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

[dmwang9]

Wow, I was two entire updates behind -- that's what happens when life gets crazy, I guess!

I love Ohana, but I just don't eat enough food in one sitting to make it worthwhile. :-S

And I love the mug you took a photo of in Adventureland (I think?) -- the white one with all the colorful Mickey heads. I teach high school, and hence I consume many cups of coffee a day. I *so* need to get that mug to use at school!

-- Dave

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

On the sixth day of swinter my vacation gave to me, a trip around the world and a Food & Wine Festival for free!

Monday, October 31, 2011

I’m so excited to be reminiscing about this day of our trip. It was almost as perfect as it gets in Disney World to me!

After a very long and tiring day going from the cruise to the Magic Kingdom, we all slept like a rock! The good news was that we woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the World!

Good morning sunshine!

I checked the weather before we left and discovered there was an 80% chance of rain in the forecast and the day was expected to be a washout. I looked out the window and it was already drizzling outside. No big deal! We just threw on our ponchos and headed for the bus stop.

It was so quiet at CBR that morning. There was no one stirring about, no one at the bus stop, and no one on the bus!

It was almost kind of eerie! I was really hoping this was a good indicator of crowds for the day though!

By the time we arrived at Epcot, the drizzle had turned into a light rain. It certainly wasn’t ideal conditions, but we stopped for a photopass picture anyway.

Believe it or not, this was the very first time we had ever been rained on in all our trips to Disney. It had rained two or three times while we were there before, but it had always come during the night. I had it in my mind though that if we ever did have a rainy day, we would just don our ponchos and keep on going. No way was I going to let a few drops of water slow me down, right?

Once we finished up with the photopass guy, it was time to get to our breakfast ADR at Akershus in Norway. You know, the Norway that is allllllll the way at the back of the park. Well, we made it as far as the ‘ball’ before the bottom fell out of the sky. It felt like buckets of water were being poured over our heads. The ponchos helped some, but they do NOT keep all the water out. It took mere moments in that kind of rain for us to be soaked. By the time we got to World Showcase, there was standing water everywhere that we had to walk through, and our shoes got completely drenched! DD and I ended up taking our flip flops off and walking bare footed because our shoes were so slippery and gross feeling.

That walk to Akershus seemed like 10 miles to us! When we finally got there we literally looked like drowned rats. Suddenly, I knew why CBR had been so quiet and the bus had been empty… because all the people with any common sense were warm and dry in their Nemo beds! I was having some serious doubts that the day would be salvageable. It was obvious to me that I had put way too much faith into those ponchos and in my will to keep going despite ‘a few drops of water’.

If you have ever been to Akershus, you know that the lobby area is very small. Well, on this day it felt even smaller because it was packed with people who were soaked to the bone and dripping with water. DD and I managed to fight our way through to the bathroom so that we could try to dry off a little. We did the best we could with paper towels and a hand drier. Poor DD was so frustrated because the pants to her Jasmine costume were saturated with water and her ‘fancy’ flip flops were a mess. So much for a prim and proper princess!

When we came out of the bathroom and found DH in the mass of wet humanity, he looked at me and said, “As soon as we are done with breakfast, we are out of here. I am not walking around in this monsoon all day!” Sadly, I had to concur. We were SO bummed!

Soon enough our name was called to meet with Belle and be seated.

And for those of you who are interested, this is the photo package that is included with the price of the meal at Akershus.

We prefer this meal to the one at CRT. Although the building isn’t as spectacular, I think the food is much better.

They have a buffet with fruit, pastries, cheese, etc. that you can help yourself to while waiting on the ‘real food’ to come out.

The characters came pretty quickly, starting with a lady in pink…

Next was DD’s favorite princess…

Continued in next post

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Then they all came out and paraded around the restaurant with the kids.

I guess with all those gorgeous princesses fluttering around the room, DH thought I could use a little recognition so he leaned over and whispered in my ear… “You’re still my princess after all these years.”

Some major brownie points were scored for that one! He’s definitely a keeper!

(He would so kill me if he knew I told that story to anyone!)

And then our favorite mermaid showed up. I told her how much we enjoyed meeting her on the cruise and she played right along!

Last but not least was Snow White.

She was really great!

DD was a little disappointed that Jasmine was not a part of the festivites that morning. She wore that costume just to get a picture with her, but we never did end up seeing Jasmine on that trip.

We finished up our delicious breakfast and DD changed out of her costume. Then we headed outside where a light drizzle was still falling. We decided to look around the shops in Norway for a bit hoping that maybe, just maybe, the rain would stop.

DD quickly found the Kidcot spot.

Things Norway is known for…

DH channeling his inner Norwegian…

One of these things is not like the others…

My goal was to get a picture of DD with a CM from each country to make a collage or a passport book for her.

Continued in next post

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

When we were done shopping we walked outside and thankfully the rain had stopped but there still wasn’t a drop of sunshine to be found. We discussed whether we should stay and hope that the skies cleared up, or make a run for the busses before the bottom fell out again. None of us wanted to leave. We all love World Showcase and were very much looking forward to trying out the Food and Wine Festival. We made the choice to keep going as long as the rain stayed away, but agreed that we would bail out if it reared its ugly head again.

There was no wait for Maelstrom. In fact, there was NO ONE in line for Maelstrom! We had the entire ride to ourselves.

DD loved this part!

She begged to ride again and since there was no line…. why not?

We were so thrilled when we got off the ride to see that those dark gray clouds that had been looming were gone and the sun was shining!!! And I am very happy to report that we never had another drop of rain despite the ‘washout’ forecast for that day!

A few more pics of Norway before moving on…

Such a pretty pavilion! Wish I was there now!

Up Next: Fun and shopping Chinese style!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Don't you just love it when there's no crowd at the bus stop or on the bus. It's so nice!

Oh, I hate that the bottom fell out on ya'll and you had to splash your way to Norway. There's not much that's worse than rain during a vacation. I have to say, though, that your daughter looked as fresh as a peach during the princess meal and you couldn't tell that her costume was wet.

for the rain stopping! I'm sure it was a relief that you didn't have to leave the park and could continue on your journey around World Showcase.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

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.

I agree. It doesn't get much better than MK and Ohana!

We love party days. I discovered how uncrowded they were on my last trip and I haven't looked back!

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.

We have the same problem. We want to eat there twice, but there are so many places I want to try that I can't fit everything in. Too much food, too little time.

Wow, I was two entire updates behind -- that's what happens when life gets crazy, I guess!

I love Ohana, but I just don't eat enough food in one sitting to make it worthwhile. :-S

And I love the mug you took a photo of in Adventureland (I think?) -- the white one with all the colorful Mickey heads. I teach high school, and hence I consume many cups of coffee a day. I *so* need to get that mug to use at school!

-- Dave

I agree about Ohana. There is soooo much food! I have to be starving when I go there. We try to eat breakfast on that day and then skip lunch so we are really hungry. But I think all the food they bring out at the begining is more than enough even without all the grilled stuff! No matter how hungry we are, there is still a lot that is wasted.

That is a very cute mug. I've seen it at Animal Kingdom also.

Don't you just love it when there's no crowd at the bus stop or on the bus. It's so nice!

Oh, I hate that the bottom fell out on ya'll and you had to splash your way to Norway. There's not much that's worse than rain during a vacation. I have to say, though, that your daughter looked as fresh as a peach during the princess meal and you couldn't tell that her costume was wet.

for the rain stopping! I'm sure it was a relief that you didn't have to leave the park and could continue on your journey around World Showcase.

I love it when there is no crowd on whatever it may be! The emptier, the better!

That rain was a new experience for me for sure. One that I don't care to repeat. I guess we don't have any say so in that though, do we?

I think I would have shed a tear or two if that day had been ruined. I adore WS and was so looking forward to F&W. All is well that ends well though because it turned out to be a FABULOUS day!

 

[disneybarbie]

Great update Rinky! Apart from the rain, it looks like the perfect morning in World Showcase so far

I have booked a dinner reservation at Akershus for my trip this summer with DH's family (we'll have a seven year old princess with us! ) - I've never been there before so I'm looking forward to trying out a new restaurant.. and meeting the princesses, of course!

Just wondering.. how do the Kidcot stops work (we'll probably try them out if DH's niece wants to this summer) .. do you just pick up a blank Duffy at one of them, then take it to each country to decorate?



Hope you're having a great week,

Emma x

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Awesome update! We often find ourselves on a lonely CBR bus too!!

Wow I thought for sure you were going to say the whole day was a washout. I'm glad it wasn't! We had a rainy evening at Epcot in August. I hate wet yucky flip flops. We all just felt so gross. We stuck it out most of the night, but ended up going back to the Poly instead of watching IllumiNations.

Aw, what a sweetie that DH of yours is!!

I've always been interested in trying Akershus, but with boys I don't think that will ever happen!

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your day.

 

[sjs314]

Loved the update Rinky. I have been caught in a few awful downpours at Disney and US, I hate wearing a poncho they get so hot. Your DH looked cut in that Norse hat, did he trade in the one you hate ????

DD looked adorable in her Jasmine outfit, what a shame Jasmine was not at Akershus. I have wanted to eat there since our first trip but even when it was not a character meal I always got outvoted. I did have the breakfast booked at one point and DH even agreed to eat there for dinner ...........if I really wanted to, Needless to say we are not eating there. You are so lucky to have a girl, I know just how Shelly feels, there is just so much you can get boys to go along with but I did drag mine to CRT years ago. I just pushed the steak and they agreed.
Love how empty everything was.

 

[mom2rtk]

So I recalled as I ws reading about your rainy start........... that you sid this day was the best one! I'm so glad the skies cleared for you.

Your start looks JUST like the start we had at Epcot this year..... wet, wet, wet. Until our 2010 and that rainy day we had at AK, we had never had to deal with rain at Disney either.

Love the pictures of your husband dressed as a Norwegian in a rain poncho!

Your DD looked precious in her beautiful Jasmine costume. I'm really bummed you didn't get to meet her. Where did you get the costume?

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Great update Rinky! Apart from the rain, it looks like the perfect morning in World Showcase so far

I have booked a dinner reservation at Akershus for my trip this summer with DH's family (we'll have a seven year old princess with us! ) - I've never been there before so I'm looking forward to trying out a new restaurant.. and meeting the princesses, of course!

Just wondering.. how do the Kidcot stops work (we'll probably try them out if DH's niece wants to this summer) .. do you just pick up a blank Duffy at one of them, then take it to each country to decorate?

Hope you're having a great week,

Emma x

I'd like to try dinner there sometime. I've only had the breakfast. I've heard good things about lunch and dinner though. I hope it's good for you guys!

Yes, you can get Duffy at any Kidcot place and they have baskets of markers that they can color it with. Then when you go to each country, take it to the Kidcot desk and have a CM stamp the handle. Each country has a different stamp that represents that pavilion. Most of the CMs will also write a message or the child's name in their native language on the back of Duffy. That is pretty neat. DD loved having her name written in Chinese and Japanese because it looks so different. I didn't think my DD would care much for the Kidcot stops but she has wanted to do it on every trip.

Awesome update! We often find ourselves on a lonely CBR bus too!!

Wow I thought for sure you were going to say the whole day was a washout. I'm glad it wasn't! We had a rainy evening at Epcot in August. I hate wet yucky flip flops. We all just felt so gross. We stuck it out most of the night, but ended up going back to the Poly instead of watching IllumiNations.

Aw, what a sweetie that DH of yours is!!

I've always been interested in trying Akershus, but with boys I don't think that will ever happen!

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your day.

I remember your rainy night. I must say I really had no idea just how miserable it is to try to walk around Disney in the rain. I thought you really could just throw on a poncho and go, but it doesn't keep your legs and feet dry at all. And the wind kept blowing my hood off so my hair got soaked too! I was a sight! And you are right, wet flip flops are just nasty and squishy!

My DH has his moments. We usually show love by picking on each other and sarcasm, but every once in a while he is actually sweet.

I feel bad that you never get to do the girly stuff at Disney. Maybe one day when your boys are married, they will have girls and you can have a girlapalooza trip! I've heard it's even more fun with grandkids anyway.

Loved the update Rinky. I have been caught in a few awful downpours at Disney and US, I hate wearing a poncho they get so hot. Your DH looked cut in that Norse hat, did he trade in the one you hate ????

DD looked adorable in her Jasmine outfit, what a shame Jasmine was not at Akershus. I have wanted to eat there since our first trip but even when it was not a character meal I always got outvoted. I did have the breakfast booked at one point and DH even agreed to eat there for dinner ...........if I really wanted to, Needless to say we are not eating there. You are so lucky to have a girl, I know just how Shelly feels, there is just so much you can get boys to go along with but I did drag mine to CRT years ago. I just pushed the steak and they agreed.
Love how empty everything was.

I wish he would have traded that hat. I think even the helmet with horns would be better than that Crocodile Dundee hat!

Pushed the steak! That will do it every time for men won't it! I'll have to remember that if I ever need to talk DH into going somewhere.

I hope you get to eat at Akershus someday.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

So I recalled as I ws reading about your rainy start........... that you sid this day was the best one! I'm so glad the skies cleared for you.

Your start looks JUST like the start we had at Epcot this year..... wet, wet, wet. Until our 2010 and that rainy day we had at AK, we had never had to deal with rain at Disney either.

Love the pictures of your husband dressed as a Norwegian in a rain poncho!

Your DD looked precious in her beautiful Jasmine costume. I'm really bummed you didn't get to meet her. Where did you get the costume?

That rain was the only bad part to the whole day. I promise it was a really wonderful day.

I really did underestimate how bad touring in the rain would be. I think if I went during the rainy season, I would be miserable. I could not stand my feet being wet, and the hood kept blowing off my head so my hair got soaked too! Not to mention, you cannot take pictures in the pouring rain! That was the worst part!

That was actually her old ballet recital costume. They danced to "A Whole New World". I just made a headband and decorated some flip flops to go with it, so it was a really easy costume. It wasn't nearly as gorgeous as the ones you make, but since it was already paid for and just sitting there, it made sense! I should have been a better investigator though like you are and found out where Jasmine was. I guess I didn't really make the effort b/c the costume was wet and DD didn't want to put it back on. I can't blame her for that.

 

[Woth2982]

We had a down pour like that at the MK in 2010. Everyone made a mass run for the exit, we hopped into a gift shop and got ponchos and headed to splash mountain.....we were already wet, why not? Glad the day cleared up though! Again it looks like you got a lot done in a little amount of time!

 

[sharonW]

Yeah, another update, loved it as always!! Glad mr sun returned so you could continue enjoying more magic. just having so much fun reading your tr and so wishing for another trip to the happy place! love all your pics!

 

[mom2rtk]

That rain was the only bad part to the whole day. I promise it was a really wonderful day.

I really did underestimate how bad touring in the rain would be. I think if I went during the rainy season, I would be miserable. I could not stand my feet being wet, and the hood kept blowing off my head so my hair got soaked too! Not to mention, you cannot take pictures in the pouring rain! That was the worst part!

That was actually her old ballet recital costume. They danced to "A Whole New World". I just made a headband and decorated some flip flops to go with it, so it was a really easy costume. It wasn't nearly as gorgeous as the ones you make, but since it was already paid for and just sitting there, it made sense! I should have been a better investigator though like you are and found out where Jasmine was. I guess I didn't really make the effort b/c the costume was wet and DD didn't want to put it back on. I can't blame her for that.

At least you thought to stop for photopass pics on your way into Epcot. We didn't even think about it because of the rain. Our Epcot day is up next on my trip report. I think that one will be really fast. Just not as many photos to get through.......

And I think Jasmine is absolutely lovely. How fun that you had it just laying around. Sounds like our house!

So I guess it's too late now to suggest you head over to Morocco to find Jasmine and Aladdin?????

Just hanging.......... waiting to hear all the good things from the rest of your wonderful day!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Well I am sure this is old news here since info travels so fast on the DIS, but I just got a free dining email offer from my Disney Visa for 8/25-9/27. It's quick service for the values (excluding AoA), regular plan for mods, and it says it's going to open to the general public on March 5th. I sure hope this means they will do free dining for the fall again this year!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

We had a down pour like that at the MK in 2010. Everyone made a mass run for the exit, we hopped into a gift shop and got ponchos and headed to splash mountain.....we were already wet, why not? Glad the day cleared up though! Again it looks like you got a lot done in a little amount of time!

That's a perfect time for SM! Very smart! I am glad we stuck it out too. It really paid off!

Yeah, another update, loved it as always!! Glad mr sun returned so you could continue enjoying more magic. just having so much fun reading your tr and so wishing for another trip to the happy place! love all your pics!

Thanks! I was very thankful for the sun that day too. It all worked out wonderful in the end!

At least you thought to stop for photopass pics on your way into Epcot. We didn't even think about it because of the rain. Our Epcot day is up next on my trip report. I think that one will be really fast. Just not as many photos to get through.......

And I think Jasmine is absolutely lovely. How fun that you had it just laying around. Sounds like our house!

So I guess it's too late now to suggest you head over to Morocco to find Jasmine and Aladdin?????

Just hanging.......... waiting to hear all the good things from the rest of your wonderful day!

Well the PP guy was set up under the shelter that covers the turnstiles so it worked out pretty good. You can't even tell from that picture that we had a roof over our heads! I was surprised to even see him out though.

Yeah, it's a little late to head to Morocco! We have seen them there before, but they weren't out this time. We stayed in Morocco for quite a while and they never came out. I should have asked about them. Actually, I noticed that I saw less characters on that trip than ever before. I wondered if they were cutting back.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yeah, it's a little late to head to Morocco! We have seen them there before, but they weren't out this time. We stayed in Morocco for quite a while and they never came out. I should have asked about them. Actually, I noticed that I saw less characters on that trip than ever before. I wondered if they were cutting back.

Maybe the characters were indoors that day because the day started out rainy. I know on one trip, we waited 45 minutes where they said Jasmine and Aladdin would come out, only to find out they were meeting guests in a shop that entire time.

On our Epcot day this time, we weren't looking for many characters, but finding Marie was a must. We had to ask and found out she was in the shop in France instead of her usual place outside. I think that's because it rained earlier in the day.

Please tell me you at least found Marie????????

I saw the notice on free dining. I really wish I could stand the heat enough to go on September. Who knows if they'll do FD once Fantasyland opens up. My fingers are crossed.......

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Maybe the characters were indoors that day because the day started out rainy. I know on one trip, we waited 45 minutes where they said Jasmine and Aladdin would come out, only to find out they were meeting guests in a shop that entire time.

On our Epcot day this time, we weren't looking for many characters, but finding Marie was a must. We had to ask and found out she was in the shop in France instead of her usual place outside. I think that's because it rained earlier in the day.

Please tell me you at least found Marie????????

I saw the notice on free dining. I really wish I could stand the heat enough to go on September. Who knows if they'll do FD once Fantasyland opens up. My fingers are crossed.......

You know I didn't even think about that. Now I wonder if some of them were inside that day. Well I could kick myself! I guess I never thought about it because the rain had stopped.

Yes, we did find Marie. Right off hand, I think she was the only character we saw in WS that day. Nope, we saw Marry Poppins too, but I think that's it. I was really surprised. I love the character meets in WS b/c the backdrops are picture perfect! Next time I am going to ask if I don't see who I'm looking for.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Oct-Dec free dining too!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

So sorry for the rainy start. We had a wet Epcot day as well-the only time I've ever been subjected to a soaking while at WDW. We were at BC that year. Entered via International Gateway and went for FPs at Soarin (forgot the ponchos-was wonderfully sunny when we left the hotel). In typical FL fashion, a soaking started around 3:30. Thought we'd wait it out and stepped into America for chicken strips for dinner. It rained, and rained and rained....... We gave up and made the decision to run for it back to the Beach Club. Never got to use our FPs for Soarin. Wouldn't you know, by the time we made it back to the hotel, the rains had subsided. We went up and changed and then wandered back to Epcot later for Illuminations. Not a great show when there is soooo much humidity in the air. Loved day 2 so far of your land adventure.