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

[jenseib]

 

[englishrose47]

Happy New Year Karin and Tom!!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Happy New Year everyone!

Just wanted to say I've been lurking for a while... but I LOVE your trip reports dizneeat! They are awesomee! You have some great pics and it looks like you've been having a lot of fun! You guys make me really want to go on a Disney Cruise...sooo...I've got one in the works for this summer maybe!!!

 

[dizneeat]

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Karin & Tom!!!

Hope 2011 is MAGICAL!!!​

Happy New Year to you too, Christine! I hope it's going to be one of your best ones ever!

I'm enjoying your trip report-you guys really seem to enjoy pizzas!!

I am glad you like the trip report, even if it's been quite slow before Christmas!

Thank you, Jen! Hope you are having a wonderful 2011 too!

Happy New Year Karin and Tom!!

Happy New Year, Rosie! I know it's going to be a good one with a few DISmeets already in the planning! Can't wait to meet YOU in person - only 7 1/2 more months!

Happy New Year everyone!

Just wanted to say I've been lurking for a while... but I LOVE your trip reports dizneeat! They are awesomee! You have some great pics and it looks like you've been having a lot of fun! You guys make me really want to go on a Disney Cruise...sooo...I've got one in the works for this summer maybe!!!

Happy New Year to you too!

It's great you have decided to come out of lurkdome and join in on the fun! This trip report has "just" about started ........ lots more adventures and photos to come.
You are thinking about a Disney Cruise? When do you think you will be going? We are going on 3 cruises in a row this summer!

 

[dizneeat]

Yikes! I am SO sorry, I missed your posts!

Morning Karin

Great updates as always

We are really looking forward to visiting Le Cellier for the first time in May

I had no idea that you would be able to catch Illuminations from OKW, where was your villa located?

By the way we are staying in a studio at OKW when we visit next year

Thank you, LInda!

We love Le Cellier and please ask for either Brandan or Patrick to be your servers - they are both wonderful!

Yes, we were able to watch Illuminations from this villa. It was on Turtle Pond Road, I need to go back and check which building it was.
But the year before we stayed in a villa on Turtle Pond Road too and from our balcony we were able to see both, Illuminations (quite good) AND Wishes (just the really high fireworks, but nonetheless!)

We have never stayed in a Studio, we LOVE the space of the 1 bedroom! So, I am keeping my fingers crossed you get an upgrade to a 1 bedroom!

Very nice bag! I love cross-body bags. I hate feeling like I either have to hold my bag in my hand or keep it on my shoulder. Thanks for posting the picture.

I cannot wait to hear all about EMHs at MK. I just started to read Yuki's TR and she sounds like so much fun!

Thank you! I had my heart set on the D&B bag, since I had first seen it! Tom bought it for me for organizing the trip!
He is such a sweetheart!

Yuki is such a sweet young lady! I was a bit worried about the age barrier, but we really hit it off right away. And her trip report is just so much fun!

 

[dizneeat]

Still Day 7, August 20

Lots of food, Yuki and the Dismeet and Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom until 3am, Part 2

We spent the afternoon at our resort, spending some time at the pool before getting ready for dinner at Boma.

We arrived there just a little early, signed in and were handed a beeper. About 15 minutes later we were led to our table, a tiny two top.
The server came and introduced herself and left us with the drinks menu,

while she went to fetch our Diet Cokes. We decided to try a cocktail and Tom ordered the

Pineapple Mojito, Skyy Infusion Pineapple Vodka, Lime and Fresh Mint topped with Soda Water, which he enjoyed when our server finally decided to turn up with it. Needless to say I needed to try something too, so I tried the

Pineapple Flambé, Myers Platinum Rum, Butterscotch Schnapps, Pineapple Juice and a touch of Habanero Lime. While our server was out on a mission to get our drinks we went to the buffet to get a first plate of food.

We both decided on some soup and salads, but were very disappointed, as all the food was rather sweet and not as spicy as we had expected.

We went back for a second plate and in the meantime our server brought the cocktails and cleared the plates from our table.

We both got a plate of main courses and shared a plate full of sides.

Unfortunately we didn’t find much that we liked on the main course selection either, so we just kept poking around in our food and left quite a bit on the plate.

There were still the desserts we needed to try and finally we found something we were not disappointed in.

So we sat for a while and enjoyed

our desserts before we settled the bill and drove to the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours.
We were so lucky as we found a parking spot right by the entrance to the Ticket and Transportation Center and were able to just walk over to the Monorail.
We arrived at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom and found it packed.

Well, we were sure it would thin out during Extra Magic Hours. We watched a little bit of the Main Street Electrical Parade

and then finally walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean for our DISmeet.

 

[MaryAz]

Lots of great updates. Love ur new D&B very Looks like you had some yummy food And how fun to get you favorite server!!. Sorry Boma was not so good-we had bkfst there which was great but ur pics make me think I would not enjoy dinner.

 

[Kellybelly777]

Great updates!!!

Le cellier looks delicious!!! And you got your favorite waitor too! I almost chose that for my restaurant pick for our next trip, but I ended up going with Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian. Seafood wins me over!!!

Aaaah this dismeet.... I'll be getting to our unfortunete half of that story soon on my TR.

 

[dizneeat]

Lots of great updates. Love ur new D&B very Looks like you had some yummy food And how fun to get you favorite server!!. Sorry Boma was not so good-we had bkfst there which was great but ur pics make me think I would not enjoy dinner.

Thank you! I fell in love with the bag when I first saw it! Thankfully Tom got the hint!

We love Boma for breakfast, so this is why we were so disappointed with dinner!

Great updates!!!

Le cellier looks delicious!!! And you got your favorite waitor too! I almost chose that for my restaurant pick for our next trip, but I ended up going with Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian. Seafood wins me over!!!

Aaaah this dismeet.... I'll be getting to our unfortunete half of that story soon on my TR.

Thank you, Kelly!

We missed you at that meet, Kelly! But maybe some other time, we will have a chance to say hello in person!

I am really looking forward to your Narcoossee's review - as we did not enjoy our dinner there at all. So maybe we just hit it on an off day!

 

[Stefy]

Loving your waterpark day and coolbeans for doing Summit Plummit, you're alot braver than me

Great updates, yummy LC dinner and cool that you got your fav server again

 

[Minnie&Nana]

OH.my.goodness! I had no idea this TR was still going strong! An awful lot to catch up on, but what could be more fun than reading about a WDW trip?!

I am beginning to get a bit jealous that you & Rosie will be there at the same time this August; I just might have to use those 3 leftover days on my
no-expiration park hoppper.

Maybe I could sneak away for 4 ngts (who would miss me around here?) - that would be just enough time to meet you and Rosie too. Time to put my thinking cap on. Could it possibly work??

 

[YukiPhnx]

OMG, Karin I'm so behind! I'm so glad you got my Christmas card! I was worried about it getting lost on the way there.

Yeah, your Boma review is reminding me of MY Boma dinner. Not as spectacular as we had hoped either. You're already at our Dismeet and I'm nowhere near it! I really need to get to updating!

Wow, your own private boat ride back to the resort. It seems so nice~! The view is very pretty too.

It's awesome you ended up with your favourite server after all! I must remember his name when I finally get to Le Cellier.

Oh yes, here's a pretty late HAPPY NEW YEAR'S Karin!

I can't wait to hear about your side of the Dismeet!

I REALLY want to be there with you this August! Maybe I should see if I can pull some strings......make some sacrifices.....

 

[dizneeat]

Loving your waterpark day and coolbeans for doing Summit Plummit, you're alot braver than me

Great updates, yummy LC dinner and cool that you got your fav server again

The water parks were so much fun ...... and you need to try Summit Plummet one day! It is FUN!

You need to ask for Brandan this summer IF you go to LeCellier during your honeymoon! He WILL make it extra special!

OH.my.goodness! I had no idea this TR was still going strong! An awful lot to catch up on, but what could be more fun than reading about a WDW trip?!

I am beginning to get a bit jealous that you & Rosie will be there at the same time this August; I just might have to use those 3 leftover days on my
no-expiration park hoppper.

Maybe I could sneak away for 4 ngts (who would miss me around here?) - that would be just enough time to meet you and Rosie too. Time to put my thinking cap on. Could it possibly work??

I am not sure about strong, but it is still going! That's my most neglected thread but I need to finish off my dining review before I can push this one!

Yes, last year we missed Rosie, but this year two of our days overlap, so a DISmeet is an absolute must!
And it would be wonderful if you could come too! We'll leave on Aug 21 for the Disney Dream and Rosie will arrive on the 19th! So ........ I am keeping my fingers crossed that you might be able to pull it off!

OMG, Karin I'm so behind! I'm so glad you got my Christmas card! I was worried about it getting lost on the way there.

Yeah, your Boma review is reminding me of MY Boma dinner. Not as spectacular as we had hoped either. You're already at our Dismeet and I'm nowhere near it! I really need to get to updating!

Wow, your own private boat ride back to the resort. It seems so nice~! The view is very pretty too.

It's awesome you ended up with your favourite server after all! I must remember his name when I finally get to Le Cellier.

Oh yes, here's a pretty late HAPPY NEW YEAR'S Karin!

I can't wait to hear about your side of the Dismeet!

I REALLY want to be there with you this August! Maybe I should see if I can pull some strings......make some sacrifices.....

Pull those strings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not so sure about the sacrifices, but it would be so much fun if you could make it to WDW in August as well! Did you look at the discounts that are out?

We really loved the card, Yuki, thank you again!

Yes our meet is up next ........ and I can tell you - WE LOVED IT! Nothing better than a fun ride and some Dole Whips with friends!!

The boatride back to OKW was amazing! We felt like VIPs having the boat to ourselves. Getting Brandan as our server at LeCellier, esp. since we decided against asking for him, was like the icing on the cake! A good server can make or break a visit to a restaurant and he sure IS a VERY good server!

Happy New Year to you too, Yuki!

 

[dizneeat]

Still Day 7, August 20

Lots of food, Yuki and the Dismeet and Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom until 3am, Part 3

We watched a little bit of the Main Street Electrical Parade and then finally walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean for our DISmeet.

Yuki had volunteered to organize the meet! I met her here on the DISboards when we both started our pre-trip reports for our summer vacation. We subscribed to each other's threads and since our trips overlapped decided to meet!

It was rather dark in the area and we sat down at the stage area opposite Pirates to wait for Yuki and Andrew. Yuki had mentioned earlier that she was doing Pirates League that day and we should watch out for a pirate girl! We waited for a bit, but didn’t see a pirate girl or any other group forming.

But finally we saw them right in front of Pirates and walked over. It was a very warm welcome and we had fun and talked a bit until Candy and her family found us and got in on the fun.

There had been some other members of the DISboards who had wanted to join us, but they never made it. Kelly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we finally decided to get in line and ride Pirates of the Caribbean together. Even though we had to get in a line it was real fun to finally talk to the real persons behind the DISboard screen names.
When our ride ended, we talked a little more and then Candy and her family left and Yuki and Andrew

and Tom and I went to have a snack.

Yuki and Andrew shared a Dole Whip Float, while

Tom and I shared a Dole Whip.
We sat and chatted for quite a while. It was so easy to talk to Yuki and Andrew, they are two wonderful young people and we really hope to meet you again in the near future!
After some time we realized that it was way past midnight and we were right in the middle of Extra Magic Hours.
We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

Tom and I walked towards the castle, took a few photos and then walked into Fantasyland.

The crowds were low at that time at Fantasyland so we walked onto Philharmagic and Winnie the Pooh. Then we walked to the SnowWhite ride and rode that with little to no wait.

After that we just watched the Caroussel for a little while,

before we walked back to the Peter Pan ride, which only had a very short wait. A super nice Cast Member pointed us towards a Hidden Mickey

(not this one! )

inside the ride and we were really able to catch it, going by. We even bumped into this friendly "doggie" who was happy to have his picture taken with us! Thank you Pluto!!

Next was the Haunted Mansion, which again was a walk on.

After visiting the 999 happy haunts we thought we might try our luck and walk over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to finish off the evening.

There was a short wait for the ride, about 5 minutes and Tom even asked if we were allowed to sit in the last row of the train. Needless to say we were granted our wish. Since the wait was so short, we just walked around and rode it a second time.

By then it was 2.30 and we were tired, so we decided not to get in line again, but to head towards the exit.

Only the Resort Monorail was running, but the line was short and it didn’t take too long to get to the Ticket and Transportation Center. Even though we were tired we were happy our car was parked in walking distance

and we didn’t have to get on a tram. So we walked over to the car and drove back to Old Key West. We both had a drink before we fell into bed shortly after 3am.

 

[YukiPhnx]

You had a short wait for Peter Pan??? I'm so jealous!! We must've been about 10-15 minutes behind you guys and the wait was still 40 minutes for me. My one goal was to get on Peter Pan, but I never got to.

In my TR, instead of making real notes after we departed, I just wrote down a list of the rides I went on. It was too dark to write.

We looked for Hidden Mickeys on the PotC ride too, remember? The one on Davy Jone's hat was the coolest.

It was amazing getting to finally meet you in person. You definitely made our trip that much better.

 

[Stefy]

Wow sounds like a nice relaxed evening in MK and you got to go on a Dis Meet too

 

[kmrein]

That short wait for Peter Pan is unheard of! Pixie dust, indeed.

Looks like it was another great day (or two days, I guess, if you count the EMH) for you two!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

What a fun DISmeet! I'm so glad you got to meet up with Yuki and Andrew and with Candy and fam! You two are quite the night owls - I know we wouldn't have made it to 3am!

 

[dizneeat]

You had a short wait for Peter Pan??? I'm so jealous!! We must've been about 10-15 minutes behind you guys and the wait was still 40 minutes for me. My one goal was to get on Peter Pan, but I never got to.

In my TR, instead of making real notes after we departed, I just wrote down a list of the rides I went on. It was too dark to write.

We looked for Hidden Mickeys on the PotC ride too, remember? The one on Davy Jone's hat was the coolest.

It was amazing getting to finally meet you in person. You definitely made our trip that much better.

Wow! We must have lucked out then ... as my notes say 15 minutes and in my book that IS a short wait!

I took a ton of photos and made some notes or took photo of wait times if they impressed me!

Yip, I remember looking for that Hidden Mickey on Pirates with you! Every time we would ride it again lateron we would refer to it as Yuki and Andrew's Hidden Mickey!

Tom and I really enjoyed meeting you two, too! Spending time with friends is wonderful, but spending time with friends at WDW is just the very best!

Wow sounds like a nice relaxed evening in MK and you got to go on a Dis Meet too

That was such a fun night at the MK! And meeting Yuki, Andrew and Candy was just SO much fun! DISmeets are the best. That is one of the reasons I am so looking forward to meeting Tina in just 6 short weeks from now!

That short wait for Peter Pan is unheard of! Pixie dust, indeed.

Looks like it was another great day (or two days, I guess, if you count the EMH) for you two!

Now I REALLY believe that we lucked out with the Peter Pan ride! I won't even mention than that we got to stay in our little boat and fly a second round during EMH in DLRP!
I love LATE EMH at the MK. It thins out towards the end and you can get in a lot of rides in real nice temperatures! During the day I often just cannot force myself to stand in line for a long time!

What a fun DISmeet! I'm so glad you got to meet up with Yuki and Andrew and with Candy and fam! You two are quite the night owls - I know we wouldn't have made it to 3am!

It was so much fun! Our second DISmeet ever! First one was with Tigerkat, which was awesome and then meeting Yuki, Andrew and Candy and her family was such a treat!
Yes, it looks like we are quite the night owls! But it is EASY in the MK at night - so many fun rides and SHORT lines!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 8, August 21

Bus roulette and a Disney Fairytale Wedding Part 1

There was no way we would roll out of bed early, so we slept until after 9am, when we finally got up, showered and had a snack breakfast out of the fridge.
We thought long and hard what we were going to do, but could not make our minds up, so we decided to just try one of the resort quick service restaurants for lunch. Since we were a little early for lunch we parked our car at the Ticket and Transportation Center, hopped on the resort Monorail and went to the Contemporary to try lunch the Contempo Café.
They had just changed over from breakfast to lunch when we arrived and we used one of their kiosks to order our lunch.

We decided to share two main courses,

so we ordered the Spice Crusted Mahi Mahi - topped with citrus-apple slaw on a Kaiser roll and

the Marinated Beef Flatbread - with oven roasted tomatoes, garlic, onions, arugula, and goat cheese. Tom got us two Diet Cokes and we got

a Lime Muffin and

a Pecan Muffin for dessert. Once we had finished our meal we went over to the stores and looked for new or resort specific merchandise.

After a while we walked up to the Monorail and rode over to the Polynesian, to check out their stores and walk around the resort.

While we were in the lobby we decided to just take a bus to a park. So we walked outside and played “bus roulette”. Let’s take the first bus there is.

After about 5 minutes a bus to the Animal Kingdom arrived, so we got on. There were very few people on board and we all sat and enjoyed the ride.

At the Animal Kingdom we had a few photopass photos taken before we entered the park and then went over to Expedition Everest to pick up a Fastpass, but they were for much later in the day, so we passed on them. We walked back to the Tree of Life and enjoyed the air conditioning at It’s Tough To Be A Bug.

After the show we slowly strolled to Pizzafari for a little break and some drinks. Tom had

a Safari Amber and I enjoyed a cold Diet Coke. Refreshed we walked over to Kilimanjaro Safari and got in line. We had to queue for about 20 minutes and were finally loaded into our Safari trucks. Tom and I were lucky as we got a bench for the two of us right up front behind the driver.
There were lots of animals out and about, and our driver was real funny too.

Much too fast we had passed all the animals and were on our way to catch the poachers. By then the park had gotten really packed and we walked through the shops before we slowly walked back out to the bus stop as we needed to get back to the Grand Floridian Resort for our dinner reservation.

We had decided to take the bus to the resort that had the shortest way to walk to.
Well, the closest bus stop was the one for the Grand Floridian.