Processional, etc.) that are available to guests are plentiful. I definitely think that everyone should go to Disney during the holidays at least once to experience everything that the world has to offer, and especially to see the beautiful castle!

As much as I do love Disney during the holidays, I am actually really looking forward to going during a regular time of the year when Disney is just doing its regular thing. I love hearing the normal park entrance music and seeing the characters in their regular clothes, and I miss those things during the holidays. I would like to go back to Disney during the holidays again sometime to experience a lot of the things that we have yet to do (such as MVMCP), but I think it will be a few years before we do that.

NOVEMBER WEATHER:
The weather in November was great! It was a good combination of warm days and cool nights. The only time I really felt cold was on our MK night after we got soaked on Splash.

There's definitely a big "variety" in the temperatures that you might experience, so I would suggest packing for cold and warm weather, although you can probably rule out super hot and super cold temps.

PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE:

POR is truly a beautiful resort. I think its great that there is something for people who prefer a more rustic look (Alligator Bayou) and those who like something a little "prettier" (Magnolia Bend), like myself. We didn't do too much exploring of AB, but I can assure that MB is a beautiful area!

One of the things that really surprised me about POR is how big it is! One of reasons I love POFQ is because it is so small compared to the other mod that we had stayed at (CSR). What I didn't like about CSR was how long it took to get anywhere - the food court, the pool, the bus stop, etc. POR isn't quite that bad, but I do think a preferred location would serve you well if you like being close to anything. The walk from our room at Parterre Place to either the pool or the food court was maybe 10 minutes, so not too bad, but it's still a little longer than I preferred.

One of the reasons that I picked POR is because I had stayed there many times as a child when it was Dixie Landings and I remembered loving it then. I hate to say, it didn't have quite the appeal as it used to this time around. As I said, it's a beautiful place and I would never suggest not to stay there, but it just doesn't beat out POFQ in my book. We'll see how POFQ holds up against the Poly as my favorite resort when we stay there in June, but so far I don't think you can go wrong with POFQ!

TAKING A SHORT TRIP
The reason we decided on a shorter trip this time around was because we really didn't have the vacation time available and wanted to take advantage of the Thanksgiving days that we had off. As fun as it was to take and plan a quick trip, I've decided that they just aren't for us. I would rather take one long trip than a couple of short one's because I like being completely immersed in the Disney magic. I had a hard time doing that this trip because the end was always too near.

SOME OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS:
~Conquering Splash Mountain for the first time...and loving it!
~The whole MK night - it was so much fun!
~Exploring the Poly after dinner at 'Ohana - can't wait to stay there in a couple of months!
~Spending a few hours relaxing at the pool, since I wasn't sure we would be able to in November.
~Finally riding TSM and having it become a new favorite!
~Conquering RnRC - even though I hated it I'm happy to be able to say I did it.
~Our dinners at Sci-Fi and La Hacienda. Both were wonderful and we've found two new favorites!
~The holiday edition of Illuminations, which is even better than the original!

All in all, we had a wonderful trip filled with lots of magical memories. Thankfully, the only "bad" times of the trip were the camera tragedy and the awful Boma breakfast, so I'd call that a pretty successful trip. I think that I learned a lot about how we like to vacation to Disney on this trip, and I will definitely use those things in the future when planning more trips.

I want to thank you all of joining me on this ride. I'm sorry I kind of drug it out and it took me so long to finish! I think pretty much all of you are already following along with my disneymoon PTR, but for the few who aren't, I'd love to have you join in there. We're only about 2 months away from that trip so I will be having another TR soon!

I loved being able to share this trip with you all and have you follow along!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I can't believe your TR is over but I am DEFINITELY looking forward to your Disneymoon PTR! I always get teary eyed when I see pictures or video of weddings. I'm a sap. Before I got married, I even put Canon in D (the song I walked down the aisle to) on my iPod and whenever I would listen to it (it really is a beautiful song), I would get teary eyed! That should have been a tell tale sign that I would CRY my eyes out when I was walking down the aisle. Yup, there are no pictures of this girl smiling as she walked down the aisle because I was crying! I do have a picture of me walking down the aisle with my dad and my father in law is in the picture looking at us and he's crying, too! Anyway, I digress. I'm just excited for you!

I definitely know what you mean about having 2 trips to plan. I made my ADRs for September/October a few days late this year b/c I was busy getting the TPs set for the trip I am taking with my sister in a couple of weeks. Luckily, I'm not too concerned with dining on that trip as we aren't doing any TS.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

So excited that your next trip is just around the corner to help me get over the sadness of this one being over

 

[Tracy161]

Another great TR!!! And, though I always hate when a TR ends, it's nice knowing that we all still have your PTR for the honeymoon to look forward to... speaking of which, it's rapidly approaching! Can't wait to read more about that as the time gets closer!

 

[Nermel9]

Great final thoughts! I agree, everyone should get to go to Disney during the Holidays at least once! And I love the November weather!

I'm not really sure how I feel about short trips...on one hand, I want to go to Disney as much as possible, so if my DH told me we could go for a long weekend, I'd love it! But if he said no long trip later in the year, I don't think I'd do it. I like being in WDW for as long as I possibly can! I'm trying to get him to agree to a short trip when you went, actually, over Thanksgiving weekend, just for the CP and MVMCP, but so far, he's not going for it!

I cannot wait for your Disneymoon TR!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

Always sad when a trip to the World ends, but atleast you get to go back in two months
I was happy you drug this TR out! We go back in September and I love reading about trips and seeing th pictures of diffrent places in the World. Makes me that much more excited for our trip in September