Who Invited My Mother In Law? A Moderately Deluxe TR All New X 3 & PTR Link 2/3 !!

[PrincessFendi]

I have enjoyed reading your TR! Great HM idea...way to work it out. Looking forward to the rest of your TR.

 

[KatMark]

Caught up yet again. Phew....don't know how I get behind all the time.

I'm with your husband on IASW...I call it the slow boat to China.

Hooray for Maddie goes on the Haunted Mansion (and bribery never hurts, trust me!).

I'm glad your DH finally put his foot down with his Mother about how you were doing things.

Your firework pictures are terrific! I think you did great.

Shopping and not coming back to the resort until 2:30 a.m.? Did she not think you'd be sleeping by then?

Anxious for the next update.

 

[smidgy]

a little late to the party here! I love the way your little princess was worried about the dogs pooping on the carpet and the vomit!!! ( I know, the things that interest me..)

 

[ShanLubey]

Looking forward to the rest of your TR. I will live vicariously through you with a little girl. I am afraid my boy will never bow or twirl for a princess.

 

[Lisa29]

Hi
Just read this TR, then went back to your first one and read that over the past two days (whilst at work, shhh!) and am really enjoying this one and really enjoyed the other one.

Your daughter is adorable - I love all her clothes and princess dresses and character tees.

The pics from BBB (first TR) were perfect - I definitely would like my eldest to do that when we go next year. The youngest will only be 2 so she will have to do it the next time (we are hoping to be able to go every 2 - 3 years).

I'm glad you managed to fall asleep waiting for your MIL to get back - I imagine you would have been furious if you had been awake the whole time!

Can't wait for the next update.

 

[shan23877]

Ahhh, using bribery to get a little kid on a potentially scary ride. We've done it, too - it makes me feel a bit guilty, but if we can get on the ride, I can justify doing it The older kid who was planning to ride anyway gets the short end of the stick in my case, but we tell him it's for his own good.

Glad we aren't the only ones. If she'd have cried or said she hated it, I would have felt terrible but she didn't seem too bothered by the whole thing. Plus, we finally got to ride!



AWESOME fireworks pics!


Thanks!



My guess is that your MiL did no shopping and instead just rode Space Mountain 17 times. Am I right?


That I could have gotten behind. She did shop. From what I heard, my niece and nephew are very lucky kids.

Seems like you had a great day, minor speedbumps aside. Can't wait to read more!

It was a great day (can't be bad if you're in Disney!)

I have enjoyed reading your TR! Great HM idea...way to work it out. Looking forward to the rest of your TR.

Thank you! We had to find a way to get on that ride!

Caught up yet again. Phew....don't know how I get behind all the time.

I'm with your husband on IASW...I call it the slow boat to China.

Yeah, he doesn't love it. It's not my favorite, but I don't mind it. It reminds me of trips with my grandma.

Hooray for Maddie goes on the Haunted Mansion (and bribery never hurts, trust me!).

We were so happy to finally get to ride! Aand she doesn't seem scarred for life!

I'm glad your DH finally put his foot down with his Mother about how you were doing things.

Your firework pictures are terrific! I think you did great.


Thanks so much. I may blow one of them up and frame it for DD's bedroom.

Shopping and not coming back to the resort until 2:30 a.m.? Did she not think you'd be sleeping by then?

Anxious for the next update.

I'm not sure what she was thinking. She did say that her cell died so she couldn't call, but she had 2 more days to get all that shopping done.

Should have an update up tonight!

a little late to the party here! I love the way your little princess was worried about the dogs pooping on the carpet and the vomit!!! ( I know, the things that interest me..)

Thanks for joining in Smidgy! Isn't that hilarious? Those dogs are always the first thing she thinks of (and what they might do to the house obviously). Not to worry, they stayed with family and neither pooped or vomited in the house She cracks me up.

Looking forward to the rest of your TR. I will live vicariously through you with a little girl. I am afraid my boy will never bow or twirl for a princess.

Thank you! I am jealous that you get to do stuff like Pirates League! I know that lots of girls end up wanting PL, but I don't think little Eva the Diva will be one of them. I've got about as much chance of that as you do having your DS pirouette for Cinderella.

That's what the Dis is for I guess. Thanks for joining in!

Hi
Just read this TR, then went back to your first one and read that over the past two days (whilst at work, shhh!) and am really enjoying this one and really enjoyed the other one.

Thank you! I promise I won't tell...

Your daughter is adorable - I love all her clothes and princess dresses and character tees.

Thanks! They're her favorite things to wear.

The pics from BBB (first TR) were perfect - I definitely would like my eldest to do that when we go next year. The youngest will only be 2 so she will have to do it the next time (we are hoping to be able to go every 2 - 3 years).

You'll love BBB!! It's so great! *spoiler alert* we'll be at the Castle BBB in this trip. It's fantastic. I would definitely recommend that one.

I'm glad you managed to fall asleep waiting for your MIL to get back - I imagine you would have been furious if you had been awake the whole time!

I would have been so mad! We were all exhausted. Even MiL couldn't stand between us and sleep!
Can't wait for the next update.

Thanks for joining in! Should have an update up tonight!

 

[shan23877]

We woke to our alarms ringing at 6 am. We were still tired, but hopped out of bed pretty quickly- excited for our first full day at WDW. Bryan and I got showered and dressed before waking Maddie. We gave her a quick bath, and I got her dressed and did her hair while Bryan walked over to Old Port Royale to get and fill our mugs. He forgot to get Maddie’s, so we knew we’d need to go back later in the day to fetch it. She isn’t allowed Coke in real life, but she knows that the mom and dad play fast and loose with the rules on vacation, so she happily slurped on our Cokes all morning.

Outside, it was bright and sunny, but very cold. I was cursing the fact that I hadn’t packed any jeans. We’d been enjoying 80 degree weather in Illinois, so I really didn’t think we’d need them. Thank God we had the hoodies. Surprisingly, MiL was ready to go at the appointed time of 7:00. She seemed tired, but happy to be spending the day at Animal Kingdom. Little did we know that we’d all pay for her lack of sleep later in the day…

On the bus, MiL filled us in on her nocturnal activities at MK. She’d literally shopped in the Emporium for 3 hours. She told us about all of the wonderful things that she bought for my niece and nephew including a set of princess dolls that Maddie had been admiring the day before. . My niece and nephew will be at WDW this month, so MiL was especially concerned that she find them each the perfect pair of Mickey Crocs for their visit. Now, Maddie wants for very little. We do spoil her on vacation, and she also had $70 of her own money with her on this trip. However, she is five years old, and it was very easy to see t hat she was waiting to hear what Grandma had gotten her. She handled it pretty well, but I was upset that MiL was insensitve enough to do that to Maddie.


We arrived at Animal Kingdom at about 7:30. We took our time walking to the front gates, taking pictures as we walked.

Good Morning From Animal Kingdom!

Our first animal of the day!

Animal Kingdom had Extra Magic Hours that morning and they started letting people in as soon as we arrived at the gates. We followed the crowd to the rope where there was some confusion over where the breakfast people were allowed to enter. One CM told me to go to the right, so I did and was directed to the far left side of the rope. There was a line of us attempting to get in, but it moved quickly.

​

None of us had ever dined at Tusker House before, and I was really looking forward to it. While AK is my least favorite park, I do love the themeing there, and could walk around just enjoying that all day. Tusker House and Dawa Bar are just as well themed.


We stood in line to check in, and then we took a seat at one of the tables for Dawa Bar until we were called in. While in line Bryan noticed that a gentleman in front of us was wearing a backpack emblazoned with the logo of a curling club. Since Bryan has a deep seeded love of things Canadian, curling included I snapped a photo of the bag. Bryan waxed poetic about curling until our name was called. Incidentally, Bryan has recently been reading along (though he hasn’t joined the DIS yet so he can’t publicly refute anything that I write about him). Everyone say hi to Bryan!

​

Our name was called, and we walked around back of the building to have our photo taken with Donald Duck. Around back, the scenery was even better. There’s something interesting to look at everywhere.

Including them!

​

We encouraged MiL to join Maddie for the photo with Donald. We knew that we probably wouldn’t buy it anyway, but it was the thought that counted right? I don’t know if it was just that day, or if it’s the rule at Tusker House, but Donald does not sign autographs outside. I assume that it’s to keep the line moving, but Cinderella and Bell both sign before you are let into one of the princess meals so I found it strange. Immediately following pictures, we were taken inside.

 

[shan23877]

I don’t think that any of us got further than 5 feet inside the door before we stopped in our tracks. The buffet room at Tusker House is amazing. I believe that it’s meant to look like an African bazaar. There are colorful fabrics draped across the ceiling, and the far wall is meant to look like weathered buildings surrounding the area. It’s gorgeous and incredibly cool.

We were taken into the dining room which is divided into 3 smaller rooms like many of the restaurants at Disney are. We were at the first table in the first room so we had a great view of the amazing restaurant. Our server appeared quickly and poured juice for all of us and took our drink orders. MiL had coffee, Bryan had a Diet coke, Mads had milk, and I ordered hot tea. I don’t believe that I’ve ever ordered tea in a restaurant before because it’s a pain in the butt for the server, and as a general rule, people who order hot tea tend to be high maintenance. But, it was really cold that morning and I don’t drink coffee. I apologized to the server as I ordered (I recognized the fleeting look in his eyes that said “seriously, hot tea? It’s 8 am lady, give me a break” but I didn’t hold it against him. I understand) and he brought our drinks very quickly. He explained that the characters don’t begin their rounds until 8:15 and that ours would be the first table they stopped at.

We must have really liked this sign, we have 4 pictures of it.

​

We had 10 minutes before the gang would be there to pose for pictures with us, so we got up to fill our plates. The selection was excellent. There was a chef carving ham, blintzes, a couple different frittatas, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, Mickey waffles, potatoes, fresh fruits, and hot cereals. The bread selection was just as vast. They had bagels, muffins, turnovers, sticky buns, and croissants.

Bryan got bacon, ham, sausage, waffles, croissants, and biscuits and gravy. Like the kid’s pizza, he took it upon himself to review the biscuits and gravy at each of the restaurants we’d visit during the week. He found everything to be very good, but he absolutely raved about the ham. He loved it and went back for seconds. He also really, really loved the whipped butter for the waffles and said it was better there than anywhere else that we ate.

I had scrambled eggs, sausage, and waffles. Everything was hot and fresh and delicious. I cleaned my plate, which rarely happens since I suffer from eyes bigger than stomach syndrome. It’s been a problem since childhood when my grandmother first diagnosed me.

Maddie had a Mickey waffle, a banana, grapes, strawberries, ham, and scrambled eggs. She loved everything and ate quite a bit considering the distractions that were coming her way.

As promised, the characters came to us first. First up was Mickey Mouse himself. He spent lots of time taking pictures with Maddie alone, Maddie and MiL, and MiL alone. He is MiL’s favorite guy, so we made sure to encourage her to get some photos. (See how nice we were being?)

​

Daisy Duck was next. She is one of Maddie’s special favorites (I think it’s the eyelashes and heels), and she didn’t disappoint. She spent a good deal of time signing DD’s autograph book posing for pictures and admiring DD’s outfit. Maddie was utterly charmed.

Goofy came by t he table third. Maddie really loves being silly with him, so she tried hard to engage him. Maybe he wasn’t feelin’ it that morning, but he wasn’t nearly as fun as he usually is. Maddie didn’t seem to notice though.

Bye Goofy!

After our visit from Goofy, it was time for the parade. Last trip Maddie wanted nothing to do with the parades of children during character meals, but this time? Just try and stop her. The kids are supposed to join up with the nearest character, but Maddie took off like a shot for Daisy.

​

We made a group trip to the ladies’ room after the parade. MiL and I both commented that while the restrooms were clean and nice, they were a disappointment. The restaurant has so much character (!) that a simple, clean restroom was a let down. We expected it to be more like the rest of the place.

Once we’d met up with the characters and drained the last of our milk,

it was time to go. The service was great, and luckily MiL didn’t try to stiff us on the tip.


Overall, I’d say that if you’re on the fence about making that ADR for Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House, DO IT!!! If you don’t usually do character meals, BOOK IT! The food was outstanding and so was the service. We will certainly return to Tusker House on our next trip!

 

[kmedina]

That is sad that your MIL did not buy Maddie a gift. I am always about keeping things fair. If she was not buying for all of her grandkids, she should not have announced it in front of Maddie. I am hoping she did this, because she wanted Maddie to pick out her own gift later although that would still be hard to explain to a five year old. As you already mentioned that your SIL will be there next month, I doubt she only got them gifts because Maddie got a trip and they did not.

I love Animal Kingdom too even though it is also my least favorite park.

Xander does not get autographs (which one of the Princess' at Akerhaus found out at the same time we did ). I am not sure whether Donald does them regularly or not.

 

[Lisa29]

Great review. You have made me want to go back to Tusker House and I'm not even that big on breakfasts!! That ham, mmmmmmmm.

Well done for not saying anything to your MIL - that must have been so hard with Maddie sat there. I hope there is a gift for Maddie from her at some point during the trip.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hi Bryan!!!

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your breakfast at TH!!! I've really really wanted to go there, but have never seemed to be able to fit it into our dining lineup! The restaurant looks gorgeous though!

 

[CatNipRules]

Hi Bryan!! Welcome to the Disboards!

I must say that you have incredible patience. We went with my MIL to Disney about 10 years ago. For 1 day. She didn't stop complaining the whole time. I was ready to strangle her. LOL!! We ended up splitting up and DH told me that he regretted asking her along. LOL!!

My family has always loved the breakfast at AK. We haven't eaten there since they moved it and we are looking forward to trying it on our upcoming trip. It sounds just as amazing as ever.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi Bryan. If you ever get a screen name, you should come over and hang out with the DISdads.

Wow... 3 hours of shopping.

We almost did a breakfast at Tusker House on our last trip. We just couldn't get an ADR at the time we wanted. It looks like it really is a good opportunity to meet a few of the Fab Five characters and have a good breakfast.

 

[merbobear]

I am really glad to read your positive review of TH..I think it is on our list for our next vacation. Well, it's on MY list at least. Dh doesn't really make Disney lists in his head like I do

 

[ShanLubey]

I am very excited to try Tusker House now that I have seen your review. I have never been to AK despite going to WDW 3 times.

Your MIL seems to fit that stereotypical mom that favors her daughter/daughter's children over her sons. It's subconscious. My MIL does it too.

 

[mkandjpsmom]

I love you trip report! Your daughter is just adorable. Thanks for such a great review of TH. I really want to try it now. We always end up going to the same places all the time because we just love them so much. I really need to try some new places though. Your comments about your MIL crack me up. I love my MIL, but some times she drives me crazy as I'm sure I drive her crazy too. I can't wait to hear the rest of your story!

 

[Racemom17]

Shame on your MIL...seems she was so busy making sure her next trip was special that she missed out on making the trip with Maddie special.

 

[wendy3]

Hi Bryan!

 

[amandaw]

Hi, Bryan!

That was really wrong of MIL to talk about what all she got the other kids. Why say that in front of Maddie? She's a grown up & should know better.

Just when I think I'm all set on my ADRs....you go & give a glowing review of Tusker House. Looks like I'm headed to see if they anything available on our AK day.

So glad y'all had such a wonderful breakfast! The restaurant does look really pretty!

I'm a little worried that MIL turned into Grumpy later that day.

 

[MrsTeddy]

I love "in real life Maddie doens't get coke" isn't it great how in vacation many our normal rules can go to the wasteside and kids can live it up a little! Logan doens't get pop in real life (unless his auntie takes him out to eat!) but I'm sure he will milk the vacation beverages as well!

Hi Bryan

Thats awful about your MIL and the shopping! Things should be fair, my kids are the only grandkids so far (and DH is an only child so won't be an issue on that side ever) but things should be fair for sure, or she should have the sense to not talk about it in front of poor Maddie!

Tusker house looks and sounds great! We are doing lunch there and I'm even more excited now!