Trick or Tweet! The Lurkyloos Do F&W, etc: 11/8 Last Day at WDW!

[NeverlandClub23]

Yes, do that! And if some miracle occurs and we're able to get to WDW for the DIS Harry Potter Party, maybe I can treat you to that bar in person!

Absolutely!

I love that idea too! And I'm sure Disney would love it if you bought ALL the different Duffys and put one patch on each—you know, like the Care Bears!

 

[BurleyGirl]

Soooo, lurkyloo, inquiring minds want to know...what is your favorite viewing spot for Illuminations? And, would you recommend viewing while dining or separate the two?

 

[Disneygrl36]

Another jammy packed day!

Wow, called out by the Disney Geek himself.

Those Illuminations photos are SO good. Looks like Hacienda is going on my list of spots to try for sure. I hated the food at the previous CS location there....it was mexican slop, but this food looks great & looks like the viewing of Illuminations can't be beat.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Love your review of the Hacienda! We're eating for the first time at San Angel Inn (took me forever [technically, 18 years] to convince my travel companions to try this place) during our next trip, your review almost makes me want to switch! But I figure we'll try it eventually....(hopefully not another 18 years).

How funny that Jeffrey (or is it Jeffery? Too lazy to go back and check) knew you! D23 board meeting: Jeffrey: "Yeah, lurkyloo's complaining about those patches again..."

Thank you for the succinct pin trading instructions . Very helpful.

I'm the worst kind of water-park person. I think I love water parks, until I actually get there. I convince everyone else to go and then complain about being cold and wanting to leave . And you would think they would put some sort of rubberized mats in areas of possible scrape-age, I always end up with knees, feet, or hands scraped! Do you think Patrick's water park desires have been satisfied or do you see this as a recurring theme on future trips?

 

[lurkyloo]

Seems like you guys had a great day!! We really enjoyed La Hacienda too, aren't those star lamps cool? I was curious as to what the Illuminations view was, looks great!

The globe part is SO not boring! That's my favorite part, and I always get all annoyed when people around me start sighing and looking at their watches. I'm like "look at the globe, people! I think that was a zebra just running across!"

Seriously—that globe's got all KINDS of things running across it to hold your interest!

Soooo, lurkyloo, inquiring minds want to know...what is your favorite viewing spot for Illuminations? And, would you recommend viewing while dining or separate the two?

Let's see... the plaza between the two shops at the entrance to World Showcase, if you can get all the way up to the front-most railing. Then UK Lochside and UK Pubside (so Rose & Crown too, I guess—never done a regular ADR there). Followed by Italy Isola and Hacienda de San Angel. And I think viewing while dining is fantastic, as long as you are done eating before it starts (cuz I like to be able to concentrate on my food).

This is fun... more questions!!! More, I say!!!

Another jammy packed day!

Wow, called out by the Disney Geek himself.

Those Illuminations photos are SO good. Looks like Hacienda is going on my list of spots to try for sure. I hated the food at the previous CS location there....it was mexican slop, but this food looks great & looks like the viewing of Illuminations can't be beat.

Mexican slop! Yeah, we were really impressed. We expected it to be a pricier version of the mediocre stuff they used to serve at San Angel in, but it really was fine dining.

Love your review of the Hacienda! We're eating for the first time at San Angel Inn (took me forever [technically, 18 years] to convince my travel companions to try this place) during our next trip, your review almost makes me want to switch! But I figure we'll try it eventually....(hopefully not another 18 years).

I bet you'll like it! They've revamped the menu in the last year or so to try to be more fresh and authentic. The appetizers are especially interesting.

I'm the worst kind of water-park person. I think I love water parks, until I actually get there. I convince everyone else to go and then complain about being cold and wanting to leave . And you would think they would put some sort of rubberized mats in areas of possible scrape-age, I always end up with knees, feet, or hands scraped! Do you think Patrick's water park desires have been satisfied or do you see this as a recurring theme on future trips?

I think they will NEVER be satisfied... NEVER!!! And yeah, why no rubber mats? Or that squishy stuff they use for water-play areas? Also, I will try to remember to never let you talk me into going to a water park either...

 

[MEK]

Nice update! Both Patrick and you took wonderful pictures.

And I thought I was the only one who got battered around by space mountain.

For not liking water parks I am pretty impressed that you did the water wedgy ride. I didn't think I was ever going to find the end of my bathing suit it was wedged so deep. I think summit plummet is too steep to give a wedgy.

 

[Aburns8]

Wow, what a day. We still haven't been to a water park. Like you, I am not a fan. We just ate at the Plaza a couple weeks ago. I had a wonderful cheeseburger and chips. Yummy place. I agree, the Hacienda is pretty good. We ate there in May and we were surprised on how yummy our food was!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

All caught up! Loving your reports, as always, and so nice to have gotten to meet you and Patrick in person! And I will attest to the fact that you two are just as nice and fun and generally awesome as you seem here in DIS-land.

I too have been watching the Sip and Stroll tickets. I will be there again this year but will not be participating. I just found that whole event to be very poorly coordinated with only a few high points. And, no, patches weren't one of them. Although now that I know there is an ebay market...

I was pleased to see they moved the stroll to a Monday this year. Coordinating 100+ people through WS on any day is nuts but on a weekend during F&W? Pure insanity.

Looking forward to keeping up with your adventures and hope that we will cross paths in the World sometime again soon!

 

[mousescrapper]

No worries! Call the direct line—it's actually to Private Dining, which runs interference for the bakery. The person you'll speak to works in Private Dining and relays all the info to the bakery.

If it helps, those mini cakes are plenty for two people. I know they look small, but if you split 'em straight down the middle, it's like getting two regular slices of cake (with a lot more frosting!). And I tend to agree with Matt on that particular white chocolate castle—it's so rough-hewn as to be practically unrecognizable... probably something to do with how small it is...

Getting fresh strawberries shouldn't be any more expensive than any other kind of cake. It's really the decorations that bump up the price. The two mini cakes you posted are among the least expensive mini cakes Disney makes, just cuz the decorations are so simple.

Good luck! Can't wait to see what you get!

thanks so much very helpful

boy that castle sure likes the spot light huh? love all the great photos and your dinner sounded wonderful, you sure did have a very busy day...sorry about the toe at BB

 

[lpizzuro123]

Wow - I hardly ever come over to the trip board but glad I did. I have missed you over on the wedding board but I see where most of your time is being spent. I am up to page 9 but just had to chime in here. I am so enjoying this. We were also down in WDW last October for MNSSHP and the F&W festival. Love that time of year. Can't wait till I finish this review and then I can go on to more of your reports.

BTW - I still love seeing everything wedding going on at Disney and am planning on scheduling a Five Year Anniversary party in 11/13.

We are planning on heading to Disney the day after Thanksgiving this year for 5 or 6 days and maybe for a week or so next May. When is your next trip down. Hopefully we will bump into you on one of our trips down there.

Linda

 

[jillybeene71]

Believe it or not in our 6 trips to the world, I have never seen Illuminations, we did wait 2 hours somewhere by France 2 years ago, but left cause trees were blocking the globe. We are heading back for Thanksgiving and we have one chance to catch it again...I can sit through Wishes every night, but Im thinking this is the one and only time we'll do Illuminations. In your opinion, what is the perfect spot to watch and catch everything, with no blockages??


*edit...so I went back and read, and you already answered someone else. Next time Ill read through to the last page before I post something!

 

[lpizzuro123]

We are two of the many IllumiNations lovers. If you are going to be there between Thanksgiving and NYE you definately have to catch IllumiNations. There is a special ending they do - only a few minutes long - but it is really moving. We like watching from the bride in Italy - or anywhere in Italy on the water. I know alot of people say - it's in the sky - you do not have to be right on the waters edge to see it - and yes alot is in the sky but there is alot right on the water - and if you do not want any trees blocking your view - right on the waters edge is best.

Please give it a try.

Linda

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I'm looking forward to dinner at San Angel, if nothing else for the atmosphere. I figure if I'm still hungry 'cause I didn't really like my meal, there's always cake to be had somewhere!

Really?! I think you should try a water park with me!!! It'll be really fun!! Water shooting up yer nose, going to a public restroom with just a bathing suit on, sitting on chairs and benches with just your bathing suit on as your thighs squish towards you looking 5 times bigger than normal, watching some kid cough violently on the tube he's leaving and handing over to you on the lazy river, walking barefoot around and having some piece of random, gross trash stick to yer foot...See? F-U-N!!!

I was just rummaging through Etsy (which has become my greatest pastime...) and saw this turquoise dahlia barrette and thought of you. I actually bought a necklace from her for our yet-unplanned-but-soon-to-be-planned dessert party.

Do you and Patrick get the opportunity to help decorate Dick Van Whatsthepointoftypingit's house again this year? I remember you saying you did this years ago, but didn't know if it was an annual thing.

 

[lurkyloo]

Nice update! Both Patrick and you took wonderful pictures.

And I thought I was the only one who got battered around by space mountain.

For not liking water parks I am pretty impressed that you did the water wedgy ride. I didn't think I was ever going to find the end of my bathing suit it was wedged so deep. I think summit plummet is too steep to give a wedgy.

I think you may be right!

Wow, what a day. We still haven't been to a water park. Like you, I am not a fan. We just ate at the Plaza a couple weeks ago. I had a wonderful cheeseburger and chips. Yummy place. I agree, the Hacienda is pretty good. We ate there in May and we were surprised on how yummy our food was!

Oh good—I'm glad to hear it's still good!

I too have been watching the Sip and Stroll tickets. I will be there again this year but will not be participating. I just found that whole event to be very poorly coordinated with only a few high points. And, no, patches weren't one of them. Although now that I know there is an ebay market...

I was pleased to see they moved the stroll to a Monday this year. Coordinating 100+ people through WS on any day is nuts but on a weekend during F&W? Pure insanity.

Looking forward to keeping up with your adventures and hope that we will cross paths in the World sometime again soon!

Hey, you! Good to see you here! OK, I'm so glad to know we aren't the only ones less-than-impressed with D23's events lately. Oh, and have you seen the latest? Now D23 has a whole article on their site about the Top 5 reasons to meet Bob Gurr at Sip & Stroll in a desperate attempt to sell more tickets. (Nothing against Bob Gurr—he's fantastic! But you can see him so many other places than an overpriced booze-crawl through World Showcase)

thanks so much very helpful

boy that castle sure likes the spot light huh? love all the great photos and your dinner sounded wonderful, you sure did have a very busy day...sorry about the toe at BB

Aw, thanks!

Wow - I hardly ever come over to the trip board but glad I did. I have missed you over on the wedding board but I see where most of your time is being spent. I am up to page 9 but just had to chime in here. I am so enjoying this. We were also down in WDW last October for MNSSHP and the F&W festival. Love that time of year. Can't wait till I finish this review and then I can go on to more of your reports.

BTW - I still love seeing everything wedding going on at Disney and am planning on scheduling a Five Year Anniversary party in 11/13.

We are planning on heading to Disney the day after Thanksgiving this year for 5 or 6 days and maybe for a week or so next May. When is your next trip down. Hopefully we will bump into you on one of our trips down there.

Linda

Hi Linda! Great to see you here! I am so excited to hear more about your anniversary party as you plan it—great idea! Right now we have NO trips planned to WDW in the near future. But I am not allowed to complain, because I got to go three times already this year! Hopefully, though, the next time we do go, you'll be there too!

Believe it or not in our 6 trips to the world, I have never seen Illuminations, we did wait 2 hours somewhere by France 2 years ago, but left cause trees were blocking the globe. We are heading back for Thanksgiving and we have one chance to catch it again...I can sit through Wishes every night, but Im thinking this is the one and only time we'll do Illuminations. In your opinion, what is the perfect spot to watch and catch everything, with no blockages??


*edit...so I went back and read, and you already answered someone else. Next time Ill read through to the last page before I post something!

That's OK! I love to give my opinion! Over and over and over... So, yes, I definitely recommend you give it another try from one of those spots. It can be tricky b/c often the best ones are taken by private parties. But basically if you can get close to the railing and have NO overhanging trees, you should have a good view. When all the best places are taken, we like the little area between France and Morocco, which is usually pretty dead if you get there about 30 minutes before.

It looks like the trees would block your view, but they don't.

Really?! I think you should try a water park with me!!! It'll be really fun!! Water shooting up yer nose, going to a public restroom with just a bathing suit on, sitting on chairs and benches with just your bathing suit on as your thighs squish towards you looking 5 times bigger than normal, watching some kid cough violently on the tube he's leaving and handing over to you on the lazy river, walking barefoot around and having some piece of random, gross trash stick to yer foot...See? F-U-N!!!

OK, you've convinced me! ...Convinced me that we would have more fun together complaining/making fun at a water park than actually swimming!

I was just rummaging through Etsy (which has become my greatest pastime...) and saw this turquoise dahlia barrette and thought of you. I actually bought a necklace from her for our yet-unplanned-but-soon-to-be-planned dessert party.

LOVE it - thanks for the link!

Do you and Patrick get the opportunity to help decorate Dick Van Whatsthepointoftypingit's house again this year? I remember you saying you did this years ago, but didn't know if it was an annual thing.

So far we've been able to do it every year for the last three, but it's always super-last-minute, and the likelihood of it actually happening is touch-and-go til we get there. So we're looking forward to it but won't get our hopes up...

 

[lurkyloo]

Today was our Animal Kingdom Day—including our first time on Backstage Safari! We got up bright and early to be there in time for rope drop so we could see some of the park before our tour. Today's update is jammy packed with photos, so… hope ya like animals!

OK, nobody forget where we parked!

…Or what locker we used!

For once we took our time at rope drop, stopping to look at the animals at the front of the park and talk to the handlers who are there to distract you from the Dash to Everest.

"Hey, lemme outta here!"

THEN we dashed to Everest. We got FASTPASSES and also rode it twice in a row!

The track was damaged AGAIN! They really got get some yeti repellent or something…

I think this might be my favorite part! Lots to look at, plenty of anticipation…

 

[lurkyloo]

After that, Patrick traded some pins and we meandered over to Kilimanjaro Safaris.

They should sell these…

We waited in line for the safari for about 5 minutes, but it was moving too slow. So we decided to skip it and wander around while we waited for the reservation at Tusker House I'd made using my iPhone while we stood in line!

Patrick looooves the naked mole rats…

 

[lurkyloo]

I dunno how Patrick was getting these shots—this one looks like he's leaning right over the little guy!

Aw, I love these guys… they're so goofy-lookin'!

I also love the area where the gorillas live—so lush!

What's better than a close-up of a flower…?

… A close-up of a flower with a BUTTERFLY on it!

OK, maybe that was too many close-ups of a flower with a butterfly on it…

This gorilla does not seem to know the meaning of the phrase "get my good side"…

Oh, we're back to this, are we?

I really really wish these treats tasted as good as they look!

 

[lurkyloo]

Tusker House is not exactly my favorite place to eat, what with its being a buffet and all, but the pickings in Animal Kingdom are slim and the theming is great. Plus, Patrick had never had more than a glance inside, so it was fun because it was new for him.

Too bad we couldn't use this… I think we gave it to some other guests. I hope we did!

As usual, I made sure to document every anonymous platter of food, but somehow I overlooked their signs, so… you'll have to make it up!

Desserty thingies

A classic African specialty, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches

"Clammy cold cuts"

"Meat"

Oh wait—here's a sign!

My own favorite indigenous dish, corn dog nuggets!

 

[lurkyloo]

After lunch we went to the meeting spot for Backstage Safari, which I can't remember where it was. I think it was toward the front of the park. Our guide got us all fixed up with earphones and then took us backstage to get on an air-conditioned mini bus that took us from place to place—essential at the park with the biggest backstage area at Disney World. Unfortunately, because we were backstage most of the time, we weren't allowed to take pictures. But I will show you the private safari we got to go on.

I liked our guide immediately. She was so sharp, so knowledgeable, so friendly and a great instructor. As we started the drive to our first tour stop, she pointed out and explained everything we saw backstage, and she even addressed some of the rumors about the addition of an Australia "land" in some of the unused space. (Of course now we all know how THAT turned out…)

I was very excited when our guide said she was being trained to lead the Wild Africa Trek, which was still in the planning stages at the time. We didn't end up getting her when we did that tour for our anniversary a few months later, but our guides were just as good.

Our first stop was the kitchen where they prepare all the animal food, which was really cool till they showed us the frozen dead bunnies. After that I was kinda traumatized and just wanted to get to the next part. Next they bused us to the ginormous giraffe enclosure, where we got to stand in the blazing sun and peep through the bars at a giraffe and her baby. We also got to go inside the barn where she sleeps at night. I think maybe the giraffe replaced the white rhino on the tour, who you used to get to pet. Giraffes are apparently not as pettable…

From there we went to the bird house and met a zoologist who told us all about the birds there while one of our tourmates nearly passed out (and there weren't even frozen dead bunnies!). Our guide and her assistant were all over the situation, and the girl eventually decided to spend the rest of the tour sitting in the air-conditioned minibus. From there we went to the elephant enclosure, which was HUGE! We got to see inside where they go at night, and we learned about two female elephants who have become BFFs and always have to sleep next to each other at night—awwwwwww!

I'm not sure where in the tour our private safari was, so I'm putting it here. Our guide sat up front and took over narrating from the driver, giving us extra tidbits about all the animals we saw (none of which I can remember now—sorry!!!).

This part was a bit like what we eventually experienced on the Wild Africa Trek, but we didn't get to linger as long at the stops as they let you on the trek. Hence the blurry photos…

 

[lurkyloo]

Along the way we got to see the future site of the outpost where you get snacks and make bathroom breaks during the Wild Africa Trek.

Future home of Arco!

LION! Lionlionlionlion! I see a lion!

Pumbaaaaaaa!

Ostrich: "What…? This IS my best side!"

Our last stop was the veterinary lab out at Rifiki's Planet Watch. Thankfully for squeamish me, there was no surgery going on at the time. After our tour, we were put in a conference room with some salty snacks to watch two videos and fill out a post-tour survey. We also learned a little bit more about Wild Africa Trek and were each given a plastic mug that said Backstage Safari on it. Of course we gave the tour glowing reviews—I was only disappointed not to have any animal interaction at all. I just wanted to pet something… a lizard, a bug—anything!

At the end of the tour we were released into Rafiki's Planet Watch, one of my least favorite areas of the park. They were having an owl demonstration, though, so we stayed for that and got to meet the owl after!

I guess you wouldn't really call this "meeting" the owl… more like "sitting in front of it as it completely ignores you…"

This mural is entitled "Mostly Animals You Won't See at Disney's Animal Kingdom"

Red panda!

Awwwwwwww!