The Speed Walkin',Triple Split Stay,Holly Jolly Holiday**NEW 1/12 Last Day

[Belle_373]

I told my mom that this year she has to decorate her house like this

Your poor mom! I see a Griswald Christmas in your future!

Love the pics of the osborne lights. I'm really hoping I can make it down to Disney next Christmas to see them in person.

 

[jenbear123]

Haven't a clue--pm one of the moderators and ask them.

Thanks for that suggestion. I found out from one of the moderators that apparently "U N D I S" refers to a "hostile" site that makes fun of the DIS. I checked it out and that site definitely doesn't have nice things to say... Glad I figured out why it was getting ***-ed out.

Your poor mom! I see a Griswald Christmas in your future!

Love the pics of the osborne lights. I'm really hoping I can make it down to Disney next Christmas to see them in person.

My mom loves that movie!! She kills herself laughing every time - especially when the cat electrocutes itself. You definitely should try and make a trip to see the lights. They're so cool!

 

[redlight]

I picked Mickey Rice Krispie, dipped in Milk Chocolate, with Reese's Peanut Butter cups topping, drizzled with milk chocolate.

Yummy! You have good taste.

 

[praisehisname]

I was in system overload again. Not only were the buildings outstandingly beaming with lights, but when they "danced" to the music, and it "snowed", I nearly had tears in my eyes.

I got teary-eyed just looking at your pictures. I'll probably cry like a baby when I see them in person!

Leaving in three days?! Do you have a PTR going? Where are you staying??

I didn't do a PTR for this trip, but I am definitely doing a report when we get back. We are staying at Pop. Can't wait!

Forgot to add, your treats from Goofy's looked yummy!

 

[glennbo123]

Just found your trip report....now to go back and get caught up. Looking forward to it!

 

[jenbear123]

Yummy! You have good taste.

Thanks, I try

I got teary-eyed just looking at your pictures. I'll probably cry like a baby when I see them in person!

Oh trust me, you will

I didn't do a PTR for this trip, but I am definitely doing a report when we get back. We are staying at Pop. Can't wait!

Yay for Pop Century! Such a good little resort. I look forward to reading all about your trip when you get back

Just found your trip report....now to go back and get caught up. Looking forward to it!

so glad you came over! Did I mention how much I enjoyed your TR? Hope you enjoy reading mine!

 

[glennbo123]

so glad you came over! Did I mention how much I enjoyed your TR? Hope you enjoy reading mine!

Yes, I'm sure you did. Thanks! I'm about halfway through yours and it's really good. I like the mix of text and pictures. It's obvious you had your trip report in mind when you were taking pictures....nice job!

Sounds like I need to try the Wave one of these days.

Your excitement comes through in every post!

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

I just finished catching up and I love it! Your title caught me because my name is Holly! I was born around Christmas so my family always calls me Holly Jolly! You are soo lucky, I wish I could go on a trip with just my sister! I can't wait to read more!

 

[jenbear123]

Yes, I'm sure you did. Thanks! I'm about halfway through yours and it's really good. I like the mix of text and pictures. It's obvious you had your trip report in mind when you were taking pictures....nice job!

Sounds like I need to try the Wave one of these days.

Your excitement comes through in every post!

Thanks I always have the DIS in mind when I go. There's always something people have questions about! Plus being a TA makes it even more important to pay attention to the fine details.

You really should try the Wave. Try it with your DW for a romantic evening. Or you could get the whole gang involved. Either way, you'll love it! Thanks again for reading

I just finished catching up and I love it! Your title caught me because my name is Holly! I was born around Christmas so my family always calls me Holly Jolly! You are soo lucky, I wish I could go on a trip with just my sister! I can't wait to read more!

Hi Holly! Thanks for reading! It makes a great trip when it's just you and your sibling. As long as you get along well of course More coming soon!

 

[jenbear123]

Woke this morning not feeling so great again. Most likely due to not eating any dinner the previous night. I must be one of those people that feel sick to their stomach when they don't eat every four hours. Live and learn I guess. I guzzled water and ate a yogurt to settle my stomach. By 8am, we were in our car on our way to AK. Since ASMusic was so close, it took about 5-7 minutes to get there.

Once we parked, I snapped a photo of where we parked....just in case.

Our reservation was for 8:25am, which gave us early entry in the park. It's always nice to get ahead of the crowds. You get more photo ops that way!

The photopass guy told us to give him our "lion" faces

When we reached the Tusker House, we noticed there weren't many people waiting to check in.... or so we thought

We were told to go around the corner and wait to be seated.

It was then that we found where all the people were. Everyone was waiting for their chance with the man of the hour:

Donald was in good spirits this early in the morning!

Last time we ate here in April, we didn't get a picture with Donald but he walked around to all the tables while we ate. This time, we got a picture with Donald but didn't get to see him when we ate. Why must they change everything!

We were seated at a table that seemed like it shouldn't have even been there. I guess they had no other place to sit two people. There were tons of large families so I guess it made it hard to find a place for us. The table was right up against a wall. There was a pillar right behind my chair that I could hardly squeeze in. And I'm a person of smaller proportions.... I didn't complain then because I knew there wasn't any other place for us and I didn't feel like waiting for them to find another table. Bubba didn't complain though.

The place was noisy, noisy, noisy. Like usual. I still wasn't feeling 100% so I did not take any pictures of food. I ate some cereal, yogurt, fruit and mickey waffles. Typical breakfast fare. I wasn't in the mood to be very adventurous. The food was yummy, except the fruit. It always has that weird tangy taste to it. I guess to keep it fresher longer? Our server, Debra, was nice. Nothing special though. Within about 20 minutes, we were ready to leave but the characters hadn't even come around our table yet! We stretched out our time there so we could stay to see the characters.

First up was Mickey

Next came Daisy

Last but certainly not least was Goofy

Yes, the photo is blurry. Why? Well, Goofy was feeling VERY goofy Right before our server took the picture, he wiggled back and forth, making us bounce all over the place. It was really silly. Finally a goofy Goofy!

I thought this ceiling decoration was really cool

It was just almost 9:30am when we finished up. Total for the two of us came to $51.58 with TIW

We hightailed it out of there to start our "Must-do" list for the day. This consisted of 1. Dinosaur & 2. Festival of the Lion King. Not a very long list, I know, but these were still top priorities!! Dinosaur I had never ridden and I only discovered how good a show Festival of the Lion King was during our visit in April. The Lion King was one of my all time favourite Disney movies so I'm not sure how I missed this show on previous trips!!!

Before heading to our first stop, we grabbed fastpasses for the safari then set our course for Dinoland U.S.A. As we were waling, we found Flick just off the path waiting for us to come join him. I was really excited to see Flick but I'm just not showing it in this picture

If looks could kill....

We told Flick to make sure he steers clear of those grasshoppers and we continued on our way.

Dinosaur was practically deserted when we got there.

I didn't know what to expect on this ride. Bubba had been on it multiple times already so I was trying to get what I could from her. All she would tell me is that it was a little bumpy and scared the poop out of her. You see, she's always had a fear of dinosaurs. Myself, I LOVE THEM! I would've been a paleontologist if I only could have understood chemistry better.... Anyway, if the ride scared Bubba than that meant it had to be good.

Here's what I thought of the ride: A-W-E-S-O-M-E

As you can see, I was in my glory. Bubba is smiling too but she told me later she was only doing that so she wouldn't look terrified. At one point of the ride, she literally clinged to my arm and hid her face. It was cute. Who's the older sibling again? This ride is definitely on my "must-do" list for AK from now on!



CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST

 

[redlight]

I love the "lions faces" and the "if looks could kill" pictures.

 

[jenbear123]

After my first exhilarating first ride on Dinosaur, I took an extensive look at the surrounding area.

I want this guy in my living room

I cannot believe I put off this ride for so many years. It was obvious calling my name! Great, great ride. It's a little bumpy but not terrible. I honestly expected a lot worst. It is VERY loud though. If you have little kids that are scared easily, steer clear of this one.

After Dinosaur, we headed towards EE. At first I was a little hesitant to ride but since Bubba conquered her fears and rode Dinosaur with me, I had to do the same for her ride. We got to EE and the wait was only 20 minutes so we got in line. We got to about this point in the queue

when we realized we weren't moving and still had a long way to go before we got to the loading area. It clearly wasn't a 20 minute wait. We bailed and grabbed a fastpass in case we decided to come back. Deep down inside I was thankful I didn't have to ride

Since EE was a bust, we decided to head back to do the safari as our fastpass times were up. We waited maybe 5 minutes and were loaded onto our jeep

Here are a few of my favourites from our safari

I never realized how small wildebeest are. They look so much bigger on the television!

After we saved the baby elephant (once again) we had to hightail it over to FOTLK as a show was starting in 5 minutes! Did I mention we sped walked A LOT during this trip?

We got there just in time as they were letting the last of the people in. Since we arrived late, we were sat in the Giraffe section. Darn. My first time I was in the Lion section with Simba. Oh well, this time I got a better view of Simba.

I really want to take Simba home with me...one day....

After another great show of FOTLK, we went to Camp Minnie Mickey to see if we could find Chip & Dale. I was determined to get a picture with them as I'm currently a little obsessed with them. Why? I have no idea. My favourite Disney characters seem to flip-flop constantly.

There was no Chip & Dale this time at Camp Minnie Mickey so we decided to wait to see Mickey. The lines were INSANE but it took about 10 minutes before we were kissing the mouse

Mickey made us do it!

It was time for us to depart AK to take a well deserved nap back at ASMusic. I asked Bubba one more time if she wanted to do EE but she said it was okay. Phew.

NEXT UP:
DINNER AT CALIFORNIA GRILL
EVENING EMH AT MK

 

[glennbo123]

Here's one reason I like to read trip reports -- I have never seen this sign! And I think we got a photopass picture taken near the fence that's in the background, but I never saw this.

 

[KatMark]

Awesome update! I love Dinosaur, my hubby can do with or without it (and I'm like that on Expedition).

 

[glennbo123]

I cannot believe I put off this ride for so many years. It was obvious calling my name! Great, great ride. It's a little bumpy but not terrible. I honestly expected a lot worst. It is VERY loud though. If you have little kids that are scared easily, steer clear of this one.

Glad to hear you liked Dinosaur!

After we saved the baby elephant (once again)

Hey, what a coincidence -- so did we!

The lines were INSANE but it took about 10 minutes before we were kissing the mouse

Mickey made us do it!

This is a great picture.

It's great to see that it's still fun for your sister -- I'd be afraid that being a cast member, and has seen what goes on backstage, meeting Mickey might not be quite as magical as it would be otherwise.

I asked Bubba one more time if she wanted to do EE but she said it was okay. Phew.

It's really not that bad. As you read in my TR, my 10-year old son went on it and loved it...after we bribed him. Maybe you can get a plush yeti from Bubba when you go next time.

 

[Belle_373]

I'm just like your sister when I ride Dinosaur. The first time ever rode you couldn't even see me in the picture, I was ducking so low. Now I know when they're going to take the picture so I can fake it better.

 

[jenbear123]

Here's one reason I like to read trip reports -- I have never seen this sign! And I think we got a photopass picture taken near the fence that's in the background, but I never saw this.

It's seems no matter how many times you go to Disney World, you always miss something! I had never noticed this sign either until Bubba made me take a picture in front of it The lack of crowds helped things too

Awesome update! I love Dinosaur, my hubby can do with or without it (and I'm like that on Expedition).

I'm glad you like Dinosaur too! I've only done EE once and I nearly passed out. Probably due to the heat and dehydration. I'd be willing to give it another try though. Maybe in April....

Glad to hear you liked Dinosaur!

You like it too? Yay! I guess more people like this ride than I thought

Hey, what a coincidence -- so did we!

That baby elephant sure is a lucky guy

This is a great picture.

It's great to see that it's still fun for your sister -- I'd be afraid that being a cast member, and has seen what goes on backstage, meeting Mickey might not be quite as magical as it would be otherwise.

It is difficult but, I mean, once you see Mickey's face, all the other images just disappear. She doesn't get that "tingley" feeling anymore but she still has a great time. Even when I went on the Keys to the Kingdom tour and saw what I saw, it was a bit difficult seeing characters after that. But it wasn't long until I was dancing with Chip & Dale again without a second thought!

It's really not that bad. As you read in my TR, my 10-year old son went on it and loved it...after we bribed him. Maybe you can get a plush yeti from Bubba when you go next time.

Hmmmm.... bribery is a good incentive and I mean, if your 10-year old can go on it, a twenty something year old like myself shouldn't be chickening out!

I'm just like your sister when I ride Dinosaur. The first time ever rode you couldn't even see me in the picture, I was ducking so low. Now I know when they're going to take the picture so I can fake it better.

You poor thing! The ride is pretty loud and if you don't like the big mean dinosaurs, it can be a bit frightening I'll have to keep an eye out for the flash next time. I was too focused on what I was looking at to notice

 

[jenbear123]

Sorry to be MIA all week. Bubba came back home for a surprise visit over the last 3 days. It was so nice to see her again (even though I just saw her 2 weeks ago) but since her time here was so short, I felt like I dreamt the whole thing Now I won't see her again until April (or maybe February - details on that might appear on my PTR when I get to it...)

Without further ado, let's continue....

When we got back to ASMusic, we decided to sit out by the pool instead of taking a nap. I wanted to see what this resort was all about. I also wanted to see how it compared to Pop. We changed into our bathing suits and headed to the piano pool.

To give you a better idea of our room location, we were in Room 7442. This was the only room number we got out of the three resorts we stayed at the was easy to remember!

It took about 2 minutes to walk over to the pool

It looked a bit grungey compared to what those Disney Travel Planning DVD's show you.... The pool itself and area is starting to look a bit tired. Seeing how AS resorts are the older of the value resorts, I think it's time Disney invested some time and money to fixing the place up a bit.

We attempted to catch some rays but Mother Nature was not on our side....

It never fails. Every time we actually have time to get some tanning in, the dark clouds appear

We made the best of the situation and soaked up what little sun rays there were

Bubba had her nose stuck in a book for most of it

Eventually, we figured we were wasting time sitting outside under a bunch of dark clouds. We took this opportunity to take a walking tour around the place.

Starting with the Rock Inn area

On our way to the Calypso section, we realized how close the other AS resorts actually are. ASMovies was just a stones throw away in one direction

This was definitely the area of ASMusic that was the busiest. It has the main pool,

Pool bar,

and Disney body art

There were also some kids activities going on while we were here too. A happening place!

After Calypso, we headed inside for a look at the Intermission Food Court

....and that seems to be all the pictures I took of the Food court - the sign! Silly me....

The lobby

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST

 

[jenbear123]

Maestro Mickey's

They had loads of grocery and meds/personal care items

To give you an idea of price, a travel size toothpaste will cost you $1.25

And things like sunscreen, imodium, anit-nauseant, etc will cost pretty close to the same you'll find at any pharmacy or department store.

The Jazz section

Finally, the Broadway section (where we were!)

I never did get a shot of this at night like I wanted to. Just have to put it on the already lengthy "To-do" list....

and finally, the front entrance

I'm so happy to report that we never had to take the Disney buses. I'm so spoiled having Bubba's car to drive us around the last few times I've been there

We had a short nap after all that picture taking and then got all dressed up for our dinner at California Grill. This was the dinner I had been looking forward to for MONTHS! And it did not disappoint!

When we arrived at Contemporary, there was a parade of coach buses

It might not be so easy to see in the pictures but there were at least 10 buses. Must have been some convention going on. Where all these people were who came on the bus? Who knows We sure never saw them.

We headed into the Contemporary lobby

and then started our ascent up the escalator

and another escalator

Finally reaching the top to check in for reservation

We had an 8 o'clock ADR but Wishes wasn't until 10pm. Our plan was to stretch out our meal as looooooooooong as possible. In the end, this didn't turn into a very difficult task at all! We waited until the absolute last moment to check in right at 8pm. Without delay, we were whisked up the elevator to the main dining area. When the doors opened, it revealed the most wonderful dining area with a vast wine and spirits bar. And the view.... oh my it was beautiful. Our table was first destined to be in the "wine room" but seeing this was my first time (and possibly last time for a while) at California Grill, I wanted a view of the castle! The hoestess (forget her name) worked out some Disney magic and was able to seat us by the window. It wasn't RIGHT beside the window but it was the closest we were going to get. It still provided us with a wonderful view of the castle.

The reflection on the window was horrible. It was tough trying to find a good angle. Pictures just don't do the view justice.

Our server's name was Steven. He was very good but nothing outstanding like Danny was at The Wave.

First order of business was to decide what to drink. Seeing how this was a special occasion, and both Bubba's and my first time eating at California Grill, we decided on a bottle of the "Fairy Tale by Iron Horse" Sparkling wine.

Yes, we practically finished the whole bottle in one sitting (in case you were wondering)

We perused the menu thoroughly. When Bubba found out there was a cheese platter, she definitely had to get it. For a girl that hated cheese and wouldn't touch pizza with a ten foot pole as a kid, and now was ordering a platter of cheese, her tastebuds sure have changed!!!! I've always been a fan of cheese but never "explored" with the more exotic cheeses. This was something I was looking forward to trying too.

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST

 

[jenbear123]

Here's the description of the cheese platter (I took these pictures just for my DIS readers)

And this is the platter in all it's glory

Nope, we hated it. Absolutely disgusting. Couldn't stand the stuff. See! Just look how much was left over:

No seriously, it was absolute bliss on a plate. We each had our favourites. Bubba loved the blue cheese (of course since it's her favourite) I took a liking to the one second from the bottom (as pictured above) when paired with the fresh fig OH MY GOD it was SO good!!! I think it was the "Robiola" If any of you are cheese lovers out there and appreciate some good cheese, take this platter on for size. You won't be disappointed.

Our server soon brought us some bread with butter

Nothing special

Then came our first out of 2 appetizers - California Roll sushi

and the "Snake in the Grass"

Oh Lord bliss in heaven - this stuff was GOOD! The California roll actually had real crab meat in it. None of that imitation crap that is found at other regular sushi places (which is rather odd considering it's the Japanese that run those sushi places. You'd think they'd use the real stuff.) The Dragon Roll was different. I had never tried BBQ Eel but it wasn't too bad. Tasted like chicken with a slight fishy taste. Not very strong tasting. I don't think I could eat very much of it though if I had to. Overall, this sushi was incredible.

Next came our second appetizers - Pear Salad (?)

I know this had blue cheese and pears in it. I can't remember what it was called though. It was good but a typical salad. It's hard to make salads really stand out from each other. What more can you do with some lettuce and dressing?

I got the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli

In all honesty, I prefer the ravioli I had at Brown Derby better than this. I found this one to be lacking in flavour and too watery. The sauce was too thin and the cheese didn't seem to fill my mouth with flavour. This was a bit of a let down.

Moving on to our entrees, I got the Grouper Filet

I took one bite and hated it. The broth it came with was strange. It had a spicy (but not the nice kind of spicy) taste to it. It was far too strong tasting and just overpowered everything else that was on my plate. I almost sent it back to get something else but didn't. I didn't want to ruin the already amazing dining experience we'd been having so far.

Bubba had the scallops

Once again, I should have ordered what she did. Bubba never offered me a bite so it must have been good. She ate the whole thing up so it really must have been good!

Here I am hamming up our luxurious dining experience

Then it came to that time: Dessert. There was no way I could fit another morsel of food into my tummy. Bubba apparently could though so she ordered the "Trio of Tempation"

This consisted of three different flavours of creme brulee style puddings - Chocolate Cappuccino, Vanilla, and Mango. I tried a bite but it didn't really tickle my fancy.

To end my meal, I opted for some cozy chamomile tea

I love these little pots!

Bubba also got herself an Espresso to get her revved up for MK EMH

Not 2 minutes after our server had given us our dessert that Wishes started. We had made it!!! Only downside was that we had to get up and stand to see the fireworks due to the location of our table.

Another teary-eyed moment. But wow! What a vantage point to see Wishes from. I can now say I've seen Wishes from the top of Contemporary, on the beach at the Poly and, of course, from right on Main Street.

After Wishes concluded, I finished my tea and Bubba ate up her dessert. We settled the bill, that came to $260.05 with TIW.

Overall, California Grill was a wonderful dining experience. I highly recommend it for the service and the view. My experience with the food was 50/50. Some of it was outstanding, other parts weren't so good. I'm sure it was just due to what I chose on the menu. Next time, I'll try the scallops or something other than fish. Our experience at the Wave still overruled the dining experience we had here, if you can believe that.

We rolled ourselves out of the dining room as we had a night at MK to begin!

NEXT UP:
LATE EMH AT MK - Did I finally get to ride Jungle Cruise at night? Was Space Mountain open for business for another ride?
GIANT GINGERBREAD HOUSE AT GF