The New Lizard Lounge

[lovesdumbo]

I have to laugh about her preference for Pooh underwear—she is a true Disney fan already!

...but she wants nothing to do with the warehouse size carton of Princess pull ups.

I was so thrilled last week when she asked me if she could wear her Tink dress. (She's a late talker so I was so excited that she could express that!!!) Then after I put it on she insisted "Emma FLY!!!" because the costume has wings. So Tink is OK-a girl with attitude that can fly but she's got no use for the girly girl princesses. She really is a panic. And her older sister is all princess. She said the cutest thing this weekend. "Mom if all the bad guys went to Disney Mickey would make them be nice and they'd be so happy there that when they came back home to Massachusetts they'd still be nice because they had such a good time at Disney." I could use some of the magical Disney transformation powers about now.

 

[ead79]

Too funny! I’ve got to laugh because I was just the opposite. According to my dad I came out of the womb speaking in paragraphs , but my poor mom didn’t get me potty trained until 2 weeks shy of starting preschool (and you had to be potty trained to start). It all stems from the “musical potty” incident. When I was a little under 2 my parents got the bright idea to buy a musical potty that played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star when you went to the bathroom. Well, I sat on the potty, started to go, and the music started. It apparently scared me to death as I jumped up off that potty and ran tinkling down the hallway. My poor parents had to clean the mess up, but I think the hysterical aspect of it made up for it. They tried taking out the music maker to get me to use the potty, but I would have nothing to do with that thing!

 

[Angel16]

Room wave to everyone! I have been so busy. Just like all of us

We are leaving on "vacation" in just 11 days. We are going to visit our two daughters. We will get to meet our new and first grandson and celebrate our gd 3rd birthday. Then we were heading up to Wisconsin to spend a couple of days with our SIL before he is shipped overseas with his reserve unit. That is going to be very difficult. He called us last week and ask us please to come and see him off with his unit. We both feel we really need to be there and our DD certainly will need us. It is going to be very difficult for her.

EAD 79 Your story was so cute and too true. I have often wondered about those pottie seats. I am so glad you had a good time on your trip. Are you going to do a trip report? Do you have any pictures?

Lovesdumbo I am so happy to hear that you mom is doing better. How are you? Your daughter sounds precious, just a small princess.

Minn Thank you for the first installment of your trip report. You had a perfect mom and daughter vacation. I am looking forward to reading the rest.

Debbie It is good to see you. I am sure you are very busy with school ending soon. How is your July trip planning going?

Tess - Woo Hoo 12 days left. Or is it 11 now? I hope and know you will have a wonderful Polynesian Holiday

I have to get back to work. I hope everyone has a great evening. I am sending pd and best wishes to all that are in need.

Angel

 

[#1hockeymom]

Running in after my long four days off of quietness... now its crazy around here again! Prayers and PD going out. Thank you everyone for keeping us updated on the conditions of your family members. To those leaving soon... Bon Voyage!

Not forgetting... hugs to all! DD is going to not want to live after we get done with our TALK! *grumbling about smart teenagers who think they know it all* Oh I wish she still wanted to wear her princess dresses and tiaras!

(two months.. two months.. two months)
Debbie

 

[minniesota]

The saga continues...

Our plan Saturday was to hit MK early! We had room service deliver bagels and cream cheese, whole wheat toast and fresh strawberries. Our CM had just visited Austria (where my ancestors are from) so we had a nice chat while he set our table with white linens and a small vase of flowers. Perfect for the princesses! We enjoyed our breakfast and then hopped the monorail to MK. WE arrived about 10 minutes before opening and DD was excited to see the “welcome” show and the train of character arrive. It's great to just sit back and enjoy this show!

Once the gates opened, we headed to Fantasyland and rode Peter Pan, Small World and Philharmagic. WE loved the improvements to Small World! We made our way to the Haunted Mansion, did Splash, Thunder and Pirates. Then made our way to Tomorrowland and did the Transit Authority and COP. I couldn't handle Space this early. We caught some of Cinderellabration and then had lunch at the Plaza at noon.

DD ordered a cheeseburger and I had a Rueben sandwich - delicious! I think the secret is out on this place. Way more crowded than in the past. We decided to order ice cream cones next door and lapped them up on Main St. before they melted. We had one of the PhotoPass photographers take our picture in front of the castle (but it never showed up on the website!) Did a little shopping and then took the boar launch back to the GF.

Our room was clean and so inviting. We ended up crashing and taking a 2-hour nap!!! I guess princesses need their beauty rest! I had hoped to meet up with steveanddonna this trip so when she called after her massage, we set up a meeting in the GF lobby. It was great to meet Donna and her husband over cocktails in the lobby. It was very comfortable and they felt like old friends. Even DD thought it was cool!

After Donna and Steve left, we headed over to the Poly for our dinner at Kona Café. We were seated right away and we split the pot stickers and sticky wings. I had a small Kona salad and DD ordered the Ceasar. We finished our meal with the Kilahuea Torte a la mode (think lava cake with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream!) Yummy! Everything was delicious. We will be back!

After dinner, DD suggested that we head over to the AKL since neither one of us had been there and we were both very curious about it. We walked around the lobby, marketplace and a bit of the grounds. It's very dark and mysterious, especially at night. And now we know what people are talking about when they refer to the smoky smell of the AKL!

WE took the bus back to MK and figured we might as well catch Wishes from the park. It was packed! But we managed to find a couple of curb spaces across from Casey's and waited about 30 minutes for the show to begin. I love this show and I especially love it on Main St. I get tears and chills every time.

We got out of MK without much trouble and took the boat back to the GF. It was a spectacular night and the ride was so refreshing. We arrived back at our castle view room to soft lights, music and chocolates. A girl could get used to this…

To be contnued...

 

[Tess]

Tess - Woo Hoo 12 days left. Or is it 11 now? I hope and know you will have a wonderful Polynesian Holiday Angel

It's now 8 days -- the excitement is building! I'm trying to tweak the plans and make my last minute PS (or is it ADR now?) requests!

 

[ead79]

Angel, enjoy meeting you DGD for the first time—how exciting! Also, please thank your SIL for me and let him know that we all appreciate his bravery and the sacrifice of he and his loved ones while he is overseas.

I didn’t do a trip report, but I do have a few pictures from the trip. Here’s a link: May Trip Pictures

Tess, woo hoo—single digits! You’re almost there!

minniesota, I’m still loving reading about you and your DD’s adventure. The GF is our favorite too, and I’m glad to see you visited our 2nd favorite resort—the AKL. We love the smell of the delicious foods wafting up to the lobby. You’ll have to plan a breakfast at Boma for your next trip—yum!

 

[GoofyJoofy]

Thanks again for all the kind thoughts and prayers.

I've been thinking about my trip a lot lately (nice diversion!). So any thoughts on Illumination cruise? I'm thinking my kids who will be 6 1/2, not quite 5 and not quite 3 will be too young.

Also planning dinner for just DH & I.

GoofyJoofy-did you freeze camping this weekend? I could use a little FL sun and heat!

lovesdumbo - Our thoughts and prayers still are with you.

We did not freeze on the trip. Our Troop was hosting the event so we were placed in cabins with beds. No heat, but still warmer than being on the ground in a tent.

We really liked Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot, but Spoodles at the Boardwalk was also really great. If you do go to AKL for dinner, remember that Boma is a buffet. When I go out with just DW, I like the ambience of a sit down meal. OK just my 2 cents worth.

Hope everyone had a great Memorial weekend. Weather was good, saw all 3 kids marching with the bands. Did BBQ and plenty of

 

[Angel16]

During my lunch today I was surfing the Resort Thread and saw that AP discounts are out through October 4th. They just came out today! I know it is really early. Last year they didn't come out until August. Boy was I surprised. You never saw anyone move or dial as fast as I did.

We were scheduled for the Polynesian for 6 nights and then over to AKL for 7 nights in Sept/Oct.

I called and was able to get the AP rate for AKL CL,

However The Polynesian was already full. They did not have any AP discounts left for any room at all. (I even considered moving to a standard room. Since I have read that they may be doing rehab to the Hawaii longhouse during our visit and they may just move us anyway. I just felt unsure of our stay at the Polynesian.)

I had the most wonderful CM on the phone, she researched and checked sev eral other resorts and guess where we are staying at............................The Grand Floridian - Royal Palm for less than the CL at the Polynesian would have cost.

SO I need help. What did I just do? I have no idea what GF is like or what the Royal Palm CL has to offer. I have always thought that GF was out of our price range and never really had considered staying there. If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it. If there are any sites or threads please let me know. I will start my research tonight.

I am so excited and I don't even know what I am excited about! The CM just said I would very happy there.




Angel

 

[minniesota]

Angel16 - Oh you lucky girl! We LOVE the GF and RPC (we were there in OCt. and Dec.) The lounge is located on on the 4th floor and is very spacious. The offerings were plentiful and there seemed to be quite a variety, especially in the evenings from 5-7. And their desserts are to die for. We have always found the CMs to be very professional and courteous - and once you approach them with friendly conversation, they are as warm and friendly as can be. TammiMcMan has lots of info if you do a search on her. She has some trip reports linked in her sig line.

When are you going? And what rate did you get? (You can PM me if you want!) My sister and I are going Oct. 1 - 5 or 6 and are staying at the Grand but I opted for a lagoon view AP rate this morning. Now I'm wondering if RPC should be a consideration!!! You will love it there!

 

[ead79]

Angel, I loved my stay at the Royal Palm Club as well! You’re going to have a wonderful time! If you don’t mind my asking, what rate were you able to get? Was it the flat $70 off rack rate that was reported as the AP discount? I would love to return to the RPC, but it’s a little steep price-wise to do very often for us.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Oh no, I'm going to cover my eyes so I don't see what the AP rate is for the RPC. I keep telling myself that there is just no way we can do another Disney trip this year. The Royal Palm Club is excellent. It lacks the great fireworks view that the Poly has, but instead the lounge overlooks the main lobby and you can sip your glass of wine while listening to the wonderful orchestra play. The place has a definite ambience. Do it!

Tammi

 

[Tess]

During my lunch today I was surfing the Resort Thread and saw that AP discounts are out through October 4th. They just came out today! I know it is really early. Last year they didn't come out until August. Boy was I surprised. You never saw anyone move or dial as fast as I did.

We were scheduled for the Polynesian for 6 nights and then over to AKL for 7 nights in Sept/Oct.

I called and was able to get the AP rate for AKL CL,

However The Polynesian was already full. They did not have any AP discounts left for any room at all. (I even considered moving to a standard room. Since I have read that they may be doing rehab to the Hawaii longhouse during our visit and they may just move us anyway. I just felt unsure of our stay at the Polynesian.)

I had the most wonderful CM on the phone, she researched and checked sev eral other resorts and guess where we are staying at............................The Grand Floridian - Royal Palm for less than the CL at the Polynesian would have cost.

SO I need help. What did I just do? I have no idea what GF is like or what the Royal Palm CL has to offer. I have always thought that GF was out of our price range and never really had considered staying there. If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it. If there are any sites or threads please let me know. I will start my research tonight.

I am so excited and I don't even know what I am excited about! The CM just said I would very happy there.




Angel

I received the Passholder email from Disney early this p.m. telling me we received the information "a day early" to take advantage. . .guess that "day early" wasn't quite so! As with all those emails--if you wait to be notified, the rooms are gone.

My guess is that Polynesian discounts were few and far between because of all the rehab work that will be happening around the resort. They have to place guests who have been booked somewhere and maybe there weren't many rooms left to be had given the rehab plan. Just a thought anyway. . .

Congrats Angel~~~there's nothing better than snagging those AP rates. I'm sure that GF will be an acceptable alternative to the Polynesian.

TammiMcMan~~doesn't it just kill ya' when those AP rates come out and you know there's no way you can go!!!! Gee whiz though--if we all went every time an AP rate was released, we'd all be in the poor house--at least I'm guessing most of us would--

 

[minniesota]

Our second full day (Sunday):

We had stopped at Gasparilla's the night before and picked up some cereal, milk, fruit and bottled water for breakfast. Our plan for today was to head to Epcot for the morning hours and then head to MGM for a PS at Mama Melroses at noon. We rode the monorail to the TCC and asked to ride in the driver's car - which we got! Coming into Epcot was amazing - the Flower and Garden Show displays were wonderful.

We got into the park with little wait and headed to Soarin'. I think we waited about 15 minutes for our "trip". This is really a cool ride - you do feel like you are hang gliding over some spectacular sights. After Soarin', we headed over to Universe of Energy (DD's request) and enjoyed that. Ellen still cracks me up every time...

We left Universe and thought about doing Spaceship Earth but realized we had to hustle over to MGM if we were going to make our PS. We waited about 10 minutes for the Friend-ship at the International Gateway and were about to board when we overheard a discussion between some other guests and the boat CMs. They said they wouldn't go to MGM for all the money in China - it was major packed (Star Wars weekend)! I looked at DD - and even though she was dying to eat at Mama Melrose - we both agreed major crowds did not sound inviting.

A bit disappointed and defeated, DD said I should pick a restaurant because she was hungry. (Thirteen year olds can be rather dramatic.) I suggested Le Cellier and she said OK. We only had to wait about 10 minutes and were seated in the Alberta section. I do love this restaurant. We shared an order of broiled scallops, a bowl of cheddar cheese soup and a broiled steak burger. It was all delicious and DD loved dipping the pretzel bread in the cheddar cheese soup. She said this was her favorite meal. We went over to France and hit the bakery. DD had cheesecake and I ordered creme brulee. They were both fabulous. We watched the acrobatic performers in France before heading back to Future World.

We were a bit weary and decided we'd had enough of the parks. We hit Spaceship Earth on the way out and headed for the monorail and our beloved GF. But first we had some photpass shots taken which did show up on the website. When we returned, our room was cleaned and so refreshingly cool. We headed to the quiet pool and did a little reading and relaxing before dinner.

We took a cab over to the Boardwalk and had dinner at Spoodles, another DD request. We were not overly hungry so we each ordered a mixed green salad with gorgonzola and pine nuts and split a four cheese flatbread and an order of calamari. Yummy! After dinner, we strolled through Epcot and staked out a spot for Illuminations, though we had about an hour to wait. All of a sudden, DD says, "Would you mind if we went back to the hotel and just hung out in the room?" I had no problem with that so we took the monorail back and got there just in time to change into our pj's and watch "Desparate Housewives". And then we were able to watch Wishes from the balcony. A delightful day and evening...

Tomorrow we're off to MGM... stay tuned!

 

[#1hockeymom]

Keep the reports coming! You're doing a great job, and I can tell you both had a magical time!

 

[Goofy's Muse]

#1hm says it all... just lovin' these trip reports!!

You travel the way I'd love to in my mind's eye, minniesota... Thanks so much for sharing your magic with those of us whose main mode of travel these days is chaffeuring a car full of kids here, there and everywhere!

 

[GoofyJoofy]

During my lunch today I was surfing the Resort Thread and saw that AP discounts are out through October 4th. They just came out today! I know it is really early. Last year they didn't come out until August. Boy was I surprised. You never saw anyone move or dial as fast as I did.

I had the most wonderful CM on the phone, she researched and checked sev eral other resorts and guess where we are staying at............................The Grand Floridian - Royal Palm for less than the CL at the Polynesian would have cost.

SO I need help. What did I just do? I have no idea what GF is like or what the Royal Palm CL has to offer. If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it. If there are any sites or threads please let me know. I will start my research tonight.

I am so excited and I don't even know what I am excited about! The CM just said I would very happy there.

Angel

Angel16
Congratulations! We did GF non-CL for our Dec 04 trip and really, really liked the resort. Great location, beautiful decor, lovely views.

There is a great thread on the boards at: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8740205#post8740205
And has already been stated, TammiMcMan has some great insights. She answers many questions in the thread above.

minniesota - I am enjoying reading your account of the Mom/daughter trip. Brings back such wonderful memories of being there. And I keep imagining how my DW and DD-14 would react to a Mom/daughter trip

Tess - 7 days! How can you stand the excitement? OK, big question - Have you started packing yet!?!?

TammiMcMan & ead - Don't look now but those AP rates are calling your name

lovesdumbo - Thanks for the update on mom. Prayers and PD for the both of you.

#1hockeymom - Wow 4 days off for the weekend. I could have used an additional one
Hope you and DD survived "the talk". Aren't teenagers a blast!

Prayers and PD for all intentions, whether expressed or not.

 

[minniesota]

Thanks for reading, guys. I keep thinking this is too long but I know I love reading the details. So here is the next - and second to last - installment. I've got to wrap this up - big dance recital weekend - four shows - where's my Advil???

We were up at 7 for our last full day. DD requires at least an hour to get ready to be seen by her public. Thank goodness the GF has two sinks and a separate shower/toilet area! We had ordered room service the night before and our breakfast arrived promptly at 7:45. We decided not to mess with a good thing and had whole wheat toast, bagel and cream cheese and the biggest strawberries! And they were sweet and juicy - not dry and woody like some big berries can be. We had a leisurely breakfast and watched the lagoon and MK come to life.

We just caught the MGM bus as it was ready to head out and we were on our way arriving about 15 minutes before opening. I've never been at the rope drop at MGM and it was quite entertaining. We sang Happy Birthday to someone in the crowd - backwards. Yes, we all turned our backs and sang! And when the rope actually dropped the CMs told us we could not get in front of them and anyone who did would be sent to the back of the line. We were “walked” all the way to Tower of Terror and were on the first trip - front row - yikes! DD loves this ride and I have to say I do too - but only once a day for me. Where did I leave my stomach? DD and I had a long talk about what happens physiologically on that ride. Is it a hormone that is released? Gravity? Anyone know for sure?

DD tried really hard to get me on RR but I just couldn't do it. So we went on the Great Movie Ride and she still clung to me during the Alien scene. Thirteen going on 18 some days, and then there's those “mom, I need you” moments. The weather had turned pretty hot the last day and we could feel it on our northern clime bodies so we opted for the Little Mermaid -ahhh.. And we had to see Beauty and the Beast! I was watching the clock pretty closely and knew we had a noon ressie at Mama Melrose, and spa appointments at 2. Not wanting to rush, rush. rush, I called the GF Spa and asked to push our appointments ahead by an hour and they said 3 would work. Yeah!

So we had a more leisurely lunch. We discovered Mama Melrose last October and really enjoyed it. DD especially liked the bread and dipping oils they served - a pesto and roasted red pepper. She ordered a Caesar and I had the field greens and a Tuscan bean soup. We shared a plate of bruschetta and DD ordered chocolate truffle cake. By the way, the bread and oil is served at dinner but only by request at lunch. We requested! Everything tasted great and we had fabulous service - just like our experience in Oct.

We left Mama's and headed for the bus - it felt a bit like a blast furnace outside - so we were happy to wait only 10 minutes. We got to our room (all fresh and new again - I love housekeeping!) and got ready for our spa appointments. The walk over in the heat seemed really long so we were happy to grab some ice cold water and lounge in the dimly lit waiting area. DD was a little self-conscious about the robe (it wasn't skin tight!) but she finally seemed to relax. She had a facial and I had a 50-minute Swedish massage. It was wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. DD said her facial was OK - next time she'd go for something else.

Feeling like I was on a cloud, we walked back to the room for showers and a little Gilmore Girls (DD's fave right now) and got ready for dinner at the GF Café. We hadn't really planned on dining here our last night - we had a PS at Tony's - but DD said she was parked-out and wanted to just relax and enjoy the resort. Did I say I love that kid?

The Café was pretty busy but we had a great waiter and our service was top-notch, I had the café salad and DD ordered French onion soup. We split the Penne with Shrimp and splurged on the chocolate fondue dessert - a dark chocolate fondue with fresh fruits and marshmallows. We certainly had our chocolate quota for the month!

After dinner, we hung out in the lobby listening to the sounds of the orchestra - they were playing all Disney themed music - and just watched all the people come and go. We had a bit of a devilish idea and talked about just sneaking a peek at the lounge. After all, I was on a mission of sorts for the Lizard Lounge. We even got on the elevator, but chickened out and got off on the 2nd floor! Then we giggled and giggled about “mom and daughter caught in the lounge by GF security - details at 11!” LOL

We walked around the grounds a bit, taking the long way back to our room where turn-down service had worked its magic again. We put on our GF robes and sat on the balcony to watch the ELP and Wishes one last time. Not sure but I think I saw a couple of tears glistening in DD's beautiful eyes….her mother's daughter.

 

[Tess]

Tess - 7 days! How can you stand the excitement? OK, big question - Have you started packing yet!?!?

I'm doin' okay with the excitement thing. . . ! I plan to begin packing tomorrow--I've actually got it down to a science or at least an orderly explosion! I find if I begin too soon, I pack way too much. . .anyone else do likewise?

I'm actually kind of bummed (and I posted about this on a separate thread), but the weather there has been really crappy. Unfortunately, I looked at the extended forecast and it looks equally crappy--loads of clouds and more than the usual amount of rain. We spent 3-4 years in a row with horrid weather, but last year was nearly perfect and the year before okay. I know that tons of rain, very little sun, and way too many clouds really puts a damper on things--especially for those of us who have been there frequently. Winter and spring here have been such a drag--I will be so depressed if it's nice here next week and thereafter while it's cruddy in Florida. Just our luck, the one or two weeks of beautiful summer weather will probably happen in MI while we are gone and we'll come back to the same nasty stuff we've had all spring! I'm usually pretty positive, but I've had more than my fair share of crummy vacation weeks at Disney!

Okay, rant over and I'm saying extra prayers that the extended is so totally wrong (heck, our weather here last weekend called for cold, rainy, etc--I was in my pool on Monday! LOL)!

Enjoying the report minnesota!

 

[ead79]

Ahhhhh, minniesota, I am so enjoying your trip reports. I can just picture sitting on the balcony in a GF robe watching the water pageant and Wishes. Now I’ve just got to plan a return to the GF.