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

[mybabesuz]

One of our favorites of the trip.

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

That's why... Look at that smile...

 

[k_reile]

now I can honestly say I have seen a tiger poo

 

[mybabesuz]

now I can honestly say I have seen a tiger poo

 

[janloz]

That's why... Look at that smile...

You are correct, thanks for reminding me!!!

now I can honestly say I have seen a tiger poo

I felt bad for the tiger, it was like a car wreck that you know you shouldn't look but you can't help it.

 

[janloz]

more today.....

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

Very cute pics of the kids w/ bug glasses. Poor little girl, she really doesn't like that ride. My DD didn't like it either (smelly smoke part) and my DS is afraid of spiders/bugs so when he felt something behind him he jumped and will never set foot in there again. Tell your DD he is 14 and won't go in there. (He would just die if he knew I confessed this.) Hope this comforts her a little.

We have never taken the time to walk the animal trails...was always too HOT! I want to see all the animals (especially the gorillas & tigers) so this year I plan on spending more time at AK.

Ready for more....

 

[janloz]

Chapter 17-Photopass pics from AK and POP lunch/shopping

Back again, we got our Photopass CD so I wanted to include some of those.

Love these with Simba!

We decided to skip Flame Tree since no one but me was into it so we made our way back to the bus stop and waiting for the bus to POP. This was probably the longest wait that we had of the trip. And then we finally made it to POP and went to the food court for lunch.

It wasn't that busy since it was about 2:30pm so we did the crazy walk around trying to figure out what everyone wanted. Sarah decided that she wanted pasta with butter (surprised ) which came with carrots and a cookie. Mark wanted the Double cheeseburger with fries and Dave got the same thing. Once I got Sarah her pasta, Dave was heading to the check out so I sent her with him. Now, I don't know if it was because I was still not feeling great but I forgot that with the dining plan the should get dessert too. So when they got the cashier and didn't have them, Dave wouldn't let them go back and get one. So you can imagine the great mood they were in when I got to the table. I finally decided on Turkey Ciabatta and the vegetable soup. Big mistake. The soup was very good but the sandwich was horrible, I took one bite and didn't finish it. The guys both really liked the burgers and fries as did Sarah her noodles.

So, the total for lunch was $32 but we used 4 TS credits. We should have just paid OOP but we didn't.

After lunch, we returned to the room so the kids could chill out and hopefully take a short nap. While Dave stayed with them, Mom and I went to POP store to check it out. It was decorated really nicely for Christmas and now I wish I had gotten the Santa Mickey sweatshirt but didn't

We bought a scrapbook and some kitchen items but that was it and when we got back to the room everyone was awake and watching disney channel.

Doesn't she look relaxed???

 

[janloz]

Very cute pics of the kids w/ bug glasses. Poor little girl, she really doesn't like that ride. My DD didn't like it either (smelly smoke part) and my DS is afraid of spiders/bugs so when he felt something behind him he jumped and will never set foot in there again. Tell your DD he is 14 and won't go in there. (He would just die if he knew I confessed this.) Hope this comforts her a little.

We have never taken the time to walk the animal trails...was always too HOT! I want to see all the animals (especially the gorillas & tigers) so this year I plan on spending more time at AK.

Ready for more....

That is too funny, I will let her know, I am sure it will make her feel better. Since we have only been at WDW in Feb and Dec it was never really that hot on the trails so we have gotten to see a lot of animals. This time is was only about 55 so the sunny trails felt good.

i was typing the update when you left your post so as you asked, more was ready.....

 

[janloz]

Chapter 18: Evening of Dining: Sorry for the delay, on with the TR. This was the night that we were spliting up for dinner, my mom & Sarah were going to 1900 Park Fare, Granny/Poppy & Mark were going to Chef Mickeys and Dave & I were going to Narcoossees so after getting changed, we all took the bus from POP to MK and then transfered to the monorail. We decided that since the CM and 1900 PF ADRs were at the same time that G/P & Mark would take the monorail over to GF and meet Mom & Sarah for the trip back to POP. We dropped off G,P and Mark at the Contemporary for their CM ADR and then we took the monorail over to the GF.

Here are some pics of GF all dressed up for Christmas.

and the Gingerbread house

My mom and Sarah had 6:05pm ADR When you exit the monorail, you are on the second floor of GF so you have to take the elevator or stairs to main floor for 1900PF. We went downstairs and checked in and was told they were running 35-45 minutes late and given a pager.

They had a photopass photographer taking pics in front of the tree so we got in line to have Sarah's done. There was a family in front of us with 2 girls (7 &2) and a boy (4-5) they were dressed in beautiful green velvet dresses and shorts set and mom said they were getting Christmas card pic taken. Dave pulls me aside and says "That boy is going to hate this pic when he is a teenager." So they start to take the pic and the 2 year old starts screaming and crying and trying to get to the mom. She wants nothing to do with having her pic taken. The photopass photographer was trying to be very patient as the mom tried to get her back in the pic but it was clear that it was not working so he says that he will have to move onto the next group and the mom says "well, can't you wait another 5 mins she will calm down?" He said that she would have to get back in line since there were now about 10 groups waiting and she said a few rude things to him and huffed off. All day in park + 6:45pm = young kids that don't want pics taken.

Sarah's turn was next and here are some:

And one Dave took.

We then left for our ADR at 6:40pm and they still had not been buzzed for their ADR.

1900 Park Fare Cinderella's Gala Feast Mom said they finally got in about 7pm since on the hour the do the "birthday celebration."

They were seated in the middle of the main room near the buffet and they really enjoyed the buffet. Mom loved the strawberry soup. Sarah really liked the kids buffet area and had the chicken tenders, pasta and vegetables. I had arranged for a special cake for Sarah here since I knew she would LOVES the white chocolate castle cake plus I had read that if you were celebrating bday at PF they gave you a free crown. I did confirm when I checked in that the special order cake was there since I have read that they are not always deliverd but Mom said it came with no problem. So tonight was her unbirthday night.

Since Sarah already had dessert on the buffet, they boxed it for her to take back to the room. Sarah decided that night that she didn't want to wear her Cinderella dress again so she wore a pretty sweater set with the Castle in gold glitter on it. Mom said that Cinderella made several comments how pretty it was and how different she looked from the other girls. Here are the pics with the characters:

Background, Mom said that Cinderella came by several times and asked if Prince Charming had been by and he hadn't so when Cindy saw this, she went over and got PC and brought him to the table.

Total cost for mom & Sarah: $47.91 plus tip (not sure what she left) but used two TS credits. We had CM put Sarah's dining credits on her KTTK card so mom could use it. Also, I paid for the Castle Cake with my CC prior to dining which was $25.


They would definitely return here but did not care for the long wait to get in.

 

[Couturier]

OHHH That cake is soo pretty! I wish we wouldnt had to have changed our dates!

The pic of Sarah and Prince Charming is sooooo sweet! AWE!!!!!!!!!

Cant wait to read more!

Dana

 

[janloz]

Dave & I made our way over to Narcoossees which in at the back of the GF property on the lake. We got to the restaurant about 6:45pm for our 6:50pm ADR and asked for a table next to the window. The CM said that we would have to wait until around 7:30pm for a window since the fireworks were are 7pm. I had checked the schedule for that day and knew that there were no fireworks since it was MVMCP night and I told her that but she continued to argue about it. So I said any table was fine and took the pager. Dave wanted to go out on the deck and get some pics of MK and hotels.

About 5 minutes later, we get buzzed and are taken to a table next to the window. The view was amazing and we could see the castle change to the ice lights and then various colors throughout the night but there were NO fireworks while we were there. Our CM was Susan and she was very pleasant and took very good care of us. I was really looking forward to this ADR for 2 reasons, it was our "date" night and I had read many good reviews of the food. I was still not sure how my stomach would behave with rich food but tried:

Crab Cakes, Crab-Crusted Flounder - crushed fingerling potatoes, hericot vert, and Meyer lemon butter sauce and Almond Cheesecake and Dave had Crab Cakes, Surf & turf twin medallions of filet mignon, butter poached lobster tail, potato gratin, and choron sauce and no dessert.

The crab cakes were very good but also rich, I ate about 1 1/2 and Dave finished the rest. It seemed to take a very long time to receive our entrees but while waiting Dave's parents called and said that they and Mark were done eating and tired so they were not going to stop at GF to meet mom & Sarah but go directly back to POP. I tried to call mom but only got her VM and wanted to be sure she knew not to wait for them. So I was trying to decide if I should walk back to 1900 PF and let her know and then I got creative. I called Susan over and asked her if it was possible for them to contact mom at 1900PF and let her know so she got the manager to come over, I explained the situation and he said no problem, I will take care of it. A big thank you to both of them. When the entrees came, they were beautifully presented and delicious but nothing spectacular or what I would expect for 2TS signature dining. We both decided that we were too full for dessert but I wanted to try the Almond Cheesecake so I asked for it to go.

The atmosphere was beautiful, service was great but not overall it was any better then the other dining experiences we had done up to that point.

The total bill for the 2 of us was $148.34 but we used 4TS credits for it plus I left extra tip for Susan for all her help.

We would probably not return here but would try another signature dining next time.

After diner, we went back to GF lobby and took monorail back to MK and then bus back to POP since I was tired and Dave was starting to get a cold. Plus the next day was Mark's bday and we had a lot planned.

Granny/Poppy/Mark had 6:20pm ADR at Chef Mickeys. They arrived early and had their pic taken which they bought.

They were seated early and said that they food was good especially the dessert buffet area (Mark's comment). I have not been able to get the pics with characters from them yet. They really enjoyed the character interaction and we will return during our next trip.

Their total for dinner was $89.97 but they used 3TS, not sure what they left for tip.

When we got back to Pop, we went to store to get some cold medicine for Dave and then he went to get Mark from in laws room. Shortly afterwards, mom & sarah returned. It turned out they were on the bus after Dave & I since it took so long at 1900 PF.

Up next BIRTHDAY SURPRISES........

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

Very pretty pics of DD by the tree. (can't believe the other mom's nerve, asking him to hold up everyone else in line) Hopefully, she realized she was being rude and tried again later.

I like that you could all split up for different meals, everyone was happy. Very smart idea!

The castle cake was so sweet, it was very nicely presented. Did it make it back to the hotel okay?

Up next, birthday surprize and Auntie arrives???

 

[janloz]

Very pretty pics of DD by the tree. (can't believe the other mom's nerve, asking him to hold up everyone else in line) Hopefully, she realized she was being rude and tried again later.

I like that you could all split up for different meals, everyone was happy. Very smart idea!

The castle cake was so sweet, it was very nicely presented. Did it make it back to the hotel okay?

Up next, birthday surprize and Auntie arrives???

I think she finally got the hint when everyone in line was groaning.

It was nice to split up for a night especially for the kids, I think if our next trip is just the 4 of us, I will let Dave take Sarah to something and I will take Mark to another place since I am always doing the "girly stuff" with her.

The castle cake did make it back ok to the hotel, they did have to take the castle off and lay it in the box but no damage done.

I hope to get the next part of the trip done this week since I am leaving Thursday for 11 day business trip and won't have access to my pics during that time.

 

[sunnyday123]

Loved the pic's at the GF!!!! That is one of my favorites!! Your Dd's mickey ears crack me up, she is too cute!!! On our last trip my DD wore her sequined Minnie ears every day! She put them on and then her little back pack I made her ( which was way tacky) and off she went.

 

[janloz]

Loved the pic's at the GF!!!! That is one of my favorites!! Your Dd's mickey ears crack me up, she is too cute!!! On our last trip my DD wore her sequined Minnie ears every day! She put them on and then her little back pack I made her ( which was way tacky) and off she went.

Thanks, the GF was so amazing as was the WL, some day I will get to stay there.

She wanted to wear the Mickey ears to school when we got back but since they go to Catholic School and have uniforms I said no. But I did let her wear them on dress down day..

 

[janloz]

Chapter 19: Birthday Morning: Sorry for the delay in writing my TR but I was away for work for 10 days and didn't really have time to work on it. So on with it;

Wednesday, 12/3 Mark

As you can see, he was not so bright eyed that morning.

We had a 7:50am ADR at Cape May Cafe so there was no sleeping in this morning. I didn't really want it that early but it was the only time I could get and only hae one table and since the kids did not know that Aunt Suzie was arriving today, I wanted everyone at one table. So the day starts for Mark with phone call from Aunt Suzie to wish him since he think she is still in NY at her teaching job. He politely tells her to call back later since he is tired and not awake yet and hangs up on her. We get dressed and head over to main building to meet G&P to get over to the Beach Club. Just as we get to the doors near the food court Aunt Suzie comes running out and wishes Mark Happy Birthday Again. (Sorry, no pic) The look on his face was priceless. He was totally shocked and speakless (or still asleep). Both mark & sarah are thrilled to see her and now the BDay celebration can begin. We go over to the area near LS where magical express drops off and get 2cabs over to BC for breakfast. Since we were tight on time, this was the best option instead of taking bus to Epcot and then either walking to BC or transferring to their bus. It was only about 5 minute ride and about $10, worth it for peace of mind.

We arrive at the Beach Club which is beautiful for the holidays and have the chocolate and gingerbread carosel in the lobby.

I checked in at the podium and they were already running 20 minutes late at 7:45am so we took a look around the lobby and I went to find a CM to advise how to get the launch over to HS after breakfast. Soon the buzzer goes off and we are seated at the table next to the buffet. The CM was quick to come over and take our coffee/juice orders and then sent us off to the buffet.

Here is the lists from allears of what is on the buffet:

Fresh cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and fresh berries, mixed fruit,
Yogurt selections, Breakfast Specials Daily, Scrambled eggs, omelets, and eggs to order, Biscuits and gravy, Asparagus, Breakfast Pizza, Biscuits, Smoked Salmon (Lox), Cream Cheese, Tomatoes, Capers, Mickey waffles,
Bacon and sausage, Seasonal potatoes, Assorted hot & cold cereals,
Bread pudding with vanilla sauce, Muffins, danish, and donuts, Bagels & breads toasted to order, Coffee and tea, juice selections.

All of the items were very fresh and everyone seemed happy with the selections. I liked the Mickey waffles, potatoes, fresh fruits, eggs and muffins. I wasn't a thrilled with the breakfast pizza but the kids loved it. Just before we went, they changed the characters so now they have Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald (no Chip or Dale ) in their beach attire. We were near the beginning of the character interaction.

First came Goofy:

Here is a better view of Mark's t-shirt that I made on disneyshopping:

Then came Donald:

Then finally Minnie. The CM brought over a birthday cupcake for Mark so everyone in our area sang to him including Minnie.

This was a very nice breakfast and a cool way to celebrate his birthday with the characters. We would do this breakfast again and probably try the dinner buffet as well. Total cost was $84.53 with tax and tip but we used 4 TS credits.

 

[shortchange1026]

Glad you're back..I missed your report.

I'm glad you liked the CMB..we ate there on our anniversary last October and had a great time, we will definitely go back again!

Can't wait for more!

 

[janloz]

After breakfast we went out the back of the hotel, and saw the beautiful gardens and walkways to the launch.

then onto the launch:

and in no time we were at HS launch dock

and we made it to

just after rope drop.

After we got through the gate, I took all the tickets and made the dash to TSM to get fast passes for everyone while Granny got her scooter. Talk about insanity, they had about 10 FP machines spitting out tickets as quickly as possible so the times were moving rapidly. When I got to the front of the line, a CM asked me how many I needed and then to insert 1 ticket and he would give me all 8. With tickets in hand for about 11am, I was off to find the family who were near the Sorcerer's Hat taking pics:

It was just about time for HSM3 show so we stayed in the area and watched it. Dave went to get FP for Star Tours for the 7 of us since Granny didn't want to ride while we waited.

It was cute but once was enough for us plus it was hot standing in the sun. After HSM# show, it was time to use the FP for Star Tours so we headed that way. We stopped for a potty break and everyone in the bathroom across for ST had dream FPs and the lady said they just got them on ST. So I am trying to get our group together and head in and maybe get some on our bday. We get in line and into our transporters, we had never done ST before and really liked it. When we came out, the dream squad was gone, the group before ours got the last FPs. We poked around in the gift shop for a while since mark loves Star Wars Legos, we said on the way out he could get some. Next it was Muppet Vision 3-D, we hadn't seen this since our honeymoon in 1992 and it was still funny. Love the bubbles at the end. Then it was time to head over to TSM, by 11am all of the FP were gone for the day.

 

[janloz]

We all agreed that this ride was AWESOME!! Now we were really sad we didn't get the dream FP so we could ride again. Dave had the highest score with me 2nd.

After TSM it was time for lunch, we had ADR at Sci-Fi but they were running late and couldn't guarantee us that we would be done in time for the Lights, Motor, Action show so we decided to go to ABC Commissary instead. BIG mistake.

 

[CruisingCamper]

What a Great Report! And your dining reviews were wonderful too!