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

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

So what’s one of the best things about going to a Disney waterpark? Well, after a fabulous and relaxing day you can visit another park in the evening without needing park hoppers! And that’s just what we did!

We took the bus back to CBR, dropped off our very heavy bag of wet clothes and headed back to the bus stop again.

I know you are thinking that the bus must have been crowded since DD was standing but…

It was empty! I have no idea why she wanted to stand up. Kids can be weird like that.

Anyway, we arrived at HS in just enough time to make it to our ADR. Again we enjoyed seeing the Christmas decorations and there were even more of them up on this visit.

We made a mad dash to the back of the park for our dinner at…

(Sorry, these pictures are all pretty bad. My camera battery was about to die and it is very dark in there… not a good combination.)

We made it right on time but still had to wait a few minutes to be seated. We ended up waiting at the counter and chatting with this CM who was making pizzas in the wood burning oven. He was very nice!

Very unique light fixtures…

This was our second visit to Mama Melrose. We did the Fantasmic Dining Package because I wanted to make sure we got seats for the show.

DD started her meal like every other one on that trip… with a salad!

An appetizer is included in the Fantasmic package, so of course we ordered one! The waitress recommended the calamari and DH was convinced we had to try it. None of us had ever eaten calamari and I’m really funny about eating ‘funky’ meats, but he really wanted to try it so I caved in. I wasn’t going to eat any of it, but it was so colorful and actually smelled good so I decided to try one small piece…

“Crispy Calamari for Two - topped with grilled peppers and onions, served with dipping sauces $12.99”

And guess what… it was really, really good! I couldn’t believe it! Even DD ended up woofing it down!

While we were munching on our appetizer, I couldn’t help but notice the family sitting at the table next to us. It was a mom and dad with two young children. I kid you not, the parents were texting or facebooking or whatever on their cell phones the entire time we were in the restaurant. I never saw them speak a word to each other or the kids. I couldn’t help but feel sad for the children. I sure hope that’s not the normal routine for their family. I do see that kind of thing more and more these days though, especially at DD's soccer games. I think it’s ok to do that stuff in moderation but I think so many people are missing out on precious time with their families because of this technology invasion.

Ok… coming down from my soapbox now…

Soon our entrees came out. I ordered the same dish that I got on the last trip because it was so good!

Sorry, no description because it is no longer on the menu! It’s basically chicken, pasta and a few veggies in a cream sauce. It was just as good as it was the last time, but having an appetizer at this meal really filled me up and I wasn’t able to eat very much of it.

DD got the handmade kid’s pizza with mushrooms. This wasn’t on the menu but the waitress said it was offered and DD jumped on it.

She loved it and ate most of it! The oven fired pizzas here are Italian style, not the Americanized version of pizza. We all took a bite and thought it was very good!

DH ordered the steak and said it was awesome! Coming from him, that says a lot because he is very picky about his steak!

“Charred Strip Steak - with five-cheese baked macaroni, aged balsamic-shallot butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction $28.99”

He also got coffee and said it was very good, which is unusual at Disney World.

(He hates me taking pictures while he’s eating!)

When ordering dessert, I told the waitress that I love Tiramisu, so she recommended this…

“Mama's Panna Cotta Tiramisu-flavored custard with ladyfingers and Cappuccino cream $5.99”

This was nothing like Tiramisu! It was pretty nasty actually. The texture was weird and it was basically flavorless. It was more like Flan, which I do not like at all. Oh well!

DD got ice cream…

And for some reason, I have no picture or any idea what DH had for dessert!

Overall, it was a very good meal!

Continued in next post

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

We had some time to kill before Fantasmic started so we did some window shopping.

DH doing his Terminator impersonation I suppose??? I'm not sure what he was up to here!

We decided to head on into the theater early just so we could get off of our feet.

We quickly realized that doing the Fantasmic Dinner Package was not necessary. The theater was practically empty and we were told to sit wherever we wanted. We went all the way down to the front.

It didn’t take too long though before it looked like this…

We did the wave a few times and then got our glow on…

I always buy some glow stuff from the Dollar Tree before our trips so DD can have some things for the nighttime shows and parades without me having to buy that expensive stuff they sell on the carts.

The show was fantastic as always! We enjoyed it as much as ever. Even the alien sitting beside me thought it was great…

I didn’t get very many good pictures though. My camera battery was still barely hanging on. These are the only halfway decent ones…

Continued in next post

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

When the show was over we decided to do some shopping while the crowds cleared out. We used to race right on to the busses with the rest of the masses, but we have learned that we just end up standing there forever waiting in line. We’ve finally gotten smart and now we shop during that time and usually the bus stop is practically empty when we get there.

I think we were in the Villains store here…

Those were the things I liked, but of course, I didn’t buy anything.

We moved on down the street…

We browsed in a few more stores, but I am pretty sure we left empty handed.

The Christmas tree looked pretty all lit up…

Our plan worked out great because there was no line at the bus stop and we were headed back to CBR in a flash! And another great Disney day was done!

Up next: This is why I make a plan and stick to it!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Rinky! It's so nice to see you posting updates again (by the way, did you happen to read the installment I posted that mentioned you in the title?). You gotta love the fact that you can go to the water park in the morning and still go to the park in the evening.

The food that ya'll ordered at Mama Melrose's was almost exactly what we ordered during our 2011 trip. So, did your hubby have to bribe you to eat the calamari or was it of your own free will? We had to give Hunter $5 to try it.

Your pictures of Fantasmic are great! I can never get mine to come out very well.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

First let me say that I am miserably behind on all of your TRs and I am so sorry about that. I have REALLY missed reading them but I just have not had the time to keep up. I am hoping that I can get back to more reading and less writing when I get this TR done. I guess I am not a very good multitasker right now.

Fun day. It really looks like so many neat slides there. Some day I plan to go there...some day. LOL
I love the last shot on your video with DH and DD walking....so cute.

'Walking' would be a good description! You definitely couldn't call it dancing!

You'll love TL. It's like Castaway Cay without the annoyances of the beach, like sand in your fanny!

Enjoyed all the pictures.
And I loved the daddy-daughter dance. That's what Disney is all about.

Yes it is! But calling that dancing is a bit of a stretch!

I wish our CM had told us to lift our bums on Crush n Gusher! We all came away saying "that hurt like crazy". The second and third time, we knew better and would raise up when we'd see a bump.

It looks like ya'll had such a wonderful day at Typhoon Lagoon. So, ya'll never did go on the bigger single person slides? If you ever go back, you should try them. I'm a chicken and I thought they were a blast.

Your daughter is a brave girl to get back into the wave pool. It looks like she had her "watch out for the wave" technic down pat.

Maybe they need a 'Lift your Bum' sign at the entrance!

I was too chicken to try any of the other slides but I might do it next time since you said they were ok. I hate high drops, so I wasn't brave enough to give them a shot.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

YAY an update!!


I can't believe you guys did all that after spending the day at the waterpark! You have way more energy than my family!!

Awesome update! I just love DHS, as you know! Haven't been to Mama Melrose in awhile. It all looks very good, except for the calamari that is.

Looks like a fun time at Fantasmic! We haven't seen it in years and it's not looking good for December with such a short trip and only 5 day park tix. You got some great pics, especially considering your battery was running low. I hate when that happens!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Oh wow, what a nice ending to your afternoon! The video is so neat Rinky! I'm so glad you had a ton of fun at Typhoon Lagoon. The weather looks like it was great!

The weather was perfect! Not too hot, but warm enough to be in the water. It was a great day!

Thanks for all your fabulous pictures from TL! I'm so excited for our day there now

I am cracking up at the vision of you and your DH nearly sitting side by side waiting for each other

Love the end of the video with your DH & DD dancing, so cute

I am so gald you are going to TL. I want to hear what you think of it when you get back!

I can't believe we were sitting right across from each other. What an idiot moment!

They didn't even know I was taping them being silly. I have to be sneaky like that to get videos of them because they don't like me taping them.

Another great update

The video was awesome, I loved it when your DH and DD were bumping each other at the end!

I wish I was at TL right now

Thanks! I like that little clip too. Totally unrehearsed... can't you tell!
I do love those daddy/daughter moments though!

Aw but it was so cute little daddy daughter moment.

Will have to try work it in. Won't be this year though

When you do get there, you'll love it!

Ahhhh! Now we MUST try the water parks! I'm a total ride weine too, but I'm trying to be braver with water slides, letting my brain rein instead of my fear. I even braved one of the slides at Pelican Plunge! It calms me knowing another ride weine had a good time doing the slides.

That is hilarious about sitting back to back on the bench! Oh too funny!!! That is something we would do too! What a fun memory.

I am a TOTAL chicken and I thought the slides were very fun! The Storm Slides were a lot like the PP slides so I think you can handle it! Henry would love the smaller slides too!

I know! We must have looked like a bunch of morons! I am so glad I didn't ask someone to go into the men's room and look for DH!

Rinky! It's so nice to see you posting updates again (by the way, did you happen to read the installment I posted that mentioned you in the title?). You gotta love the fact that you can go to the water park in the morning and still go to the park in the evening.

The food that ya'll ordered at Mama Melrose's was almost exactly what we ordered during our 2011 trip. So, did your hubby have to bribe you to eat the calamari or was it of your own free will? We had to give Hunter $5 to try it.

Your pictures of Fantasmic are great! I can never get mine to come out very well.

Thanks! Life has just been way too busy lately. I'm desperate for school to start back.

I'm in your TITLE! That's scary! What in the world! I am about 20 pages behind on your TR (see apology at the beginning of these comments ) so I have not seen that yet. I am trying to get caught up with everyone but I am reading about 10 TRs and am behind on all of them! It is taking me forever to get caught back up. I sure have missed reading and posting along though. I'll have to 'cheat' and read about why I ended up in your TR though! Then i'll have to go back and read in order. I'm too Type A to skip around.

Most of my Fantasmic pictures were horrible and we were right up front, so don't feel bad!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

YAY an update!!


I can't believe you guys did all that after spending the day at the waterpark! You have way more energy than my family!!

Awesome update! I just love DHS, as you know! Haven't been to Mama Melrose in awhile. It all looks very good, except for the calamari that is.

Looks like a fun time at Fantasmic! We haven't seen it in years and it's not looking good for December with such a short trip and only 5 day park tix. You got some great pics, especially considering your battery was running low. I hate when that happens!

I have no idea where the energy comes from that we have at Disney. We are NOT like that at home!

Why are you and at my calamari? You know you want some. It's just squid. I think.



We didn't see F! on our '09 trip so I really wanted to see it the last time. We'll probably skip it next time though. It's not a every trip must-do for us but we do enjoy it. If I was crunched for time on a short trip, I'd skip it too. I think I'd be spending my time enjoying the Grand Flo!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Oh Rinky, don't apologize. Life gets too busy.

We haven't tried Mama Melrose's yet. Those pizzas sure look like they would be yummy though!

And don't kill me but I have also never seen Fantasmic. I don't even know where the theater is.

 

[MeMom]

We have eaten at Mama Melrose once. We hesitated a little, because it doesn't get wonderful reviews, but we liked it just fine. It's the rare kid that likes mushroom pizza. That's my favorite kind!

Seeing Fantasmic is such an incredible way to end a day in Hollywood or just any Disney day. We've been known to do a park, swim and have dinner, then go over to Hollywood just for ice cream and Fantasmic.

Brooklynn likes to stand up on the bus for a minute or two occasionally, too. For a kid, I'm sure it seems like a daredevil thing to do - stand up on a moving vehicle.

I like that you got a picture of my favorite Disney bracelets.

We have been in the planning stages of our trips for next year. Looks like we will be seeing that Hollywood Christmas tree again in 2013.

And don't kill me but I have also never seen Fantasmic. I don't even know where the theater is.

What are we going to to do with you???
Please put it on your list for October. We will help you find your way, and I promise you will like it!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Loved the updates!!! We don't usually do water parks, but this year we did not do the parks (did Discovery Cove and Sea World but stayed on Disney properties) so we took the opportunity (and some very old Non-expiry passes ) and hit Blizzard Beach. We had the best day! The kids loved it. And like you said, the day isn't over when the water park day ends.
The CM at the entry laughed at our old passes saying they hadn't seen those types of tickets in a looooonnnng time. (they were from 2004) Sure glad they still worked.

 

[jenseib]

What date was the waterpark/HS day? I like that they had decorations out. And that there was no huge wait for F!. I might get to see it after all this time around, but I have no desire to wait in a long line.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Well, I might just have to copy your whole day and finish up our TL day with dinner & Fantasmic! at DHS. Shhhhhh, don't tell, but I've never seen Fantasmic......

Mmmmm, calamari! My family loves it, and yes, it's just squid

 

[sharonW]

I'm the only one in my family who likes fantasmic??
I just don't get that!!! I love the bracelet with mickey, i want one of those!!
Disney merchandise is to die for!!! Thankin ya for yet another great update!!

 

[Stasieki]

I just read your entire report over the last few days

I now know I want to go in October and want to edit some videos. Where do you edit yours?

Your trip seemed perfect all around

 

[Lovemy3babes]

What are we going to to do with you???
Please put it on your list for October. We will help you find your way, and I promise you will like it!

Ok, sounds good to me!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hey RinkyTinky! I assume that you are still super busy keeping kids over the Summer break. I hope that you'll soon be back on the Dis telling your Disney vacation tales.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hey RinkyTinky! I assume that you are still super busy keeping kids over the Summer break. I hope that you'll soon be back on the Dis telling your Disney vacation tales.

Me too!!



Yes, you've been popcorned again!

 

[sjs314]

Somehow I missed your last update but came across it this morning thanks to Shelly posting

We enjoyed MM in March and I agree with your DH the steak is good. I do not care for calamari, too chewy for my likening plus it's hard for me to get past what it is. I ate it once someone tricked me saying it was fried clams

Hope your summer is going better than last time I posted

 

[sharonW]

Where oh where has Rinky gone, oh where oh where has she gone?
Life has taken over!!! Hope to see you back soon! I'm dying to know if another trip is in the works!!