Value Resorts and Inside Staterooms? Bah Humbug! 30 days of Disney fun! 02/10 Day 30

[dizneeat]

Still Day 5, August 18

Disney Water Parks and more ……….. Take 1, Part 3

After another shower and a little rest, we made our way over to Epcot for our reservation at the Rose and Crown.

We arrived a little early and were handed the usual buzzer, so we walked down to the lagoon and sat down at a table by the water.

A few minutes later our buzzer went off and we returned to the check in desk. We had asked for an inside table and we were let to a table inside the restaurant! Score!

Tom ordered a Black and Tan, Half Bass Ale and Half Guinness and

I got an English Rose - Beefeater Gin, Apricot Brandy, Sweet Vermouth, Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, and Cranberry Juice served in a Souvenir Cup.

We decided to share starter

and ordered the Yorkshire Dales - Yorkshire pudding served with mushrooms and cream and Toad in a Hole, which were served shortly after our drinks had arrived.

After we had finished our starter the server brought out some rolls and butter.

Tom had decided on trying the special, the seafood stew, clams, mussels, shrimp and lots of pieces of fish in a spicy broth, served with garlic bread.

I stuck with their traditional menu and ordered the Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Potatoes, seasonal Vegetable, and Shallot Gravy. Both portions were huge, but we were set to order dessert.

We both had the Sticky Toffee Pudding, which was nice, but not as fluffy and heavenly as I remembered it. When we had finished dessert the server brought out my souvenir glass and we settled the bill and were out to explore the parks a little more.

We walked through England,

tried the quiz and browsed the shop. Then we walked towards Canada and Futureworld.

We had reservations for the Preferred Fireworks Viewing of Illuminations at 9 and there was quite some time left, so we went and tried some rides. Mission Space said 10 minutes, so we decided to get in line.

Well, the wait was more like 30 minutes and once the ride was over we walked towards The Land to check the queue for Soarin. Too long. Why not getting on Living With The Land? The line was closed. So we walked outside and towards Journey into Imagination when we remembered about Captain EO.

We walked over and they were just telling people to quickly come in as the next show was about to start. Now, that is my kind of a wait. We picked up our 3D glasses and sat down. Even though this is a nice show, now that we have seen it, we both don’t feel any overpowering urge to go back and see it again. When we left Captain EO we realized that we still had more than an hour’s wait for Illuminations and we were done. We didn’t really want to wait around any longer, so before we left the park we decided to both have a drink.

Canada was close, so Tom got a Moosehead,

while I had a Diet Coke. Once we had finished our drinks we walked back to the car and drove back to Old Key West.

We spent a little time in front of the TV, then watched Illuminations from our balcony and called it a day. We had another water park to conquer the next day.

 

[Linda67]

Great Epcot day Karin

Looks like the Rose & Crown was fun. We never eat there as it seems odd to visit and English pub when on vacation from England but I would like to try it some day

 

[dizneeat]

Great Epcot day Karin

Looks like the Rose & Crown was fun. We never eat there as it seems odd to visit and English pub when on vacation from England but I would like to try it some day

It was a beautiful day!

And it had taken us quite some time to go back and give the Rose & Crown another chance! Last time we were there I wanted a cup of tea after dinner and all they had to offer was some herbal tea! YUCK!!!

Now this time I came prepared with some English tea that my aunt from Orpington had sent! But this time I didn't feel like tea and didn't need it.
Apart from that incident the food was always good and the atmosphere truely is British!
But I do understand what you mean that it seems odd to visit a British pub while on vacation in the US! We steer away from Germany as well!

 

[L-Harper]

Hello!

I'm just joining in and am loving your pre and post trip reports. I haven't read all of the pages, but wow! I can't even wrap my head around 30 days of Disney Magic!

I must say though that Tom's seafood stew at Rose and Crown looks a-maze-ing! Yum! I can't wait to read the rest of your report!

 

[dizneeat]

Hello!

I'm just joining in and am loving your pre and post trip reports. I haven't read all of the pages, but wow! I can't even wrap my head around 30 days of Disney Magic!

I must say though that Tom's seafood stew at Rose and Crown looks a-maze-ing! Yum! I can't wait to read the rest of your report!

How nice to have a new reader!
We just love our long vacations in the summer. No rush whatsoever!

Tom's stew was really nice - there was loads of yummy seafood and it was really tasty and spicy too!

More coming up shortly. I hope to accomplish quite a bit of posting during my Christmas holiday!

 

[Stefy]

Great R&C review. that Sunday Roast looks delish

I'm so with you on the tea thing, I drink Twinings English Breakfast and the English Breakfast over there is so weak, I had to bring my own box on our trip this year.

 

[jenseib]

The food looked great at Rose and Cown, but it sounds weird. LOL! I don't know if I am up for that quite yet.

 

[tinacaplan]

Hi, Karin! Hope you're enjoying your break. Rose and Crown looks really good. I ate there a couple of times, years ago. Pretty sure I had fish and chips. I was a kid then. Ha.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Karin, looks like you had a fun time at TL - cut a little short by crowds as it was. I'm looking forward to your BB. That one is my favorite!

Great R&C review. that Sunday Roast looks delish

I'm so with you on the tea thing, I drink Twinings English Breakfast and the English Breakfast over there is so weak, I had to bring my own box on our trip this year.

I love Twining Earl Grey!!! Found it in our room at AKL the first time, and I stock up at Epcot. I saw it in the Grocery store here the other day, so I guess I won't hord it so much now!

The food looked great at Rose and Cown, but it sounds weird. LOL! I don't know if I am up for that quite yet.

That's how I feel, too. I don't even think it looks good. All that pale gravy and stuff ???? I might be pleasantly surprised though. I have a feeling I'd order fish and chips and put the vinegar on them to be exotic!

 

[englishrose47]

Great review of Rose and Crown !! I had the pork with the potato cake and apples nuts, and bleu stilton I LOVED it but have to admit it is NOT traditional English food , now the Roast beef with potatoes and yorkshire is authentic !! Toadin the Hole is also very British, but seeing as I make them at home from time to time I was glad I picked the pork!!Now i9f they served Pork Pie I would be in for that in a heart beat!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Great R&C review. that Sunday Roast looks delish

I'm so with you on the tea thing, I drink Twinings English Breakfast and the English Breakfast over there is so weak, I had to bring my own box on our trip this year.

The Sunday Roast definitely gets a

I don't know what it is with the tea, but I just don't like the tea they are offering, so I need to bring my own too! I just love my Lady Grey tea!

The food looked great at Rose and Cown, but it sounds weird. LOL! I don't know if I am up for that quite yet.

It might sound weird, but it tastes really nice! I guess you would be surprised if you tried it!

Hi, Karin! Hope you're enjoying your break. Rose and Crown looks really good. I ate there a couple of times, years ago. Pretty sure I had fish and chips. I was a kid then. Ha.

Yes, I am really enjoying my time off, even though I cannot believe that today is already the 6th day I am off! One third of my holiday is already over!
We always have Fish and Chips when we visit my aunt, so I very rarely order it in restaurants in the US!

Hi Karin, looks like you had a fun time at TL - cut a little short by crowds as it was. I'm looking forward to your BB. That one is my favorite!

I love Twining Earl Grey!!! Found it in our room at AKL the first time, and I stock up at Epcot. I saw it in the Grocery store here the other day, so I guess I won't hord it so much now!

That's how I feel, too. I don't even think it looks good. All that pale gravy and stuff ???? I might be pleasantly surprised though. I have a feeling I'd order fish and chips and put the vinegar on them to be exotic!

We LOVED TL! Yes, our visit was a bit cut short, but we were done by the time anyway. We are just not used to it.
BB day is coming up shortly! What a fun park, too!

Have you ever tried Twining's Lady Grey tea? It is my absolute favourite. So nice!

And yes, you would be surprised by the food at R&C! The Yorkshire Dales starter was SO good and I really loved my Sunday Roast, brought back so many fond memories!

Great review of Rose and Crown !! I had the pork with the potato cake and apples nuts, and bleu stilton I LOVED it but have to admit it is NOT traditional English food , now the Roast beef with potatoes and yorkshire is authentic !! Toadin the Hole is also very British, but seeing as I make them at home from time to time I was glad I picked the pork!!Now i9f they served Pork Pie I would be in for that in a heart beat!!!

My gosh, Pork Pie!! I would love some right now!
I really love to order things I remember eating in the UK, like the Toad in the Hole. And the Sunday Roast was right up my street, Yorkshire pud, gravy, yummy beef, just as I remembered. Did you ever try their Bangers and Mash? I have always wanted to order it, but the photos I have seen of it always had very "anemic" looking bangers. I like mine really "roasted".

 

[dizneeat]

Day 6, August 19

Disney Water Parks and more ……….. Take 2, Part 1

The day started just like the day before. We both were up early, had some breakfast out of the fridge and left for Blizzard Beach about 20 minutes to eight. When we arrived we still found a parking spot in the front row and there was already quite a line. We joined the line, got our wristbands and at 8am sharp the line started to move.

We went with the flow, found the shops and rented a locker.

Once everything was stowed in the locker we went to check out a spot where we could leave our towels and explore the park. We found some deck chairs right by Meltdown Bay. So, after putting the towels onto the chairs we walked into the Bay and had some fun.

When we had enough of that we walked to the Cross Country Creek for a peaceful float around the park on a tube. We did a little more than one round and then went back to our chairs for a little rest. Once the regular guests were allowed in we started to check out the rest of the park and walked around for about half an hour.

Summit Plummet didn’t call me, but we wanted to try the family rafts so we got in line for the chairlift. To our dismay the lines were long and they even filled the empty seats with single riders. So we were squeezed into the chairlift with another guest and went up the mountain. Once we were off we discovered that there need to be at least four for the raft ride. So we settled on doing the slides to the side of Summit Plummet. While getting in line we started talking about Summit Plummet again.

And after being reluctant to it, looking at the small kids getting in line we thought that if THEY could do it, so could we. So we changed lines to climb to the top and dare the fall. I was first to go doooooooown!
I was trying to concentrate on the view, but a moment after you start sliding you go into that tunnel and then it’s all over in a flash.
But I was happy I did it! I watched Tom getting into position and then sliding down, we picked up our photopass card and off we went. After our big fall we went back to our lounge chairs and chilled for a while. We got into Meltdown Bay for a while and then it was time for lunch. After we had dried off a bit we headed over to Lottawatta Lodge.

We took quite a few photos on the way there before we actually got in line. The line moved pretty slow, but not as slow as the one the day before.

Tom ordered the Bacon Double Cheeseburger with french fries,

while I had the Chicken Breast Nuggets with french fries. We both had a Diet Coke.

Tom had another fruit cup for dessert,

while for some reason I felt like trying the Cheesecake.

After we had finished our meals we walked around for a bit more and by that time the park had gotten really crowded again, so we decided to just call it a day and leave.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Wow! I am impressed that you went down Summit Plummet! I don't know if I will ever work up the courage to attempt that slide.

 

[dizneeat]

Wow! I am impressed that you went down Summit Plummet! I don't know if I will ever work up the courage to attempt that slide.

Nobody was more surprised than we ourselves! I was SO sure I would NOT do it, but Tom kept telling me that this was our chance to try it and then there were a few little kids, so we thought "what the heck". Needless to say, hadn't there been a looooooooong line behind us, I might have just taken the stairs back down!

 

[DaveInTN]

Good for you to go down that slide!! I would definitely try it...but would sure be nervous!

 

[dizneeat]

Good for you to go down that slide!! I would definitely try it...but would sure be nervous!

It really IS something you should try. It was real fun once I was ON the slide .... all the way up "not so much"!

 

[dizneeat]

Still Day 6, August 19

Disney Water Parks and more ……….. Take 2, Part 2

After we had finished our meals we walked around for a bit more and by that time the park had gotten really crowded, so we decided to just call it a day and leave.

Once we were back at the villa we decided that since it was a nice afternoon why not go to Downtown Disney by boat.

So we walked to the Hospitality House and since there was no sign of a boat we asked at check-in if we could upgrade our tickets with a non expiration option. The concierge told us that only guest services could do that, so we decided to have it done at Downtown Disney. When we walked outside the boat was just coming in and after having docked and people getting off it was our time to board the boat.

We had a leisurely 20 minute ride down to Pleasure Island where the boat landing for Old Key West is.

We got off and slowly walked towards the Marketplace, having a look at some of the shops on the way down.

We hadn’t been in the Lego Store in a long time, so we walked through and were amazed on the array of different things to build they had to offer. We finally made it to the World of Disney.

There had been a few more things we had wanted to pick up and now was the time to do so. One of the things I had been thinking about was a Dooney and Bourke handbag, which had caught my eye right from the start. We did buy it in the end. Getting a 10% AP discount helped the decision a lot. Once we had spent a little more money than we had intended to we walked over to Guest Services to get that non expiration option for our tickets.

No guests in front of us, so that meant no wait. There were two Cast Members and they both tried to upgrade, take the tickets off, put them back on and after some time playing with them finally decided there was no way to separate the tickets from the Key To The World. So they just upgraded the tickets. By then we were both happy to be out of there.

We both got a chocolate sample from Ghirardelli’s before we wanted to head back. When we passed the stage we saw that there was a performance going on, so we stayed for a while and watched these young people perform in the blazing afternoon sun.

After a while it was time for us to leave and head back to the boat. We had to wait for the boat for about 15 minutes but it turned out we were heading back on the same boat we had come in on. Plus, as an added bonus we had the boat to ourselves.

We really enjoyed our private boat ride back to Old Key West.

 

[Linda67]

Great reviews of the Waterparks

Which one did you prefer? I like to look of Typoon Lagoon and as we have never visited either we are thinking of heading to one on our next trip in May

Oooh, we just booked a week at Old Key West for F&W next year

We have never stayed a OKW but you make it sound really lovely

 

[L-Harper]

Your trip sounds just absolutely wonderful so far! I'm really loving your trip report. Question- Which water park do you think would be better for little little kids, they will be 2 & 4. I haven't researched the water parks all that much yet and definitely want to try one out when we go in September since it will be SO hot.

 

[podsnel]

WOW!!! I am impressed!! I know for a FACT that I will NEVER try Summit Plummet- I did a smaller version of it at another water park and I STILL have nightmares about that drop! Okw looks lovely.....