Think of All The Joy You'll Find When You Leave the World Behind- Nov 2018 TR-updated 09/22/19 RL

[SweetSerenity]

Putting a Little Jingle in our Jungle Cruise- Day 8​

Thursday, November 8th, 2018--Day 8


I did not sleep well. It was so hot in that room for some reason, and I just didn't feel well. We had breakfast scheduled at The Wave. Other than while cruising along on the monorail, neither of us had ever actually stepped foot into The Contemporary. We drove over, searched for a parking place, and went inside like two clueless tourists. CMs pointed us into the direction of The Wave. We walked in and felt like we had just stepped back into the 70s with the orange and swirly decor. All it needed was a bit of green shag carpet and the ensemble would be complete. I had heard good reviews about the buffet here, but we weren't very impressed. It was on the smaller side, which was perfectly fine, but the choices just didn't vary much. I did enjoy the sweet potato pancakes, though.




We had asked if it was okay to leave our vehicle at The Contemporary while we took the monorail to The Magic Kingdom for convenience. If we had been told no, we would have just parked at The Magic Kingdom, but the front gates gave us permission that day to go ahead and leave the car while we spent the morning at the park.

On our way up to the monorail, we did explore The Contemporary a bit. The walk-through shops had some merchandise I had not seen before, including an advent calendar with tsum tsums. I really wanted this, but when I found out the price, I set it back on the shelf. I perused the gingerbread selection, which I thought was cute.



It was neat getting on the monorail from inside the hotel since that's not something we are accustomed to doing. I understand why people enjoy The Contemporary so much, but I wasn't a fan at all from the little that I saw. The retro modern decor wasn't nearly as appealing as the rustic ambiance at The Wilderness Lodge, the savanna and culture of Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the always fun hokey tiki theme. To each his/her own.

Once at Magic Kingdom, I tried to capture a decent photo of the tree. I failed.

I wanted a picture in front of the tree to turn into Christmas cards, but it just never panned out. Oh, well, maybe there's 2019. *Hint hint again*

Our first stop was on the rip roaring Big Thunder Mountain to use a FP. We then stopped in to see the bears practice their country and blues. After that, we walked through the shop where we were given a sample of some sort of. . .candy.



We wanted a real snack and since we had not had our Dole treats yet, I used mobile order for the first time and ordered a Dole whip for Jason and the pineapple upside down cake for myself.


Pardon the napkin.

So, we all know there is very little shade around Aloha Isle and the tables are sitting out baking in the sun. That's if you're lucky enough to get one. So, I told Jason to put on his running legs and we raced through Adventureland over to Pecos Bill. I knew there was additional seating in an alcove past the restrooms so we darted in to a completely empty dining room that ended up exiting out into Tortuga Tavern. Since it was empty, we picked a seat in the back corner to enjoy our only slightly melted snacks.

Continued in next post. . .

 

[SweetSerenity]

Continued from last post


After our cool-down snacks, we had a fastpass for Jingle Cruise. I actually really like the Christmas version of this so I was pretty excited about the FP.



After our fun cruise through the Christmas jungle, we went to PhilharMagic before our FP for Seven Dwarves Mine Train. After the ride, we made our way to the front of the park. I'm not sure that either of us realized yet that it was our last time at Magic Kingdom for the rest of the vacation, or maybe we were just too exhausted.

It was an uneventful monorail ride back to The Contemporary where we picked up our car and drove over to The Beach Club. One of the ADRs I had really wanted was for Beaches and Cream. I managed to finally snag a lunch. We explored more of The Beach Club while we made our way blindly toward the restaurant. I had heard it was small, but goodness, that was no exaggeration. Jason just ordered some fries and onion rings while I went for the patty melt. The food was fine, but it was the No Way Jose that I was after. This peanut butter fiend loved every bite of that ooey gooey monstrosity.



After our lunch, we went home to rest. Jason dropped me off to pick up some items in the gift shop while he went and filled the car with gas. I was only slightly grumbly about our unused refillable mugs when I saw these:


Adorable!

Our evening was to be spent at Epcot where we would be having dinner at one of Jason's favorites: Teppan Edo. After a rest in our room, we took a boat to the park. This was one of my favorite perks about Boardwalk, especially since we spent so much time at Epcot. I preferred to walk, but my husband wanted to wait for a boat when offered.



Teppan Edo has never been a disappointment to either of us. The couple to my left were newlyweds from England and the family to Jason's right were from Texas so he made friends instantly. Our chef was the same that we had prior, and we always enjoy his show and personality. I ordered the delicious Tokyo Sunset to drink, and the only problem was that I could have easily had too many more of those. For our appetizers, Jason enjoyed the tempura while I dined on the succulent wafu ribs. I don't remember his entree because he ate it before I could snap a photo, but I had the teriyaki steak. It was tender and perfectly medium. Neither of us are fans of the desserts, but they were forcibly placed in front of our faces. We were congratulated for our anniversary with candles in our green tea cake and ginger mousse cake.

We always have to check out Mitsukoshi, which used to be our favorite store. We feel like in the past there have been more unique items than there are now, though I suppose you could call these. . . unique.



Continued again. . .

 

[SweetSerenity]

. . .Continued again

It was EMH that night from 9-11 P.M. We decided to walk the World Showcase to look for Christmas gifts because I was having trouble finding things our family would like. Though we were full from dinner, we likely would have tried some Food and Wine booth offerings, but they were already closed. We made our way over to the Mexico pavilion where we rode Un Gran Fiesta. I think Coco would be a great addition to this ride and likely breathe new life into it, but I also love this classic just the way it is.

Along the way, I stopped for some night shots in a mostly empty park.



We strolled back toward the boat to take it back to The Boardwalk and called it an evening.

Just on the other side of this: Our last full day at Disney. Which park finishes us off? We have 29 snacks remaining. Do we use them all, or are they wasted? Will we ever get Food and Wine snacks?

Resort Count: 11
Lost track of steps. . .

 

[Araminta18]

He chose the Enchanted Forest tea, which was a combination of raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry. I had the Zanzibar, which was a refreshing Chai with a hint of vanilla. I despise raspberry so I cannot speak for his, but my tea complemented the food very well.

I'm not a tea drinker, but the Enchanted Forest tea sounds delicious!

Still, we found room, and I loved this place! Even for a picky Southerner, this comfort food hit the spot.

Still haven't eaten there. Need to change that--your pictures make it look delicious.

It was a wonderful day. I'd like to say that the whole DVC progress and experience was fantastic. Neither of us ever felt pressured to make a decision to one side or the other. We were there to gather the facts, the information was supplied, and Jason made the choice that it would be beneficial to us. I felt like we could have easily walked away without the guilt of declining. Everyone we spoke to was wonderful, patient, and knowledgeable. If only buying cars was that pleasant!

What a great experience! I'm so happy for you. Wilderness Lodge is great (I say, having stayed a grand total of one night there, but it was wonderful!)--hopefully you're back this Christmas!

We wanted a real snack and since we had not had our Dole treats yet, I used mobile order for the first time and ordered a Dole whip for Jason and the pineapple upside down cake for myself.

yum!

After our cool-down snacks, we had a fastpass for Jingle Cruise. I actually really like the Christmas version of this so I was pretty excited about the FP.

Aw, I really want to ride the Jingle Cruise--I may have to make a Christmas trip to Disney....

It was an uneventful monorail ride back to The Contemporary where we picked up our car and drove over to The Beach Club. One of the ADRs I had really wanted was for Beaches and Cream. I managed to finally snag a lunch. We explored more of The Beach Club while we made our way blindly toward the restaurant. I had heard it was small, but goodness, that was no exaggeration. Jason just ordered some fries and onion rings while I went for the patty melt. The food was fine, but it was the No Way Jose that I was after. This peanut butter fiend loved every bite of that ooey gooey monstrosity.

Yay! Beach Club's food is fine, but those desserts...#worthit

I was only slightly grumbly about our unused refillable mugs when I saw these:

Adorable!

Aw, those are so cute!! I love it!

Teppan Edo has never been a disappointment to either of us. The couple to my left were newlyweds from England and the family to Jason's right were from Texas so he made friends instantly. Our chef was the same that we had prior, and we always enjoy his show and personality. I ordered the delicious Tokyo Sunset to drink, and the only problem was that I could have easily had too many more of those. For our appetizers, Jason enjoyed the tempura while I dined on the succulent wafu ribs. I don't remember his entree because he ate it before I could snap a photo, but I had the teriyaki steak. It was tender and perfectly medium. Neither of us are fans of the desserts, but they were forcibly placed in front of our faces. We were congratulated for our anniversary with candles in our green tea cake and ginger mousse cake.

Epcot just has too many good food destinations! This sounds delicious....yum.

Along the way, I stopped for some night shots in a mostly empty park.

Your shots are beautiful!

 

[kastoney]

Hi there!

So glad to hear things are going better for your and Jason both.

Still can't believe you all got DVC that is so amazing!!! And Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort. When are you going to start using it?

You Homecoming pictures are making me so hungry. Despite just finishing easter dinner I somehow feel like I could devour some of there delicious fried chicken.

Teppan Edo looks delicious too. We are huge japanese steakhouse fans anyway, but it always seems to taste better in Disney.

I had to laugh though because my Jason bought those crabs you saw in Mitsukoshi. When we go to vegas a restaurant we like has these things called japanese river crabs that are tiny crabs they fry and you eat them shell and all. They are so weird, but so good. Anyway he got these thinking they were the same and they, as you can imagine, were not. Think 5 day old crabs sitting in a dumpster in the hot sweltering sun and then dehydrated and that is what those suckers tasted like.

 

[xlsm]

I was sorry to read that you guys were having a rough start to the year, but glad it seems to be on the upswing

Woo! DVC! the WL is my faaaaavorite resort on property.


The tea sounds really nice, it's something I'm going to have to put on my to do list sometime soon.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I’m so glad your DVC experience was so smooth and no pressure!

The GF tea is something I am looking forward too

I really love going in the Japanese Pavilion and the store does have some really interesting treats!

Glad things are improving for you all at home!

Are you still heading to the World soon? Let me know!

 

[Cloe Colton]

I hope you did get your Christmas stay booked! We walked around WL/Copper Creek/Boulder Ridge on our December stay and fell in absolute love with how cozy the resort feels at Christmas time! We are actually staying there on our December trip too!

Sounds like a great day in MK and EPCOT! Great nighttime photos!

 

[SweetSerenity]

I'm not a tea drinker, but the Enchanted Forest tea sounds delicious!

There were so many selections that I bet you could find something!

Still haven't eaten there. Need to change that--your pictures make it look delicious.

So good! And a little something for everyone.

What a great experience! I'm so happy for you. Wilderness Lodge is great (I say, having stayed a grand total of one night there, but it was wonderful!)--hopefully you're back this Christmas!

Thank you! Well, I may have something in the books. . .

Aw, I really want to ride the Jingle Cruise--I may have to make a Christmas trip to Disney....

Yes! It's a great time to visit at least once.

Yay! Beach Club's food is fine, but those desserts...#worthit

True that.

Your shots are beautiful!

Thank you! They are just phone shots. No filter. I just got lucky, ha.

Hi there!

So glad to hear things are going better for your and Jason both.

Still can't believe you all got DVC that is so amazing!!! And Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort. When are you going to start using it?

Thank you. Well, you already know the answer to that, ha!

You Homecoming pictures are making me so hungry. Despite just finishing easter dinner I somehow feel like I could devour some of there delicious fried chicken.

Teppan Edo looks delicious too. We are huge japanese steakhouse fans anyway, but it always seems to taste better in Disney.

I had to laugh though because my Jason bought those crabs you saw in Mitsukoshi. When we go to vegas a restaurant we like has these things called japanese river crabs that are tiny crabs they fry and you eat them shell and all. They are so weird, but so good. Anyway he got these thinking they were the same and they, as you can imagine, were not. Think 5 day old crabs sitting in a dumpster in the hot sweltering sun and then dehydrated and that is what those suckers tasted like.

Gross!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was sorry to read that you guys were having a rough start to the year, but glad it seems to be on the upswing

Thank you! Everything will be better soon!

Woo! DVC! the WL is my faaaaavorite resort on property.

I can't wait to stay there for the first time!

The tea sounds really nice, it's something I'm going to have to put on my to do list sometime soon.

It was very nice. I'm not sure your boys would enjoy it, but it may be something you would like to do solo while they enjoy something else.

I’m so glad your DVC experience was so smooth and no pressure!

The GF tea is something I am looking forward too

I really love going in the Japanese Pavilion and the store does have some really interesting treats!

Glad things are improving for you all at home!

Are you still heading to the World soon? Let me know!

See you soon!

I hope you did get your Christmas stay booked! We walked around WL/Copper Creek/Boulder Ridge on our December stay and fell in absolute love with how cozy the resort feels at Christmas time! We are actually staying there on our December trip too!

Sounds like a great day in MK and EPCOT! Great nighttime photos!

When are your dates for December? We are booked for the 13th-21st I think.

 

[SweetSerenity]

Cause I'm Leaving​

I've been holding on to this for about 6 months now. I didn't mean to, but I like to do things chronologically; because I didn't get this current trip report finished a long time ago like I intended things got a little out of order.

So, in 16 hours I'll be boarding a plane to Disney World.



This is my feeble attempt at a PTR so, please, bear with me.

Lets rewind to November on the drive home from our vacation as brand-new DVC members. Jason and I were discussing our points and how we would like to have our "welcome home" stay in December at Wilderness Lodge. We started talking about my mom and how great she had been to take care of our animals while dealing with all her own life situations. Jason thought it would be a good idea if I offered her a trip somewhere on the points. So, I called her and asked her what she wanted. She said "Will you take me to Disney World?"

I came home and started researching dates and points. Since we have to put in our PTO for the following year in December of the previous year I went around and asked every single person I was competing with for time off when they anticipated spring vacations. Since it was going into December already, I couldn't book a trip in the next 2 months, summer was too hot, and fall too far away and close to our Christmas trip. So, May it was even if the value wasn't great.

Mom did not care where we stayed, but she has never stayed on property in any resort level other than value. I knew her dream was The Polynesian. I wasn't going to be able to get us into The Polynesian for the entire length of stay so I booked Saratoga Springs. I kept watching the website and calling the member services until, one day, I found an opening for the Polynesian for 3 nights out of our 5. Thus, the trip was born. Well, that's the short version anyway.

Dates: 05/05/19-05/07/19 Saratoga Springs- new resort for both
05/07/19-05/10/19- The Polynesian--new resort for both

Who? Just mom and me

How: We are flying out tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. and have a late flight home Friday night so we get a little extra time in the parks.

Tickets: I purchased a 6 day park hopper pass for mom and an AP pass for me since I'm (spoiler alert) going again December 2019. Hooray, I'm an AP holder now! Or, will be. . .

Parks: We talked about what she wanted to do. This is her trip. Every restaurant I booked, every FP+, and every planned day is tailored for her. I just went a few months ago so if there are things I do not get to do because she is not physically able (no roller coasters or jerky rides) then I'm fine with that. We are skipping Hollywood Studios this trip even though it's the 30th anniversary. There just isn't enough for her to do, and neither of us are fond of the park. Sorry, MGM fans.

We are going to be winging it quite a bit, though. I don't have every meal planned this trip, which is fine. We want to relax, lounge at the resorts, and just take it day by day. Her must dos for the trip are swimming, eating at 'Ohana, having a margarita (she doesn't drink, really), and riding Dumbo. Mine were Flower and Garden and riding Flight of Passage. All of those are checked off the list, and after that we'll just see where we go.

I also have two Dismeets scheduled. Yay!!!!!

The weather forecast as of right now calls for storms daily, but I have a good rain jacket and extra shoes. Mom said "we'll just be ducks."

I'd like to say more, but time is running short and I'm nowhere near ready and packed. So, with that, I'll see you all after I get back!

 

[heaven2dc]

How exciting and sweet of you to plan a Mom/Daughter impromptu trip! Can't wait to read all about it!

 

[skier_pete]

Awesome. Love the Poly! Have a great time.

 

[Araminta18]

How fun! Have a great time!!! That's fantastic that you were able to get at least a few nights at the Poly--what a special trip you're going to have!

 

[Cloe Colton]

DH and I will be there 12/14-12/18, so we'll probably see you around since we'll be staying over at Boulder Ridge

How exciting that you have a trip planned with your Mom, you are going to have a great time! I'm glad you were able to snag the Polynesian for your Mom for a couple of nights!

 

[kastoney]

Hope your trip was great. And sorry we missed you. We couldn't make up our minds on plans that night and ended up going over to Top of the World last minute to watch the fireworks and then just chilled at Geyser Point for the rest of the night.

 

[SweetSerenity]

How exciting and sweet of you to plan a Mom/Daughter impromptu trip! Can't wait to read all about it!

Ahh! I'm not sure I'll ever get around to writing a report about it, but I may do some highlights. It was hot. It was lovely! I didn't want to leave.

Awesome. Love the Poly! Have a great time.

It was amazing! I understand the hype now.

How fun! Have a great time!!! That's fantastic that you were able to get at least a few nights at the Poly--what a special trip you're going to have!

I am so so so happy we were able to stay at The Poly. My mom had an amazing time there. So worth it.

DH and I will be there 12/14-12/18, so we'll probably see you around since we'll be staying over at Boulder Ridge

How exciting that you have a trip planned with your Mom, you are going to have a great time! I'm glad you were able to snag the Polynesian for your Mom for a couple of nights!

For sure! I would love to run into you.

Hope your trip was great. And sorry we missed you. We couldn't make up our minds on plans that night and ended up going over to Top of the World last minute to watch the fireworks and then just chilled at Geyser Point for the rest of the night.

Oh, girl, it would have been great to meet you both, but that was our arrival night so I think I passed out pretty early anyway. Maybe we'll have another chance someday.

 

[SweetSerenity]

It's September! My oh my where has the time gone?

Everything has changed since my last post--including Disboards. It's so fancy now. I'm sturggling to figure out how to post, ha!

Where did I leave off? Ah, it was May. The short version of our May trip was that my mom had an amazing time, and that's all that matters. We did everything she wanted, and she was super happy. I am going to try to highlight some of our trip with pictures at some point, but the truth is I've barely even turned on my computer much less uploaded our photos. I still would like to finish this trip report from November of last year because it was such a great trip that I wanted to share. I will say it was fabulous to have a short Dismeet in May, too!

I have so much catching up to do with all of your reports, too!

I think I mentioned somewhere up there that my husband was injured on the job in February. Right after my trip with my mom, he had back surgery. There was a minor complication in which the surgeon accidentally nicked a sac in the spinal cord. Four months later, he still has not recovered. We are not sure the future we are facing with this. He has mobility and is able to drive, but he is very limited in what he can do. It's been a really tough and scary 7 months.

Two days after Jason's surgery, tragedy struck our little family. I've shared photos of our dogs and ferret. All three of them are so unique and mean so much to us. Sadly, we are down to two. Evie, the ferret, was my sidekick. She loved cuddling in my lap and sharing kisses with me. Four months later, we still don't know for sure what happened to her. I had been catching up on chores while Jason was resting. I went to get her, and she was just lifeless. I tried to give her some honey in case her sugar was low, but she didn't respond. She started gasping for breath. I called three emergency clinics, but they all told me they couldn't see her. I held her while she passed in my arms- helpless to save her. I am so lost without my little angel.

On the flip side, work has been extremely busy, for which I'm grateful. I've been working a lot of extra hours, and I've been given more responsibilities as part of my job title. My work family has been so gracious to me these past 6 years, and I am blessed to be there. Still, it does slow down on some of the fun stuff like taking the time to update and read about your vacations!

I also feel like I'm so out of the loop when it comes to Disney updates. Bring me up to date on the news! What have I missed?

Fall is my favorite season, though it's still 96 degrees here right now. Boo. I look forward to these upcoming months. We do still have our trip planned/paid for for December. Again, we do not know if Jason will be back to work then or what is going to happen. I've offered to cancel it numerous times, but he is very insistent on going. I understand. He needs a break from all this. We've already talked about his physical limitations as far as walking and riding certain attractions. We have mapped out our days and plan to go very light on the parks. The moral of the story is that we will be together, and that's what matters most right now.

Thank you for taking the time to read this boring real-life update. I hope you are all doing well!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

It is so good to hear from you!!!

I think I mentioned somewhere up there that my husband was injured on the job in February. Right after my trip with my mom, he had back surgery. There was a minor complication in which the surgeon accidentally nicked a sac in the spinal cord. Four months later, he still has not recovered. We are not sure the future we are facing with this. He has mobility and is able to drive, but he is very limited in what he can do. It's been a really tough and scary 7 months.

That is so scary, my DH has had 2 back surgeries and will probably need another at some point. Glad to hear he has mobility and can drive. I can only imagine how hard it has been.

I look forward to these upcoming months. We do still have our trip planned/paid for for December.

When are you to go in December?

We've already talked about his physical limitations as far as walking and riding certain attractions. We have mapped out our days and plan to go very light on the parks. The moral of the story is that we will be together, and that's what matters most right now.

You should def go! Just take it low key, you guys have been tot he parks a lot so doing just a little each day will be fine. And rent a motorized scooter! It can't hurt to help ease the amount was walking there is even on an easy day. There is nothing wrong with using one!

I am sorry to hear about your pet, as well. It is always hard.

 

[Cloe Colton]

I'm so sorry about Evie, its never easy to lose a pet. I'm glad you could be there with her in her last moments though ❤

Sorry about your husband's back as well! Hopefully a trip to Disney will be exactly what your hearts and souls need

 

[Araminta18]

I haven't really been on the Dis in a while, so I'm checking back in and I'm so glad you had a good trip with your mom, but I'm sorry about all the other real life difficulties you're dealing with! That's so scary with your husband's surgery and (lack of) recovery--praying for you that he does recover more fully, but like you said, at least he has some mobility and can drive. *hugs*

And *double hugs* for Evie's loss. What a difficult several months! Hopefully all works out for your December trip and that you can experience Disney Christmas magic to heal you both a little bit.