Some people ARE worth melting for ….. 40 Disney days – the trip of a lifetime updated October 10

[Pinkocto]

What a day! Glad it wasn't raining at MK. A fun morning before flying out can't be beat!

What is this family giving the CM a hard time to go through the FP line??? So bizarre!

Sorry your flight was delayed. Good that you prepaid for the early boarding because its stressful not knowing if you'll get to sit together. Mom and I have played that game many times.

I've never been to Las Vegas so this is doubly interesting. Dinner sounds scrumptious! Shame on them for giving you a hard time about the key card. If they're that sensitive they should warn you at first.

Yoyr room view is fantastic!

 

[Pinkocto]

Hey neighbour!!!! We will be at the Grand. What nights did you book? The party night and the next or the one before?
We really need to make plans now!

I had two choices, SSR and the Poly, and I had written down you were at the Grand so it was a no brainer!

The only two consecutive nights at the Poly were the 25th and 26th, and since we'll have a later night on the 26th too this will work perfectly

It seems they've changed how to link friends so we can make FPs together. I don't know what to do?


Sounds like one day we all need to be in France together and eat pastries

 

[dizneeat]

What a day! Glad it wasn't raining at MK. A fun morning before flying out can't be beat!

It was just the perfect ending to a perfect first part of the vacation. And it was a really good idea to move so close to the MK, so we did not lose any time.

What is this family giving the CM a hard time to go through the FP line??? So bizarre!

You should have heard them - they were so insistant that since they were such a big group they were entitled to go through the FP line. I really admired the CM who stood her ground with them.

Sorry your flight was delayed.

We should have known once we saw the rain clouds move in. They told us that no planes were able to land because of the rain and it lasted for a little longer than we had been hoping for.

Good that you prepaid for the early boarding because its stressful not knowing if you'll get to sit together. Mom and I have played that game many times.

I was so happy I prepaid, took a lot of stress out of it, especially since we had never flown Southwest and I really didn't want to be seated seperately for five hours.

I've never been to Las Vegas so this is doubly interesting.

Ah, it is so beautiful. Unfortunately since we always go there in the height of the summer it is HOT there. But it is such a change from Orlando and the parks. Made for a fun two nights.

Dinner sounds scrumptious!

We both love Gordon Ramsay and his cooking, so once we knew we would stop in Las Vegas we knew where we wanted to eat.

Yoyr room view is fantastic!

Looking out the window for the first time was just stunning. We just stood there and took it all in until we realized that the fountains at the Bellagio were going. I so forgot to take photos of it.

I had two choices, SSR and the Poly, and I had written down you were at the Grand so it was a no brainer!

Clever girl!

The only two consecutive nights at the Poly were the 25th and 26th, and since we'll have a later night on the 26th too this will work perfectly

We are going to have so much fun.

Sounds like one day we all need to be in France together and eat pastries

Done deal!

 

[franandaj]

Wow! I got really behind there! What a long day with rides at the Magic Kingdom and then a five hour plane ride and to be stuffed into the small seats on Southwest. When we fly Southwest we purchase three tickets. If the plane is sold out we get a row all to ourselves and if the plane is not sold out, we can call the day after the flight and request a refund for the third seat.

I want to try Gordon Ramsay's restaurant when we get back to Las Vegas, which I hope is soon. As soon as we get the old house cleaned up, I'm paying off the EBPC cruise and then the following Monday we are leaving for Las Vegas!

What a nice view you had from your room! We always use the Bellmen to schlep our stuff. All it costs is a tip, and its so much easier than fighting the crowds with the luggage. It sounds like you ant Tom have the same amount of luggage that we usually travel with.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Finally caught up!!

We were ready to leave when we saw Amorette’s Patisserie. Since Austria is famous for its cakes, we had to look inside. There were only two other customers in there and we took a good look around and in the end picked up a few goodies as well.

Their pastries looked so good!

and the Monorail gliding by and if you looked to your right you had a perfect view of the Magic Kingdom.
What a score.
We could not believe that this was supposed to be a Standard View, it was just perfect.

WOW that is amazing! The room looks great and that is a standard view?!?

We were led to a table close to the bar and were surprised to find a small letter, welcoming us back to the restaurant at our table.

We got a welcome back letter too!

Bründlmayr Riesling, an Austrian wine.

I love Austrian Rieslings!

Spicy Kazan Roll, crab, shrimp, scallops, tuna and fireball sauce.

This looks really good!

I had caught a bit of a cold going home from Michelle’s house, so we had picked up some cold remedy from one of the Contemporary’s shops and I tried it out while sitting out on the balcony enjoying my view.

Oh no hope you felt better. But that view...just amazing!!

Before the fireworks were to start we made ourselves comfortable on our balcony with some drinks and then we enjoyed Wishes from the comfort of our balcony.

Who needs California Grill fireworks view when you could have that view from the comfort of your own room? That's amazing!

I finished off the rest of the Amorette’s desserts, a Caramel Éclair and Viennese Waltz, Sacher torte, chocolate almond financier cake, apricot jam and Chantilly, Amorette’s take on an Austrian staple.
And while it was still very nice, it was nothing like the real thing.

Haha good to know! They did look too pretty to eat.

Yummy meal at Columbia Harbor House!! I really need to eat more quick service at WDW.

I had read the note TSA PreCheck on the tickets, but since we did not know what it meant, we had not given it any more thought, so now we were on the way to a totally different line, where we just breezed through passport control and luggage screening.

We have Precheck and Global Entry and it has been a game-changer for us.

We had the most wonderful view of the Eiffeltower and the Bellagio fountains, which were in full action at that moment.

How do you end up with such amazing views?!!

Shepherd’s Pie, a Lamb Stew with Root Vegetables & Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, which was piping hot once you got under the potatoes, but yet so tasty.
I had ordered the

Yorkshire Ale Batter Fish and Chips, Cod with a Tartar Sauce & Mushy Peas and it was as good if not even better than the Fish and Chips I had had in Britain.

Oh wow everything about this meal sounds sooo delicious!

 

[dizneeat]

Wow! I got really behind there! What a long day with rides at the Magic Kingdom and then a five hour plane ride and to be stuffed into the small seats on Southwest. When we fly Southwest we purchase three tickets. If the plane is sold out we get a row all to ourselves and if the plane is not sold out, we can call the day after the flight and request a refund for the third seat.

It sure was a long day, especially with the time change. I wish I had known that you could purchase three seats. Would have made a lot of difference. But it was our first time on Southwest, so everything was new to us.

I want to try Gordon Ramsay's restaurant when we get back to Las Vegas, which I hope is soon. As soon as we get the old house cleaned up, I'm paying off the EBPC cruise and then the following Monday we are leaving for Las Vegas!

We went to Pub and Grill and Burgr and loved both - I wish we had had more time to try GR Steak as well. The food was really good. Keeping my fingers crossed for you that you'll soon be finished with cleaning out your old house and off to Las Vegas.

What a nice view you had from your room! We always use the Bellmen to schlep our stuff. All it costs is a tip, and its so much easier than fighting the crowds with the luggage. It sounds like you ant Tom have the same amount of luggage that we usually travel with.

We usually use bell services too, but there was such a long line to the main entrance and we were happy to be there and to just park the car. Looking back, it was not the best idea, but at that moment we thought we had made the right decision - live and learn. On the other hand, we took everything back to the car as well.

WOW that is amazing! The room looks great and that is a standard view?!?

Yes, I booked and paid for a standard view. We had a standard view the first few days as well and we were right across the pool. Only downside was that it was ground floor - I do not really like that - too many creepy crawlies and snakes. But the one for the last night was just AWESOME. Best view ever!

I love Austrian Rieslings!

I am always happy to see Austrian wines, as we are used to the more dry wines - many of the US wines and sparkling wines are far too sweet for my liking. And Bründlmayr is a very popular winery here, so I was happy to go with it.

Oh no hope you felt better. But that view...just amazing!!

I tried lots of meds that we could get over the counter, but it still stayed with me for another day. Thankfully it was all gone once we made it to Disneyland.

Who needs California Grill fireworks view when you could have that view from the comfort of your own room? That's amazing!

Just what we thought! So nice to sit on your own balcony with a glass of wine and watch the fireworks. And even though we could only hear bits and pieces of the music it was an absolutely wonderful time.

Yummy meal at Columbia Harbor House!! I really need to eat more quick service at WDW.

We love Harbour House. Yummy food and nice seating upstairs. There are quite a few CS that we love to return to. And I am sure you would love it too.

We have Precheck and Global Entry and it has been a game-changer for us.

We had NO idea what it was and when we got back home I checked up on it, but Austrians are not eligible for it. Oh well, we will just have to live with horrible immigration pictures and longer lines at security.

How do you end up with such amazing views?!!

Luck?? Well, I did pay for an Eiffeltower view in LV, but we never expected that we would end up on the 26th floor and would have a view over the Strip.

Oh wow everything about this meal sounds sooo delicious!

The food was absolutetely delicious. Unfortunately quite a bit went to waste as we had ordered way too much.

 

[momof3princes]

What a great view at BLT! You would have had to convince me to move from that balcony.
Sorry you ended up with a cold, hope your ears were ok on the flight. We have never been to Las Vegas, looks so pretty and a yummy dinner, I can imagine you and Tom were exhausted once you stopped moving! Loving your trip, can't wait to hear more

 

[KathyM2]

the Paris Las Vegas hotel

OMG that is my fave hotel in Vegas. Love it there. Can't wait to hear more.

On google earth the walk from Paris Las Vegas to Caesar’s Palace had looked pretty short, but getting there took much more effort and time than we had thought.

Yeah that's the thing about Vegas. You look at the hotel right next door and think it can't be that far...but they are all so huge....

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Your travel day was quite long! At least you had a really nice dinner to make it worth it.

 

[dizneeat]

Just wanted to let you all know that I wanted to update today and then found out that photobucket has issues again and my photos don't show up.

I have NOT taken them down.

Please be patient - I will update, once photobucket resumes service again.​

 

[MeghanEmily]

Just wanted to let you all know that I wanted to update today and then found out that photobucket has issues again and my photos don't show up.

I have NOT taken them down.

Please be patient - I will update, once photobucket resumes service again.​

Oh this is good to know! I wondered why the pictures in my TRs weren't showing up recently! It seemed I could see the pictures from some browsers like Safari, but not Google Chrome or Firefox, for example. Strange, and hopefully they fix it soon. We won't blame you

 

[Pinkocto]

Just wanted to let you all know that I wanted to update today and then found out that photobucket has issues again and my photos don't show up.

I have NOT taken them down.

Please be patient - I will update, once photobucket resumes service again.​

Oh my! How bizarre. Hope it fixes soon.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 17, August 19

So much to do, so little time! - Part 1

Given that we had a three hour time change, we slept in quite a bit and only got up around 8.30.

We took showers and got ready and then went downstairs to find a place where we could have breakfast. There was a buffet restaurant, but the line was out the door and what you could see of the buffet did not really lure us in. We knew that at the entrance there was a restaurant, but then we saw a self-service place, that offered crepes.
So, La Creperie it was.
There was a bit of a line and when it was our turn I ordered our crepes and two Diet Cokes and Tom took the drinks and went to look for a table, while I waited for our food. They were freshly made and it took a while, but it was worth the wait. Tom had wanted to try the

Breakfast Crepe, Roasted Turkey, Creamy Eggs, Avocado, picked Red Onion, Mozzarella and Bechamel, while I felt like a sweet crepe, so I ordered the

Fresh Berry, Marinated Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Berry Sauce and Chantilly Cream. Both were really good and hit the spot. Once we had finished our breakfast

we went to find where we could buy tickets to go up on the Eiffel Tower,

just to find out that they were not open yet.
So we headed back to the room, got the car key and my notes and headed right for the car to check out one of the Outlet Malls in the area.

The drive was short and uneventful, parking was a bit of a pain as we did not know where the entrance to the mall was and we had parked at the far end of it. We finally made it to the Mall and strolled through several of the stores until we found a Pandora Store. I collect Pandora beads that showcase destinations and so we asked and were shown the special Las Vegas charms. There was one I especially liked and Tom got it for me. Next stop was the Disney store there, but they did not have any Las Vegas themed items and nothing we really wanted or needed so we left without spending any money. Not finding anything made us decide to head back to the car and there we decided against driving to the other mall that had a Disney Store. Instead we just went back to our hotel and this time we were lucky as we found a spot close to the entrance to the hotel to park our car. We made a quick stop at our room and then we were on our way back to the casino and the Eiffel Tower. We had to ask where to buy tickets, but soon found the little souvenir shop that offered the tickets and found out that since we stayed at the hotel the tickets were discounted. Yippie! Always good to save money. Tickets in hand we walked back to the entrance to the Eiffel Tower, and headed up the escalator.

There was a neat little bridge we had to cross

and after we skipped the photo op, we walked over the elevator.

We needed to wait a few minutes until it came down and two more groups joined us. Turned out that one other group was from Austria as well and the others were from France, from Paris to be precise. It took a little time until we reached the top, but once up there we had an awesome view all over Las Vegas.

We stayed for quite some time, took in the view and a lot of photos and walked around the platform about three times

until we decided it was time to use the elevator to go down again. Didn’t take long and we had safely made it back to the ground floor. By now it was past 1pm and we were ready for lunch.

To be continued ....​

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I'm loving all your Vegas pictures. I stayed at Paris last year and didn't even see the pool.

 

[jenseib]

Nice updates. What an awesome view you had at Bay Lake!
and then in Las Vegas too. Total score there! I have never been to Vegas yet but it is on my bucket list. Skip would love to go to Gordons restaurant. He has a man crush on him.

 

[Pinkocto]

I didn't think the Eiffel tower looked big enough to go up from your hotel window, I guess you were really high!

Mom would have happily joined you for breakfast, she loves crepes!

Do you have a picture of your Pandora charm? Was it on your bracelet when you were on the cruise? I am looking forward to finding a DCL charm while we're in Alaska, I liked yours so much.

 

[dizneeat]

I'm loving all your Vegas pictures. I stayed at Paris last year and didn't even see the pool.

We were pretty lucky with the location of our room. We had a perfect view of the pool, which was highly populated during the day, had we been on the other side we might not have such a good view.

Nice updates. What an awesome view you had at Bay Lake!

We were in awe with the view of that room. We had moved to BLT because we wanted to hit the park that night, but no way was I giving up the peaceful balcony. We were SO lucky with many things this trip - and the view was one of them.

and then in Las Vegas too. Total score there! I have never been to Vegas yet but it is on my bucket list.

I

I did book that Eiffel Tower view, but I did not even dream about the location of the room and the awesome view of not only the Eiffel Tower but also the fountains of the Bellagio. If you have never been to LV, you definitely should go there rather sooner than later. It is such a great experience. Bring a bit more time than we did, but then, we have been there several times.

Skip would love to go to Gordons restaurant. He has a man crush on him.

I didn't think the Eiffel tower looked big enough to go up from your hotel window, I guess you were really high!

It is half as tall as the real thing - 540 ft high. We were on the 26th floor, so that helped with the perspective.

Mom would have happily joined you for breakfast, she loves crepes!

OMG, they were so good! They freshly made and filled them to order - so yummy.

Do you have a picture of your Pandora charm? Was it on your bracelet when you were on the cruise? I am looking forward to finding a DCL charm while we're in Alaska, I liked yours so much.

I found a photo of the charm on Google. Too lazy to get it off my bracelet to take a pic.

I am pretty sure it was on my bracelet on the cruise.

DCL has a lot of charms, thankfully I've gotten most of them, so my CC can rest. Looking forward to see which one you'll choose.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I saw the Eiffel tower in your photo and thought, "Now where are they? Did they go to Paris for the weekend?" Then I remembered you were in Vegas! Delicious breakfast. I love that Creperie. I have only been to the outlet mall out toward the airport. I left there with two bags so loaded down I had to drag them on the ground to the car. My credit card was screaming!

 

[dizneeat]

What a great view at BLT! You would have had to convince me to move from that balcony.

We just loved that view. What a shame we only stayed there for a night, but that was even more reason to enjoy the view and stay in.

Sorry you ended up with a cold, hope your ears were ok on the flight.

Ears were not a problem, somehow, that is one thing that doesn't affect me much (knock on wood ) The issue was that it was so cold on the plane and having a cold already it just made it worse.

We have never been to Las Vegas, looks so pretty and a yummy dinner, I can imagine you and Tom were exhausted once you stopped moving!

We have been to Las Vegas several times and always loved it there. Only downside is that we have to travel during the height of the summer and it gets HOT in Las Vegas. But we had that Gordon Ramsay dinner to look for and we both had no problem falling asleep.

OMG that is my fave hotel in Vegas. Love it there. Can't wait to hear more.

It was our first time and it was really nice. I was torn between the Venice and the Paris and we were happy we had decided on Paris.

Yeah that's the thing about Vegas. You look at the hotel right next door and think it can't be that far...but they are all so huge....

And factoring in the heat to the walks it was very tiring. The things we do to enjoy our vacation. But in the end the walking and battling the heat were so worth it.

Your travel day was quite long! At least you had a really nice dinner to make it worth it.

It was a REALLY long day and so exciting with trying a new airline. Dinner was wonderful, even though we ordered WAY too much food.

I saw the Eiffel tower in your photo and thought, "Now where are they? Did they go to Paris for the weekend?"

We kind of did.

Delicious breakfast. I love that Creperie.

They were so good. Tom is not usually a fan of that kind of thing, but he really loved it too.

I have only been to the outlet mall out toward the airport. I left there with two bags so loaded down I had to drag them on the ground to the car. My credit card was screaming!

This was the first time we went to this mall and we were not impressed. I know there are others and I remember one that I liked to look around a lot. But this time not even the Disney outlet could make us buy anything.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 17, August 19

So much to do, so little time! - Part 2

By now it was past 1pm and we were ready for lunch.
We knew where we wanted to have lunch.
So we headed outside into the blazing heat, but fortunately we did not have to go far, just over to Planet Hollywood. Well, it was a bit further than we had expected but we made it in good time. And we found what we were looking for right away, Gordon Ramsay Burgr.

The only thing between us and lunch was quite a long line.
We asked if we needed to have our name taken down, but no, they just told us to join the line and it would be 30 minutes at the longest. The line crept forward slowly and ahead of us was a table for six, so it took a while until they had found somewhere to seat them, but then it was our turn. There are a lot of tables for two and as soon as we were seated, a waiter was there to greet us.

We ordered our drinks and then had a look at the menu. With the experience of having ordered far too much food the day before we decided to skip the appetizer and just go with a burger each, especially since we could see that they were quite a good size. A few minutes later we ordered our burgers and the

Truffle Parmesan Fries, hand cut fries with truffle parmesan, truffle salt and truffle aioli. The waiter had warned us that it was a big portion, so we decided to share one serving. They came out pretty quickly and we started nibbling away. They were really tasty, thick cut fries, perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. So good and more than enough to share. A few minutes later our burgers arrived. We had ordered two burgers that appealed to both of us, as we were going to share them as well. So we had ordered the

Britannia Burger, English Sharp Cheddar, Mango Chutney and Arugula and the

Hell’s Kitchen Burger, Asadero Cheese, Roasted Jalapeños, Avocado, Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Jalapeño Pesto Aïoli. They were big and they were cooked to perfection and they were really yummy. We did our best to finish both, but there were still leftovers. And when the server offered to bring a to go box, we happily accepted and minutes later we were on our way back to our hotel.
There, we rested for a few minutes, had a drink out of the fridge and then we went out again. We wanted to explore a bit more, but wanted to go by monorail at least one way. There was a walkway from our hotel through the neighbouring one

to a monorail station and we hiked there.

We picked up a day pass and then walked up to the platform. Didn’t take long and a train arrived and we got on. There are just a few stops and we got off at the MGM Grand and tried to find an exit to the Strip, but we were not very successful. So we walked around the casino for a while, then when we found the front desk and an exit we left and were way off from where we wanted to go. We found ourselves on Tropicana Ave,

but we did not want to head back into the Casino so we just walked along the outside and finally hit the Strip. Last time we were in Las Vegas we had stayed at the New York, New York, so it was nice to see it again

and then we slowly walked down the Strip. We went in and out of shops and stopped in at the M&M store.

There are several floors and there is geocache connected to it, so Tom wanted to solve it and there was lots of merchandise to look at,

so we spent a lot of time in there. Once we were done we walked a little further and then hit the Coca Cola Store.

Again, there are several floors

and lots of fun things to look at, so we spent more time in there.
And after having visited those big stores, we strolled in and out of the Casinos

and finally made it back to the Paris, Las Vegas.

When we got back we were both tired, but since we had to go past a patisserie anyway, I picked up two goodies that I wanted to try. Soon we were back in our air conditioned little hide away, got a drink out of the fridge and I tried my sweets,

a chocolate covered strawberry that had been sprinkled with pistachio nuts and a

chocolate éclair. We lay on the beds, with the curtains drawn back so we could watch the Bellagio Fountains for quite a while.

To be continued ....​