What Means "Ay, Caramba?"--Famous for Family of the Day!,Sept TR-Cape May HooRay 4/14

[merbobear]

Bahhahaa I die at "Mexican Small World," because this past trip, Mike asked me what Gran Fiesta Tour was (I had ridden it before, he either hadn't or didn't remember it) and my description was "It's like Small World, but more Mexican."

 

[merbobear]

Jen, please tell me more about these pre soaped sponges. You bought them pre soaped, or just regular sponges that you soaped and baggied?

 

[merbobear]

Brynn is so tall, she looks almost as tall as Julia in some of the pictures..what are their heights?
I hope you guys made it in to BOG for lunch, but if not then of course you had your dinner to look forward too. Our last trip, we did not get any Lefou's Brew...not sure why, as I had planned to try it. It just never happened.

Oh and isn't Journey of the Little Mermaid basically the Best Thing Ever? I love it so much, it's just so bright and fun. Can't wait to ride it again!

Your TR is amping up at just the right time for me. Sunday was my ADR day for our next trip and so now I'm in that Disney mode and wanting to think about our trip all the time!

 

[leftaslide]

Yes! Please stalk my instagram. I will make as many updates as possible on there. Only 30 more days!!

 

[thegib95]

I know life is life and sitting down to write updates in the middle of life can be a challenge to find the time....

However

I have 27 days left and your trip report just gives me enough magic to keep going for the longest portion of this 15 months with out going "home"
I want... Need.... More

Lol

 

[leftaslide]

I know life is life and sitting down to write updates in the middle of life can be a challenge to find the time....

However

I have 27 days left and your trip report just gives me enough magic to keep going for the longest portion of this 15 months with out going "home"
I want... Need.... More

Lol

Same here, gib. We have 30 days left and these updates just fuel the fire!

 

[khertz]

Forgot a couple of things I wanted to mention in my first reply.

I showed my DH your DH's photography equipment post because he is a budding photography nerd and I figured he would understand that language! I was right, he did. He was pretty impressed with all of the equipment your DH brought with him!

Also, we had the same experience with Ariel, although ours appears to have been a different one. It was like an assembly line. She didn't say a word to DS while she signed his book, shooed him along when the picture was done and was already reaching for the autograph book of the next group before DS had even gotten all the way to the floor from the bench! I wasn't impressed whatsoever.

And finally, just wanted to let you know, I'm disneymom1024 on Instagram. I just started following you today!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

You guys are troopers for not being morning people and still making rope drop. We are not morning people either and force ourselves up a lot, but I don't think we made a single rope drop our last trip! What time zone are you guys heading from, I can't recall? We are coming from mountain time, so those 9 am park openings are like 7 am for us.

Enchanted Tales with Belle looks so fun! Isn't it such a thrill meeting Ariel in fin?! I love it. And Gaston sounds like a hoot! I need to make a better effort to see him. Handsome hugs sounds hilarious! And then I need to go over to his tavern as well and try that LeFou's Brew...sounds so yummy!

So eager for more! Especially BoG! I do hope that it was a good idea and you guys are able to get in quickly!

We've got it sort of easy compared to you--we are in the Eastern time zone with WDW.
I just typed up the BOG review, so it's coming up!

Bahhahaa I die at "Mexican Small World," because this past trip, Mike asked me what Gran Fiesta Tour was (I had ridden it before, he either hadn't or didn't remember it) and my description was "It's like Small World, but more Mexican."

Haha, that's it EXACTLY!!

Jen, please tell me more about these pre soaped sponges. You bought them pre soaped, or just regular sponges that you soaped and baggied?

I just bought regular sponges, then squirted a zig-zag of dish soap on them. I let it dry, then cut them into smaller squares the next day and threw them in a ziploc for the trip! I can usually get six little squares out of one sponge, and they're the perfect size for cups.

Brynn is so tall, she looks almost as tall as Julia in some of the pictures..what are their heights?
I hope you guys made it in to BOG for lunch, but if not then of course you had your dinner to look forward too. Our last trip, we did not get any Lefou's Brew...not sure why, as I had planned to try it. It just never happened.

Oh and isn't Journey of the Little Mermaid basically the Best Thing Ever? I love it so much, it's just so bright and fun. Can't wait to ride it again!

Your TR is amping up at just the right time for me. Sunday was my ADR day for our next trip and so now I'm in that Disney mode and wanting to think about our trip all the time!

I think Brynn's about 46 or 47 inches, and Julia's probably four inches taller on a good day. Brynn has always been really tall for her age since birth.
Glad I could help amp you up, if you even needed that help, lol!

Yes! Please stalk my instagram. I will make as many updates as possible on there. Only 30 more days!!

I'm so ready!

I know life is life and sitting down to write updates in the middle of life can be a challenge to find the time....

However

I have 27 days left and your trip report just gives me enough magic to keep going for the longest portion of this 15 months with out going "home"
I want... Need.... More

Lol

Haha, sorry about the delay, then! Posting more in just a second.

Same here, gib. We have 30 days left and these updates just fuel the fire!

They like me! They really like me!

Forgot a couple of things I wanted to mention in my first reply.

I showed my DH your DH's photography equipment post because he is a budding photography nerd and I figured he would understand that language! I was right, he did. He was pretty impressed with all of the equipment your DH brought with him!

Also, we had the same experience with Ariel, although ours appears to have been a different one. It was like an assembly line. She didn't say a word to DS while she signed his book, shooed him along when the picture was done and was already reaching for the autograph book of the next group before DS had even gotten all the way to the floor from the bench! I wasn't impressed whatsoever.

And finally, just wanted to let you know, I'm disneymom1024 on Instagram. I just started following you today!

I'm glad he appreciated it! I didn't like how much crap he was taking at first...but now that I see the pictures and we're editing the video, I'm very grateful to him!
Thanks for following me on IG! I have to say that outside of Disney, my life is pretty ho-hum, but you'll definitely get to know us better.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

We decided that we needed a break and soon. Brynn's legs were tired, and we didn't want the attitude to follow suit. We had a long day and night planned, and all of us needed to stay happy! So we did what any (in)sane people do...we joined the long line for Be Our Guest!

It was now 11:00, which is opening time, but people began lining up there at about 10. The line was over the bridge and starting to curve out into Fantasyland, but I could see that they were letting people in now and it was beginning to move really quickly. We were able to keep Brynn seated and content, but parked the other stroller and hoped the other two kids would stay just as happy as we waited.

Disney was so thoughtful; they had placed carts of ice water with lemon and some cups out on the bridge to cool off those waiting. They not only had ice water, but they also had a cast member handing out huge golfing umbrellas to block the sun from those in line! We didn't even need it, though, because the line really did move quickly. I would say that from joining the line to ordering took ten minutes or less. It was definitely a good call to come here as a quick service option instead of for the table service dinner we had booked for later in the trip. What a great way to start a vacation!



Soon we were seeing these guys watching over us as we looked at the menus posted inside.



This area instantly took me back to the part of the film where Cogsworth is showing Belle around, crashing into armor, and says, "If it ain't Ba-roque, don't fix it!"

We ordered using QS credits from the dining plan, which we had for free, of course. September! The adults weren't that hungry, so we decided to split a meal, but the kids each wanted their own plate.

We were given a rose to place on our table and told to pick anywhere to sit and then place it in the middle so our server could find us. The girls really wanted the West Wing, and Brynn was very excited about it and told a CM that we were going to sit in there. "Good luck," the CM said, and not in a nice way. I instantly didn't like her...but she was right. There was no table in there. We asked what their next choice would be, and they chose the room with the music box! I was shocked they didn't want the main ballroom, but they did make a lovely choice. We sat down to wait. See how enthusiastic we were at this point?



We started to perk up as we looked around us at all the beautiful details. The girls picked up on more of them than we did, which is pleasantly surprising, seeing as Beauty and the Beast was one of the few VHS tapes I owned as a child, and I saw it a zillion times. They are really Disney Detail Pros.

The columns were adorned with roses, of course.



The music box is supposed to be a lovely gift from Maurice, and it really does look wooden. Up close, it looks hand-carved, and we were sitting right next to it and got a great view all through lunch. It spins gracefully and is a wonderful centerpiece for the room.



The lighting fixture above them is made to look like stained glass and has a gorgeous rose on it, as well. The walls are all lined with paintings of the life that Belle and her Prince now have!

I filled our cups at the drink station nearby. I am glad that we had the disposable cups for convenience purposes (we definitely filled them again before heading back out into the park), but I have to say that they did take away from the "fancy" feeling quite a bit.

Soon, our server came to our table rolling a cart, and our food was delivered!
Brandon and I split the Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin style) - eight-hour slow-cooked pork with mushrooms, onions, carrots and bacon served with mashed potatoes and green beans jardiniere. We were given an extra plate and this beautiful portion of deliciousness.



What can I say about this? It was perfect! It was seasoned so well and super tender. There was more than enough food for us to split and still be full, even with Sawyer stealing some mashed potatoes and green beans--and even the green beans were tasty!

The kids all insisted on the same thing: Lumiere's De-Light - Seared Mahi Mahi with finger salad and peach applesauce.



This would normally be something my kids would love. They love fish, but this fish was more than a little rubbery. Brynn was the only one to really devour hers. Julia dropped hers after a few bites. The server did bring her a whole new piece, and she did eat a few more bites, but then I started thinking that maybe she'd dropped it on purpose...and I wouldn't have blamed her! Sawyer wouldn't touch it.

It came with this Mickey-shaped cracker/toast thing, which they loved to point out as a Hidden Mickey (not sure that qualifies, kids), but not one of them ever took a single bite of it.





They ate their "finger salad" well, and it was just tomatoes, cucumbers, and broccoli with a drizzle of ranch dressing, which I wiped off of Brynn's veggies.
It also came with peach applesauce. I was sure this would be a hit with them--they LOVE Go Go Squeeze for snacks, which is applesauce with other fruits mixed in, and they adore the apple peach variety. Both are 100% fruit, no sugar added, so I didn't think they'd be different. Somehow they were. They tried it and didn't like it. I ate it one portion of it, and even I had to admit that it was a bit tart, like they'd used peaches that weren't quite ripe.

Now, on Allears it suggests that kids get a meal like this PLUS a dessert, but they were very clear there that the applesauce counted as the kids' dessert and that they would not get another on the dining plan. I'm not a dessert person, so I didn't mind sharing my dessert, which was a Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake - vanilla sponge cake, strawberry mousse filling, and cream cheese icing. We cut off little bites, and one bite was enough for each of us. It was extremely rich, though yummy. Sawyer ate the strawberry off the top.

We took a quick-ish trip to the restroom, which is very lovely, if a bit small, did another round around the ballroom and West Wing (which now had plenty of seats...grrrr...) and then headed out. Next to the exit was a gorgeous mosaic, but it was nearly impossible to get a picture of it because EVERYONE wanted one. People swarmed it and waited there to jump in a picture with it and just randomly walked up to touch it. We tried for a photo, but ended up with just one of the side of my head and Sawyer running to the mosaic in the background, and the camera was tilted. Skillz.

Would we go back to BOG? Absolutely. I will admit that as many people have reported, the kids meals aren't that appealing to the kids. I do think, however, that my kids would probably have enjoyed some of the adult offerings, so next time I would encourage that. The meal Brandon and I shared was one of the best things I ate the entire trip, and I find myself craving it even now. Even though the kids didn't eat that much, they still claimed that they loved it, too.

I'm not sure we had a distinct plan for this time period, but the kids were begging for Dumbo. We headed that way, but for some reason we got distracted and ended up meeting Minnie and Daisy instead! I have no idea why that happened, really (no notes will do that to ya), but I'm sure there was a good reason.

The line was actually pretty long for the ladies. I felt sorry for Donald and Goofy, who had very few people in their line! The girls took the time to pin trade with a CM, and just before the end of the line Sawyer decided he had to potty. Brandon was not a happy camper. He insisted that there would be no way they'd make it back in time and that he couldn't see how people would let them through the line to get to us if they did. He very sheepishly re-joined us in line just in time to meet Daisy . I guess it was easier than he thought.

Immediately, the girls dropped off the autograph book and ran for Daisy's crystal ball as she signed it!







We were very excited to meet Minnie, of course! She was very impressed with the girls' dresses and that their pink Minnie shoes matched Minnie's pink dress.







Sawyer just could not get enough of touching her ear. SERIOUSLY, he was just amazed by it! See?





Finally, as promised, we were on our way to Dumbo, which turned into quite the ordeal! Stay tuned for shenanigans and an important appointment!

 

[oscarsmummy]

Wow that queue sounds fast for BOG, Think I will do the same ,we haven't booked dinner there so lunch it is. We didn't meet the characters at Big top last time so again on our list this year. Lovely family photo , and bow down to your co-ordination of the clothes looks fab

 

[Stasieki]

Great update! I was a bad disser and totally missed the Minnie/Daisy meet and greet area. We went last Feb and my girls would have LOVED it. It's on our list for our 2014 trip for sure. We did a BOG dinner but always got intimidated by that lunch line. It will be must do next trip too

 

[katt789]

Great call on not thinking the line at BOG will take forever, so many people complain and it honestly doesn’t take that long!!

Awwe, love that Beauty and the Beast was one that you guys could all share the child love of!! It’s definitely one of my favorites!! I love the peach applesauce! Lol, I always get the kids menu at lunch there, I like the choices better! Glad you guys enjoyed lunch at BOG and took the time to try it!

Great meets with the girls!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

OK that's interesting. I remember reading well before summer about how unbearable it would be standing in that line. The umbrellas are a very clever idea.

I nabbed a FP for this for December so I finally get to see what all the fuss is about. Since you only had a 10 minute wait, I guess a FP isn't critical. Heck I've waited longer than that in "regular" QS locations.

So nice to have a full family character photo. I never noticed how totally colour coordinated you all are.

 

[gracer9977]

Glad you were able to have lunch at BOG. Even though it sounds like the kids lunches weren't great at least you got to sit in there and experience it all. Interesting about the umbrellas they were handing out while you waited.

Tried to get a FP today for this but I have none available. Hoping it is just a glitch and something will come up otherwise I will plan to be in line at 10 and hope for the best.

I love the pictures of all of you with Minnie and Daisy. Great color coordination. Makes the pictures look even better.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one that thought of Cogsworth when seeing the suits of armor! I totally though the same thing!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Love the BOG pictures. I've never seen the music box before-its so pretty! We might sit in that room if we can. Either way I can't wait for our ADR!

Love the pictures with Minnie and daisy. They are so cute in their circus outfits!

I think it's funny that Brandon had to take sawyer out of line for the bathroom. We have two girls so I'm always the one that has to get out of line or up as soon as our food comes to run to the bathroom. What is it about kid bladders that they never need to go when the bathroom is convienent? Lol!

 

[okw19]

I have heard so much about kids not caring for BOG's kids menu. I have no idea what mine would eat there, she's too picky! I however have loved the two lunch choices I've gotten from there!

Minnie and Daisy always have such a line compared to the boys. Oh well, more Donald time for us!

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

I have to say, I love the decor of Be Our Guest, but I wasn't super excited about the food there. To be fair, that was the full sit down meal, and I've heard the quick service is better. But I definitely think it's more about the ambiance there.

Hooray for Daisy and Minnie! Poor Donald and Goofy. I'm surprised that line was so short, since I feel like usually the lines for Donald are super long!

I'm so excited to read about the rest of your day!

 

[thegib95]

Yes!!!!
My Mickey Meter is full for the moment!

We looked at the BOG dinner menu and decided to skip it, and normally we play the day by ear but with FP+ coming into our lives (I wasn't very creative with them most right after lunch hit the headliners) we are more scheduled so we are trying BOG thanks to the FP test there.
Excited to just soak in the ambiance in there. And I thought I knew what I wanted and now I see your meal and might have to change my mind...

Love the character pictures, praying DD23.5months wants to see them this year...
Last year she was very standoffish even to face characters....
But couldn't resist kissing Mickey's nose at Tusker House!

Can't wait to read more! 24 days for me!!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Wow that queue sounds fast for BOG, Think I will do the same ,we haven't booked dinner there so lunch it is. We didn't meet the characters at Big top last time so again on our list this year. Lovely family photo , and bow down to your co-ordination of the clothes looks fab

It looked very intimidating, but that was deceiving. It moved really quickly, so don't be discouraged!
This was our first time at Big Top. I am sad to say we never made it to the other line to meet the boys, but that will be on our list next trip for sure.
I'm a bit obsessive with the color coordination...just a bit...

Great update! I was a bad disser and totally missed the Minnie/Daisy meet and greet area. We went last Feb and my girls would have LOVED it. It's on our list for our 2014 trip for sure. We did a BOG dinner but always got intimidated by that lunch line. It will be must do next trip too

I think it's easy to miss; it's way back there!
The lunch line moves very fast, but I was definitely not sure it would. It looked horrible, but it wasn't.

Great call on not thinking the line at BOG will take forever, so many people complain and it honestly doesn’t take that long!!

Awwe, love that Beauty and the Beast was one that you guys could all share the child love of!! It’s definitely one of my favorites!! I love the peach applesauce! Lol, I always get the kids menu at lunch there, I like the choices better! Glad you guys enjoyed lunch at BOG and took the time to try it!

Great meets with the girls!!

Yeah, it was quick! I think it helps that they bring your food to your table, so once you order, you just sit instead of standing around waiting for food. More people get through that way.

OK that's interesting. I remember reading well before summer about how unbearable it would be standing in that line. The umbrellas are a very clever idea.

I nabbed a FP for this for December so I finally get to see what all the fuss is about. Since you only had a 10 minute wait, I guess a FP isn't critical. Heck I've waited longer than that in "regular" QS locations.

So nice to have a full family character photo. I never noticed how totally colour coordinated you all are.

I think that since they let you order and then sit to wait on food, it moves very fast. At most QS, the lines are because people have to stand at the counter and wait and then the CM can't take more orders because the line is backed up. This is a great set-up!
I think half my planning for trips goes into coordinating clothing while my kids will still let me!!

Glad you were able to have lunch at BOG. Even though it sounds like the kids lunches weren't great at least you got to sit in there and experience it all. Interesting about the umbrellas they were handing out while you waited.

Tried to get a FP today for this but I have none available. Hoping it is just a glitch and something will come up otherwise I will plan to be in line at 10 and hope for the best.

I love the pictures of all of you with Minnie and Daisy. Great color coordination. Makes the pictures look even better.

People started lining up at 10, and those people had to wait until it opened at 11, a full hour. I got in line at 11 and was in in ten minutes. The line isn't bad at all once it is able to move.
The pictures are the main reason I coordinate the outfits! Brandon is obsessed with taking pictures, and I'm obsessed with making sure we look okay in them.

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one that thought of Cogsworth when seeing the suits of armor! I totally though the same thing!

We're awesome, obviously!

Love the BOG pictures. I've never seen the music box before-its so pretty! We might sit in that room if we can. Either way I can't wait for our ADR!

Love the pictures with Minnie and daisy. They are so cute in their circus outfits!

I think it's funny that Brandon had to take sawyer out of line for the bathroom. We have two girls so I'm always the one that has to get out of line or up as soon as our food comes to run to the bathroom. What is it about kid bladders that they never need to go when the bathroom is convienent? Lol!

I haven't seen a lot of people posting about the music box room, either, so I was pleasantly surprised! It was much less crowded than the other rooms, but equally as beautiful.
It is a whole new thing for him to have to take someone to the potty! Sawyer had *just* potty trained before the trip, so when he said (or says...still kind of like this) that he had to go, he had to go RIGHT THEN. And I got to stay put. Of course, the girls have tiny bladders like me, so I was taking them plenty of times, too, and getting out of line for it...more about that next update.

I have heard so much about kids not caring for BOG's kids menu. I have no idea what mine would eat there, she's too picky! I however have loved the two lunch choices I've gotten from there!

Minnie and Daisy always have such a line compared to the boys. Oh well, more Donald time for us!

This was the only kids' meal I thought they'd like, based on the description. But then the food was not prepared in a way anyone would enjoy. I'm not saying that this was an adventurous meal for kids to try--fish and applesauce!--but my kids are sort of oddballs for being big fans of fish usually. Not this. Brynn ate hers and a big part of Sawyer's, but I don't know how. I couldn't have done it. If adult fish came out like that, I'd be sending it back.
HOWEVER, the adult meal was perfection! It was just super delicious, and I know I'll get it again next year. I'm going to push the kids to order off the adult menu, too.

I have to say, I love the decor of Be Our Guest, but I wasn't super excited about the food there. To be fair, that was the full sit down meal, and I've heard the quick service is better. But I definitely think it's more about the ambiance there.

Hooray for Daisy and Minnie! Poor Donald and Goofy. I'm surprised that line was so short, since I feel like usually the lines for Donald are super long!

I'm so excited to read about the rest of your day!

I think the food might be better at lunch, but the ambiance is lacking. It is very crowded and the paper cups take away from the fancy feeling. It definitely feels like QS in there at that time, though the best QS theme ever; I can't say what it feels like at dinner, since I've never been. Do they use glasses at dinner? Still, it's GORGEOUS, and we loved walking around and taking it all in.

Yes!!!!
My Mickey Meter is full for the moment!

We looked at the BOG dinner menu and decided to skip it, and normally we play the day by ear but with FP+ coming into our lives (I wasn't very creative with them most right after lunch hit the headliners) we are more scheduled so we are trying BOG thanks to the FP test there.
Excited to just soak in the ambiance in there. And I thought I knew what I wanted and now I see your meal and might have to change my mind...

Love the character pictures, praying DD23.5months wants to see them this year...
Last year she was very standoffish even to face characters....
But couldn't resist kissing Mickey's nose at Tusker House!

Can't wait to read more! 24 days for me!!!

I would highly recommend what I ate! It was delicious! I thought I'd made up my mind before I went in, then changed it at the last minute and was so happy with my choice!
I always hold my breath during the first few character meets, seeing if anyone is not into it. Sawyer didn't care to see some characters at all this year; he wasn't upset by them, he just wasn't interested. You'll see what I mean. What is it about Mickey's nose!?! Have you seen this picture from when Sawyer was a baby?

It's part of an entire series of Sawyer and Mickey loving on each other. First trip for him, lots of magic!