Who Says a Platypus Doesn't Do Much?

[tyandskyesmom]

So we arrive at the Magic Kingdom and decide to take a boat to the Wilderness Lodge.




















Skye pooped out!



The kids did not believe earlier in the week when I told them that the bridge we went under going to and from the Magic kingdom went ubder water...well, now I got to show them...they thought that was so neat! And it was before Skye took her power nap!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

When we get to the dock at the Wilderness Lodge, we woke Skye and walked towards the building.



It is so pretty here. I would like to stay here one day but I am not sure that we would find it up there with Animal Kingdom Lodge and thus not worth the extra money spent...but sometimes things are different when you experience them than in your head so I'd still like to try it!

We entered the huge lobby and just wow...it is very impressive!



We have been through here before a few times so it wasn't a new sight for us but it is always an awesome one!



We headed over to Whispering Canyon Cafe to check in for our 2pm lunch. We have never been here before and I have heard so many different things about it, good and bad, that I had absolutely no idea of what to expect.

We checked in around 1:30pm and they said it would be a few minutes but as soon as the kids got here...



...we were called. And there was not many people there. We found out later that we were one of the last tables seated becasue they were getting ready for their change over to dinner.

We were given a nice big table and our server was Wandering Wendy.









She came over and took our drink orders...Tyler has a coke becasue he wanted to earn his huge mason jar coke. Skye had a diet because she was not allowed a milk shake on the plan. Lou had a root beer because he said it was too hot out for a shake. And I had the Strawberry Milk Shake...



There were not any zaney antics going on. Our waitress was a little surly and the table next to us was a bunch of cast members on an off day so the staff way playing with them a lot but not much for us. I had heard that lunch was less so than dinner so it was ok though.

For appetizers Tyler ordered the Homemade Western Chips with a bowl of Queso Salsa Dip...



Huge...is all I can say! This was awesome. The kids were a little weirded out becasue there was stuff on the chips but it was able ot be flaked off so they ended up ok.

Lou ordered the Venison Chili with Cilantro Sour Cream and Lime...



...which he said was very good! He was not happy that he forgot to tell her not to put the "stuff" on it (you see now why the kids are like that right?) but it did make for a prettier picture.

I had the Slow-smoked Pulled Pork Spring Rolls with Barbecue-Mayonnaise and
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce...



They were really good. Appetizers were a ton of food! We shared the rolls and the chips. lou pretty much got his chili to himself because the kids won't eat it and I had other things in mind! It was all really good but go hungry!!!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

For entrees, Lou and I ordered the Canyon Skillet...Smoked Pork Ribs, Oven-roasted Chicken, and Pork Sausage served with Cowboy Beans, Corn on the Cob, Creamy Coleslaw, Mashed Potatoes, and Fresh-baked Cornbread





We did not need to ask for refills of anything, there was plenty along with our appetizers. I could see maybe needing refills of something if you were not getting appetizers though.

Skye had the kid's fruit cup and the Canyon Skillet Choice of Chicken or Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Corn on the Cob...she chose chicken and got two big chocolate chip cookies for dessert...



Tyler had the Chicken Sandwich which is listed as Fried Chicken Breast topped with Pineapple Slaw with Vegetable Pasta Salad or French Fries...and of course he chose fries and asked for everything on the side...



This sandwich was huge...we laughed when it was brought out! Check it out...





That's Lou's hand for comparison sake...it was huge and he loved it!

Everything was really good! We all ate a ton and were pretty full when we were done with our entrees. But there was still dessert to be had!

Lou had the Apple-Caramel Pie - Fresh Granny Smith Apples, Sugar Cookie Crust, Streusel Topping, and Caramel Drizzle...which he said was great but would have been better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!



I got the Kahlúa-flavored Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse Filling and Fudge Icing...



YUM!!!! Oooohhhh, it was so good and so rich...I wished I had not eaten so much of the other things so I'd have more room!

And Tyler got the S'mores Cheesecake (which I no longer see on the menu)...



It was really good too! And he was not sharing much of it...

Tyler drank about 8 cups of coke hoping the waitress woudl bring him that big one but she never did and he left kinda upset about that! It kicked in later that night and he was even more mad...

When all was said and done, this meal would have cost us $133.31 but we used 3 adult and 1 child's credit. We left a $23.00 tip. It was a nice relatively quite lunch with very good food. I don't know what people are ordering who are saying it isn't good but we liked what we had...and Lou was just starting to realize what he was in for!

We had a ton of good food and we would not hesitate to return. The problem is that it is a little bit out of the way...but I am sure we'll be back!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Well, we headed out of Whispering Canyon and checked out some more of the lobby and a pin stand in it...oh, yes, Lou was here!











And headed out to the boat dock again...





Then we took a bus from the Magic kingdom to Caribbean Beach. We did not have much of a wait and the bus was empty so we had a nice ride back!







And everyone crashed out on me! Unfortunately, I don't think anyone ate the leftovers you can see on Tyler's lap but it was a nice thought. It also would have been nice if they had given us a bag to carry them in!

On the way back I called the number we were given and our room was ready. We decided to get off at the Martinique stop and have our checked things brought to us.​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So we got to our stop and got off and followed the signs to our room. We had room 2412. After all the waiting for our room to be ready, I was really worrying about where it was going to be. Well, I should not have worried, that check-in cast member took care of us! We scored a first floor corner room in building 24 right across from building 25, opening out inthe the courtyard. We were hoping for a corner room, we had one on our other visit here and it just made the room seem so much bigger with the two windows.


A view from the door towards the beds.


From the door towards the wall opposite the beds.


The bathroom area.


A view from the bathroom area.


The boarder.


Skye displaying the bed.


Skye chose to sleep here all week...I thought she'd change her mind after trying it out but she didn't...I told you, she's a weirdo!


Our Mouse friend.

Here are all the views from our windows...









We were really pleaased with our room and the location. Worth waiting for??? I think in the end it was, although while really wanting to have somewhere to regroup, I probably would not have said that. I don't really understand why it took so long for the room to be ready. It did not really seem that busy here...not a tthe pool, or at the food court, or on the bus. There were not a tom of people waling around or checking in or out. So, I guess we will never know!

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[tyandskyesmom]

Here's some more room pics...




Our beautiful window!

Since we did not have anything with us, we called for our things to be brought to the room and we were told they'd be here shortly. And we asked about out transferred luggage. They did not have it yet. They asked if we have our claim tickets. We told them that we were told to leave the bags under the window and we did not need to be there. they said that was incorrect. We have done this before and that is always how we have been told to do it though so I think it is just Caribbean Beach that wants that. So they said it was not there yet and as soon as it was, they woudl bring it. We also called housekeeping for extra sheets and blankets for Skye's "bed" and extra pillows because I like a lot of pillows. They said they'd be right down.

The kids waited outside for housekeeping and she took a long time coming. I was almost about to call again when she came down the stairs with just sheets. She said they were out of blankets and pillows becuase there were so many people checked in. Really??? Like I said, nothing seemed that busy. I mean not too busy for Disney to handle. What's up? So we had to make due with what we had.

Finally, after about 45 minutes, our carry-on's showed up. Lou asked about our transferred luggage but that guy did not know anything about it. It was about 4:30pm now and I had been planning to go to Magic Kingdom for a little while before dinner...although, I did not plan on being back at Caribbean Beach between lunch and dinner so I guess my plans were already blown. So Lou called down to bell services again to see where our luggage was. Remember, we had left our room and called for transfer VERY early this morning. There was no excuse for it not being here by now! He was told it was received and out on a truck but it was a big resort so there is no telling where it is at right now. Not that it mattered but, REALLY??? You're telling me the drivers have no communication with the home? I don't think so...but whatever! So, again, we're getting upset with Caribbean Beach. And I am starting to think we should have just stayed at All-Star Movies...or gone to Port Orleans French Quarter. Ugh!!!

So we all tried to relax and wait....it's all we could do.

Lou had worked till early morning and then hopped on a plane so he was tired...relaxing was not his problem!



Tyler was wide awake waiting for the luggage man.



Every time he heard something that sounded like a truck, he'd jump up and look out the window. He had a few false alarms! Finally about 6:00pm, Tyler yells, "It's here, I see our bags!"

DID YOU HEAR ME???? It was 6pm before our transferred luggage, that was ready for transfer at darkoclock this morning, did not arrive until 6pm!!!!

I was not happy at that point. I had to get us unpacked enough to find our dinner clothes and get us all ready for our 7:50pm ADR! How was that going to happen and then have us able to navigate all the transportation needed to get to dinner on time???

Oh, and here is our anniversary button...



Gotta load more pics...be back soon!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

I was planning on being nearer the Contemporary when we had to leave for dinner but that all changed this morning and then this afternoon and then later this afternoon. So my last plan was that we needed to be out of here by 6:00pm in order to make our ADR. Well, as you just read, it was around 6:00pm before our things got back to us! And I really wanted to take Lou to this dinner. And the kids were looking forward to it. And it wasn't our fault we were running so far behind. And I was upset.

I decided to get us all as ready as we could and go. And hope for the best. And that is just what we did.

I found all our clothes...well, except for Skye because she was perfectly dressed for anything we threw at her! We freshened up quickly and headed out to the Martinique bus stop. We sat there for about ten minutes before a Magic Kingdom came along...it felt like forever! Then add to that our bus waiting at the Olde Port Royale bus stop for the bus in front of us to go and then the additional ten minutes to go around to Trinidad North and Trinidad South before finally getting on the way! There is no way we are going to make it!

So we get to the Magic Kingdom and head up to the Monorail platform. After walking it a few days earlier and seeing that there really was not anyone at the monrail, i figured we'd be better off riding.





Well, it was now about 7:45pm...we cutting it really close to our ADR. I was hoping we'd still be able to be seated. And then the monorail was holding just before we got in. And we stood there for ten more minutes making us officially late!

Finally we were let on and got orr at the first stop. But not before we had to sit and wait for clearence to pull into the Contemporary station.

Once off, we hurried it up downstairs to the California Grill check-in counter. We were now 20 minutes late!!! Would the seat us???​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So we arrive at the check-in dask for California Grill twenty minutes late!!!

The girl takes our info and I explained that we were late because we just transferred to Caribbean Beach and they did not bring our luggage so we would have our clothes for this evening until around 6:00pm and we ran to get here as soon as we could. She said she did not think she could seat us. I almost started to cry! I was so angry and frustrated with Caribbean Beach and how they handled things and now we were going to miss out on a wonderful dinner becasue of them...

Well, the girl goes to talk to the manager and comes back to say she was told to call up there and see if they could seat us. So she did. And then can. But it might be a while. That's fine. We understand. It wasn't California Grill's fault we were late. they ask if we want to wait down here or go up and hang out until we are called. I asked the kids (because Lou had no clue what he was in for) and they wanted to go up. So we pile in the elevator and are taken up. We're told of the observation decks and let go. Skye and I went to the bathroom and when we come out Lou and Tyler are there saying our table is ready!!!! WOW, really???

And so it was. And our evening got better from here.

We were not at a window this time but who could complain! We were towards the back of the room next to the rail that was between us and the isle before the kitchen. So we could watch the cooks while they cooked.



And our table was even decorated for our celebration!







We were left with our menus...



And our wonderful waiter, Ron, showed up. He was great. He was very talkative, yet very busy. Very knowledgeable and very helpful! Our waiter last time was efficient but not all that overly concerned with us. He explained the menu and the kids and I ordered our coke and diet cokes and Lou had a Blue Moon.



Ron brought out bread, butter, and fish crackers...



Skye did not want the kid's salad that is on the menu...it is really skimpy and while she likes salad, she wasn't in the mood...so Ron had her brought out a fruit salad. It was awesome and her eyes lit up when she saw it!



Lou ordered the Rotisserie BBQ Chicken brick oven-fired flatbread with Chipotle-Corn Salsa, Roasted Peppers, Smoked Cheddar...



It was really good and huge. We all could have shared it!

I had the...I don't know...It is listed on the receipt as "market app 1" and I don't see anything that looks simular on the current menu. Maybe it was a special that night??? Anyone know??? I believe it was seafood something or other...I know it was good because if it wasn't I would remember bad food at California Grill...but I don't!



And Tyler did not get an appetizer because we were paying out of pocket for him tonight.​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

After appetizers it was time for Wishes to start so we went out to the deck to watch. For some reason my pictures are not that great but you can tell what a great, yet different, view we had!





















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[tyandskyesmom]

It was an awesome show from an awesome view. It was difficult for Skye to see so Lou had ot hold her up.

Afterwards we went in and our entrees were delivered.

I had the Oak-fired Filet of Beef with smashed Potatoes, green beans, fried onion slivers, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Teriyaki Barbecue



I shared with Tyler...the meat anyway...and it was awesome. The sauce was great with the potatoes too!

Lou had Hawaiian Monchong with House-made Shrimp Dumpling, Stir-fry Vegetables, Long Beans, Shiso Broth which I could swear was halibut when he had it so maybe it was, maybe it wasn't...everything else was the same though...



He really enjoyed this. He let me taste it and it was really good! Definately something I woudl order in the future if I did not want beef!

Skye had the House-made Macaroni & Cheese...she loves it here...says it is THE BEST mac & cheese anywhere...and she is a mac & cheese expert!



And Ron had the kitchen make Tyler a cheese flatbread...just cheese...it was huge and gooey and perfect for him!



While we were waiting for our dessert Skye got silly...


Eating her Mickey Head Confetti Soup.

And of course, she had to save all the Mickey HEads so Ron made her an envelope out of a kid's menu for her to take them in...and brought her extra too!

For dessert I had The Strawberry Cheesecake...and it was delicious. It is no longer on the menu so I assume it is one of those seasonal things that changes.



Lou had the Valrhona Chocolate Cake...and it was yummy!



After delivering our desserts Ron noticed they forgot something so he told us not to eat yet and he'd be right back. In two seconds he was back with these...





As delicious as they looked beofre, the chocolate wishes just made the plate all that much more pretty!

Tyler shared with both of us...and Skye snuck her spoon in too!

Skyler's dessert was Crisped Rice Sushi Plate...



She loves this. It is so cute too! She took most of the sushi home with us.

All in all, we had a wonderful meal and it was a great way to calm down after the heck of a day we had had. Ron was great with the food, the service, and with the kids. The food was all great and Wishes from the deck was awesome!

Lou loved it and I think he sai dhe thinks that was one of our best meals. I don't know if it was the newness of the whole thing or not but I'll take it! Maybe now he'll start to realize what all th emonths and months of going over menus was for!

Our total for the evening on the dining plan was $167.61 or four adult credits and two kid's credits. We paid $16.78 out of pocket for Lou's beer and Tyler's flatbread. We left a $32.00 tip.

The receipt says it was 10:44pm when we were checked out. Figure, we got seated around 8:30pm. So this was a long meal for us. But in the past it hasn't been. I think we were just so worn out from the day and Wishes took up some time (we had never actually caught the show from there before) and we were just happy to be happy again after such a bummer of a day that we just relaxed and took our time. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the food and the staff and eachother. It was just all around a great meal!

Everything was perfect and we'd return again in an instant!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Now, my plan had us staying at the Magic Kingdom after dinner as it was open until 2:00am. And much to Tyler's dismay, no one was up for it! He tried to convince Lou to stay with him and let Skye and I go home but Lou wasn't having it. So he was mad!!!

But we still had a bunch of snack credits to use up from our first dining plan. So we entered the Magic Kingdom...



...to use them up at The Confectionary. This was just a huge tease for Tyler but really, after the day we had had we just wanted to cut our losses and start fresh in the morning. So with plenty of time to spare we entered The Confectionary to pick out our goodies. We stood in line and figured out what we wanted from the case. When it was out turn we ordered, it was bagged up and rung up. And what??? "Sorry ma'am but you have no credits left."...Um, yes, I do...I have approximately 13 left. So off they are to figure out if/how/why...three cast members and a manager later they figured out that they had to ring just one snack up and the receipt would tell them if there was anything left. They did that and the bottom of the receipt read "13 SNACK Cp Rm". So, Steven, the manager rang us out the rest of the way.

We left with 14 snacks for the rest of the week. And we ended up bringing some home too! $55.00 later using 14 snack credits we had...

1 nut cluster
2 vanilla cake pops
1 marshmallow roll dipped in chocolate
1 english toffee slab
1 vanilla/chocolate fudge
1 4 ounce peanut butter cup
2 chocolate dipped pretzel rods
1 bag of circus peanuts
1 blue cotton candy
1 bag of Mickey gummies
2 unicorn pops



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[MyKidsMom1820]

Hey Sherry! I just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed your trip report. Thank you for all the awesome food reviews! Love it! love it! Love it!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Oh no...I was going to update today but the disc I need with the next set of pictures is not in my stuff...so I am hoping I forgot it in my drive at work...so I guess there is no update today!

 

[Rosiekins]

Subbed and loving your report! You have an adorable family!!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Well, after we used up all of those old dining plan snacks it was about midnight and Tyler was itching to stayt at the Magic Kingdom for another two hours but he could not convince anyone else to stay with him so reluctantly he headed back to Caribbean Beach with us. Skye was barely awake at this point so there was no way she could have stayed. And I was really tired too. He was hoping since Lou had just gotten there that he could convince him to stay with him but that did not work either. It had been a long day.

We got a bus pretty quickly and were back in our beds by 1am...

Phew! Skye went through with her plans to sleep on the cushy bench so I had the bed all to myself. And it was a good night's sleep!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Well, we were heading to Disney's Hollywood Studios today. And what's the sense on going there is you cannot ride Toy Story Mania??? So of course, we were up and out bright and early...











...and after stopping at Old Port Royale for refills...









...we arrived at the gates just as they were starting to let people in up to the rope for the morning greeting.



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[tyandskyesmom]

I was going to just put this in my dining report but I thought you guys might be interested too...

Part One Deluxe Dining Analysis

$585.00 to upgrade from FREE QSDP to DDDP
+$190.00 spent out of pocket on tips
_______
$775.00 TOTAL SPENT to eat for six nights

$1541.21 total food purchased if paying out of pocket for all
- $ 775.00 cost out of pocket actuall paid
________
$776.21 SAVED by using the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan

Now, could we have eaten cheaper? Maybe. But we would not have liked to. So even if we have gone out of pocket and not done any table service meals but we actually ate what we wanted and when we wanted at counter service venues and snacks, I think we would have spend at least, probably more, that the $585.00 I spent on the plan...so for us, this was a win-win plan!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So we headed back in the same sort of way we did it the other day. Lou couldn't believe that Tyler was running for passes for Toy Story Mania and we would meet him.





So we slowly headed up towards the crowd. Soon, the morning show was rolling and the main guy was asking people to call out where they were from as the walked past. We cut through the same store Skye and I went through before on the right side...partly to look, partly to cool off, and partly to get around the crowd. As we approched the doorway to leave the store we hear "CHICAGO!" and knew Tyler had just past the MC...he was calling out the places as people called them to him. We just laughed!

We kept on towards Toy Story Mania. It was still crowded but no where near what it was on our last visit. But it was still too long to wait for stand-by so we met up with Ty.er near Toy Story Mania.



And headed over to Star Tours where we had to actually wait in line a little!!!!











We rode a few times again. We went to the same places as last time but Lou had not been there so all was good.

We took our time strolling around and ended up here...



Then headed over here...



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[tyandskyesmom]

So we were heading into The Great Movie Ride.







Until we got half way through the final room where the movie clips and realized it was almost time for our breakfast ADR. So we ducked under the rope and left...talk about bummer!​

 

[tyandskyesmom]

So we headed over to check in for our 10:00am breakfast at....



We had a seat on the porch for a few minutes.



We were a little early but there hadn't been enough time to actually ride through The Great Movie Ride so I am guessing it was about 9:45am when we were seated.





We were seated just on the other side of the half wall from the buffet. Great place to be so the kids would go up by themselves. It was pretty uncrowded, as usual.



Shortly after we were seated, June showed up...



Tyler had decided not to get pictures with the characters here...but don't let him fool you, he still will watch if they are on!

So here's Skye's fist trip...



Bacon, Eggs, Ham, Watermelon, Mickey Waffles, and Tater Tots.



Oatmeal, Crossiant with Whipped Butter, Cheese Danish, Eggs, Corned Beef Hash, Hashbrown Casserole, Banana, Ham and Bacon.

Tyler's plate...



Toast, Bacon, Eggs, Mickey Waffle...

Lou's plate...



Coffee, Crossaint, Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Breakfast Potatoes...

More of mine...



Breakfast Burritos and Frosted Flakes.

Skye's Breakfast Ice Cream...

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