French Quarter to the Fantasy With an EPIC Cherry on Top…Spring 2019! Updated 10/25!

[SimplyGoofy]

That's a great way to watch the FOF parade! I think Tony's is a bit of a hit-or-miss (and I agree that your meal looked MUCH better last year!), but as long as you have proper expectations it would be fine.

 

[buzzrelly]

I love your tradition of eating at Tony's to catch the parade! Do you ask for the porch area every time or just go with the luck of the draw?? We've only eaten there once, and we were pretty disappointed with our meal, but it was also at the end of our trip and we were kind of crabby with each other, which may have spilled over into our experience. We really should give it another try!

We do ask for it and have never had a problem getting the porch.

You should try it again. While we have always liked it, most people used to bash it, but in the past year or so it seems to be getting better reviews. Personally, I think they have some of the nicest servers there that we've ever encountered in WDW

Funny how you were crabby with each other at the end of the trip...we get that way too

 

[buzzrelly]

That's a great way to watch the FOF parade! I think Tony's is a bit of a hit-or-miss (and I agree that your meal looked MUCH better last year!), but as long as you have proper expectations it would be fine.

I think it's quite the hidden gem and I'm happy they haven't started up-charging for "lunch on the porch," or whatever to watch the parade. I wouldn't pay extra for it, but it's a nice perk of eating there

 

[ariane37]

I've debated trying Tony's again since the reviews have gotten a little better, it's been about 5 years since we last ate there. I can handle HHN but I'm still,a little terrified to dine there again lol!

This made me laugh. (Not the never having a fun birthday, that's unfortunate, but the being old bit.)

Birthdays have still been fun for me up till now, but I anticipate they're about to get less fun. My husband is a few years older than me, and he's about to turn 30 this weekend, and the reality of that is suddenly starting to dawn on him. He keeps having these little early mini-midlife-crisis moments where he's, like, taking stock of what he's done with his life so far!

Ok I Know turning 30 honesty bothers some people. For me 35 was tough. But being almost 20 years older than N I still need to lol a bit because 30 ain't nothin'! In fact isn't 30 like the new 12?

If not, can it be please?????

 

[buzzrelly]

I can handle HHN but I'm still,a little terrified to dine there again lol!

You can use Steve as your human shield walking into Tony's like I did with Mike walking through those houses

In fact isn't 30 like the new 12?

If not, can it be please?????

Yes, please!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I think at 30, N is safe…for now! Just watch out when he starts pricing out fancy sports cars or getting a new sleeve of tattoos that he never mentioned he ever wanted

Oh boy!! I'll definitely be looking forward to that! Nothing like a little reckless spontaneity to keep life interesting!

 

[Steppesister]

Allie thinks her birthday is a national holiday!

LOL!! As she should!

Oh, and she started driving this week so that's been fun

I am so glad those days are behind me now!! I'd rather have a patient on lactulose than teaching a teen to drive again.

such as, "Oh…that was good…a little too fast…oof, I need to straighten out…that was a good parking job…ew, rough stop…etc."
As if just driving with her isn't petrifying enough, I have to listen to that the whole time

That's too funny!!

Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals and although I was slightly disappointed with mine,
I will definitely be back to Tony's.

I've never eaten there due to the really crappy reviews it consistently gets. But, I will also say, that I've noticed a changing trend for the better and am willing to give it a go someday now.

I had no idea this would be the last picture I ever take of this sign...

Sigh... always changes.

I will sadly NEVER save anyone's galaxy. I suck at this so bad they are sending in re-inforcements from the local daycares.

But that is super cool that they did up a button for him!

 

[buzzrelly]

I'd rather have a patient on lactulose than teaching a teen to drive again.

There's a lot of other things I'd rather be doing too!

Sigh... always changes.

Change is good...right? Maybe they're starting a Tomorrowland refresh before Tron opens. Lord know, it needs it. (But they better not mess with The People Mover of Carousel of Progress!)

 

[kastoney]

I'm glad I had one of each because Nicholas couldn't care a fig newton about birthday parties
after the age of 12, but Allie thinks her birthday is a national holiday!

Oh I'm so with Allie on the National Holiday train!!!! Even though I'm old too bring on a day all about me everyday!

She narrates everything she's doing while she's doing and when she's done doing it,
such as, "Oh…that was good…a little too fast…oof, I need to straighten out…that was a good parking job…ew, rough stop…etc."
As if just driving with her isn't petrifying enough, I have to listen to that the whole time

Oh my goodness this is hilarious!!!! I'd be dying laughing instead of paying attention to what she was doing myself.

But shortly after we were seated, we started to notice all these weird, little bugs flying around
and they kept landing on our table. After swatting them for a few minutes,
it dawned on me that these were the infamous, "Love-Bugs."

Yikes! I had no idea you encountered them in April too. Not sure I could have taken eating with them around.

I had gotten the raviolis last year and absolutely LOVED them.
This time, sadly, they weren't great.

Sorry to hear this was a bust. They look and sound delicious.

I was on the fence about making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight and this may have just tipped me over the edge. Could totally devour that right now.

This will give you an idea of the view from Tony's...

Pretty good view. Especially since you got to sit the whole time.

My mom is sooooo into this...

I think your Mom and I are in the same picture taking club.

 

[buzzrelly]

Oh my goodness this is hilarious!!!! I'd be dying laughing instead of paying attention to what she was doing myself.

You can tell me how much fun you're having when you're driving with Casey in a few years

It's been even more fun now that she's adopted an Australian accent (that sounds British) while she's narrating

Yikes! I had no idea you encountered them in April too. Not sure I could have taken eating with them around.

Just barely. And yeah, had I known, I might not have chosen to eat outside. But luckily, they were just starting and weren't nearly as bad as May.

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 4, 2019
THERE'S A GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW

After celebrating Nicholas' Galactic Hero status,
we went and did the only attraction in Tomorrowland that we hadn't yet...

COP is definitely an old favorite and a must-do for us each trip.
Plus, with rumors swirling that it might be going away, I need to enjoy it while I can.

We weren't having much luck at this point in the FP department.
Granted, we had seen pretty much everything we really needed to see,
so we decided to head over to Main Street and poke around some.
I stopped into Starbucks and got another magic Kingdom mug

I don't love Starbucks, but I absolutely love these mugs.

We had to stop and say hello to the man and the mouse who started it all...



And we walked though the castle to check out some of this beautiful mural
I can't remember if it was the KTTK tour or the MTTMK tour that talked about this mural,
but I've been wanting to get a closer look ever since.



Mickey's birthday parade started while we were in the castle, so we stayed to watch...



Even though it was only around 7 pm,
everyone was kind of done at this point and wanted to go back to the resort.
I might have protested not staying for HEA, but I knew I'd be back in a month and could see it then.

But before we left, we had to stop for our traditional,
"Last (only, this time) Day In The Magic Kingdom Ice Cream," at The Plaza...



My mom got the sundae and Allie got the ice-cream cookie sandwich.
I don't have a picture of mine, but I always get the little chocolate cone with the Mickey ears,
so I'm sure that's what I got.
I don't have a picture of Nicholas so I'm assuming he started eating it before I could get one.

One last photo-op before we headed out...


And that was that.

Back at the resort, we changed into our bathing suits and hit the pool for a little bit to relax.
I think the discussion came up about whether or not we should go to DS or even go see Yee-Haw Bob over at POR but everyone was comfortable and just wanted to hang out and so that's just what we did


Coming up is our last day at Animal Kingdom and then we'll move onto the Fantasy!​

 

[SimplyGoofy]

If they take away the Carousel of Progress I will be SO sad. It's one of my favorite Disney attractions and I experience it multiple times each trip! It just feels so "Disney" to me!

Your ice cream from the Plaza looks so tasty! Those ice cream cookie sandwiches are quite deceiving in pictures - I couldn't believe how HUGE they are in-person!

It sounds like a lovely low-key evening. Good for you for being able to relax at Disney!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 5, 2019
MA EYWA, MA EYWA, MA EYWA




We woke up to a rainy day, which seems to be our luck on our AK day.
Last year, we literally had a deluge and my mom decided to skip that AK day altogether
but the kids and I didn't want to skip our FoP FP so we powered trough it.
We all ended up needing to buy new shoes there because ours were soaked, but it was totally worth it!
I wore those shoes all summer and whenever anyone comments on them,
it brings me back to that rainy day in AK.

Luckily, the rain wasn't as bad as that day was, so we threw on our ponchos and headed off.
We caught an early bus and were at AK by 8 am for a 9 am opening.
I thought maybe we could all get on FoP, but as soon as they started letting us walk,
it became apparent that my mom could never keep up with the crowd.
I told the kids to go on ahead and we would see them after their ride.
Fortunately, we still had a FP at 9:50 , so I knew we'd all get to ride together later anyway.

When we stopped at the holding point, I could see spot Nicholas in the crowd ahead of us...
Can you see him?



He's the one in the backwards Mickey hat...


While we were waiting, I took a raincoat selfie of me and my mom...


Once everyone got moving again, we completely lost sight of the kids
and my mom and I leisurely strolled into Pandora.
For anyone who's never done this, this pic was taken at 8:29 am..


While everyone else went to ride FoP, my mom and I walked straight to NRJ, because why not?


We were the first (only) people in line but sadly, the CMs told us the ride wasn't open yet.
Since we had nowhere to be we just stood in line anyway and waited for it to open.
We also took advantage of there literally being nobody else around to take some pics...



I hate that I forgot to take off my glasses in this one



They let us on at just about 9am.
I took a pic of the only thing on the whole ride worth taking a picture of...


We got off right around the same time as the kids were getting off FoP,
so we met up with them and decided to grab some breakfast and coffee close by
while we waited for our 9:50 FoP FP.

Continued in next post...​

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 5, 2019
SIVAKO!



We got just the type of hearty breakfast you'd expect at Disney...






Well, maybe not a hearty breakfast, but delicious nonetheless.

We found a quiet, kind of dry spot to eat...


And then headed back to Pandora to all ride our Banshees together...










Having done all we could do in Pandora, we left and headed over to Asia,
stopping at the Tree of Life along the way...


Our trek to Asia will have to be continued in the next post since I'm out of picture space again ​

 

[missjackiemcg]

I love that you love COP! It is a must for our family anyway, but it really struck me when they talked about it on the KTTK tour. I hadn't ever thought about it the way the CM put it, that Walt actually stood on that very stage and walked through those scenes. So cool.

I'm glad the rain didn't stop your AK fun!

 

[pkondz]

we went and did the only attraction in Tomorrowland that we hadn't yet...

Always a classic

Plus, with rumors swirling that it might be going away

what??? noooooo….

I don't love Starbucks, but I absolutely love these mugs.

Starbucks... Not the most magical place on Earth.

And we walked though the castle to check out some of this beautiful mural

I should check those out again. Last time, I just walked past with just a glance.

YUM!!!

I think the discussion came up about whether or not we should go to DS or even go see Yee-Haw Bob over at POR but everyone was comfortable and just wanted to hang out and so that's just what we did

Sounds like a nice relaxing evening.

I wore those shoes all summer and whenever anyone comments on them,
it brings me back to that rainy day in AK.

I thought maybe we could all get on FoP, but as soon as they started letting us walk,
it became apparent that my mom could never keep up with the crowd.

Nice that you hung out with her.

While we were waiting, I took a raincoat selfie of me and my mom...

The selfie game is strong with this one.

For anyone who's never done this, this pic was taken at 8:29 am..

It's empty!!! I had no idea.

We were the first (only) people in line but sadly, the CMs told us the ride wasn't open yet.

Well... poop.

I hate that I forgot to take off my glasses in this one

I don't! I like you with glasses on! They look good on you and you look good with them on.

I took a pic of the only thing on the whole ride worth taking a picture of...

We got just the type of hearty breakfast you'd expect at Disney...

Wow! Where is that from and what is it???

stopping at the Tree of Life along the way...

It must be done.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It's too bad you started with a rainy day at AK. Rainy evenings in Disney parks are my favorite as many people seem to stay away or head home. It looks like there were still plenty of people to rush to FoP!

Did you have to wait until the regular opening time at 9:00 to ride River Journey? I'd love to ride that on standby and save my FP for FoP - but I'd also love to give our daughter a chance to ride something.

 

[buzzrelly]

If they take away the Carousel of Progress I will be SO sad. It's one of my favorite Disney attractions and I experience it multiple times each trip! It just feels so "Disney" to me!

I agree! Who knows how much truth there is to that rumor, but I would be really sad.

Your ice cream from the Plaza looks so tasty! Those ice cream cookie sandwiches are quite deceiving in pictures - I couldn't believe how HUGE they are in-person!

They are huge and Allie always gets it but never finishes it

Did you have to wait until the regular opening time at 9:00 to ride River Journey? I'd love to ride that on standby and save my FP for FoP - but I'd also love to give our daughter a chance to ride something.

I think that's what happened this day. It may have been just a couple minutes before 9 but I'm guessing they don't feel the need to open it much more before then.

I love that you love COP! It is a must for our family anyway, but it really struck me when they talked about it on the KTTK tour. I hadn't ever thought about it the way the CM put it, that Walt actually stood on that very stage and walked through those scenes. So cool.

I'm glad the rain didn't stop your AK fun!

If I skipped AK because of some rain, I'd never see AK!

 

[buzzrelly]

what??? noooooo….

Just a rumor...surely you must've heard it too?

I should check those out again. Last time, I just walked past with just a glance.

They are worth slowing down for

It's empty!!! I had no idea.

The crowd had all gotten sucked up into the FoP black hole

I don't! I like you with glasses on! They look good on you and you look good with them on.

Ack...thanks!

Wow! Where is that from and what is it???

I wish I knew! You know I don't do dining reports and I never take notes...sorry! It looks like maybe we were over near UP, the Bird Show??Just wander around AK and ask for the chocolatiest thing around

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 5, 2019
FICHWA FELLOW!


We finally made it over to Asia, where Allie lined up the shot perfectly...


Grammy found a comfy spot to sit and the kids and I were off on an expedition to Everest...




We rode single rider a couple of times, but managed to somehow always end up on the same trains...








When we had had our fill of visiting with the Yeti,
we went over to find Grammy who had made herself comfortable on a rock.
The rain had finally ended, yay!


It was almost time for our Safari FP so we started heading to Africa...






Continued in next post...


​