The Tenth Honeymoon is the Best One of Them All! - May '14 TR - COMPLETED 4/19

[nilla]

We got the pool around 1:30, just in time for some poolside antics:





They really do a great job with the games. Of course, who needs games, when you've got this?



You can never have enough pyramid photos, IMO.







If you've never been on the Jagular slide at CSR, here's what you're missing:



Kristin's not missing it, however:



She just doesn't get it, though. The goal is to fling yourself down the slide, on your back, at top speed, using the bar at the top for leverage. You then should try to launch vertically off the first wall and into the surrounding foliage by hitting the wall straight on, though I believe getting enough speed to actually launch off it is physically impossible.

Then, you need to hit the second turn hard, going high up the wall so you can do the same on the next wall, curving around the Jagular's drool ("halloooooooooo!"). Avoiding it may also be physically impossible, but I'm not completely convinced of that.

Then, when you hit the pool, pull up so don't get a nose full of water, but be sure you keep your feet positioned to force a large splash directed at other parents waiting at the bottom for their youngsters. Back up, Dad!

You're welcome.

After defying the Jagular, it's back in the pool. Emily won one of those soft water balls in one of the games, so Dylan and I play "heave the soft water ball Emily won across the pool." It was fun, except when Dylan's errant throws nearly plunked other guests.



Looking at the lifeguard, I see it is not "the Lioness". I would probably be scared to throw the ball within her sight range. I'm starting to forget what I did and didn't cover in certain spots here, so please remind me if I did not mention the Lioness.

We managed to get at least two hours of pool time in, which is great because it wasn't even 4:00 when we started getting ready to return to the park. Another great day so far! Up next - Artist Point!



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[QueenJen]

Fun update. Loved loved loved your tips on the slide. Seriously...back up dad!!! I don't recall reading about the Lioness....but certainly curious now.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

wow - ton of good updates that involved various people who may or may not have been introduced at the beginning of the report as well as various locations and perhaps some walking!

But hey Anna and Elsa were in it so it's all good!

We've never eaten at Pinocchio's Haus nor his actual house (punk has never invited us over!) but I must say those flat bread - especially the pepperoni one - look really good!

I know some people are not really into It's A Small World and feel it is an attraction merely to "survive" but I think there are so many random things in there to photograph that I enjoy it!

Lot's of great pool time - though I am 99% sure you did not tell the tale of the lioness ... though I assume she got that name from chasing down a zebra

 

[Bernie23]

Love your trip reports. Random trip report question: What is the coconut drink from DHS and where do they sell it?

 

[MEK]

Cute pics of the girls! I am sure Emily was in heaven with Ana & Elsa! And the fact that they loved her dress is even better!

 

[MEK]

And here is where I puked a few years back:

Ummmm - OK then!

Agreed 100%!

Cynthia & I gave this pillow to a dear DISer named Tracy as she was battling cancer. Whenever I see it I always think of her.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

Another great update Jon!
Revisiting the bush where you puked....

We love the Frontierland Shootin' Exposition. We stop there every trip so Steve & Emily can do some shootin' and play some checkers. Since you're sharing stuff from last year.....

I told them it would be bad if they crossed the streams but they're fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing.



After narrowly avoiding total proton reversal Emily enjoyed their game of checkers. Her dad...not so much.




Debbie

 

[Clarf]

Great update! I want that Tomb Sweet Tomb pillow. I might have to get it.

We've never eaten at Pinocchio's Village Haus, but the food looks excellent! Add that one to the list for sure! And getting to watch IASW while eating? My girls would love that.

You had a packed morning! Your pool really is cool. Maybe not quite as cool as the pirate pool at CBR, but cool.

And no, you have not mentioned the Lioness. Do tell!

Love Kristin's pool hat too. She's rockin' the hats this year!

 

[nilla]

Fun update. Loved loved loved your tips on the slide. Seriously...back up dad!!! I don't recall reading about the Lioness....but certainly curious now.

The Lioness is a lifeguard at CSR who takes her job VERY seriously. I guess that's a good thing. Anyway, when scanning the pool, she walks back and forth, reminiscent of a lioness. Hence the name

The slide is a blast. Best one in WDW I've been on, though that's really a limited sample.

wow - ton of good updates that involved various people who may or may not have been introduced at the beginning of the report as well as various locations and perhaps some walking!

But hey Anna and Elsa were in it so it's all good!

We've never eaten at Pinocchio's Haus nor his actual house (punk has never invited us over!) but I must say those flat bread - especially the pepperoni one - look really good!

I know some people are not really into It's A Small World and feel it is an attraction merely to "survive" but I think there are so many random things in there to photograph that I enjoy it!

Lot's of great pool time - though I am 99% sure you did not tell the tale of the lioness ... though I assume she got that name from chasing down a zebra

We skipped PVH for years, but it's a staple now. The fact that MK isn't really known for its restaurants helps that, though

Love IASW! Even though I almost got sick on it once!

No, no zebras. To my knowledge.

Love your trip reports. Random trip report question: What is the coconut drink from DHS and where do they sell it?

Thanks! Unfortunately, I'd have to ask Kristin what and where that coconut smoothie thing was. I swore it was near or on Streets of America, but can't find a matching vendor anywhere. Fortunately for me, this means you have to keep reading!

Cute pics of the girls! I am sure Emily was in heaven with Ana & Elsa! And the fact that they loved her dress is even better!

She's not as dead-set on meeting the Princesses as she once was (), but still loves them. Those two were some that she HAD to meet, though

Ummmm - OK then!

Cynthia & I gave this pillow to a dear DISer named Tracy as she was battling cancer. Whenever I see it I always think of her.

Yep, that's where I threw up back in 2009. Good times, good times.

Is Tracy doing ok now? It's certainly an inspiring message!

Another great update Jon!
Revisiting the bush where you puked....

We love the Frontierland Shootin' Exposition. We stop there every trip so Steve & Emily can do some shootin' and play some checkers. Since you're sharing stuff from last year.....

I told them it would be bad if they crossed the streams but they're fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing.



After narrowly avoiding total proton reversal Emily enjoyed their game of checkers. Her dad...not so much.




Debbie

I love shooting galleries!

We watched Ghostbusters last year. Kristin had never seen it before, and HATED it. I was so dumbfounded by that, I just had to tell everyone on Facebook. No one else could accept it, either.

Great update! I want that Tomb Sweet Tomb pillow. I might have to get it.

We've never eaten at Pinocchio's Village Haus, but the food looks excellent! Add that one to the list for sure! And getting to watch IASW while eating? My girls would love that.

You had a packed morning! Your pool really is cool. Maybe not quite as cool as the pirate pool at CBR, but cool.

And no, you have not mentioned the Lioness. Do tell!

Love Kristin's pool hat too. She's rockin' the hats this year!

You have to get there before it opens to get those seats. Possibly even earlier if it's crowded. But well worth it!

Kristin got tired of a sunburned scalp, so out come the hats!

We keep thinking about possibly switching to CBR for next year, and the pool is certainly enticing. Not sure if I'd say I like it more than the Dig Site, but who knows? We MAY end up there next year...but probably won't, since it would mean leaving CSR

Updates, now!

 

[nilla]

Artist Point is our "two" restaurant this year. For those who are Disney impaired who may be reading this, that means it takes two Disney Dining Plan credits, rather than the usual one, to eat there. Previous years included Narcoosee's, Fulton's, and Jiko. All were great. And all were made possible by using a quick service meal at Pepper Market the first night of our trip.

We waffled back and forth between various restaurants for the "two" selection, and this was the winner. Well, I was pulling for Le Cellier, but I think Kristin has an aversion to it since it went from a one to a two a few years back.

AP will also mean that we will be going back to Wilderness Lodge for the first time since 2009. The year we met my parents, and my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew in Disney. The year before I started writing Trip Reports. The year Kristin was worried about swine flu, and three out of four of us ended up with a non-swine stomach virus. Yep, the year I puked in the Magic Kingdom.

Hopefully things will be better this time! Back to Station Number 4 and the usual photo:



And it's back to the Magic Kingdom. Upon arrival, it's onto the boat...





...past the Contemporary...





...and to Wilderness Lodge.









We loved WL when we stayed here, but to be honest, I don't think it even comes close to CSR. Yeah, I know, I know....we're major CSR shills....but this just seems to much like a hotel to me. An amazing hotel with incredible theming, but I prefer the layout of CSR better. Sure, the bunk beds were great for the kids (for the most part. There was a lot of "I want to sleep in the top bunk!"), the proximity to MK was fourth to only three, and the night time water parade was fun. I just prefer Lago Dorado, the Dig Site, El Centro, etc. But it's cool to be back here.

When we stayed here, Dylan wanted to eat at the Roaring Fork every night.



To be honest, I don't know that he got to any night.

Our ADRs for AP are ready now, and in we go. Final warnings to the kids to behave because we're at a place that is both fancy AND shmancy, and it's to our seats. Photo time!





Take note of how everyone is smiling. This will not last.

 

[nilla]

On that note, here's a painting:



And here are glasses at a different table:



The place is very nice, but I think you need to ask the waitress for ketchup, as opposed to having 273 kids each bringing you one like at Whispering Canyon.

Bread comes out, and WOW. The butter is amazing.



I'm really upset that I didn't right the name of this beer down, because it was fantastic.



It was either a stout or a porter with some sort of wacky flavoring to it. Maybe I'll remember later.

And hey, look - we're still smiling!



To be honest, I don't completely remember how everything started, but somehow Dylan ended up losing his iPod for the rest of the vacation, which resulted in some ugliness from everyone at the table over the age of eight. Dylan got really upset, and even told the waitress that things were "horrible" because of Kristin, when asked the standard waitress-type question. This all lead to conflicting plans for who was going back to Magic Kingdom after dinner, and who was absolutely not going back to Magic Kingdom with the person who wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom after dinner.

Oh, yeah - somewhere in between there, we got our food.

I got the Pacific Northwest Trio - Buffalo strip, Venison Loin, and Wild Game sausage. I enjoyed it as much as I could with the events transpiring, but still wonder what "Wild Game" means. Squirrel? Groundhog? Eh, who cares - it's good!



To no one's surprise, Kristin got the Filet:



Also very good.

Dylan got the Pork Loin, and we even let him get mashed potatoes instead of all the usual things it comes with ("Havarti-Jalapeño Polenta, Baby Carrots, Fava Beans, Young Onions, Roasted Masumoto Peach, and Stone Fruit Demi-glace", according to Disney's website):



To no one's surprise, Emily got the Mac and Cheese:



Somehow, in the commotion, I lose sight of what these desserts actually are. Good thing we have AllEars.net!



I believe that is the "Gianduja Chocolate and Hazelnut Ganache, Raspberry Port Sauce, White Chocolate Nougat, Vanilla Raspberry Parfait and Buttercream Macaroon". Of course, I could be wrong. But it was good!

I got the Pistachio Cheesecake:



I'm thinking we didn't let Dylan get dessert here, or we got it to go. Emily, however, got one of my favorite desserts all trip:



It was billed as a "White Chocolate Mickey Puzzle", and I don't know that I could come up with a better name for it than that. It was a puzzle made out of white chocolate, featuring Mickey Mouse. They gave you that Pure Sugar Brand (tm) paint (also in the form of Mickey ears) to color it.



Byu-tee-ful!



It tasted really good, too, but I LOVE white chocolate, so that opinion is not without bias.

 

[nilla]

About halfway through dinner, my stomach started churning like that pointless root beer train thing in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". Normally, I wouldn't mention that, but it's relevant to the story. Stay tuned.

I ultimately need an immodium, but I'm fine with that, because immodium is the most wonderful medicine on the face of the planet. What else is that effective?

Anyway, it's off to the dock, and we're still not really taking to each other, except to point out who is going where and who isn't going there as well. Ultimately, however, Emily takes on the role of peacekeeper (as usual), and we're all going back to Magic Kingdom. Yay! Let's hope my stomach holds up, because we have FPs for Big Thunder!

One more shot before we leave...



Another on the way...



The trip back to MK involves a stop at Fort Wilderness, which is a resort we came to despise when staying at WL. We should have direct bus routes. Not stops at Fort Wilderness. Get your own bus!

Petty, I know, but it's reality. Oh, hey - I guess I messed up the chronology of those photos. I now see that they were clearly taken from the dock, since this one was taken after them:



This is what we call "Trip Reporting by the Seat of Your Pants". Anyway, bye bye WL. We're back at MK, and the sun is setting. Blurry Main Street photo:



Followed by a not-blurry one:



And here's a refurb wall shot!



None shall pass! Of course, we could always go around, and around we went. We were able to get our FPs changed to "right now", and up to BTMRR we went. No photos this time, but trust me - there will be PLENTY on our last MK day.

AFter BTMRR, we hit one of my personal favorites...the Jungle Cruise...at night! The Jungle Cruise, like many things, is better at night. SpongeBob and whoever recorded this shaky You Tube video agree! In fact, BTMRR is pretty wild at night, too, but the Jungle Cruise is almost like a whole different ride...at night!

If you haven't experienced it, it's hard to put a finger on it. You can tell the CMs have been there a long time and are winding down. In spite of being a (mostly, until that Beast moved it) dry park, everyone on board seems drunk. The CMs even go slightly off the script at times.

Anyway, this trip was especially exciting, but not because of the elephants, snake, rhino, gorillas, or other non-Florida animals...because of the large roach-like bug that launched Dylan out of his seat (next to the driver, no less), then created a wave-like chain reaction of riders as it ran down the seat toward the back of the cruise ship. Ultimately, it ran to the floor, but I don't know what happened after that. It could be anywhere!

Oh well, no use worrying. Everybody came out ahead at the end, and it's off to see Wishes!

 

[nilla]

We're late. Magic, Memories, and You, or whatever they call it these days has already stared, so our only option is to stand in the "Sir, can you please move into the taped-off area, please?" section. Eventually, I do manage to get my little toe inside the tape, and I guess that's enough.

I LOVE this show. We have no photos of it in this update, because we get FP seating without FPs (I'll explain later) on our last MK day. No photos of Wishes, either, for that same reason.

After the shows, we decide we're not yet tired, so it's back to Tomorrowland, by way of that noodle place that's never, ever open. We pass some other things along the way:









Ok, let's keep moving. BTW, my stomach's doing great now. Go, immodium!

Once inside Tomorrowland, Kristin grabs some more FastPasses:



Actually, there were no decent FPs to be had, so she grabbed no FastPasses.

Instead, we decided to ride the People Mover. More pics on the way...





...and the ball is rolling tonight!



No photos on the People Mover, since our camera sucks...at night!

I do manage to get this decent shot of the Speedway, which we coincidentally rode right after the People Mover. Emily rode with Kristin, and Dylan and I rode individually. Since we were all in the same row, there was no passing. On top of that, the kid in front of Kristin and Emily was REALLY slow, so there was a lot of braking. Dylan was behind them, and I behind him, so there was also a lot of me biting my tongue, because he'd never be able to hear my shouts of "stop acting like a moron!" as he let go of the wheel and waved his arms over his head anyway. Man, I sound like Murray Goldberg!

Oh, here's that photo I was talking about:



We rode Voyage of the Little Mermaid next, and then, on our way out, noticed that there was next to no line to meet Cinderella and Rapunzel. We're in!

 

[nilla]

Much to Dylan's dismay, but too bad. We just did about 5 things you wanted to do, so stop complaining!

This is Dylan's and my first time in here, so more photos are in order:











Inside, Emily meets Cindy first.





She was nice. Kristin, then, wanted to get a tattoo shot with Cinderella. When Cindy saw it, she asked, "is that your house? Oh, no...that's my house!"





Cinderella's always been Kristin's favorite, so when she initially hesitated, I told he she'd better meet her. She also then got about 2372 more compliments on the ink from the CMs inside.

Rapunzel was next:







Rapunzel was FANTASTIC. Even the CMs were discussing how great she was. She was cracking jokes about moving portraits (video camera) and whatever else, but had a great delivery and really got into the role. What a great close to the day! Out into the night we walked, on our way back to CSR.

Yes, this photo is blurry. But yes, you can still tell that there was no one around.



One last Castle shot...



Ok, another one:



We catch about 30 seconds of the parade:



Emily mails postcards autographed by Elsa and Anna to Kristin's cousin's daughters:



One last Castle shot...



...and we're out.

 

[nilla]

Well, the day started out fantastic, took a horrible turn, but rebounded in the end. And I think this "no more iPod for Dylan" thing might be a very good thing.

We can sleep in tomorrow, since we're doing Downtown Disney all day, and Disney Quest doesn't open until 11:30. But for now, we're tired.

Good night!


[POST=52152272](next update)[/POST]

 

[Clarf]

What a fancy dinner! Everything looked delicious. Glad your stomach issues didn't escalate.

Sorry dinner was sort of a downer because of a kid. That's never good.

Love your pics of an empty looking MK!

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

Kristin hated Ghostbusters???

Sorry to hear about the family ******* at Artist Point. We had a family meltdown at LeCellier several years ago. We did not show our best Disney side that evening.

Gee, you sure seem to have a lot of gastrointestinal issues at Disney World.

 

[Britbrie]

Artist Point looks pretty awesome, sorry about the iPod mishap. Awesome update though, love the pics and Kristen's castle tattoo!!

 

[toohappyerin]

I discovered and read your old trip reports a few months ago while prepping for a September attempt-to-catch-free-dining WDW trip(which turned into a beach trip... but we decided to switch Disney to May so we only have to wait 9 more months!) I wondered if y'all decided not to pull the kids out of school last year and was so excited when I discovered your new tr! I'm only on p.7 but hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon. Thanks for taking the time to write these!

 

[melduckie]

Dinner looks delicious!! Emily is quite the artist with that white chocolate

That noodle station really is never open.