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

[KatMark]

First and foremost, HI BRYAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Second, I cannot believe your Mother-in-Law. And I cannot believe how calm you were with it. I would have taken her to the side (which I have done with my own mother when my kids were little) and said something to her. That is just inconsiderate.

I'm glad you enjoyed your breakfast at Tusker House. It sounds absolutely yummy. If I could ever get myself away from my puffed french toast and Pooh and Tigger, we'd give it a try.

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day at the AK.

 

[katt789]

Yay Tusker House!! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it, it seriously is one of my favorite character meals to do! The food and themeing is just so excellent!!

 

[Susan121302]

I love your report so far. You really have my DYING to try Tusker House when we go! Can't wait for more of your TR.....

 

[laura74]

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.

It's like that for us except it's cookies in the morning on vacation.

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

Wasn't this winter amazing weather wise?

sShe 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…

Uh oh.

including a set of princess dolls that Maddie had been admiring the day before. .

My daughter loved those. Her favorite game was not-nice princesses. The princesses with their hands held up to their faces were nice and all the rest were not-nice.

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.

I can just picture her little eyes welling up.

Since Bryan has a deep seeded love of things Canadian, curling included

Curling is grown men playing with brooms and not cleaning anything, right?

Everyone say hi to Bryan!

Hi Bryan!

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?

Slick!

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.

See Smidgy? I'm not the only one to say it!

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.

I have that same problem.

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.

Check out the stall doors in the restrooms at Rafiki's Planet Watch.

Great update Shannon!

 

[nebo]

holy cow! if she didn't buy a gift for Maddie, she shouldn't have mentioned the other gifts! (If I happen to see something the one grandchild would like, I don't feel like I have to buy something for them all.. but then I give it in private, not when the whole clan is together) it's called "tact".

 

[tralin]

1. Hi Bryan,

2. I have moved my dinner RFC res to a lunch TH res. thanks for the review and the advice.

3. If it was me I would have been pushing DH to have a word with his mother. Don't mention gifts for others kids if you don't have one for the kid sitting in front of you!

Waiting patiently for the next installment.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I really hope maddie's feeling were not hurt when she overheard the litany of gifts for the other grandkids!

Yeah, we pretty much throw all normal rules out the window at Disney too, that is what vacation is for right?

I really enjoyed our Tusker House breakfast when we did it in Dec, and we even sat at the same table as you! I also thought the food was delicious, and there was some variety you don't see at all breakfast buffets. I think the characters are pretty cute in those safari outfits too!

 

[shan23877]

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.

My thoughts exactly. If you're going to be at Disney with all 3 of your grandkids within 2 months, why not buy for the kids that you're with? I just don't understand her. She may have bought some things for Maddie and is squirreling them away for future holidays, but she still shouldn't have told Maddie what she bought the others.

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.

The poor princesses probably didn't know what to think! I thought it was weird that Donald doesn't sign. It was strange.

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.

Thanks! It was a great meal. Everything was delicious!

Thank you. It was hard at times, but I tried to remind myself that she was only staying 3 days. I'm not sure what her problem was.

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!

It was awesome! By far the best breakfast of the trip. It was beautiful, and there's so much to look at. I hope it makes the list on one of your trips!

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!!

Thanks. I don't enjoy conflict, and I knew that if DH had his wife and mom complaining to him, he'd be really unhappy. So I kept my mouth shut. I I'll bet that you're feeling my pain. I think that my DH wishes that we'd left her at home too!

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!

It was so great! I'll bet that you'll really enjoy it. The restaurant is so beautiful.

I hope to have another update done this weekend!

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.

Tusker house was great! I hope that you guys can fit it in on another trip. The characters were fun, and it wasn't as crowded as some of the others can be (I'm looking at you Crystal Palace...)

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

I loved it! My DH used to have no lists, but now I'm pretty sure that Tusker House is on his ever-growing list of Must Eats.

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.

Yay! I hadn't read much about Tusker House, but it ended up being a very pleasant surprise!

We are not huge AK people, in fact we skipped it all together on honeymoon. On longer trips, we do make a point to go once though. The themeing there is outstanding, so I enjoy going for that alone.

MiL seems to favor her other son's kids (no daughters for her). They live a lot closer to her though, so I'm hoping that will change when we move.

 

[hardingk]

Hi Bryan!!

We had the same table at Tusker House when we went for Donald's breakfast!! It was a great meal!

 

[shan23877]

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!

Thanks a lot! I appreciate it!

TH was awesome. I think that we'll make a point to go back on AK day every trip.

My MiL is like any other, we have our good and bad moments. I'm certain that I make her crazy some times , but I guess I thought that she'd try harder on the trip. It's not everyday that you get to take the grandkids to WDW!

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.

I agree. I kept trying to make her seize the moments with Maddie, but she rarely did. It was a lesson learned--no more MiL on vacations.

Hi Bryan!

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.

Thanks. I wondered as I was typing if I had blown that situation out of proportion, but it seems that most people would have felt the same way. Maddie did not need to know about all of the goodies her cousin's were getting from grandma.

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.

Sorry! It was a great meal though

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

It was awesome.

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

MmmmmHmmmm

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!

It is nice to let them have special treats.

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!

yeah, I thought it was pretty insensitive. Maddie didn't say anything, but it was written all over her face.

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

Tusker House gets a 10 out of 10. It was great!

First and foremost, HI BRYAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Second, I cannot believe your Mother-in-Law. And I cannot believe how calm you were with it. I would have taken her to the side (which I have done with my own mother when my kids were little) and said something to her. That is just inconsiderate.

It was pretty rude and upsetting. I was trying to keep the peace for Bryan's sake (and my own, who am I kidding), but I was so mad!

I'm glad you enjoyed your breakfast at Tusker House. It sounds absolutely yummy. If I could ever get myself away from my puffed french toast and Pooh and Tigger, we'd give it a try.

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day at the AK.

It was great! If you ever get tired of Pooh and the Gang, give TH a try, it was amazing!

 

[Caretames1]

Hi Bryan!


Great review of the Tusker House! We loved it there, and the only reason we didn't book it this time is 1900 PF had to fit some where!

We thought the theme was awesome, Disney really does it well. The food for us was great too, and we also were lucky enough to be table #2 for the character stops.

Kadence didn't do the parade, as I just finished wiping up her spilled water glass and she was in a mood.

I'm sorry Maddie had to hear of all the gifts for other people. Hopefully , your MIL had a little something something for her that just wasn't mentioned.

 

[shan23877]

Yay Tusker House!! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it, it seriously is one of my favorite character meals to do! The food and themeing is just so excellent!!

It was awesome! It's my favorite character breakfast now, we'll do it again for sure.

I love your report so far. You really have my DYING to try Tusker House when we go! Can't wait for more of your TR.....

Thanks! It was great, I hope that you'll give it a try!

I hope to have more TR up this weekend!

It's like that for us except it's cookies in the morning on vacation.

and lollipops at 10 am

Wasn't this winter amazing weather wise?


it was gorgeous! If you didn't believe in global warming before...

Uh oh.

it's coming.

My daughter loved those. Her favorite game was not-nice princesses. The princesses with their hands held up to their faces were nice and all the rest were not-nice.



I can just picture her little eyes welling up.


She played it cool, but I could tell. She keeps that kind of hurt inside.

Curling is grown men playing with brooms and not cleaning anything, right?

it is! That's a perfect description!


Hi Bryan!



Slick!



See Smidgy? I'm not the only one to say it!

It's true! The most high maintenance PITAs all drink hot tea.

I have that same problem.

Glad I'm not the only one


Check out the stall doors in the restrooms at Rafiki's Planet Watch.

Will do!

Great update Shannon!

Thanks!

holy cow! if she didn't buy a gift for Maddie, she shouldn't have mentioned the other gifts! (If I happen to see something the one grandchild would like, I don't feel like I have to buy something for them all.. but then I give it in private, not when the whole clan is together) it's called "tact".

NEBO!!! thanks for popping over! I'm honored.

Tact is not her strong suit. I know that she doesn't buy for every kid equally, and I really don't care. I just didn't understand why she felt the need to tell Maddie that. Glad to know that you agree!

1. Hi Bryan,



2. I have moved my dinner RFC res to a lunch TH res. thanks for the review and the advice.

Awesome! RFC is good and lots of fun, but I bet you'll be happier with an 'early out ' option. (and since you're doing TRx, they're basically the same) You're welcome

3. If it was me I would have been pushing DH to have a word with his mother. Don't mention gifts for others kids if you don't have one for the kid sitting in front of you!

yeah, I didn't want to ruin his vacation either. It was enough to know that he was on my side.

Waiting patiently for the next installment.

I'm hoping to get another installment up this weekend.

I really hope maddie's feeling were not hurt when she overheard the litany of gifts for the other grandkids!

She keeps hurt feelings to herself, but I could see in her eyes that she was eager to hear what presents grandma had gotten her. It broke my heart

Yeah, we pretty much throw all normal rules out the window at Disney too, that is what vacation is for right?

Exactly!

I really enjoyed our Tusker House breakfast when we did it in Dec, and we even sat at the same table as you! I also thought the food was delicious, and there was some variety you don't see at all breakfast buffets. I think the characters are pretty cute in those safari outfits too!

It was great! That's funny that it was even the same table! The meal was awesome, I really hope to do it again.

Hi Bryan!!



We had the same table at Tusker House when we went for Donald's breakfast!! It was a great meal!

Too funny! It must be the DIS Table!

It was delicious!

 

[shan23877]

Hi Bryan!



Great review of the Tusker House! We loved it there, and the only reason we didn't book it this time is 1900 PF had to fit some where!

I totally get it

We thought the theme was awesome, Disney really does it well. The food for us was great too, and we also were lucky enough to be table #2 for the character stops.

It was amazing from start to finish. Wonderful meal!

Kadence didn't do the parade, as I just finished wiping up her spilled water glass and she was in a mood.

I understand that too!

I'm sorry Maddie had to hear of all the gifts for other people. Hopefully , your MIL had a little something something for her that just wasn't mentioned.

I'm still hoping that she was stocking stuff away to give Maddie after the trip she took with my niece and nephew (which she's not going on now), but a 5 year old won't understand the she's getting stuff from then, now. It was a tough situation. Maddie got a lot of things on both of her trips, she just didn't need grandma to rub in the stuff she didn't get.

 

[marDgreen88]

Aw, I'm glad Maddie was brave about her grandmother not getting her a gift. She sounds very mature.

HI BRYAN!

Wow, you're right, Tusker House looks awesome! I'm always so impressed by the theming everywhere at AK!

I bet it's awesome being the first table the characters stop at! I'm glad yall had such a great experience there. I've wanted to try it for a long time, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe someday!

 

[kaileighbug]

Hi Bryan

I know the feeling with MIL not doing for her grandkids equally. I don't mind much though. Kaileigh doesn't know it so that helps. She has offered to pay for things for her, but mostly we do because it is our job as her parents. DH's sister has a daughter as well. MIL pays for just about everything for her...soccer, karate, school, and anything else she wants to participate in. If she didn't I know think my niece would get to do any of those things. If DD ask to participate in something we find a way to make it happen. This year will be soccer. Last year it was coach pitch baseball. She has even done floor hockey....that was my favorite. It was nice to see her go from being shy not getting into the action at the beggining to getting in the middle of it...

When DD is around along with my niece, MIL does the same for both.

 

[kmedina]

We must have been posting at the same time, because I just realized I missed an update. Donald's Safari breakfast is the best character restaurant to get food at. I could not agree more that it should not be skipped. Everything about the restaurant is nice, especially the food. Glad Maddie joined the parade. Xander has yet to do that. Maybe, Connor will do it next trip.

Hi Bryan. I do not know how I missed you either, but it is nice to see you're on the DIS.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hi Bryan!

Reading what I will now refer to as "the gift debacle" made me think about my mom. Every time we shop, she says "okay, what should I get for this grandkid?", if she finds something for another. I know it's not reasonable to expect absolute, complete equality on the gift front, but you hit it on the head. It's just the fact that she mentioned it in front of Maddie.

Glad you enjoyed Tusker House. The only meal I've eaten there is breakfast and I quite enjoyed it.

 

[catherines_mama]

Found your report a few days ago and am finally caught up. Kudos on your patience with MIL. I don't know what I'd do I mine went along. She's nice don't get me wrong we are just different and I know our vacation styles would just clash.

The episode with all her gifts is classic. She just didn't need to talk about it in front of maddie.

I really liked your post on the 2 meals so far. Both places we've never been but might have to try. Weve eaten with Donald but not since the move to Tusker House. Looking forward to more.

 

[shan23877]

Hi guys! I'm going to do another double update tonight because we are moving out of the hotel tomorrow and into our new house on Monday! (We're staying at MiL's tomorrow night ). I hope that there won't be much delay in the TR, but if there is I apologize.

Tonight was Maddie's first dance recital, and I hope to post a few "Proud Mommy" pics of that next week too.

Aw, I'm glad Maddie was brave about her grandmother not getting her a gift. She sounds very mature.

That's sweet of you to say.

HI BRYAN!



Wow, you're right, Tusker House looks awesome! I'm always so impressed by the theming everywhere at AK!

It was great! I love the themeing at AK. It's fantastic.

I bet it's awesome being the first table the characters stop at! I'm glad yall had such a great experience there. I've wanted to try it for a long time, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe someday!

It was so nice. We were really pleased with everything at TH. I hope that you'll get to try it on a future trip, it's awesome.

Hi Bryan



I know the feeling with MIL not doing for her grandkids equally. I don't mind much though. Kaileigh doesn't know it so that helps. She has offered to pay for things for her, but mostly we do because it is our job as her parents. DH's sister has a daughter as well. MIL pays for just about everything for her...soccer, karate, school, and anything else she wants to participate in. If she didn't I know think my niece would get to do any of those things. If DD ask to participate in something we find a way to make it happen. This year will be soccer. Last year it was coach pitch baseball. She has even done floor hockey....that was my favorite. It was nice to see her go from being shy not getting into the action at the beggining to getting in the middle of it...


When DD is around along with my niece, MIL does the same for both.

I really don't care what MiL buys for Maddie-she's plenty spoiled. It did hurt for her to have to hear that though. It sounds like you have a great attitude about your MiL. I agree that some sacrifices are worth it for sports and things. It's so good for kids.

I'm glad that your MiL makes sure that the girls think everything's equal. That's important.

We must have been posting at the same time, because I just realized I missed an update. Donald's Safari breakfast is the best character restaurant to get food at. I could not agree more that it should not be skipped. Everything about the restaurant is nice, especially the food. Glad Maddie joined the parade. Xander has yet to do that. Maybe, Connor will do it next trip.

Isn't it the best? I loved everything about it! Maddie didn't want to join any of the parades last year, but this trip she was all about it. It'd be really cute to see pics of Connor in the parades.

Hi Bryan. I do not know how I missed you either, but it is nice to see you're on the DIS.

He's not posting yet, but maybe he'll chime in soon. It's funny that both of our DH's are checking up on us

Hope that things are going well for you. I hope that things slow down for both of us soon, I miss DISing with you!

Hi Bryan!



Reading what I will now refer to as "the gift debacle" made me think about my mom. Every time we shop, she says "okay, what should I get for this grandkid?", if she finds something for another. I know it's not reasonable to expect absolute, complete equality on the gift front, but you hit it on the head. It's just the fact that she mentioned it in front of Maddie.

I love that you've given it a name. That's something I would totally do.

It was too bad that it happened. Maddie never forgets anything so even though she hasn't mentioned it, I'd be really surprised if she's forgotten. I'm glad that your mom is so careful to keep things equal. It's important to kids.

Glad you enjoyed Tusker House. The only meal I've eaten there is breakfast and I quite enjoyed it.

I loved the breakfast at TH! I don't know if we'll branch out to any other meals there, because breakfast is now one of our must dos.

Found your report a few days ago and am finally caught up. Kudos on your patience with MIL. I don't know what I'd do I mine went along. She's nice don't get me wrong we are just different and I know our vacation styles would just clash.

Thanks for joining in! I had a feeling that MiL might be difficult to travel with, but I wanted to give her a chance to do WDW with her granddaughter. You're smart. There are just people who shouldn't travel together.

The episode with all her gifts is classic. She just didn't need to talk about it in front of maddie.

Agreed

I really liked your post on the 2 meals so far. Both places we've never been but might have to try. Weve eaten with Donald but not since the move to Tusker House. Looking forward to more.

Thanks! I figured since we had so many TS meals, I'd share our experiences. TH was awesome. DH and I were talking about it tonight, and TH is now on our short list of meals to do every trip!

 

[shan23877]

We were done with breakfast by 9:00 and our first order of business was Kilimanjaro Safari.

It’s like she doesn’t know how not to pose like a princess anymore.

The posted wait time was 15 minutes, but the wait was just as long as it took to walk through the line. Maddie seemed way more into the ride than she had on the last trip, but still got a little restless. She wanted to play photographer so she got Mommy’s I Phone. (I Phones are expensive, but not as expensive as the DSLR). We had a great safari guide, and our truck wasn’t full so we were actually able to hear him! Maddie was able to follow the storyline as well, and she was so excited to have saved the baby elephant.

And since KS photos are so rare in TRs, here are a few of mine.

Hippo?

I think these guys would make some really nice handbags.

Relax animal lovers! I obviously spend all my extra money on WDW, not expensive purses.

Every time I see this it's like I'm in a trance.

Must. Photograph. Poop. Hill.

Pretty!

I love these trees

I have a fondness for kitschy lawn ornaments such as gnomes and flamingos, so I have lots of pics of these.

Here I was getting all "artsy". Not sure if there's an animal in the pic or not.

​

After we’d collected the stroller, we decided to do single riders on Everest. Along the way, MiL said that she’d be going to Epcot in the afternoon, and of course Maddie wanted to go too. We didn’t have any Epcot time planned for the first 3 days, so I knew MiL would need to break away from us if she wanted to get there and check out Flower and Garden. I didn’t know that Maddie would insist on going and that we’d be loosing our scheduled relaxing time (I know I’m not the only one who schedules relaxing time on vacation, right?).

I promise she knows which end of the drum to play

See?

Love, love, love the themeing here.

Once we got to EE, we realized that Maddie might be tall enough to ride. She loves roller coasters so we assumed that she’d be excited to try. Unfortunately, she knew that the Yeti was involved and assumed that the ride would be scary. After much discussion and the promise of the day’s stuffed animal bribe (Stitch today) she agreed to be measured. A large tour group was approaching the ride, so we rushed her over and as a result Maddie refused to stand up straight and was measured at 1” too short. MiL and I got in the single rider line and got on the first car. After the ride, I found Maddie crying and Bryan looking frustrated. Maddie was upset thinking that she wouldn’t get Stitch since she didn’t ride, Bryan was frustrated with DD, and I was having flash backs to the Great Animal Kingdom meltdown of 2011. I assured Maddie that we’d get her the Stitch at Epcot, but tensions were still high.

Maddie expressed interest in riding Kali River Rapids, but it was still really cold so I wasn’t up for it, and Bryan’s water ride policy is to not do them (he’ll try each one once, but that’s pretty much it). Luckily, MiL said that she’d love to ride with Maddie, so we changed Maddie into her backup outfit (and she decided to wear her poncho as well) and sent them on their way.

Bryan took that opportunity to call our realtors and lawyer. At the time we were in the thick of both home sales, so we really did need to set aside time to make some calls. While he did that, I went in search of a CM who could help me with a very important mission.