The Mostly Very Merry Holiday/Bday Grand Gathering Update 4/6 Calf Grill

[janloz]

Great World Showcase pictures! There was so much to see with all of the shows and the extra Christmas stuff doing on.

You are right about the acrobats - they are amazing! You have to see them in person to really comprehend all their twists and bends and tricks.

We saw John O'Hurley at the Candlelight Processional. I haven't heard anyone say how the Christmas Eve service was with Steven Curtis Chapman, but I can imagine it was incredibly moving.

That was nice of your mom to have her picture made with the storyteller when no one else would. It must feel bad to offer pictures and have no takers.

Thanks, I really wanted to take the time and notice the little things this time plus see some of the storytellers and shows which we didn't the last time since we were running from Kidcot to Kidcot booths.

As you will see shortly, we never saw the show due to many factors so another reason to go back.

It was odd that no onw wanted their pics taken with him since all of the others we watched had long lines for pics. He was very nice and the happy she stepped up.

 

[janloz]

Great World Showcase pictures. I bet the Christmas touches were neat. The Hello Kitty's are cute. Hannah will like those! Can't wait to see if you made it to CP. I love Neil Patrick Harris!

Thanks, all the buildings looked so pretty.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the show. I am working on the next installment now so stay tuned...

 

[janloz]

Chapter 12: Evening at WS and sickness strikes
When we left, Mom and I were heading back to Japan for our 5:30pm ADR, when we got there Miyuki had just started her show.

She is so amazing and we saw her make a dragon, flamingo and tiger. I called Dave while we were waiting to see where they were since it was almost 5:25pm and they still weren't there plus I wanted the kids to see the show. They had just arrived at Epcot and the lines were long at the gates plus my MIL decided that she needed the electric scooter tonight so they still had to get in line for that.

I understand that many people need these scooters to get around the parks, my MIL certainly did but PLEASE WDW give them more training with these before letting guests just take off in one. The CM joked with MIL that she was allowed to hit 10 people per day with the scooter .Each of the scooters behaved differently when she would go and how quickly it would or wouldn't slow down. We were shocked to learn the scooters do not have brakes. She actually dented the elevator in the Land when the scooter didn't stop. All of the CMs at the attractions were very polite and helpful with finding a parking space for the scooter plus FIL loved that she could use the Handicap entrance for most of them. he started calling her "Granny Fastpass". Not the reason she had it but we did hear others that got the scooter for that reason. Ok, rant over.


So they were not going to make the show and I decided to go check into Teppan Edo. I was told that they were running about 45 minutes behind which caused me to be concerned about making the CLP but she assured us that we would be fine. I will spare you many of the gross details but about this time I started to not feel well at all. When the rest of the group arrived about 5:45 (they went left when they enter WS instead of right) we went inside to wait and there were a lot of groups waiting and we were finally seated about 6pm. We were seated at a table with another couple which made the table seem very crowded since we have 7 people in our group so we had 9 total at a table for 8. I ended up on the end of the table with both Mark & Sarah. Our drink orders were taken and it seemed to take a while to get them. When she returned with the drinks, she took our orders. Now here is where I started to not feel well again since it was VERY hot in the room with 4 hibahi tables and 2 other chefs were cooking so the smells were strong. After a not so quick trip to the ladies room, I returned to the table to find our soups/salads had arrived. I tried my miso soup and found it to be very salty and could not eat it and then quickly returned to the ladies room. I soon decided that I needed to get some air so I returned to the table, grabbed my coat & bag and went outside. Here are some of the pics DH took after I left:

I don't remember what everyone had to eat since I don't have the receipt since DH paid but DH, DS & DD said that everything was excellent and that they would definitely return again.

I was very sad to miss this meal since it was one of the few that Dave & I had done on our Disneymoon that we were doing again. While I was outside sitting on the steps leading to the restaurant, I started to feel even worse and got the chills. I was out there for over 30 minutes and no one came out to see if I was ok or not (Dave did text me to check ) Once the family finished and rejoined me outside, Dave was waiting outside the Mitsukoshi Store for me since I was in the ladies room AGAIN while mom, MIL/FIl had taken the kids shopping. I decided that the best course of action was to return to POP for the evening and try to rest since the next day was packed. Dave says that the rest of the group decided not to attend the CP since they didn't want to stay out late or wait in the line to be seated. And that they would be back to POP shortly. I leave him a little upset since my mom really wanted to see the show but I wasn't up for arguing. I made it to near the restrooms in Morocco and ran into it and I apologize to anyone in there since I was really sick but finally felt better. I have told the kids many times if you th--- up you will feel better, well it worked for me. I stopped and got a bottle of water and finally made it to the bus for POP and to bed around 8:30pm. I woke up around 10pm and they weren't back yet, where are they?......

 

[Happy Elf]

So sorry you didn't feel well. It's a bummer to missed the meal you were looking forward to.

 

[shortchange1026]

(One moment please while I put on my flame proof suit........ok all set) I understand that many people need these scooters to get around the parks, my MIL certainly did since she could not walk more then 20 minutes without needing a rest but PLEASE WDW give them more training with these before letting guests just take off in one. The CM joked with MIL that she was allowed to hit 10 people per day with the scooter well you guessed it she did plus more. The kids were hits so many times the first day that I wouldn't let them walk directly in front of her. Granny would be looking at the "stuff" along the way rather then where she was going and would hit someone or something all day. Plus each of the scooters behaved differently when she would go and how quickly it would or wouldn't slow down. We were shocked to learn the scooters do not have brakes. She actually dented the elevator in the Land when the scooter didn't stop. All of the CMs at the attractions were very polite and helpful with finding a parking space for the scooter plus FIL loved that she could use the Handicap entrance for most of them. he started calling her "Granny Fastpass". Not the reason she had it but we did hear others that got the scooter for that reason. Ok, rant over.




I'm in, great TR, sorry you got sick and missed CP. I love the pictures of the cardinals in Germany..wish we were there during Christmas, my mother would have loved that, she collects cardinals. I know what you mean..my DH is a diabetic and has a bum left foot. We over did it 3 days in a row the end of October and he got a nasty blister on his foot. Since we were going to AK and it is the largest park and we really wanted to ride EE, we rented one of the scooters. They just basically asked him if he had ridden one before, here's forward, back up, speed, etc. AND NO MENTION THAT THE THING DIDN'T HAVE BRAKES! He had ridden one prior in a Lowe's after he had one of his many foot surgeries. He figured it out that the thing didn't have brakes when we had gotten to EE and he tried to park it outside of the ride and he crashed into a fake rock and dented the front of the scooter. Trying to figure out the logistics of when he needed to stop in order to let go of the bar so he could stop in time made for an interesting day..not to mention getting stuck on the boat from the WS to Future World in EPCOT but that's another story..

Anyway..loving the report and can't wait for more!

 

[janloz]

So sorry you didn't feel well. It's a bummer to missed the meal you were looking forward to.

Thanks, gives me another reason to go back....

Thanks for sharing your Dh's adventure with the scooter. They really are dangerous to others if you don't know what you are doing.

My mom loves cardinals too, that was why I took the picture.

 

[janloz]

Chapter 13: Do we need to file a missing person's report? When I left you, I had returned to POP with a rather awful cause of what I thought was food poisoning (I have since learned it was probably the Norwalk virus that has hit many families in Disney) and Dave had told me they would be back shortly after me which should have been around 8:30pm but I woke up at 10pm and still no one was in the room. I was concerned but since I could barely make it to the rest room, I was in no shape to go find them. As told to me the next day by my mom, apparently the rest of the group got a second wind after deciding they were too tired to wait in the reserved line for CP and started back around the WS. My FIL decided he wanted to stop in every shop on the way back out. I have no evidence to support her claims except the following pics..(you will notice that most of the pics I will add are almost exactly the same shots I took during the day at WS while they were napping. )

Teppan Edo is at the top of the stairs.

US Pavillion

They apparently did some shopping in Germany and then went to area where story tellers had been earlier.

Then to play the drums

 

[janloz]

Then to China:

And finally Norway:

I was really upset when I saw these pics later since when we went in 2006 Dave and the kids took a similar pic and we said the one thing we wanted to do with the 4 of us this trip was get a pic and we never got it.

Then some pretty pics on the way out.

The time stamp on these were 9:05pm. They don't want to get caught in the crowds after Illuminations so they head towards the bus. Apparently after walking to the front of Future World, my FIL saw that there was no line for Spaceship Earth and wanted to ride it. (Guess he wasn't tired afterall ) but the kids and Grannys decided to wait outside for them. So after 15minutes, Dave sends a text that the ride is broken. And they are the only ones on it. Now the fireworks have started and the kids are upset since they can't see them from the entrance area of SE. Shortly afterwards, the ride starts again and they turn in the scooter, and head for the POP bus. They finally make it to the room about 10:25pm.

Up next....Am I feeling well enough for Boma? Will we need a nap due to late night? Who turned off the heat in FL?

 

[janloz]

Chapter 14: Boma Breakfast and AK After not feeling well the night before, I woke up about 7am and was surprised that I was feeling much better. Obviously, the kids were very tired since the were out until almost 10:30pm the night before so I wasn't sure we would make the Boma ADR. Once awake, the kids decided that they really wanted to go to Boma especially after seeing the DR from MickeyNicki http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=24203867&postcount=121 (I think it was the pot of maple sryup ) so we quickly got showered and called MIL/FIL and told them to meet us at the bus. Our plan was to take bus from POP to AK and then transfer to AKL bus. The weather for the day said mid-50's and sunny so we wore long sleeves and jeans today. When we got on the bus, I asked the CM what the easiest way to AKL would be and she agreed with my plan. Then as we pulled away from POP, she said that we could stay on the bus since she would take us directly to AKL, some much need for us. We arrived about 8:15am and then had to find Boma, I knew it was downstairs but the stairs were closed so we had to find and elevator. We checked in and were told it would be a few minutes. The CM gave Mark another Bday Button and brought him a very nice card signed by the staff. We were seated at the first table next to the railing as you walk into the restaurant which was convenient to get to the buffet but since there were several large groups in the same section, it was difficult to get in/out. Our CM was Vivian and she was wonderful. She took our drink orders and sent us off to get our food.

Mark, Sarah & I are big breakfast eaters everyday. I was brought up eating a good breakfast and thankfully the kids have taken after me in that respect. Dave is not. But everyone really enjoyed the buffet since there was something for everyone. Since I wasn't too sure how food would sit with me, I tried Strawberry/Banana yogurt (not my favorite), waffle, some watermelon, strawberries, melon, and a few muffins. All were very fresh and tasty. The kids tried a little bit of everything and loved it all. They said this was their favorite breakfast of the trip. At the end of the meal, Vivian brought this out for Mark:

The infamous Zebra Domes , we practically liked it clean.

The total for the meal $75.90 with OOP of $10.97 for tip but we used 4 TS credits. I did leave an extra $5 for Vivian's great service.

Definitely one that we will return to.

When we were leaving Dave took some pics in the lobby

Back to the bus stop and on to AK, luckily the bus was just getting there.

We get to entrance and check out the tree and have Photopass Pics taken.

While waiting for Granny to get her scooter, I checked out some friends with the kids

Then it was off through the Oasis and our first view of

and then headed over to the Kiimanjaro Safaris. The wait was only 15 minutes so we went stand by. We were able to use the Handicap entrance which enable Granny to leave her scooter at entrance and board the safari vehicle. If you need to stay in wheel chair or scotter, they can also accomodate you.

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

I finally found the time to properly read your PreTR & now the TR.

You made me smile with all the changes to your ADRs.

What lovely pics of all the holiday stuff. to DH!

Your family is so cute all together. Love the photopass pic with everyone in matching tees.

What a fun surprise to have the other Grandparents come. Your DS must have thought this trip was the perfect bday ever!

Sorry, you got sick and missed the CP. I feel ill today, so I am home from work. I can sympathize with that part of the story. Literally,

Can't wait to see the next update.

 

[janloz]

I finally found the time to properly read your PreTR & now the TR.

You made me smile with all the changes to your ADRs.

What lovely pics of all the holiday stuff. to DH!

Your family is so cute all together. Love the photopass pic with everyone in matching tees.

What a fun surprise to have the other Grandparents come. Your DS must have thought this trip was the perfect bday ever!

Sorry, you got sick and missed the CP. I feel ill today, so I am home from work. I can sympathize with that part of the story. Literally,

Can't wait to see the next update.

Thanks for coming along for the ride/read.

We are so glad we got the new camera before the trip, the pics are amazing.

My SIL surprised the kids as well on his actual bday, I thought he was going to fall over when he saw her.

Next update coming soon, I am working on planning a getaway/work trip to Sonoma/San Francisco at the end of the month but I promise to get some more of the TR done..

 

[janloz]

Chapter 15- Safari Pics When I left off, we were on the safari vechile and on our way. Dave took some amazing pics so I have a bunch to share. I think since it was cool around 55-60 that there were more animals out.

There is a little baby hiding behind her.

 

[janloz]

You can just see the lions laying down on the top.

This was the end of the Safari and since we had to return to the boarding area to retrieve the scooter, we had to stay on the vehicle for a few extra minutes. Next we made our way over to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and saw these:

Ok, now everyone together....AHHHHH!!

Their enclosure is so pretty.

Another AHHHHH moment

Then we headed out and it started to get really busy.

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

Awwww! The gorilla hugging himself in his sleep...too adorable.

 

[janloz]

Awwww! The gorilla hugging himself in his sleep...too adorable.

It's he, Sarah loves that pic.

 

[MeMom]

Excellent pictures! I love the safari. I love watching the apes. I just love Animal Kingdom!

Coincidentally, I had the Animal Kingdom CD in this morning as I drove to work. I've been having Christmas CDs in most of the last month, along with my gospel ones, but this morning, as I faced going back to school, I had to have something Disney. I reached in the CD case and that was the one I pulled out. That CD, if you haven't heard it, is so good. It's pretty much the 'walking around the park' music. If you listen to it on a steamy, hot, rainy summer day, you can definitely feel like you're in Animal Kingdom.

 

[Happy Elf]

Great safari pictures! You did see a lot of animals! The gorilla picture is so cute!

 

[janloz]

Excellent pictures! I love the safari. I love watching the apes. I just love Animal Kingdom!

Coincidentally, I had the Animal Kingdom CD in this morning as I drove to work. I've been having Christmas CDs in most of the last month, along with my gospel ones, but this morning, as I faced going back to school, I had to have something Disney. I reached in the CD case and that was the one I pulled out. That CD, if you haven't heard it, is so good. It's pretty much the 'walking around the park' music. If you listen to it on a steamy, hot, rainy summer day, you can definitely feel like you're in Animal Kingdom.

Was it just a coincidence that you pulled Animal Kingdom CD on the day you were going back to school?

We love AK too. I just remembered that part way through the safari that Sarah turned to me and had just realized that the animals were "real" and not like the Jungle Cruise. They love to find the animals and point them out.

We were lucky enough to see Devine this time and everyone was fascinated by her, pics coming up next.

Great safari pictures! You did see a lot of animals! The gorilla picture is so cute!

DH is so proud of the pics. The gorillas and tigers were so amazing.

 

[janloz]

Once we finished the trial, we decided to head towards Asia to see the Tigers. It was still chilly as you can see from the sweatshirts, they were also into the pin trading today.

Then they wanted to play on the drums for a while, notice the tongues on both of them.

Along the walk way, we saw someone I was hoping we would run into, Devine.

I love this pic

I really loved watching her movements and interactions with the people. Also, the looks on people's faces were funny, like they couldn't believe what they were seeing. We stayed for about 5 minutes watching her and then continued on towards Asia. Dave took some artsy pics of the back of the tree of life.

 

[janloz]

we made our way down the path and the Flights of Wonder show was about to start so after convincing Mark it would be fun, we made our way in. Granny was shown to a spot in the back for scooter parking and the rest of us got seats on the bleachers which were nearly empty. The birds were amazing and it was a very informative.

The bird is actually bringing the man back his money. He kept grabbing the bill wrong so the bird had to try again several times.

This hawk actually buzzed both my mom & MIL.

Our beautiful American symbol.

After the show, we finally made our way to Asia and watched the people getting off Kali River Rapids soaking wet, No thanks, it was only 55 degrees out. (Side note, Dave did use the mens room near the ride exit and said that the hand dryers in there were some of the most powerful he had ever seen! )
We started on the Maharajah Jungle Trek and saw the Komodo dragons

and the fruit bats

then finally the tigers

Yup, he is doing what you think he is doing which about 50 people watching and pointing.

Amazing animals but didn't look too happy.
Some more pretty things along the way

We decided to go to It's tough to be a bug and headed to towards the tree of life. Along the way, the kids are hungry so we stop at a cart to get them a bag or 2 of chips plus drinks to hold them over until lunch. . The CM working ITBAB was from CT so we stopped and chatted with her for a minute. There was no wait so we walked/scootered up in the line. There is only a small area for wheel chairs or scooters so only one person is allowed with MIL so FIL went with her and we got regular seats.

One of our favorites of the trip.

Background: on our last trip Sarah was only 5 and afraid of many of the 3D attractions so about 30 seconds into ITBAB, she started crying and I had to take her out so she never saw it. Well, Mark was teasing her that she wouldn't stay and see it this time either so she went on it. Of course, 30 seconds into the show, she gets scared and begs me to take her out and then promptly starts to cry because she knows Mark will tease her again. I calm her down and let her take some pics

When the rest of the group came out, yes, Mark did make fun of Sarah for leaving again so again the tears started. Remind me again why we took the kids

We had planned to eat at Flame Tree BBQ for lunch but the rest of the group decided that they wanted to go back to POP for lunch so we made our way back but I wanted to get some more Photopass Pics. I just got the CD yesterday (629 pics) so I can add some of those now too. If you are keeping track, with these pics, we are over 3300 pics for the trip.