Exclusive Baby Gorilla Photos! (plus bonus Trip Report) - June '15 - completed 10/23 - Page 31

[nilla]

Okay, I'm back and caught up.

Welcome back!

Love your MK and Epcot days, although the rain could have gone away.

Agreed, but it could've been much, much worse!

I'm glad you finally got on the Mine Ride...despite it being "too short", I love it and think it fits perfectly where it is situated.

It's sort of funny that we consider it short, when it's much longer than the rides at some other theme parks. I really like how it's a mix of a mild thrill ride and a dark ride. That final scene blew me away.

I skipped the pictures of It's a Small World...sorry, just can't do it!

Blasphemy!

I'm not a fan of Test Track either...I miss the old version.

I like the new one, but nowhere near as much as the old one. Sadly, I think that one's gone forever.

And I'm with you...we definitely have seen Biergarten go down in quality over the years. We went about four years ago and haven't been back (and probably won't with much better places to eat in our judgment). But we always stop for one of those grapefruit beers for my husband.

I don't know if it's the food or my tastes that changed. Still a favorite for us, though.

You guys clean up real nice.

Amazing, isn't it?

I can't believe Em got another Duffy.

I can, in retrospect

We don't even have a German restaurant near us in my hometown (we do have a belgian place though), or where I go to college. So it makes me really excited to try it!

I think you'll like it. Since it's a buffet, you're sure to find something you like at it, and the show and atmosphere are tough to beat.

I'm loving the theming of the pool! Great pictures, too.

Thanks! We loved the pool, too. The slide was the only downside, compared to Coronado, but CSR's slide blows this one away. Both pools, overall, are awesome, as are both resorts!

That looks delicious! Peanut butter, chocolate, and banana? Yum.

It's amazing.

Can't wait to hear about La Nouba!

Coming soon, but I'll warn you - I plan to be intentionally vague about a lot of it. More on that later!

Okay, now I NEED a WDW themed antenna topper. What have I been thinking driving around with a naked antenna all this time? The CBR pool looks amazing. I was leaning toward POR for our next trip, but your pics have me thinking that CBR is a better choice.
Can't wait to read the next installment. If only my students' essays were as entertaining!

You don't have an antenna topper? Sheesh! Even the punk hooligans in my neighborhood have them, thanks to removing them from my car!
My theory about the topper thieves is that, if they truly love Disney and can't get the toppers any other way, can I REALLY fault them for stealing them?
Thanks for the compliment, btw. If only my teachers in high school found my writing as entertaining

Finally had time to catch up on your report. Love your photos, especially of CBR, and your family is fantastic!

My family, and I, are a mixed bag

I'm really enjoying your trip report. You've got some great photos. Makes me wish I had taken even more than I took! I may have missed this somewhere, but have you told the actual June dates of the trip? We were there May 28-June 6th. I have tried to use your weather/rainy times to see if our trip overlapped, but can't figure it out. We got a lot of use out of our ponchos too!

June 8-19. So, unfortunately, no
Thanks for reading! Dylan is at the point where he vocally expresses his displeasure with the frequency of our picture-taking. Particularly when we request he be in the picture.

From what I've read as a new Disney Visa cardmember, you have to present the actual card to receive the discount at restaurants, etc. It will be a pain, but worth it to save at all the various TS restaurants we have planned for our Jan trip.

Thanks for a fabulous trip report!

Thank you! And yes, I believe you are correct about the Disney Visa. At least, that's been our experience.

Thanks for sharing the highlights of your family adventure. The photos are wonderful and your storytelling is charming!

Thank you! I've debated getting a better camera, but we're more than happy with the daytime shots we get with the Canon. Plus, it fits in my pocket

Well that would have been good to know! No wonder I hardly accumulated any points on my Visa from that trip. Lesson learned for next time!
As far as dining goes, I guess the discount doesn't matter if you're on a dining plan.

You should have still accumulated reward points. While you weren't presenting the Disney Visa card directly - so no discount on the purchase - the charge would ultimately end up on your Disney Visa card since it was linked to your MB. It would be included when the resort does the settlement of room charges once those charges reach a certain amount (it's different for resort levels, i.e. deluxe). That's how it's worked for us in the past.

This is my understanding as well. Since the reward points are accumulated when the card is charged, you should still get them. However, the discout is given at the point of sale, by Disney CMs, so it might not be given (and, apparently, isn't).
I don't think I'll be updating this TR tonight, but should be able to crank out the end of Day 4 this weekend!

 

[nilla]

Oh, about not posting updates tonight...plans changed. So, here y'go!

 

[nilla]

You can't take pictures inside La Nouba, so there won't be any photos accompanying this part of the story.

And I don't want to ruin the show for anyone who hasn't seen it, so there won't be much said about the acts.

Ok, that takes away a lot. So, what will there be?

Well, a whole lotta dramatic words, in all caps, like AWESOME, AMAZING, FANTASTIC, and SPECTACULAR.

And, undoubtedly a reference to being "blown away".

Not very helpful, I know. But trust me - the experience was all of those things, and more. Unlike anything I've ever seen.

This was our first Cirque du Soleil show, and needless to say, we enjoyed it. It was like Epcot Chinese acrobats + Festival of the Lion King gymnastics + French-speaking clown hilarity + a lot of other really, really cool stuff. Oh, and in case you were wondering, that female clown with the pointy nose in all the ads does next to nothing in the show. But she is still completely AWESOME.

On top of all that, and something I didn't realize until after the show, is that all of the music in it was performed live. It was obvious pretty early on that the vocals were live, but the instruments, too? AMAZING.

Our seats were SPECTACULAR, too! Not content with the available seating online, Kristin called months back and got us seats in the second level, first row. Right by an entrance. Perfect line of sight. FANTASTIC view.

In all, the show blew me away. The performers were spot-on, with the juggler being the only one who messed up at all. And even he was almost perfect.

We highly recommend this show to anyone who hasn't seen it. Yay, La Nouba!

We head outside after the show, and immediately spot this guy:



No one is really approaching him.



Eventually, Dylan walks over, and hilarity ensues.



Ok, let's eat!

 

[nilla]

Moving on, we head over to Raglan Road to check in for our 8:30 ADRs. We're early, but as it turns out, that's irrelevant.

Kristin makes her way to the hostess station and is informed that there was a small kitchen fire earlier in the day, so they're REALLY behind on seating and serving. Oh. That stinks.

We quickly discuss what to do, and ultimately decide to cancel our ADRs. Darn. That really stinks.

If you read my TR from last year, you may know that Raglan Road was where my stomach problems started last year, so I want a redo, a lot. Unfortunately, now that Raglan Road has been the scene of a towering inferno, that redo won't happen.

We walk away from the restaurant, still in disbelief. What do we do now? The restaurant we had late ADRs for has burned down to the ground. And we don't have a Plan B.

We consider Shutters, but we already have that in two days. Olivia's?

Kristin's not sold. She suggests we just eat back at Old Port Royale later, and change one of ADRs later in the week to the California Grill. Any chance we can get in there?

No.

Gazing over at the smoldering ash of what was once Raglan Road, Kristin asks about Narcoossee's next.



This photo is HILARIOUS, because that was NOT her expression before she noticed me taking her photo, and also was NOT her expression afterwards. I got some other photos in the meantime:





Emily got the last one, if you couldn't tell.

Back to Kristin, whose mood has brightened suddenly. We're in for Narcoossee's next Thursday - our last full day in Disney for this year. Nice! Sadly, we'll be missing 1900 Park Fare and Cinderella's step sisters, but what does that matter? Narcoossee's!

 

[nilla]

Of course, we still have the issue of eating tonight. I'm surprisingly not hungry, and Emily ate a lot of popcorn (in a souvenir bucket!) at La Nouba. So we're not in a HUGE rush to eat.

So, we hit the Lego Store:



Which has the greatest mugs ever, btw:



Get another shot of World of Disney:



One more of the Lego Store:



Oh no - my family is leaving without me!

I eventually catch up, and we check out Once Upon a Toy. Duffys on a hook!



Duffy on a pedestal!



Funny Star Wars shirt!



Back outside now, where the kids get their dinner:

 

[nilla]

Still chugging along (sleeping in pays off!), we go into the World of Christmas or whatever it's called. It's in there that I discover this:



Whoa

must

have

but

wait



Ok...you've got my attention. What's on the B side?



Ok, I'm in. That's the one.

We also spot a Coronado Springs ornament. Really?

Last year, when we looked for one, we couldn't find one. This year, there it is. Sure, we COULD get it, but no. It wouldn't be right. But really, Disney? Bad timing.

That stinks, but at least I got my awesome HM ornament.

Over to the bus stop we head, stopping for a photo of Emily and Duffy, the latter flagrantly violating the "please do not climb on sculptures" rule:



The bus arrives reasonably soon after, and it's back to CBR, getting off at the Old Port Royale entrance:



Into the food court we go, and since I'm the only one hungry, I'm the only one eating. It's almost closing time, but we move quickly to secure me a blurry portobello mushroom sandwich:



I'm a big fan of any food containing mushrooms, and the blurry jerk chips are a gem, too. Centertown blows away the QS areas in Coronado, Wilderness Lodge, and both Port Orleanses, IMO. So many options, and everything has been great.

I cap it off with a carrot cake...



...and then, it's off to the room. We let Dylan go back on his own and skip OPR, so he's already on the Murphy Bed, in full Pokemon mode.

Before too long, it's lights out. We had a great, more-mellow-than-we're-used-to-in-Disney day, and saw an amazing show to boot. Dinner was a bust, but we got a trip to Narcoosee's out of the deal, and OPR didn't let me down.

Gotta get to bed now. Star Wars Weekends tomorrow!

(Up next, back to Hollywood Studios!)

 

[MEK]

I saw La Nouba a few years ago and it was so amazing. I don't imagine anyone not absolutely loving it. The crazy thing about it is time almost feels like it stops and you wake up out of your trance 90 minutes later. Glad you guys enjoyed.

Too bad about dinner. You need to tell Kristin that Olivia's is excellent. Not that I want to really get the word out there, but its amazing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plus - you can order a turtle crawl, which is the second best adult beverage on disney property (second only to the ritas at La Cava).

Despite your ala carte eating for the evening, it looks like a superb evening. And I love the HM ornament!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

We've seen a few other Cirque du Soleil shows, but not La Nouba. The ones we've seen have all been enjoyable but I have heard really good things about La Nouba, that it is one of their best. Glad you enjoyed it and that you had great seats


Love the idea of not being super hunger for dinner due to snacks at the show .... so just did ice cream for dinner. Vacation is the best!

Hadn't seen that one before - it's pretty great!

Love the HM ornaments too - great choice!

Bummer about Raglan Road - especially since this was to be a do-over for you and now you need to have 2 do-overs of it .... but hey, if the downside is that you get a meal at Narcoossee's that's not to bad - glad you came up with an idea that you were happy with

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

We highly recommend this show to anyone who hasn't seen it. Yay, La Nouba!

I'd love to see La Nouba - maybe one day.....

...there was a small kitchen fire earlier in the day...

...has burned down to the ground...

Gazing over at the smoldering ash of what was once Raglan Road...

I see what you did there.

Emily got the last one, if you couldn't tell.

I couldn't tell.

That stinks, but at least I got my awesome HM ornament.

That ornament IS awesome!

Thanks for the surprise update!

 

[gluestickgirl]

We've managed to book and cancel Raglan Road on both of our trips to WDW... so I feel your pain. We're hoping to actually try it in March.

Our trip photos are quickly turning into just photos of the youngest, as the older two tend to pull disappearing acts. I guess it comes with the teen years!

Love the ornament!

 

[pollyanna30]

June 8-19. So, unfortunately, no
Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the response. I will stop looking for myself in the background of your pictures! I'm looking forward to hearing about your SWW experience.

 

[ksromack]

So, we're watching Big Hero 6.....and you didn't give a tissue alert.......

 

[Clarf]

O.M.G. I NEED that Haunted Mansion ornament. It will be mine!

Glad you enjoyed LaNouba. It really looks amazing!

Sorry about Raglan Road, that stinks, but what can you do, I guess. The OPR food court is good, though! And ice cream for dinner is always okay!

 

[KathyM2]

Back outside now, where the kids get their dinner:

Hey...nothing wrong with some ice cream for dinner...once in a while lol. I'm so glad you enjoyed the show and had fun at DTD. Sorry about Raglan Road though...I love it there and am looking forward to going back...hopefully one day you'll get a chance!!

That stinks, but at least I got my awesome HM ornament.

I LOVE this...totally want one!! I have a HM keychain that I put my house key on and just love looking at it every day!

 

[ksromack]

We buy a special disney ornament (or two or three) every year for Christmas.....I'm liking both of the ornaments you had picked out.

 

[jdd]

Okay, so your report got me psyched up for our trip and now we're back , and you're helping me get through the depression. Great updates - our day in Downtown Disney was miserably hot, and so the kids were miserable, and so it wasn't a good day.... really need to go back and spend some time browsing through all those awesome stores!

Looking forward to the Star Wars weekend update - my youngest is a huge fan and I'm trying to talk him into going on our "mom/son" trip while the weekends are happening, but he's afraid of the crowds. Really interested to hear what you thought!

 

[ksromack]

I've heard so many good things about Ragland Road that I canceled our Kona dinner ADRs for Ragland Road, and I canceled our California Grill ADRs for Citricos.

I'm worried about bus transport to DTD, though. We'll be coming from Epcot at 4pm for 5:30 ADRs at Ragland Road.

 

[AllysonL]

@nilla I've enjoyed this TR so much, I've gone back and read all your other TR's! Your writing style is HILARIOUS! I can't wait for more!

 

[KatMark]

We've never seen La Nouba, but I did see one of the first Cirque du Soleil's in Vegas and have to tell you I slept through the first half of it. Now, it was my girlfriend and me, it was the 9:30 p.m. show AFTER we had walked the strip back and forth in 115 degree weather and stopped in every casino on the way and had an adult beverage. I had a good excuse. Maybe I can talk Mark into trying this one time, but not counting on it.

I'm sorry you missed Raglan Road (I remember eading about that small fire somewhere). I ate there in May and it wasn't my favorite meal as it used to one time be in the top five.

Cute photos around all of the shops.

Ice cream...oh yes, the best dinner of all time.

Really? You liked CB's quick service better than POR? I loved POR's QS and did not like CB's.

 

[cajunfan]

Thanks for sharing! I am enjoying your report...

But, but where are the pictures of the baby gorillas? Just kidding, but seriously send your wife with me for her negotiating skills!

Lynn