The Twelve Days of Swinter: From Castaway 'Key' to a Partridge in a Palm Tree!

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Oh my gosh, I know I said this before but I still can't believe what ll you accomplished that day considering the night you had the night before!! You guys are my heroes!!

What a great evening at MK. I have to agree with your DH, IASW is kind of corny and I hate to waste the time on it anymore. Yes, i just said that!! Sorry about your Philharmagic experience, I hope you got to see it later on your trip. We had the best experience in there in August - we were one of three families in the whole theater!!

I know what you mean about those dang boats over to the GF & Poly. It's ridiculous. Same thing happened to us one night. It's so frustrating. I have never been in love with the WDW boat transportation to begin with. I never know what people think is so great about them. You always hear people say to pick POR/POFQ over the other mods because there is a boat to DTD. Yeah, a hot loud SLOW boat. You can be to DTD on a bus in less than 10 minutes from CBR!

That's weird about the atmosphere at Ohana. They must not do all the extras if the restaurant isn't busy. Weird that it wasn't busy, I thought that place was always busy. Glad you had a good dinner though and were able to get back to the resort quickly for some much needed rest I'm sure!

 

[sjs314]

Great update Rinky! Now I have something else to look for at MK besides hidden Mickey's a hidden Giant !!!!! I am looking forward to seeing the Philharmonic show since we have never seen it. I do not get some people who will stay and ruin a show for everyone around them instead of leaving when a baby is crying.

I kinda wish we were doing 'Ohana's this trip as we have never been there but DH decided he did not want to eat there, that man truely does not like the Poly.

I hope your DD gets her throw.........I bought one in 2009 but I think then you only had to spend $25 ? @ DTD and $10 for the throw. Mine has a castle on it too!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Great update Rinky! I love your TRs.

I had to laugh at your psychopath comment. Ha! That is a funny picture. Too bad about the crying babies though. Their parents should have taken them outside so other guests were not disturbed. Yes, it's a bummer but they will calm down hopefully and maybe they could try again? Geesh.

What beautiful photos on your way out. I love that part of the evening! Being in WDW just makes it that much better!

I'm glad you enjoyed 'Ohana, even if the atmosphere was different. I guess we all need quiet time sometimes. We have never eaten there but I really, really would like to next trip!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Wow! Wow!
What a great day - but for the screaming babies!

Funny how even being late and an empty restaurant, you have to wait for a table! I hope someday to have dinner at Ohana (October) and get a view like that!
I can totally understand how you crashed hard that night!

We have a fleece Christmas castle throw! LOVE IT! Although it leaves a ton of lint on my one beige chair! I hope you were able to get one!

 

[sharonW]

YEAH.another update!!...and a great one too!!
Disney does tired ya out but ah what a good kind of tired it is!!
Love your pics especially the nightime ones, soooo pretty!! Guess I'm losing my disney touch because I didn't know snow white was being eliminated from Fantasyland....what else is going?? Not sure I like these new changes!

 

[amazingact21]

A near-empty Ohana's? I don't hear about that too often! Glad you were able to enjoy a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant.

It's never pleasent when there's screaming kids in the audience, especially when they're sitting right behind you. Hope you guys were able to re-visit PhilarMagic and have a better experience!

And I can understand your troubles with the blanket. When DH and I went to WDW in December 2010, we ran into that same issue. We wanted the blanket because it was so goshdarn cold, but there was nothing there we wanted to spend 40 dollars on. I remember looking at the CM like she was crazy when she told us we couldn't buy the blanket. My first thought was, "Disney World does NOT want me to spend a million dollars on a souvenir?!"
I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for your daughter...

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I was happy to see that you were able to fit several more things into your MK day before the party started. Too bad Philharmagic wasn't so magical with the crying children behind you. I don't see why the mothers didn't just take the kids out of there. Poor babies!

Awww, your daughter was just about asleep at the table. She was one tired little girl.

I know. I felt so bad for them. If they had been in a good mood, they might have been entertained by all the sights and smells of Philharmagic, but I don't think it was a good idea to bring them in there when they were already irritable. They really sounded like they were scared to death. Can you just imagine what all of that 3D stuff must look like to a baby?

She was so tired. But she was a real trooper for the rest of the trip. That 'relaxing' cruise really wore us out though!

I know you were tired and all.....but that sounded like a pretty awesome day. You mean the next one was better?

I love how you described your walk out after your magical first day. There really is no better way to end a day is there?

I hope she got her castle throw. We have 2 of those now and love them go pieces.

I'm glad you got a view of the castle. I hope your DD opened her eyes long enough to see it!

We've only done 'Ohana once, and that was YEARS ago for breakfast. We really need to try dinner sometime.

Yep, the next day was even better. Way better actually!

That castle throw... I'll just say that we had to get very creative.

Yes, she enjoyed the castle view and she actually stayed awake long enough to eat something. No way was she going to sleep through a meal at Ohana! She LOVES their food!

You should go to Ohana when your husband is with you. It is a great meal for everyone, but it is a man's dream! I mean, there's a wood burning grill and servers walking around with 3' long skewers of various fire roasted meats... what man wouldn't love all of that! It definitely has a barbarian factor going on!

Oh my gosh, I know I said this before but I still can't believe what ll you accomplished that day considering the night you had the night before!! You guys are my heroes!!

Maybe we need to rub off on each other. I could use some of your 'stop and smell the roses' mentality and you can have some of my 'tour till you drop' philosophy! I think if we met in the middle, it would be just about perfect!

What a great evening at MK. I have to agree with your DH, IASW is kind of corny and I hate to waste the time on it anymore. Yes, i just said that!! Sorry about your Philharmagic experience, I hope you got to see it later on your trip. We had the best experience in there in August - we were one of three families in the whole theater!!

IASW is not in my top 10 either, but my DH acts like he's getting a root canal when I make him ride. I don't think it's that bad!

Well at least we had seen Phil. many times so I guess it wasn't that big of a deal. I would love to have seen it with just a handful of people like you did though!

I know what you mean about those dang boats over to the GF & Poly. It's ridiculous. Same thing happened to us one night. It's so frustrating. I have never been in love with the WDW boat transportation to begin with. I never know what people think is so great about them. You always hear people say to pick POR/POFQ over the other mods because there is a boat to DTD. Yeah, a hot loud SLOW boat. You can be to DTD on a bus in less than 10 minutes from CBR!

I'm a fan of the busses too. I've never had a really horrible bus experience on any of my trips like I have read from others. Considering the number of people they haul around in a day, I think it all runs pretty smoothly. And we NEVER had to stand on the busses at CBR!!! That was a first for us! I loved it! And I don't mind the boats, but it just seems to take too long between pick-ups. I prefer to use something else if I can.

That's weird about the atmosphere at Ohana. They must not do all the extras if the restaurant isn't busy. Weird that it wasn't busy, I thought that place was always busy. Glad you had a good dinner though and were able to get back to the resort quickly for some much needed rest I'm sure!

I have no clue what was up at Ohana. I have never seen it when the place wasn't packed.

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Great update Rinky! Now I have something else to look for at MK besides hidden Mickey's a hidden Giant !!!!! I am looking forward to seeing the Philharmonic show since we have never seen it. I do not get some people who will stay and ruin a show for everyone around them instead of leaving when a baby is crying.

I kinda wish we were doing 'Ohana's this trip as we have never been there but DH decided he did not want to eat there, that man truely does not like the Poly.

I hope your DD gets her throw.........I bought one in 2009 but I think then you only had to spend $25 ? @ DTD and $10 for the throw. Mine has a castle on it too!

Oh wow! You must make a point to see Philharmagic! It is great! Think of me while you are riding the magic carpet over Agrabah so I can be there in spirit! That is my favorite part!

I can't believe your husband wouldn't love Ohana! It is such a man place! It is soooo good! Maybe one day you can talk him into it and then he will wonder what the heck he was thinking by not wanting to go!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Great update Rinky! I love your TRs.

I had to laugh at your psychopath comment. Ha! That is a funny picture. Too bad about the crying babies though. Their parents should have taken them outside so other guests were not disturbed. Yes, it's a bummer but they will calm down hopefully and maybe they could try again? Geesh.

What beautiful photos on your way out. I love that part of the evening! Being in WDW just makes it that much better!

I'm glad you enjoyed 'Ohana, even if the atmosphere was different. I guess we all need quiet time sometimes. We have never eaten there but I really, really would like to next trip!

My DH did look crazy didn't he! I think my flash caught him off guard.

We had that happen with DD when she was four. We went into the Honey I Shrunk the Audience show and when that snake came out in 3D, she was NOT having any part of it! We quickly got up and exited out the back. I can't imagine sitting there and making her watch something that scared the daylights out of her.

You should try Ohana if you don't eat anywhere else. I can't recommend it enough. We have eaten at a lot of Disney restaurants, and it is hands down our favorite!

Wow! Wow!
What a great day - but for the screaming babies!

Funny how even being late and an empty restaurant, you have to wait for a table! I hope someday to have dinner at Ohana (October) and get a view like that!
I can totally understand how you crashed hard that night!

We have a fleece Christmas castle throw! LOVE IT! Although it leaves a ton of lint on my one beige chair! I hope you were able to get one!

I think the MK would have to burn to the ground for it NOT to be a good day there! I'm not sure any amount of annoyances could ruin the pixie dust for me there.

I thought the same thing about Ohana. Why did we have to wait when there were empty tables?

Ok, you know what I am going to say next don't you......





How did I know you would have that throw?

I'm sorry... I could NOT resist! You ARE the traveler extraordinaire! And I must say that you have good taste, because everything I like is stuff that you have!

YEAH.another update!!...and a great one too!!
Disney does tired ya out but ah what a good kind of tired it is!!
Love your pics especially the nightime ones, soooo pretty!! Guess I'm losing my disney touch because I didn't know snow white was being eliminated from Fantasyland....what else is going?? Not sure I like these new changes!

Disney fatigue is like no other for sure.

Yes, Snow White is leaving. The houses of Mickey and Minnie are already gone. Right off the top of my head, that's all I can think of that they are removing altogether. Some other things are being moved around and changed some, like Dumbo. If I have missed something, I am sure someone will chime in and let us know.

A near-empty Ohana's? I don't hear about that too often! Glad you were able to enjoy a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant.

It's never pleasent when there's screaming kids in the audience, especially when they're sitting right behind you. Hope you guys were able to re-visit PhilarMagic and have a better experience!

And I can understand your troubles with the blanket. When DH and I went to WDW in December 2010, we ran into that same issue. We wanted the blanket because it was so goshdarn cold, but there was nothing there we wanted to spend 40 dollars on. I remember looking at the CM like she was crazy when she told us we couldn't buy the blanket. My first thought was, "Disney World does NOT want me to spend a million dollars on a souvenir?!"
I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for your daughter...

I thought it was very strange for Ohana to be so empty. We have eaten there 3 times now and every other time, it was packed full.

I really don't know why they won't sell the blankets or whatever the special purchase is for full price if you don't want to do the deal. It seems silly to me. They have to be losing sales that way. I'm sure we aren't the only two people that have ever just wanted to buy that one item. All I will say for now is that we had to get very creative over that throw.

 

[sjs314]

I know. I felt so bad for them. If they had been in a good mood, they might have been entertained by all the sights and smells of Philharmagic, but I don't think it was a good idea to bring them in there when they were already irritable. They really sounded like they were scared to death. Can you just imagine what all of that 3D stuff must look like to a baby?

She was so tired. But she was a real trooper for the rest of the trip. That 'relaxing' cruise really wore us out though!



Yep, the next day was even better. Way better actually!

That castle throw... I'll just say that we had to get very creative.

Yes, she enjoyed the castle view and she actually stayed awake long enough to eat something. No way was she going to sleep through a meal at Ohana! She LOVES their food!

You should go to Ohana when your husband is with you. It is a great meal for everyone, but it is a man's dream! I mean, there's a wood burning grill and servers walking around with 3' long skewers of various fire roasted meats... what man wouldn't love all of that! It definitely has a barbarian factor going on!



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Oh wow! You must make a point to see Philharmagic! It is great! Think of me while you are riding the magic carpet over Agrabah so I can be there in spirit! That is my favorite part!

I can't believe your husband wouldn't love Ohana! It is such a man place! It is soooo good! Maybe one day you can talk him into it and then he will wonder what the heck he was thinking by not wanting to go!

You know when I first told DH about 'Ohana and showed him pics of it he was like " Yes, Meat, meat, meat,!" Then when we switched resorts from CR to BW I accidently cancelled 'Ohana(did not pay attention to the popup when making another ADR) All was saved about a week or so later I snagged an 'Ohana for our arrival night and then he said he did not want to go over to the Poly. So I cancelled it, just the other day I brought 'Ohanas up to him but he does not eat salad with dressing on it, no noodles please, no pot stickers, maybe some brocolli but only if it is limp as a noodle and no bread pudding so he really would only eat the wings and meat , no shrimp he only likes them with breading on them so We are eating at Cape May instead that night.
He is a very picky/quirky eater, nothing white,very few vegetables(corn, limp broccoli) salad no dressing, no gravies or sauces, meat(plain) and nothing can touch on his plate, so buffets truely suit him as he can fill his plate with what he likes and nothing touches. We fight more over food when we go out than anybody. It makes eating out somewhat hard as I am always telling someone hold this or that for him or plate it separately

Oh did I mention he eats each food one at a time, his veggies first, then his potatoes , saving the meat for last

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Well, it sounds like you got a fleece throw for your daughter...
I got a couple of them a few trips ago and I sent one to MeMom and don't think I ever opened the other one.
I'm kind of partial to my Minnie snuggie!

Just thinking about Ohana makes me hungry! We have two ADRs there in the summer trip. I'm not sure about the trip in a couple of weeks. I'll have to do some checking.
Sounds like a great day, yummy meal and then a sound sleep!

 

[MEK]

Wow - when you update you don't mess around!

Love how your DH went from a dork to a psychopath!

I am not at all shocked that you daughter was passed out at dinner. You must have all been so exhausted and your adrenaline finally wore out.

I love how cool the park looks for Halloween. Can't wait to go this October!

 

[Woth2982]

Another great update! O'Hana was about as dead as the park! I love Disney in October. It is so dead. I feel your daughters pain with the throw! I got the xmas one of the castle and searched everywhere for something I liked enough that was worth $40. I think I bought some pins and I know I got pajamas.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

You know when I first told DH about 'Ohana and showed him pics of it he was like " Yes, Meat, meat, meat,!" Then when we switched resorts from CR to BW I accidently cancelled 'Ohana(did not pay attention to the popup when making another ADR) All was saved about a week or so later I snagged an 'Ohana for our arrival night and then he said he did not want to go over to the Poly. So I cancelled it, just the other day I brought 'Ohanas up to him but he does not eat salad with dressing on it, no noodles please, no pot stickers, maybe some brocolli but only if it is limp as a noodle and no bread pudding so he really would only eat the wings and meat , no shrimp he only likes them with breading on them so We are eating at Cape May instead that night.
He is a very picky/quirky eater, nothing white,very few vegetables(corn, limp broccoli) salad no dressing, no gravies or sauces, meat(plain) and nothing can touch on his plate, so buffets truely suit him as he can fill his plate with what he likes and nothing touches. We fight more over food when we go out than anybody. It makes eating out somewhat hard as I am always telling someone hold this or that for him or plate it separately

Oh did I mention he eats each food one at a time, his veggies first, then his potatoes , saving the meat for last

Whoa! I don't even know what to say. You poor thing! That must be very difficult to deal with. I guess I am too free with my recommendations to people b/c my whole family will eat almost anything. I suppose I just assume that everyone is like that. Based on what you said, I don't think he would like Ohana very much, but that is such a shame for you.

Well, it sounds like you got a fleece throw for your daughter...
I got a couple of them a few trips ago and I sent one to MeMom and don't think I ever opened the other one.
I'm kind of partial to my Minnie snuggie!

Just thinking about Ohana makes me hungry! We have two ADRs there in the summer trip. I'm not sure about the trip in a couple of weeks. I'll have to do some checking.
Sounds like a great day, yummy meal and then a sound sleep!

A Minnie snuggie!! My DD would go nuts over that!

My DH wants me to make two ADRs for Ohana on our next trip. I'm game for that. I love the whole meal but that honey lime salad dressing is so good! The first time we went there, our waiter gave me the recipe for it and I have made it a several times. It is sooooo yummy! It takes me right back there every time I make it! I have learned though that I HAVE to go to Ohana very, very hungry. Basically, I try to eat breakfast and skip lunch that day so that I am starved when I get there. If you don't go hungry, you will throw away enough food to feed another family and I just hate that.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Wow - when you update you don't mess around!

Love how your DH went from a dork to a psychopath!

I am not at all shocked that you daughter was passed out at dinner. You must have all been so exhausted and your adrenaline finally wore out.

I love how cool the park looks for Halloween. Can't wait to go this October!

Yeah that was a long update. I just wanted to get that day finished up. It only took me 6 posting to finish that one day. I think I might just take too many pictures.

Dork to psychopath! That sounds like a reality TV show to me!

Yep, we were done! I am happy to report though that after a good sleep, we were back to normal and ready to go!

October was a great time to go in my opinion. We really enjoyed it.

Another great update! O'Hana was about as dead as the park! I love Disney in October. It is so dead. I feel your daughters pain with the throw! I got the xmas one of the castle and searched everywhere for something I liked enough that was worth $40. I think I bought some pins and I know I got pajamas.

Isn't October great! I was surprised by how low the crowds were. It was fantastic!

Well I am glad to know that other people have been frustrated with that special purchase deal and it wasn't just us. I don't mind them running the special but I don't understand why you can't buy the item at full price if that's what you prefer to do. Either way, they are making money.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Yup, you can count on me to have all the "cool" stuff!
Hey, Wigd said she had a couple of them and one is still in the package!!! She's got so much stuff she's not even using them!!!

I guess if neither Wigd nor I have it, it's just not worth having! :roll eyes:

I'm just puttering around the DIS before bed and wanted to say see ya in a couple weeks! I really should be packing some more, but hey, I've got the whole morning!

Don't go on any crazy updating frenzy while I'm gone - I'll never catch up!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Awesome update. What a great day! It's amazing how much one can get done in a park on those party days. You DD looked so tired at dinner. What a trooper that she held out that well all day. Can't wait to read more.

 

[MeMom]

DH thinks this ride is super corny so he made sure he gave me his best dork impersonation to show me his displeasure!

DH looks like a psychopath in this picture!

Dork. Psycho. Whatever.
He takes you to Disney World.
Keep him.

I finally saw the giant in the ceiling!

I can’t believe I had never noticed that before.

Glad you found him. Love the Disney details.

Looks like you added a new member to the family, as we often do. Was Baby Panda new from that night?

The thought of 'Ohana makes my taste buds have a party! I'm like you on the throwing all of that good food out. It pains me to see all of that stuff left on those big platters.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Yup, you can count on me to have all the "cool" stuff!
Hey, Wigd said she had a couple of them and one is still in the package!!! She's got so much stuff she's not even using them!!!

I guess if neither Wigd nor I have it, it's just not worth having! :roll eyes:

I'm just puttering around the DIS before bed and wanted to say see ya in a couple weeks! I really should be packing some more, but hey, I've got the whole morning!

Don't go on any crazy updating frenzy while I'm gone - I'll never catch up!

You do have a point about Wigd. And I think you are right... the two of you have all the good stuff! I bet there isn't a sinlge souvie that I could pick up that one of you doesn't already own! You girls are the queens of Disney shopping! I can't wait to see what good stuff you get in Europe!

In honor of your trip, I will be posting lots of World Showcase pictures while you are gone, so don't feel bad about missing the updates... I'll be showing the fake Europe and you'll be seeing the real thing!

Awesome update. What a great day! It's amazing how much one can get done in a park on those party days. You DD looked so tired at dinner. What a trooper that she held out that well all day. Can't wait to read more.

Party days are pretty awesome!

She was absolutely a trooper! I was worried about her not being able to keep up with all the walking since this was our first trip without a stroller but she did great! That was really the only day I can remember her being really tired like that. She lasted a whole lot longer than the adults did most days!

Dork. Psycho. Whatever.
He takes you to Disney World.
Keep him.

Hey, I TOTALLY agree! He knows that as long as he keeps loving WDW, I will keep him around!

Glad you found him. Love the Disney details.

Looks like you added a new member to the family, as we often do. Was Baby Panda new from that night?

Yes, just like Brooklyn, she loves her stuffed friends and we bring home new ones on every trip. She picked him up that day in Adventureland. He wasn't a Disney 'character' but it was still love at first sight.

The thought of 'Ohana makes my taste buds have a party! I'm like you on the throwing all of that good food out. It pains me to see all of that stuff left on those big platters.

I know. I guess I got my 'waste not want not' attitude from my grandmother, but I almost never throw out food at home so it kills me to see so much wasted food at Disney. All of our leftovers at home get eaten the next day for lunch or 'reinvented' into a new dish. And it just occured to me that we could have gotten to-go boxes for the food since we had a fridge in the room this time.

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[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

You pretty much lived my definition of a perfect day-Magic Kingdom and 'Ohana.

I have to agree with you that a party day at MK is awesome! It sure is amazing what you can get done, but still have a relaxed day.

 

[jenseib]

I am so hungry now. I really want Ohana and my plan is to go there in Nov....maybe twice. There are so many places I want to try, it's going to be hard to fit them all in.