Ultimate Budget Trip Day 6 ~ monorail shopping, exploring Kissimmee, scary gift shops
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stacy347
I carried a watermelon?
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Nice updates!! The Poly and Wilderness Lodge have alway been at the top of my if-I-could-only-justify-a-deluxe list, but all the AKL stuff I see in TRs is really making me wanna try that! Call me nuts, but what exactly is a zebra dome? I see them all the time and they must be good, but I don't even know what they are!
"but I did manage to yell out "Africa" at the right times." Love it!!
Lovin your TR & can't wait to see more!
Thank you!
The zebra domes were so good! The best way I can explain them is...a cakey layer on bottom, a rich mousse in the middle and they are topped with white and dark chocolate drizzles and sprinkles. They are small and very rich! I can't wait to have them again!!
Thank you
Yes, this was our first time off-site and honestly, I was super nervous about it beforehand. By the time our week was over though, I knew Seralago would be our new home resort until we could afford to stay Deluxe. We had all the comforts of a Value at WDW at less than 1/3 of the cost. If you're used to staying Deluxe/Villas, it would definitely be a big step down, so your family may not be over the top about it, to be honest. For us it was great though!
Thanks ~ I still can't believe how much fun we had this trip on such a tight budget!
Try the Zebra Domes...you'll love them!!
stacy347
I carried a watermelon?
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After an absolutely wonderful time exploring AKL, we were ready to head over to the Boardwalk! We had never been there before and I had read a lot of lovely things about it on the DisBoards.
Once we got parked, we decided to head into the hotel itself for a moment. We wanted to see the models in the lobby and just browse around. It is pretty spectacular here and while I don't see an actual stay here in our family's future, we will definitely be back to visit.
Us girls needed to use the restroom so we headed over that way and even the bathrooms here were impressive, LOL. I think that may have been the first time my girls used a public restroom with actual hand towels and not paper towels, LOL! Oh, the things that impress us simple Michiganders, LOL!
We had only been out of the building for a few minutes when Paige realized she had left her ring in the bathroom when washing her hands.
Bless Nicole's heart, she ran her back to grab it so I didn't have to run and thankfully, it was still sitting there on the sink.
With that business being taken care of, we start walking down to the actual Boardwalk.
The view down here at night is really something! My DSis and I decided we could easily spend every evening just walking here.
We popped into a couple of the gift shops and my oldest DD spotted this Beauty and the Beast piece (she has been collecting pieces from this movie since she was just a little thing)...$200 price tag...sorry, not happening on the Ultimate Budget Trip, LOL!
At the next gift shop, there was a bucket full of those button pins. I had been sticking my pins on my bag all week and was looking for a couple more. The bucket was really full and there were a lot of different styles in there so it would have taken forever to go through them all. The CM was chatting with us and all of a sudden, she dumped the whole bucket out on the counter and said, "Now, isn't that much easier?"
She was so nice and funny and honestly, where else besides WDW are you going to find someone be that helpful on a sale that is only going to be a couple of $1 pins?
Some of the pins that ended up on my bag:
There is one of those photobooths on the Boardwalk and we tried squeezing all the girls in for a pic (my nephew wanted no part of that, LOL) ~ it ended up being basically my niece's face with bits and pieces of my girls in the background, LOL. It's $5 for a sheet of pics and you get to pick from different WDW backgrounds. Pretty good deal actually!
We ended up walking down here for quite a long time. We went all the way down the beach area and back and got to see the pool area and the bikes that you can rent. Oh my goodness, people were hilarious on those bikes! I can't even tell you how many times we had to jump out of the way due to people not being able to steer those things!
As we were coming back around, there was juggler just starting his show. He was very good at it and he had all the kids sit up front for a good view.
It was just a wonderful, relaxing day at WDW! Can't wait to do it again!
Up next ~ Downtown Disney/DisneyQuest day!
Once we got parked, we decided to head into the hotel itself for a moment. We wanted to see the models in the lobby and just browse around. It is pretty spectacular here and while I don't see an actual stay here in our family's future, we will definitely be back to visit.
Us girls needed to use the restroom so we headed over that way and even the bathrooms here were impressive, LOL. I think that may have been the first time my girls used a public restroom with actual hand towels and not paper towels, LOL! Oh, the things that impress us simple Michiganders, LOL!
We had only been out of the building for a few minutes when Paige realized she had left her ring in the bathroom when washing her hands.
Bless Nicole's heart, she ran her back to grab it so I didn't have to run and thankfully, it was still sitting there on the sink. With that business being taken care of, we start walking down to the actual Boardwalk.
The view down here at night is really something! My DSis and I decided we could easily spend every evening just walking here.
We popped into a couple of the gift shops and my oldest DD spotted this Beauty and the Beast piece (she has been collecting pieces from this movie since she was just a little thing)...$200 price tag...sorry, not happening on the Ultimate Budget Trip, LOL!
At the next gift shop, there was a bucket full of those button pins. I had been sticking my pins on my bag all week and was looking for a couple more. The bucket was really full and there were a lot of different styles in there so it would have taken forever to go through them all. The CM was chatting with us and all of a sudden, she dumped the whole bucket out on the counter and said, "Now, isn't that much easier?"
She was so nice and funny and honestly, where else besides WDW are you going to find someone be that helpful on a sale that is only going to be a couple of $1 pins? Some of the pins that ended up on my bag:
There is one of those photobooths on the Boardwalk and we tried squeezing all the girls in for a pic (my nephew wanted no part of that, LOL) ~ it ended up being basically my niece's face with bits and pieces of my girls in the background, LOL. It's $5 for a sheet of pics and you get to pick from different WDW backgrounds. Pretty good deal actually!
We ended up walking down here for quite a long time. We went all the way down the beach area and back and got to see the pool area and the bikes that you can rent. Oh my goodness, people were hilarious on those bikes! I can't even tell you how many times we had to jump out of the way due to people not being able to steer those things!
As we were coming back around, there was juggler just starting his show. He was very good at it and he had all the kids sit up front for a good view.
It was just a wonderful, relaxing day at WDW! Can't wait to do it again!
Up next ~ Downtown Disney/DisneyQuest day!
thelobstershanty
Parrotteer
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Great trip report! Did you see Illuminations while you were at the Boardwalk? You can not see the whole thing but you do get a pretty good view of the fireworks and you can hear the music. It is a great way to see Illuminations for free.
We LOVE BWV it is our DVC home away from home!
We LOVE BWV it is our DVC home away from home!
stacy347
I carried a watermelon?
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That was our first time at Pecos Bill's and we are officially hooked now! I never really got why people made such a big deal out of a burger place, but I do now!
We were so sidetracked with our sightseeing that we completely forgot to be down at the end of the BW to see it. We could hear it in the distance from where we were and I was kicking myself for that. Next time for sure!!
stacy347
I carried a watermelon?
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As with the rest of the days on this trip, we started off by having a quick breakfast in our room. I truly can't state enough how much I loved having a fridge for this trip!
This was a bit of an emotional day for me as my oldest DD was turning 17. She is such an amazing young woman and I am so darn proud of her I can't even put it into words. She has known since she was 12 years old that she wants to be a pediatrician and she has never swayed from that once. She is seriously busting her butt in school right now to get a head start in college. She took dual-enrollment classes last year and for her senior year now she has 3 AP classes and 2 advanced classes. I don't know how she does it to be honest, but I am in awe of her everyday.
Anyway, her turning 17 sort of just made it hit home for me that she is really not my little girl anymore so I was sort of weepy all day, LOL. Of course, being at WDW, I still had a fabulous day!!
We started out by heading over to DTD since our plan was to spend the day at DisneyQuest.
My DSis had already added on the WPF&M feature their tickets, but I had to head over to Guest Relations to upgrade our GAD tickets. We actually got to DTD before DisneyQuest or the GR window opened up so we browsed around for a bit.
All the kids ready to get the day started!
The hot air ballon ride that you can do at DTD now...being that I am terrified beyond belief of high places, I have no desire to do this, LOL!
I had read on the Dis that you can pop into the magic shop at DTD and get a free demonstration show. We decided to see if they were doing any and sure enough, as soon as we walked in they started up the tricks. The guys there are very entertaining and they have the tricks down pat...we were all impressed!
Magician and me
He had all the kids' attention
Couple of pics from a cool gift shop
Paige holding Iron Man Mr. Potato Head (I was so temped to buy this, LOL!)
Amanda designing a Vinylmation figure (you don't have to purchase them to draw a design and you get to keep your drawing as a souvenir)
By this time, the GR window was open for business! We walked over to do our ticket upgrade and the CM here was so nice. She started telling the girls all the best things to do at DQ and which rides to hit first so the lines would be shorter. The only thing that bummed me out a bit was that we had to trade in our really cool plastic GAD tickets for the regular paper-type WDW tickets. She was very apologetic about it, but it was the only way to do the upgrade. I wish I would have thought to at least take a pic of the cool GAD tickets, but it didn't occur to me till later.
Tickets in hand, we head into DisneyQuest. Getting in is half the fun I think! Once you go through the turnstiles, they send you into an elevator to head up to the games floors. When you step into the elevator it looks nice, but fairly normal...till the doors close!
As soon as the doors close, the elevator goes dark and one wall of it turns into a screen where Genie from Aladdin pops up and starts talking. So cool! There are other special effects as well and it really gets you in a good mood before you even hit the games.
I have to say that DQ was super confusing to me. I am probably the most directionally challenged person you'll ever meet, LOL. The floors are numbered but they are also lettered and trying to go by the map was seriously disorienting for me! It got to where I was just wandering aimlessly and doing whatever ride or game I came across! We let the older kids go off on their own here and we all kind of did our own thing most of the day. I felt so bad for Nicole because she had picked DQ for her birthday and she ended up having a horrible migraine the whole day. She did do some of the things and she isn't a big complainer, but I know she didn't have a great day. Thankfully there is a nice cafe area in DQ with comfy seats so she had somewhere to relax.
Paige and DSis chilling on the couch in the internet cafe
Some pics of the Cheshire Cat decorations in the cafe area (Chelsea loves everything Alice, so this was really cool to her!)
We started off at the Aladdin ride...it was awful, LOL. None of our controls worked properly, the graphics were terrible and after we were done, we were a bit apprehensive about the rest of the day.
Nicole on Aladdin
Aladdin area
Thankfully, that was the only really bad experience of the day!
We then headed over to try the Virtual Jungle Cruise ~ Oh man, this ride had us in hysterics!
It tosses you around like a rag doll and sprays you with water and is just a lot of fun!
Short video clip of me trying to control myself on Virtual Jungle Cruise ~ it's dark in there so not the best quality.
We the headed over to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We also loved this one! On this one, you wear 3D glasses and try to steer and aim cannons and guns at enemy ships to collect treasure. Nicole, Chelsea and I did this one together and had a blast!
Getting ready to start
At this point we decided to just go play lots of games and let the kids run free. There are so many cool games here and I had a lot of flashbacks to my childhood with some of classic arcade games. I think I spent a solid 20 minutes just on Centipede!
Random pics from DQ
This was a bit of an emotional day for me as my oldest DD was turning 17. She is such an amazing young woman and I am so darn proud of her I can't even put it into words. She has known since she was 12 years old that she wants to be a pediatrician and she has never swayed from that once. She is seriously busting her butt in school right now to get a head start in college. She took dual-enrollment classes last year and for her senior year now she has 3 AP classes and 2 advanced classes. I don't know how she does it to be honest, but I am in awe of her everyday.
Anyway, her turning 17 sort of just made it hit home for me that she is really not my little girl anymore so I was sort of weepy all day, LOL. Of course, being at WDW, I still had a fabulous day!!
We started out by heading over to DTD since our plan was to spend the day at DisneyQuest.
My DSis had already added on the WPF&M feature their tickets, but I had to head over to Guest Relations to upgrade our GAD tickets. We actually got to DTD before DisneyQuest or the GR window opened up so we browsed around for a bit.
All the kids ready to get the day started!
The hot air ballon ride that you can do at DTD now...being that I am terrified beyond belief of high places, I have no desire to do this, LOL!
I had read on the Dis that you can pop into the magic shop at DTD and get a free demonstration show. We decided to see if they were doing any and sure enough, as soon as we walked in they started up the tricks. The guys there are very entertaining and they have the tricks down pat...we were all impressed!
Magician and me
He had all the kids' attention
Couple of pics from a cool gift shop
Paige holding Iron Man Mr. Potato Head (I was so temped to buy this, LOL!)
Amanda designing a Vinylmation figure (you don't have to purchase them to draw a design and you get to keep your drawing as a souvenir)
By this time, the GR window was open for business! We walked over to do our ticket upgrade and the CM here was so nice.
She started telling the girls all the best things to do at DQ and which rides to hit first so the lines would be shorter. The only thing that bummed me out a bit was that we had to trade in our really cool plastic GAD tickets for the regular paper-type WDW tickets. She was very apologetic about it, but it was the only way to do the upgrade. I wish I would have thought to at least take a pic of the cool GAD tickets, but it didn't occur to me till later. Tickets in hand, we head into DisneyQuest. Getting in is half the fun I think! Once you go through the turnstiles, they send you into an elevator to head up to the games floors. When you step into the elevator it looks nice, but fairly normal...till the doors close!
As soon as the doors close, the elevator goes dark and one wall of it turns into a screen where Genie from Aladdin pops up and starts talking. So cool! There are other special effects as well and it really gets you in a good mood before you even hit the games.
I have to say that DQ was super confusing to me. I am probably the most directionally challenged person you'll ever meet, LOL. The floors are numbered but they are also lettered and trying to go by the map was seriously disorienting for me! It got to where I was just wandering aimlessly and doing whatever ride or game I came across!
We let the older kids go off on their own here and we all kind of did our own thing most of the day. I felt so bad for Nicole because she had picked DQ for her birthday and she ended up having a horrible migraine the whole day. She did do some of the things and she isn't a big complainer, but I know she didn't have a great day. Thankfully there is a nice cafe area in DQ with comfy seats so she had somewhere to relax.Paige and DSis chilling on the couch in the internet cafe
Some pics of the Cheshire Cat decorations in the cafe area (Chelsea loves everything Alice, so this was really cool to her!)
We started off at the Aladdin ride...it was awful, LOL. None of our controls worked properly, the graphics were terrible and after we were done, we were a bit apprehensive about the rest of the day.
Nicole on Aladdin
Aladdin area
Thankfully, that was the only really bad experience of the day!
We then headed over to try the Virtual Jungle Cruise ~ Oh man, this ride had us in hysterics!
It tosses you around like a rag doll and sprays you with water and is just a lot of fun!
Short video clip of me trying to control myself on Virtual Jungle Cruise ~ it's dark in there so not the best quality.
We the headed over to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We also loved this one! On this one, you wear 3D glasses and try to steer and aim cannons and guns at enemy ships to collect treasure. Nicole, Chelsea and I did this one together and had a blast!
Getting ready to start
At this point we decided to just go play lots of games and let the kids run free. There are so many cool games here and I had a lot of flashbacks to my childhood with some of classic arcade games.
I think I spent a solid 20 minutes just on Centipede! Random pics from DQ
stacy347
I carried a watermelon?
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For lunch this day we had packed up the cooler full of sandwiches, snacks and drinks. When everyone got hungry we went out to the vehicles and ate. It worked out very well and saved us quite a bit of money! We did a little more walking around mid-afternoon and came across some really neat performers at DTD. We couldn't believe how tall the stilts were that they were on!
They had the kids grab a hula hoop and join in the fun!
Some of the Lego displays ~ I can't even imagine the man hours it took to put these together!
After taking in some of the sights, we headed back into DQ to play some more!
We really wanted to try the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters, so we found our way over there.
DSis and myself in our vehicle.
This ride is intense! Your vehicle drives around and sucks up these really heavy balls which you have to shoot at the other vehicles. When one of them hits you, you feel it!! It is also a bumper car type ride, so you are getting hit in all sorts of different ways! One person steers and one shoots...and you really have to work well together to win. I loved this ride and can't wait to do it again!
They had the kids grab a hula hoop and join in the fun!
Some of the Lego displays ~ I can't even imagine the man hours it took to put these together!
After taking in some of the sights, we headed back into DQ to play some more!
We really wanted to try the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters, so we found our way over there.
DSis and myself in our vehicle.
This ride is intense! Your vehicle drives around and sucks up these really heavy balls which you have to shoot at the other vehicles. When one of them hits you, you feel it!! It is also a bumper car type ride, so you are getting hit in all sorts of different ways! One person steers and one shoots...and you really have to work well together to win. I loved this ride and can't wait to do it again!
stacy347
I carried a watermelon?
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There is a snack counter in the internet cafe and they have some really amazing treats there!
The girls had been trying to convince me to do Cyberspace Mountain most of the day. Honestly, it scared the heck out of me, LOL! I finally caved and went on, but designed a rather mild coaster ride. Holy cow, that thing jiggles the heck out of a person! The girls went on over and over and loved it! I did go on one more time, but that was pretty much all I could take.
Some more random pics of DQ
Our dinner plan for this evening was to head over to the walk-up window at Bongo's behind DQ. I had checked out the menu on Allears and it fit perfectly into our budget. It was so yummy!! We had Papa Rellenas, empanadas and Croquetas de Jamon. It is basically an a la carte menu and each item costs roughly $1. We ordered several of each and shared the baskets. As with pretty much all WDW CS places, ice water was free. Perfect place to have a different type of meal on a tight budget!
Dessert? Of course, a trip to DTD isn't complete without a free chocolate from Ghirardelli, right? Good stuff!!
We did a bit more walking around this evening and just relaxed. It is so nice to just walk around WDW pretty much anywhere on property (for me, anyway).
Getting spit on by Stitch
Cool gift shop pics
I want this chandelier!!
DQ at night
When it was getting dark, we decided it would be nice to hop on one of the boats at DTD and just kick back. Riding a boat in WDW at night is pure bliss to me!
When we were all done for the day, we headed back to Seralago and everyone came over to our room for birthday cake. It was a nice way to end the day and we had found a really pretty cake at the local Walmart bakery.
Favorite freebies of the day:
DVC Goofy pins
Ghirardelli chocolates
Magic show
Hula contest and performers
Free Mickey backpack for signing up for a new Disney Visa (OK, I already have one, LOL but I really wanted the free backpack!)
Up next:
Blizzard Beach!!
The girls had been trying to convince me to do Cyberspace Mountain most of the day. Honestly, it scared the heck out of me, LOL! I finally caved and went on, but designed a rather mild coaster ride. Holy cow, that thing jiggles the heck out of a person!
The girls went on over and over and loved it! I did go on one more time, but that was pretty much all I could take.Some more random pics of DQ
Our dinner plan for this evening was to head over to the walk-up window at Bongo's behind DQ. I had checked out the menu on Allears and it fit perfectly into our budget. It was so yummy!! We had Papa Rellenas, empanadas and Croquetas de Jamon. It is basically an a la carte menu and each item costs roughly $1. We ordered several of each and shared the baskets. As with pretty much all WDW CS places, ice water was free. Perfect place to have a different type of meal on a tight budget!
Dessert? Of course, a trip to DTD isn't complete without a free chocolate from Ghirardelli, right? Good stuff!!
We did a bit more walking around this evening and just relaxed. It is so nice to just walk around WDW pretty much anywhere on property (for me, anyway).
Getting spit on by Stitch
Cool gift shop pics
I want this chandelier!!
DQ at night
When it was getting dark, we decided it would be nice to hop on one of the boats at DTD and just kick back. Riding a boat in WDW at night is pure bliss to me!
When we were all done for the day, we headed back to Seralago and everyone came over to our room for birthday cake. It was a nice way to end the day and we had found a really pretty cake at the local Walmart bakery.
Favorite freebies of the day:
DVC Goofy pins
Ghirardelli chocolates
Magic show
Hula contest and performers
Free Mickey backpack for signing up for a new Disney Visa (OK, I already have one, LOL but I really wanted the free backpack!)
Up next:
Blizzard Beach!!
Catching up!!
Hearing about how you felt with your dd turning 17 had me a bit teary. My guys are still so little, yet I'm already a wreck over thinking about the day they'll be teens, almost ready to leave on their own. This mommy thing can be so rough. They just seem to be growing up way too fast!
DQ looks like sooooo much fun!! I can't wait until my boys are older and we can play here. DTD looks like a lot of fun itself. The lego stuff is amazing! I haven't managed to get there in forever! I didn't even know about this free chocolate thing! Since we got the first set of APs, I keep feeling like I should get as much park time out of them as I can and save the "free" places until the day we aren't passholders anymore. It's kinda silly. I'll work it in yet!
I bet packing lunch saved a ton! I need to get back to doing that more on our park days. It's wild how expensive a simple day visit can be when you start factoring in food and snacks!
Can't wait to read more!!
Hearing about how you felt with your dd turning 17 had me a bit teary. My guys are still so little, yet I'm already a wreck over thinking about the day they'll be teens, almost ready to leave on their own. This mommy thing can be so rough. They just seem to be growing up way too fast!
DQ looks like sooooo much fun!! I can't wait until my boys are older and we can play here. DTD looks like a lot of fun itself. The lego stuff is amazing! I haven't managed to get there in forever! I didn't even know about this free chocolate thing! Since we got the first set of APs, I keep feeling like I should get as much park time out of them as I can and save the "free" places until the day we aren't passholders anymore. It's kinda silly. I'll work it in yet!
I bet packing lunch saved a ton! I need to get back to doing that more on our park days. It's wild how expensive a simple day visit can be when you start factoring in food and snacks!
Can't wait to read more!!
stacy347
I carried a watermelon?
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Thanks ~ and yes, the teen years definitely sneak up on you, and it does make me misty when I think about them going off on their own.
DQ was a lot of fun and while I wouldn't want to do it on every trip, I'm sure we'll go back one day.
We definitely saved a lot of money by packing meals here and there. It really isn't feasible to do it for every meal (or as much fun, LOL), but it made the trip possible and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
For some reason I thought our BB day was next, but it is actually our off day that was next. I'm already fuzzy on the details, LOL ~ guess that means it's time for another trip!
I'll be posting our off day today ~ we went out to lunch, hit some of the cheesy gift shops and did a little resort hopping/shopping on the monorail line.
Should be posted later today.
stacy347
I carried a watermelon?
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We had decided ahead of time that this day was going to be very low-key and relaxed. Nothing big was planned and the kids were all happy about that because we had been going non-stop for several days now. The plan was to hang out at the resort for the first half of the day and then head over to Steak and Shake for dinner, Poly for fireworks and back to the resort.
We stuck with the routine of having our breakfast in the room and we just chilled at Seralago for the morning and my kids got some of their homework done. My DSis and her family were hanging at the pool all morning and as the girls finished homework, they got to go down and join them. Other than a short-lived incident between DD15 and myself and a folder that came up missing and took forever to find, it was a good morning (teenagers, LOL).
We leisurely got ready for the day and headed off to explore Kissimmee for a bit before our dinner at Steak and Shake. Dinner was going to be almost free (yay!) because my DSis and I had both cashed out GCs at MyPoints.
We had been seeing the goofy (and a little scary) gift shops all week and we really wanted to go in and browse. I think everyone should do this just for the experience, LOL! While we did get a little creeped out in a few of them, we also got a few really good deals!
I found a Pirates of the Caribbean 4x6 frame with Captain Jack on the front and "Florida" across the top for $1.99 ~ my favorite find of the week!
The kids found some little trinkets and t-shirts for a few dollars which they loved. I also found some Florida themed gifts for the in-laws for only a couple dollars...it was pretty cool.
I do have to say though, that the people at the ticket stands inside these shops are uber-aggressive! We could barely get out the door of each shop without feeling like we were being bombarded by these people begging for our used tickets. I know better than to deal with these people, but they were VERY pushy!!
We headed over to Steak and Shake for dinner and I just have to mention here, I loved staying on 192 ~ everything you could possibly need is right there and really easy to find!
I had only been to Steak and Shake one other time in my life and that was just a drive-thru visit, so I was really looking forward to trying something new. Our waitress was really nice and even though it did seem like it took quite awhile for our food to get there, it was very good!
Nicole looking thrilled while we wait for our food, LOL
Trying to keep busy
Spicy!!
I thought that I had taken more food pics, but once again, I am unable to find any more. This is the Hershey's Special Dark Shake that I had ~ to die for!!
It was a great meal and we were all ready to go back to Seralago and relax for a bit afterward.
Around this time, the majority of the group said that they really didn't want to go to the Polynesian for fireworks that night. I was pretty bummed by that, but it was only fair to take everyone's wishes into account so I let it go.
We went back and relaxed and watched some TV for a bit, but after awhile I was just restless and wanted to go somewhere Disney-ish. I asked my girls if they wanted to go do some browsing and Chelsea was the only one interested. She and I walked over to my sister's room to see if any of them wanted to go, and my sister and nephew decided they were up for it.
BIL stayed behind with the rest of the kiddos and they had more pool time while we went on our little adventure.
I had read here on the Dis about people going on a monorail shopping trip and while we didn't have much of a budget for shopping, it still sounded like a fun thing to do. We drove over to the Poly and parked and since we had already been to the shops here, we got right on the monorail and started our tour.
First stop was the Grand Floridian. It is just a breathtaking resort. The view from the upper level was awesome, and I once again was kicking myself for not bringing a better camera.
We popped into a few of the shops and I fell in love with Basin!
We did the hand treatments in here and I swear my hands looked and felt 10 years youngers...I was amazed!
Chelsea doing hand treatment
My sister ended up buying one of their shampoo bars for her MIL who was going through chemo at the time and she loved it!!
I wasn't going to get anything for myself till we got to the register and I saw that they had little baggies of soaps pieces for about $2.50 each. I got one and I am just now on my last piece of soap and I'm really quite sad about it, LOL. The Pink Sugar with the mickey heads in it is my favorite!
These are the ones that came in my little bag
After Basin, we walked over to M. Mouse Mercantile and browsed for a bit. They had a few things that we hadn't seen at other gift shops and I ended up buying a "Four Parks, One World" bumper sticker with Sorcerer Mickey on it for $1.95 ~ what a bargain! Had a blast at the GF and only spent about $5 total ~ whoohoo!!
Next Stop ~ Contemporary. I had never been in here before and it is so cool! I love the artwork as you look up and the whole setup of the monorail going right through is just amazing! We browsed the gift shops and checked out the scenery and grabbed a few more pressed pennies for our collections.
I don't think I'd want to ever stay here (something about the layout just didn't sit right with me...I'm weird like that, LOL), but it was really fun to visit!
Chelsea and Ryan hanging out at Contemporary
Some gift shop pics
These pictures are made entirely of M&Ms!
The kids got a few things here and I think my sister did, too. The only item I purchased was a pack of coconut candies for DH. The only Disney souvenirs he likes are the edible ones, LOL.
When we were done here, we hopped back on the monorail to the Poly. We were all a bit hungry by this point, so headed into Captain Cook's for a snack. Chelsea and I split the sushi tray and it was so yummy! It was a really good way to end another magical day. I'm glad the rest of the group enjoyed themselves at the pool all night, but I was really feeling the need for a Disney fix and monorail hopping/shopping was the perfect thing!
Up next is Blizzard Beach and another night of resort hopping!
We stuck with the routine of having our breakfast in the room and we just chilled at Seralago for the morning and my kids got some of their homework done. My DSis and her family were hanging at the pool all morning and as the girls finished homework, they got to go down and join them. Other than a short-lived incident between DD15 and myself and a folder that came up missing and took forever to find, it was a good morning (teenagers, LOL).
We leisurely got ready for the day and headed off to explore Kissimmee for a bit before our dinner at Steak and Shake. Dinner was going to be almost free (yay!) because my DSis and I had both cashed out GCs at MyPoints.
We had been seeing the goofy (and a little scary) gift shops all week and we really wanted to go in and browse.
I think everyone should do this just for the experience, LOL! While we did get a little creeped out in a few of them, we also got a few really good deals!I found a Pirates of the Caribbean 4x6 frame with Captain Jack on the front and "Florida" across the top for $1.99 ~ my favorite find of the week!
The kids found some little trinkets and t-shirts for a few dollars which they loved. I also found some Florida themed gifts for the in-laws for only a couple dollars...it was pretty cool.
I do have to say though, that the people at the ticket stands inside these shops are uber-aggressive! We could barely get out the door of each shop without feeling like we were being bombarded by these people begging for our used tickets. I know better than to deal with these people, but they were VERY pushy!!
We headed over to Steak and Shake for dinner and I just have to mention here, I loved staying on 192 ~ everything you could possibly need is right there and really easy to find!
I had only been to Steak and Shake one other time in my life and that was just a drive-thru visit, so I was really looking forward to trying something new. Our waitress was really nice and even though it did seem like it took quite awhile for our food to get there, it was very good!
Nicole looking thrilled while we wait for our food, LOL
Trying to keep busy
Spicy!!
I thought that I had taken more food pics, but once again, I am unable to find any more. This is the Hershey's Special Dark Shake that I had ~ to die for!!
It was a great meal and we were all ready to go back to Seralago and relax for a bit afterward.
Around this time, the majority of the group said that they really didn't want to go to the Polynesian for fireworks that night. I was pretty bummed by that, but it was only fair to take everyone's wishes into account so I let it go.
We went back and relaxed and watched some TV for a bit, but after awhile I was just restless and wanted to go somewhere Disney-ish. I asked my girls if they wanted to go do some browsing and Chelsea was the only one interested. She and I walked over to my sister's room to see if any of them wanted to go, and my sister and nephew decided they were up for it.
BIL stayed behind with the rest of the kiddos and they had more pool time while we went on our little adventure.
I had read here on the Dis about people going on a monorail shopping trip and while we didn't have much of a budget for shopping, it still sounded like a fun thing to do. We drove over to the Poly and parked and since we had already been to the shops here, we got right on the monorail and started our tour.
First stop was the Grand Floridian. It is just a breathtaking resort. The view from the upper level was awesome, and I once again was kicking myself for not bringing a better camera.
We popped into a few of the shops and I fell in love with Basin!
We did the hand treatments in here and I swear my hands looked and felt 10 years youngers...I was amazed!
Chelsea doing hand treatment
My sister ended up buying one of their shampoo bars for her MIL who was going through chemo at the time and she loved it!!
I wasn't going to get anything for myself till we got to the register and I saw that they had little baggies of soaps pieces for about $2.50 each. I got one and I am just now on my last piece of soap and I'm really quite sad about it, LOL. The Pink Sugar with the mickey heads in it is my favorite!
These are the ones that came in my little bag
After Basin, we walked over to M. Mouse Mercantile and browsed for a bit. They had a few things that we hadn't seen at other gift shops and I ended up buying a "Four Parks, One World" bumper sticker with Sorcerer Mickey on it for $1.95 ~ what a bargain! Had a blast at the GF and only spent about $5 total ~ whoohoo!!
Next Stop ~ Contemporary. I had never been in here before and it is so cool! I love the artwork as you look up and the whole setup of the monorail going right through is just amazing! We browsed the gift shops and checked out the scenery and grabbed a few more pressed pennies for our collections.
I don't think I'd want to ever stay here (something about the layout just didn't sit right with me...I'm weird like that, LOL), but it was really fun to visit!
Chelsea and Ryan hanging out at Contemporary
Some gift shop pics
These pictures are made entirely of M&Ms!
The kids got a few things here and I think my sister did, too. The only item I purchased was a pack of coconut candies for DH. The only Disney souvenirs he likes are the edible ones, LOL.
When we were done here, we hopped back on the monorail to the Poly. We were all a bit hungry by this point, so headed into Captain Cook's for a snack. Chelsea and I split the sushi tray and it was so yummy! It was a really good way to end another magical day. I'm glad the rest of the group enjoyed themselves at the pool all night, but I was really feeling the need for a Disney fix and monorail hopping/shopping was the perfect thing!
Up next is Blizzard Beach and another night of resort hopping!
I love Steak n Shake! We never go there though. I have no idea why. I drive by one all the time here. 
What a fun night! You got some awesome deals, too. I've read a few people go on about that pink sugar soap. It must be nice!
The comment about the ticket people in the shops made me laugh a little. They are sooo insane! We stopped a couple of those shops one morning when the ride to WDW left my oldest needing some new clothes.
They tackled us as soon as we came in about buying tickets and followed us around the shop. The next place was the same. We ended up going to Target instead. I'm not super big on wearing stuff like that with "Florida" on it, for obvious reasons. Maybe if we didn't live here.. I did see some nifty stuff with super low prices, but we were in too much of a hurry to get to the parks to look around much. 
Excited to read about the water park!
What a fun night! You got some awesome deals, too. I've read a few people go on about that pink sugar soap. It must be nice!
The comment about the ticket people in the shops made me laugh a little. They are sooo insane! We stopped a couple of those shops one morning when the ride to WDW left my oldest needing some new clothes.
They tackled us as soon as we came in about buying tickets and followed us around the shop. The next place was the same. We ended up going to Target instead. I'm not super big on wearing stuff like that with "Florida" on it, for obvious reasons. Maybe if we didn't live here.. I did see some nifty stuff with super low prices, but we were in too much of a hurry to get to the parks to look around much. Excited to read about the water park!
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