Spring break - we're not in college anymore Toto - Feb 2018 TR

[pkondz]

but undeterred, that $25 gift card was still burning a hole in her pocket

She's really on a mission!

Did I mention me likes bacon?

Really! You must be the only one.

I had some water bottles with us, but needed to grab some 1 gallon jugs to use during our stay.

As counterweights?

gas prices in Orlando and especially around Disney are much worse.

Not surprised.

Great, in the time I gassed up the car, somehow the battery went dead or the electrical system went haywire.

Wonderful...

The rental car roadside assistance person calmly explained sometimes after re-fueling it could do this. Seems like a MAJOR design flaw if simply gassing up would do this.

What the??? That's gotta be the dumbest thing ever.

Shortly after we got onto I-4, we came to a complete stop. Then we moved a couple of car lengths, stop. Lather, rinse, repeat.

ugh... sounds like LA or Washington beltway traffic.

Remember the previous comment about the idiots in the left lane that won't get out of the way?

Oh, yes. Yes indeed.

uh oh...

we were at a point where we could see no other traffic going the other direction and the reason why.

Yeah, that doesn't look good.

The frustration quickly disappeared and was replaced with great sadness and reflection. Great sadness for those people and their families and friends.

Agreed. Tragedy is always just around the corner.

maybe I should be less frustrated when traffic sucks and more grateful I'm alive and well enough to be inconvenienced by it.

Good point.

4 of the 7 occupants weren't wearing their seatbelts and were ejected.

How many times do I have to hear this? Why aren't people wearing their seatbelts. For me it's automatic. I don't even think of it.

all were teenagers between 16 and 19 years old. Several were injured badly including the 2 month old baby although she was in a rear facing car seat. If not, she would likely be dead.

Awful. Total waste.

when you're driving, get off your phone.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After hearing the greatest 2 words at Disney

"How paying?"

Welcome Home!,

Ah. I was off a little.

Instead of handing me my parking pass, he said you can either Valet park for $25 a day or free 3 hour parking. I'm like WHAAAA? I'm staying at the resort, why would I need to pay an additional $25 a day or be towed after 3 hours? He said I wouldn't be towed, but there are a lot of people that want to come park and then go to EPCOT all day.

What??? So... free 3 hour parking and if you don't leave then... free 24 hour parking?

I don't check-in online ahead of time, because I've heard from multiple people they MIGHT upgrade your room by checking in in person.

Interesting. Hadn't hear that.

Dang, I thought the magical experience training said they couldn't say no.

No.

I'm not sure why, considering how many times we've been to Disney, she still is leery about being alone.

Huh. My kids are sorta like that.... and then sorta not. Depends on the situation.

he was asking me for directions.

Uh, oh.... I was sure that was foreshadowing, but...

He showed up about 5 minutes before the ADR

... apparently not.

I had warned him everything at Disney was expensive, but he still moaned and groaned when they gave us the menu.

Expensive? At Disney??

Have to stop here, because I've hit my picture limit.

?? You're only at 11 (emojis count)... the limit is 30.

T got the lobster roll

Always wanted to try that!

If you don't press the button fully, it will try to auto focus and make it worse

Worse? How so?

I normally tip very well, but the guy serving us rightfully earned the less than 15% tip award. Our glasses remained empty for lengthy periods. We had to ask for mustard and mayonaisse several times. Seems to me we had to ask for ketchup too, since there wasn't a bottle on the table. We asked for lemons for our tea and finally got them about 10 minutes before we were done (and again after asking numerous times).

I wanted to leave him a written tip also...”If you can't remember what people have asked you for, write it down”.

He'll get it eventually. "Hey, how come you make so much more than me in tips?"

Lazy river area had a section deep enough to submerge without bending my legs.

Nice!

Longest of any Disney slides unless someone knows of a better one somewhere else.

I wouldn't know. I believe you.

The sand in the pool was much nicer than walking on a concrete pool bottom.

Oh! Didn't know that. I thought it was just at the entrance to the pool.

The ADR is for 3. When I told him it could be a problem, he was completely puzzled.

As would I be.

Fortunately, since the tables seat 4, the CM I spoke to said no problem and no penalty.

That's what I figured.
When I was alone, I invited someone along. I couldn't see how a table that sits two wouldn't be able to accommodate... two.
Same for a table of three. Not many triangle shaped tables out there.

Our server was not the best, but far better than at lunch. Still, given it was a buffet and all she was really responsible for was drinks, it was disappointing. She got 15%, but that was generous.

You're not having the best of luck there.

This will not be the last buffet PR wasted my money.

Sigh... I hear you. Took the kid to dinner the other day. She ordered an expensive Steak Oscar. She ate the couple scallops and shrimp on top and left the steak.

Nice shot of you guys.

Then the folks next to us (who were really nice) jokingly said we didn't get them, so...

Reminds me of the last time I rode TSMM. A family of three got split up. I was with the Dad. The mom in the next car went to take a photo of him so I leaned right in.

surely storm along bay is better than this.

I was going to instantly agree... but maybe if you want a bit of peace and quiet... ?

c) Tusker house

d) Yak & Yeti

e) a & c

A DISmeet was scheduled for Monday. Did it happen?

b) 2

d) Rented boats and got in trouble with the harbor patrol

 

[docsoliday1]

She's really on a mission!

Really! You must be the only one.

Cool...I'm the only one...just like Tigger.
Send me all of your bacon since you obviously aren't the one who likes it! Free bacon!

How many times do I have to hear this? Why aren't people wearing their seatbelts. For me it's automatic. I don't even think of it.

Me as well. My kids too...they know the vehicle doesn't move until seatbelts are on.

"How paying?"

Nope

Ah. I was off a little.

Just a smidgen.

What??? So... free 3 hour parking and if you don't leave then... free 24 hour parking?

I know. That's what puzzled me. You say it's 3 hour parking. You say people are abusing it. You're not gonna tow me. Hello!!!! You're allowing people to park who aren't registered and you don't tow. Wonder why it's abused!!! I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm pretty sure I see a simple solution!!!

Expensive? At Disney??

Say it isn't so. No, don't because then you'd be lying.

?? You're only at 11 (emojis count)... the limit is 30.

It told me when I tried to upload the 11th picture the limit is 10.

Worse? How so?

It either un-focuses or focuses on something other than what it should be. I cleaned off the focusing sensor lens several times to make sure, but it just kept doing it. If you just press the button it worked most of the time. If you slightly press the button to let the autofocus work, it was worse more often than not and blurry.

Oh! Didn't know that. I thought it was just at the entrance to the pool.

Nope, in the pool too, but not all areas...come are still concrete, but much is sand on top.

That's what I figured.
When I was alone, I invited someone along. I couldn't see how a table that sits two wouldn't be able to accommodate... two.
Same for a table of three. Not many triangle shaped tables out there.

I just figured they were going to hit me with a change fee.

You're not having the best of luck there.

Nope. It gets better thankfully. Waaay better!

Nice shot of you guys.

Thanks. One of my favorites.

Reminds me of the last time I rode TSMM. A family of three got split up. I was with the Dad. The mom in the next car went to take a photo of him so I leaned right in.

Answers noted, but I didn't see one for DISmeet happening or not.

 

[pkondz]

Cool...I'm the only one...just like Tigger.
Send me all of your bacon since you obviously aren't the one who likes it! Free bacon!

You bet! I'll put 'em in the mail today.
You might find 'em a bit rancid by the time you get them.

Me as well. My kids too...they know the vehicle doesn't move until seatbelts are on.

I know. That's what puzzled me. You say it's 3 hour parking. You say people are abusing it. You're not gonna tow me. Hello!!!! You're allowing people to park who aren't registered and you don't tow. Wonder why it's abused!!! I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm pretty sure I see a simple solution!!!

No kidding. Sheesh.

It told me when I tried to upload the 11th picture the limit is 10.

Really??? Weird. Go to any of my chapters and count.

It either un-focuses or focuses on something other than what it should be. I cleaned off the focusing sensor lens several times to make sure, but it just kept doing it. If you just press the button it worked most of the time. If you slightly press the button to let the autofocus work, it was worse more often than not and blurry.

Hmm.... Can you select different zones or chose between average or center-weighted or spot?

Answers noted, but I didn't see one for DISmeet happening or not.

oops! Yes it happens.

 

[ariane37]

How's Ricky doing? Probably in your TR, so if you don't answer here, that's cool. I even have something in my TR for Chris...you'll see.

Thank you for asking! He's doing super well physically His physical therapist has cut him back to 2x a week instead of 3 in favor of going to the gym every other day to run 2 miles. We see the surgeon Monday and we're hoping he says Ricky's ready to move on to a sports-specific rehab program which a few places offer around here. They work with all athletes but have special programs for those that are recovering from injuries for basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. His p/t says he's just about ready for this, and once he's mastered that he should get the ok to a full return to sports!

he has very little, but what she does have, she wants to spend and/or give to others.

Isn't this always the case? I had one set of grandparents that had lots of $$ but my grandfather never spent it on anyone, including my grandmother. Then my mom's mom, whom I was extremely close with, had enough to live on and a little extra but went overboard constantly for our birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc. Same now with my mom (doesn't have lots of extra $$) and Steve's (TONS of $$). My mom would buy the boys everything if she could whereas my MIL sets an extremely low budget per grandchild for Christmas and birthdays and never just bought them anything because she saw something in a store they'd like. And I don't mean to say she's wrong to do that, it's her money and she can spend it as she wishes of course! Just interesting that those who don't have are the ones who give.

Another thing about my mom is she starts planning the next meal before this one is finished.

Um........I do this too #ilovefood

We took the boat to EPCOT and went to guest relations.

Love this picture!

fter dinner at CMC, they brought these. Another happy place for Chris if y'all haven't been already.

The after dinner hot towel, Chris's first love

The cake your DW made is awesome! I made Ricky a basketball cake for his 12th birthday but it was square

 

[AirGoofy]

Norm!

I'm more of a purist...I like my lobster with clarified butter. Not really any other way.

Agree. But you can't find that at WDW. The one at Boardwalk Bakery was the closest one i found, still with mayonnaise though.

 

[docsoliday1]

Agree. But you can't find that at WDW. The one at Boardwalk Bakery was the closest one i found, still with mayonnaise though.

What I was trying to say is I want my lobster plain. No roll, no lettuce, no anything except butter

 

[pkondz]

What I was trying to say is I want my lobster plain. No roll, no lettuce, no anything except butter

The lobster in Spain should be plain, mainly in a rain of butter.

 

[docsoliday1]

The lobster in Spain should be plain, mainly in a rain of butter.

Sounds like a pain on the train.

 

[pkondz]

Sounds like a pain on the train.

Eating plain lobster on the train is not only a pain, but would be in vain. Try the plane.

 

[cj9200]

Late start but am all caught up. Sorry to hear DW couldn't go but Daddy/Daughter trips can be special.

 

[docsoliday1]

Late start but am all caught up. Sorry to hear DW couldn't go but Daddy/Daughter trips can be special.

CJ

 

[docsoliday1]

Thank you for asking! He's doing super well physically His physical therapist has cut him back to 2x a week instead of 3 in favor of going to the gym every other day to run 2 miles. We see the surgeon Monday and we're hoping he says Ricky's ready to move on to a sports-specific rehab program which a few places offer around here. They work with all athletes but have special programs for those that are recovering from injuries for basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. His p/t says he's just about ready for this, and once he's mastered that he should get the ok to a full return to sports!

That's good to hear. I'm happy for him (and for you). I know it's a tough road you've all traveled.

Isn't this always the case? I had one set of grandparents that had lots of $$ but my grandfather never spent it on anyone, including my grandmother. Then my mom's mom, whom I was extremely close with, had enough to live on and a little extra but went overboard constantly for our birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc. Same now with my mom (doesn't have lots of extra $$) and Steve's (TONS of $$). My mom would buy the boys everything if she could whereas my MIL sets an extremely low budget per grandchild for Christmas and birthdays and never just bought them anything because she saw something in a store they'd like. And I don't mean to say she's wrong to do that, it's her money and she can spend it as she wishes of course! Just interesting that those who don't have are the ones who give.

In general yes. I'd like to think it's not the case with me. I'm not independently wealthy, but I've been blessed pretty well and I really enjoy being able to bless others. I honestly don't know where my mom (or other family members) would be without help. One cardinal rule though...I never LOAN them money. Loaning money amongst friends or family leads to problems in the relationship, so I'll GIVE them the money. On the other hand, I have to temper my desire to give or help with the understanding if they don't learn from their mistakes, the well might run dry. I've given up on trying to teach (or her to learn) with my mom, but other family members sometimes get tough love not because I don't want to help or I'm a scrooge with my money, but sometimes poor choices should not be rewarded with a get out of jail free card from dad or grandpa or whatever.

Love this picture!

Me too. Thanks!

The after dinner hot towel, Chris's first love

Starts humming endless love by Donna Summer (I think).

The cake your DW made is awesome! I made Ricky a basketball cake for his 12th birthday but it was square

A square basketball. Not quite sure how that works.
Although all of that was hand done (the rifle was rice crispy treats covered with fondant), I'll have to dig up a picture of the one I thought was most impressive. It was a minion standing 1 1/2 - 2 feet tall and I forget how many round cakes she said it was to build it, but many. Many folks doubted it was actually a cake, but when she started cutting and serving it, there was a lot of praise on the amazing looks and taste.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Great updates, we have been to Cape May twice for dinner and I loved it, Andi now doesn’t like seafood so she won’t go again ugh!

Yay to AP’s, love your selfies with complete strangers, only in Disney, lol!

I am not going to guess the answers on your AK questions because you told me some of it when we met so would be fair!

Sorry about your bad service at Ale&Compass. It sure can be hit or miss at Disney with service, yikes!

 

[docsoliday1]

Great updates, we have been to Cape May twice for dinner and I loved it, Andi now doesn’t like seafood so she won’t go again ugh!

Yay to AP’s, love your selfies with complete strangers, only in Disney, lol!

I am not going to guess the answers on your AK questions because you told me some of it when we met so would be fair!

Sorry about your bad service at Ale&Compass. It sure can be hit or miss at Disney with service, yikes!

Its okay if you answer. You're coming in late and have some catching up to do, so I'll allow it.

Besides, I'll be posting either tonight or tomorrow, so not really a spoiler alert.

 

[docsoliday1]

Animals (duh), amazing service/food or animals that are amazing food (Part 1)

Day 1 - 2/19/2018 - Animal Kingdom. Looking at the amount of pictures and my wonderfully verbose prose, it looks like this will be a 4 or 5 part post. In my defense, there is a lot to cover and a lot of new rides/snacks/ADRs and I didn't want to skimp on descriptions. Hope it is enjoyable for something other than an insomnia cure.

I didn't sleep well last night. Too much excitement before bed, first night in a foreign bed or just the adrenaline or anticipation of the first REAL day at a park. Maybe a bit of all of those. I will say I was disappointed in the bed...seemed rather stiff to me, but definitely not the concrete slab with a sheet over it that I experienced in Korea.

I woke up early. Big surprise, right? I seriously considered going down to the boardwalk bakery, but decided since I had read about the huge cinnamon rolls at AK from @ariane37 , we'd save some time to make sure we got there for rope drop. That's also the reason we went to EPCOT the night before to get the APs. Both of these gave us more time this morning. I know this might be hard to believe, but this is the ONLY day we used the buses. Sadly, my experience with buses at AKL had almost made me want to drive, but I'm happy to report we were able to catch a bus that was just starting to load someone on an ECV, so perfect timing and almost no waiting.

On the bus ride, I was looking (or trying) to look at MDE and it was acting really wonky. That's the technical term for not quite right. I then called customer service and asked them to transfer me to the MDE tech support. During the course of that call, they were able to fix a couple things, but one thing was still causing some issues. I'm an IT person and I manage my own mail server, so I typically use a different email address for everything. I had used different email addresses for my DVC and for MDE. This was causing the DVC fast passes to not show up correctly. I asked the guy if changing my email address on MDE to match would be better. He said oh yes. Well, it might have fixed the DVC FP issue, but all my other FPs and ADRs were gone since they were attached to the other email address. Houston, we have a problem. Well, I guess Lake Buena Vista, we have a problem, but it just doesn't sound as good. The guy tried to tell me something like 5 times, but with the noise of the bus and/or the poor volume on his phone or the poor volume on mine (I had it cranked as loud as it would go), I eventually had to tell him the bus was arriving and had to go. We made rope drop and as with everyone else, skedaddled (no time for walking, moseying, sashaying or skipping) towards Pandora and FOP. Even with rope drop and skedaddling, the line was already over the 3 hour point. I do have one slight advantage over everyone else though. I broke my back when I was in the military and although it doesn't bother me often, when it does, it's BAD. Unable to move bad. Obviously not something I want to occur at Disney. Standing in line for a long time has made my back hurt before. I've ignored rides before because my back was already stiff and I knew the line would do me in. Because of this, I'm officially a disabled vet. Since Disney has the service (they give you a time to come back as if you had stood in line for 3+ hours), we did this. We were to come back any time after 11:55. 11:55 at rope drop!!!

I took a few pictures, but this is where my lack of photographic skills out shown all those competent camera users around me. My prolific clicking simply ended up in a greater number of “what was that a picture of” moments. I tried to capture the amazing detailing the imagineers came up with, but realized my lack of photographic aptitude...fuzzy blobs aren't good TR fodder. I did manage to get a few, but still not very good, but above average for me.




With somewhat of a FP secured for FOP, our bellies were now telling us forget the stupid rides, think about us. My stomach started dragging me forcefully towards the smell of food. I tried to resist, but as the Borg say “Resistance is futile” I knew @ariane37 had mentioned some huge mickey cinnamon rolls she said Chris (I think) couldn't finish it. I love cinnamon rolls and what's not to like about Mickey? I knew approximately where she'd found them, but not exactly, so we asked a CM along the way. We found it at Creature Comforts. The not so yay part was it was mostly a coffee shop. Neither B or I like coffee. I don't even like the smell. I know some of you (misguided) folks think it's fantastic, but that's okay, you're entitled to be wrong. I ended up getting a sandwich each for PR and myself and then a cinnamon roll to split. Since almost everything was coffee and I'm not a big soda drinker (especially coke), they didn't have any drinks I was interested in. I settled for the cold tea blend they had...not impressed.. B got a soda, a sandwich, a blueberry muffin AND a cinnamon roll. I guess he figured he'd share with us some of his as well, but aside from an ear of Mickey's PR ate, much was leftover.


** Side note. In looking up where this was, I found they also have huge cinnamon rolls (although not Mickey) at Kusafiri coffee shop. The mickey ones had almost a caramel drizzle. I like caramel, but not necessarily on cinnamon rolls. The ones at Kusafari look more cinnamon and less caramel. Next time!

We had FP for EE, so we went over there. I forgot to mention, the whole time going to and from FOP and CC and then to EE, I was on the phone with support trying to get MDE working again. Why oh why did I decide to change my email address? To make it easier. Failed miserably there. I found something out about my brother on the trek to EE. As he's gotten older, he's more prone to sea sickness or motion sickness and he's not big on roller coasters. I did not know this when making FP reservations, because that's exactly what we do like. He had brought some of the sea sickness bands with him, so he agreed to go on EE, but probably wasn't going to like it. Finally, just before getting to EE, we managed to get MDE fixed and I could see my EE FP again. I double checked with B again if he was sure he wanted to go on it. He said he would, but didn't seem excited. You can kinda see this from the photo.




I know it's blurry and horrible. Sorry...had this problem a lot with the camera (or the operator probably)

Funny side note. The sign reminded me of a story a good friend of mine told me about. He is an avid camper and backpacker. He told me one of the signs he'd seen on the Appalachian trail (I think) was “Don't eyeball the bears”. I think he possibly paraphrased into his own vernacular, because I couldn't find a sign that said that, but I was able to find several like this.


Respect the power of the Yeti!


Don't eyeball the bears!


Two extremely important things to remember for life.





After EE, B wasn't feeling so hot and we had a while for our next FP (Navi river) and I though, bet he'll like the Flights of Wonder. I know I did and was happily looking forward to seeing it again. Somewhere in my head, that one working brain cell was trying to tell me I'd read something about FOW, but I quickly told it to shut up. We pressed on towards Africa. We came across the Gibbon (I think) swinging merrily and energetically around the area. I'm thinking, I'm a good climber...lemme in there and I can show him how it's done. Doesn't matter that his arms are twice as long as mine...I got this...lemme at him! I did not get any pictures that were better than horrible. Sorry.

We then kept going towards FOW and then next thing I know, we're in Africa. Wait a second, we should have passed FOW? I look on the map and I can't find it. I asked a CM and “They closed that for refurbishment”. My one brain cell said “told ya so”. I remember reading about that somewhere (probably someones TR). This will not be the last time we try to go to someone I should have remembered was closed down. I need to learn to listen to that one brain cell more often.

Having no FOW to see and realizing we're REAL close to the Lion King show and the time for it, let's go do that! Since B is not interested in another ride, a show sounds good. We were able to catch the 10am show.



After saying farewell to Simba and Timon and Pumbaa (and whatever those humans were named). Not sure if the Giraffe or Elephant had a name in the movie or in the show, but the had their own section, so I guess they were at least mildly important. Not to me, we were in the Lion section, so we were representing Simba. We were the most important and loudest section. Don't believe me, just ask me. I love to sing and I'm a Disney nut. Many of the songs from the Lion king are favorites, so I was singing along. The people around me (thanks PR and B) kept telling me to stop, but I was wailing them out undeterred. Now the other folks near me told me to stop, but I ignored them too....ah weeeeeeeEEEEeeeeeEEEE ah wemowah wemowah weeeeemooowummmawwwaaay! After the show, with everyone who had been plugging their ears leaving, I waited around to meet Simba and get my best and loudest fan in the Lion section award, but I was summarily shuffled out the door by the CMs despite my protests. No B and PR, I was not being belligerent, I was simply trying to claim what was rightly due me. Family sometimes!

Continued...

 

[docsoliday1]

Animals (duh), amazing service/food or animals that are amazing food (Part 2)

We went on Navi river, which was more B's speed (figuratively and literally). He had seen the movie (neither PR or I had), so he was explaining what some of the detailing was. Not having seen the movie, it was cool detailing and pretty, but meh. Maybe it's because I'm not much of a dark ride fan in general. I guess that's one of the things I like about splash mountain...even though much of it is a dark ride, the thrills are there and when it's hot the dark ride portion feels VERY GOOD. Unfortunately, the detailing of Navi river was good, but it just didn't thrill me. Maybe if we were there when it was 200-300 degrees out, I'd like it more.




Next up...lunch. Since we'd had breakfast somewhere around 8:15, I wasn't really all that hungry, but we had an 11:30 ADR. In this section of the TR, all joking will be put aside. I have found my new favorite restaurant, a great deal, great service and wow I cannot come back to here soon enough. We had an ADR for Tiffins for the ROL dining package. This was originally for Tusker House, but I changed it for three reasons and I'm oh so glad I did. One of the reasons was Tusker House is a character thing and it's not a big deal for PR anymore (or so I thought) and I'd heard the food was so so. The other, and really the biggest reason, was when I changed the numbers for how many were coming, it would not let me keep the Tusker house resi for the dining package, so given the other two factors, I decided to go with Tiffins. Again, I cannot stress enough how glad I am about this.

We got there a bit early...I always try to get there early if I can. I hate being late (to just about anything). Well, being early this time was not so great. They don't open until 11:30. When they opened, we checked in and were immediately taken to a table. The server (Abby, if you're reading this, you were the best) came to our table and asked if there were any allergies. I told her green peppers for me. I can eat red peppers because (sausage, tacos, chili and others) have a red pepper base, but green peppers tear me up. She had the chef come out to the table. Andrew was exceptional as well. I explained why I can't have green peppers (what it does to me) and I'm not really a spicy food person in general. He told me the things I should avoid and the things that would be good. Abby even brought me a special menu, although most of that was geared towards other allergies (not mine). Andrew even told me if I wanted this particular thing, they could prepare it differently than normal because one of the sauces was a bit spicy, so they could leave it off or substitute. I felt like a VIP because they would take this much time and effort on me. Normally, I just look over the menu and find one I'm pretty sure is safe and then double check with the server before ordering.

Now on to the meal and the deal. The ROL package is $67 per person and includes non-alcoholic drink, appetizer, entree and dessert as well as the preferred seating for ROL. If any of you have been to a fine dining experience, it will often cost $67 or more for just the entree and when they bring it out, it looks nice, but it's maybe 2 or 3 bites of food. This meal was outstanding from start to finish and a great bargain for the price. I told B this was my treat. I knew when I reserved it, the ROL package was a bit more pricey and he was kinda just along for the ride, so I didn't want to “penalize” him because I wanted to do it.

** I remind the reader again of my prowess or lack thereof of good pictures **

Appetizer:
I got the cheese plate. I wanted to get the bread, but I was told only one of the breads would likely be safe for me and the dipping sauces would not. I asked Abby do you have butter? I'm okay with just butter on the bread. She said she and chef Andrew both felt the cheese plate would be both safer and more enjoyable for me. I said okay. Oh my gosh, was it amazing! The cheeses were great, the cardamom almonds were...I'm not even sure what word is accurate enough, but I'll go with STUPENDOUS. I even asked if I could get a few more and they brought me a little cup of them. I shared them with B and PR even though I really wanted to keep them to myself. There were even little cubes of gelatin. Kind of a cross between jello and a jam in cube form. I gave two of the three to PR (B didn't want one) and had one myself. Yummy.


PR had the bread and although she thought they were yummy, I think the dipping sauces were a bit pretentious for her.

B got the butternut squash soup. I'm not a big squash fan and not in soup form, so I can't tell you much about this other than B said it was really good.





Entree:
I got the Wagu Strip loin. I'm normally not a loin person. As I mentioned to pkonz, I don't like a lot of fat on my steak and normally choose filet mignon. They didn't have filet mignon on the menu, but that's okay...this was melt in your mouth good and not fatty (well one tiny part had some, but minor). It wasn't a huge portion, but it wasn't tiny the way some high priced places can be either. I love carrots and the Peruvian purple potatoes were good as well. Very good choice.


PR got the Duo of venison. I was debating about this because I love venison, but the infusion of Ethiopian coffee was what turned me away. PR loved it and I tried a bite. The coffee flavor definitely ruined it for me, but the venison otherwise was good.

B got the grilled swordfish. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, so if I'm repeating myself, forgive me. The reason the keto diet has been good for me is most diets tell you to eat fish and chicken. I don't care for fish much and I can only eat so much chicken before I get sick of it. I did try a bite of the swordfish and it was better than most fish I've tried over the years, but still not what I really enjoy. B loved it...said it was very good and considering there was none left, I was convinced.








Dessert:
This was on the allergy specific menu, but I didn't realize it was considered a kids dessert, but I got the brownie. I'm not a big guava fan, sorbet didn't sound good, I'm a cheesecake snob since I make my own and ganache isn't my thing...seems like a fancy way of saying pudding. With all that said, a brownie sounded the best to me. It was delicious. My favorite was the little chocolate mustache (well it looked like a Mario brothers mustache to me anyway).


PR got the Ganache and thoroughly enjoyed it. She gave me one of the caramelized bananas and it was very good.

B got the Sorbet tasting. I think he stopped himself just short of licking the bowl, so I know he thoroughly enjoyed it. I like lime, especially key lime pie and he let me try a little of the Kaffir lime syrup and it was good.






Oh, I almost forgot the drinks. We all had Tea. It was Passion fruit vanilla and they even included some vanilla syrup to sweeten it. I'm a tea drinker and even consider myself a bit of a tea connoisseur. I like a lot of different teas, but I seriously thought about asking them for a to go container. Not a cup, but maybe a gallon jug? I decided since it was such a great meal, I'd rather not spoil it by asking, but I did consider it. It was that good!

So, now thoroughly satisfied and satiated, came the time for the bill. Remember I said I base a lot on how full or empty our glasses are? Abby not only made sure we never got low, she was constantly checking on us and seeing if we needed anything and if we did, it was there in a flash. Not to mention her personality was just downright wonderful. Did I mention she was taking care of 3 or 4 other tables with large(r) parties? There had been four times before where the service has been so good, I tipped 50% or more. There are now five! Abby was THAT good. When I handed her the bill, she looked at it and looked at me and said are you sure there's no change? I told her absolutely I was sure and thank you yet again for a wonderful lunch and fabulous service. I made sure to find the manager on the way out and tell her as well. Folks, if I may be so bold...most times managers only hear when a customer is unhappy and the bad stuff...take the time to tell them the good stuff too!

So, just in case you can't gather from the review above, I highly recommend Tiffins and if she's still there, request Abby. The food, the service, the value. This is my new favorite on property. Congrats @Terra Nova guy For the correct guess. Tiffins it is!! I've heard others say Tiffins wasn't good or wasn't worth the price. For my money, I'd go there again today if I was there and could get in.

Continued...

 

[docsoliday1]

Animals (duh), amazing service/food or animals that are amazing food (Part 3)

Okay, enough gushing about Tiffins and back to my crazy self. It was now a little after 1. Yes, lunch was over an hour and a half and well worth the time. Now we were headed to FOP since we were past our return time. I was wondering if this would be a good idea for B because we'd just eaten and I've heard of some other folks getting sick or at least queasy on this. He assured me he still had his bands on and he'd be fine. Since @afwdwfan said he got sick when he turned to look at DD, I told B (and PR) make sure to not look sideways.


Sorry, this is the only picture that turned out and can't really take pictures on the ride anyway.

So, my take on FOP. Definitely not my favorite ride. Graphics and concept are really good. The seating, not so much. Even though I've lost a good amount of weight, I still have more to go and having to force myself forward into the craft or “beast” was not comfortable in general and pressed on my stomach. The leg restraints were not comfortable either. The back crusher was horrible. Keep in mind, I mentioned I'd broken my back and when that bar came up, it came across the exact area. It HURT. It wasn't an excruciating pain, but enough for me to say once is enough...I've experienced it and now I will not have to worry about the line or process again. I'll let other folks fight over this one and I'll take advantage to get more EE or safari rides or train rides or just checking out animals into my schedule. (or Tiffins for lunch AND dinner!!!)

After FOP, my back was hurting, so I wanted to sit for a little bit. I asked PR and B what they were interested in next. We had a FP for Kilamanjaro safari at 1:30, but with my back, I might let them go without me or just choose something else altogether and then I'd go into MDE and see if anything else was available. PR wanted to do EE again, but I knew B didn't want to and my back didn't want to now.
They wanted to go on the safari, so we headed back to Africa. By the time we got there, my back had eased somewhat, so I decided to go. This might have been a mistake because I'd forgotten how bumpy the ride is/was/can be. It wasn't too bad, but there were a couple of spots my back yelled at me. I wanted to yell back, but was worried I might scare the animals. Don't forget, I still am waiting for my loudest person in the lion section award. Since I didn't know if the Lions sleeping were related to Simba or not, I decided to yell at them to try to garner more points. They just yawned and went back to sleep.


The rhino decided to show me his best side (or at least what he said was my best side). Funny point...merely a second after I snapped this he shared what he really thought of me while everyone on the truck was going ewwww. Growing up on a farm and seeing many animals pee and poop (hey, they have to too), I always find people reacting this way a bit comical.


A couple other pictures that turned out...
While (or for any British readers whilst) waiting in line for the safari (our 3rd FP for the day), I hopped on MDE to see what, if anything was still available. I wasn't shooting for FOP, so no worries there. This was where I first noticed a problem with the DVC FP section. The KS had deducted one of them even though we had a normal FP for that. I didn't worry too much and figured I could call and get that corrected later. I made a FP for it's tough to be a bug. Ends up this one deducted a DVC FP as well and I'm sorry, this wasn't really something I wanted to do anyway...more of what can we do that B will like or be okay with.

The tour guide said there was a baby hippo too although I never saw it (maybe underwater). She said hippos are very territorial and they will defend fiercely. She also said she'd never seen the hippos here fighting because they're so well fed and don't have to defend feeding areas as they would in the wild. Evidently, this is mother hippo saying stay away from my baby!!!


Hey, come on over here, we're friendly. See our big smiles?

Then there was the attack ostrich. My picture didn't turn out (big surprise there), but he (or she – dunno) literally charged the bus from about 30 yards away and the guy in the row behind us thought he was gonna get hurt. Unfortunately, it was his tiny daughter who was hurt as he trampled over her to get away from the mad ostrich. Just sit there and take it like a man...don't hurt your kid because you're a sissy! I really wanted to take away his man card, but I'm not sure he still had one to take. The ostrich never attacked him...guess it realized he was such a wimp, it wasn't worth it or just realized no he doesn't have any food. Either way nobody on the truck was worse for where except the startled factor.

PR wanted to ride EE again, but my back was still a little tender and B didn't want to. I told PR to go ahead and do the single rider line and we'd wait. In the mean time, I got on the phone to find out what the deal was with the DVC FPs. The safari one was a glich in the system somehow. The ITTBAB was all my fault. We swiped our bands maybe 3 minutes before the FP time. Come on one brain cell, why can't you kick in when I need you?? As it turns out, the CM saw the normal FP we had for ITTBAB and credited both back. I said thank you. He started singing “What can I say except you're welcome!” Wasn't expecting that, but I joined in and right about that time PR came off the ride and gave me the strangest look. I looked back and said you love that movie, don't look at me in that tone of voice. Then we all three started singing, but only I could hear the CM. HAH!!! In your face PR! Then B walked up, shook his head, turned and walked away. Some people just can't appreciate loud singing in a gift shop. I don't get it.



While looking around the EE gift shop, PR announced she wanted to buy something for her BFF back home. Cool, what looks good? Not here, something Pandora. This is where the DISdad part of me failed. I was not happy. Could you possibly have thought of this the previous 3 times we were there before we walked all the way to the other side of the park??? I almost said no and then conceded. I looked at the map and figured since I don't like dinoland (AT ALL), we'd go the Africa route to get back to Pandora. It's a good thing I did. Why? See below.


After walking past Africa and over the bridge, it was time for a potty break. I also told them my back (and feet) were hurting, so wanted to sit down for a bit. While there, I walked over and got a picture of this guy


More importantly, right after taking these, I saw a guy walking by with something in his hand. It looked vaguely familiar. I said to myself "self, I think I know what that is. You need to ask him where he got it". I then replied "what a fantastic idea, I'm not sure why I didn't think of that". I then replied "because I'm smarter than you and thought of it first". I then replied "self, I'm glad you're with me...you're such a big help". I had read in someone's TR they had them in AK and where they were, but in the course of walking back and forth and to and fro, it had skipped my mind. When that flat stone goes across your brain bouncing multiple times, it doesn't feel good. Anyhoo, I found out where and skedaddled my way there. For those of you who aren't from the south that's anywhere between a brisk walk and a full blown run. I was closer to the former, but only because all the dog gone tourists wouldn't get out of my way to allow me to go faster.

I love pineapple juice and this was my first time having this little bit of Heaven on earth. It was only now I realized all the DISdads knew what they were talking about (well at least in regards to dole whips). I briefly considered going and getting another, but it hadn't been that long since lunch and dinner wasn't too far away, so I was okay with the one.



This was my first dole whip and theirs too. It will not be my (or our) last...

Picture limit reached.

Continued...

 

[docsoliday1]

Animals (duh), amazing service/food or animals that are amazing food (Part 3)


Only two pictures this update..most didn't turn out the way I'd wanted and are of things I'm sure you've seen before, so skipped them...


After going to Pandora AGAIN, PR found something she liked and used her own gift card. Woo hoo, dad didn't have to pay for THIS one. We then headed back to the park entrance for our dinner ADR. I've only been to Rainforest cafe once before and now I remember why I hadn't been back. As wonderful as lunch had been, I was not impressed with dinner. It really is designed more for the younger kids and it's been a while since mine have been young. None of us were very hungry. We didn't get done with lunch until after 1, we had a dole whip each and it's now 5:45 ADR. PR got chicken fingers. I got chicken fingers and cheesesticks and B got (I can't remember, but something with fries – maybe burger). He shared some of the fries with PR and I shared some of the cheese sticks with both and we still had a full meal of chicken fingers and fries leftover. If we're at home, we take the leftovers home, but we're at Disney, just leave. Nope, PR wanted the leftovers. <sigh>. Okay, but you're carrying them, not me!


The service was decent (not stellar by any means), so the customary (well mine) 20%.

Then it was just about the perfect time to go to ROL. First showing is at 7:15 and that's what our dinner package was for. This time, we did go the dinoland route because the seating area for us was right across from the Finding Nemo entrance.

We were directed to our seats and settled in for the show. A PP photographer came by and got the best (well I didn't take it, duh!) picture of the day.




I will say now that I've seen the show, it is probably my least favorite show I've ever seen Disney do. Most of the songs I didn't know or care for. I'm not adverse to celebrating other cultures, but it seemed to be heavily slanted towards one in particular and not really fitting (to me) given there are several different areas in AK and only one portion of one of them was represented. It's atypical to me because Disney normally goes out of their way to make something for everyone. The lights on the boats were pretty and unique, but after about the first 5 minutes, it was just more of the same. It didn't really seem to tell a story, but rather was just a collection of random songs, lights and laser effects. For those of you who like it, sorry...I just left thinking meh. We were in the prime seating (2nd row) and if I felt that way, I can't imagine what I would've thought if not in a good viewing area.

Thankfully, the lunch at Tiffins was more than worth the cost, because otherwise the show wasn't anything (for me) to write home about. PR, on the other hand, said she liked it and enjoyed the pretty colors. I will return to Tiffins in a heart beat and even opt for the ROL package again, but either I'll give my ticket to someone else or suffer through it for DD's sake.

After the show, it was late enough and B had to go to work tomorrow and I had made other plans for Tuesday. For those of you who've followed this from PTR days or those who have actually read my endless drivel, a clue...we will be visiting my formerly favorite place to eat on property. Tiffins has dethroned it. So, we all opted for leaving the park to beat the rush. I'm not quite sure what rush we were supposedly beating, because we were in the thick of traffic. I'm thinking maybe most of the crowd was trying to head back to Pandora to see if they could get another ride in, because it was very slow going until we reached Dug & Russell's. After that, the remainder of the way out of the park was still a bit more crowded than normal, but not stifling. We made our way to the correct bus stop and amazingly had to wait only 2-3 minutes. I've explained how atrocious our buses were at AKL last February. I haven't? The BEST we ever did was a 35 minute wait. I repeat...the BEST. More than once last year I gave serious thought to just driving because the buses were so bad. AKL is pretty and the animals are cool, but taking that long to get anywhere is not. Fortunately, the park does not share that attribute with the lodge.

So, we got back to the resort. B got in his car to leave. I and PR got into our car to drive around the block. Okay, so it was more than a block and we didn't quite drive all the way around. Drive halfway around the resorts? Is that better? We drove from BCV parking, you know the 3 hour parking that isn't? We drove to the BWV parking. Either the guard at the gate had been warned about this nasty man with a parking chip on his shoulder or they had actually seen the simple solution to the EPCOT parking fiasco the folks over at BCV parking couldn't seem to grasp. We went up to the check-in area to unload a few other items we'd left in the vehicle since we knew we'd have to transfer after one day. BTW, I actually thought about going back and editing earlier, but we packed up everything that morning and had bell services store it for the day for transfer to BWV. To quote Forest Gump...”that's all I've got to say about that”.

Again, no text or notification ALL day our room was ready. Went to the front desk. Asked why again I'd not heard a peep. He explained it was likely because they had no chickens or chicks in the area. Very funny...I mean why didn't I get a text? Well, sir, our random text generator got overloaded because there are so many people checking in and out due to the impending princess half marathon and we knew you were at AK having all kind of problems with MDE, so we put you on the exclude list. But, I didn't want to be excluded, I wanted a room. Good news sir, we have a room on this floor so you won't need to take the elevators. Great! What he failed to tell me was it's the furthest room we have from the lobby. I wish I was joking about that part...it was. If there were a window on that side, I would have had a patio view of the walkway between BW and the dance hall. Look

Impossible to go any further away from the lobby without being in the stairwell or in a different resort.

Gee thanks. I appreciate you giving me such a great room without needing an elevator! The small victories in life, am I right?

We walked the 3 miles to our room. Bell services beat us there...no really...they were waiting. They have motorized carts and I'm sure they'd been there for several minutes waiting for us to finish the trek. I apologized and said we would have been there sooner if we hadn't had to stop and fill up our canteens a couple times during the journey. We quickly learned it was easier and more expedient to walk out through the stairwell, go around the building and take the boardwalk area. First of all, it was a smaller radius and also much more appealing than walking past all the doors to get to the lobby. (Or reverse the process going to the room).

I tipped bell services and started unpacking a bit. We did almost no unpacking the night before since we knew we'd be in the room less than 24 hours. Tonight though, I could brush my teeth and take a shower FINALLY. It had only been 5 days! I wondered why everyone kept saying smell ya later and why I was given the room furthest from the lobby. Might have to work on that in the future. I started a load of laundry (mine, PR's, B's) and sat down for a bit. I was waiting to hear from Caroline to see when we could meet them. Our first DISmeet and I was giddy as a school girl.. After I sat down and put my feet up, I realized my feet weren't as giddy as I was. They weren't giddy at all. I didn't really want to do any more walking tonight (foreshadowing of something yet to come). I texted Caroline and said I don't know that I want to do any more walking today, especially since we had been assigned to room Timbuktu (2002 – Timbuktu, similar sound). so can we try for tomorrow or the next day. I was also hoping allowing them a little more rest tonight would be better tomorrow.




So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow you might ask? Go ahead, ask.


Well, you might ask if you were at all interested.


Crickets.


Nobody? Bueller?


Resists urge to take ball and just go home.


Well, okay fine, if nobody wants to know, I'm not telling, you'll just have to wait until the next update.


Notices the collective sigh of relief.


I don't like you anymore.


Up next. Plans for Tuesday were drastically changed.

 

[Steppesister]

Very, very nice shot! NO idea where it is, but.... lovely nonetheless!

Roosters are supposed to crow when it's daybreak not at oh-dark-hundred!!

So, a lot like Africa then!

Not really my favorite thing in the world, but mom loves it, so....of course we did.

Of course you did. Moms are very persuasive.

Why was I not very hungry for dinner?
a) We went to a movie and I had a ton of popcorn and soda
b) Because of my diet and losing 59 lbs, I just can't eat as much as I once did
c) It was a late lunch
d) A relative I hadn't seen in a while stopped by with my favorite dessert and I had dessert (more than one serving) before dinner

C

Why did we not have ribs for dinner like my mom planned?
a) Because everyone else wanted brats
b) Because she thought they were already cooked
c) Because she doesn't have a grill
d) Because she changed her mind

D - Moms are allowed to do that too.

 

[Steppesister]

I"m soooooooooooo far behind here! The weekend was stupid crazy and , now I 'm into the work week. Sigh.... I'll comment as much as I can before I have to head to an evening shift. (Not a night shift, thankfully!)

We never know when our last breath may occur and we should cherish whatever time we're given. I found out later the SUV was traveling the same direction as us (eastbound) and had gone through the median, went airborne and over another car traveling westbound, rolled at least once and came to rest. 4 of the 7 occupants weren't wearing their seatbelts and were ejected. With the exception of the 2 month old baby, all were teenagers between 16 and 19 years old.

Horrible! Just awful! It's always so distressing to see that while driving!

but just one of the things about Disney I love. People who would possibly never give you the time of day away from Disney are friends and wanting to take pictures with you at Disney. So cool!

Isn't that the greatest?! I love that too.

What ADR did I change from?
a) Rainforest cafe
b) Tiffins
c) Tusker house
d) Yak & Yeti

D

What did I change it to?
a) Rainforest cafe
b) Tiffins
c) Tusker house
d) Yak & Yeti
** Small hint...the answer to both should not be the same **

B

What show(s) did we see that we've never seen before?
a) River of Light
b) Lion King
c) It's a bug's life
d) a & b
e) a & c
f) b & c

E

A DISmeet was scheduled for Monday. Did it happen?

No

How many new (to us) rides did we do at AK?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

3

What did we do Tuesday that wasn't originally planned.
a) took a special trip to Polynesian for dole whips
b) Got a last minute ADR for Ohana
c) Went to EPCOT
d) Rented boats and got in trouble with the harbor patrol

Answers embedded up there!

And.... B