It's The Magic That Can Happen When It's Autumn! - Animal Kingdom Lodge - Club Level

[TheLittleKatie]

Disneyland Paris!
March 2017
Part 3

Click for Part 4!
​

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Disneyland Paris!
March 2017
Part 4

Click for Walt Disney World - January 2018!​

 

[MeghanEmily]

What is this song in the video below?!
I like it.

We studied a little bit of American music history in my undergraduate degree, so let's see what I can remember here... it's a tune, I believe, by Stephen Foster, a famed American composer of ballads from the 1800s. It's called "Old Folks at Home," and also known as "Swanee River" and is one of his most well-known. Or at least one of the only ones we had to study/memorize in listening tests. ...there. That's all I got!

When we left the ride, I spotted the hidden Oswald in the ground!!

Love this! Good eye!

Oh my gawd.

I told him that this was the second one of these mugs we’re buying in two days because our other one got smashed.
He was like “OH you got it home and it was smashed?”
I didn’t want to seem like I was trying to blame them in the store or anything so I told him “OH NO, he swung the bag around and dropped it and it smashed on the floor, LOL”
And even with an explanation that this was 100% our fault, Tony then said,
“Oh, well, this one’s on us!”

Amazing!! What fabulous magical pixie dust for your last day!! I've heard similar stories about Disney CMs replacing broken things, and it's really such a great policy for guest loyalty! I remember Randy Pausch, in his book "The Last Lecture," tells a story about a $100,000 salt and pepper shaker Disney sold them when he was a kid, because he bought a salt and pepper shaker for his parents there as a kid and then broke it, and when he told the CM, they replaced it for him even though it was his fault. He told his parents, and it made them so impressed with the Disney company, and they kept going back, and taking students with them, etc. And he estimated that his family had spent over $100K at Disney over the years since then. Disney knows how to invest in its guests!!

At one point he said,
“His nose is weird though. Is this what Dumbo’s nose looks like?”
LOL yes dear, he is an elephant.

Oh my goodness, this is THE LIFE!!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Hi Katie!
I hope you and Jamie are doing well!
Wow! It's been so long since I've been on the DIS. But today I had an urge to do some TR reading and I went straight to yours first! I think I had started reading your 2016 TR when you first started it, but I was off the DIS for so long I started it over again today! I absolutely loved it, as always

Heading over to your newest one now!

 

[pkondz]

IT’S TIME TO GO HOME.
WAAAA.

We got up at 9:30am, finished packing, and said goodbye to our room!

Take comfort in the thought that it wasn't 2am.... been there.

Jamie wore one of his new t-shirts

Why is he smiling???? does he not know what day it is?

As we walked in we were met by the Dapper Dans again!

Nice!

I got to meet Christopher Weaver, who is the Mayor of Main Street USA!

Cool!

He asked me where I’m from and I told him Sheffield in the UK, and he knew my town!

Impressive!

Sadly since I met him, Mr. Weaver has passed away

Oh, that's too bad.

The pretty blonde girl in the photo below said she liked my shorts, and that I looked cute!
No you look cute, lady.

On the way Jamie got this great picture of me!
I think the castle in the background looks almost like a painting!
It’s beautiful!

That is a really nice shot!

Jamie ate all of his own sandwich, AND half of mine

Where does the boy put it all?!?!?!?

When we left the ride, I spotted the hidden Oswald in the ground!!

Cool! I didn't know about that. Just outside of BOG?

Aww... Loved that book.

We wanted to stay as dry as possible for our flight later so we hoped to avoid the front row.
Obviously we were directed to the front of a log
But IT’S FINE because we asked for a different row and were put in the back.
So that’s good right?
WRONG.
In the first part where you go around the main drop, we had SO much water shot at us from places I’ve never seen it come from before!
AND we got it TWICE from the usual spray as you go up into the hut!
UGH!
We probably would’ve been drier sat in the front

We were just generally chatting to him about everything while he ws wrapping it up, and I told him that this was the second one of these mugs we’re buying in two days because our other one got smashed.
He was like “OH you got it home and it was smashed?”
I didn’t want to seem like I was trying to blame them in the store or anything so I told him “OH NO, he swung the bag around and dropped it and it smashed on the floor, LOL”
And even with an explanation that this was 100% our fault, Tony then said,
“Oh, well, this one’s on us!”

No way! That's so great!

I said that I was happy to pay for it since it was our fault, but Tony gave me a funny look and said
“You can’t buy the same mug twice!!”
As if I was the craziest person ever

I'm just shaking my head with wonderment. Only at Disney!

We passed the Dapper Dans again, this time singing Let Me Call You Sweetheart, with a guest stood with them singing to his wife/girlfriend

That's so sweet.

We got back to the hotel and we used the last of our arcade credits on some basketball.
Jamie won today, but he didn’t beat my previous high scores so technically I’m still the winner

It’s just a standard ice cream bar, but it’s Mickey shaped, and everything tastes better when it’s Mickey shaped.

Also

They left one of our small (but very important) bags behind!
Thankfully we were on the ball and noticed, but that could have been quite catastrophic!

Not cool Disney!!

We didn’t even get a Magical Express, which made it an EXTRA tragical express

Rubbing salt in the wound...

Ususally I cry on the bus back to the airport but I didn’t today.
I usually feel like there’s so much more fun to be had, but today I felt very accomplished and satisfied after 3 weeks at Disney.

Good for you.

Do not mess with a man's pillow pet.

Do... Not...

Soon the dreaded “Now’s the time to say goodbyeee” song came on and I had to plug my ears with my fingers.
That song makes me cry.
I managed to block it out though

La La La... I can't hear you!!!!!

So we got to sit in the Delta Sky Club lounge before our flight!

Sweet!

Like, the front left orange seat in the picture below was my seat, and the one behind was Jamie's!

Wow! That's..... decadent!

Champagne on arrival, of course!

But of course. What... do they think you're savages???

Um..... you know there's a whole website devoted to photos of people who take their shoes off on planes right?
Just.... ew.

We also sat together to eat, which was adorable

I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed reliving it and writing it.

I did! thanks so much for finishing it off.

You might be surprised to hear that Jamie and I went through the whole of 2017 without a trip to Florida!

What????

Yes, we recently spent two weeks at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge!

Yay! Going over to read.

 

[rdkeim]

Just finished your 2016 TR - I really enjoyed reading about your adventures! Just started Jan. 2018. Glad you started a new one - I'll be following along! Disneyland Paris looks SO nice - maybe some day.....

 

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

Loved your trip report and the extra pics from DLP!! looking forward to another great Katie and Jaime trip report!!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I always love reading your trip reports. Thanks so much for sharing with all of us. I'm heading over to start reading your new trip report now.

 

[ALEXandFAB]

I think this is the first time I ever comment on one of your trip reports, but I've read a few of them now. Just want to quickly say that I really enjoy your writing and your photos. Looking forward to reading about your 2018 trip...heading over there now

 

[Terra Nova guy]

So glad that you managed to update your entire trip. I enjoyed reading it all.
I'll be sure to check out your newest report. Hard to believe you didn't have a trip in 2017!
I'm working on a nearly 4 year gap and having serious withdrawals.

 

[PirateFish989]

I haven’t read it all yet, but I wanted to let you know that I’m thoroughly enjoying it ! I read it every day during my lunch break (hiding at my desk where my students won’t find me).

I also LOVED your POFQ pictures! My fiancé and I are staying there for our honeymoon in June and your pictures made me so happy that is where we chose to stay! We stayed at POR on our very first trip together in 2014 and your pictures of that resort brought back some very fond memories!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Hello @Sailormoon2 ! Sorry for the VERY delayed reply - but it's better than no reply at all, right?!

Yeah Hubby and I figured this one out about 3 years ago, we put Universal right in the middle of our Disney trip, and stay there for 2 days. It's a nice break, we love the hotel properties and City Walk. And like you said, 2 taxi rides!

I would definitely stay at a Universal hotel again, but probably only if I go at a busy time to make good use of the Express Passes! It is a nice break though, and makes me super keen to get back to Disney

Ok, serious? Not only have we never gotten bonus points BUT neither DH nor I can even break 100,000 on this ride. LIke seriously, we suck at! we don't even understand what we're shooting at. We just crack up the whole time we're on it at how badly we suck.

Oooh on the Men In Black ride, when he says "there's only one thing left to do.. PUSH THE RED BUTTON!" if you push it when he says "push" and keep it held down, other people can also push (and hold) and get the bonus points too! You should both give it a try! Hahah I know what you mean about not really knowing what you're shooting at I think the only thing I've figured out is that "hidden" aliens, ie ones that come out from behind curtains, or are hidden in bushes etc get you more points.. I think?! That sounds like it makes sense...

Yep! I get a lot of weird looks when I'm wearing my Slytherin one, like people think Slytherins are legit evil LOL! DH is a Ravenclaw so people are more open to striking up a conversation.

Ooh a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw, that's an interesting mix Jamie is Slytherin too (I'm Hufflepuff) and I think people always question the manipulation that has gone on to bring the two of us together

I love water rides that get you super soaked. We actually rode the other one (Popeye's) one time and DH was soooo soaked we had to go back to the hotel (HR) and get changed...thank god it's like a 7 minute walk away. LOL

OH NO not the Popeye ride it is horrendous. I did it with Jamie in 2012 and we haven't done it since I think I'm too vain and worry about my hair and make up too much.. we should've done it when we had the hotel on this trip, and we could've just gone back and change! You had the right idea!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Hello friends! A very late reply, sorry!!

I'm curious about this, too.

Hey Meghan!

This comment above was about the new hard floors in the Disney resorts (Yacht Club etc) and how loud it might be when kids are running around in the room above you.. have you heard much about this / stayed in these rooms at all? I think they look GREAT but I'm really worried about the noise.. I would have to request the top floor I think

YAY! The return of Hymie!!

Hymie was called Hymie twice on our recent trip in January too haha!

Portofino Bay looks GORJ. I love the Lizzie McGuire vibes it gives off with the mopeds and the gondolas, I'd totally love to stay there.

Omg YES Portofino definitely has Lizzie McGuire vibes I didn't even think of that!

Omg all these pictures of the sets and decor from HHN is making me so nostalgic. The scare zone outside Diagon Alley was one of the neatest (my friend got one of the best scares of the night over there). I seriously would go back to Universal just for that, it's SOOOOO much fun.

I feel like I'm the complete opposite of you on this.. I think I want to avoid HHN at all costs

For someone who's usually so up on things, I had NO idea that the Skull Island queue had scare actors!! That makes me even sadder that I skipped it. But I know I'd probably not like the ride. I'm so over all these 3D simulator type rides, it's getting old fast.

If you're over the 3D simulator rides (I am too) then yeah I don't think you'd be very impressed by Skull Island... the only bit I really enjoyed was the huge animatronic at the end... Did you ever ride the old Kong ride at Universal?! SO much better

Also, I feel personally offended that you hate the weird, psychedelic, totally unnecessary ending of ET because that part is so LIT. Bye.

OH GOD JUST WHAT IS GOING ON.

This thing is Hell.

I definitely think the hotels with EP are worth it, because they do save money and are often cheaper than Disney hotels but with EP rolled into the price.

Yep yep I thought it was great, I'd definitely do it again if I went at a busy time and could make proper use of the Express Pass!

Like most automated systems E.T. really struggles with my name and will say gibberish.

I always wonder about people with really unique or foreign names, and how ET handles them.. If he can't get yours right there is NO hope for others!

Josh made our fish carry a watermelon for some reason.

I'm only quoting this because I hope you don't remember what it was about so you can have a #OutOfContext moment

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Absolutely!!! EP definitely makes staying at a Universal hotel 100% worth it.

Definitely! I'll do it again for sure if it ever looks like it will be busy when we're there. I really enjoyed staying at Portofino but it was so quiet we didn't really need the Express Passes anyway!

The ice cream there is AH-MAZING!

I need to get back to Toothsome pleeeease

Seriously one of my favorite stories of all time

Haha! Jamie was called Hymie again TWICE on our January 2018 trip!!

P.S. YAY for a fellow Hufflepuff!!!

Wooo high-five!

So fun!!!! Great idea to spend a night at Universal.

I need some Cowfish!! So disappointed to hear that the new Kong ride is another simulation ride. It opened the day after we left last summer so we haven't rode it yet.
I agree with you on the Mummy ride! My fave too!

I'm so glad everyone is supportive of the fact that we stayed the night at Universal... I didn't know if I was struggling to justify spending even more money
I don't think you're missing too much with the Kong ride if you're not into simulator rides... You could ride The Mummy three times in the time you wait and ride Kong.. We should just stick with The Mummy!

Hey! Glad you're back! Love you and Hymie! Can't wait to hear if you were disappointed with meeting Ponzi!

Sorry for the late reply! But I'm back AGAIN LOL at the Ponzi comment we had a lovely time though!

Vacation logic!

Honestly I'm just trying to justify throwing money away

I love the theme of this hotel! It looks so fancy!

Portofino was so nice! I definitely recommend it!

Yes!!! Why would I want to step on a cold, hard floor after walking 12 million miles a day?

Right! I think the new Disney hotel rooms look nice but I would prefer carpet to hard floor... Do you know if anyone has been reporting a lot of noise from people walking / children running around upstairs? I love the new rooms but I would be worried about the noise..

The Mummy is my favorite too. I would honestly go to Universal just for this ride.

AMEN!

This is what I don't like about Universal. All of the rides are 3D simulators and it gets old to me.

Me too, I'm glad to hear others with the same feedback. Hopefully Universal are listening, because I don't think it's interesting any more!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Hey!!! Delighted to see more updates WHOOOOP!

Hey Karen!!! Sorry I fell off the face of the earth and didn't reply. How are you doing?! Have you been to Disney lately??

First of all before I forget, the photo with the white face and tanned legs, does your make-up have spf? That'll make your face appear whiter on camera, especially if you use a flash or there is a lot of light in the room!

Ooh this is a great tip, yes I think the make up I wore at the time DID have spf in it! However my neck and arms also look really white, and just my legs look tanned, so I wonder if there's something else too?!

Boma breakfast is one of my favourites, they have so much choice!

YES I need to go back to Boma, for breakfast AND dinner

We've also made the mistake of sitting right by the speakers for the kids entertainment! That second spot you went to looks lovely! Where is that exactly? We're planning a chilled pool day after the half marathon in November

Eee did you find a nice spot by the pool in November?! How was the trip / half marathon / EVERYTHING?!

Loved reading about Jiko, we are going for the first time this year! Can't wait to have the filet with mac and cheese!

Did you enjoy Jiko?! I looove that filet with mac and cheese!

You can get chocolate milk in the lounge??!! OMG... I LOVE chocolate milk so much...

Hahahah Jamie is the name, it comes in a little yellow Nesquik bottle though so he's always embarrassed to get it from the fridge, when all the other men are getting beer

So... I've also always wanted to be the rebel spy... and then... IT HAPPENED!! I was in DLP last month and I was the rebel spy!! It had been a long day and I was super tired and couldn't stop yawning... well I was caught mid yawn for what has to be the least attractive rebel spy photo of all time! Everyone laughed when it came up! We weren't quick enough to grab a photo but this is pretty similar

(I just yawned while picking a yawn photo... SO CONTAGIOUS!)

To top off my embarrassing experience I couldn't even buy a rebel spy shirt because they don't have them at DLP.

OH MY GOD that is amazing You are definitely allowed to buy the rebel spy tshirt when you're in Florida, even though you were the chosen one at DLP I spent another two weeks in Florida in January, and I just got back form DLP for 5 days with my friend a week ago, and I STILL. HAVEN'T. BEEN CHOSEN.

They didn't have surf n turf on the menu at Narcoossee's!!!

I'm hoping it's on there when we visit!

Right!? Did they have it when you went? It was a nice meal but I think the surf n turf would've set it apart from the other signatures. Hopefully it comes back!

I've always thought about doing a night at Universal for the same reasons you did, looking forward to reading more about it but looks great so far! Your evening in Citywalk looks great, I've always wanted to spend more time there!

I would definitely do it again if I went at a busy time of year! It was a lovely hotel and the included express passes are a great perk

Ahh, we love US/IOA so fun. We stayed at RPR last October for the first time and loved the EP. MIB is like Buzz on steroids lol! Enjoying your report!

RPR looks so nice too, I had a really hard time choosing a Universal hotel, I don't know much about them to be honest, but I was really happy with Portofino ! Hahah right, MIB is so much fun! And so easy to ride over and over and over with an EP, love it! Thanks so much for reading I'm glad you were enjoying the TR, before I dropped off the face of the earth I just finished this one, and started a new one woo!

Awesome typo.

However, I'd rather have a large bug fall on me than a large but.

HAHA quoting because rediscovering this "large bug/but' typo gave me a laugh again

Just found your trip report and following along! Fellow Brit here Love your sense of humour have snorted out loud with laughter a couple of times!

Yay hello fellow Brit!! So glad you were enjoying the TR, sorry I left it unfinished for so long. I recently mass/spam-posted the rest of it though, and started a new one!

Whew!! I have some catching up to do!! Love the TR as always

And a CRAZY amount of catching up to do now don't worry, I don't actually expect you to read through the millions of updates I recently posted How are you girl??! Have you been to Disney lately?!

Ahhhh our pictures didn't show up either and we were very sad They showed up when I went in March though, so whatever it was they fixed it!

So glad they fixed the photos on Spaceship Earth! This is GREAT news I love getting silly with that.

YES I love Living with the Land! It's soooo calming.

THAT'S IT! I always struggle to explain the appeal of it, Jamie thinks it's mildly interesting but he would never get excited to ride it like I do... It's so nice and relaxing, it's like a little boat tour around a garden

HAHAHA the beeps Sounds like Jamie and my boyfriend Tom have a lot in common...

Oh God, he says such funny things but swears far too much for my liking!!! For a family-friendly forum like this one, I think beeping out the expletives in the video was necessary

Yay! Loved this post as it makes me so excited to stay there!

Did you enjoy the Animal Kingdom Lodge??!!

I NOTICED THIS TOO! When we visited in 2015, we took the walking path from Kidani to Jambo and literally saw like hundreds of these guys!

YES I even posted about that walkway in one of my updates before I saw your comment! That path from Jambo to Kidani is a HAZARD, there are lizards EVERYWHERE

Excited to read about this as well because we are eating here for the first time next month!! It sounded delicious!

How did you like Narcoossee's?!

Yes! Sometime if I take a longer Disney trip, I'll save a day exclusively for hotel exploration.

A day well spent, I love doing this

WOW Portofino Bay looks gorgeous! Kind of like an Italian GF Also it reminds me so much of the Lizzie Mcguire Movie! (As I am uncultured and haven't been anywhere in Europe so this is the closest I have been to experiencing Italy )

Both you and @PlutosRHM55 have made the Lizzie McGuire Movie reference to Portofino and honestly I think that means the three of us should be best friends

LOVE the Doge, haha. And I eat sushi a ton and always just use my hands (did I say I was uncultured? Welp... )

I read this comment assuming it was going to end with "always just use my fork" so the fact that it ended with "hands" instead made laugh

Hahah what a classic. I love the blue juice in the wine glass

I had never noticed this in Step Brothers before!! Hilarious

 

[MeghanEmily]

This comment above was about the new hard floors in the Disney resorts (Yacht Club etc) and how loud it might be when kids are running around in the room above you.. have you heard much about this / stayed in these rooms at all? I think they look GREAT but I'm really worried about the noise.. I would have to request the top floor I think

Ooh interesting...that's a good point. No, I haven't stayed in any of the refurbed rooms without carpets. I love that they're easier to see whether they floor is clean, and they look stellar, but I can see how noise would be a concern. My bridal party had wood(ish?) floors at Coronado Springs, but they were on a top floor.

Hymie was called Hymie twice on our recent trip in January too haha!

No. Way! Why is this a thing!??!? I don't understand it, and yet, I love it.

 

[TheLittleKatie]

All caught up. Just posting to follow along!

Haha thanks for reading, and sorry I disappeared!! I just spammed this TR with updates so it's finally all finished!

I just got all caught up and tried to click on "Coming Soon: Day 7 - Part 1!" and nothing happened!
Oh, it says "Coming Soon."
*Waits patiently*

Oops sorry haha! The TR is FINALLY updated and finished!!

Love this report!

Jo xx

Hi Jo, thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it! I finally got it all finished if you're still around and interested!

Hope all is well Katie! We miss you!!

Aww thank you, I missed the DIS too! But I am back woowooo

Did you store your main luggage with bell services at AKL and check out for the one night you were at Portofino? Or did you pay for two hotel rooms that night even though you were only at one?

We had booked the AKL stay, and then later decided to spend a night at Portofino, so yeah we just paid for two rooms for the night. It saved us packing up and moving rooms at AKL so I guess there were some advantages to that decision!

Hurry baaaaack....hurry baaaaack....

I want you to know I came back PURELY because of this one single comment..

It's been a LONG time since July! Hurry back so we can read more trip report!!

So sorry! I am here and it is finished yaaay!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

So glad you’re back!! Hope everything is well with you and look forward to reading more of your adventures!

Thanks so much! I'm glad to be back!! It feels good to get this TR finished, and to get the new one started! Thank you for the well wishes!

I still can't believe I haven't done Universal with Ricky yet. Every time people post about it I'm dying to go but we never make it over. It looks like so much fun! One day...

Hey! You should definitely go to Universal it's so much fun! Spend the night at Portofino and get the Express Passes like we did!

Woohoo, you're back!!

WOO I am indeed! It's good to be back!

Yay I'm so excited your back!

YAY I am!!!

I love Portofino Bay, it's so pretty! We're doing 1 night there for EP on this next trip, and I'm so excited to go back there again.

How exciting when are you going?!

That seems like a good way to describe them. Now I just want to hug a floofy dog.

Jamie and I often discuss what dog we would get, and Jamie keeps bringing up breeds that get bigger and bigger, and floofier and floofier..!!

OMG I didn't know you got to pet the dogs after, we're definitely going now.

Yes you do! Although everrryyone wants to pet them so there's a bit of a crowd. But it's a crowd there's definitely worth joining

You do, I think you really have to love Coca Cola to buy anything in that store, and I don't like soda at all so everything in there seems kind of pointless to me

Correct I agree I do like Diet Coke... and we have a friend who REALLY likes Diet Coke, but even if we were to get him a gift from there, it would still be like.. a joke gift.. like here's a dinosaur made of Coke cans.. who buys this stuff unironically?!?!

Yay! So glad you are back. I’m loving the updates! I’m interested to hear how you liked AKL compared to the other resorts you have stayed at. It is on our list to do, but the distance to the parks has me concerned. Also, the only transportation is a bus and folding up strollers is a big pain. Are you headed back this September? We are going to be there at the end of the September.

Thank you I'm so glad to be back! I liked AKL a lot, I think the best things are the theming and the food.. They have Jiko, Boma AND Sanaa, three of my favourites all in one hotel! But the distance/transportation was kind of an issue for me... I might have been spoilt with transportation after staying at the Beach Club, Grand Floridian and Polynesian, but it always felt like we were waiting around for buses (there are some bad stories of loooong waits in all the updates I just posted!) I would definitely stay at AKL again, but I was seriously consider renting a car!

We have no plans to go back this September, we're all off schedule now that we just went in January!! Can we really go back so soon? (YES)

Wow, when you come back, you really come back! Glad you're back, we missed you!

Enjoyed your Universal update. Agree, Mummy is the best. And the queue is funny too.

Haha YES my mass-updates must have been annoying to everyone on the TR board who don't read this report but it's great to be back!

My husband and I are in your UniQlo storefront picture! How crazy!?!? Great trip report! We had an awesome trip that year. September is forever my favorite time to visit.

WHAT! That's so funny!! I always wonder if I'd be in the background of anyone's photos, I love that you are right up front! Did you have a good day that day?!

So glad you’re back! I love your trip reports!

YAY thank you! It's great to be back

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Yay, updates! I missed catching up on this TR!

Oh my goodness, the food at Sanaa looks AMAZING! Never considered eating there, but think I'll have to plan a trip now!

Ooh if you're excited for updates you'll be thrilled at how many I just spam-posted..!!

HAHA your comment sounds like you're planning a trip to Walt Disney World now just to go to Sanaa.. and I fully support that idea It's a great place to eat!

Well welcome back Katie! I have read all of your trip reports, and love every one of them! I have checked periodically hoping you would come back, and your timing is perfect! We leave on Saturday for a week at our happy place and this report is just the thing to get me even more excited! I loved your video of the elephant on the safari, adorable that you caught that!

Thank you! Aww sorry for disappearing without saying anything, I'm glad you kept checking in, and eventually found me! Oh my gosh did you have a good trip?? I hope you had an amazing time!!

Yeah, that's enough to completely ruin a meal. We had something like that happen at Trail's End (waited 40 mins past the ADR, plus bad service and meh food), and even though a lot of people like it, it was definitely our worst dining experience at Disney.

OH NO we just ate at Trail's End and really enjoyed it! That sucks. I guess with Tusker House I had high expectations because everybody loves it, so that made the experience even worse.. I don't know. It's a shame, maybe we should give these places a second chance some day...

I wonder too because this isn't the only place I've seen it. We have a local theme park that has a ski lift type ride where you go over the park, and when you get to the part where it switches sides and you start to go back to the starting area there's an area where people throw hair ties.

Ohh interesting, I've never seen it before but maybe it is a thing. I wonder if Disney ever go up there and clear them out?

Yum, that's what I plan to get at Sanaa too and yours looks and sounds so good.

Great choice!!

Never forget the moment when you had unlimited Uncrustables.

After my future wedding and the birth of my future children... This is next event I will cherish forever

Love the gif and true if I was there for 3 weeks we'd do a lot of whatever, whenever too.

It almost felt like we lived there!

I love this show our narrators in Dec were hilarious too.

I'm glad you got some good ones in December, ours in January weren't as good as September, but hopefully it was just an off-day

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Wow!! What a wonderful surprise it was to see this! Great to hear from you, Katie! And man...when you update, you UPDATE.

Yay it's great to be back!!

Yeah. No.

A fantastic gif.

You're both smiling the same smile!

Aw I didn't even realise! We are precious.

I'm so sorry to hear about this! Really disappointing!

I was disappointed because everyone seems to love Tusker House, I was really expecting great things

Woah! That's wild! It seems that almost everywhere we eat at WDW lately they're chronically understaffed. I understand not wanting to hire people that you have to let go when it's a slow time, but this seems to be a problem a lot of the time, so I don't think that's an excuse. So many times I've waited past my ADR time, just to walk into a nearly-empty restaurant because they couldn't open any more sections without servers to cover them.

Yeah it's crazy. Like this is Walt Disney World, you need to be prepared for when it's busy. AND IT WASN'T EVEN BUSY. Just, what is going on?! I guess they were just super super understaffed, but for no reason at all...

Agree 100%! We've had good experiences with Tusker House, and typically our only complaint has been that it's been too crowded and rowdy with families and lots of little ones, but your experience was much worse. And either way, Boma all the way. Much better buffet, and a bit less expensive, too.

I would go back to Boma over Tusker House in a heartbeat!

There's something about those elephants that just look really unappetizing to me. For some reason, it really puts me off to think about eating such grey food.

Haha! I see what you mean! I relate to this because I won't touch ANYTHING blue... All those Frozen cupcakes they did with the blue frosting always looked SO unappetising to me... I guess blue and grey are very unnatural food colours...

YAS! Such a fan. Sanaa for the win.

Love it!

This is adorable! He was lucky he had an expert like you to assist. We're just not quite as skilled in the art of tea-making on this side of the Atlantic.

LOL of all the people he could've asked to help make tea, a Brit like me was a great choice tea-making ability vibes must just radiate off of us, he was able to sense it

I really liked the rose gallery when we ate there it was so nice and we didn't fell rushed.

I felt like that was an unpopular opinion but honestly I really like the rose gallery too! So calm and quiet

I don't think I've said it before but I love that you call cornbread "dinner cake" because that's exactly how I think of it too. It's not common in NY (at least not where I live) so going to FL is probably the first time I've ever had it as a bread service at restaurants. I always tell Josh I think it's too sweet (although he doesn't mind cornbread), and it feels like eating cake before dinner which I don't really like

YES that is exactly it! It's too sweet, and the consistency is just cake. It's not appropriate before dinner!! I feel strongly about this

Yay I'm so glad. I wasn't sure if Josh would like it either and we did it way back on our first trip. He had a lot of fun (and had a nonstop supply of ribs) so he was very happy, and he's been asking if we could do it again this year.

Getting approval from the boys is a great thing