We took our Parents to Disney!! **Recap of AK 2/24 Did we meet our goals? Completed**

[rndmr2]

Sounds like Winter/Summerland and BB were lots of fun! I can't remember having gone to W/S, but I've been to Fantasia Gardens a LONG time ago. Disney mini-golf is a nice fun treat, isn't it?

I know this sounds kind of weird, but I've never been to any of the water parks! I know, I know...but I'm just really not a water park person! They look fun though!

Mini Golf was fun, I lost as usual but only by a couple points since it was only the 3 of us. If we combined all 6 of us I would have been 5th! This was Tim's first trip to one, too and this is his 3rd trip. It was actually his first time in a water park ever, he's never even been to one outside of WDW.

 

[rndmr2]

Day 6 continued, Spirit of Aloha Dinner

Sorry it's been so long since I updated, I've been busy and then I misplaced my notes from the trip but I recently found them so I will be able to continue the TR. I just hope I still have readers, LOL.

When I left off we had just finished our day at Blizzard Beach and were headed back to the resort. While we were on the bus I called my dad to see where he was, he was back at his room and said he had a pretty good day. I said I would knock on his door when we got to the room. We got off at the main building to look in the store since we hadn't really had much of a chance to see it. I looked around for one of the 40 year Anniversary T-shirts but they didn't have my size. I had also been looking for a watch but I didn't see one I liked. We all walked the pretty good distance to our building.

I went to my Dad's room for a couple minutes before getting ready, he said he went out driving around, he thought about going golfing but didn't end up doing that. He went to the MK and walked the walkway to the CR again to make another go at finding our Brick and he did find it, he took a couple pics. Then he went to the Poly and had lunch at Captain Cooks ( I'll admit I was jealous when he said he had a Dole Whip for dessert, LOL). He looked around at the Poly to find out where to go for the Luau that night and then he walked to the TTC to see how long that walk would be. This is the towel animal that he found in his room when he got back, we had to LOL at it though, he said "What does this mean, I'm here in the room by myself!"

After we were all ready we walked to DTD and caught the bus to the Poly from there, we figured it would be so much easier than any of the other options. We got the obligatory pic taken and were eventually lead into the room. We were in the second level but almost in the center and right up against the rail so we had fairly good view, there was a pole that made it sometimes hard to see around for the ones on my side of the table so I didn't get that many good pics of the show, Amy had a better view (and a much better camera) I want to try to post some of them if I can get them to show up, (they are on snapfish) for now, here are my pics:

After dinner we took the Monorail to the MK and then the bus back to SSR. I liked the SOA show for the most part, the food was pretty good, too, but if I had to make a choice, I prefer the HDDR.

Next up: Day 7 Saturday, MK and Epcot, Coral Reef dinner

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm still here!!! Out of curiosity, how long was the walk from SOA to the TTC?

Those little volcano desserts look so cute (and tasty too!)!

 

[rndmr2]

I'm still here!!! Out of curiosity, how long was the walk from SOA to the TTC?

Those little volcano desserts look so cute (and tasty too!)!

If I recall, he said it wasn't that far, (although it is farther than it looks on a map) but the distance from where you enter the resort to where the Luau Cove is located is far. And I forgot to mention that when he got back to the resort he took the walkway to DTD and figured that would be easier since the bus to the Poly is the first stop you come to from SSR, then from the bus stop to Luau Cove is short.

The little Volcanoes were tasty, they were chocolate Mousse with fruity sauces, I think the red was raspberry and the orangey/yellow one underneath/in the dish was I think Passionfruit or pineapple. There was also a graham crackery crust on the bottom.

 

[rndmr2]

Here are a couple of Amy's pics of the Spirit of aloha show that I was able to upload:

 

[TanzUnited99]

I'm here and all caught up! Love your pics - they are all great

Thanks for sharing the photos of Saratoga Springs - we get deals for this place and OKW in the UK and I have always wondered about them but never plucked up the courage to book them.

I love your matching shirts.

Mmm love the food pics - Strawberry Shortcake, Karamelle Kuche and Starring Rolls = MAJOR DROOLING!!

Teppan Edo and Kouzzina both look like great dining places. I think the draw for the Epcot resorts is being able to walk/take the boat so the buses don't get that busy. That's my reasoning anyway.

Yay on Dan getting to sing with Dapper's Dan and great SOA pics. Looking forward to reading more

 

[rndmr2]

I'm here and all caught up! Love your pics - they are all great

Thanks for sharing the photos of Saratoga Springs - we get deals for this place and OKW in the UK and I have always wondered about them but never plucked up the courage to book them.

I love your matching shirts.

Mmm love the food pics - Strawberry Shortcake, Karamelle Kuche and Starring Rolls = MAJOR DROOLING!!

Teppan Edo and Kouzzina both look like great dining places. I think the draw for the Epcot resorts is being able to walk/take the boat so the buses don't get that busy. That's my reasoning anyway.

Yay on Dan getting to sing with Dapper's Dan and great SOA pics. Looking forward to reading more

Thanks for reading!

I really wanted to try more at the Karamel Kuche, I can't wait to go back someday and do that.

We really liked Kouzzina and Teppan Edo was pretty good too.

My brother loves those Epcot resorts because you can walk to both Epcot and DHS.

We were all so happy Dave got to sing with them! My dad was still talking about it weeks afterward.

Hope to be able to update soon!

 

[rndmr2]

Day 7 Saturday May 21 MK Part 1

Today was our last full day. We decided to split up for the morning and early afternoon and then meet up at Epcot at about 3 or so. Amy and Rose Anne decided to hang out at the Resort to rest and swim, Dave went to DHS to try to audition for American Idol, Raymond went off alone to explore and Tim, my Dad and I went to MK. There were a few things I wanted to see that we hadn't gotten to on our MK day.

We got a late start, we got off the bus at MK at about 11am. We went down the walkway to the Contemporary so I could finally see the Brick that my dad had located yesterday.

Here are pics of it:

We headed up Main Street, planning to go to Fantasyland but got detoured by the Block party Parade so we went to Tomorrowland instead. We went on the Peoplemover, which I had actually missed the other day so I was glad to ride it. It was cool, space Mountain was down so we got to see it with the lights on. I had heard of this happening sometimes but I had never seen it for myself until this day.

Here we are on the ride

A couple more pics:

Here are the SM pics:

We headed into Tomorrowland and saw this little Meet and Greet:

Me and Tim with Tigger and Pooh (this is the extent of Character photos that Tim will consent to... )

I had really wanted to go on Winnie the Pooh but the stand by line was 40 minutes (FP's were for later this afternoon, when we planned to be gone) and Snow White was 15 so we went for that one. I was glad to get to ride it one last time before it goes away...

Wave Good bye!!

After Snow White we headed to Small World, the line was longer than it looked but only about 10 minutes, it was weird to enter the boats from the other side, I guess that was one of the changes from the latest refurb. I took a couple pics while we were in lind and one on the ride:

Next we went to Cosmic Ray's For lunch. I had the Chicken mashed potatoes and Beans combo and Tim and my Dad had burgers. It was pretty crowded but I got us a table fairly easily. There were CM's helping people find tables, here are a couple food pics:

Here is a pic of Sunny Eclipse:

 

[rndmr2]

Part 2

Our next goal was Splash Mountain, on the way there we took a look at some of the signs for the new Fantasyland and a took couple construction pics over the wall.

A Random flower pic:

At Splash, Tim got in line with me, it was about 20 minutes I think, he ended up having to take a detour at the end to the restroom and wasn't going to be able to get back in line. I tried to talk him into waiting until we got off but he didn't think he would make it. It turned out to be a smart thing because there were a couple of ride stoppages one about 7-8 minutes.

Here are a couple pics I took in line and on the ride, sorry they are a little blurry

My "redneck" ride pic--I am in the back row. Right as the log was going down, the strap on my camera broke! I spent the next couple minutes trying to get it and keep it from getting drenched. (luckily I did)

My Dad took this of me on the ride

Sorry, have to continue this in the next post, too many pics...

 

[rndmr2]

Part 3

After I got off I met up with My Dad and Tim and we headed to the Railroad station to take the train to the front of the park so we could head out. I got a few pics of the Train ride and the "Water stop" in the old Toontown Station before arriving at Main Street USA.

I thought this hat was funny:

After the parade, we used a snack credit for a couple bottles of soda and headed for the Monorail to go to Epcot, Look at what we got to ride!!!

When we pulled into the station, I called Rose Anne's cell and they were just getting off the bus at Epcot (what timing!! )

It was HOT!!

Our goal here was also to cover things we haven't done yet and the 1st stop was Universe of Energy, It turns out Rose Anne and Amy ended up leaving from the pre-show part, Amy was having GI issues earlier that day and she was afraid to be 45 minutes from a bathroom, so My dad, Tim and I stayed in.

By the time we came out, Amy had heard from Dave and he was getting off the bus and his Dad was on his way to where we were in the park, having just gotten there.
We met up and Dave had a new embellishment...

He made it through the 1st round but not the 2nd round. It was later in the day when he was there and they already had most of the shows filled, they only had one spot left and he wasn't "what they were looking for" to fill that spot. They gave him the button and a pack of special fast passes ( I think it was about 5 or 6 of them) and he basically did a Rock N Roller coaster marathon and went on it one time after the other, using the fast passes and a couple times the single rider, he said he thinks he went about 8 times!! I didn't even think to try to call him at some point during the day to remind him about Star Tours (it had the opening the day before) so he could try that one, as he knew it had been closed but didn't realize that it had reopened. Oh Well.

Raymond went exploring the resort and Downtown Disney, he also did a DVC tour and went on the Characters in Flight balloon (Jealous!! )

We went to World Showcase next. We wanted to take some pics and go in a couple shops and Dave and Amy wanted to ride the Mexico and Norway rides and see the movies in China, and Canada before we headed to our 8:30p ADR. I will continue this in part 4 (picture number again )

 

[rndmr2]

Day 7 Part 4, World Showcase

I love this garden

We made it to our ADR right on time, where was it, you ask?

Cont'd next post...

 

[rndmr2]

At the Coral Reef, they took us right in but the table they had for us was ridiculous, it was in the back row along the wall in those booths but they had us in one of the half booths that look like they would be for like 4 people, and we were 7!! (and all but 2 of us are pooh sized) So, yeah, that wasn't going to work. The CM said if we wanted to wait a little longer, they could find us another table and we said that would be fine. We went back to the waiting area and only waited a few minutes and they led us to a big table right in front, floor level but the 2nd row from the windows, it was 2 tables with the one long curved booth seat. Here is an empty one I took as we were leaving that was like ours:

Here are a couple pics of the things we saw swimming by, sorry, they are a little blurry but I will post them anyway:

We really enjoyed this meal. I had the seasonal soup, It was a Garlic potato soup that was really tasty. My Dad, Tim and Rose Anne I think had Caesar Salad, Raymond may have had that too. I'm pretty sure Amy and Dave got the "Appetizer for two" but I don't have any pics of the App's.

For the main course, Dave had the Lobster Ravioli, Ray had the Pork, I had the Seared chicken, Amy had the Mushroom Phylo, Tim had the NY Strip and Dad and Rose had the Mahi Mahi.

Amy's Mushroom Phylo:

My Chicken:

This was really good but I will say it wasn't quite as good as it was last year. The skin wasn't as crispy and the seasoning was not as strong, if that's the word. Although it was a little more "brothy" than it was last year and I remember thinking last time that it wasn't as much broth as I thought it would be.

Tim's steak

Rose and my Dad's Mahi Mahi

For dessert, Ray had the Jack and Bailey's Mousse, Amy had the Cheesecake Napoleon, Rose had Key Lime mousse, I believe it was, and the rest of us had the Chocolate Wave (MMMM)

We headed out of the deserted park, I had hoped that Mouse Gears would still be open but it wasn't and we started for the bus stop. Our original plan was to go to MK to try and see the MSEP and I really, really wanted to do this but everyone was so tired they all opted out, Tim offered to go with me if I wanted to but I was hurting pretty good at that point too, I had been having a lot of trouble with my feet hurting and blisters, etc the whole trip so sadly we missed the MSEP this trip

We went back to the rooms and said good bye to my dad, he took the things from our fridge that we wouldn't use in the AM so he could take them home in the cooler (we still had milk, butter, etc) as he was leaving in the morning, most likely very early.


Next up, Last day, my DTD shopping trip, lunch, trip home.

 

[rndmr2]

Bumping to first page as I made the updates pretty late last night, and a couple edits today.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay on finding the brick your dad had located!

Love the pics from Tomorrowland esp of Space Mountain with the lights on.

Oh no on the camera situation on Splash - I'm glad you managed to recover it.

Great pics of the parade and WS. I'm happy to read you enjoyed your meal at Coral Reef as this is another one that I am a bit unsure of and the dining reviews haven't always been great.

 

[rndmr2]

Yay on finding the brick your dad had located!

Love the pics from Tomorrowland esp of Space Mountain with the lights on.

Oh no on the camera situation on Splash - I'm glad you managed to recover it.

Great pics of the parade and WS. I'm happy to read you enjoyed your meal at Coral Reef as this is another one that I am a bit unsure of and the dining reviews haven't always been great.

My Dad had seen Space Mountain with the lights on before and told me about it, so it was neat to see it for myself

I was glad to see the parade, I usually don't take the time to see the parades, we are usually too busy doing other things so I was glad to have the chance to see the different ones on this trip.

 

[rndmr2]

Day 8, Sunday May 22, Last day, trip home


We got everything packed last night except the toiletries which we got ready this morning. We didn't have to be ready for the ME bus until about 2:30-3p for our 5:20 flight so we had time to kill. Amy and Dave'e flight was earlier than ours so they had to leave by noon, I think it was. I didn't take notes this day so this is by memory rather than notes. My Dad had left at about 6am from what he had said he planned (and what he told me when he called me later in the day) and Raymond left about 7am or so on ME for his flight home to VA.

These were Rose Anne and Amy's deserts from their lunch yesterday:

I took a pic of this balloon, Rose Anne is making a scrapbook and she plans to put this into it. (I confess, I found it out in the hall with the laundry and trash from Housekeeping):

We headed out but 11am check out time. I drove Ray's scooter to the main building for check out and we went to the airline check in and baggage check desk. There was a little bit of a line, but it moved fast. there were a few CM's there asking questions and taking mini surveys about our stay and the service, etc. Tim and I answered some questions and the CM put them right into a small laptop computer.

The airline check in was quick and painless and they printed out the boarding passes. We then headed over to the Artist's Palate to have lunch with Amy and Dave before they left. This was the only time Tim, Dave and I ate here the whole trip. Amy and Rose had eaten lunch here on their free day yesterday and really liked it.

I had the chicken and artichoke flatbread, Tim had the Buffalo flatbread. Rose Anne had the Asian chicken Salad and Amy had a sandwich, it was some kind of a veggie sandwich that was a special (I don't see it on the allears menu), Dave may have gotten this as well, I'm not sure. I had "worms and dirt" pudding for dessert, I don't know what everyone else had. We all enjoyed our Lunch and said goodbye to Amy and Dave.

Tim and Rose Anne wanted to go swimming in the main pool for a little while before we left so they did that and I decided to head over to DTD for a couple hours before we had to meet the bus. I had originally planned to swim, too but I decided I wanted to shop instead, there was still a few things I wanted to look at and I hadn't done much shopping and I actually had a gift card that I wanted to spend.

I was still having issues with my feet so I drove Raymond's scooter over to DTD so I could get there and back quickly. It is actually a nice little ride/walk there along the river. I parked the scooter outside and walked to the stores. I went into the Christmas store and got 2 /Christmas ornaments, one was a 40th anniversary and one was Goofy, Mickey and Minnie on a sled. Here are a couple pics I took of them:

I forget which order I went to the other places but I know I went into Basin and bought a set of shampoo and conditioner bars (I loved the shampoo one not so much the conditioner one) I went into "Little Mis-matched" to look around, it is cute but I'm not a huge fan of patterned socks, I did take a couple pics, though:

I took these pics as well as I was walking around

I love this little statue of Pooh!

I went into Goofy's to use up some of our leftover snack credits and check out the other goodies. I probably could have gotten more but I worried about carrying it all on the plane. They did pack it all in a nice box for me. I got some cookies, a few pretzel logs (the premade ones, but they did have more than just chocolate on them, they had mini reeces pieces, M&M's, etc. ) and a couple other things too but I forget, used a total of 10 snack credits, there were 7 of us on the plan and we had about 15 snack credits left, I was surprised, I thought we had been using them all along but I guess we didn't every day. I wish I had taken pics in here but I didn't for some reason.

I went into the World of Disney store to get what was next on my list. I had wanted some of the Blue Mickey themed things for the kitchen. I got 2 dish towels and a couple pot holders. I looked for a 40th anniversary shirt but they didn't have any Pooh-sized ones, I guess I could have gotten a 2011 or regular Character themed one but I wasn't thinking of that, I was stuck on the 40th Anniv stuff. I also looked for a watch but I couldn't find anything I liked. By this time it was getting late and Tim actually had called to see where I was and my ETA to get back to the resort so I wrapped it up and headed back. I took a few more pics of DTD and the resort on the way back

Nice pics of the walkway

Our pool (Congress Park pool) from the walkway

I got back to the Hotel and Tim and Rose Anne told me about their day, they had a nice time in the pool and relaxed in the shade afterwards. They had just gotten changed out of their suits when I got there. We turned in the scooters - we just had to leave them with Bell Services and Rose Anne called the company she rented from (Randy's Mobility) to let him know they would be there. Then we went to sit on a bench to wait for the saddest bus ride ever!

Our flights home were uneventful, we had a stop-over in Baltimore. One funny thing is that I called my Dad when we got off the plane there and he said he was making good time in his drive home, he had just passed through Baltimore about 20 minutes before I called! LOL

Well I guess that's it, the end of our trip. I really hope I can get there again soon, for now it looks like it won't be until 2013 or 2014 (so sad!! ) but at least the new Fantasyland should be completed by the time I get back there.

 

[MEK]

I am subbing!!!! Skimmed through you TR, but really need to come back and read in detail.

You got some great pics, especially of SSR (my home resort).

Coral Reef looks yummy.

Congrats to Dave for making it through the first round of AI. That's definitely farther than I got when I tried out.

 

[rndmr2]

I am subbing!!!! Skimmed through you TR, but really need to come back and read in detail.

You got some great pics, especially of SSR (my home resort).

Coral Reef looks yummy.

Congrats to Dave for making it through the first round of AI. That's definitely farther than I got when I tried out.

Thanks for reading! I am just about finished, just have some recapping to do.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Last days are always sad

Yay on going shopping! Love the Christmas ornaments

Wow at having 10 Snack credits left - think we had used all ours pretty early on Hope you enjoyed all the yummy snacks.

I'm looking forward to the Fantasyland expansion being completed for our next trip as well.

 

[MEK]

I just caught up on all your pictures and you are so many that are really great! Such beautiful vibrant pictures of all the parades. Really good!

I can't even remember everything I wanted to comment on.

I love the group shots. I think I am skipping photopass in December, but I still want the photographer to take my pic!

The miniature golf course looks like fun. Maybe I will try that in December. I never want to try it went its hot out.

I never realized that the water lilies in LWTL are edible.

The show at the poly looks super cool and, again, you got some stellar pictures of that.

Food, glorious food porn. You had some really scrumptious meals!

Fun TR. Looking forward to the recap!