Trick-Or-Treat & Birthday Sweets! Oct 2013 PTR *NEW* 11/4 TR Link Posted!

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Peter Pan and Tink costumes look good! Looking forward to seeing how the Hook Costume turns out.

Like your ADRs! Are you planning on eating at Disney for dinner at MNSSHP? I've been trying to figure out if I should eat before entering MK for the party so right now I have an ADR at Jiko.

 

[khertz]

Yay for planning and for getting your park tickets! Oh my gosh, the Wizarding World is so much fun! You are going to love it!

I think the Peter Pan theme for your costumes is cute! If I'm remembering right I read a TR a couple years ago where there was a family who did the same thing. It was adorable.

Looks like you got some great ADRs too. Bummer about all the Be Our Guest ones being snatched up though. But lunch there is great!

I really can't wait to see Hogwarts! I didn't get until HP until around the 3rd movie/5th book, but I have been totally hooked ever since. It kills me that I have been so close to it three times now, but haven't visited yet!

I'm hoping the costumes pan out, especially since I went ahead and bought mine. It's really the Captain Hook costume that's difficult for us. I guess if we can't make it work, DH can always be Mr. Smee instead!

I am just so happy to finally see the inside of BoG that I don't know that I'm all that upset about it being "just lunch."

I am so jealous of your costume! I picked out a $10 costume for there but I didn't purchase it right away because I was waiting for the 15% off and then it was gone. Now I can't find anymore costumes that are close to that inexpensive. Bummer. I shouldn't have been so cheap.

That happens to me a lot! Sometimes I just hesitate a little too long to commit, and then I miss out. Sorry that happened to you this time. Hopefully you can find something on sale between now and Halloween.

Love the ADRs you have. I have been working on mine,too. And I realized something - our CP ADR is going to be the 25th All along I was thinking the 24th and then I realized that my inlaws aren't coming in until the 24th while we arrive on the 23rd. Sheesh!

So, we are staying at a hotel near the airport on the 23rd. With my new job I booked the absolute latest flight out of Baltimore. It doesn't make sense to stay at a Disney resort that night and I get a free night with my Marriott rewards.

We will be checking in VWL on the 24th. If we head over to MK after we check in then maybe we can meet up and say hi to Paxton on his birthday.

Woo hoo for Universal!

Aw, bummer. Well, hopefully we will still be able to meet up! There's still awhile to figure something out.

I hope your ADR at Ohana is better this time around! Love that CP bkfst...and Via Napoli...yummy!! We aren't doing VN in Oct, but I think DH & I will eat there when we go in Feb for Princess 1/2 weekend.

I think we are doing the Peter Pan theme too for MNSSHP. I know DD is going to be Wendy, DS4 will be Captain Hook, DS3 will be Peter Pan. I am thinking Tinkerbell. Still need to figure out something for DH & DS11. We are going to the party on Fri 18th.

I hope so too & thanks! I'm starting to think as long as we don't get the same waitress as before, we should be okay. I adore Via Napoli. It's so delicious, and not expensive at all for a TS meal. It's an easy one to convince DH that we should do.

Your DD is going to be SO comfortable as Wendy! I'm starting to regret picking Tinkerbell now and thinking I should have gone for Wendy. I could handle walking around MK all night in a nightgown! Don't know if DS11 would go for it, but he could always wear a pair of footie pajamas and carry around a teddy bear and be Michael. Good luck with your costumes! It seems like it's a lot easier to dress a kid as Captain Hook than an adult.

Like the costume Ideas, we've been trying to get DD to do a group costume, with me a Peter (of course) and DW and wendy and her a tink. So far no dice. We did do Kim Possible and her (Dr. and Dr. Possible) for our MNSSHP appearance a few years ago. A few CM actually recoginized our costumes.

I actually got the idea from a really cute woman's Peter Pan costume that I thought I might dress up as, but DS really loves Peter Pan so then I figured he would probably really enjoy that costume more than me. Too bad DD won't go along, that sounds like a lot of fun! I do remember your KP costumes too, but I never watched the show so I don't know if I would have recognized you in the parks.

I am suprised you guys don't dress up for Halloween. You and DH seem like the fearless type. Admittedly, we have a friend who has a Halloween party and expects original costumes every year. We did an awesome Mary Poppinsa and Bert 2 year ago. We actually don't dress EVERY year, but have had many, many costumes for that, even before our DD was born. I can't say I'm "into" costumes, but it can be fun.

I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was probably 13 or 14. I just never really liked Halloween all that much. But now that DS's birthday is just a week before, it's hard not to enjoy it a little more because it reminds me of him! And of course we love taking him trick or treating now too. Still not sure if we will all dress up again Halloween night in our neighborhood, but it's a possibility we will!

Good move getting the tickets, price increase should be coming very soon. I am being watchful myself. You probably have a little while, but a party that late will very likely be sold out, so you should definitely pre-buy your tickets in the next few months!

I know we will pre-buy our tickets just because I will want to have them in hand before we go to WDW, but I know it's one of those things we can wait a little while to buy. Getting the park tickets was a big hit on the bank account! Next will be plane tickets I imagine, and then sometime this summer we'll order our MNSSHP tickets and be all set!

Peter Pan and Tink costumes look good! Looking forward to seeing how the Hook Costume turns out.

Like your ADRs! Are you planning on eating at Disney for dinner at MNSSHP? I've been trying to figure out if I should eat before entering MK for the party so right now I have an ADR at Jiko.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the Hook costume turns out too. DH is now looking at getting it in pieces instead of buying a packaged costume, so it should definitely be interesting.

The plan for our MNSSHP day is to hang out at the resort in the morning and put DS down for as long of a nap as he'll take, then we'll go right to the party when he wakes up. I'm hoping to get in as close to 4 as possible to be able to ride some rides because I don't see us having time for any rides during the party if we want to do the characters and shows while he is still awake. So I'm thinking we will probably grab a quick CS meal in the park, either before the party starts or maybe grab some Pecos Bill's to eat while we wait for the first parade in Frontierland.

 

[LadyBeBop]

Slightly behind on your trip report, but now I'm all caught up. A few things.

1) My in-laws live in Grainger County, TN about a half hour from where you stayed in Tennessee..in the opposite direction. So, I guess they're about an hour from Gatlinburg. However, we've never done Dixie Stampede. One of these days, we gotta do it...before they move up here. Their house have been on the market for a while.

2) Cades Cove...beautiful. DH, DGD and I camped there for a few days a couple of summers ago. We did drive the loop once (you and I both know it's hard with a two year old).

3) I think we'll be in Epcot the same Monday. I'm drooling over that pizza. But I promised...no more ADRs. Besides, I want to eat around the world for F&W. At least, we'll probably see each other at WBC.

 

[afwdwfan]

So we decided it would be best to just go ahead and order those too since I don't keep up as much with Universal news and wouldn't want to end up paying a higher price.

Good idea... not only to get the tickets before the prices go up, but it is always nice to spread that cost out a little bit.

For only $10 with $6.99 shipping, I got my Tinkerbell costume!

Wow, that's a pretty good deal. I love your costume ideas, and I hope everything works out for the Pan and Hook costumres.

I did search in vain for a Be Our Guest ADR, but I'm thinking those were all snatched up by the people able to reserve 180+10. We are planning to have lunch there though, so I'm just happy to be able to eat there even if it isn't for dinner.

It really is a shame that it is so hard to get an ADR there, but at least with the QS lunch option, anyone can get in there to eat. I'm sure you'll love the lunch, it is now my favorite QS lunch spot in the MK.

And if you have read my TR's in the past, you know what that means...

4 cheese white pizza at Via Napoli!! Our ADR is for 11:30 am and I'm drooling over it right now. Maaaaaaybe I will venture out and try something new, but it is just too hard to pass up that delicious pizza!

I feel the same way about that place!!! It is so delicious that I want to try some other things there just to see how good it all is, but then again, I can't pry myself away from the things I know I love! You almost just need to order a few different items and then get a box and take it back to the resort to eat later.

 

[sintoc]

Hi, I am joining in from the October Facebook group. I'm loving reading about people's plans.

BTW, I ordered costumes when you posted about the $10 sale. Thank you!!! Our family is going with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

 

[skier_pete]

I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was probably 13 or 14. I just never really liked Halloween all that much. But now that DS's birthday is just a week before, it's hard not to enjoy it a little more because it reminds me of him! And of course we love taking him trick or treating now too. Still not sure if we will all dress up again Halloween night in our neighborhood, but it's a possibility we will!

I actually HATED dressing up as a kid. I am much less self-concious about it now. As your kids get older, it's more fun to embarass them, too!

. Getting the park tickets was a big hit on the bank account!

Wait until 90 days before your ABD trip next year!

 

[khertz]

Slightly behind on your trip report, but now I'm all caught up. A few things.

1) My in-laws live in Grainger County, TN about a half hour from where you stayed in Tennessee..in the opposite direction. So, I guess they're about an hour from Gatlinburg. However, we've never done Dixie Stampede. One of these days, we gotta do it...before they move up here. Their house have been on the market for a while.

Dixie Stampede was REALLY fun! Like I said, DS had a great time but so did DH and I. It's a nice mix of production numbers and competitions, and the food is really great. The service was also wonderful, all of the servers seemed to be on top of their game.

2) Cades Cove...beautiful. DH, DGD and I camped there for a few days a couple of summers ago. We did drive the loop once (you and I both know it's hard with a two year old).

Yes, it was rather difficult with a 2 year old, but worth it! He just got so mad every time we had to stick him back in the carseat! I would love to see CC in the fall, I bet that is just gorgeous with the leaves changing.

3) I think we'll be in Epcot the same Monday. I'm drooling over that pizza. But I promised...no more ADRs. Besides, I want to eat around the world for F&W. At least, we'll probably see each other at WBC.

Hopefully so!! Eating around the world sounds like a lot of fun too! I just can't tear myself away from VN though...

Good idea... not only to get the tickets before the prices go up, but it is always nice to spread that cost out a little bit.

Absolutely! I have to say, while it was a pretty penny to get those Premier AP's, it was SO NICE last trip not to have to purchase tickets! It almost made me when I saw the total!!

Wow, that's a pretty good deal. I love your costume ideas, and I hope everything works out for the Pan and Hook costumres.

Yeah, you just can't beat getting a decent costume for $16 total, especially for an adult! DS's will actually cost more than mine. Hopefully DH's Hook costume will come together. Our last minute option it it doesn't is Smee!

It really is a shame that it is so hard to get an ADR there, but at least with the QS lunch option, anyone can get in there to eat. I'm sure you'll love the lunch, it is now my favorite QS lunch spot in the MK.

I agree, but I guess that's how it goes for the first new restaurant in WDW in a LONG time. One day we will get to eat dinner there, when the hype hopefully calms down. But I'm happy enough with getting lunch.

I feel the same way about that place!!! It is so delicious that I want to try some other things there just to see how good it all is, but then again, I can't pry myself away from the things I know I love! You almost just need to order a few different items and then get a box and take it back to the resort to eat later.

That's exactly how I am. Every time someone else posts about it and has pictures of what they got, I tell myself, "Oooh, I need to try that!" But then I think about that pizza and...I just don't know if I can do it! There needs to be a Via Napoli rehab!

Hi, I am joining in from the October Facebook group. I'm loving reading about people's plans.

BTW, I ordered costumes when you posted about the $10 sale. Thank you!!! Our family is going with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

I love sharing my plans with other October DISer's! Do you have a PTR going?

I'm so glad my link helped you out! DH didn't tell me about it until the last day of the sale, so I just wish I could have shared it sooner so more people could take advantage. An Alice theme will be so cute!

I actually HATED dressing up as a kid. I am much less self-concious about it now. As your kids get older, it's more fun to embarass them, too!

Believe it or not, when I was really little I was actually scared to dress up for Halloween! One year I was Miss Piggy and I was so scared to wear the mask that I refused and no one had any clue who I was supposed to be! It's fun now to dress Paxton up in something cute, but it definitely sounds like MORE fun to dress up myself and embarrass him! It'll be here before I know it...

Wait until 90 days before your ABD trip next year!

Oh my gosh, I know! We looked at current flights to Italy just to get an idea of how long our travel time would be, and I swear DH started dry heaving when he saw the price!

 

[skier_pete]

Believe it or not, when I was really little I was actually scared to dress up for Halloween! One year I was Miss Piggy and I was so scared to wear the mask that I refused and no one had any clue who I was supposed to be! It's fun now to dress Paxton up in something cute, but it definitely sounds like MORE fun to dress up myself and embarrass him! It'll be here before I know it...

I did the same thing...when I was about 7 I was supposed to go to a Halloween party at my elementary school dress in costume, and I wouldn't go into the school in my costume (I can't even tell you what the costume was - it might've been a darth vader mask.) My parents grounded me for like 2 weeks because of my behavior!

Oh my gosh, I know! We looked at current flights to Italy just to get an idea of how long our travel time would be, and I swear DH started dry heaving when he saw the price!

I can totally picture it. We're looking at a trip to Europe hopefully in 2015. I don't even want to think about the cost.

 

[DDuck4Life]

Wait until 90 days before your ABD trip next year!

The good thing about the ABD trip is we are already saving/paying for it. We have a separate account bank account set up just for the trip. We put money in every month, so when it comes time to pay the money will come for the other account we don't really look at and won't affect our day to day account totals. It will still be tough to see all that money go away , but we are paying for that trip now. Good thing we planned for this trip sooooooo far in advance we'll have over a year and a half to spread out the cost Can't wait for that trip!

 

[skier_pete]

. Good thing we planned for this trip sooooooo far in advance we'll have over a year and a half to spread out the cost Can't wait for that trip!

You are very, very wise to do it that way. That's how we handled our Australia trip last year. We actually saved the money while DW was working full time back in 02-07 and I was setting aside money each month for it. We then sat on the money for 5 years until DD was old enough. It was still hard to spend it, but knowing that's what it was for made it easier.

We haven't done an ABD trip ourselves yet (well not for another 32 days!) but from what everyone says they are well worth it.

 

[khertz]

I did the same thing...when I was about 7 I was supposed to go to a Halloween party at my elementary school dress in costume, and I wouldn't go into the school in my costume (I can't even tell you what the costume was - it might've been a darth vader mask.) My parents grounded me for like 2 weeks because of my behavior!



I can totally picture it. We're looking at a trip to Europe hopefully in 2015. I don't even want to think about the cost.

Ooh man, I know my mom used to get mad at me a LOT for things I was "too scared" to do. And now I've been blessed with a child that is mostly fearless, so that just means #2 will be just like I was as a kid!

It will be expensive for sure, but I can't wait. DH likes to call it a once in a lifetime trip. I like to call it once in a long time trip! Hopefully we will be back someday, but I know it will be a looooooong time from now!

The good thing about the ABD trip is we are already saving/paying for it. We have a separate account bank account set up just for the trip. We put money in every month, so when it comes time to pay the money will come for the other account we don't really look at and won't affect our day to day account totals. It will still be tough to see all that money go away , but we are paying for that trip now. Good thing we planned for this trip sooooooo far in advance we'll have over a year and a half to spread out the cost Can't wait for that trip!

You are very, very wise to do it that way. That's how we handled our Australia trip last year. We actually saved the money while DW was working full time back in 02-07 and I was setting aside money each month for it. We then sat on the money for 5 years until DD was old enough. It was still hard to spend it, but knowing that's what it was for made it easier.

We haven't done an ABD trip ourselves yet (well not for another 32 days!) but from what everyone says they are well worth it.

Yay, your ABD trip is so close! Still approximately 550+ for us, but it is pretty fun being able to say, "We are going to Italy NEXT YEAR" instead of having to say "year after next."

 

[skier_pete]

Yay, your ABD trip is so close! Still approximately 550+ for us, but it is pretty fun being able to say, "We are going to Italy NEXT YEAR" instead of having to say "year after next."

It goes by so fast, too! It's been almost a year since we booked on the trip (mid-June sometime) and even longer that we were talking about doing it. Can't believe it's a month away now. I am still all right now, but the weeks leading up to it I am worried my head will explode with excitement.

But back to you guys, it will come unbeleivably fast! Oh, and I like your "Once in a long time" comment. That's how we feel about Australia. Maybe again someday...where someday is a vague future a decade or more away.

 

[amazingact21]

Smart thinking ordering your tickets in advance before the price increase. My DH and I were just discussing doing the very same thing the other day. Why pay more when you can just plan a little in advance and stay on top of things?
I'd be pretty excited for Universal tickets, too. I've yet to see the WWoHP, too, and it's killing me! You'll have to take tons of pictures while you're there so I can at least pretend I'm there while reading your TR.

 

[khertz]

Smart thinking ordering your tickets in advance before the price increase. My DH and I were just discussing doing the very same thing the other day. Why pay more when you can just plan a little in advance and stay on top of things?
I'd be pretty excited for Universal tickets, too. I've yet to see the WWoHP, too, and it's killing me! You'll have to take tons of pictures while you're there so I can at least pretend I'm there while reading your TR.

Totally agree...It can be so hard to stay ahead of those price increases! But it is definitely worth watching like a hawk to try and save any money possible. Every little bit helps when it comes to saving for a Disney vacation, right?!

Trust me, there will be TONS of pictures taken of WWoHP! I'm so excited about it I can hardly stand it!!! And did you hear the announcement about the expansion into Universal Studios opening next year? Even more to be excited about for our next trip!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Trust me, there will be TONS of pictures taken of WWoHP! I'm so excited about it I can hardly stand it!!! And did you hear the announcement about the expansion into Universal Studios opening next year? Even more to be excited about for our next trip!

So excited for you and Universal! I haven't been there in ages. Maybe in a couple of more years we'll try it with the kids.

 

[khertz]

So excited for you and Universal! I haven't been there in ages. Maybe in a couple of more years we'll try it with the kids.

Thanks! I'm excited, but still a little worried about Paxton being too small to ride a lot of things. Normally I would go for 2 days in Universal, but with the fact that he will be spending a lot of time in the stroller while we ride things, we decided one day will just have to be enough, and we know we probably won't get to ride everything we usually would. Mostly we are just ready to see WWoHP and the rest will be a highlights tour of the rest of IoA and US.

 

[khertz]

In WDW trip news, my Tinkerbell costume came in the mail today! It's a little (okay, a LOT) more see-through than I would have guessed. So it's a good thing I got the actual costume so cheap, because I will definitely be needing to purchase something to go underneath!

And back in Tennessee...

Tuesday April 23rd

The morning was a little strange...we woke up to find DS soaked in his PnP because at some point in the night he had taken his diaper completely off! So we threw in a load of laundry to wash his pajamas and blankets, got dressed, and headed out for breakfast at Mama's Farmhouse.

We were one of the only cars in the parking lot so we thought maybe they weren't open yet, but nope, we were just the first ones there! It was a very cute space, themed of course like a farmhouse. It didn't look big from the outside but inside it was just huge! The walls were filled with pictures, both from way way back in the family up until what looked to be fairly recently.

DH took this picture to show we were the only ones there!​

All of the meals here are served family style. We started off with chocolate milks for DH and I and a plain milk for DS. Then our first round of food came out, some pinwheels with peach butter and a bowl of mixed fruit. The pinwheels were really good, almost like a little flaky cinnamon roll. DS mostly ate those.

Then came the rest of the food, and oh my goodness was there a lot of it!

We were served two kinds of pancakes, buttermilk and sweet potato, biscuits, sausage patties, bacon, grits, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, baked apples, and a few fried chicken tenders. All of the food was absolutely delicious! I know we ended up asking for more biscuits because they were heavenly. DH made himself a few different "sandwich" combinations with the biscuits, eggs, and meats. We were absolutely stuffed when we left. There was a big toy chest in the front lobby that DS was allowed to choose a toy from before we left. Everyone there was so sweet and it was a really great meal!

When we stepped outside, we looked around at the "play" area they have off of the porch for I guess when they get busy and people are waiting for tables. They had hula hoops, a couple of cornhole games, and this outhouse that both of the boys IMMEDIATELY decided to go into!

Don't worry it was not actually usable!! lol​

When we got back to the resort, we changed into our bathing suits and got ready to head down to the indoor water park. We still had to wait around though for it to open. That was one thing I didn't mention in the first post. When we got in that night and were planning out our week, we were really disappointed to see that the only thing open Mon-Thurs was the indoor water park and it didn't open until 10 am. We didn't get to spend nearly as much time there as we would have liked had they opened earlier in the morning!

Once 10 am hit, we walked over to the water park and went immediately to the kiddie area with DS. Eventually he wanted to go over to the other side which was still pretty much for kids but with a lot more water features to enjoy. We also spent a little time in the wave pool, but not much.

We were down there for about an hour before we headed back upstairs for a light lunch at 11. DS finished off his grilled cheese from Bullfish the day before, and ran around some to burn off energy. I don't think DH or I did more than snack since we were still full from breakfast! At some point between then and DS's naptime, a Wyndham rep came to get us signed up for an owner's update that we ended up rescheduling once and then cancelling altogether.

DS went down for a nap at 12 and we got him up at 1:15. Much shorter than what he is used to, but unfortunately, I was not able to get an ideal time booked for our horseback riding excursion, so we just had to make do with the short nap. We were riding at Walden's Creek Stables.

We signed in for our 2 pm ride and had a few minutes to look around the gift shop. We didn't end up buying anything, although I can't say one of these didn't tempt us once we saw it on DS!

​

Then it was time to go meet the horses! There was only one other couple on the ride, so it was a very small group and it didn't take us long to get put on our horses. DH and DS were on a large horse named Skybug, while I was on a smaller horse named Bella. The girl helping me on said sometimes I'd have to treat her like a 5 year old who misbehaves and that she likes to stop and eat anything green...GREAT!

We set off with the guide, Ryan, first, then the other couple, then DH and DS, and me and Bella were bringing up the rear. Literally. She started out following the other horses just fine, but then we just kept falling further and further behind. Every once in awhile, the guide would call out, "Come on, Bella!" but it didn't help. So then we get to the first little stream to cross, and...Bella decides to stop and eat. And I literally could not get her moving!!! The guide had to stop and come to the back to help me. I was SO embarrassed! At the beginning of the ride, I was feeling pretty awful and upset that they had given me this horse who seemed to be the only uncooperative one, especially when I told them I had never ridden before. But about halfway through, I could start to tell when Bella was ready for a snack and I could stop her before her head got to the ground.

However, Bella was still pretty slow! Here is a picture DH took of me just to show how far behind we were from the group.

The guide nicknamed me "Bear Bait"

And a selfie of him and DS

Beautiful scenery!​

We stopped before we headed into the mountains and the guide took a picture of both groups on their horses for us. Forgot to mention, the couple on the ride with us was from Baton Rouge! The guide was pretty impressed and said that will probably never happen again, two different groups being from a place within less than 60 miles of each other and don't know each other!

Another one DH took of me and Bella while stopped

Skybug was so big I couldn't get him in with the picture of DH and DS from that close up!​

Once we were in the mountains with steep inclines and declines, DS was not too crazy about the whole horseback riding thing. He started really getting upset at one point, and was of course crying for me to hold him with no way of actually doing that. So we just had to keep reassuring him, and eventually he was okay. He especially loved when we would walk through the streams, so the guide would let him know when that was coming up!

When we got back to the stables, we gave the horses a chance to have a drink of water, and then they walked back to the ramps where we could get on and off. We said goodbye to our horses and tipped the guide before leaving.

One last photo of Skybug with Bella in the background
​

Since it was still mid-afternoon, we decided to find something else to do to hold us off until dinner instead of heading back to the resort right away. We ended up stopped at the outlet mall for a little bit of shopping. We were mostly looking at the kids clothing stores, but we didn't find too much. In fact, I don't know if we bought anything at all until we ended up here!

Admittedly, there wasn't much there either. But we did end up with a few t-shirts for DS and a Mickey polo for DH. Plus it was just fun to be around Disney stuff again!

Another one from the outlets...we had a heck of a time getting him out of that thing!​

Then we headed for dinner at The Old Mill Restaurant.

Before heading inside, there was a little river with lots of ducks and pigeons around, and DS started running over there as soon as we set him on the ground.

Eventually we tore him away from the ducks and went inside. Another HUGE restaurant, but it was pretty busy in there (and we are early eaters) so it's not a surprise that they have a ton of tables.

All of the meals start off with a small cup of corn chowder and a basket of corn fritters with maple butter. The soup was delicious, and I had no idea what corn fritters were, but I gave them a try, and Oh. My. God. They were amazing! Little fried balls of something that tasted kind of like cornbread but not as crumbly. They were good by themselves, but even more amazing with the maple butter. I seriously couldn't stop eating them!!

But I eventually needed to because our food came. I got the fried catfish, which came with 3 huge fillets of fish, with mashed potatoes. DH got trout with a side of fries. We were also served green beans and biscuits family style, and we each got a dessert that was included. DS got the chicken tenders with mac & cheese that he was trying to feed to Lightning McQueen.

I had leftover catfish and potatoes to take home, and DS had most of his chicken leftover, but DH ate pretty much all of his. However, we were all stuffed so we took our desserts to go. I got the homemade pecan pie, and DH got a piece of chocolate cake. Old Mill was one of my favorite meals of the whole trip!

After dinner, we headed back to the resort for baths and got DS down to bed since that little nap had left him kind of cranky. We did some laundry and got to bed!

UP NEXT: Rained Out

 

[afwdwfan]

Wow, for a laid back trip, you're really packing in a lot of activities!

I've got to ask where Mama's Farm House is? I've never been there before, but after seeing that breakfast, I think I might have to change that! It looks incredible!

I'm glad you had a nice afternoon of horseback riding, even if your horse was a littlle slow. I'd probably be right there with you though. I've lived my whole life around horses, but I don't think I've been on one in probably 15 years. My sisters are really into horses, but I always argue that my 4 wheeler is better because it always does what I tell it to and it doesn't burn gas when I'm not riding it.

I love the Old Mill. It is an interesting place, even if you don't eat there. I'm glad you enjoyed the meal so much. You guys definitely had plenty to eat that day!

 

[khertz]

Wow, for a laid back trip, you're really packing in a lot of activities!

I've got to ask where Mama's Farm House is? I've never been there before, but after seeing that breakfast, I think I might have to change that! It looks incredible!

I'm glad you had a nice afternoon of horseback riding, even if your horse was a littlle slow. I'd probably be right there with you though. I've lived my whole life around horses, but I don't think I've been on one in probably 15 years. My sisters are really into horses, but I always argue that my 4 wheeler is better because it always does what I tell it to and it doesn't burn gas when I'm not riding it.

I love the Old Mill. It is an interesting place, even if you don't eat there. I'm glad you enjoyed the meal so much. You guys definitely had plenty to eat that day!

Well, "laid back" for us is more, wake up whenever we wake up and get moving when we get moving and get in early. So in that sense, we accomplished what we set out to do! I think we would have spent a lot more mornings by the pool if it had been open. And with us liking to eat lunch earlier, we just didn't get a lot of time to hang out at the water park like we had planned on doing.

Mama's Farmhouse is off the Parkway by the Smoky Mountain Car Museum. Not sure how familiar you are with that, but it was the biggest place I could find as a reference point on Google maps! Haha. Definitely look out for it next time. The lunch and dinner sounded really great too, but we had SO many other places we wanted to eat!

Horseback riding was fun, but I don't know if it's something I'd need to do a lot of in my life! For my first time, it was a really fun experience and I'm glad we did it and that we went with Walden's Creek. A friend recommended it to me, and everyone we encountered there was great, the trail was nice, and the horses were all well trained and looked well taken care of.

That's why we skipped lunch, we knew we were going to have a big breakfast and a big dinner! Every bite of Old Mill food was absolutely delicious. Like I said, one of my top meals of the whole week!

 

[MEK]

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So So cute. I don't know how you ever resisted buying that!

Breakfast - OMG - huge! Now that's what I call breakfast.

Water park - looks really nice and clean. Plus you had the whole place to yourself.

Horseback riding - very fun!

Disney store - who can resist?

And dinner - yum! I guess McQueen was hungry?

What a fun day!