Who Says a Platypus Doesn't Do Much?

[tyandskyesmom]

So continuing on with breakfast...



Then Manny came around...



That is something I love about Skye...as mature as she is for her age, she is still in love with kiddie things. Sometimes, she is such a mature kid. I mean, she spends a lot of her time with the older girls at dance (She dances in classes and on a team where the next youngest is ten and they go up through high school) and she is in gymnastics where she is consistantly the youngest by a lot. She just has gotten to be much more mature than a lot of her friends that are her own age in a lot of ways...yet, she still loves meeting Manny and the Playhouse Disney gang!

So next was Leo...



And a dessert plate...


(peach cobbler and bread pudding with vanilla sauce)

Then Oso came around...and let me tell you, she will tell you everyday that Oso is for babies and she does not like him...but you be the judge...





I think she loves him just as much as any of the others! She's such a weirdo!



And on the way out we snapped this...



Tyler would not get in for th epicture. I think he was afraid I'd post it to Facebook or something!

So in all, we still love Hollywood & Vine for breakfast. Anywhere that can put tortillas on the buffet gets my vote. No...but really, we come here on every trip. Sometimes early and sometimes later in the morning. Any time we have been there it has not been too busy. The food has always been hot and fresh. There is never any empty dishes waiting to be filled. The characters are friendly, we usually get to see them more than once, and the entertainment is fun...even if my kids do think they are too old to partake in that. They still like to sit and the table and sing!

We left around 10:38am after using 4 meal credits to pay for our $94.75 bill.
So we were probably there for about 45 minutes but that was by our choosing. We could have been done a while before that but did I nmention hot HOT is was out there???​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So after breakfast...





We headed back around towards Star Tours and rode again and grabbed fast passes for later. Skye was holding my camera at the time...





And stopped here...

















We love the Muppets and really missed them on our last trip when they were closed! We ran to see the new Muppet Movie when it came out and we do own a season on DVD from the Muppet Show and a few of the movies too. Even the kids "get" most of it. So it was a fun show, as usual!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So after the Muppet Show...



...guess who still had the camera!





Perry went playing...









Lou went to the Stunt Show Food Cart for a Coke Icee and came back with a corn dog too. He paid out of pocket fo rthe corn dog...but used a snack credit for the Icee.



Skye was mad at him for only getting one corn dog. It was a very good corn dog. And the Icee was cold and ice-y!!! And of course, he did not bring me the totals and the receipt is all zeroed out...so cost is a mystery.

We kinda just walked around taking it all in after that. In fact, we basically walked in a big circle.



​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

We headed back towards our apparent favorite part of this park and caught a little of the Jedi Training Academy.



I don't know that I could spend the day waiting for that...it was crazy over there! And when we finally decided to get in the line to ride, believe them when they tell you to keep moving because we stopped for three seconds over to the side to grab that picture, not worrying about if people were passing us up or not, and the CMs...and I do mean Cast Members because three of them...came over to move us along! Geeze!

So we rode a couple more times and played in the dump shop at the end a bit.





The kids as Bobba Fett...hehe!



After our last trip around we headed towards...



No, not Tower of Terror...we are collectively NOT FANS! We were heading here...



And we got there just as they were closing that show. They said it was standing room only. We missed the pre-show and the show was actually started when we got in. They ended up opening some handicapped seating for us to sit, that was nice...because it was H-O-T!








Indiana Jones Show continued in the next post...​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

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​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Tyler was a bit bummed that we were sitting in the last row. He likes being up front. But these are the trade offs of going at different times of the year!

When the show was over, great as usual, we slowly started the cattle crawl out of that place. It's crazy! Goos thing there wasn't an emergency, we'd never all make it safely out! ​

 

[mousetravel]

That's a great picture of those two!!



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Love all the "little Diva" pics!!

My DD always loved taking photos, too, regularly "striking a pose"!



ETA: Don't know why I didn't get those "quotations" right....??
My brain has been in overload lately!

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I really like your trip report and I am only on page 3. What is great about it is that you put the times that you are arriving and eating and how long you're waiting for buses. We are going in June and I am really nervous about the heat so your trip report is helping me to plan how long we should be in the parks. We've never gone in the summer and are from PA and not good in the heat and sun!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

I really like your trip report and I am only on page 3. What is great about it is that you put the times that you are arriving and eating and how long you're waiting for buses. We are going in June and I am really nervous about the heat so your trip report is helping me to plan how long we should be in the parks. We've never gone in the summer and are from PA and not good in the heat and sun!

Thanx!

This was our first summer trip too...and i was worried about heat and rain becuase we are used to winter months mostly with a little sprimg and fall in there but summer was something we had alwaysa avoided.

Crowd wise, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprized...mostly. But it was hot, hot, hot! And we definately had more that a sprinkle this trip.

It was a very different kind of trip for us but I think knowing that it would be going into it helped us a lot.

I think we expected the worst and ended up mostly pleasantly surprised.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Oh no...I'm on page four...I am falling behind...Gotta catch up!!!

But really, we have just been so so so so so busy...pretty much more of the usual except that football has started as after two games Tyler's team is undefeated scoring an average of 55 points per game vs. 0 in one game and 6 in the other, Scholastic Bowl meets have started, both of which Tyler's teams lost. In their defense though, in our district honors classes or being advanced or promoting the above average kids is not a priority but they are going up against schools who have had gifted programs since grade 3 and have actual language classes in lower grades and things like that so pretty much, academically, they are behind...just an indication of what college will be like for these poor kids...but that is a topic for another discussion.

In addition to that, we have started de-wallpapering and painting at my parents house so that is taking up a lot of what ever free time I have.

So, that being said...I am hoping to get some updates done soon!

Oh, and another thing on our horizon is Skye's dance trip to Disneyland, Hollywood, and Las Vegas. All I know so far (and it is driving me crazy!!!!) is that we are going June 23 through July 2 and we are spending three nights in Disneyland, two nights in Hollywood, and four nights in Vegas. They are getting a workshop in Disneyland and competing in Vegas. Don't know anything else...I don't think the person organizing this realizes what no knowing does to a Disney planner...especially since we have never been to the Land before (well I was born in the Valley so I have been there but I was like 3 so that does not count!). We have not really been able to get excited about it yet and it's only 109 days away! So I have been spending time that normally I would be posting here trying to find useful info about Disneyland...you know, there really is not much out there compared to the info on the World...but I certainly feel like a complete newbee when looking at what is there... and it does not help that I keep thinking we are going to be disappointed. Now logic tells me "Hey, it's a vacation. It's new places (three of them) and new experiences. It's an awesome experience for Skye. And just because it is not Disneyworld does not mean it won't be fun." But I cannot help thinking even though approximately $4000.00 is probably cheap fo what we are getting, I know what I'd be getting for that much money in the World...so hopefully once she puts out details and i can get down to some planning, I will get more excited...I am having a hard time with the fact that I am not excited yet.

So hopefully, I will get some more posted here very soon!

 

[justakrazymom]

Somehow I missed this report..so now I'm on board!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Somehow I missed this report..so now I'm on board!

Me too...I don't know how I missed yours either...I've gotten through a little of yours...working on the rest!

Tyler thought your son's hair was awesome by the way!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So after Indiana Jones we headed towards the hat...





And crossed over and around (I know, not the most efficient way of doing that but we were in no hurry!) to Toy Story Mania!!!




"L" is for Louie!













I'm think we used our fast passes this time around. And then since it was not that crowded, comparatively, we decided to jump back in stand-by!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So back on through Toy Story Mania Perry got crazy!























​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Tyler flirted with a girl in line behind us for a little while so that helped his wait go by quicker and we played with Perry.























​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

And we finaly got on...



That was two great rides in a row! Granted, we usually don't wait in a line that long but we were good with it. It was o hot and humid out and it was getting ready to rain so it was nice to get a rest.

When we exited, we headed towards the Backlot Tour.



Skye tried to cool off in a bunch of pop...



...but it was not spraying so we headed out. We decided not to ride the Backlot Tour. Been there-dne that kind of a thing. Once in a while we still like to ride but everyone was in agreement at this point that we did not want to do it.

It was getting close to dinner time so we headed that way hoping to be seated a little early.



​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

We had 5:00pm ADRs at Mama Melrose for a Fantasmic! Package. We went to check in at about 4:45pm. It was a mad house in there! We were allowed to check in but told they were running about an hour or more behind. We were asked if we still wanted to keep the ADR. We said yes. She we were told we shoudl go on and do whatever we wanted and come back in about an hour. Before we left Skye snapped this...


Perry loved that hidden Mickey!

We headed back out in search of something to do...



And what did we find??? A line up to see Perry's family!!!! nd it was just begining to re-form!!! That set up is very cool for a Phineas & Ferb fan! And this was one of our things on our list to do today...thus the guys wearing their Perry shirts! So we hopped n line and soon the "show" started. so, the guise is that they are filming a movie. They pull out kids and some adults from the line and give them props to use and tell them what to do. There is a photopass photographer there also. So we watched for a while.


The cameraman.


Perry liked it!



Skye got picked for one of the scenes.















Right about this time someone in front of us called my name. I had completely forgotten that I knew someone who was going to be here today! It was justakrazymom!!! She had recognized Skyler from my pre-trip report!!!
It was nice to meet her in person...pictures are one thing but it is a whole different thing to meet someone you've only met online. After that I had a lot of explaining how I knew who she was. And Tyler wanted to know if her son, who he knew was a boy right away, gets called a princess all the time...because Tyler does, and it drives him crazy!!!

​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So when Skye was done dancing, we waited for our turn.













When we got up near the front of the line Lou asked the cast member if he could put Perry in some displays. She said that was find but to make sure that "the boys" dont' see him because they don't know he is a secret agent. We all got a kick out of that and hid Perry appropriately.





Gosh, that's a horrible picture of me but I guess it is what it is. See Lou hiding Perry from "the boys".


Duckie Mau Mau...he's one of our favorites! Skye considers ducks pretty similar to chickens so they're all good!



They even had that floating baby head that appears in all the shows back there somewhere. We really liked the set up they made for these guys...even just waiting was fun. We were looking at all the props and trying to remember what episodes they came from. Waiting does not seem so long when you're entertained!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So remember this...

We had 5:00pm ADRs at Mama Melrose for a Fantasmic! Package. We went to check in at about 4:45pm. It was a mad house in there! We were allowed to check in but told they were running about an hour or more behind. We were asked if we still wanted to keep the ADR. We said yes. She we were told we shoudl go on and do whatever we wanted and come back in about an hour. Before we left Skye snapped this...


Perry loved that hidden Mickey!

Well, after seeing "the boys" we went back to wait for our turn. We sat in that lobby for close to 30 more minutes and just about at an hour past our ADR time, we were called. We were seated in the far room, as usual.







Lou had not been here since our first time when Tyler was two and due to circumstances of that trip (not good ones mind you so we shall not discuss them here!) we were not impressed. The kids and I, on the other hand, had been back on each of our last three trips and love it here. We were on the Fantasmic! Package but that did not change anythign for us becuase we were on the deluxe dining plan but if you are on the regular one, this is a great option because you will get your appetizer included.

We quickly ordered our drinks and asked for a few more minutes to look over the menu.



Lou ordered a Magical Star Cocktail (Light up your celebration with X-Fusion Organic Mango and Passion Fruit Liqueur, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Pineapple Juice, and a souvenir Multicolored Glow Cube )...





Lou and Perry kept a running thread on Facebook about their drinking in The World. it was fun and a lot of our friends enjoyed it!

Our bread and olive oil were delivered...



And while they still had bread, the kids were disappointed that there was no butter.

Skye ordered the kid's salad with the dressing on the side (and it went untouched)...



She ate all the tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots.

I had the Fresh Mozzarella and Vine-Ripened Tomatoes (with marinated sweet onions, balsamic drizzle, extra virgin olive oil and fresh sweet basil)...which is one of my favorite appetizers!



Tyler ordered the Clams Oreganatta (oak-fried clams cooked in oregano butter with Italian sausage over toasted focaccia) becasue there really was not anything else on the menu he wanted and he was being adventurous...



He tried it, so did I, but we coul dnot convince anyone else to try it. It was all right but try as I might, I cannot bring myself to like Clams. Maybe I have not found the right cooking method yet but I am looking!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Lou had the Vegetarian Minestrone with ditalini pasta...



He said it was very good. Lou does not do a lot of soups...no creamy at all...but he liked this one!

For my entree I had the pork chop with four cheese macaroni and brocollini. It is not on the current menu on allears so I don't know if it is still there or not but it was very good. And it was nice to have something different for a change.



Skye snagged some of the pasta but otherwise I had it all to myself...which was fine with me!

Tyler had the Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana over Spaghetti...



Which he loved. He said it was not as good as the one at Tony's though! He was not sharing and cleaned the plate!!!

Skye had the Kids Penne Pasta topped with tomato sauce with everything on the side...



What's not to like. My kids are pasta freaks and will sit and eat it like popcorn so we're all good at Italian joints!

Lou ordered the Carne D'Italia Flatbread with Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Pancetta, and Spicy Marinara Sauce...



He thought it was very good! Except for the darker crust...I assume that is part of the charm of a fire grilled pizza but it is not something we enjoy...but it was just the edge so he was ok. I did not have any but it looked good...

About this time a manager stopped by our table appologizing for the wait and asking what he could do to make it up to us. He did put some restrictions on what he could do. But while it was not what we planned, it did not really hurt our day any. We really were not that put out by it and had not even thought about complaining let alone compensation. So we were dumbfounded. He put out a suggestion of two free fast passes for each of us to be used any day we wanted for whatever rides we wanted. So we said ok. He said that all we had to do was go to guest services when we get to the park that morning and give them our name and we would have the fast passes printed. He said he could not do it the Toy Story Mania though...anything but that. So we were thrilled! He did not have to do anything but just the faxt that they were taking the time to appologize personally and individually to the people who had ot wait would have been enough but two free unattached fast passes each was awesome. That just moved Mama Melrose up our ladder of success!

So moving on to dessert.

Skye had the kids' fruit salad...and it was her most disappointing fruit salad of the trip!



Is had a little cantalope and some grapes...and it did not even come colse to filling the bowl. Luckily both things were on her favorites list and they were perfectly sweet so she was happy but the presentation was odd...if not more fruit, maybe a smaller bowl so it does not look half eaten?

I had the Chocolate Cannoli Cake with cannoli and nutella filling...



MMMMMMM....it was really good. I think Skye snagged a lot of it...but she's good for that!

Lou had the No Sugar Added Mascarpone Pound Cake - with linoncello-macerated berries and fresh whipped cream...



And it was good...not as good as mine but Lou is a lot more for the plain things than I am. We all tasted it but I don't think anyone was after it like they were the other ones.

Tyler ordered the Chocolate Amarettini Cheesecake...



...and it was pretty good. But mine was the winner. Not that that stopped someone who shall remain nameless from attacking it too!

And one last pic of Perry...



All in all, we love Mama Melrose. We will not hesitate to make it our dining destination in this park. The service was great. While we were waiting to be seated they had a waiter walking around offering everyone ice water. The manager's appology was unexpected, unnecessary and awesome.

I do not agree though, that you don't pay for your seats for Fantasmic. We always seem to come out a little under the Fantasmic! Package cost if we had ordered all of that food out of pocket...especially with a flatbread. But, you cannot beat knowing you have a seat and not having to line up hours before hand.

Our total cost on the dining plan was $138.94...or 4 credits. We then had a $11.19 charge out of pocket for Lou and Perry's drink...wow, that's a lot of money! But they said it was good and you get a glow cube for your kids to fight over later so all's good!

Our receipt says we were out of there at 6:45pm. So our meal was not that long once we were seated. And we were not rushed, it just moved along nicely, which was great because that was exactly what we wanted! ​