Oh! My Peanut butter! (a 2013 PHM report)

[wiigirl]

Those cupcakes looked delicious....dissapointed they weren't so good.

 

[MEK]

Noticing that we were taking her picture though, this one was.

Zoe - I feel your pain. I'm really not sure if I could have waited 45 minutes for lunch. Seeing all these long wait times makes me really glad I scheduled a dinner there in June.

I will say that the sandwiches and the cupcakes long delicious and I definitely think the soup was a good use of the snack credit.

Love your final picture, too. So cute!

 

[momabaarjo]

Love Zoe's faces! I am prepared to wait...the line looks so amazing just waiting to get in, and the inside....WOW!

 

[annmarieda]

Great pics and for getting into BoG.
We got in line at around where you must have started from, but it was just before they opened and the line moved pretty fast. I think from getting in line until ordering it took about 15 minutes.

I am glad that we got to eat there. We skipped a lot of things, but skipping this would have made me sad.

The soup was nice, wasn't it, especially for a CS place. We had different lunch items, but loved them both. I had a cream puff and while it was not bad, it wasn't the best either.

Steve actually preferred the soup there to another one he had on the trip. And for a snack credit it was awesome!

I think having the restaurant as a cs for lunch is perfect

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your afternoon. And looking forward to hear how you spent the evening ..... not that I do NOT know what you did that night.

Well, I know you know... but did you know that the evening helped to put the magic back into a Disney trip for Steve? I have not seen him so happy in so long.

I'm hoping the lines for BOG go away a bit by our next trip, a 45 minute wait is a bit too much for me!!! Glad to hear you enjoyed your meal - too bad that pretty cupcake was a disappointment though!

The line was a bit long, but well worth it...and I don't wait in lines. The meal itself was pretty good... and the cupcake wasn't disappointing... it just wasn't AMAZING.

Ha, I've seen many photos of the gargoyles outside of BOG but never thought until the picture of Zoe that they look like they're commiserating with the masses waiting in line!

Yeah... I guess they understand the waiting around bit dont they.

ahhh...the line for BOG. The same thing happend to my mom and I, we got there right after it opened and the line was massive. I stepped out to ask one of the CMs and was told the wait was 55-60 minutes...crazy. I am hopping that once the newness wares off a little the lines will go down a bit..wishful thinking im sure. I know that they put in the new ordering process to move things along, but i think it actually makes things take longer.

I know that the ordering process was a pain for us... and we are tech savvy people. There were people who took FOREVER at the kiosk because they just didn't understand.

Oh I remember that line well! They told us an hour and a half, but it was only 45 and well worth it just to see the inside!

It is an amazing place. Truly worth going in to eat. I am just undecided if it is worth a TS credit. I have read that the menu is very similar.

Did you guys go straight back to Echanted Tales with Belle or did you take your time? Were you in the first group/show of the day? How long was your wait? Curious since I am working on our plans.

We did go there first...unintentionally though. We slowly made our way there. We were not the first group off the day... and our wait was probably about 20 minutes.

Those cupcakes looked delicious....dissapointed they weren't so good.

Don't get me wrong... they were good. They just were not over the top. I have had better cupcakes in WDW. Of course... something to consider is these are sponge cakes...not your typical type of cc found in WDW. So when I say it was much like a twinkie...it really was. Twinkies are good good though... or they were.

Zoe - I feel your pain. I'm really not sure if I could have waited 45 minutes for lunch. Seeing all these long wait times makes me really glad I scheduled a dinner there in June.

I could not get an ADR for BOG. I am not sure if that was a good thing or not. The wait, while it sucked... just kinda fit into our "go with the flow" style of touring. We didn't have to rush to the next thing on our list so just enjoying was enough. I also am not sure if the use of a ts credit over a cs is better for that meal.... I am not sure if the gals are going to want to do TS there in the fall or not.... definitely will need to go there though..

I will say that the sandwiches and the cupcakes long delicious and I definitely think the soup was a good use of the snack credit.

Sometimes I am amazed at what constitutes a snack credit. Bottle of water...snack credit. Large bowl of soup...snack credit.

Love your final picture, too. So cute!

thanks

Love Zoe's faces! I am prepared to wait...the line looks so amazing just waiting to get in, and the inside....WOW!

So the question becomes do we want to just brave the line (which I am sure will still be happening) or get an ADR for dinner? It is very pretty inside. It really makes you feel like you are dinning in the castle. Course... a few less people inside the castle would have made it feel just a bit more magical.

 

[annmarieda]

Once lunch was done, we walked through Fantasyland. Of course, it was busy and nothing had a short wait.

We kept walking and noticed that HM had a reasonable line. As we were getting in the line though, we realized that our fast passes for SM would be coming up shortly. Aside from the fact we were now in line for HM, there was the issue of some full tummies. We all agreed that riding SM was going to have to be cancelled. So as we moved up in line a tad, a couple was about to jump out of the line because they felt it was too long. We stopped them and offered them the fast passes. They were very excited.

It wasn't long before we were under cover and waiting.

This picture cracks me up. One... I look a bit too happy... like I might eat you with my teeth happy. Then the gal behind me looks as though she is super grumpy.... and the guy behind her on the phone???? What is up with the leg up on the ledge? Better cell reception?

Even though Steve and I really just wanted to go on the ride and not deal with the grave yard, Zoe really wanted to. I think because she loves to pose with these twins.

Next we went to BTMRR to grab some fast passes. The return time ended up being a bit too inconvenient though, so these two were lost....

We did head to POTC next though and we did actually ride it.

Sorry for all the glowing orange pictures. We got a new camera before the trip and we are still learning how to use the low light settings.

There, that is better.

We then decided to head back to CSR

We got off at an early stop so we could walk a bit. I was surprised on the path all of a sudden when something large jumped out from the bushes.

I think they were also surprised since they very quickly ducked back in.

I realize the pictures may not make them seem large, but these turkeys were monstrous!

They had to have been between 2 and 3 feet tall.

Once we were back to our room, we freshened up and grabbed something to bring with us to dinner.

Soon we were on our way to the CR.

Finally, we were going to have dinner at the Wave.

For whatever reason, any time I have attempted to make a reservation here we end up canceling.

I am not sure if fewer places are offering smoothies as drinks on the dp, but this was the only ts restaurant that allowed us to have anything but soda.

The bread service here was amazing! I know that some people rave about LC and the pretzel bread, but this was by far MUCH nummier. (is that a word? )

Zoe had the chicken

I had a steak (not sure what kind...and the cake beside it I think was a quinoa)

Steve had tenderloin (I think) with a lobster mashed potato

For dessert I had the no sugar added indulgence. Steve had the creamy indulgence (which you can kinda see in the back ground of my dessert)

Zoe had a sundae

This was among my all time favorite meals EVER in WDW. The food was amazing, the service, the atmosphere. I would totally go here again.

Speaking of the service. We happened to feel a tad pressed for time. So when we first met our server, we mentioned that we had to be somewhere at 7pm. She did everything she could to expedite our meal without making us feel rushed. In other words, she hurried... had our meal out fast... so we could relax and enjoy it rather than waiting on the meal to arrive and then having to snarf it down.

We did have a bit of a mishap at dinner. The tables are a tad high for a small child and the smoothie was in a tall glass (you know where I am going, dont you? ) Yes, Zoe tipped the glass to get a sip and most of her drink went all over her. Our server fixed the drink situation by putting it into a cup to go. I fixed the clothing situation by running upstairs to the gift shop to get Zoe a new shirt.

With Zoe cleaned up and our bill settled it was time to head out to something very special that was planned. I could hardly wait.... not just for the event itself, but it meant I was FINALLY going to meet someone very special!!

Next Up: Thursday 2/21 - Day 2 Part 5

 

[dizneeat]

Ah, a cliffhanger ..............

You got in a lot of rides, including a ride back to the resort that afternoon.
What is it with "wildlife" all around Disney? They have some HUGE and none fearful anymals all around.
We use a backroad to go from OKW to MK and there are so many deer! They just stand there, staring you down ...... first I thought they were animatronics , but no, they are quite real.

Sorry about the mishap at dinner - they DO use really tall glasses, which can be a bit tricky for a kid.

Hm, why do I NOT wonder what you did next.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I've never seen wild turkeys at Disney, but we have ones like that all over here!! It's a very common day for me to have to wait while turkeys and deer cross the road while I'm driving to work!

Your dinner at the Wave looks great! Those glasses can be tricky for diners of all ages, I'm always spilling something or other!

 

[momabaarjo]

Ahhh...my favorite A CLIFF HANGER!

The Wave looks really yummy! Hmmmm....

 

[annmarieda]

Ah, a cliffhanger ..............

You got in a lot of rides, including a ride back to the resort that afternoon.
What is it with "wildlife" all around Disney? They have some HUGE and none fearful anymals all around.
We use a backroad to go from OKW to MK and there are so many deer! They just stand there, staring you down ...... first I thought they were animatronics , but no, they are quite real.

Sorry about the mishap at dinner - they DO use really tall glasses, which can be a bit tricky for a kid.

Hm, why do I NOT wonder what you did next.

Yeah... like you don't know where this is headed.

We did get a few rides in.. but not a lot. I am doing the same thing for the TR as I did for my July DLR one and I am listing a Tally on the first page. I think it will be interesting to see how much we end up doing.

That is hillarious about the deer. I know when we stayed at WL, that is what we saw the most of .

I've never seen wild turkeys at Disney, but we have ones like that all over here!! It's a very common day for me to have to wait while turkeys and deer cross the road while I'm driving to work!

Your dinner at the Wave looks great! Those glasses can be tricky for diners of all ages, I'm always spilling something or other!

We have a lot of wild life here too... but the turkey's that are around here are super tiny. I swear these were monsters!!!

Ahhh...my favorite A CLIFF HANGER!

The Wave looks really yummy! Hmmmm....

The Wave was very yummy!

I will do an update soon and reveal the "cliff hanger"

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

I apparently missed the starting TR memo lol! Love all the pictures. Steve caught 2-3 super good ones of you super happy! Love real smiles to candid pics.

The wave looks amazing.... Hmmm as tammie says. Don't we need another ADR lol

 

[annmarieda]

I apparently missed the starting TR memo lol! Love all the pictures. Steve caught 2-3 super good ones of you super happy! Love real smiles to candid pics.

The wave looks amazing.... Hmmm as tammie says. Don't we need another ADR lol

I am sorry... I am not certain there was one. I just put the links in my signature and figure if people want to join along they can. Glad you are here though!!!

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

I am sorry... I am not certain there was one. I just put the links in my signature and figure if people want to join along they can. Glad you are here though!!!

Lol it probably means I should be on the dis more often!!

 

[annmarieda]

With dinner wrapped up, all we needed to do was head out of the CR and toward the boat docks. I was so excited!

Steve took pictures of Zoe running around. (he was experimenting with a setting that he would then use later) I sat on a bench to wait.

Zoe came to sit with me briefly.

I wasn't sure if we were in the right place, so I wandered over to see if we were. Sure enough, we were. We were just early.

Before long, I could see someone I totally recognized. It was Karin!!! (dizneeat) I first saw her and then noticed her brother and one other person. It was so exciting to finally meet them. I think we have followed each other around on dis since 2010?

Karin and her brother, Tom had been kind enough to invite us and another family (Michelle who I believe is also on dis) to join them on a Wishes Fireworks cruise. She really did not need to include us, but I am SO glad she did. It was a once in a life time experience!

I brought a little something for Karin and Tom and for their kitty, Pixie. While.. I hope Pixie was able to enjoy what was brought home to her... in the end I don't know what I was exactly thinking when it came to what I brought for Karin and Tom. I am so embarrassed. I brought chocolate! I use to work for a company in WA that makes chocolate covered cherries. (among other things) I thought it would be a good thing to bring since it represented WA in a small way. Course... while the cherries themselves are probably pretty good the chocolate would never compare to the kind that they are able to eat on a regular basis. I also had found a cute little set of stacking boxes that had Mickey and Minnie on them. I know they had treats inside, but I would assume they were not very edible. I just liked the boxes.

Karin brought some goodies for us as well. She knitted a pair of Mickey mouse pants...to hold kleenex. There is a wonderful calendar she made with pictures of Disney. A shirt from Nassau for Zoe... She went way beyond!!! She shouldn't have brought us anything! As if the goodies and the cruise were not enough she also had a "little" something for Zoe as a birthday gift. Zoe was thrilled she would be able to get in some shopping of her own in the coming days!


The cruise began with a tour around Bay lake. I really don't want to give to much away to anyone who is also reading Karin's report. However, the tour was just a special as the firework viewing. The cm who sailed our boat told us all sorts of stories and showed us various islands around the lake.

The tour then went into the seven seas lagoon. We sailed by the Poly and GF while learning more about the area. Do you all know that there is a small island off of the poly that use to have a wave generator on it? This was great until it began to cause erosion to the Poly's beach.

I would do the tour JUST for the trivia. However, at this point it wasn't just about the disney knowledge we were gaining, but about the people we were spending time with. What amazing people. I really and truly had an amazing time with them!

Soon it was time to find a spot for the fireworks. We were warned that since she could not "drop anchor" we would be moving around a bit as the boat "coasted around" and then she readjusted our position.

As the fireworks began, Michelle's daughter was overjoyed. Her joy was infectious! I think how much she loved the fireworks also helped to make it more special.

We sat enjoying the sound that was piped into the boat as we watched the fireworks. Soon though, I got a call from my evil son.

He kept calling and I was trying to not pick up. I ended up doing so and as I snapped "is there an emergency" to him, he said there was. He told me how Alex had fallen and hit his head. That there "was blood everywhere" and what should he do? Thankfully he didn't keep that farce up for long. He just needed help with the printer since he needed to print out his final orders (that had just arrived) so that he could deploy for his AIT in the morning. I will kill him for that...and for another call I got last week (where he then told me how he was coming home early due to an accident and that he was in the hospital) when he gets home! Luckily, I have a partner in crime (his soon to be fiance, Kimberly) that I have been conspiring with. He is in for it!!!

Once Zach was dealt with we finished watching the fireworks and sadly it came to an end too soon.

You want to see pictures though, right? of course you do.

I tried to pick out some highlights. Steve had the camera on a setting that took a picture every second...so there is a HUGE number of firework pictures. For someone who didn't care about going to disney before this trip.. he sure was starting to let his love of disney out of the closet, so to speak.

Once we docked, we had to take the picture to prove we were all together.

But then... then we didn't want to end the night so soon. We all went to the contempo cafe to hang out. I am not certain how long we sat and chatted. At some point, Tom scooted off to get us more goodies. This time... it solidified my thought that the chocolate Karin and Tom were use to was far superior to what I had brought for them. A full bag of various chocolates!! OMG!!! Pure Heaven!!!

Michelle's son was the first to leave and as he did, I think we all noticed the time. We wrapped things up and as Michelle and her family left Karin asked us how we were getting back to our room. Well, my plan had been to catch a bus from MK. However, it was getting late. She offered that Tom drive us instead. We agreed to let him and we walked out together to their car. It was a pleasant end to an amazing evening. However it was sad to say goodbye.

Karin and Tom - You spoiled us WAY to much!!! I can't thank you enough for such a wonderful evening.

We still managed to get to bed by 11:30 pm.

Next Up: Friday, 2/22 - Day 3 Part 1

 

[dizneeat]

Ann, we had such a wonderful time that evening!
I was so looking forward to meeting you and your family and then it became even more magical than I had imagined it.

Thanks for making our evening special! And thanks again for the gifts. Pixie loved hers and I am still working on the chocolate (Tom tried, but then it is "mine" and I am trying NOT to over indulge! ) The boxes are on display here and remind me of our fun evening together, every time I look at them.

And I really hope that our paths will cross again, so we can have some more fun times together!

Oh, and btw - we have masses of fireworks pics too!

And please get even with Zack for leading you on in his phone call.

 

[afnaechiquita]

Wowow, you never realize how big the fireworks actually are until you're watching them outside of the park! They look huge in your pictures. It looks like a nice, relaxing evening

 

[rani8600]

That fireworks cruise sounds amazing. I think i might have to put in on my WDW wish/dream list

 

[annmarieda]

Ann, we had such a wonderful time that evening!
I was so looking forward to meeting you and your family and then it became even more magical than I had imagined it.

Thanks for making our evening special! And thanks again for the gifts. Pixie loved hers and I am still working on the chocolate (Tom tried, but then it is "mine" and I am trying NOT to over indulge! ) The boxes are on display here and remind me of our fun evening together, every time I look at them.

And I really hope that our paths will cross again, so we can have some more fun times together!

Oh, and btw - we have masses of fireworks pics too!

And please get even with Zack for leading you on in his phone call.

Well, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the evening too. For me it really was so very special for so many reasons.

Oh... and Zach. he WILL be getting his! He has been trying to coerce Kimberly to play some jokes on me... and trying to get me to do the same on her (can you tell he picks on the two of us a lot and is having an issue that he isn't around to do so?) Well, Zach has an issue with paper in the mouth. Like nails on a chalkboard sort of thing. Well, this makes straws from AK a real issue for him. Kimberly is all set with straws I brought back. She is going to swap out "real" straws when he isn't looking so that when he drinks he will indadvertedly use a paper one..hence getting paper in his mouth. Just the thought has me laughing (ok, so maybe Zach gets his mischievousness from somwhere ) Kimberly is going to video tape it for me.

Wowow, you never realize how big the fireworks actually are until you're watching them outside of the park! They look huge in your pictures. It looks like a nice, relaxing evening

It was an amazing evening. I am so glad to have been able to spend time with such wonderful people.

That fireworks cruise sounds amazing. I think i might have to put in on my WDW wish/dream list

It definitely was amazing. I didn't mention, but snacks are provided as a part of the package. We had just had a very large dinner though, so chips and soda were not high on our list of things to eat. Zoe however enjoyed some. I think she may have been the only one. I have read somewhere that after the phm, princesses come together to book one...making it affordable for each of them and also being a great way to celebrate their accomplishment. Maybe that would be a great way for you to get it off of your wish list and into your "doing" list. (do you plan to do the princess in 2014?)

 

[emilyindisney]

Found you, and all caught up!

Your family looks familiar- I feel like I might have seen some of your ToT 10 miler report at one point.

Looks like you're off to a good start, and enjoying good weather! I'm loving all of your MK pictures. I feel like the older I get, the more I love MK which is strange because when I was younger I used to think of it as a 'kid's' park.

i'm insanely jealous of your Wishes cruise! I LOVE Wishes- I cry every time I hear the soundtrack!

Looking forward to hearing more- especially about the race!

 

[annmarieda]

I woke a bit early on friday. It was the first day of the princess expo and I knew that people would be lining up early. It began at 9am, but I had heard that some people would be lining up at 7am. Why line up that early? Well, first.. you are there with 26k people. You have to get through several lines to get everything you need for the race not to mention if you want to shop. In fact, I think the shopping is what caused some of the craziness around getting there. There were two special items that were coveted by some. (not me)

The Dooney bag made just for the phm

The rundisney minnie and mickey mouse shoes

Both are cute, yes? but spendy... and the shoes... well, since I run in a minimalist shoe and these are stability... why shell out the cash just for something this cute.

Still, I wanted to get there early. I got up and got ready. Then I got Zoe ready and together we headed out. This is the reason we stayed at CSR. The expo was RIGHT there. No catching a bus... it was just a walk... and a short one at that.

We arrived right at 9am. The line was HUGE. It wrapped around the front of the convention center almost all the way to where luggage services is at the main part of the resort. To complicate things, as the busses in the parking lot near the convention center entrance let people out, they apparently were not schooled in how to form a line. Every few minutes it seemed I heard someone say "the line is that way" as the new arrivals attempted to join in.

The line did move quickly though and in not a lot of time, we were in. Zoe and I made our way to the lines to get our bibs and then to the line to get my shirt. (I am pretty sure Zoe's came with her bib)

While we did this, Steve got ready and made his way to the convention center. See, I was tricky in my plans. We had a breakfast ADR at 1900 PF and while normally that would involve riding park transportation to a park and then hopping a bus to GF, I thought we would just catch a rundisney bus and head right to GF. (which btw are far more comfortable)

A note to those participating in a rundisney event. You have to pay close attention to what your final instructions are. As we left CSR, there were lines of cars being turned away from CSR that day (and the next) with some very very angry people. See the instructions were - if you were at a non host resort (which for the phm was all of them so this would be locals and off property guests) you could not drive yourself to CSR for the expo. Instructions were to go to DTD and park and then take a rundisney bus in. Yeah, it made a lot of people unhappy and for everyone leaving through the main gate either on rundisney buses or park buses... a wait, since all those angry people had to make u-turns.

We did very well on time considering the line for the expo. We were not a lot late (only a little.. maybe 30 minutes) for our breakfast ADR that was set for 10:00am We got checked in and had our picture taken. Soon we were called in and sat at a table near the door. (so near in fact that it hit Zoe's chair)

Breakfast was very good.

Soon the characters came around.

We decided to walk around the resort a bit. So pretty....even if I don't desire to stay there.

Then it was time to head back to CSR. But again we were not taking one of these..

We instead walked over to the rundisney stop. (which in my experience is never where the regular buses drop or pick up)

Next Up: Friday, 2/22 - Day 3 Part 2

 

[annmarieda]

Since the rundisney bus dropped off in front of the convention center, we decided to venture back in. After all, Steve had not seen the magnificence that is a rundisney expo.

We didn't HAVE to get into any line. There was just one line left that I could get into if I wanted. It was the rundisney merchandise booth. I wish the line would have allowed for it. I am not 100% sure on the wait, but I am guessing an hour would not have been out of the realm of possibility..and that was JUST to get into the booth.

First booth we stopped though...

Chiquita banana.

Yes, she has fruit on her head. But hey... free bananas and apples!!! (which went into our fridge...and promptly froze )

Whew...a spot we could move in to get a picture.

But wait, where did all these people come from and what was only $25 that I missed

And yet more people spilling into the walk way as they tried to shop the booths.

Ok, it was getting a bit tight in there..

So we left the main floor and went out to the walkway. There were plenty of photo ops (with lines) However, this one was little to no line so Zoe and I got our pictures here.

We then went back to the room and I took some pictures of "loot"

Since we were not going to spend more time at the expo that day and we were not going to a park... we decided to head to DTD for the day.

Next Up: 2/22 - Day 3 Part 3